Comfortable Words
The King James Bible of 1611, a model of straightforward English made for reading aloud.
The King James Bible of 1611, a model of straightforward English made for reading aloud.
A prayer for the King, from the sixteenth-century Book of Common Prayer.
This prayer came at the close of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, the service book of the Church of England following the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Notice the phrase ‘high and mighty’, which has negative connotations in everyday speech but not here.
A short declaration of faith, from the early years of the Western churches.
The Apostles’ Creed dates back to the middle of the fifth century. It was a development of the Old Roman Creed, which was dubbed ‘the Apostles’ Creed’ by Ambrose of Milan, and probably emerged in Gaul. It was not unknown in the East, but it became widely used in the West through the efforts of Emperor Charlemagne in the eighth century.
A hymn from the Evensong of the Eastern Churches.
This little hymn is one of the centrepieces of the Evening Service, also known a little misleadingly as the All-Night Vigil, of the Eastern Churches. The translation below comes from the Yattendon Hymnal, a collection of verses by poet Robert Bridges.
A song placed on the lips of the Virgin Mary, as she bent over her newborn child.
This hymn is attributed to St Ephraim the Syrian, one of the great hymn-writers of the Christian churches. A recurring theme in the Eastern liturgy is the bewilderment of Mary as she looked on her newborn child, so young yet timeless, so small yet bigger than the universe, so fragile yet holding limitless power. The translation is by the Revd Robert Moorsom, a clergyman from County Durham, who was eager for Orthodox-Anglican relationships to blossom.