Other Bibles

and

Prayer Books

on display

We have not taken any photographs on the pages in these Bibles

AN ENGLISH BIBLE SET

Presented to St Philip’s, Catterline

1836

 

Two volumes, bound in velvet with metal hinges; the first volume contains the Old Testament; the second volume the Apocrypha and New Testament.  The inscription on the front page is translated as:

“Church of St. Philip, Catterline.   This book, once on the altar of All Saints’,  Margaret Street in London,  is deposited dedicated by William Upton Richards (M.A.), a priest from the same church and rites”.

 

William Upton Richards (1811 – 1873) was the first priest at All Saints’ Margaret Street, London from 1849-1873.  This church was, and still is, one of the centres of ‘High Church Anglicanism’

 

It was published by O.U.P. (Oxford University Press), and sold by E Gardiner at the Oxford Bible warehouse, Paternoster Row (in London) and G R Whittaker, Ave-Maria Lane, London.  All of this indicates the influence of the ‘high church’ Oxford Movement, and the sense of common belief between them and the Scottish Episcopal Church.

A GAELIC BIBLE

1863

 

This Bible was the property of His Grace McDonald, Bridge of Bruar.

 

The Episcopal Church in Scotland was strongest here in the North East, and also in the Western Isles.  Many of the priests there were strong advocates of the Gaelic language, following the Reformation principle of taking the Gospel to people in their own language.  They arranged (and often paid personally) for the publication of the necessary books for the church in that language.

 

The fact that the local dialect in the North East is Doric, and there were few Gaelic speakers, seems to have escaped them.

AN ILLUSTRATED BIBLE

Illustrated by Paul Gustave Doré

1866

 

The Bible and its stories are often considered as a works of art in themselves, regardless of their religious significance.  These stories have also attracted a large number of artists to provide illustrations, not only on the walls of churches but elsewhere.

 

This huge tome has an etching for every page to bring the stories of the Bible to life.  This would have been essential before the days of films, photography, or television, let alone YouTube or Netflix.  It also reflects the situation in which reading and studying the Bible in the home was considered a pleasant recreational activity, and might involve the whole household looking at and discussing the stories and their pictures.

 

The pictures in this Bible are by Gustav Doré.  Paul Gustave Doré was a prolific engraver, artist, illustrator, and sculptor, working primarily as a wood and steel engraver. He produced over 100,000 sketches in his lifetime, and lived to be 50 years old, averaging 6 sketches per day for each day he lived.  He rarely completed any works with colours, leading to the speculation that he was colour blind, and his negative portrayal of subject matter made his works difficult to display.

THE REVISED BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

1929

 

In the 1920’s there was a movement to update the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.  In England, this resulted in the Church accepting the changes, but Parliament then rejected them.  So, England retained the 1662 services until the Alternative Service Book was authorised in 1980, and followed by the Common Worship book in 2000.

 

However, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, this 1929 Prayer book was authorised by the Synod, and not being the established church, it did not require Parliamentary approval.  It contains both the English and the Scottish Communion Office.  This difference was not removed in the current 1982 Scottish Liturgy book with its 5 Eucharistic prayers.

 

Like most ‘prayer books’ it contains the words for the services of:

Morning Prayer,           Evening Prayer,               The Litany,

Holy Communion, (both English and Scottish liturgies)

Baptism,                          Confirmation,                   Marriage,              Prayers for the Sick,

Funeral,                           Psalms

..and the propers, i.e. the collect, epistle and gospel readings for each Sunday of the church’s year and special festival days.