Such references have been supplied more sparingly, and are confined to points at which the text makes a statement about the duties or responsibilities of a deacon, priest or bishop. ¶ Some references point to the scriptural warrant for a statement, even though the statement does not use the wording of the biblical passage concerned. What is offered here is a selection which the Liturgical Commission hopes readers will find helpful in stimulating reflection and discussion. Inevitably, it is impossible to list all the possible scriptural allusions or to decide with complete consistency which allusions merit a reference and which echoes are too faint to justify one. Again, the petition in the Litany that the clergy may ‘hunger for truth and thirst after righteousness’ is almost a direct quotation from Matthew 5.6, but the beatitude has been reshaped by the memory of John 6.35 and 14.6. For example, ‘Christ’s own flock, bought by the shedding of his blood on the cross’ draws primarily on Acts 20.28 (‘the flock … that he obtained with the blood of his own Son’), but there are echoes too of 1 Corinthians 6.20 and 7.23 (‘you were bought with a price’) and Hebrews 9.12 (‘with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption’). A single line of liturgical text often draws simultaneously on different points in the Bible, recombining images in ways that constitute in themselves a trajectory of the interpretation of Scripture within the life of the Church. ¶ The majority point to scriptural phrases, images or ideas.
Similarly, words from the welcome to newly ordained priests – ‘let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’ – are a quotation from Colossians 3.16. For example, the greeting with which the bishop opens each service (‘Peace be with you’) is the greeting with which the risen Christ greets his disciples three times in John 20. These references can be grouped into three broad categories: To help readers who might wish to pick out and follow some of the threads in this fabric, references to Scripture have been included as footnotes. Older generations of liturgical craftsmen carried much of Scripture in their memories and, rather than quote directly, tended to combine and recombine images, phrases and allusions into a rich scriptural tapestry. In preparing and revising these Ordination Services, the Liturgical Commission and the Revision Committee had Bibles constantly open in front of them.
The best liturgical texts are a fabric woven chiefly from Scripture. The annotations do not form part of the authorized text.
A Note on the Annotations ↑Īs this is a study edition of the Ordination Services, rather than one intended for liturgical use, the opportunity has been taken to annotate the text with references to the Bible and also to the Canons of the Church of England and the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. The Common Worship Ordination Services are authorized pursuant to Canon B 2 of the Canons of the Church of England for use until further resolution of the General Synod.
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