The Book of Common Prayers

I've become increasingly fascinated with this text and have found myself incorporating it into my religious practice with greater frequency.

The text, to the surprise of my roommate, is not a book of prayers. There is a collection in our copy, mainly in a section titled "Prayers and Thanksgiving"; however, it is merely 35 pages and doesn't appear until p. 810.

The full title to Curtis' copy is The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, And Other Rights and Ceremonies of the Church Together with The Psalter or Psalms of David According to the Use of the Episcopal Church as ratified in 1979. The short title is The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, And Other Rights and Ceremonies of the Church, which shortened further is The Book of Common Prayers.

A prayer book primarily contains detailed written accounts of the liturgical services of a practicing community (which often involves the prayers used in specific services in the ecclesiastical calender or on special occasions). This copy though also has a lectionary, Church calender, Catechism with prefaced outlining of its purpose, and transliterations of various monumental Christian documents (e.g. Definition of the Union of the Divine and Human Natures in the Person of Christ from the Council of Chalcedon and the Athanasius Creed). Others will have things like a concise collection of canticles.

I think the text is a remarkable resource for Christians, particularly those struggling with prayer. It definitely has more utility in a high liturgically structured worship service, but that doesn't imply it excludes other value.