The Liturgy of the Medieval Church (Teams Varia)

This volume seeks to address the needs of teachers and advanced students who are preparing classes on the Middle Ages or who find themselves confounded in their studies by reference to the various liturgies that were fundamental to the lives of medieval peoples. In a series of essays, scholars of the liturgy examine The Shape of the Liturgical Year, Particular Liturgies, The Physical Setting of the Liturgy, The Liturgy and Books, and Liturgy and the Arts. A concluding essay, which originated in notes left behind by the late C. Clifford Flanigan, seeks to open the field, to examine liturgy within the larger and more inclusive category of ritual. The essays are intended to be introductory but to provide the basic facts and the essential bibliography for further study. They approach particular problems assuming a knowledge of medieval Europe but little expertise in liturgical studies per se. Liturgy—ritual that is the people's celebration of faith—can be rich, complex, and beautiful; and it apparently varied widely according to time, place, and community. Contributors describe variations in the liturgical year, the particular liturgies practiced in such far-ranging places as the Byzantine Empire and Sweden, liturgy's different physical settings and applications in the arts, and changes in modern appreciation and study. The editors include indices of medieval manuscripts, biblical citations, modern scholars, and feast days. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Addresses the needs of teachers and advanced students who are preparing classes on the Middle Ages or who find themselves confounded in their studies by reference to the various liturgies that were fundamental to the lives of medieval peoples.