RED ALERT! Optimism by American traditional Episcopalians in terms of the Primates' Meeting is probably without foundation!

Later this week, Easter Week, the archbishops and presiding bishops of the thirty-seven provinces of the Anglican Communion of Churches will begin to arrive in London and make their way down to Canterbury for the Primates' Meeting, chaired by the host, George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Traditional Episcopalians in the USA need to be aware that the chances of the Primates' Meeting of April 2002 doing or saying anything to provide help for the restoration of a semblance of biblical orthodoxy and Anglican comprehensiveness in the Episcopal Church, USA were always less than moderate. And for good reasons - e.g., a crowded agenda, the retirement of George Carey and his obsession with unity, the skill of the American Presiding Bishop in describing the ECUSA in positive terms, the existence of a theological commission still looking at the type of questions raised within the ECUSA, and so on.

Now, on Easter Monday in Easter Week, I suspect that the chances of action by the Meeting are remote.

I make this pessimistic but realistic forecast because of the influence of three recent events.

• First, the death of the Queen Mother in Britain and her state funeral on Tuesday 9th April at 11.30 a.m. in Westminster Abbey, will take up a good deal of the time of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Thus he (and maybe several other archbishops) will be absent from the Meeting during its crucial period - i.e., after the first weekend - and this will mean that less will be achieved in terms of decision-making. The plight of the traditional members of the ECUSA will thus be pushed off the agenda even if were ever on it. The status quo will prevail.

• Secondly, it is widely known that recently there has been a lot of internal disagreement within the Province of S E Asia over the involvement of its Archbishop in consecrations of Bishops in the USA for the Anglican Mission in America. It is now clear that there is no relation whatsoever between any diocese in the Province and the AMiA and that the relation of the Archbishop to the AMiA is wholly a personal one, permitted but not blessed by the Province. This information will count against any resolve by some Primates to raise the topics of (a) the state of the ECUSA and of (b) help for the faithful in the USA. The status quo will prevail.

• Thirdly, the recent "covenant" [to care for traditionalist parishes] made by the House of Bishops meeting in Texas in March 2002 will be presented to the Primates either formally or informally by the ECUSA Presiding Bishop as a clear sign that truly, even if belatedly, the ECUSA is taking care of its left-behind traditionalists. The warm and even effusive welcome to this "covenant" from the "evangelical" American Anglican Council (see e.g., the [excessively optimistic and naïve] comments of Bruce Mason that it is a "significant act of grace" cited in the London Church Times of Thursday March 28) will probably be cited as proof that this is a positive move that will over time solve the outstanding problems. If the ECUSA Presiding Bishop had merely the fact of the "covenant" to cite then perhaps he would not have been believed by all, but the further endorsement supplied by the AAC and widely publicised will surely be sufficient to give him the benefit of any doubt. The status quo will prevail.

• Further, I see little prospect of the Primates as a whole, or even a small group of them, giving to the American F in F movement the go-ahead to have its own bishop. The persistent and continuing questions about the true relation of the AMiA to both Rwanda and S E Asia seem to have caused hesitation and even backing off even by those few Primates who understand the difficulties of the traditional believers within the ECUSA and who wish to alleviate them.

The present decade is a time of trial and tribulation for the minority of American Episcopalians who want to be orthodox in faith and god-fearing in life. Thus, from a genuinely Christian stance, it is a time for rejoicing in heart and mind that the Lord loves them sufficiently to chastise them as his children.

The remnant, we may say, are being called upon to put their trust not in princes (and their modern equivalents) but in the living God, the blessed, holy and undivided Trinity. They are being called up to set aside false optimism (as the F in F NA, the AAC and the AMiA all seem from time to time to generate), secularised political moves and methods and to look only unto the Lord to uphold and guide them. It is possible that there is much more time to be spent in waiting upon the Lord and fasting before heavenly breezes will blow and showers of blessing fall; it is also possible that there is much more pain to bear before relief will come from above, for there are so many lessons of grace to be learned that can only be learned when we are humbled under the mighty - but gentle - hand of the Lord God Almighty.

"WE know that in all things God the Father works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

The Revd Dr Peter Toon Easter Monday, 1 April 2002

EASTER SERVICE AT CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

(for my American friends especially)

The British Broadcasting Authority broadcasted live in Radio 4 and the World Service the 9.00.a.m. Easter Morning Service from Canterbury Cathedral at which the Archbishop was the preacher.

