Book of Common Prayer (1928, United States)
The first such production was the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, traditionally considered to be work of Thomas Cranmer, which replaced both the missals and breviaries of Catholic usage.
[1] Among these liturgies were the Communion service and canonical hours of Matins and Evensong, with the addition of the Ordinal containing the form for the consecration of bishops, priests, and deacons in 1550.
[2] Under Edward VI, the 1552 Book of Common Prayer incorporated more radically Protestant reforms,[3]: 11 a process that continued with 1559 edition approved under Elizabeth I.
Notably, the Eucharistic prayers of this approved edition included a similar Epiclesis invoking the Holy Spirit as that present in Eastern Christian rituals and the Episcopal Church of Scotland's liturgy.
[3]: 12 Proposals to remove the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds faced successful objections from both a caucus of High Church Virginians and English bishops who had been consulted on the prayer book's production.
These included alterations with doctrinal implications—such as the removal of a prayer that identified disastrous weather as divine punishment for sin—that were approved by the General Convention.
[15]: 59–60 Under the leadership of Cortlandt Whitehead and, after his 1922 death, Charles L. Slattery, the commission presented book-length reports at four further General Conventions,[17][13]: 101 resulting in review and debate with varying outcomes.
[15]: 60–61 Among the significant changes present in the 1928 prayer book included the excision of "extreme Calvinism", diminished emphasis on human sinfulness, and alteration of the matrimonial service such that the pledges were more similar between husband and wife.
A new rubric was inserted with the 1928 prayer book which permitted a deacon to celebrate the Communion office ending at the gospel when a priest was absent.
[16]: 176–177 Due to growing opposition to the Ten Commandments in the Communion service on the grounds that they had lost their relevancy and meaning in the modern world, permission was granted that significant portions might be omitted.
"[13]: 107–108 Unlike other English and American prayer book revisions which had introduced few new collects, the 1928 edition added 15 across various offices including the Holy Communion.
[19]: 229 The Visitation of the Sick was significantly altered from its 1892 guise with the intent of removing "so gloomy, so medieval" theology that had prevented its regular use in ministry.
