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A very productive week for the final days of summer.  To take advantage of the nice dry weather, I’ve been painting the outside of my house, but have worked in completion of three new episodes in The Lives of the Saints – Second Series, celebrating two saints in the Roman Catholic tradition and one from the Anglican collective memory.

St. Francis of Assisi, celebrated on October 4th (Episode Twenty-five),  is one of the most popular, or at least one whose name is widely recognized, among the Western Church saints.  No matter what you think about him, you can say without reservation that he was unique.  He anticipated by many centuries the environmentalist movement, wrote a poem which was turned into a hymn in the 20th C. in the Church of England tradition, (All Creatures of Our God and King. trans. William R. Draper, 1925 A.D.; and he can be found in many gardens, both public and private, in the form of a diminutive statue.  I’m unconvinced that he would have appreciated becoming a small garden ornament!  The illustration is the central detail I extracted from a larger work showing scenes in his life.  The source provided no details about either the artists, but I suspect it was not long after St. Francis’ lifetime, probably in the 13th C   St. Francis’ poem is the basis for Hymn No. 777 in the AIC Bookstore publication, The St. Chrysostom Hymnal, in which Draper’s translation is set to the arrangement of the German/Lutheran hymn, Lasst uns erfreuen.  He lives on in the memory of the Western Church in the Blessing of the Animals service, usually celebrated on his feast day in October each year.

Watch the Assisi Video
Listen to the Assisi Podcast

Learn more about the Hymnal.  Volume I.   Volume II

The Blessed William Tynedale, also celebrated on October 6th (Episode Twenty-six), deserves far more recognition than he receives in the modern world.   He is called “the blessed” because the modern Anglican world no longer designates faithful Christians as “saints,” probably thinking it is too Roman Catholic.   Such denial of the right to celebrate the men and women who have done remarkable work in the service of the Lord and of the Church is one of those regrettable shortcomings of the modern Western Church.  William Tynedale, pursued all across Europe until he was betrayed by a friend, was strangled, then burned at the state in Belgium on October 6th, 1536 A.D. for producing his New Testament in the English language, a violation of edicts of the Bishop of Rome.    The identity of his persecutors and executioners is long gone from human memory, but the work of the Blessed William Tynedale lives on in the King James Version and New King James Versions of the Bible, which are largely based upon his pioneering translations of both the Old and New Testaments.  Rather than post the gruesome depiction of his death, which is in the video, I post here Page One from Chapter 1 of his Gospel of St. John from either the 1525 or 1526 A;D. edition of his New Testament.  Many people, myself included, believe he deserves the credit that William Shakespeare generally receives for the creation of the English language.  His pioneering translation was adapted by his associate Miles Coverdale for the Great Bible of 1539 A.D. the first complete Bible in the English language (with credit also due to Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who purchased copies for placement in all the churches of the Church of England, a goal ever achieved in his lifetime) and, a half-century later, without a word of recognition, provides the vast majority of the wording in the King James Version and its successor, the New King James Version.  For more on which words and phrases were unique to the Blessed William Tynedale watch the video or listen to the Podcast.  You’ll probably be surprised to learn how much of the Bible you know is the result of the Blessed William Tynedale’s creation of English prose phrasing.

Watch the Tynedale Video       Listen to the Tynedale Podcast

The third an final episode (Episode Twenty-seven) celebrates St. Vincent de Paul.  I’ve immodestly included my photograph of the stained glass window by Mayer of Munich at St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, Richmond, VA (from the AIC Publication Paintings on Light: the Strained Glass Windows of St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel.).     St. Vincent’s memory lives on today, four centuries after his death, in the work of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and the other organizations which are dedicated to continuing his charitable work.

Watch the de Paul video

Listen to the de Paul podcast.

In other news, I have completed the slides, script and recorded the sound track for Episodes Twenty-eight and Twenty-nine (The English Martyr: Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer & St. Leo the Great, respectively) and the script and slides for Episode Thirty (St. Clement of Rome) and Episode Thirty-one (St. Catherine of Alexandria), the latter the final episode in the series.  Episode Twenty-eight will be released next week in time for the Feast Day of the English Martyrs, October 16th.   The recording of the remaining two episodes will be done on Monday, October 2nd, but will not be released until early November.

I’ve found some good sources of data on the history of the early Church and the story of the decline of Christianity in regions where it once was dominant, including the Holy Land, Asia Minor, and North Africa.  The material will appear in slide and script form in Episode Two and Episode Three of The War on Christianity, to be released late in October.

As always, thank you for your interest in and support of the Anglican Internet Church.  Glory be to God for all things!  Amen!

The entire Second Series of The Lives of the Saints is drawing closer to its final episode.  Early on Thursday, Sep 21, I uploaded Episode Twenty-four, focused on St. Jerome of Jerusalem, whose Feast Day is Sep 30.

