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Hey all! I was wondering if you all had recommendations regarding prayer books. I love the prayers of the Syrian liturgy and am now using them daily, but I also love the Byzantine prayers. While I don't think I need (or would ever use) something like a Book of Hours, a regular prayer book seems appropriate. Perusing several Orthodox websites, a lot of them recommend the Jordanville Prayer Book, which apparently is online in its entirety, and which looks pretty good. Is this a safe bet? Are there better out there? What do you recommend?

Thanks!

Dear Catholicos,

The Jordanville prayerbook is excellent.

Fr. Whiteford's liturgical translations of the Byzantine Horologion and his Akathists and Canons can be found at:

http://pages.prodigy.net/frjohnwhiteford/services.htm

God bless,

Alex

Barekmor!

Dear Katholikos,

For a good Byzantine prayerbook, why not try the "Old Orthodox Prayer Book" published by the Old Ritualists (in communion with ROCOR) in Erie, Pennsylvania? It's beautifully printed, with red and black, Slavonic and English on facing pages. The prayers themselves are longer and (to me) more beautiful than those in the later books. Also, it contains some rare prayers not found elsewhere, not to mention excellent catechetical material.

Just my two pence!

Yours in Domino,

Edward

Dear Patriarch Edward,

An excellent suggestion re: Old Rite prayerbook!

I raise two fingers in its favour . . .

O.K., O.K., some things never change . . .

Alex

Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry has published a paperback book for $10.00 that has the daily office and hours. It is designed for the laity and does not have the priest's prayers for the office.

Dear Edward,

Sounds like a good suggestion, although since I know not Slavonic, and doubt very much I'll ever learn it, that side of the book would do me little good; hence, if it's priced higher than an all English book (because of the Slavonic), being a poor college student, I would have to choose the cheaper one. However, I'm looking first for quality...so who knows? Do you know how much the Old Orthodox Prayer Book would cost?

Thanks!

Another interesting suggestion. How complete is this edition, besides excluding the priestly prayers? What's in it? And is there a website or something where I might inquire more? Thanks!

+Glory to Jesus Christ!

Mor Ephrem,
I like the little prayer book called "A Manual of Eastern Orthodox Prayers." It's put out by the Society of St. Alban and St. Sergius, and I think you can probably get a copy from St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, or at an Orthodox or other religious bookstore. It's really neat because it's very small, like a pocketbook, and has all kinds of neat prayers in it. There are the introductory prayers, morning and evening prayers, prayers for Holy Communion and for Confession, various prayers for different purposes, and other basic prayers. There are also some hymns from the twelve major feasts, and a small calendar of the church year (feasts and saints' days) in the back.

The prayer book doesn't cost much money at all. (It's a paperback, if that's cool with you.)

God bless,
Liz

[ 11-10-2001: Message edited by: Liz ]

[ 11-10-2001: Message edited by: Liz ]

Glory to Jesus Christ!
Barekmor!

Dear Katholikos Ephrem,

The Old Rite Prayerbooks is available from www.churchofthenativity.net [churchofthenativity.net] at $22. Just the english is worth the price of the book.

Otherwise, the little book of prayers that Liz mentioned is also very useful (I have a hardback copy of the original Society of Ss Alban and Sergius edition and a paperback one from the St Vlad's Seminary reprint).

Hope this helps =)

Yours in Domino,

Edward

Edward Y.

Thanks for the link I found some useful stuff from that site I want to buy.

God Bless
aRomanCatholicGuy

I'll go ahead and answer for moronikos since I have the same book. You can see and order it at -
http://www.antiochian.org/ocpm/literature.html

It's basically a Horologion adapted to daily use by all the faithful. It contains texts of the usual cycle of services, adapted from the longer rule of St. Basil the Great.

Vespers
Small Compline
The Midnight Office
Daily Matins
The First Hour
The Third Hour
The Sixth Hour
The Typica
The Ninth Hour

It also includes a guide to reading the Kathismata of the Psalter, a glossary, and an outline of the life of the Holy Apostle Silas, patron saint of the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry. Well worth the price of $10.

loukas

My favorites are:

1. "Hours of Prayer", produced by a Johnstown Diocese church in WV, retailing for around $12, and containing all of the canonical hours, troparia and kontakia for the great feasts, lent and paschaltide, readers service, morning and evening prayers, prayers before and after communion and a few other tidbits as well in an extremely readable format designed for the layperson who doesn't have the time to have bookmarks in five books to say a daily service properly. I highly recommend it.

2. A Pocket Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians -- published by the AA, this contains the basic prayers for morning and evening, a guide to prepare for confession and the Divine Liturgy text (Antiochian use). The main benefit is that it's very small and highly portable -- can fit in your shirt pocket without much of a problem -- and it retails for around $3.

Brendan

Mor Ephrem,

According to some, it seems that "good prayer books" published by Byzantine Catholics do not exist.

There is one by Archbishop Joseph Raya called "Byzantine Daily Worship". You can get either the 1,036 page version (ISBN 0911726071) or the handy dandy compact one.

[ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Edwin ]

Edwin,

Byzantine Daily Worship is excellent! It costs $50.

All,

BDW has all the Divine Liturgies, the Akathist Prayer, the different Hours and almost everything concerning worship.

It is written, however, by a Melkite bishop, so it is slightly different than what the Ruthenian Catholics or the Ukranian Catholics celebrate as to the wording of the Divine Liturgy and other prayers [so my good friend Anthony Dragani has told me].