The Service ( and this will surprise my American friends in the ECUSA) was taken from the classic Book of Common Prayer (yes it really was) and was Mattins (not Eucharist, which dominates church life in the ECUSA).

There was the singing by all of some of the great Easter hymns; and there were special anthems and alleluias by the choir.

The Archbishop's address was in three parts, each one focusing on an important part of the Cathedral to convey the Easter message. In between each part the choir sang short anthems.

Dr Carey spoke first of the high altar, pointing to the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins; secondly of the seat of St Augustine, the cathedra, whereon sit the archbishops on important occasions, pointing to service (the greatest among you shall be the servant of all); and thirdly of the tomb of Thomas a Becket, the martyred archbishop, pointing to the call to take up the cross and follow Jesus.

The service though joyful was tinged with sadness as the death of the Queen Mother had occurred on Easter Eve and she was beloved by many.

A final comment.

It was great to have "the people's service", Morning Prayer, as that which is broadcasted to the nation and world. The Holy Eucharist is not the people 's service but the unique service of the people of the new covenant and from the inner core of this service (according to the ancient church) the world is excluded.

WE ARE AN EASTER PEOPLE AND ALLELUIA IS OUR SONG!!!!

The Revd Dr Peter Toon Easter Day 2002

Who will be the next Archbishop of Canterbury?

The Times of London had a leading article (editorial) on March 30th about the future Archbishop who will replace George Carey.

The point being made is that the Prime Minister should be given two names by the Commission, that one of them should be the Archbishop of Wales and the other should be a conservative of one kind or another. Then Mr Blair has a real choice. The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon

Here is the article:

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Wales or not?
The question which now confronts the Church of England

Easter is, for many, a period of reflection. For the 16 men and women who constitute the membership of the Crown Appointments Commission, this Easter may witness more reflection than usual. This body must produce two candidates for the post of Archbishop of Canterbury and put them forward to the Prime Minister. With the selection this week to head that body of Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Britain's most senior family judge, the process of serious scrutiny will start shortly. The election has already attracted rather more attention than that which eventually produced the name of George Carey 11 years ago. The Church of England may consider this publicity to be a distinctly mixed blessing.

The composition of the Commission has been carefully scrutinised, in a manner akin to the lost art of Kremlinology, for indications of factional balance and personal allegiance. There are some members who can be identified as "liberal", "evangelical" or "conservative" but it is not clear whether this will necessarily determine their preferences. The term "liberal" embraces both political liberals and those who are liberal in their interpretation of theology. The phrase "evangelical" covers a multitude of virtues. The label "conservative" is not necessarily synonomous with that of Anglo-Catholicism. The personal virtues of the candidates may be enough to enable them to overcome the doubts of those thought to be associated with a different ecclesiatical tradition.

At the start of what might be described crudely as this "contest", three main contenders were identified. These are the Most Rev Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Wales, the Right Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester and the Right Rev Richard Chartres, Bishop of London. The passage of three months has slightly altered perceptions of their prospects. The low-profile taken by the Archbishop of Wales has done him no harm while the most overt campaigning associated with supporters of the Bishop of Rochester have compounded uncertainties about his suitability. The Bishop of London remains an impressive man, but his relative hostility to women priests is a potentially fatal handicap. These developments suggest that the bookmakers have been wise to amend the odds and make the Archbishop of Wales their favourite.

He is certainly an intriguing candidate. He combines an exceptional intellect with the common touch which often eludes the senior clergy. While he is undoubtedly liberal, even radical, in social and political spheres, his theological opinions are stoutly conventional. There might be some in the Church of England who agonise over whether the resurrection is a literal truth or an ingenious metaphor but the Archbishop of Wales is not one of them. This clarity of belief may allow him to appeal to Anglo-Catholics within the Church, even if they worry about his views on the War on Terror or his endorsement by The Guardian.

It would be unfortunate if the Commission did not seriously consider placing the Archbishop's name on the shortlist to be sent to Downing Street. They must also contemplate whether the possibility of the next occupant of the see of Canterbury intervening in political controversies and perhaps prematurely forcing the vexed matter of homosexuality and ordination on to the Anglican agenda demands that they provide Tony Blair with an insurance policy. That might best be achieved by ensuring that the alternative successor to Dr Carey is a figure who is not strongly associated with either the evangelical or the conservative camps. That would reduce what is otherwise a complicated affair down to a single, simple question: the Archbishop of Wales or not?