Watch the Video

Listen to the Podcast

It was difficult to find good illustrations for St. Jerome.  Nearly everything, including the photographs of statues, is from the artistic traditions of the Western Church.  Most of these tend to show historical figures like St. Jerome dressed in papal outfits that did not exist until well into the 2nd millennium.   For this episode I used a public domain work, a circa 1480 A.D. fresco from Chiesa Ognissanti (Church of All Saints), Venice, by Italian artist Domenico Ghirlandaio, from which I extracted the detail shown at above left.

St. Jerome is nearly always depicted in a scholarly setting.  In this case, he is seated, looking straight at the viewer, working, pen in hand, at his writing desk.  Among the interesting details are his glasses, set aside for the occasion, scissors, a Bible manuscript, and, on the shelf above his head a Cardinal’s hat.  The position of Cardinal was not actually created in the Roman Church until the 13th C., just a hundred years before the fresco was completed.   Alas, artistic license at work.  The rendering is vivid, clear in its detail.  So clear that I think it suggests a St Jerome annoyed at the interruption to his work.

As always, I don’t comment on the relative value of each saint’s work, in this case St. Jerome’s primary accomplishment, the Vulgate Bible.  Viewers will get the opportunity to learn about an alternative version in Episode Twenty-six, which celebrates the work of the Blessed William Tynedale, who produced a quite different version of the New Testament in 1524, 1525 and 1534 A.D., and for his effort was garroted, then burned at the stake, in 1536 A.D.  Tynedale’s Feast Day is Oct 6.  That episode is complete and ready for uploading.

All remaining episodes in the series are finished.  Episodes Twenty-five (St. Francis of Assisi) and Twenty-six (Blessed William Tynedale) have been recorded and transferred to my Mac, ready for uploading to You Tube..  Episodes Twenty-seven through Episode Thirty-one (St. Vincent de Paul, The English Martyrs (Latimer, Ridley & Cranmer), St. Leo the Great, St. Clement of Rome, & St. Catherine of Alexandria, respectively) are finished and need only the voice and music track and correlation of voice to picture.  I expect to get two of those five recorded later this today.

Two projects like ahead.  First, The War on Christianity, with Episode Two scheduled for completion following the wrap-up of The Lives of the Saints.  Second, development of a marketing plan using Google, Facebook and Amazon resources to increase public exposure to the AIC Bookstore.  You might be seeing something of it sooner than you think when you search the Web.

As always, thank you for your support and your interest in this Internet-based ministry.  May the Lord bless you in all that you do in his name.

Glory be to God for all things!  Amen!

I’ve finished and uploaded to YouTube Episode Twenty in The Lives of the Saints – Second Series.  Episode Twenty is focused on the life and contributions of St. Augustine of Hippo, so called in order to distinguish him from the later St. Augustine, Augustine of Canterbury.  St. Augustine is one of the half dozen most significant contributors to the doctrines of the Church Universal in the first five or six centuries A.D.   He is the most famous pupil of the great St. Ambrose of Milan, another formidable pulpit orator and Bishop of Milan.  For more on St. Ambrose, watch Episode Four in this series 

Episode Twenty includes four images of the great saint, including the oldest known representation of him, a late 6th C. fresco in a chapel on the lower level of the Lateran Palace, Rome (left, public domain), and Jaime Huguet’s egg tempera on wood panel, The Consecration of St. Augustine, painted for the Spanish monarchy in 1462 A.D. and now in the Catalan National Museum of Art, Barcelona, Spain.  Another Huguet painting included in the episode is one of a collection of paintings of famous men in the Louvre Museum, Paris.  There is also an illuminated letter from an 13th or 14th C. edition of his The City of God printed in Avignon, France, from a collection in the Episcopal Museum, Vic, Spain. and a color photograph of his tomb in the Basilica San Pietro d’Oro (St. Peter of the Golden Ceiling), Pavia, Italy.  I tell the story of his wandering remains and how they ended up in Pavia (twice).

Watch the Video.          Listen to the Podcast

The next episode in the Saints 2 series is focused on a lesser known but important figure in the early Church, St. Cyprian of Carthage, who is especially revered in the Eastern Church although his bishopric was in the jurisdiction of the Church at Rome.  Other saints in the final episodes in the series are the Blessed Lancelot Andrewes (Sep 25), Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (Sep 29), Jerome of Jerusalem (Sep 30),  Francis of Assisi (Oct 4), Vincent De Paul (Oct 6), the English Martyrs (Oct 16), Blessed William Tynedale (Nov 6), Leo the Great (Nov 10), Clement of Rome (Nov 23), and, finally, the last episode in the series, Catherine of Alexandria (Nov 25).

