The Study of Liturgy

by Cheslyn Jones (Editor), Geoffrey Wainwright (Editor), Edward Yarnold (Editor)

Completely revised to incorporate new scholarship and many important developments in liturgical renewal, this standard text remains an essential tool for students of theology and liturgy. It treats the development of the liturgy historically, beginning with Jewish antecedents, then covering the New Testament, Patristic, Medieval, and Reformation periods, and concluding with the increasing interest in liturgy in all churches today. The text deals definitively with the five central rites of Christian Initiation, the Eucharist, Ordination, the Daily Office, and the Calendar. A special section on liturgical settings examines in detail the historical importance of music and singing in the liturgy and the role of hymnody in Christian worship. Reflecting the continuing trend towards ecumenism, the editors represent the Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Protestant traditions, while the Orthodox tradition is represented by the team of contributors, which includes many of the best-known liturgical scholars.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Church, History, Religion, Reference

592 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 1978

Reviews

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a class I took so it wasn't exactly a pleasure reading, but it is a collection of essays that on the whole paints a coherent picture. The thinking at times is as diverse and eclectic as the Anglican movement is meant to be. Yet other times it seems to be particularly strict and leaning toward the Oxford Movement (the chapter on vestments comes to mind.) Whereas the church history of baptism paints a murky picture that provides a warrant to support paedo or credobaptism depending on your personal leanings. I'm glad to have read it and will reference it in the future, but don't plan to re-read it for fun.

[Lydia Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you ever wanted to know about liturgy (particularly its history) is in this book.
I specifically appreciated the essays on "Music and Singing in the Liturgy," "Hymnody in Christian Worship," "Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed Rites," "Thomas Cramner and the Prayer Book," and "The Prayer Book After Cramner."
Definitely feeds the fire of passion for liturgy and hymnody. Yes.

[Robert Heckner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This text is dense and citation heavy — which are usually positives, however it is makes this 1978 edition feel outdate — more research, scholarship, and development of/ on the liturgy has happened in the meantime, which necessarily makes this otherwise excellent volume of minimal useful in some places. It is useful, but I assume the newer edition is more relevant. I look forward to reading the newer edition at some point as I much appreciate this book, but wish for a more updated discussion — not that older discussion are to be reject, just that the need for a newer edition was felt, which seems to be an indication that something more is to be said.

[Dan Glover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty dry reading but for what it is it is a helpful and quite comprehensive book.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mostly thorough and ecumenical survey of liturgical studies published in the early 90s paying attention to both history and contemporary issues. A valuable reference resource.

[Bret James Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very much a niche-oriented tome. I think it succeeds on many levels but just does not reach its potential. The book covers the liturgical traditions of Christianity, the Roman Catholic faith, and various Orthodox religions. Unfortunately, the authors clump all the above into Christianity, which makes it impossible at times to determine to which group something applies. This is very confusing, and I take away one star for this. The contributors are from these religions, so that is nice in that, in theory, the particular segment is written and/or edited by a person of that faith group, which promotes accuracy.

The book is broken into three parts. The first part serves as the introduction and seeks to define liturgy and its relationship to preaching and worship of the various religions included in the book. Ritual is also defined and dealt with here. This is actually my favourite part of the book as I am much more interested in what might be called the concept of liturgy and ritual rather than a history of its practice, which is dealt with in part two. This section is by far the longest and includes chapters on the eucharist, ordination, and what they refer to as the “Christian” calendar year, which is actually almost exclusively that of the Roman Catholic religion. The third part is about liturgy and its relation to pastoral service and serves as sort of an application.

There are subject and name indices. Various illustrations and diagrammes help, although there are not as many visuals as I think a book of this length warrants. I think this book is valuable to those who are interested in the liturgy of the different religions. Otherwise, I would recommend taking a pass due to the confusing and sometimes dull nature of the text.

[David Goetz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful book. Especially strong on historical development of liturgical practices. Particular chapters I enjoyed were the first, on the theology of worship, and a later chapter on the history of the church calendar.

[Cherie]

Every LEM should have this book. And actually read it. ;)