Today we commemorate the institution of the first Book of Common Prayer. It came into use on the feast of Pentecost, June 9, 1549. Edward VI was king. He was ten-years old. A regency council was in charge of his kingdom. Thomas Cranmer was archbishop of Canterbury. And it is largely to Thomas Cranmer, whose study and knowledge, along with his gifts as a translator, that we have a Prayer Book tradition that has stood the test of time. The history and theology of Anglicans is still defined by its Prayer Books.
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