Jesus, where art thou this holy Saturday?

Jesus died when he knew that the work which the Father had given him to do was completed. After the Atonement was made he cried out, "It is finished" (John 19:30), and then he prayed, "Father into thy hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). The death of Jesus was a voluntary death; his life was not taken from him since he yielded it up at the moment he chose. But what is certain is that he truly died. His heart stopped beating and he was physically dead.

We know where his body was from the time of his death until at least late on Friday night (for witnesses saw his body taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb); and we can also say with some certainty that his body remained in the tomb until sometime early on Sunday (because the great stone covering the entrance was seen to be there on the Saturday night but was rolled away by dawn on Sunday).

BUT , Where was Jesus - that is Jesus as a Person with his human spirit/soul but without his human body - during the period that his mortal body was dead on the Cross and laying in the tomb?

Was he simply inactive "asleep" as it were in the realm of the invisible spiritual world, waiting for resurrection?

The answer is that he was active not inactive!

First of all, since he is One Person who has both a divine and human nature we have to affirm that as the Word of the Father and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity (that is as the Person considered only with his divine nature) he remains and is in perfect union and communion with the Father and the Holy Ghost and continues as true God of true God.

In the second place, we have to affirm that this One Person in his human nature was full alive before God the Father and, though perfectly at rest in
the embrace of the divine love, was active in the work of the redemption of the world. We say this because of the scriptural evidence and the testimony of the early Fathers of the Church.

The Apostles' Creed declares that "descendit ad inferna" (he descended into hell). This is to be seen not as an extension of his sufferings but as a demonstration of his victory and triumph. This summary statement in the Creed is based upon various passages from the New Testament - see 1 Peter 3:18f & 1 Peter 4:6 & Ephesians 4:6 & Revelation 1:18.

It was commonplace of Christian teaching in the early centuries that Jesus Christ spent the interval between his expiry on the Cross and his resurrection in the underworld. This Descent is explicitly mentioned by Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Tertullian and others.

We believe, teach and confess that the benefits of the Atonement of Jesus Christ are for the whole cosmos and thus for (a) his contemporaries at the time of his sacrificial death; (b) those who will come after him, and (c) those who went before him. For the sake of the latter he had to visit them in their disembodied state and there proclaim unto them the Victory of his Cross and the completed, redeeming Work that he had accomplished for the salvation of mankind.

For the taking of human nature and flesh by the Son of God to be complete and his saving work truly cosmic in scope and nature, he had to descend to the absolute bottom, as it were, of human existence which includes the whole realm of departed spirits and then from there be exalted by the Holy Ghost to the highest place of all existence, the Father's right hand (see Philippians 2: 5-11) in heaven.

And in this total "descent" he had both to bear the totality of the guilt and power of sin committed by the human race - thus his great cry of dereliction as he bore the pain of hell, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" - and visit human beings both alive and dead.

1 Peter 3:19ff informs us that Jesus Christ "went and preached to the spirits in prison who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah." And 1 Peter 4:6 adds that "the gospel was preached unto the dead." These hints perhaps suggest that there was a proclamation of the Victory of the Cross at all levels of the human condition and existence in the realm of the departed spirits. Salvation from future judgment is made available in the realm of the dead by the one, and once only, visit of Jesus to those who in their lifetime had not encountered him or the Christian message.

In much Christian Art the descent into hell is presented as a triumphal journey where the devil and his demons are reduced to submission and Adam and Eve are released from the bottomless pit! The symbolism of this Art is clear!

Having descended to the bottom as it were of human existence and proclaimed his Victory, Jesus was then exalted by the Father to the heights of heaven and in that exaltation his human spirit/soul was restored to his body (which was wonderfully immortalized and supernaturalized) so that he was raised from the dead and appeared unto his disciples on what we call Easter Day in his body of glory. The tomb was then truly empty and the appearance of the resurrected Lord Jesus became the cause for ALLELUIA amongst the disciples and the origins of the Christian mission to the world.

The Revd Dr Peter Toon Holy Saturday & Easter Eve 2002

GOOD FRIDAY

This name is peculiar to the Church of England (and thus to English culture where the Church has had an impact).

Of all Fridays of the year, there are profound reasons for giving this one the title of "GOOD."

