Question about lessons on ParishPrayer.org

Discussion in 'Faith, Devotion & Formation' started by anglican74, Mar 17, 2019.

  1. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

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    Can anyone explain this to me?
    Their entry for March 17 has Exodus 26 (etc) as the First Lesson of the day

    But my brand new (antique) 1662 BCP has Judges 2 as the First lesson...


    Am I reading the 1662 incorrectly?
     
  2. dariakus

    dariakus New Member

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    Is there a separate set of lessons for Lent 2 or St. Patrick’s Day perhaps?
     
  3. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

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    Curious......I think it depends on how old your edition of the 1662 actually is as the tables of lessons have undergone some revision over the years. (Lessons were originally very long as whole chapters were read systematically.)

    I found an old edition online which indeed shows Judges 2 as the OT lesson for Morning Prayer on 17th March whereas in my edition the OT lesson for MP is from Deuteronomy 4. As the 17th today is a Sunday and Lent 2 there is a proper lesson which is Genesis 27. My BCP 1662 gives an alternative reading from Sirach 4. This is from the Revised Table of Lessons 1922.

    I noticed that the iPray app used the reading from the Apocrypha for MP today.
     
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  4. dariakus

    dariakus New Member

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    Out of curiosity, I’ve been considering getting a copy of the 1662 (I attend a 1928 Anglo-Catholic parish in the USA). Any recommendations on the best one to pick up?

    Thanks!
     
  5. Symphorian

    Symphorian Well-Known Member

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    I have quite a few copies but they're all rather plain in terms of presentation/binding. Many of mine have been passed down from immediate family members - mostly from my mother who seemed to have amassed a collection as Sunday School prizes when a child.

    I bought an enlarged edition from the UK Prayer Book Society a few years ago which has a larger footprint and bigger text but is still of managable size. I believe they sell both plain and presentation versions.

    There are some lovely Victorian copies on eBay UK and many of these are beautifully bound but they're often very small and I don't think I could cope with the tiny font size. Anglicans must have had better eyesight in the 19th century!
     
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  6. anglican74

    anglican74 Well-Known Member Anglican

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    So it sounds like until 1922, the Lessons were pretty much uniform across the 1662 BCP editions, for centuries past, is that right? I have an old antique BCP, like what you have found online which had Judges....

    Do you think that the ParishPrayer.org website is using the post-1922 revised lessons? I very much admire the Old method where whole chapters were read!



    O_o
    I wonder where they got that from?
     
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  7. Fr. Brench

    Fr. Brench Well-Known Member Anglican

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    I don't know the history super well, but the 1662 Prayer Book's daily lectionary was first changed in the 1800's, and again in (what looks like from above) 1922. I fully expect the CofE has a newer daily lectionary also.

    In the US, the 1928 and 1979 daily lectionaries are very different from one another, and probably different from the one(s) before them too.

    Online I've noticed that 1979's daily lectionary is the one frequently used and labeled as "the prayer book" lectionary.

    Various proposed prayer books tend to have unique daily lectionaries also. Honestly it can be a bit of a mess trying to sort out what came from where.

    A reading from the apocrypha in March, mid-Lent, is very surprising - those books are typically left for October & November (in the old style lectionaries) or late Epiphanytide and Trinitytide (in newer style lectionaries).
     
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  8. Vincent @Parishprayer.org

    Vincent @Parishprayer.org New Member

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    Hi Anglican74 - the lectionary is not the standard one. Here are some of the reasons for that:
    1. The BCP table of lessons assumes everyone has time for both Morning and Evening prayer - and so readings are often continuous morning-evening-morning-evening, etc. Perhaps sadly, it's very often not the case that people are able to use both daily - and so I've kept the continuous readings within the same time of the day. (Site access stats agree with this too).
    2. Those who only use one service a day never get to hear readings assigned to the other service in the standard table. Therefore, in alternate years I switch the readings at EP for those at MP, and the reverse, so that if you only have time for one service you will get the full Scriptures (except now over 2 years not 1).
    3. Personally, it pains me to miss out most of Leviticus and all of Revelation. I've put them back, along with the rest of the omitted sections. This is at the cost of dropping the Apocrypha.
    There are definitely improvements which can and should be made - and I hope to do so by the start of 2020. This includes cutting up some of the very long chapters i.e. John 6 which with 71 verses is quite lengthy for a single sitting. If you want to see what is to be read, there is a link to Lectionary at the top of the site.

    It hope this is of some help! It is very much a personal project, and a work in progress.
    Vincent
    Parishprayer .org
     
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  9. AnglicanAgnostic

    AnglicanAgnostic Well-Known Member

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    Don't forget England adopted the new Gregorian calender in 1751 which put things out by 11 days . Changes were made to the book in 1751 to allow for this.
    Ps I know your Anglican oath was to the 1662 version but I won't make an issue of it :p
     
  10. Will_

    Will_ Member

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    I just wanted to let you know that I looked over your site and think you are doing a good job. ParishPrayer.org could turn out to be quite a ministry - thanks for what you are doing.
     
  11. Vincent @Parishprayer.org

    Vincent @Parishprayer.org New Member

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    Thank you, _Will
     
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  12. Shaun

    Shaun Member Anglican

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    Thank you Sir, good job. I like what you are doing.
     
  13. Vincent @Parishprayer.org

    Vincent @Parishprayer.org New Member

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    Thank you, Shaun, for your kind words.
     
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