The First English Prayer Book

Rating:
Summary: Uncommon prayer...
Review: A bishop in the Episcopal church once said to me, 'We don't have a theology that we have to believe -- what we have is the prayerbook.' Please forgive the absence of context for this phrase -- while he would say that this statement in isolation is an exaggeration, and I would agree, nonetheless his statement serves to highlight both the importance of and the strength of the Book of Common Prayer.

To be an Anglican (or Episcopalian), one does not have to subscribe to any particular systematic theological framework. One does not have to practice a particular brand of liturgical style. One does not have to have an approved politico-theological viewpoint. One can be a conservative, liberal or moderate; one can be high church, low church, or broad; one can be charismatic, evangelical, or mainline traditional -- one can be any number of things in a rich diversity of choices, and the Book of Common Prayer can still be the book upon which spirituality and worship is centred.

Gerry Janzen, an Anglican professor at my seminary, said to me recently as we were lunching and having a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation (in a unique way that only Gerry Janzen is capable of doing) that he strives for that kind of memory and understanding that is so complete that one forgets what one has learned. He recounted to me his experience of working with his book on Job -- he had done a lot of research, development of ideas, writing, and organisation, and then set it aside for a time. When he picked up the topic later, he decided to begin by writing, and then go back to the research, other notes and writings he had done earlier. He was surprised to see, in comparing the work, that he had in fact duplicated much of the material -- he had internalised the information, incorporated it so well into his thinking and being, that it came forward without effort. It is this kind of relationship I feel I have developed with the Book of Common Prayer.

The First English Prayer Book
There are many versions and varieties of the BCP. It has been revised many times in the past several centuries (with varying degrees of support and controversy); it has been revised for local application by different national churches. A list of some of these, in addition to some commentaries, is provided at the conclusion of this article.

The tradition for all of these began with the first English Prayer Book, published by Thomas Cranmer in 1549.

'Based on medieval forms of worship, its language is both sublime and majestic. Later Prayer Books produced by the Anglican Communion are derived from it -- and in the eyes of many are inferior. All Christian denominations in England and America owe an incalculable debt to Cranmer's pioneering work.'

Robert Van de Weyer edited this version of The First English Prayer Book, a compact edition of the 1549 version, laid out in an easily readable and usable format -- the BCP is always meant to be used, and, as the word common indicates, as something done in community -- common to all the people. The BCP can be adapted and very useful for private devotions, but the first and main intent is to gather, sustain and strengthen people in community. Spellings have be regularised for a modern audience, and some minor grammatical changes have also been incorporated.

Van de Weyer has also incorporated a brief, six-page introduction, which is one of the better brief summaries of early prayer book development that I have come across. It addresses the politics and the theological issues in the various revisions with particular attention to the acceptance and usefulness of the Book of Common Prayer in its various forms, without getting too technical or too detailed as to become problematic for the casual reader to follow.

The structure of first English Prayer Book varies from later versions, but the seed of the later versions is contained herein. Beginning with Matins and Evensong, two regular daily services, it then proceeds to Holy Communion, as one of the central services of the church (the centrality of communion/eucharist has varied over time in Anglican history). Following these primary services are other special services: orders for Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, Visitation of the Sick, and Burial of the Dead. Concluding the book are The Litany, The Catechism, and the listing of collects, epistle and gospel readings throughout the year.

Being mindful of the situation of lack of clergy and questionable standards of practice in the churches, Cranmer developed this book with care. The only service that requires clergy is the Confirmation service; Holy Communion can be conducted and administered by laypersons with reserve sacrament. Cranmer distinguished in his terminology the words minister and priest, and the two should not be viewed as interchangeable. A priest is a minister, but a minister need not be a priest. This become part of the early development of the idea of all people being ministers to each other, which is also a concept that has varying acceptance and fulfillment in actual practice over the history of Anglicanism. ...