It is the Day when the only One who was GOOD enough as a Person (for he was righteous and without sin) to pay the price of our sin, actually paid that price as the sacrificial Lamb on the Cross.

It is also the Day when the supreme GOOD of mankind - communion and friendship with the Lord - was made possible when the Son of God incarnate took away all barriers to realising and experiencing that good. The supreme end and good of man is to enjoy and glorify God forever and this is only possible through the reconciliation wrought by Christ Jesus on the Cross.

Further it is the Day when GOOD triumphed over evil as God the Father turned what could have been the world's greatest tragedy - the crucifixion of the most innocent of men - into the salvation of mankind, and as He turned an evil act and apparent defeat into the victory over Satan, sin and death.

Finally, it is the Day which provides the world with GOSPEL, that is GOOD NEWS, a message of hope to all the nations. The GOOD news is that there is forgiveness, a right relation with the Father, eternal life in the age to come, and friendship with God through the saving work of the Lord Jesus on the Cross.

Yet, while it is most certainly and surely a GOOD Friday, it is also a day of Fasting since it is the Day when the Bridegroom is taken away from his Bride [the Lord Jesus from his disciples - see Mark 2:19-20] as he descends into Hades to announce and proclaim his finished, saving and good work to those who have died and wait for their full redemption.

Thus the Church fasts for this whole day, or even for this day and the next day, until the great cry is heard --- CHRIST IS RISEN. ALLELUIA. Then with the Bridegroom returned she can eat with him at his banqueting table and her first food is his sacramental body and blood, at the Easter Eucharist.

The BCP (1662) provides Collects, an Epistle and Gospel for this GOOD Friday and the general Anglican tradition has been to have only Ante-Communion this day and to encourage meditation, prayer and quiet in church and at home.

In the Roman Missal there were eight collects for Good Friday and the three in the BCP are adapted from these. The first refers to the Church as the Family of the Redeemed, the second to the Church as a living organism, and the third embraces all outside the Church of God that they will be converted to Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd.

The last of the Collects has been the subject of criticism in modern times and has been amended for some editions of the BCP after 1662. In praying for all men it distinguishes the baptized faithful, the Jews, the Turks [Muslims], Infidels and Heretics [the baptized who have rejected the orthodox Faith] in order to pray that all of them and each of them will be converted to Jesus Christ and become part of his flock.

Instead of "Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, Infidels and Heretics" of the original there is substituted, for example, "Have mercy upon thine ancient people the Jews, and upon all who have not known thee, or who deny the faith of Christ crucified."

In these days of high sensitivity and political correctness, it is probably better that the modified version be used, allowing those who pray it to read into it the more definite meaning and petitions of the original English Collect [and Latin Collects] if they so wish.

Though the Church of England removed and eliminated all the solemn medieval ceremonies/features of this day in the sixteenth century [e.g. special intercessory prayers, the veneration of the Cross and the Mass of the pre-Sanctified] some of them have been restored in some parishes, especially those of an Anglo-Catholic disposition.

What it seems is inappropriate to revive and encourage is any devotion or piety that has as its aim to weep for Christ in his pain and agony before and on the Cross. While such was common in late medieval times and is still found today, it is quite wrong for it sets us above the Lord Jesus and encourages wrong emotions in our souls. One hymn has the line, "Have we no tears to shed for him?"

Christ does not want our pity but our total consecration to him.

The affections of the soul of the believer who contemplates the Lord Jesus on his Cross on this GOOD Friday ought to be occupied with profound reverence and awe, adoration and praise, before the overwhelming reality of the Incarnate Son of God engaging in holy battle with all the enemies of God and man in order to gain victory through his redeeming, reconciling and atoning work.

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The Revd Dr Peter Toon, Maundy Thursday, 2002

EASTER DAY - thoughts to help in its right celebration for those who use the classic BCP.

The rigors of Lent are over. The fasting and abstinence is ended. There is great cause for celebration and rejoicing with exceeding great joy! Away with all desires for self- affirmation and feeling good. Let us be looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, hope and love.

The festival day of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ was called PASCHA in the ancient church and is a word that is related to the Hebrew "Passover." PASCHA is still used in the Orthodox Churches and is being used increasingly in the West.

The English word, "Easter," has nothing to do with facing East! Rather it is Anglo-Saxon in origin and according to St Bede is borrowed from the name of a festival honouring the goddess of Spring, Eostre, at the vernal equinox.

