Introduction to the Study of Liturgy

Albert Gerhards, after studies in Innsbruck and Rome, received his doctorate from the University of Trier. Professor of liturgics at the University of Bonn since 1989, he has been active in the broader spheres of church art and architecture, ecumenism, and Christian-Jewish dialogue, and he has served as an adviser to the Conference of German Bishops.Benedikt Kranemann studied Catholic theology, German linguistics, and philosophy at the University of Münster. He began his career as librarian for the German Liturgical Institute, where he became a master of liturgical literature old and new. Since 1998 he has been professor of liturgics in the Catholic faculty at the University of Erfurt.

• ContentsIntroduction   xiii1.  Liturgy in Its Social Context   11.1  Christian Liturgy and the Multiplicity of Liturgical Celebrations   11.2  “Liturgy”—History of an Idea   61.3  The Rediscovery of the Ritual Dimension of Liturgy   111.4  The Complex Field of Liturgy as the Subject of Liturgics   172.  History, Outline, and Methods of Liturgics   192.1  Liturgics from Within   192.2  Historical Development of the Study of Liturgics   202.2.1  Explanations of Liturgy in the Ancient Church and in the Middle Ages   232.2.1.1  Early Christian Examples of Reflection on Christian Worship   232.2.1.2  Medieval Explanations of Liturgy   272.2.2  Humanist Collections of Liturgical Resources and Commentaries   302.2.3  Rubricism in the Early Modern Era   312.2.4  Shift to an Independent Discipline of “Liturgics”   332.2.4.1  Liturgics since the Eighteenth Century   332.2.4.2  The Beginning of Handbooks in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries   372.2.5  Objectives of the Study of Liturgics in the Early Twentieth Century   382.2.5.1  Multiple Methods in Liturgical Study   392.2.5.2  Liturgics as a Theological Discipline   462.2.5.3  Pastoral Liturgy’s Promotion of Liturgical Life   492.2.6  Evaluation of the Discipline of Liturgics by the Second Vatican Council and in the Postconciliar Period   512.2.7  Liturgics Today   522.2.7.1  Liturgy in a Changed Ecclesial and Social Context   522.2.7.2  Consequences for Method   582.3  How Should We Interpret Liturgy?   723.  Historical Sketch of the Roman Liturgy   803.1  Study of the History of Liturgy as a Central Task of Liturgics   803.2  Jewish Liturgy and Earliest Christian Worship   863.2.1  Jewish Worship in Jesus’ World   863.2.2  The Beginnings of Christian Worship   903.2.3  Jewish and Christian Worship   923.2.4  Early Christian Liturgy as Attested by Selected Sources   953.3  Origins of the Roman Rite   1003.3.1  Liturgical Language from Greek to Latin   1003.3.2  Sources of Early Roman Liturgy   1013.3.3  The Roman Bishop’s Mass around 700   1053.3.4  Essential Features of the Roman Liturgy   1083.4  Liturgical Centers in Late Antiquity   1093.4.1  The Jerusalem Liturgy   1093.4.2  The Liturgies of the Eastern Patriarchates   1113.4.3  Non-Roman Western Liturgies   1123.5  Adaptation of Roman Liturgy North of the Alps   1143.5.1  Backgrounds in the History of Dogma: Defense against Arianism   1143.5.2  Changing Images of Christ and Consequences for Devotion in Relation to Liturgical Prayer and Festal Cycles   1153.5.3  Endurance of the Roman Liturgy   1183.5.4  Continuity and Change in the “Roman” Liturgy   1213.6  Basic Features of the Liturgy in the High and Late Middle Ages; the Liturgy of the City of Cologne as an Example   1233.7  Liturgy in the Period of the Reformation and the Catholic Reform   1283.7.1  The Medieval Heritage   1283.7.2  The Century before the Reformation   1303.7.3  A Reforming Project on the Eve of the Reformation: The Libellus ad Leonem X (1513)   1313.7.4  The Reformers’ Liturgical Reforms, with the Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper as an Example   1333.7.5  The Catholic Reform’s Understanding of the Liturgy   1373.8  Initiatives toward Liturgical Reform during the Enlightenment   1393.8.1  Goals and Content of Liturgical Reform in the Enlightenment Era   1403.8.2  Intellectual and Spiritual Background and Reforming Program: The Synod of Pistoia as an Example   1433.9  Liturgical Currents in the Age of the Restoration   1463.9.1  Church Music as “Sacred Art”   1473.9.2  Development of Church Music in the Nineteenth Century   1493.9.3  The Cecilia Movement and Increased Centralization   1513.9.4  From Restoration to Liturgical Movement   1523.10  The Liturgical Movement and Renewal   1533.10.1  Personalities and Centers of the Liturgical Movement   1533.10.2  Principles and Results of the Liturgical Reform at Vatican II   1583.10.3  Limits of Reform and Future Prospects   1644.  