HC Deb 17 December 1965 vol 722 cc1635-7

12.8 p.m.

Mr. E. L. Mallalieu (Brigg)

I beg to move, That the Prayer Book (Versions of the Bible) Measure, passed by the National Assembly of the Church of England, be presented to Her Majesty for Her Royal Assent in the form in which the said Measure was laid before Parliament. Annexed to the Act of Uniformity of 1662 there is, as most hon. Members know, the Book of Common Prayer which contains part of the Scriptures which are to be used in the services, a notable example of which is the psalms. According to the Act of Uniformity this version only was to be used. It is true that there have been some statutory modifications of the rigour of that original injunction, but since then there has been immense research by scholars and many new translations of the psalms and of the other Scriptures. There has been considerable use, perhaps illegal use, of the new versions and translations which have appeared from time to time.

The object of this Measure, subject to the widest possible safeguards for those who wish to keep the 1662 versions of these Scriptures in the Prayer Book, is to bring understanding and enlightenment in cases where there has hitherto been confusion and irrelevance. This is by no means a case of wanting modernity for its own sake, sweeping away beautiful words hallowed by time, comfortable in their messages and sonorous in the rhythm of their poetry. It is rather a case of allowing the living Church today to benefit from the research of scholars and to understand passages from which, hitherto, little or no meaning could be extracted. In other words, it is a question of enabling the individual to judge for himself the relevance of the message of those passages of Scripture to the problems which he has to face in the modern world.

I mentioned safeguards for those who wish to keep the old words, to which they have become accustomed. These safeguards are such as virtually to render impossible the sweeping away of the cherished versions and the substitution for them of ponderous paraphrases incapable of bringing either light or comfort to those who read or sing them.

Before the new versions can be used, they will have to be approved by the Convocations and by the House of Laity and the parochial church council of the church in the parish where it is proposed to use them. In the case of a cathedral church which is used as a parish church, the parochial church council there also will have to agree, and, in the case of a guild church, the guild council. With regard to the occasional offices—as the services of baptism, marriage and death are commonly known—anyone who is personally interested in these services may object before the service to the use of the new versions. After all these conditions have been satisfied, the Minister in charge may use the new version.

I ought to deal with the psalms. A commission under the Archbishop of York which included men distinguished in literature, music and scholarship as well as ecclesiastics produced a Revised Psalter in 1963. It was intended at the time that there should be a special Measure to render lawful the use of this Revised Psalter. It was later decided that, since this present Measure was proposed, it would be better that that provision should be incorporated in this Measure.

Clause 1(3) lays down that, in the case of the Revised Psalter, it shall not be necessary again to obtain the consent of the Convocations and the House of Laity because, when the present Measure was being considered, they had already passed, by their votes, that the Measure allowing the new Psalter should be made law. It is not, therefore, necessary to approach them again for their consent under this Measure.

I hope that I have said enough to show that the Measure should be accepted by the House and is a Measure of virtually no controversy. Indeed, its passage to the Statute Book so far has been marked by overwhelming support. The bishops in their House, by a vote of 15 to none, gave it their support, the clergy by 202 to 6 and the laity by 168 to 6. The Ecclesiastical Committee of Parliament, to which all Measures which are to be presented to both Houses have to go, has declared that it is expedient that the Measure should be made law. In another place, when it was debated, nobody spoke against it. All those who spoke approved it, and there was no division. I therefore hope that this House will do likewise.

Question put and agreed to.