Glossary of Terms
Boise, Missionary District of
The 1898 General Convention changed the name of the Missionary District of Wyoming and Idaho to the Missionary District of Boise. It was in existence until Oct. 10, 1907, when the General Convention formed the Missionary District of Wyoming and the Missionary District of Idaho.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich
(Feb. 4, 1906-Apr. 9, 1945). Pastor and theologian. He was born in Breslau, Germany. Bonhoeffer began his theological studies at Tübingen University but moved to Berlin University. In 1927 he received the licentiate in theology, summa cum laude, and defended his doctoral dissertation. It was published as The Communion of Saints (1927). In 1929 Bonhoeffer […]
Boniface
(c. 680-June 5, 754). The “Apostle of Germany,” he was born near Crediton in Devonshire, England, and was originally named Winfred. He was educated in abbeys at Exeter and Nursling, near Winchester. Boniface spent most of his life doing missionary work in Frisia, Thuringia, Hesse, and Bavaria. He was consecrated bishop in 722, was made […]
Bonn Agreement
This agreement grew out of a meeting of representatives of the Old Catholic churches of Holland, Germany, and Switzerland, and of the Church of England, at Bonn, Germany, July 2, 1931. The Bonn Agreement states that 1) Each Communion recognizes the catholicity of the other and maintains its own; 2) Each Communion agrees to admit […]
Book Annexed, The
A shortened form of the title of The Book Annexed to the Report of the Joint Committee on the Book of Common Prayer Appointed by the General Convention of MDCCCLXXX or of The Book Annexed . . . As Modified by the Action of the General Convention of MDCCCLXXXIII. These books were published in 1883 […]
Book of Common Prayer, The (BCP)
Official book of worship of the Episcopal Church. The BCP provides liturgical forms, prayers, and instructions so that all members and orders of the Episcopal Church may appropriately share in common worship. Anglican liturgical piety has been rooted in the Prayer Book tradition since the publication of the first English Prayer Book in 1549. The […]
Book of Homilies
In 1547, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (1533-1556), issued his Book of Homilies. This was a time when many clergy did not want to preach, and when they did, some preached inflammatory sermons. Readings from the Book of Homilies were intended to insure that congregations of the Church of England would hear only officially approved […]
Book of Occasional Services, The (BOS)
Book of optional services and texts prepared by the Standing Liturgical Commission in response to a directive from the General Convention of 1976 to replace The Book of Offices (third edition, 1960). The services and texts of the BOS are available for “occasional” pastoral and liturgical needs of congregations. The BOS includes special materials for […]
Book of Offices, The
A collection of offices for specific purposes and occasions “which occur in the work of Bishops and other Clergy.” It was first published in 1940. It includes forms for the dedication of various buildings and forms for the blessing of articles of church furniture. It was contrasted with The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory […]
Boone College, Wuchang, China
The Bishop Boone Memorial School, a boarding school, opened in Wuchang in Sept., 1871, with three students. It was named after Bishop William Jones Boone, the first Episcopal Bishop of China. It was raised to the rank of college in 1905 and graduated its first class in 1906. It was incorporated as a university in […]
Boone, William Jones
(July 1, 1811-July 17, 1874). First foreign Missionary Bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was born in Walterborough, South Carolina, and graduated from the College of South Carolina in 1829. He was admitted to the bar in 1833 but decided to enter the ordained ministry. After studying for a while at the Virginia Theological Seminary, […]
Boone, William Jones, Jr.
(Apr. 17, 1846-Oct. 5, 1891). Missionary bishop. He was born in Shanghai, China. Boone graduated from Princeton in 1865. He then studied at the Philadelphia Divinity School and the Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained deacon on July 26, 1868, and priest on Oct. 28, 1870. Boone was appointed to the mission at Wuchang, China, […]
BOS
See Book of Occasional Services, The (BOS).
Bosher, Robert Semple
(May 27, 1911-Dec. 29, 1976). Priest and church historian. He was born in Richmond, Virginia. Bosher received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1932, his S.T.B. from General Theological Seminary in 1936, and his Ph.D. from Cambridge University in 1949. He was ordained deacon on Apr. 14, 1936, and priest on Oct. 28, […]
Boucher, Jonathan
(Mar. 12, 1738-Apr. 27, 1804). Tory clergyman. He was born in Blencogo, parish of Bromfield, Cumberland County, England. He came to Virginia in 1759 to serve as tutor for two boys in Port Royal. Boucher felt called to ordained ministry while he was in Virginia, but he had to go to England for ordination because […]
Bowden, John
(Jan. 7, 1751-July 31, 1817). Priest and educator. He was born in Ireland. Bowden came to the American colonies at an early age. For two years he was a student at the College of New Jersey (Princeton). He graduated from King's College, New York, in 1772. Bowden was ordained deacon on Apr. 25, 1774, and […]
Bowie, Walter Russell
(Oct. 8, 1882-Apr. 23, 1969). Seminary professor and renowned preacher. Born in Richmond, Virginia, Bowie received his B.A. in 1904 and his M.A. in 1905, both from Harvard. He received his B.D. from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1908. He was ordained deacon on June 19, 1908, and priest on June 18, 1909. He was rector […]
Boyle, Sarah Patton
(May 9, 1906-Feb. 21, 1994). Outstanding Episcopal opponent to segregation in the era of the civil rights movement. She was born in Albemarle County, Virginia. In the late 1940s she became aware of the evils of segregation and racism. In the 1950s she worked to increase public awareness of segregation's harm to people of all […]
Bragg, George Freeman, Jr.
(Jan. 25, 1863-Mar. 12, 1940). African American civil rights leader, priest, editor, and author. He was born in Warrenton, North Carolina, and grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, where he studied at St. Stephen's Parish and Normal School. He entered the Theological School for Negroes in Petersburg in 1879, a branch of the Virginia Theological Seminary. […]
Bratton, Theodore DuBose
(Nov. 11, 1862-June 26, 1944). Bishop and educator. Bratton was born near Winnsboro, South Carolina, and his mother was the sister of William Porcher DuBose. He studied at the Sewanee Grammar School. Bratton received his B.A. in 1887 and his B.D. in 1889 from the University of the South. He was ordained deacon on Sept. […]
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.