Anglicanism arguably originated in 1534 when Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, which transferred papal power over the Church of England to the king. Today, approximately 550 dioceses are located around the world, not only in England, but also everywhere that the British Empire's area of influence extended. With a membership estimated at around 80 million members the Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion in the world This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism covers the history of Anglicanism through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, concepts and institutions, rituals and liturgy, events and national communities. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Anglicanism.

Explains the meanings of many of the unique words that are part of the Anglican tradition.

Members of the Church of England until the mid-16th century, the Puritans thought the Church had become too political and needed to be 'purified.' While many Puritans believed the Church was capable of reform, a large number decided that separating from the Church was their only remaining course of action. Thus the mass migration of Puritans (known as Pilgrims), to America took place. Although Puritanism died in England around 1689 and in America in 1758, Puritan beliefs, such as self-reliance, frugality, industry, and energy remain standards of the American ideal. The Historical Dictionary of Puritans tells the story of Puritanism from its origins until its eventual demise. This is done through a chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on important people, places, and events.

A comprehensive, quick reference for all Episcopalians, both lay and ordained. This thoroughly researched, highly readable resource contains more than 3,000 clearly entries about the history, structure, liturgy, and theology of the Episcopal Church—and the larger Christian church worldwide. The editors have also provided a helpful bibliography of key reference works and additional background materials. “This tool belongs on the shelf of just about anyone who cares for, works in or with, or even wonders about the Episcopal Church.”—The Episcopal New Yorker

Sacred music is a universal phenomenon of humanity. Where there is faith, there is music to express it. Every major religious tradition and most minor ones have music and have it in abundance and variety. There is music to accompany ritual and music purely for devotion, music for large congregations and music for trained soloists, music that sets holy words and music without words at all. In some traditions—Islamic and many Native American, to name just two--the relation between music and religious ritual is so intimate that it is inaccurate to speak of the music accompanying the ritual. Rather, to perform the ritual is to sing, and to sing the ritual is to perform it. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Sacred Music contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 800 cross-referenced entries on major types of music, composers, key religious figures, specialized positions, genres of composition, technical terms, instruments, fundamental documents and sources, significant places, and important musical compositions. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about sacred music.

The Oxford History of Anglicanism provides a global study of Anglicanism from the sixteenth century to the twenty-first. The five volumes in the series look at how Anglican identity was constructed and contested since the English Reformation of the sixteenth century, and examine its historical influence during the past six centuries. They consider not only the ecclesiastical and theological aspects of global Anglicanism, but also the political, social, economic, and cultural influences of this form of Christianity that has been historically significant in Western culture, and a burgeoning force in non-Western societies since the nineteenth century. Written by international experts in their various historical fields, each volumes analyses the varieties of Anglicanism that have emerged. The series also highlights the formal, political, institutional, and ecclesiastical forces that have shaped a global Anglicanism; and the interaction of Anglicanism with informal and external influences which have both moulded Anglicanism and been fashioned by it. Volume five of The Oxford History of Anglicanism considers the global experience of the Church of England in mission and in the transitions of its mission Churches towards autonomy in the twentieth century. The Church developed institutionally, yet more than the institutional history of the Church of England and its spheres of influence is probed. The contributors focus on what it has meant to be Anglican in diverse contexts. What spread from England was not simply a religious institution but the religious tradition it intended to implant. The volume addresses questions of the conduct of mission, its intended and unintended consequences. It offers important insights on what decolonization meant for Anglicans as the mission Church in various global locations became self-reliant. This study breaks new ground in describing the emergence of an Anglicanism shaped more contextually than externally. It illustrates how Anglicanism became enculturated across a broad swath of cultural contexts. The influence of context, and the challenge of adaption to it, framed Anglicanism's twentieth-century experience.