Introduction to Eastern Christian Liturgies

Stefanos Alexopoulos is an associate professor of liturgical studies and sacramental theology at The Catholic University of America, a Greek Orthodox priest, and the son and grandson of Greek Orthodox priests. He received his PhD in liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame. In addition to his monograph on the Byzantine presanctified liturgy, he has coedited three books and published over thirty-five essays and articles. His research interests lie in the history of Byzantine liturgy and how the official or public liturgy intersects with private piety, both in the Byzantine era and today. He is a founding member of the Society of Oriental Liturgy, a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, and a member of Societas Liturgica. Maxwell E. Johnson is professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and a presbyter in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. His numerous publications are on the origins and development of early Christian liturgy, contemporary rites, and current ecumenical and theological questions in both East and West. He is the author and/or editor of more than twenty books and over one hundred essays and articles. He is also a former president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, a member of the Society of Oriental Liturgy, a member of Societas Liturgica, and a member of the scientific advisory board for the journal Ecclesia Orans.

Contents
List of Abbreviations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction
  The Rites of the Christian East xi
Chapter 1
  Christian Initiation and Reconciliation 1
Chapter 2
  The Eucharistic Liturgies 59
Chapter 3
  The Liturgical Year and the Liturgy of the Hours 137
Chapter 4
  Marriage and Holy Orders 213
Chapter 5
  Anointing of the Sick and Christian Burial 277
Chapter 6
  Conclusion: The Ethos of Eastern Christian Worship and Liturgical Spirituality 355
Bibliography According to Rite 389
Index 420