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.

Contents

Introduction   xiii
1.  Liturgy in Its Social Context   1
1.1  Christian Liturgy and the Multiplicity of Liturgical Celebrations   1
1.2  “Liturgy”—History of an Idea   6
1.3  The Rediscovery of the Ritual Dimension of Liturgy   11
1.4  The Complex Field of Liturgy as the Subject of Liturgics   17
2.  History, Outline, and Methods of Liturgics   19
2.1  Liturgics from Within   19
2.2  Historical Development of the Study of Liturgics   20
2.2.1  Explanations of Liturgy in the Ancient Church and in the Middle Ages   23
2.2.1.1  Early Christian Examples of Reflection on Christian Worship   23
2.2.1.2  Medieval Explanations of Liturgy   27
2.2.2  Humanist Collections of Liturgical Resources and Commentaries   30
2.2.3  Rubricism in the Early Modern Era   31
2.2.4  Shift to an Independent Discipline of “Liturgics”   33
2.2.4.1  Liturgics since the Eighteenth Century   33
2.2.4.2  The Beginning of Handbooks in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries   37
2.2.5  Objectives of the Study of Liturgics in the Early Twentieth Century   38
2.2.5.1  Multiple Methods in Liturgical Study   39
2.2.5.2  Liturgics as a Theological Discipline   46
2.2.5.3  Pastoral Liturgy’s Promotion of Liturgical Life   49
2.2.6  Evaluation of the Discipline of Liturgics by the Second Vatican Council and in the Postconciliar Period   51
2.2.7  Liturgics Today   52
2.2.7.1  Liturgy in a Changed Ecclesial and Social Context   52
2.2.7.2  Consequences for Method   58
2.3  How Should We Interpret Liturgy?   72
3.  Historical Sketch of the Roman Liturgy   80
3.1  Study of the History of Liturgy as a Central Task of Liturgics   80
3.2  Jewish Liturgy and Earliest Christian Worship   86
3.2.1  Jewish Worship in Jesus’ World   86
3.2.2  The Beginnings of Christian Worship   90
3.2.3  Jewish and Christian Worship   92
3.2.4  Early Christian Liturgy as Attested by Selected Sources   95
3.3  Origins of the Roman Rite   100
3.3.1  Liturgical Language from Greek to Latin   100
3.3.2  Sources of Early Roman Liturgy   101
3.3.3  The Roman Bishop’s Mass around 700   105
3.3.4  Essential Features of the Roman Liturgy   108
3.4  Liturgical Centers in Late Antiquity   109
3.4.1  The Jerusalem Liturgy   109
3.4.2  The Liturgies of the Eastern Patriarchates   111
3.4.3  Non-Roman Western Liturgies   112
3.5  Adaptation of Roman Liturgy North of the Alps   114
3.5.1  Backgrounds in the History of Dogma: Defense against Arianism   114
3.5.2  Changing Images of Christ and Consequences for Devotion in Relation to Liturgical Prayer and Festal Cycles   115
3.5.3  Endurance of the Roman Liturgy   118
3.5.4  Continuity and Change in the “Roman” Liturgy   121
3.6  Basic Features of the Liturgy in the High and Late Middle Ages; the Liturgy of the City of Cologne as an Example   123
3.7  Liturgy in the Period of the Reformation and the Catholic Reform   128
3.7.1  The Medieval Heritage   128
3.7.2  The Century before the Reformation   130
3.7.3  A Reforming Project on the Eve of the Reformation: The Libellus ad Leonem X (1513)   131
3.7.4  The Reformers’ Liturgical Reforms, with the Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper as an Example   133
3.7.5  The Catholic Reform’s Understanding of the Liturgy   137
3.8  Initiatives toward Liturgical Reform during the Enlightenment   139
3.8.1  Goals and Content of Liturgical Reform in the Enlightenment Era   140
3.8.2  Intellectual and Spiritual Background and Reforming Program: The Synod of Pistoia as an Example   143
3.9  Liturgical Currents in the Age of the Restoration   146
3.9.1  Church Music as “Sacred Art”   147
3.9.2  Development of Church Music in the Nineteenth Century   149
3.9.3  The Cecilia Movement and Increased Centralization   151
3.9.4  From Restoration to Liturgical Movement   152
3.10  The Liturgical Movement and Renewal   153
3.10.1  Personalities and Centers of the Liturgical Movement   153
3.10.2  Principles and Results of the Liturgical Reform at Vatican II   158
3.10.3  Limits of Reform and Future Prospects   164
