What do you mean by this service?

ISBN 1 86888 003 6

1997

 Extract from the INTRODUCTION:
This book aims not merely to describe what rites Christians performed during the first few centuries of the Church's existence, but also to explain why they did them. What caused them to choose those particular liturgical forms instead of others? What did they understand themselves to be doing in their worship? What effect did that have on the development of Christian doctrine? And how did new doctrinal formulations in turn affect the character of the rites? If readers keep these questions in mind as they go through each chapter, they should have little difficulty in finding the answers in the text. In such a small volume it has not been possible to deal with the subject in great detail. Nevertheless, even though it has been necessary to tell the story in simple terms, the account has tried to
remain faithful to the most recent historical scholarship, and nearly all the chapters conclude with some suggestions for further reading. More extensive background to the sources and methods used in the study of early Christian liturgy can also be found in my book The search for the origins of Christian worship (SPCK, London, & Oxford University Press, New York 1992).

Contents

Abbreviations                                                          vi

Introduction                                                             vii

Map                                                                           viii

CHRISTIAN INITIATION                                         1

1 Beginnings                                                           3

2 Syria and Egypt                                                    10

3 Rome and North Africa                                       18

4 The fourth-century synthesis                             28

5 From adult to infant baptism                             38

EUCHARIST                                                                45

6 Communion: the sacred meal                            47

7 Anamnesis and epiclesis: the eucharistic prayer     54

8 'The bloodless sacrifice'                                        62

9 Holy food                                                                   70

10 'Let all mortal flesh keep silence'                        77

LITURGICAL TIME                                                         83

11 Daily prayer                                                              85

12 Sunday                                                                       91

13 Easter and Pentecost                                               97

14 Christmas, Epiphany, and Lent                              104

15 Saints' days                                                                110

INDEX                                                                                113