Historical Foundations of Worship

Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Perspectives

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Pub Date Apr 12 2022 | Archive Date Apr 26 2022

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Description

This volume brings together an ecumenical team of scholars to offer a historical overview of how worship developed. The book first orients readers to the common core elements the global church shares in the history and development of worship theology and historical practice. It then introduces the major streams of worship practice: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, including Reformation traditions, evangelicalism, and Pentecostalism. The book includes introductions by John Witvliet and Nicholas Wolterstorff. A previous volume addressed the theological foundations of worship.

This volume brings together an ecumenical team of scholars to offer a historical overview of how worship developed. The book first orients readers to the common core elements the global church shares...


Advance Praise

“This sweeping overview of liturgical history is useful for both the novice and the expert. Every chapter is carefully written, deeply researched, and cogently synthesized. The organization of material provides readers with a useful framework for further expanding their knowledge. A highly recommended resource for those seeking to grasp not only the multiple origins of Christian worship but also the complexity of traditions as they continue to develop today.”—Gerardo Martí, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology, Davidson College; author of Worship across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation

“The second volume of this much-needed series is a lively historical read. It engages the reader in a manner that leads them to know many new things about the ways in which God works through his gathered assemblies and, by so doing, invites the reader to know even more about their ecclesial neighbors. As we receive the witness of those whom God has been shaping through the ages, we are given the gift to hear and see our Christian sisters and brothers, not in competition, or with disdainful theological critique, but as those who live within the splendor of our Lord’s continual prayer that ‘all may be one.’ Historical Foundations of Worship will serve the whole oikumenē in the way that rocks in a tumbler bring out each other’s radiance, so that in a unity of spirit, we will seek to join together in the psalmist’s doxological imperative to ‘worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.’”—Amy C. Schifrin, president emeritus, North American Lutheran Seminary

“This collection offers an admirable and engaging introduction for the student navigating a way into liturgical studies, and it is a comprehensive guide for anyone responsible for overseeing that journey. The contributors have brought scholarly depth as well as a lively sense of the practice of worship to their readers. They write with animation and understand the virtues of conciseness and reading lists that encourage further study rather than inducing dismay. It is particularly good to see chapters on the Anabaptist, Pentecostal, and evangelical traditions joining the ‘mainstream’ Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant families in one volume.”—Bridget Nichols, lecturer in Anglicanism and liturgy, Church of Ireland Theological Institute, Dublin

“This sweeping overview of liturgical history is useful for both the novice and the expert. Every chapter is carefully written, deeply researched, and cogently synthesized. The organization of...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781540962522
PRICE $29.99 (USD)
PAGES 320

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Featured Reviews

This is primarily a collection of 18 academic essays/chapters grouped into 5 parts and written by a different expert focusing on a specific element of christian worship (for most traditions, this means an examination of how the liturgy or worship service evolved) with a significant portion of the book (37%) given over to citations. This was an especially timely read for me as I had just finished by Liturgy and the Sacraments class and had just started my Canon Law class … so this fit right into what I was already learning about. The format of each chapter opened with a bit of context before digging into the subject at hand, then ending with a section on “Practical Implications for Worship” (sort of a where are we now review) and suggested Further Reading … which is great because the biggest complaint that I had was that I always wanted to explore the topic more after finishing the chapter.

Part one of the book looks at what all of the main line christian denominations have in common: baptism, communion/eucharist and celebrations (aka liturgical time). Then in part two, we get a survey of what we think the early church looked like (as well as acknowledging that there is still a lot that we just don’t know). In the next three parts, we get a look at Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholicism and several flavors of Protestant churches. Sadly, the tradition I grew up in (the Stone/Campbell Restoration movement) doesn’t get much press here, but that is okay, because it actually pulls a lot from the traditions that are covered; namely Lutheran, Calvinist/Reform, Anglican/Episcopal, Methodists, Anabaptist, Baptists, Evangelicals and Pentecostals. That last one was perhaps the weakest of the essays (or I just didn’t get it … which is also possible). Still, this book is an easy to read primer on a wide variety of christian societies that would be useful to any academic or lay person interested in ecumenical outreach (which I am).

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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<spoiler>
Introduction
Part 1 - Common Roots of Worship
- 1 Baptism
- 2 Eucharist
- 3 Liturgical Time
Part 2 - Early Christian Worship
- 4 Worship in the Early Church
- 5 Worship in Late Antiquity
Part 3 - Eastern Orthodox Worship
- 6 History of Orthodox Worship
- 7 Icons and Eucharistic Theology
Part 4 - Roman Catholic Worship
- 8 Medieval Catholic Worship
- 9 Reformation in the Catholic Church
- 10 Vatican II and the Liturgical Renewal Movement
Part 5 - Protestant Worship
- 11 Lutheran Practices of Worship
- 12 Calvinist and Reformed Practices of Worship
- 13 Anglican and Episcopal Practices of Worship
- 14 Methodist and Wesleyan Practices of Worship
- 15 Anabaptist and Mennonite Practices of Worship
- 16 Baptist Practices of Worship
- 17 Evangelical Practices of Worship
- 18 Pentecostal and Charismatic Practices of Worship
</spoiler>

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This publisher has done well in other books of giving a balanced, ecumenical perspective on topics, which is one major reason I wanted to get my hands on this title. I'm also a great lover of research-heavy books, and this one earned my respect in part with the 500+ notes and sources.

The text is divided into 18 essays and begins by covering worship's common roots. One of my favorite parts was the 2 essays on worship in the ancient church. The last 3 parts of the book each focused on the worship of one of the 3 major branches of Christianity: Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism. I enjoyed the section on Orthodoxy the most, as until recently I haven't seen much on it from the bigger Christian publishers. Overall I see this as the best reference manual on this topic currently available to the lay public and also very valuable for academic study.

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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A thorough look at worship throughout church history. More textbook in nature, but books like this become highly readable for anyone interested in the topic, if a reader takes it slowly, one section at a time. Well researched and an accomplished book.

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