Collect for St. Barnabas the Apostle (1928 BCP)

From AnglicanWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Collect for St. Barnabas the Apostle (1928 BCP) is the proper collect appointed for Saint Barnabas the Apostle, June 11, in the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer. The prayer remembers the "singular gifts" bestowed on Barnabas by the Holy Ghost and asks that the Church may not lack God's manifold gifts, nor the grace to use them for God's honour and glory.

Text of the Collect

O LORD God Almighty, who didst endue thy holy Apostle Barnabas with singular gifts of the Holy Ghost; Leave us not, we beseech thee, destitute of thy manifold gifts, nor yet of grace to use them alway to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[1]

The collect has three movements. It begins by addressing "Lord God Almighty," the giver of spiritual gifts. It then recalls Barnabas as a "holy Apostle" whom God endowed with exceptional gifts of the Holy Ghost. Finally it turns from commemoration to petition: the Church asks not to be left empty of God's manifold gifts, and not to lack the grace needed to use those gifts rightly. The prayer is therefore not chiefly a request for private spiritual distinction, but for ecclesial gifts used "to thy honour and glory."

Appointed Epistle and Gospel

The Epistle appointed in the 1928 BCP is Acts xi. 22. It describes Barnabas sent by the church at Jerusalem to Antioch, his joy at the grace of God there, his exhortation to cleave unto the Lord, and his partnership with Saul in teaching and relief:

TIDINGS of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch.

[2]

The collect's "singular gifts" are not left undefined. In the appointed Epistle, Barnabas is glad at grace in others, exhorts converts to perseverance, seeks Saul for the work, teaches in Antioch, and carries relief to Judaea. His gifts are apostolic, pastoral, missionary, and charitable.

The Gospel is St. John xv. 12. It places Barnabas' gifts under Christ's commandment of love and under Christ's appointment of his messengers to bear lasting fruit:

THIS is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.

[3]

The Gospel gives the collect its standard for the use of gifts. The Church does not ask for gifts as possessions, reputation, or influence; it asks for grace to use them in obedience to Christ's commandment, in sacrificial love, and in fruit that remains.

Prayer Book History

The collect is a Reformation-era holy-day collect retained in the later Anglican Prayer Book tradition. Evan Daniel gives its subject and structure:

ST. BARNABAS' DAY. (June 11.) Subject: Gifts and their use. The Collect was written in 1549. It consists of - 1. A commemoration of the singular gifts of the Holy Ghost bestowed upon St. Barnabas; 2. A prayer for the manifold gifts of God and for grace to use them to His honour and glory.

[4]

Francis Procter and Walter Howard Frere place St. Barnabas within the series of Reformation holy-day collects:

Then follows a series of Reformation Collects for the festivals of SS. Philip and James (which has also a new Epistle), of S. Barnabas (which has the Roman in place of the Sarum Gospel), of S. John Baptist (with a new Epistle), of S. Peter and of S. James.

[5]

The Prayer Book Dictionary identifies the collect's origin, later revision, and scriptural allusions:

St. Barnabas (1549), slightly touched up, 1662. The description of Barnabas in the Invocation is suggested by Acts 11 24 (from the Epistle). For the "manifold gifts" see 1 Cor. 12 1-11 and Rom. 12 6-8.

[6]

The Church of England's official 1662 text preserves the same collect, with minor punctuation differences from the 1928 American Standard Book:

O Lord God Almighty, who didst endue thy holy Apostle Barnabas with singular gifts of the Holy Ghost: Leave us not, we beseech thee, destitute of thy manifold gifts, nor yet of grace to use them alway to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[7]

This history matters for interpretation. The 1928 American form is not a modern topical prayer about talents in general; it receives a specific Reformation collect that interprets Barnabas through Acts xi and asks for grace to use God's gifts within the Church's mission.

Theological Interpretation

Daniel explains the contrast between "singular" and "manifold" gifts:

"Singular gifts," exceptional gifts, as opposed to the "manifold gifts" bestowed upon the Church at large. In Lev. xxvii. 2, "a singular vow" seems to mean a special or particular vow. St. Luke says of Barnabas that "he was a good [kind] man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith" (Acts XI. 24).

