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News, events, updates, and tidbits from the Presbyterian Historical Society. Use tags to read related articles or sort by author for similar posts written by PHS staff members and volunteers.

The 1637 Book of Common Prayer

November 12, 2018

It was the book that caused a riot and a war. Prior to the 1637 publication of the Book of Common Prayer, the Church of Scotland was a hodgepodge of reformed theology and Episcopalian government. It had presbyteries and synods, but also bishops.

However, most churches in Scotland used John Knox’s Book of Common Order, also known as Knox’s Liturgy, instead of...

Author:

David K

Tags:

John Knox, Early Presbyterianism, Scotland

Notes on First Presbyterians in the American Colonies

November 13, 2015

In seminary and graduate school, I was taught that the first North American Presbyterians were part of the Puritan immigration that began in the 1620s in Massachusetts and soon spread to other portions of New England, especially Connecticut. The Puritans who peopled New England were usually contrasted with the “Cavaliers” who populated Tidewater Virginia.

Subsequently, I learned that the Puritan movement was a far more variegated and

...

Tags:

American History, Early Presbyterianism, Immigration