Synopses & Reviews
The mere mention of “Sunday” will immediately conjure up a rich mix of memories, associations, and ideas for most anyone of any age. Whatever we think ofbe it attending church, reading a bulky newspaper, eating brunch, or watching football Sunday occupies a unique place in Western civilization. But how did we come to have a day with such a singular set of traditions?
Here, historian Craig Harline examines Sunday from its ancient beginnings to recent America in a fascinating blend of facts and anecdotes. For early Christians, the first day of the week was a time to celebrate the liturgy and observe the Resurrection. But over time, Sunday in the Western world took on still other meanings and rituals, especially in the addition of both rest and recreation to the days activities. Harline illuminates these changes in enlightening profiles of Sunday in medieval Catholic England, Sunday in the Reformation, and Sunday in nineteenth-century Francehome of the most envied and sometimes despised Sunday of the modern world. He continues with moving portraits of soldiers and civilians observing Sunday during World War I, examines the quiet Sunday of England in the 1930s, and concludes with the convergence of various European traditions in the American Sunday, which also adds some distinctly original habits of its own, including in the realms of commerce and professional sports.
With engaging prose and scholarly integrity, Sunday is an entertaining and long-overdue look at a significant hallmark of Western culture.
Synopsis
A lively history traces the significance of Sunday, from ancient times to present-day America, looking at the religious and secular rituals that have defined the day over the centuries, from early Christian celebrations of the liturgy, to the end of the widespread "blue laws" during the 1950s. 30,000 first printing.
Synopsis
For centuries in Christian Europe, Sunday was ideally a day of rest and worship, though in practice it also included plenty of play. Today, there is no single ideal, but the day still includes rest and worship, and even more entertainment and shopping, especially in the United States. SUNDAY traces the significance of Sunday from ancient times to the American present.
Historian Craig Harline tells the story of Sunday in a blend of facts and entertaining anecdotes. For early Christians, the first day of the week was a time to celebrate the liturgy and observe the Resurrection. Over time, Sunday took on new meanings and rituals. Harline illuminates these changes in enlightening profiles of Sunday in Medieval Catholic England, the largely Protestant Dutch Republic of the seventeenth century, and nineteenth-century France—home of the most envied and sometimes despised Sunday of the modern world. He continues with moving portraits of soldiers and civilians observing Sunday during World War I, the quiet Sunday of England in the 1930s, and concludes with an American Sunday in the 1950s—the era marking the end of widespread Sunday “blue laws” and thus yet another change in the character of Sunday.
At once a comprehensive history and an amusing investigation into the intersection of the religious and the secular, SUNDAY will appeal to readers of Thomas Cahill, Karen Armstrong, Bruce Feiler, and other bestselling authors in the rapidly growing field of popular religious history.
About the Author
CRAIG HARLINE, a professor of history at Brigham Young University, is the author of A Bishops Tale, The Burdens of Sister Margaret, and Miracles at the Jesus Oak. His research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, the American Council of Learned Societies, and other granting agencies. He lives in Orem, Utah.