[8]

The collect therefore turns Barnabas' exceptional apostolic endowment into a prayer for the whole Church. Not every Christian receives Barnabas' office, but the Church asks not to be destitute of God's manifold gifts. The prayer also guards against a merely charismatic reading of gifts: the second half asks for grace "to use them," which means that gifts must be disciplined toward God's honour.

The appointed Epistle and Gospel reinforce that interpretation. The Prayer Book Dictionary summarizes their connection:

The Epistle for St. Barnabas (Acts 11 22-30) gives the mission of Barnabas to Antioch, notes his character, enthusiasm and success, and records his companionship with Paul and their journey to Judea as bearers of relief to the poor brethren from their richer fellow-Christians in Antioch. The Gospel (John 15 12-16) lays stress on the life of willing sacrifice and the high authority of Christ's messengers, "I have chosen you and ordained you."

[9]

The same source draws the collect's conclusion:

The Collect notes the singular and exceptional gifts bestowed upon the Apostles, and prays that we may all have and use the manifold gifts which God is ready to bestow.

[10]

Clause by clause, the prayer proceeds from gift to stewardship. "Who didst endue thy holy Apostle Barnabas" confesses that holy ministry begins in God's action. "With singular gifts of the Holy Ghost" ties the feast to Acts xi.24, where Barnabas is "full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." "Leave us not ... destitute of thy manifold gifts" widens the petition from Barnabas to the gathered Church. "Nor yet of grace to use them" makes spiritual gifts accountable to sanctifying grace. The final phrase, "to thy honour and glory," names the end of all ministry: not admiration of Barnabas, and not self-display by the Church, but the glorifying of God through Christ.

Saint Barnabas in the Calendar

John Henry Blunt notes that the Western observance of St. Barnabas was not among the earliest universally attested feasts and that the English calendar history was uneven:

This festival is not of primitive antiquity, being unnoticed in the ancient Lectionaries and Sacramentaries. In the Calendar of the Venerable Bede it is the 10th instead of the 11th of June; and in the Eastern Church the name of St. Barnabas is associated with that of St. Bartholomew.

[11]

Blunt also explains why Barnabas is remembered as more than a companion of Paul:

The name of St. Barnabas derives its chief lustre from his association with St. Paul; yet, independently of this, he was one worthy to be ranked among the saints of the Church as an Evangelist, Apostle, and Martyr.

[12]

The Prayer Book Dictionary gives a related calendar note with a more cautious historical judgment:

St. Barnabas (June 11), probably an Eastern F., brought to the West before the 8th cent. It is in Bede (June 10) and the Neapolitan Calendar; in the Gk. Calendar also. There was a tradition that St. Barnabas was stoned by the Jews at Salamis in Cyprus on June 11 (c. 64); but more probably this is the date of the finding of his supposed relics in 488.

[13]

These historical notes do not control the collect, but they clarify its Anglican use. The 1928 BCP receives Barnabas through the Prayer Book's biblical propers: Acts xi shows his apostolic character, John xv sets his ministry under Christ's commandment of love, and the collect asks that the Church may receive and rightly use the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