Easter is held on the first Sunday after the full moon, on or next after March 21.

The Pasch or Easter is the Feast of feasts and the Festival of festivals because it is the announcement and proclamation of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. The raising of Jesus from the dead by the Father almighty on the third day represents: (a) divine victory on his Cross at Calvary over darkness, evil, sin, death and the devil and (b) acceptance by God the Father of a perfect atonement and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world, and (c) promise of full redemption, reconciliation and salvation for all those who are united to the Lord Jesus Christ in baptism, by faith, in the Holy Ghost.

The Easter Anthems, the Collect, the Epistle and the Gospel for Easter Day in the BCP (1662) all point to the saving message of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The EASTER ANTHEMS (replacing the Venite for Easter week) are all biblical verses which declare the fact and meaning of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The COLLECT celebrates the fact that by the death and resurrection of Jesus there is opened to believers eternal and abundant life; it then makes the connection between this gift of everlasting through the resurrection and the living of a life that is pleasing to God, fruitful in holy desires and good works.

The EPISTLE from Colossians 3:1-7 is an exhortation to live as those who truly believe not only that Jesus Christ has been exalted to the Father's right hand in heaven but that those who are united to him by faith have also been exalted together with him. Holiness and righteousness of life flow from union with the Lord Jesus who has conquered sin and evil and is raised to the highest heaven as the Lord of lords.

THE GOSPEL from John 20:1-10 tells how Mary Magdalene visited the tomb of Jesus only to find that the stone across its entrance had been moved. She hastened to tell Peter and John. They ran to see for themselves and entering the tomb found to their amazement that it was empty. So the empty tomb becomes the first sign that Jesus has been raised from the dead.

Naturally Christians who hear the story so far want to know what happened next and of they read on in John's Gospel. They find out that Jesus actually appeared to Mary, spoke to her and made her -- a woman and a woman with a certain reputation -- into the first witness of the Resurrection! Thus she can go and tell the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!"

So it is a woman not a man, a disciple and not an apostle, who is chosen by God to be first in seeing the Lord Jesus Christ as the Resurrected Master and Saviour. (See Luke 24:1-12 for more details of the role of woman as witnesses of the Resurrection.)

LET US CELEBRATE WITH ALL JOY THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD

The Revd Dr Peter Toon Holy Week 2002

MAUNDY THURSDAY

The traditional English name for the Thursday of Holy Week is Maundy Thursday.

The most probably explanation of this expression is that it is based upon the Latin, "Dies Mandata", meaning "the Day of the Commandments." It will be recalled that according to the Gospels the Lord Jesus Christ on this day gave to his disciples commandment (1) to commemorate his death [Luke 22:14ff.], (2) to wash one another's feet [John 13:14-15], and (3) to love one another [John 15:12ff.].

Various practices are traditionally associated with this day and originated in the early Church - the repetition of the Creed by the Catechumens who are to be baptized on Easter Eve, the public absolution of penitents and the consecration of the chrism (the baptismal oil and oil for anointing the sick).

The classic BCP envisages that there will be a Service of Holy Communion on this day at which will be commemorated the institution of the Lord's Supper and the narrative of the Passion will be read.

The institution is celebrated through the reading of St Paul's account of the commandment of Jesus "to do this in remembrance of Me" ( 1 Corinthians 11:17-34). The Gospel is Luke's Gospel 23:1-49 and is the continuation of the BCP method of reading the Passion narrative in all four Gospels during Holy Week. Thereby the contents of the Gospel take us through Good Friday and we hear of the Crucifixion of the Lord before it has (liturgically in the calendar) occurred.

The Collect used is that used on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The western catholic traditions of reserving the sacrament for use on Good Friday, of stripping the altars and of keeping watch with Jesus into the night have been taken over by some Anglican parishes. Further, some Anglican dioceses have a service in the Cathedral for the consecration of the chrism/oil and at this (in recent times) clergy have been asked to renew their ordination vows.

For those who cannot go to church services there is much benefit to be had in reading and then meditating upon the three commandments given by our Lord on this day.

"This do in remembrance of me" opens us vistas of possibilities of fruitful thought concerning the way we know Jesus in the Sacrament!

"Wash one another's feet" presents us with a vivid picture of what serving and loving others is all about. No task is too menial for the servant of the servants of the people of God.

