the.com/prayerbook
A pocket-sized hotline to the divine, with bookmarks for every crisis.
means A book containing set prayers, devotions, and liturgical texts used for worship, either privately or in a religious service.
from A plain compound of "prayer" and "book." "Prayer" travels from Latin "precari," to beg or entreat, through Old French "preiere" into Middle English. "Book" is solidly Germanic, from Old English "bōc," possibly tied to "bēce," the beech tree — the old idea being that early writing was scratched onto beechwood. So the word literally bundles "the act of asking" with "the bound pages," a portable container for petitions long before anyone called it a hotline.
- oldest survivor
- The St Cuthbert Gospel dates to the 7th century
- royal drama
- Cranmer's 1549 version sparked a deadly English rebellion
- jewel binding
- Medieval ones wore gold, gems, and ivory covers
- daily clock
- Books of Hours scheduled prayer eight times a day
- bestseller status
- They were Europe's first mass-produced personal books
book of common prayer — anglican liturgical text first published 1549, still in use by millions
siddur — jewish daily prayer book containing hebrew prayers and blessings, standardized format since medieval times
roman missal — catholic liturgical text containing latin mass prayers, current edition updated 2011