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Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone has ever used the New Skete "A Book of Prayers, (Horologion,Casoslov), 1988"

What is your opinion of it? Is it easier to use than the Jordanville "Horologion"?

I'm looking for something to use as easy as the Roman Liturgy of the Hours, but with our Byzantine style and prayers. I hope "A Book of Prayers" is it. I find that the traditional Horologions are very difficult for me to use. I'd like to see what others think of the Book of Prayers before I decide to purchase a copy.

I'd appreciate any comments and suggestions.

Thanks,
Chris

Chris, there is no such book as you mention in the Byzantine tradition.

One book that sort of fits the bill is "The Hours of Prayer: A Book of Devotion" that is put out by the ACROD and is relatively inexpensive [12 dollars]. It contains the common offices and is available from St. Vladimir's Press or Icon and Book Service.

It has some great prayers and a practical order of prayer that can be used at home or while travelling. It to a large extent is the English translation of the old Pochaiv prayerbook and even has some copies of the neat artwork from the Pochaiv book of the late 1700s.

I personally don't think there is anything better in English out there than the Jordanville Horologion, but that is what I am used to using.

From one Chtec to another.

I have a copy of the older New Skete "Book of Prayers" at school with me. I typically use it to pray Vespers privately (as I usually can't to church for it on Saturdays). The content is far from "complete," but it gives the offices in full and includes a selection of stichera, etc. from each tone and for feasts. I find it satisfying for personal use, but that is only my feeling on the matter. I think mine is their edition from 1968 or some such year, so I don't know how the 1998 edition compares.

Dave

Dear-in-Christ Chris,

Not to dismiss the New Skete book (I have it BTW) but I think you would find the book recommended above more useful. It certainly is more in line with the received texts than the New Skete book. The New Skete book is very nice though in that some of the orders are very short, that is not always a bad thing.

SVS Bookstore currently is out of stock of this item however.

"I'm looking for something to use as easy as the Roman Liturgy of the Hours, but with our Byzantine style and prayers."

"Chris, there is no such book as you mention in the Byzantine tradition."

I hate to contradict my friend Subdeacon Randolph but this is inpart what New Skete was attempting to do with A Book of Prayers. It is similar to the one volume Liturgy of the Hours, Christian Prayer in that it attempts to organize the material so there is a minimum of page turning and it does not attempt to use every bit of material but makes a selection. They have also revised the office along the lines of Fr. Juan Mateos SJ's scholarship. The English is modern but elegant as are their translations. I have no problem recommending it.

If you want to save yourself a few bucks the New Skete's Prayerbook,1976 is cheaper, contains both the standard and revised offices, and the litanies still include the Pope becasue in 76 they had not yet joined the OCA. A Book of Prayers has only the revised office and is more expensive, either one is good choice.

Fr. Deacon Lance

My inability to recommend the New Skete book in this context is that it offers a totally particular usage. To be clear: it does not follow the received order of services. The order they have has been blessed for use in their communities but as they have said when I was there it was not intended for others.

I think that the personal daily prayers are very nice in fact. But, the offices as they present them do not exist elsewhere.

If it is to be used it must be made clear that the usage is particular to New Skete and does not represent any other usage.

Tony,

"The order they have has been blessed for use in their communities but as they have said when I was there it was not intended for others."

Do you really believe this? Or has the OCA refused to let others adopt their usage and this is what they are told to say. I find it hard to believe they would go through the trouble of translating and producing the many volumes they have with long forewards explaining their editorial choices and offering them for sale if they were never intended for use by anyone else.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Chris,

This site has New Skete's Psalter, excerpts from the Book of Prayers and introductions for some of their volumes:
http://www.ogreatmystery.com/newskete/

The front page offers their translation of the Troparia and Kontakia of the Day:
http://www.ogreatmystery.com/

Fr. Deacon Lance

Dear Deacon Lance,

I too find it hard to believe. Nevertheless, this is what I heard them say when I was there this calendar year in the winter. I think that the fact that no one has adopted their order (AFAIK) says something about this.