And "Love one another as I have loved you" takes us into the depths of meaning of "agape" and "caritas" which is presented to us by the example of our Lord and is explained in brief by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13.

Maundy Thursday stretches out as it were to grasp Good Friday even as Good Friday reaches out and forward for the message of victory proclaimed on Easter Day!


The Revd Dr Peter Toon , Wednesday of Holy Week, 2002

Making sense of those Palm Branches

(May this day be for you the first of a truly Holy Week!)

Blessing, distributing and holding palm branches and then processing around the church with them is not meant to be fun! It is both a solemn and a joyous event, but for us it has to be solemn before joyous.

Like the pilgrims on their way into Jerusalem for Passover, we hail Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David, and we, like them, cry out, “Hosanna [Save us, we beseech thee O Lord] to the Son of David. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the LORD.” We know that the palms we wave are ancient signs of victory and glory.

But there is a big difference in what each of us intends.

The crowds on the narrow winding road into Jerusalem looked for a king who would be their national liberator, freeing them from the yoke of the Roman empire. Their “Hosanna” was a prayer for victory, for a deliverer who would save them immediately from Roman occupation and make them a free people. So they make his way one of glory as they spread their garments and the branches on the way before him. They hardly notice that he is on an ass and not on a horse.

In contrast, as we go in procession on Palm Sunday we see Jesus as the king who embodies justice and mercy and who humbly brings peace with God and peace amongst men by the way of being God’s suffering Servant – by his suffering and death. To us his choice of an ass is a prophetic sign that he has rejected the war horse and chosen the symbol of peace. Our cry of “Hosanna” is for him to save us through his Cross at Calvary. And our joy is a profound inner affection of the soul which is related to the forgiveness of sins and a right relation with God the Father through Jesus the King/Christ.

Having entered Jerusalem, Jesus headed straight for the Temple ( a 30 acre site with the court of the Gentiles being the outer ring of a series of concentric zones). It was entirely nature and appropriate for the king of the Jews to go to the center of Jewish religion and thus the crowds are not surprised that he heads there and they follow him.

But once there, the cries of the crowd cease as they watch with amazement at what takes place. First of all, Jesus began a major operation of clearing the Court of the Gentiles of those Jewish merchants who were exchanging money and selling animals and birds for use in the Temple. As the King of justice, Jesus demonstrated that the Temple was being used for injustice and dramatically he made it clear with those with eyes to see that the days of the Temple as being the center of true Faith were about to end. A new Temple had arrived and Jesus himself was/is that Temple – all worship henceforth will be in through and with this Jesus, the Christ.

To demonstrate that the New Order and Era had arrived Jesus proceeded to heal the blind and the lame (those ceremonially unclean) within the Temple. Thereby he angered the priests who ran the Temple. But God was judging both the Temple and the Priesthood by the actions and words of his Messiah. Their time had come to an end for a new Temple (Jesus himself) and a new Priesthood (his disciples – see 1 Peter 2:5). And to celebrate this, the children present, sensing that they were witnessing a unique event and moment [and inwardly prompted by the Holy Ghost], began to cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” On behalf of all they were praying for salvation to come through this Person, this Jesus. The cries of the children angered the priests and so Jesus spoke to them plainly of what God was doing at this time. From the lips of children God the Father had ordained and brought forth praise – and this in stark contrast to the lack of praise in the priesthood.

We can imagine that the crowds who greeted, garlanded and praised Jesus on the way into the city were taken aback by what they witnessed in the Temple courts. He shattered their dreams of a deliverer and they began to see him as the enemy of the Jewish people and their hope. So they, and others, a few days later could cry out, “Crucify him!”

However, we can see that the solemn cleansing of the Temple and the chiding of its priests by the King of Peace was a prophetic declaration by Jesus -- in anticipation of Good Friday -- that the new covenant was about to be inaugurated and thus the old covenant, which had failed through the hardness of heart of the Jews and their leaders, was under the judgment of God.

Let us stay with Jesus daily through Holy Week with solemnity and inward joy.


The Revd Dr Peter Toon , Palm Sunday 2002

Interpreting the classic BCP of 1662 - continued

I return to a topic which has caused some discussion as well as a little distress amongst my readers on various continents!

TOPIC: On interpreting the BCP 1662 as though it were the BCP 1552 and as though only Cranmer's known theology from 1549-1552 is the key to its meaning.

