Bayard Hale Jones

The American Prayer Book Bayard Hale Jones

Edward Parsons and Bayard Jones, the authors of The American Prayer Book: Its Origins and Principles, require no introduction. Both were liturgical scholars and lifetime churchmen in the Episcopal Church in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. The American Prayer Book was published on the heels of the release of the newly revised 1928 American Book of Common Prayer. The strength of their book is found in their ability as skilled students of liturgy to identify the genesis of the various offices in the Book of Common Prayer, and to trace the development of each rite through the history of the Catholic Church. The erudite Parsons and Jones take the reader on a journey through time to show the aspiration of the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church's longing to "worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 96:9, KJV). This present volume is not a reproduction of the original. The main content is contained herein, but the scholarly apparatus has been removed. Thus, footnotes, bibliography, and index are not included. Latin terms have also been reduced to a minimum, and when they are used, they are defined (along with other obscure liturgical concepts the modern reader may have to look up). 1928 Common Prayer is an abridged overview written as an introduction to the more scholarly effort. If the reader desires to investigate the work of Parsons and Jones for more detailed study, the original is available in the public domain on the internet. The goal was to make The American Prayer Book accessible to clergy and lay readers alike, which meant reducing wordiness, odd phrasing, and by clarifying concepts as best as possible. The overall aim was to reproduce an important work on English liturgy all "Anglican Americans" should consider, especially those who use the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer.