'Which the Ambassadors of Christ ministerially pronounce': The Blessing in the Prayer Book Holy Communion

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We are very close to the end of John Shepherd's commentary on the 1662 Holy Communion in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801). Today we consider the Blessing, at the conclusion of the office. Shepherd commences his commentary on the Blessing by rooting the practice in Scripture:

Among the ancient people of God it was customary to dismiss religious assemblies with a blessing pronounced by one of the principal persons present, sometimes by the King, but more commonly by the priests. Thus at the removal of the ark to Mount Sion, "as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts"; and thus likewise at the dedication of the temple, "Solomon, when he had made an end of praying, arose from before the altar of the Lord, and he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel." But "to bless in the name of the Lord" was the peculiar office of the priest, and a special form of benediction was prescribed by God himself, in which Aaron and his sons were commanded to bless the peoples. Our Great High Priest, a little before his Ascension, after eating bread for the last time with his Apostles, took leave of them with a blessing, and "while he blessed them, he was parted from them."

That the Blessing was a feature of the worship of the people of God under the Old and New Covenants declares that this aspect of the Holy Communion - the final act of the rite - again places us within the great sweep of salvation history. Indeed, as Shepherd goes on to demonstrate, it is not only the act but also the words of the Blessing which do this:

Our final blessing is taken out of Scripture. The former part is evidently borrowed from the writings of St. Paul, and the latter is a Christian paraphrase, or rather summary, of the form originally delivered to Moses. St. Paul, after directing us to address God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, immediately adds, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The words of St. Paul, had they been purposely designed, could scarce have been better suited to form a conclusion for this office. We have, according to his direction, offered up prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving to the Divine Majesty, and before our departure the minister of Christ pronounces upon us the blessing of peace.

The Blessing draws together the Old and New Covenants: the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:22-26 and the Apostolic peace are united because - in the words of Article VII - "The Old Testament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to Mankind by Christ". What is more, as Shepherd states in a footnote, the threefold nature of the Aaronic blessing is "to denote the mystery of the Trinity". Underpinning the Blessing, therefore, is a profoundly rich and significant understanding of the unity of the Covenants. We might note that this is perhaps at least partly lost when seasonal options replace the first part of the Blessing. Holding together the Aaronic formula with that of the Apostle gives year round expression to the truth confessed by Article VII.

Finally, Shepherd reminds us that the Blessing is more than a prayer:

This benediction of the priest is not to be considered merely as a prayer. It is likewise an absolution, an assurance of blessing and of peace; for God himself will bless those that are duly qualified to receive the sacerdotal blessing; and the benedictions and absolutions which the Ambassadors of Christ ministerially pronounce upon earth, will be ratified in Heaven.

A footnote points us back to the commentary on the Absolution, both at Morning and Evening Prayer and in the Holy Communion. In both forms of Absolution, of course, we reminded of the need for this assurance to be received by faith: "being penitent ... all them that truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel"; "all them that with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him". Here, then, is how we are to understand Shepherd's use of "sacerdotal": the ministry does not function ex opere operato. The Blessing must be received as is ministerial absolution. Thus received in faith and penitence, that "which the Ambassadors of Christ ministerially pronounce upon earth, will be ratified in Heaven". 

This use of the Pauline description of the apostolic ministry in 2 Corinthians 5:20 further explains and defines the meaning of "sacerdotal". The priestly nature of blessing by ministers of the New Covenant is a statement of assurance to the congregation: this peace, this blessing of the Triune God is assuredly for us, received by faithful, penitent hearts and minds.

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