I’ve begun work on the script and introductory video for a new series of 10-12 podcasts titled The War on Christianity.  In this new series I will discuss the ongoing war on two levels:  first, the physical threat (including bombings, mutilations and other terroristic events) and, second, the greater and more insidious threat which is being fought every day in the courts, legislatures, school rooms, and, regrettably, among the “leaders” of the modern Church, and in literature and virtually all artistic media.    In the series, I will present ideas on how individual Christians, acting at the personal and family level, can protect themselves in their daily lives. I will offer practical instruction on everything from understanding the doctrines of the Church (expressed in the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed and in the traditions handed down from the Apostles); suggestions for developing personal prayer habits; techniques for reducing the impact of the media’s overwhelmingly one-sided bias against religion (especially Christianity but not including Islam).  Only Episode One, the Introduction, will be available in video form.  The remainder will be exclusively in MP3 Podcast format and linked from a yet-to-be-created page on the AIC Web Site:  www.AnglicanInternetChurch.net.

A note for readers:  You may have noticed that my email address (front.stjohnanglican@earthlink.net) accepts messages only from persons already in my address book.  This is because I receive dozens and dozens of SPAM messages every day and don’t have time to sort them from the genuine inquiries.  My email provider (Earthlink.net) includes a Request to be Added to the Mailing list option for blocked senders.   If your message gets blocked, please complete the request form, which comes directly to me.  You can avoid this problem by asking to be added to the AIC’s Weekly Update, a short email that goes out (usually on Fridays) and which includes a message and links to the newest videos, books or podcasts.   Send me a request in writing at 7162 Soft Wind Ln, Mechanicsville, Va 23111 or call me at (804) 559-2690 (best times 9-4, M-F).  If your email is blocked, use the above-mentioned Request to be added…..   Your privacy will not be compromised. The email address in Weekly Update messages is blocked (BCC) and cannot be read by other recipients.  You can request removal of your name at any time with an email or written request.  We do not share names and addresses of supporters, contributors, and recipients of the Weekly Update with anyone or any organization.

As always, thank you for your interest in and support of The Anglican Internet Church.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name.

Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

The new video preview of our Bookstore catalogue, produced on the new Mac in the expanded version of iMovie, is now available.  It runs just over 18 minutes and includes information and picture glimpses of pages in every currently available book.  The new program has more choices in pages transitions and themes.

Watch the Video preview

Again this year for Good Friday I’ve included the links to the AIC’s series for Good Friday, In the Cross of Christ I Glory.  The program was written for use at my former parish from Noon to 3 PM on Good Friday, based on a version of the Seven Words from the Cross which was  first read in 1946 A.D.  The original author relied upon a homily written in 1904 A.D.   To their work I added prayers and quotations from the Holy Fathers of the 4th Century and later.

The format is an opening address followed by seven sets of prayers and meditations for the seven words from the Cross and a closing address.  The entire text is found on pages 75-101 of the AIC Bookstore Publication, Occasional Services for Anglican Worship, now available in paperback and Kindle editions using the links in the Virtual Bookstore section at the bottom of the home page of the AIC Web Site where you found this Blog.

• Part One:  Introduction
• Part Two: First Word
• Part Three:  Second Word
• Part Four:  Third Word
• Part Five: Fourth Word
• Part Six:  Fifth Word
• Part Seven:  Sixth Word
• Part Eight:  Seventh Word & Conclusion

I hope each of you was able to attend a Good Friday service in your area and will attend at your local parish on Easter Sunday.

Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

I got a little behind in my production schedule and neglected to upload two new episodes in The Lives of the Saints – Second Series.  The first is focused on St. Thomas Aquinas, whose Feast Day is March 8th.  The episode includes five illustrations, from the 15th, 17th and 20th Centuries.  St. Thomas is best known for his Summa Theologica.  In the series I avoided comment on whether systematic theology has been a plus or a minus for Christianity.

The illustration at left is one of nine scenes in the Valle Romita polyptych in tempera and gold on panel by the Renaissance artist Gentile da Fabriano from the collection of the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, Italy, painted circa 1400 A.D.  In the original, there are eight scenes in two rows surrounding a larger ninth central image of the Blessed Virgin and Holy Child.   St. Thomas appears in the far right side of the top row.

Watch Episode 13       Listen to Episode 13

The second presentation celebrates the life of St. Gregory the Great,

Bishop of Rome, 590-604 A.D.   I include three illustrations, one of which is a 19th C. stained glass window at Stabroek, Belgium.  Gregory’s accomplishments are almost legendary in scope: ambassador to Constantinople; first monastic to be Pope; sponsor of revised liturgies, including the Presanctified Gifts still in use; founder of monastery; author of one of the earliest lists of Christian virtues in the Western Church; and advocate of the style of chanting of the Psalms at Alexandria, now known as the Gregorian chant.  The illustration is the top section of the 19th C. stained glass window referenced above, showing the Holy Spirit, depicted as a dove, whispering into Gregory’s ear as the wrote his Dialogues.  The image is based on the contemporary account by Deacon Peter of Rome.

