A recommendation: The Anglican Office Book (2nd Edition)

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I don’t often recommend new books on this page (unless I’ve written them myself), and certainly not liturgical volumes. But this book is such a fine work that I don’t hesitate in this instance to recommend it. Those readers who aren’t Christians (or traditionalists — in the best sense of that word) may find this topic of little interest, but this is a free post and easily passed over by the incurious.

For classical Christian spirituality, though, a daily routine of prayer, the essential components of which are the Psalms (prayed with the “spiritual senses” in mind — see my first of two posts on lectio divina) and the Lord’s Prayer, is an ancient custom. Along with these, a practice of prayerful reading from both biblical canons (see my second post on lectio divina) is encouraged. This is the common tradition, East and West, and these daily routines are how tradition shapes the hearts and thoughts, and indeed the “pragmatic mysticism,” of its disciples.

And it is important that we understand that tradition is not something that we shape or manipulate — it’s far older and wiser than any single generation is — but rather it shapes us. Unless we put ourselves in the position of disciples who receive our “daily bread,” and not critics who stand over the tradition (not that we aren’t expected to exercise our critical faculties, but only if we approach it generally in a spirit of respect and prudence), we shouldn’t expect to be “fed.” We will be left empty, perhaps in time sour. But when we are open to the received wisdom of the past, we will find that it works in us dynamically, if gradually. This isn’t the case just in Christianity, but in every one of the great traditions.

In the Christian tradition, alongside the Eucharist, there grew up the daily round of “offices.” Their roots are in Judaism, their development has been shaped by monastic, cathedral, and parish practices, and they exist to lift disciples’ hearts into communion with the divine. The two most important “offices” are those of the morning and evening, but other, shorter offices evolved along with them. Whether publicly or privately prayed, they have been a core practice of the tradition.

I grew up in the Episcopal Church, and so I was familiar with Morning and Evening Prayer as we had it in the Book of Common Prayer. In the 1970s, through my friendship with the All Saints Sisters of the Poor (Anglican) in Maryland, my own practice of praying the offices was permanently set. I learned to use The Monastic Diurnal, with all its complicated rubrics, and have still occasionally used it. I have, of course, always used the Book of Common Prayer; and throughout the years I’ve experimented with numerous breviaries (the list is long but high on it would be the excellent Anglican Breviary). I have sometimes used “contemporary language” offices, but have always found them flat and less than satisfying. The problem in my experience has been that either the book was too little or too much — either bare bones, without the fuller richness of the Western Latin and English tradition, or too much for a busy man to get through in a day.

Which brings me to The Anglican Office Book (2nd Edition), edited by Charles Lance Davis. In my estimation — for what that’s worth — it is quite nearly perfect. It’s a magnificent volume, really, a pleasure to hold and a delight to the eye. It provides an enriched, profoundly traditional version of the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer, including the ancient and medieval hymnody, antiphons, additional prayers and devotions (some in Latin), and more, derived from the full Western heritage. It also contains the “little hours” (Prime, Terce, Sext, and None) and Compline (the night office). And because the two main Anglican offices (Mattins and Evensong) include daily lections from Scripture for the sake of communal or private lectio, the entire text of the Authorized Version of the Bible (with the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books) is included. One might think that that would make for an excessively large tome, but in fact, the book is remarkably compact and easy to handle. There are also three yearly lectionaries from which to choose. (For those who may have difficulty at first, figuring out how to use the book, there is a helpful YouTube page one can access here, and a Facebook page here.)

It’s not surprising to learn that the book is being used not only by Anglicans with my liturgically traditionalist tendencies, but also by Orthodox, Catholics, Lutherans, and other Protestants. It’s also not surprising, although I suppose it might be, that it appeals to people half my age and younger. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every cent you may choose to invest in it.

Here is the description of it, as presented on the publisher’s website (you can read it on the site by clicking here).

The Anglican Office Book is a complete resource for the recitation of the Daily Offices of the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer, supplemented with an expanded Kalendar, anthems, hymns, responses, and collects from the Sarum Breviary, other regional Books of Common Prayer, and the wider Western liturgical tradition. In addition to the Prayer-Book orders of Mattins and Evensong, it contains a complete cursus of the Little Hours, derived from the Sarum and Benedictine uses.

Bound with the Authorized Version of The Holy Bible (including the Deuterocanonical writings) and three Lectionary Tables (1943 American, 1962 Canadian, and 1549 English), The Anglican Office Book contains all that is required to pray the entire Divine Office according to the English tradition.

The Anglican Office Book also contains Prayers and Thanksgivings, the Litany, an Office of the Dead, Meal Prayers, an Itinerary for travellers, Prayers and Suffrages for Ordinations, a Commendation of the Dying, the Saturday Office of Our Lady, and other devotional supplements.

The Book is bound in soft red leatherette with page edge gilding and cover debossing, contains ten silk ribbon markers, is profusely illustrated with traditional religious art throughout, and is 6" tall by 4.25" wide by about 2” thick.