Comment: In one thing it appears extreme anglo-catholics and very protestant evangelicals agree. They tend to, or actually, interpret the meaning of the text of the 1662 BCP as though it were the text of 1552 and as though the 1552 text were published in the name of Thomas Cranmer. [And further, they tend to regard the 1549 BCP as being genuinely Catholic or unreformed!]

In a recent article circulated by e mail I suggested that the BCP 1552 is to be regarded as a public book, the possession of the Church of England, and that as such it was edited [thus modifying its meaning] in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and Charles II. The fact of its being a publicly used book in prayer and worship and its editing, along with its exposition and defence (e.g., by Hooker & Bramhall), means that its range of meaning is far wider and deeper than that in the mind and intention of Cranmer, although it includes his. At the same time there are definite restrictions upon its meaning for it exists under the authority of Scripture and along with the other formularies, the Ordinal, the Articles and the 1604 Canon Law. Thus it cannot be taken to support Presbyterian Puritanism or Roman Catholicism or German Lutheranism; but, it can be used faithfully by those whom we may call Calvinist Churchmen and Laudian Churchmen, the low and the high church people of the 17th century.

As the Church of England used the BCP after 1559 a growing conviction arose in an every increasing number that it was both catholic and reformed and thus could be used with varying ceremonial and by a wide range of Christians of varying convictions.

In reponse to my initial piece, a learned friend commented by e mail:

"It is wrong to interpret a document in the light of, or to damn its contents because of, the supposed motives or beliefs of the reputed or actual authors.

It is in many ways like the interpretation of an Act of Parliament [in the Biritsh system]. What the draughtsman thought he was doing, what his personal beliefs and motives were, are irrelevant. And ditto for the Attorney General who carried the Bill, and all the individual legislators who spoke on the Bill or sought to or did amend it, or voted on it. What is important is what the thing says. Many an Attorney general has had to echo the little phrase: 'It does not appear to me now, as it appears to have appeared to me then.'

I get rather tired of those people who condemn the historic BCP because of their view of what they think Cranmer's theological positions were. In any event his positions do seem to have been a bit fluid. The critical thing is whether or not the book reflects a position which is both Catholic and Reformed, and whether the wording is such that a reasonably comprehensive range of opinions can be subsumed within it.

The manic desire to have everything perfectly in accord with one's own particular, not to say peculiar, beliefs, is absolutely sectarian, and is the bane of much of the continuing Anglican movement, and not just in the States. The idea that jumped up nobodies of clergymen know better and set themselves up in judgment, and moral judgment also, on Cranmer and his co-workers makes my blood boil."

The above was not intended for publication, but it does make the point very clearly that the BCP is the Prayer Book of the Church and that its meaning is established within the Church by its being prayed, being explained and defended, by discussion of its weaknesses if any, by changes being made in its content to text or rubrics by authority, and by its place under the Bible but with the other formularies of the Church.

When an excessive or exaggerated interpretation arises ( as with J H Newman in the 1840s) there is discussion and debate wherein some or part of the new way of reading the text may become part of the general comprehensiveness of the Church in the use of the Liturgy and the rest if set aside.

When devout persons feel that the classic BCP cannot be stretched to contain their doctrine and practice then they have tended to supplement it from such sources as the Roman Missal or they turn to the new services in "contemporary language" whose imprecision in doctrine allow for diversity. In both cases Anglican identity is diminished if not lost in some cases.

If we take the American 1928 BCP then we see that it contains important editing especially of the text of the Communion Service of 1662 and it cannot possibly be interpreted in 1552 BCP terms. It contains a form of Consecration Prayer that was developed by the English and Scottish High Churchmen of the 17th and 18th centuries. At the same time it can be used by Evangelicals for it is genuinely Reformed Catholic in intention and content. Much the same applies to the Canadian 1962 edition of the 1662 BCP. In terms of the BCP these have gone as far as it is possible to go without changing its reformed catholic character.

The Revd Dr. Peter Toon March 22, 2002

Remembering Thomas Cranmer on the anniversary of his martyrdom.

Today, March 21, the first day of Spring [in Britain], is the commemoration of the burning at the stake outside Balliol College, Oxford in 1556 of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. A wreath was laid on the spot today by the Prayer Book Society.

As I could not be there, I have read again today the account of his martyrdom, extracts from his writings and parts of The Book of Common Prayer of 1552.