Theology of the Liturgy   1694.1  Liturgy as Assembly in the Presence of God   1694.1.1  Assembly as an Anthropological Phenomenon   1694.1.2  Liturgy as an Assembly Summoned by God   1714.1.3  Celebration of Liturgy in a Structured Assembly   1744.1.4  Listening and Responding as Fundamental Human Actions in the Liturgical Assembly   1754.1.5  Gathering of the Community—Gathering of the Church   1774.1.6  The Making-Present of Salvation History in the Symbolic Actions of Liturgy   1794.2  Theo-logy   1814.2.1  Encounter with the Personal God   1814.2.2  Doxological Address to God   1824.2.3  The God of History   1844.2.4  God Images in Liturgy   1854.3  Christology   1894.3.1  Liturgical Prayer “to Christ” (ad Christum)—“through Christ” (per Christum)   1914.3.2.  Liturgy as Celebration of the Paschal Mystery   1944.3.3  Presence of Christ in the Liturgy   1994.4  Pneumatology   2044.4.1  Liturgy as an Event Effected by the Spirit   2044.4.2  Doxology, Epiclesis, Invocation   2064.4.3  Laying-on of Hands and Anointing as Demonstrative Actions   2104.4.4 The Holy Spirit in the Liturgy’s Poetic Texts   2124.5  Liturgy and the Economy of Salvation   2184.5.1  Temporal Modes of Liturgy and Participation in the Divine Economy of Salvation   2184.5.2  The Dimension of Memory in the Liturgy   2224.5.3  The Dimension of Expectation in the Liturgy   2254.6  Community Liturgy and Heavenly Liturgy   2264.6.1  Heavenly Liturgy as Glorifying God   2264.6.2  The Earthly Liturgy’s Participation in the Eschatological Heavenly Liturgy   2274.6.3  Earthly Liturgy in Eschatological Tension   2304.7  The Person in the Liturgy   2314.7.1  Sanctification of the Human Person in the Liturgy   2314.7.2  Alteration of Human Reality   2344.7.3  “One” in Christ: The Inclusive Image of Humanity   2374.7.4  Human Physicality and the Liturgy   2384.8  Liturgy and the Christian Life   2404.8.1  Remembered Salvation History and Diaconal Action   2404.8.2  Liturgical Anticipation of Salvation and Christian Options for Action   2434.8.3  The Mutual Relationship of Liturgy and Diakonia   2435.  Forms and Methods of Expression in Worship   2475.1  Sacred Scripture in the Liturgy   2475.1.1  The Significance of Biblical Texts in Liturgy   2475.1.2  Biblical Books as Sacred Scripture   2505.1.3  The Use of Biblical Texts in Liturgy   2525.1.4  The Reception of Biblical Texts in Worship   2575.1.5  Intertextuality of Biblical Texts in the Liturgy   2625.2  Prayer in the Liturgy   2665.2.1  Prayer in the Tension between Life Experience and Faith Tradition   2665.2.2  Origins of Liturgical Prayer   2695.2.3  God’s “Today” in the Synthesis of Time: Collapsing of Past and Future in the Now   2705.2.4  Fundamental Theological Structures of Jewish-Christian Methods of Prayer   2725.2.5  Forms and Formulae of Liturgical Prayer   2755.2.5.1  Oration (Collect)   2765.2.5.2  Structure of the Eucharistic Canon   2775.2.5.3  Doxologies   2805.2.5.4  Acclamations   2825.2.5.5  Litanies   2835.2.6  Prayer in Action: Postures and Gestures   2845.3  The Language of Liturgy   2875.3.1  Language as Means of Liturgical Expression   2875.3.2  History of Language in the Worship of the Catholic Church   2935.3.3  Liturgical Language at Vatican II and in the Postconciliar Liturgical Reform   2995.4  Music and Hymnody in the Liturgy   3075.4.1  Singing as an Integral Part of Liturgy   3075.4.2  Liturgical-Theological Context of the Question   3095.4.3  Music as Art of Time and Space   3105.4.4  Determining the Use of Music in Worship   3115.4.5  The “Repertoire” of Liturgical Song and Church Music   3135.4.6  “Pop Music” and Liturgy   3165.4.7  Theological Basis for Singing in Worship   3175.5  Sign and Sign-Character of the Liturgy   3205.5.1  Sign-Character of Worship  3205.5.2  The Liturgical Space  3245.5.3  Liturgical Places  3285.5.3.1 The Altar  3285.5.3.2  The Ambo  3315.5.3.3  The Font  3335.5.4  Vessels and Utensils  3355.5.5  Vestments and Textiles  338

"A crucially important introduction to liturgical studies from two experts in the field. Their collaborative effort succeeds at being both vastly informative and surprisingly succinct; it is rooted in a deep knowledge of historical developments but also in an attentiveness to new ways of inquiring into liturgy. The book is bound to become a foundational text."Teresa Berger, Professor of Liturgical Studies and Thomas E. Golden Jr. Professor of Catholic Theology, Yale Divinity School"This text will serve as an important reference in liturgical science for years to come. Professors Gerhards and Kranemann are to be commended for offering us this foundational work, and for reminding us therein that by its very nature, liturgy is never lived in a vacuum but is always in dialogue with and shaped by contemporary culture and society, as the Church continues to grow locally and globally, faithfully in her service to the Gospel of Christ.Ecclesia Orans"Not exactly a text book for beginners, it is nevertheless as inviting and absorbing as it is challenging."Anaphora