This chapter considers more popular and experiential receptions of the Bible, in its various canonical and material manifestations, in faith communities. It examines communal engagement with biblical texts in liturgy and prayer, actualizations of the Bible in the praxis of believers and faith communities, and how the Bible functions in ecumenical dialogue and in wider interfaith conversations.

The Dominicans arrived in England in 1221 and established their first community in Oxford, followed in quick succession by houses in towns and cities across England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, which together formed the English Province of the Order. The first part of this chapter charts the spread of the Dominican Order in medieval Britain and Ireland and then surveys the extant liturgical books from the region. While only a handful survive, many supply the Gospel lections read at Mass; thus, the final part of this chapter explores the liturgical identity of the Dominican Order through a study of its Gospel lections. This reveals that the Dominican choice of Gospel lections in Britain and Ireland was largely in line with that of their Continental counterparts; nonetheless, local sanctoral feasts were added to the margins of books used for the public recitation of the Gospels, showing some adaptation for local needs.