> [!note] New — 2026-03-20 ![[assets/covers/anglican-formularies.jpg]] Anglican formularies are the authoritative doctrinal standards that together define orthodox Anglican theology. The term covers four documents: the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the Articles of Religion (the Thirty-Nine Articles), the Ordinal, and the two Books of Homilies. Together they establish the church's doctrine of salvation, ministry, and worship in normative written form — giving Anglicanism a more codified doctrinal foundation than is often assumed. ## What each formulary does The **1662 Book of Common Prayer** is the primary liturgical formulary, governing the forms of public worship and embedding [[Archbishop Thomas Cranmer|Cranmer]]'s gospel-centred theology in the rhythms of congregational life. The **Thirty-Nine Articles** set out the Church of England's doctrinal position on the contested questions of the Reformation. The **Ordinal** contains the services for ordaining bishops, priests, and deacons, and spells out the doctrine of ministry, including the structural role of bishops. The two **Books of Homilies** explain key doctrines in sermon form.[^bray-bcp-p25] The Books of Homilies are the least read of these today, but they are not peripheral. They represent the Reformation church's attempt to make doctrinal clarity widely accessible: authorised biblical expositions that any parish could hear, with or without a learned preacher. I want to read them. ## Appearances - *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer*, Gerald Bray - Ch. 3 'The 1662 Book of Common Prayer Today', p. 25 ## Related [[Archbishop Thomas Cranmer]] · [[Liturgical Prayer]] · [[Freedom Through Form]] [^bray-bcp-p25]: [[How to Use the Book of Common Prayer]], p. 25 · 'The 1662 Book of Common Prayer is one of these formularies. Another is the Articles of Religion, also called the Thirty-Nine Articles. Still another formulary is the Ordinal, which contains the services for ordaining bishops, priests, and deacons. The Ordinal spells out the doctrine of ministry, including the role of bishops. There are also two Books of Homilies, which explain key doctrines in sermon form.' · [[How to Use the Book of Common Prayer - 32.jpg|↗]]