History of the Liturgy

Marcel Metzger is a priest of the Diocese of Strasbourg, France. He was professor of history of liturgy at the University of Strasbourg where he also served as dean of faculty.

• ContentsForeword   ixIntroduction   1CHAPTER ONEThe Historical Study of the Liturgy   9The Oral Tradition   11Ancient Witnesses of the Liturgical Tradition   12Archeological Vestiges   14Written Sources   15The Method Followed for This Historical Study   16CHAPTER TWOApostolic Times: The First Century   20The Sources   21The Places Used for the Assemblies   22The Assemblies, or Synaxes 23 Community Meals   25The Last Supper, Source of the Eucharist   27The First Christian Eucharists   28The Accounts of Baptisms   34 The Liturgy in Time   38Liturgical Ministries   41The Rites of the Apostolic Church   42CHAPTER THREELiturgy in the Christian Diaspora of the Second and Third Centuries   43The Sources 45The Assemblies   48The Places Used for the Assemblies   50The Eucharistic Celebration   53The Synaxes on Weekdays   60The Liturgy of Baptism   62Ministries and Ordinations   71The Reconciliation of Penitents   74Liturgies for the Martyrs and the Dead   78The Paschal Feast   79The Oil of the Sick   82Marriage   82Conclusion   83CHAPTER FOURThe Liturgy in the Roman Empire after the Peace of the Church   85The Sources   88The Assemblies   94 The Basilicas   99The Eucharistic Celebration   104The Synaxes on Weekdays   120The Baptismal Liturgy   123Ministries and Ordinations   132Marriage, a Family Ritual   137The Reconciliation of Penitents   138The Oil of the Sick   143Liturgies for Martyrs and the Dead   144Feasts and Calendars   146Conclusion: A Golden Age for the Liturgy   149CHAPTER FIVEThe Remaking of the West by the Franks and Its Implications for the Roman Liturgy   151The Carolingian Renaissance and Its Effects   152The Importation of Roman Liturgical Books   153Evolution of the Books of the Roman Liturgy   157Stabilization of the Liturgy in the Roman Church   159CHAPTER SIXThe Latin Liturgy in the Second Millennium   161The Religious Context   163Evolution of the Roman Church into a Clerical Society   166The Arrangement of Church Building  s 173 The Instrumentalization of the Sacraments   176Liturgical Practices during the Second Millennium   182The Funeral Rites   188The Calendar and Feasts   189From the Celebration to the Administration of the Sacraments   189The Expansion of Devotions   190CHAPTER SEVENThe Liturgical Movement of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries and the Liturgical Reform of Vatican II   195Dom Guéranger and the Influence of Solesmes   195The Stages of Liturgical Reform   197The Constitution on the Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium)   200Conclusion   205Glossary   209Index   213

"The book is useful for anyone looking for an introductory survey of the history of the liturgy, or beginning formal studies of the liturgy and seeking a panoramic historical view."Irish Theological Quarterly