The scope of the lectionary review

As you may know, I write the day’s blog post the night before and I came home a bit tired on Monday, so the post I planned with have to be parsed out over a few days.

  1. I have been comparing the collects and “Mass readings” — appointed Epistles and Gospels — in several prayerbooks: American Episcopal prayerbooks from 1786 (proposed) to 1928, the Church of England 1662, the King’s Chapel 1918 and 1986 (latter collects only), the 1862 Christian Worship by Unitarians Charles Osgood and Frederick A. Farley, and the Evangelical and Reformed Church lectionary (lessons only) plus references to the medieval Salisbury use and Tridentine use.
  2. I’d like to find what James Martineau used, as he was an accomplished collect writer and liturgist in his own right.
  3. Of interest, the Unitarian propers (readings and prayers) were closer to all to all the other propers — even the medieval ones — than the Episcopalian propers of 1979 were to earlier Episcopalian sets!
  4. None were Universalist, though I suspect there were some borrowings in those liturgies where collects were appointed by month, rather than the traditional church year.
  5. But at 10:20 p.m., after looking for such a thing for years and years, I found a set of period Universalist propers — and it may disprove my point. Will keep you posted.