More on the “New” BCP

Again, I do not mean the new BCP that will be published by the Episcopal Church in the near future. I am speaking of the one published by Lancelot Andrewes Press in conjunction with English Orthodox Communications. The purpose of this particular rendition of the BCP is to conform the English liturgical tradition to Orthodox theology so that it may be used as a resource by Western Rite Orthodox Christians. Thus, there are some definite changes that have been made. Anyway, I thought I would write up this brief little review as an outsider from the traditions that contribute to this book. Long time readers will already know my biases upfront: 1. I think the English liturgical tradition really is the “Best of the West”; 2. I am a long time devotee to the 1928 BCP and King James Version of the Bible for my private devotional use;  3. I am fascinate with Orthodoxy in its many incarnations, but especially this notion of a Western Rite. (note: yes, I know some thin it is sheep stealing, and others see it as reverse Uniatism, but I like so “boo” to you all).

With that out of the way, let me get to it:

Appearance and Feel

The book is covered with a handsome, red, leather-like cover with gold crosses stamped on the cover. It looks and feels like a prayer book. Major plus. All the rubrics are in red, making them easy to find and follow. It is printed on thin paper, but it is not quite the Bible leaf of my favorite 28 BCP, and thus there is no guilding, giving it a slightly cheaper look, which I don’t like. The good news is that it is about the size of your average thin line Bible, so it is small enough to slip into a briefcase and carry with you, a major plus. All in all, a nice book, but as a bibliophile – especially of all things liturgical – I would like to see a slightly fancier edition.

Content

The book is divided in four major sections: The Daily Office; The Mass, or Divine Liturgy; The Sacraments and Pastoral Offices; Appendices.

The Daily Office section includes a general confession, Morning and Evening Prayer, OT Canticles, Orders from Prime, Sext and Compline (but no None), The Psalter (the Coverdale, thank God), Prayers, A Bidding Prayer, Family Prayer, An Office for Ash Wednesday and the Litany. It also includes an order for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, placed right between Evening Prayer and Compline. I’ve only read through the offices, I’ve not actually prayed them devotionally, so it is hard to comment on how they would be long term as far as feel and rhythm. They read much like the traditional 1928 offices though, with some obvious Marian stuff slipped, things that your average Anglo-Catholic would probably introduce as a matter of personal piety anyway. I find it interesting that they chose not to include None, and I would like to see Benediction somewhere else, as most people wouldn’t use this on a daily basis.

The section on the mass includes the order of Mass, along with propers for the season and for the saints, and a ritual decalogue. Those familiar with the Anglican Missal will find this version of the mass extraordinarily similar, with some obvious Orthodox additions (the Creed sans Filioque, for example, or the prayer “Oh thy mystic supper…”).

The Pastoral Offices have Baptism and Confirmation (all rolled into one as is Orthodox practice); Penance; Reception of Converts; Matrimony; Churching of omen; Visitation of the Sick; Holy Communion outside of Mass (not sure why I was surprised to see this); Visitation of the Sick; Communion of the Sick; Anointing of the Sick; Litany for the Dying; Burial of the Dead; Burial of a Child.

Again, not much here that the typical BCP traditionalist would find surprising, with the exception of an office for the reception of converts, which I would think to be very necessary given the role that Western Orthodoxy plays in the US. It seems to fit the need of parishes and priests.

The Appendices include a Calendar; Daily Office Lectionary; Opening Sentences; Historic Eucharistic Canons; and Guides to the Mass and Daily Offices.

The Calendar is interesting in that it includes a number of post-schism Western saints, all of which are printed in italics. There is a blurb about asking permission before venerating any of these saints, again, an oddity due to the books design and use, and a potential weakness of a Western Rite in an Eastern Church. The Historic Eucharistic Canons include Coverdale’s translation of the Roman Canon (in Latin and English on facing pages); The first BCP Canon (1549); the 1928 American Canon; the 1929 Scottish Canon; the 1954 South African Canon; and the 1962 Canadian Canon. There are no instructions or guidelines for using any of these canons as an alternative to the one in the Mass, leaving me questioning why they are included.

Overall Impression

This will totally depend on your disposition towards the Western Rite. I personally find it a likable and usable book (in my case, more for private devotion). I can imagine it would work well in a Western Rite parish that followed English ceremonial. I think it lacks sufficient rubrics and instructions in some places, and would like to see it be a bit more clear about ceremonial expectation. I am not sure if there will be an accompanying edition of Ritual Notes or some other such guide in the future, but I think it would be helpful. I think the weaknesses of the book point to some of the current weaknesses of the Western Rite as it is being constructed in the US (how much do we keep? what do we have to add? can you really have English Orthodox ceremonial without having to use a pre-1054 rite, and then can that be considered a living rite of the church? etc etc).

I will say this: I like the book much, much more than its Roman cousin, The Book of Divine Worship. The BDW is so large as to be unwieldy, too big for either pew or personal use. Furthermore, the BCP avoids some of the more obvious cut and paste of the BDW, which is amplified by the BDW’s use of some pretty awful ICEL pieces. There is no attempt to provide more than one rite or more than one psalter. The Andrewes BCP accept traditional language as the norm, and – in my estimation – does a much better job respecting the English liturgical tradition than does the BDW.

So, is it worth $29.00 for any non-Western Rite person? Not really. I bought it because I have a book allowance and an obsession with liturgy, Anglicanism and Orthodoxy, so it works out. But if you are an Anglo-Catholic looking for a traditional language resource for prayer that includes Marian prayers and such, then it may be worth it. If you want to see more of the inside of the book, go here and view the pdf’s.