Byzantine Daily Worship

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive Eastern Prayer Resource
Review: Archbishop Raya of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, together with Jose DeVinck, has produced a tremendous volume of Eastern Christian liturgical spirituality covering a breadth and depth that is quite unsurpassed in any other single volume work. This remarkable book contains the order of prayers for Vespers, Matins, the lesser canonical hours, Compline and Grand Compline, the Liturgies of Chrysostom and Basil, the Presanctified Liturgy, the cycle of the Octo-Echos, weekday hymns and theotokia, as well as proper prayers for every day in the liturgical calendar, including prayers from the Menaion, the Triodion and the Pentecostarion. In addition, texts are included for devotion to the Theotokos (the Akathist Hymn and the Paraclisis) and for Funerals. BDW, as it is affectionately called among Eastern Christians, is a stunningly comprehensive collection of prayers, rubrics and explanations usable by Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics alike (the book was received by the Greek-Catholic Patriarch in Damascus as well as the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople) -- presented in a book that is not cumbersome to use and is of a size that makes it fairly easy to transport. Altogether, an excellent treasury of prayer for those who practice Byzantine spirituality.

Rating:
Summary: An Ideal Resource for Byzantine Christians
Review: I have prayed the Divine Office in the Latin Rite for several years now, and have recently prayed the Byzantine Divine Office. In looking for a copy of the Byzantine Divine Office, I found this book to be unequalled for its depth of liturgical prayer. I was also gratified to see that this book was received by both Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs, and hope that this is a sign of things to come.

The daily prayers of the Church (e.g., evening prayer [Vespers], and morning prayer [Matins]) provide one a great way to infuse one's daily activities with God and a greater prayerful spirit. Sometimes the book gets a little confusing as one adapts the prayers for the differing feast days and seasons, but the core of the prayers is pretty straightforward, so you can work on them and then try to adapt the prayers for the seasons and feasts days as you get more confident. Enlisting the aid of a priest or religious is another possibility if you feel lost.

The book also has the Divine Liturgies in it and also the common prayer service for the dead and various devotions like the Marian Akathist. I was amazed at how much the book was able to contain and yet keep a readable font and reasonable size!

On a final note, Byzantine Daily Worship has great explanations of the theology behind Byzantine liturgy and prayer (which are bound together inseparably), which are particularly welcome for this Roman Catholic who is still learning more about the East.

Rating:
Summary: Previous Reviewer Doesn't Get It
Review: This is an excellent prayer book for Catholics
who observe the Eastern Byzantine rite. Clearly
an earlier reviewer is unaware that the Catholic
church incorporates many, many rites other than
just the Roman (Latin) rite, and has done so for centuries.
This is what makes the Catholic church truly catholic
(=universal). This is a common mistake, even among
Roman Catholics. Many of the latter believe that
just because they best know the Roman rite, they
cannot sample the "heaven on earth" offered by
the other rites of the Church, all of which are
sanctioned and encouraged by the See of Rome.

This book is the best equivalent to the
Latin Liturgy of the Hours that I've found. It is clear,
and is a great introduction to those who already know
or who wish to know the mode of worship that long
preceded the Tridentine and Novus Ordo masses of
the Latin church. Byzantine worship is a whole new
experience for most westerners, and one that is
deeply nourishing to the soul. I heartily recommend
this book as a personal adjuct to worship in the
Byzantine rite of Catholicism.



Rating:
Summary: Essential Book for Byzantine Catholics
Review: We use this book at services at our local Byzantine Catholic (Russian Rite) Chapel. It has all the service requirements to celebrate the Divine Liturgies of St John Chrysostom, St Basil and St Gregory (Pre-sanctified), as well as the Akathistos, the Office of Paraklesis and the Funeral Service. It is excellently bound and will fulfill most needs for Sunday worship for liturgies in English. It does not contain any music but I have used it as the basis for composing chants in the Slavonic style.

My only criticism of the book is that it does, at times, lapse into the most peculiar archaisms when it comes to rendering the more complex translations. It is also designed for American use. We, naturally, amend the various political entities to fit in the context of Australian life, but that is the beauty of the Byzantine tradition - you are supposed to make it fit the local circumstances.

This book is one of my most treasured possessions and I highly recommend it. I only wish it could be either reprinted or a Second Edition made.