Why, I ask myself, did the Protestant Reformers, including Cranmer, reject so vehemently the medieval doctrines [and ceremonies associated with them] of the Mass, of purgatory, of petitions to saints, of indulgences and of prayers for the departed. And to this question a simple and correct answer is, “Because they did not find them in Scripture.”

Yet there is more to it than that, as the portrait of late medieval devotion and religion provided by E. Duffy’s “Stripping of the Altars” makes clear. And this “more” is explained in these terms by the biographer of Cranmer, Diarmaid McCulloch:

“For the late medieval Church, the mass had become as much something for the dead as for the living; it had broken down the barrier between life and death in a very particular, concrete sense. Behind the crowds of the faithful in a medieval parish church, convent church or cathedral jostled invisible crowds, the crowds of the dead. And they crowded in because the Church maintained a model of the afterlife in which the mass could speed the souls of the faithful departed through purgatory. A gigantic consumer demand of the dead fuelled the services of the Church. It was to change this that the Reformers struggled. Insisting that the just shall live by faith alone, they believed that the medieval Church, with the papacy as its evil genius, had played a gigantic trick on the living by claiming to aid the dead in this way. They sought to banish the dead, and to banish the theology which had summoned them into the circle of the living faithful gathered round the Lord’s Table.” [Cranmer, p.614]

If one looks at the services of the BCP 1552 and compares them with the first edition of 1549 and then with the medieval services of the Sarum Rite, that was widely used in England in late medieval times, one can see the elimination from the 1552 services of all traces of the faithful departed and purgatory - no praying or offering sacrifice for the dead, who are judged to be asleep in Christ and thus in bliss.

In order to break the people free from what they saw as the evil bondage of medieval devotion and religion, the Reformers had to cut down the whole edifice of the Church’s control over the inmates of purgatory, first by removing purgatory from the spiritual universe and then making the church expectant into those who slept in Christ waiting for the resurrection of the dead and the fullness of the life of heaven in redeemed bodies. With the removal of purgatory went also all the means to assist the swift passage through it --- the sacrifice for the living and the dead of the Mass, indulgences, rosaries, pilgrimages, candles, prayers and so on.

And positively the message of justification by faith not by works was proclaimed widely and profoundly. The way to a right relation with the Father was to repent of sins and believe/trust in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. By the action of the Holy Ghost such faith brought union with Christ unto all eternity and the sure and certain hope that at death one would go as a disembodied soul to be with Christ immediately. Such true faith was also faithful and thus genuine faith works by love and has its fruit in good works which are done to the glory of God and not to gain merit!

So it is not surprising that the BCP of 1552 framed by Cranmer, the mature Protestant, has been recognized as a near perfect embodiment of the principle of justification by faith. Here is what Gregory Dix wrote:

“As a piece of liturgical craftsmanship it is in the first rank – once its intention is understood. It is not a disordered attempt at a catholic rite [liturgy], but the only effective attempt ever made to give liturgical expression to the doctrine of justification by faith alone” (Shape, p.672).

Dix’s point is easily appreciated by the reading of the Burial Service and of the Order for Holy Communion – no purgatory or prayers for the dead here.

Today when Anglicans, using a modern rite for Holy Communion, are told that it is all about Celebration and Community (of this world) it is very difficult for them to enter into the experience and thought-world of late medieval and early sixteenth century English devotion and religion, where it was all about reference to the world of the departed. Thus Christians today hardly notice if in prayer there is a general petition for the departed or if in a burial service prayer is offered for the soul of the body being buried.

Thus, for example, it is not surprising that some of those who call themselves Evangelicals in the Episcopal Church USA and in the AMiA seem to have found a way (that Cranmer could not find or allow) of both claiming to hold to justification by faith alone and praying (howbeit in general terms) for the faithful departed. [It would seem that the only way that prayer for the departed makes sense is if a doctrine of the Church expectant is held wherein there is a process of purification of souls towards the full redemption at the general resurrection of the dead.]

Of course what Cranmer did believe in was praying together with the faithful departed in the Communion of Saints within the one Body of Christ and Household of God. In Christian worship the faithful on earth join the faithful departed to offer to the Father through Christ the Mediator and High Priest, worship, praise and thanksgiving. “With angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy holy name!”

The Revd Dr Peter Toon, the anniversary of the Martyrdom of Cranmer, March 21, 2002.