Religious Literature and Book of Common Prayer

Biblical exegesis spurred the Reformation. Because Protestant doctrine and daily practice were based in the Bible, interpreting it correctly was crucial. Understanding of the Old Testament was thought to be necessary for a more thorough knowledge of Christ, and leaders such as Luther (Psalms) and Calvin (Song of Songs) published exegetical works concerning books of the Bible. Luther was especially prolific in publishing Reformation works in general. Of approximately 500 Reformation texts published in German in 1523, for example, more than four hundred were by Luther. Both Geneva and Lyon (in southeastern France) became strongholds of Protestant printing. Verse translations of the Psalms became popular among Protestant poets, and famous men and women of the Bible inspired playwrights. Satirical treatments of the pope and other Catholic figures were effective tools of the Reformation. Some of these were dramatic texts that ridiculed church authorities in public performances. Finally, by the latter 16th century, Reformation histories had begun to appear, notably John Knox’s History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland in 1587 (incomplete edition).

The Book of Common Prayer first was published in 1549, with a revised version in 1552. Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury (1489-1556), helped formulate the text with the assistance of a commission appointed by the king. (The text was not finalized until 1662.) The first version followed Lutheran doctrine, but in wording that recalled the Catholic mass. This wording was changed in the 1552 edition. The priest could celebrate Holy Communion only with the congregation, and the group as a whole would partake of both the wine and the wafer. Prayers for the dead were included in 1549; these were expurgated for the subsequent edition, along with any mention of purgatory or of an altar, which was referred to as a table. Finally, by 1552, the Eucharist would be only a commemoration; that change aligned the Anglican Church with the Reformed Protestantism of the Continent.