Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Ten papers, from a symposium held in 2000, examine the role of the church and religious belief in Europe's transition from the medieval to modern periods and how, during this period, almost every aspect of religion was either challenged or defended. The emphasis of the collection is on liturgy, arguing that the most fundamental religious changes that can take place are most obviously seen in the way ordinary men and people worship and relate to God. Focusing on northern Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries, the papers discuss changes in the use of psalms and prayers, in the choice between vernacular and Latin, in mass, in worship in schools, in the worship of the Catholic clergy, in the rites of baptism and marriage, and in religious art and music. Contributors focus on the battle between Catholicism, reform, Calvinism, Lutheranism and other forms of Protestantism in France, Geneva, Sweden, Germany and England. Discussions by John D Witvliet open and close the book. The specialised papers include numerous extracts in English translation of texts.
Synopsis
"This is a fine collection of essays that significantly enriches our knowledge of a crucial period in liturgical history." --
Paul Bradshaw, Professor of Liturgy, University of Notre Dame "The authors do a remarkably fine job of taking seriously the continuities between late medieval and early modern practices, especially in the Protestant world. They pay as much attention to subtle transformations of the medieval liturgical inheritance as they do to the dramatic changes in worship initiated by Protestant reforms. The authors also clarify the often murky, dynamic relationship between text and practice, and explain the ways in which practices of worship were rooted in local politics and culture. The primary sources accompanying each essay bring to light liturgical texts that deserve to be better known." --Virginia Reinburg, Boston College
"This original and useful compilation of essays demonstrates a commendable ecumenical breadth and sensitivity." --Randall Zachman, University of Notre Dame
Worship in Medieval and Early Modern Europe offers readers a chance to understand better the societal and confessional norms that motivated late medieval and early modern Christians to maintain or change traditional Catholic worship practices. Featuring some of the most outstanding scholars in the field, this volume will be invaluable to academics interested in the Reformation, early modern studies, theology, and liturgical studies, as well as to general readers who wish to learn how their worship life was shaped in the sixteenth century.
Synopsis
Traditional surveys of Christian worship have not only stressed the profound changes that occurred in the fragmenting Reformation churches of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but have also primarily focused on the theological understanding, rather than the practice, of worship. Contributors to this unique collection underline the complexity and diversity of late medieval and early modern Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed worship practices in Europe. They examine a range of rites (baptism, marriage, and the Eucharist), elements of worship (visual art, music, prayer texts, rituals), geographic locations (Spain, Geneva, England, Sweden, Germany), and settings (home, school, and church).
To illustrate the experience of worship by medieval and early modern laity and clergy, each essay is preceded by selections from key primary source documents being discussed. Contributors reveal that, contrary to the artificial separation of these two time periods by the modern academy, there was actually a great deal of continuity between medieval and early modern liturgical practices. They also demonstrate that political and social pressures were as significant as theological or doctrinal rationales when it came to modifying or retaining traditional practices.
Worship in Medieval and Early Modern Europe offers readers a chance to understand better the societal and confessional norms that motivated late medieval and early modern Christians to maintain or change traditional Catholic worship practices. Featuring some of the most outstanding scholars in the field, this volume will be invaluable to academics interested in the Reformation, early modern studies, theology, and liturgical studies, as well as to general readers who wish to learn how their worship life was shaped in the sixteenth century.