Essays from academics across a spectrum of perspectives. The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music sought input from multiple sources in order to better understand the charge of the General Convention of 2015 suggesting that it present a plan for the revision of the Book of Common Prayer to the 2018 Convention. While the individual chapters of this volume raise a variety of differing issues, they share a common assumption—that one of the sources of information for the Standing Commission and the Church in its deliberations ought to be the community of academically trained liturgical scholars. The hope of this volume is to open a conversation across the church that will continue in the future.
The 1928 Book of Common Prayer is a treasured resource for traditional Anglicans and others who appreciate the majesty of King James-style language. This classic edition features a Presentation section containing certificates for the rites of Baptism, Confirmation, and Marriage. The elegant burgundy hardcover binding is embossed with a simple gold cross, making it an ideal choice for both personal study and gift-giving. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer combines Oxford's reputation for quality construction and scholarship with a modest price - a beautiful prayer book and an excellent value.
John E. Booty's edition of The Book of Common Prayer, 1559, first published by the University Press of Virginia for the Folger Shakespeare Library in 1976 and long out of print, is now being reissued in the same handsome format as the original edition. In her foreword to the 2005 reissue, Judith Maltby writes, "It is difficult to overemphasize the importance of the 1559 Prayer Book.... Shakespeare was clearly shaped by a culture in which the vernacular was remarkably vigorous." Booty's text derives from a rare copy of the Elizabethan Prayer Book printed by Richard Jugge and John Cawode in 1559, now part of the Josiah Benton Collection of the Boston Public Library. Booty modernized spelling and punctuation, but took care not to distort the style and cadence of the Elizabethan text. To place the Prayer Book in its original cultural setting, he wrote a lengthy critical essay that traces the book's history and use during the sixteenth century. Helpful bibliographical notes enable readers to appreciate all the nuances of particular services and their contents. Particularly useful are the general index and the index of biblical passages, features unavailable in other editions of the Prayer Book. Through this magnificent document one begins to understand not only the Anglican church but also the Elizabethan culture in which Shakespeare lived, for this was one of the books that helped shape Renaissance England in all of its vitality and greatness. As Booty reminds the reader in his preface, each Sunday "in the parish churches and in the cathedrals the nation was at prayer, the commonwealth was being realized, and God, in whose hands the destinies of all were lodged, was worshiped in spirit and in truth." Published in association with the Folger Shakespeare Library
In recent years scholars have paid increasing attention to the richness and diversity of North American contributions to Christian worship. This volume of articles by James F. White summarizes a major segment of liturgical history (1955-1995). Characteristic North American emphases, such as liturgy and justice, are highlighted along with other issues growing out of the worship context of the New World.
The story of the twentieth-century Liturgical Movement is, more than anything else, about the rediscovery and renewed understanding of the fundamental reality of the Paschal Mystery and of the Paschal identity of the Church. This identity is expressed and celebrated whenever the Body of Christ – every member – welcomes new members in the waters of baptism and feasts with them in the Eucharist, especially as these are celebrated during Holy Week. This book explores this rediscovery, first in the Roman Catholic Church and then in the Episcopal Church and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and looks in particular at how both grassroots and official work played a role in renewing and restoring the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week.