4.  Theology of the Liturgy   169
4.1  Liturgy as Assembly in the Presence of God   169
4.1.1  Assembly as an Anthropological Phenomenon   169
4.1.2  Liturgy as an Assembly Summoned by God   171
4.1.3  Celebration of Liturgy in a Structured Assembly   174
4.1.4  Listening and Responding as Fundamental Human Actions in the Liturgical Assembly   175
4.1.5  Gathering of the Community—Gathering of the Church   177
4.1.6  The Making-Present of Salvation History in the Symbolic Actions of Liturgy   179
4.2  Theo-logy   181
4.2.1  Encounter with the Personal God   181
4.2.2  Doxological Address to God   182
4.2.3  The God of History   184
4.2.4  God Images in Liturgy   185
4.3  Christology   189
4.3.1  Liturgical Prayer “to Christ” (ad Christum)—“through Christ” (per Christum)   191
4.3.2.  Liturgy as Celebration of the Paschal Mystery   194
4.3.3  Presence of Christ in the Liturgy   199
4.4  Pneumatology   204
4.4.1  Liturgy as an Event Effected by the Spirit   204
4.4.2  Doxology, Epiclesis, Invocation   206
4.4.3  Laying-on of Hands and Anointing as Demonstrative Actions   210
4.4.4 The Holy Spirit in the Liturgy’s Poetic Texts   212
4.5  Liturgy and the Economy of Salvation   218
4.5.1  Temporal Modes of Liturgy and Participation in the Divine Economy of Salvation   218
4.5.2  The Dimension of Memory in the Liturgy   222
4.5.3  The Dimension of Expectation in the Liturgy   225
4.6  Community Liturgy and Heavenly Liturgy   226
4.6.1  Heavenly Liturgy as Glorifying God   226
4.6.2  The Earthly Liturgy’s Participation in the Eschatological Heavenly Liturgy   227
4.6.3  Earthly Liturgy in Eschatological Tension   230
4.7  The Person in the Liturgy   231
4.7.1  Sanctification of the Human Person in the Liturgy   231
4.7.2  Alteration of Human Reality   234
4.7.3  “One” in Christ: The Inclusive Image of Humanity   237
4.7.4  Human Physicality and the Liturgy   238
4.8  Liturgy and the Christian Life   240
4.8.1  Remembered Salvation History and Diaconal Action   240
4.8.2  Liturgical Anticipation of Salvation and Christian Options for Action   243
4.8.3  The Mutual Relationship of Liturgy and Diakonia   243
5.  Forms and Methods of Expression in Worship   247
5.1  Sacred Scripture in the Liturgy   247
5.1.1  The Significance of Biblical Texts in Liturgy   247
5.1.2  Biblical Books as Sacred Scripture   250
5.1.3  The Use of Biblical Texts in Liturgy   252
5.1.4  The Reception of Biblical Texts in Worship   257
5.1.5  Intertextuality of Biblical Texts in the Liturgy   262
5.2  Prayer in the Liturgy   266
5.2.1  Prayer in the Tension between Life Experience and Faith Tradition   266
5.2.2  Origins of Liturgical Prayer   269
5.2.3  God’s “Today” in the Synthesis of Time: Collapsing of Past and Future in the Now   270
5.2.4  Fundamental Theological Structures of Jewish-Christian Methods of Prayer   272
5.2.5  Forms and Formulae of Liturgical Prayer   275
5.2.5.1  Oration (Collect)   276
5.2.5.2  Structure of the Eucharistic Canon   277
5.2.5.3  Doxologies   280
5.2.5.4  Acclamations   282
5.2.5.5  Litanies   283
5.2.6  Prayer in Action: Postures and Gestures   284
5.3  The Language of Liturgy   287
5.3.1  Language as Means of Liturgical Expression   287
5.3.2  History of Language in the Worship of the Catholic Church   293
5.3.3  Liturgical Language at Vatican II and in the Postconciliar Liturgical Reform   299
5.4  Music and Hymnody in the Liturgy   307
5.4.1  Singing as an Integral Part of Liturgy   307
5.4.2  Liturgical-Theological Context of the Question   309
5.4.3  Music as Art of Time and Space   310
5.4.4  Determining the Use of Music in Worship   311
5.4.5  The “Repertoire” of Liturgical Song and Church Music   313
5.4.6  “Pop Music” and Liturgy   316
5.4.7  Theological Basis for Singing in Worship   317
5.5  Sign and Sign-Character of the Liturgy   320
5.5.1  Sign-Character of Worship  320
5.5.2  The Liturgical Space  324
5.5.3  Liturgical Places  328
5.5.3.1 The Altar  328
5.5.3.2  The Ambo  331
5.5.3.3  The Font  333
5.5.4  Vessels and Utensils  335
5.5.5  Vestments and Textiles  338