The Book of Common Prayer in Telugu

The Book of Common Prayer Containing Additions and Deviations Authorised by the Episcopal Synod of the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon.
Madras: S.P.C.K. in India, 1947.

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Contents

Preface to the 1932 Edition
Note to the Present Edition
The Order for Morning Prayer 1-18
The Order for Evening Prayer 19-30
The Athanasian Creed 31-34
The Litany 35-42
Occasional Prayers and Thanksgivings 43-62
General Rubrices of the Administration of the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion 63-64
Order of the Ministration of Holy Communion 65-90
The Collects, Epistles and Gospels to be Used throughout the Year 91-133
The Ministration of Public Baptism of Infants 134-141
The Ministration of Private Baptism of Children in Houses 142-145
The Order of Baptism for Those of Riper Years and Able to Answer for Themselves 146-155
A Catechism 156-162
General Rubrics of the Order of Confirmation 163
The Order of Confirmation 164-167
The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony 168-180
The Order for the Burial of the Dead 181-191
The Order for the Burial of a Child 192-195
The Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth, Commonly Called the Churching of Women 196-199
A Service of Exhortation (A Commination) 200-206

PREFACE TO 1932 EDITION

The Services of the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon are regulated by its own Constitution and Canons.

Canon III "Of the Services of the Church" reads as follows:—"Whereas the Church of this Province from its beginning up to the date of the adoption of these Canons and Rules had for its service book the book entitled the Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonles of the Church according to the use of the Church of England, together with the Psalter or Psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches, and the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons, and had received and used the same as prescribed with authority by the Church of England, subject to certain modifications allowed by the Bishops in India for the more convenient use of the said book in this country, the Church of this Province by this Canon accepts the said book as the Book of Common Prayer of this Church."

Canon IV reads: "The Church of this Province has power at any time by the proper authorities as defined in this Chapter to alter its Book of Common Prayer, whether by variation or omission or the insertion therein of alternative or additional forms of worship. It has also power by the same authorities to authorise beside the Book of Common Prayer of the Province another service book or other service books, or alternative or additional form of worship, and this power will include power to authorise side by side with the Book of Common Prayer of the Province an Indian edition thereof containing all those forms which may be adopted and authorised specially for the benefit of Indian congregations."

Canon VII defines the authorities for Provincial and Diocesan authorisation. "The proper authority in the Church of this Province for the authorisation or approval of forms of worship for the whole Province is the Episcopal Synod".

Acting on the authority of these Canons, the Episcopal Synod at its January-February Session of 1930 gave Provincial authorisation to the following:—

(a) "the Additions and Deviations proposed in 1928 to the Book of Common Prayer with the exception of the Order of Holy Communion.

(b) to the Order of Holy Communion 1928 up to the end of the Offertory Sentences, and to the Prefaces.

(c) to the recital of the Prayer of Oblation and the Lord's Prayer immediately after the Prayer of Consecration with the word 'Wherefore' as a connecting link."

This edition of the Telugu Prayer Book contains all the Additions and Deviations and Modifications thus authorised by the Church of India. A Tentative Edition was first published in 1930 and this complete edition is now sent forth after careful revision by a Committee appointed for the purpose by the Standing Committee of the Diocesan Council.

With a view to economy, certain portions of the Book of 1928 have been altogether omitted in this edition: e.g., the revised Tables of Lessons and Calendars, the revised Quicunque Vult, certain Occasional Prayers not applicable to India, the Catechism, a Commination, the Psalter, Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea, the Form of Consecrating Bishops, Forms of Prayer for the Anniversary of the Day of Accession of the Reigning Sovereign and a few other minor offices.

It is to be noted that the old Prayer Book is an Authorised Book in this Province and may continue to be used in any Church where that is preferred.

Historical introduction

Telugu is the third most widely-spoken language in India, ranked 14th in the world in this list of languages by native speakers. William Muss Arnolt discusses translations of the Book of Common Prayer into Telugu in Chapter XXXII of The Book of Common Prayer among the Nations of the World (1914).

This translation is not listed in David Griffiths's Bibliography of the Book of Common Prayer 1549-1999 (London: The British Library; New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 2002). It is, however, a successor to the 1932 BCP authorized by the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon, listed as 172:10 in Griffiths's Bibliography.

It was digitized in August 2010 by Richard Mammana from a personal copy.