Watch Episode 14       Listen to Episode 14

The next episode in the series, Episode 15, celebrating St. John Climacus, whose Feast Day is March 30th, will be uploaded next week.   The newest AIC Bookstore publication, The Writing Prophets of the Old Testament is now available in both paperback and Kindle editions.  Use the Virtual Bookstore links at the bottom of our Home Page at http://www.AnglicanInternetChurch.net.

As always, thank you for your intestest and support.

The newest AIC Bookstore Publication, The Writing Prophets of the Old Testament, is now available through our Virtual Bookstore at CreateSpace.com and, by special order, from retail bookstores.  A Kindle edition will be available in the coming weeks.

The finished version includes 128 pages in soft cover, 8.5″ x 8.5″ format.  There are 62 full-color illustrations from the 3rd through the 21st Centuries, including manuscripts, icons, mosaics, frescoes, stained glass windows, paintings, photographs, and engravings from the artistic and religious traditions of both the Eastern and Western Churches.

Order your copy now   100% of all book royalties are contributed to the AIC ministry.

In Part I, I discuss the traditional division of the Old Testament into the Books of Moses, or Pentateuch; the Histories; the Poetic Books; and the Prophets.  In Part II are separate chapters on each of the four “major” prophets (depicted on the cover, from the left, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel) and on each of the twelve “minor” prophets.  For each books, I offer a brief history as well as a summary of the major themes, followed by a series of selected major quotations.   The Scripture text uses the New King James Version, except for select quotations from the King James Version which appear in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  All cross references to the Book of Psalms use the prayer book text, which is based on the version used in the Great Bible of 1539 A.D.

As a bonus feature for readers unfamiliar with the Septuagint text of the Old Testament, I have included at the end of the chapter on Daniel the full text of five Deuterocanonical works.  These are Susanna, the Prayer of Azariah, the Song of the Three Children, Bel and the Dragon, plus Daniel and Habakkuk in the Lion’s Den.    The text is based upon either the St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary Septuagint (SAAS) or older, online translations identified in the text.

In the commentary, special text boxes demonstrate the influence of many of these sixteen prophets on the Christian worship tradition, especially as practiced by Anglicans using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and also their influence upon the development of Christian theology.   The AIC’s Service Book edition of the prayer book is also available through CreateSpace.com;

The publication of The Writing Prophets of the Old Testament concludes our series of Christian Education Study Publications, Prayers Collections, and Other Publications which have been produced by the AIC since 2014 A.D.  I hope readers will find them useful in broadening their knowledge of and understanding of traditional Christian doctrine and worship.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name.  Glory be to God for all things!  Amen!

The newest AIC video series, currently in production, “Gesima” Season, explains the name of the Church season that isn’t used as much as it once was.  Even many Anglican jurisdictions have followed the lead of the Roman Catholic Church in eliminating the season.    Those who worship using the venerable 1928 Book of Common Prayer still the pre-Lenten Sundays by their ancient names:  Septuagesima Sunday, Sexagesima Sunday, and Quinquagesima Sunday.  These three Sundays are intended to provide a transition between the celebratory tone of Epiphany, which honors the several “manifestations” of Jesus Christ to the world, and the penitential season of Lent, which, in the Western Church begins on Ash Wednesday.  This year it falls on March 1st.   I hope your local parish continues to honor the old traditions.

The series, in two episodes, will explain the history of the season and the meaning of the name, and the earliest and latest dates on which each Sunday can fall.   Look for it to be completed before the end of February.

Meanwhile, I’ve been busy trying to get ahead with episodes in The Lives of the Saints – Second Series.  The next episode honors St. Simeon of Jerusalem on February 18th.  St Simeon is remembered for his dedicated, unwavering leadership of the See of Jerusalem for about a half century until his crucifixion around 107 A.D. during the reign of the Emperor Trajan.

The next episodes don’t appear until March, during which there are three celebrations: St. Thomas Aquinas (Mar. 8); St. Gregory the Great (Mar. 12); and ST. John Climacus (Mar. 30). I will illustrate the series with a collection of oil paintings, drawings on parchment, icons, statuary, altarpieces, and stained glass windows from both the Western Church and Eastern Church traditions.

A final note is just a reminder that the War on Christianity continues on nearly every continent.  People continue to die, be burned out or otherwise driven out of their homes or churches, and, deprived of fair treatment by the courts both in Europe and the United States.  Please remember these modern martyrs in your prayers.

As always, thanks for your interest and support.  Glory be to God for all things!  Amen!