This is excellent, thank you. It helps explain to me why I prefer to use the Traditional English version of the 2019 BCP (the green book) instead of the standard 2019 in contemporary English (the red book) — although I’ve never articulated it the way you have here.
First, I greatly enjoyed how you make mention of the Daily Office Confession as an example of Liturgical English’s poetical value, because I’ve long noticed the same thing! 😅 Everytime I pray it I find myself taking on a sing-songy note at those lines, since, yes, they’re crafted with such a lyrical nature.
Second, I learned from James KA Smith of a book about the BCP that focused on its greater context and its lyrical quality, and that’s Alan Jacobs’ “The Book of Common Prayer: A Biography.” That might interest you.
Third! I’ve long been working on an essay about language that establishes the importance of aesthetics and linguistic prescriptivism. I think most of the problems with Liturgical English is how much Standard English has differed from it, but if we establish prescriptions then SE would grow much closer to LE again. I think the essay would have potential to lay out a philosophical framework. I’ll see to it that I incorporate this and other articles into it whenever it’s ready.
Dear sir. I love your insights. We Evangelicals are in great need of holiness above all. BTW I have a New Brunswick Hillbilly friend. Have in the sense of we are seven. He has crossed over. He was illiterate and very angry at God for this circumstance. I believe he berated the Lord who responded ( according to his testimony ) by saying open your Bible. A KJV it was and with it the Lord taught him to read.
By the end of his life he had made notes on most of the Bible and could pass any oral exam. I examined him. He had a good answer for every question and a Scripture from memory to accompany it. Who says modern man can't understand the KJV?
It is indeed romantic and helps us re-enchant the world to use archaic forms of language. As much as I love this—and believe me, as someone who studied Classics at university, I am enamored with the archaic and the arcane—I wonder though, is this what Christ was doing? Did he not speak with the common man in their tongue? He used Aramaic as far as we know—not Hebrew—when preaching. Then the apostles used the languages of the peoples they were ministering to, presumably Aramaic and of course Greek. While I personally find beauty in the myriad forms of ancient and modern tongues, sometimes I feel like I’m going astray, moving away from the directness and simplicity of the languages I am most familiar with. Granted, there is so much we can learn from the semantic contours of this or that language—much of my writing orbits around these domains—but again, perhaps something of the “beauty of the ordinary” may be lost here.
My musings notwithstanding, I love your thesis, and I agree that the KJV and its tradition anchor us in an enchanted world, indeed a liturgical cosmos. 🙏☀️💛☦️
There's a reason why Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants all end up using the Anglican rites in various places. Such beautiful, rich language. Great article!
Thank you for this splendid rationale for a move back from the banausic language of the market to a more enchanted tongue.
This is excellent, thank you. It helps explain to me why I prefer to use the Traditional English version of the 2019 BCP (the green book) instead of the standard 2019 in contemporary English (the red book) — although I’ve never articulated it the way you have here.
Wow wow, nice! A few things I had in mind.
First, I greatly enjoyed how you make mention of the Daily Office Confession as an example of Liturgical English’s poetical value, because I’ve long noticed the same thing! 😅 Everytime I pray it I find myself taking on a sing-songy note at those lines, since, yes, they’re crafted with such a lyrical nature.
Second, I learned from James KA Smith of a book about the BCP that focused on its greater context and its lyrical quality, and that’s Alan Jacobs’ “The Book of Common Prayer: A Biography.” That might interest you.
Third! I’ve long been working on an essay about language that establishes the importance of aesthetics and linguistic prescriptivism. I think most of the problems with Liturgical English is how much Standard English has differed from it, but if we establish prescriptions then SE would grow much closer to LE again. I think the essay would have potential to lay out a philosophical framework. I’ll see to it that I incorporate this and other articles into it whenever it’s ready.
Great job again, Mr Robinson!
Dear sir. I love your insights. We Evangelicals are in great need of holiness above all. BTW I have a New Brunswick Hillbilly friend. Have in the sense of we are seven. He has crossed over. He was illiterate and very angry at God for this circumstance. I believe he berated the Lord who responded ( according to his testimony ) by saying open your Bible. A KJV it was and with it the Lord taught him to read.
By the end of his life he had made notes on most of the Bible and could pass any oral exam. I examined him. He had a good answer for every question and a Scripture from memory to accompany it. Who says modern man can't understand the KJV?
This is so beautiful! Thank you so much! I look forward very much to reading more of your articles on the subject! Soli Deo Gloria!!!
Fantastic
This was incredible and deeply challenging.
It is indeed romantic and helps us re-enchant the world to use archaic forms of language. As much as I love this—and believe me, as someone who studied Classics at university, I am enamored with the archaic and the arcane—I wonder though, is this what Christ was doing? Did he not speak with the common man in their tongue? He used Aramaic as far as we know—not Hebrew—when preaching. Then the apostles used the languages of the peoples they were ministering to, presumably Aramaic and of course Greek. While I personally find beauty in the myriad forms of ancient and modern tongues, sometimes I feel like I’m going astray, moving away from the directness and simplicity of the languages I am most familiar with. Granted, there is so much we can learn from the semantic contours of this or that language—much of my writing orbits around these domains—but again, perhaps something of the “beauty of the ordinary” may be lost here.
My musings notwithstanding, I love your thesis, and I agree that the KJV and its tradition anchor us in an enchanted world, indeed a liturgical cosmos. 🙏☀️💛☦️
There's a reason why Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants all end up using the Anglican rites in various places. Such beautiful, rich language. Great article!
Growing up my father and grandfather would call it Biblical English. English worthy for His worship.
This is excellent. Thanks for sending this over!