Revised and updated edition of bestselling History of the Liturgy provides an accessible, panoramic survey of the origins and development of the liturgical life in the Catholic church.
How great the differences between the Last Supper celebrated by Jesus and a papal Mass at St. Peter's in Rome, between the early baptism by immersion described in the Acts of the Apostles and the baptisms of newborns in our parishes. Why such changes in the celebration of the Christian mystery? Why the post-conciliar reforms, often misunderstood? In this revised edition of the bestselling History of the Liturgy, Marcel Metzger answers such questions and offers an understanding of this evolution through a carefully documented historical survey.
The essential forms of the liturgy were fixed very early according to the tradition received from the apostles. But the place given to biblical readings, preaching, singing, and ritual has varied over the centuries. Churches adapted the form of the celebration to pastoral needs, the conditions of different communities, and different cultural contexts. Metzger describes the most important phases of these changes. In the first millennium, he focuses on liturgy's essentials common to the Eastern and Western churches. For the second millennium, he explains the ritual and theological deviations of the Western churches, the response of the Council of Trent to the Reformation, the liturgical movement of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the reform and renewal of Vatican II.
This comprehensive survey of the history of liturgy is designed to offer readers a solid yet introductory look into the realities that have made and still make up the church's liturgical life including assemblies, Eucharist, baptism, reconciliation, daily praise, the church's calendar, and its architecture. This revised edition includes new material on the earliest available accounts of Christian liturgical practices, the development of ritual books, and the cultural forces that shaped liturgical practice and theology over the centuries; new English translations of important ancient texts; and a new chapter on the liturgical movement and the reforms of Vatican II that it prompted.
By:
Marcel Metzger
Translated by:
Madeleine Beaumont,
Barry Hudock
Imprint: Liturgical Press
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: Updated and Expanded Edition
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 13mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9798400801723
Pages: 234
Publication Date: 17 May 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Contents Foreword ix Introduction 1 CHAPTER ONE The Historical Study of the Liturgy 9 The Oral Tradition 11 Ancient Witnesses of the Liturgical Tradition 12 Archeological Vestiges 14 Written Sources 15 The Method Followed for This Historical Study 16 CHAPTER TWO Apostolic Times: The First Century 20 The Sources 21 The Places Used for the Assemblies 22 The Assemblies, or Synaxes 23 Community Meals 25 The Last Supper, Source of the Eucharist 27 The First Christian Eucharists 28 The Accounts of Baptisms 34 The Liturgy in Time 38 Liturgical Ministries 41 The Rites of the Apostolic Church 42 CHAPTER THREE Liturgy in the Christian Diaspora of the Second and Third Centuries 43 The Sources 45 The Assemblies 48 The Places Used for the Assemblies 50 The Eucharistic Celebration 53 The Synaxes on Weekdays 60 The Liturgy of Baptism 62 Ministries and Ordinations 71 The Reconciliation of Penitents 74 Liturgies for the Martyrs and the Dead 78 The Paschal Feast 79 The Oil of the Sick 82 Marriage 82 Conclusion 83 CHAPTER FOUR The Liturgy in the Roman Empire after the Peace of the Church 85 The Sources 88 The Assemblies 94 The Basilicas 99 The Eucharistic Celebration 104 The Synaxes on Weekdays 120 The Baptismal Liturgy 123 Ministries and Ordinations 132 Marriage, a Family Ritual 137 The Reconciliation of Penitents 138 The Oil of the Sick 143 Liturgies for Martyrs and the Dead 144 Feasts and Calendars 146 Conclusion: A Golden Age for the Liturgy 149 CHAPTER FIVE The Remaking of the West by the Franks and Its Implications for the Roman Liturgy 151 The Carolingian Renaissance and Its Effects 152 The Importation of Roman Liturgical Books 153 Evolution of the Books of the Roman Liturgy 157 Stabilization of the Liturgy in the Roman Church 159 CHAPTER SIX The Latin Liturgy in the Second Millennium 161 The Religious Context 163 Evolution of the Roman Church into a Clerical Society 166 The Arrangement of Church Building s 173 The Instrumentalization of the Sacraments 176 Liturgical Practices during the Second Millennium 182 The Funeral Rites 188 The Calendar and Feasts 189 From the Celebration to the Administration of the Sacraments 189 The Expansion of Devotions 190 CHAPTER SEVEN The Liturgical Movement of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries and the Liturgical Reform of Vatican II 195 Dom Guéranger and the Influence of Solesmes 195 The Stages of Liturgical Reform 197 The Constitution on the Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium) 200 Conclusion 205 Glossary 209 Index 213
Marcel Metzger is a priest of the Diocese of Strasbourg, France. He was professor of history of liturgy at the University of Strasbourg where he also served as dean of faculty.
Reviews for History of the Liturgy: The Major Stages
""The book is useful for anyone looking for an introductory survey of the history of the liturgy, or beginning formal studies of the liturgy and seeking a panoramic historical view."" Irish Theological Quarterly