Rating:
Summary: Van de Weyer Hits a Homerun
Review: Next to the King James Bible and the shakespearean corpus, Thomas Cranmer's prayer book stands as the premier example of the might and majesty of the English language. Moreover, the Book of Common Prayer has shaped countless Christian souls since its introduction in 1549 as well as being the liturgical source from which a host of other church orders have been mined. Quite literally, "Cranmer's Godly Order," as his prayer book is affectionately known amongst Anglicans, gave birth to and continues to nourish a Christian tradition. Robert Van de Weyer has done a great service to Anglicans--and to a host of other Christians seeking a piety grounded in history--by making Cranmer's first prayer book accessible to the modern church. This edition of the 1549 prayer book is intended for worship. Van de Weyer, the compiler and editor, makes that clear in his introduction. All the major services are here: Matins and Evensong, the Litany, the marriage and burial offices, Confirmation, the Catechism, Baptism and the Visitation of the Sick, and, of course, the Holy Communion. Also included are the Collects and the assigned Epistle and Gospel lessons for Sundays and holy days. Positively, the services are formatted for easy reading, with the rubrics in red, the archaic spelling updated, the versicles and responses bolded and the paragraphs adequately separated. The daily, regular and systematic recitation of the Psalter was (and is) a constituent part of the daily offices in the common prayer tradition, but sadly, Van de Weyer does not include the calendar to practice this. Moreover, he omits what must be the most memorable line from the Litany in which God's people pray for deliverance from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and all his "detestable enormities." Though no explanation is given, I am certain the phrase was excised so as not to offend modern sensibilities in this ecumenical era. Notwithstanding the critiques of a purist, "The First English Prayer Book" is marvelous and much needed work. I thank Van de Weyer for this labor of love, and I commend it to anyone wanting to drink from the spiritual and linguistic well of Cranmer's Godly Order.

Rating:
Summary: A Nice Book with an Inaccurate Title
Review: This book should be withdrawn by the publisher with an apology for false advertisng.
Let us be clear first about what it is NOT. It is not in anyway a verbatim reprint of the First Book of Common Prayer. In fact, it is not even the 1549 prayer book arranged for modern use as the editor/author states. Rather, it is one individual's personal revision of the Book of Common Prayer.

This book contains material that was not even in the prayer book of 1549. In fact, it is a combination of material from various editions of the Book of Common Prayer, including revisions made long after Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake. The editor also takes Cranmerian material and arranges it in significantly different order than that used by the Archbishop.

This edition also makes claims in its preface that are not correct. The most egregiously false is the claim that Cranmer intended lay persons to serve as officiants for many of the services. That simply is not true. Cranmer was far more medieval in outlook than many modern students realize. He envisioned all the services being done by ordained clergy, assisted by lay clerks. The editor of this book claims that where Cranmer used the word "minister" he intended lay persons or clergy. This is not true. Cranmer used minister in a protestant sense to mean an ordained person in a reformed church. The notion of lay ministry was fairly weak at the time and Cranmer would not have used the title minister for a lay person. When Cranmer means a lay minister he uses the term Clerk or Clark. As far as lay folks administering communion from reserved sacrament, Cranmer actually intended to abolish the reservation of the sacrament. Lay folk administering the holy communion was not even in Cranmer's mind.

Having said a great deal about what I think is wrong with this book, a few positive statements are also required. While this is one person's revision in an era when most prayer books are revised by committees, it is skillfully done. The compiler clearly loves traditional language liturgy in the Anglican style and it shows. He grasps the nuances and subtlties of Tudor religious language well. Many of his arrangements are quite felicitous and could be used by a worship leader, ordained or lay, with ease. In fact, I would commend this book to be studied by anyone on a committee preparing a revision of the Book of Common Prayer as an example of how such work can be done well. At the same time, I would emphasize again that in no way can this book claim to be an accurate edition of the First English Prayer Book. What a shame that such a fine volume was launched with such a deceptive title. It is because the title is deceptive that I give it only two stars. If it had billed itself honestly as a modern revision of the Book of Common Prayer in traditional language, I would have given it a four or five.

Donald Lowery
York, South Carolina