Use in Worship

In the 1928 BCP, this collect is appointed for Saint Barnabas the Apostle, June 11. It may be used at Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Holy Communion when the holy day is observed according to the rubrics governing collects and holy days. Devotionally, it is especially fitting when praying for missionary courage, pastoral encouragement, generosity toward the poor, faithful partnership in ministry, and the sanctified use of spiritual gifts.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Book of Common Prayer, Standard Book accepted in 1928, identified here as the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, "The Collects, Epistles, and Gospels," exact prayer "Collect for St. Barnabas the Apostle," under "Saint Barnabas the Apostle," June 11, printed p. 240; 1928 Common Prayer, "The 1928 Book of Common Prayer: The Standard Book". Complete collect compared word for word with the Society of Archbishop Justus transcription; no collect-text correction was required.
  2. ↑ Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Book of Common Prayer, Standard Book accepted in 1928, "Saint Barnabas the Apostle," For the Epistle, Acts xi.22, printed p. 241; 1928 Common Prayer, "The 1928 Book of Common Prayer: The Standard Book". transcription artifact "Jerusa1cm" was corrected to "Jerusalem" from the Standard Book.
  3. ↑ Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Book of Common Prayer, Standard Book accepted in 1928, "Saint Barnabas the Apostle," Gospel, St. John xv.12, printed pp. 241-242; 1928 Common Prayer, "The 1928 Book of Common Prayer: The Standard Book". the transcription wording has "that a. man," corrected here to the Standard Book's "that a man."
  4. ↑ Evan Daniel, The Prayer-book: Its History, Language, and Contents, 12th ed. (London: Wells Gardner, Darton, & Co., 1901), "St. Barnabas' Day," p. 282; Internet Archive scan of Daniel, The Prayer-book. Punctuation and spacing normalized.
  5. ↑ Francis Procter and Walter Howard Frere, A New History of the Book of Common Prayer: With a Rationale of Its Offices, revised and rewritten edition (London: Macmillan and Co., 1907), chapter XIII, "The Collects, Epistles, and Gospels; and Proper Lessons for Sundays and Holy Days," p. 552 in the 1908 Macmillan impression; Project Canterbury transcription, "A New History of the Book of Common Prayer: Chapter 13". Capitalization normalized.
  6. ↑ George Harford, Morley Stevenson, and John Walton Tyrer, eds., The Prayer Book Dictionary (London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, 1912), "Collects," no. 87, "St. Barnabas," p. 219; Internet Archive scan of The Prayer Book Dictionary. OCR spacing normalized.
  7. ↑ Church of England, The Book of Common Prayer (1662), official online text, "Saint Barnabas the Apostle," The Collect; Church of England, Book of Common Prayer, Saint Barnabas the Apostle. Quotation checked against the official Church of England page on 2026-10-11.
  8. ↑ Evan Daniel, The Prayer-book: Its History, Language, and Contents, 12th ed. (London: Wells Gardner, Darton, & Co., 1901), "St. Barnabas' Day," p. 282; Internet Archive scan of Daniel, The Prayer-book. OCR "Sinrjular" corrected to "Singular."
  9. ↑ George Harford, Morley Stevenson, and John Walton Tyrer, eds., The Prayer Book Dictionary (London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, 1912), article on the liturgical use of Epistles and Gospels, section XII, St. Barnabas, pp. 731-732; Internet Archive scan of The Prayer Book Dictionary. line-break artifacts normalized.
  10. ↑ George Harford, Morley Stevenson, and John Walton Tyrer, eds., The Prayer Book Dictionary (London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, 1912), article on the liturgical use of Epistles and Gospels, section XII, St. Barnabas, p. 732; Internet Archive scan of The Prayer Book Dictionary.
  11. ↑ John Henry Blunt, ed., The Annotated Book of Common Prayer: Being an Historical, Ritual, and Theological Commentary on the Devotional System of the Church of England (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892), note on "Saint Barnabas," pp. 332-333; Internet Archive scan of Blunt, The Annotated Book of Common Prayer. OCR spelling normalized.
  12. ↑ John Henry Blunt, ed., The Annotated Book of Common Prayer (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892), note on "Saint Barnabas," p. 333; Internet Archive scan of Blunt, The Annotated Book of Common Prayer.
  13. ↑ George Harford, Morley Stevenson, and John Walton Tyrer, eds., The Prayer Book Dictionary (London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, 1912), "Festival," section on St. Barnabas, p. 356; Internet Archive scan of The Prayer Book Dictionary. abbreviations retained and OCR "Baraabas" corrected to "Barnabas."
Retrieved from "https://www.anglicanwiki.org/index.php?title=Collect_for_St._Barnabas_the_Apostle_(1928_BCP)&oldid=3483"