Tony

BTW, the older "Book of Prayers" (1976) from New Skete gave the "standard" Byzantine usage for the offices first, with their "restored rites" almost as an appendix to these. This book reflects a time of transition for New Skete, so the "textus receptus" was still given prominence. I think that this older edition may still be available in limited quantities, but I am not certain.

Dave

I just pulled the '88 version off the bookshelf to give it a look through. They are beautifully presented books and they are user friendly, there is not doubt about that. Language style is a matter of personal taste as long as there is faithfulness to the original, as far as I am concerned.

Besides their Psalter I don't have anything of theirs that is from the textus receptus. From what I have seen I would recommend their textus receptus publications. Their other publications are indeed useful and interesting and no doubt enrich the prayer lives of many outside of their community and for that they must be thanked. But I still think it is necessary to point out the fact they they do not use the received text order today and their newest publications reflect that.

They are very hospitable folks and a visit to their community is a blessing (at least it was for me).

Tony,

I just noticed this on O Great Mystery website:

"This website was first developed on behalf of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, formerly a parish of the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC).
...A relationship formed between Holy Trinity, her mission parishes, and the Communities of New Skete. New Skete is a monastic foundation in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). This relationship led naturally to Holy Trinity and her mission parishes adopting the rites developed by the Monks of New Skete.
...Most of the mission parishes were received into the Diocese of the South, OCA. Holy Trinity and the one remaining parish were received as missions in the Diocese of the Midwest."

It seems at least four OCA parishes follow New Skete usage

Saint John the Forerunner Orthodox Church
Diocese of the Midwest
Indianapolis, Indiana

Saint Stephen Orthodox Church,
Diocese of the Midwest
Crawfordsville, Indiana

Saint Timothy Orthodox Church
Diocese of the South
Toccoa, Georgia

Saint Athanasius Orthodox Church
Diocese of the South
Nicholasville, Kentucky

If you look here:
http://www.stjohn-indy.org/pages/932842/index.htm

This parish does at least one of the Offices everyday! Not something any Western Pa parish using the received usage can boast of. If New Skete's usage is more conducive to actual use I think more parishes should be given the option.

Fr. Deacon Lance

I know someone from the Toccoa GA parish, I will ask him. IIRC they adopted the New Skete usage before the entered the OCA. The people from the other EOC that I know that entered the Antiochians conformed eventually to standard Antiochian usage, I expect the same for these parishes. But, I will ask.

This parish [stmichaelsorthodoxchurch.com] also has daily services. New Skete does not seem to be a common denominator for daily services.

chtets, I have used about every English language texts of the Hours, from Isabel Hapgood and Fan Noli to the presently available texts, both privately and liturgically in services.

I am in complete agreement with Tony on this one. I find the ACROD book "The Hours of Prayer" very faithful to the received tradition, and in a modern but yet very respectful language, and at a price that everyone can afford.

In spite of its brevity, I even prefer it over the New Skete. I would still say overall I prefer the Jordanville and St. Tikhon's Horologia far more than New Skete.

The root text of the ACROD book "The Hours of Prayer" is one of the true gems of Slavonic prayerbooks, the Pochaiv Molitvoslov. And for the price it is a fraction of ANY other Horologion, which will put you well over 40 dollars and way above [to 120 for the Holy Transfiguration Mega Horologion].

That is not to say that the New Skete book is without merit and positive points. But as has been mentioned above, it was intended for one very particular community and their particular cycle of prayers.

I am still not completely comfortable with the compilation, although some "big names" in liturgical scholarship are behind it, and Fr. Taft also gave commentary. He did have some issues with the final version.

I also agree with Dave. The 1976, to my tastes, anyway, is the preferable New Skete horologion.

Our local OCA parish [Bulgarian Diocese, OCA] also has daily services and does not use New Skete. There are more parishes that have something daily that do not advertise as such. I doubt the majority of these use New Skete.

Again, as Tony mentions, New Skete is by no means a common denominator. Bishop Basil [Essey's] book is commonly used as the "basic" text at our local Antiochian parish for the Hours, and they have services probably every other day.

For parishes that have services more than once or twice during the week, [not daily], I doubt one would see the New Skete as the book of choice at all, especially amongst the ROCOR.

But it is good that some parishes have daily services, regardless of what text they have chosen as long as it is faithful to the received tradition.