The Origins of Feasts, Fasts, and Seasons in Early Christianity (Alcuin Club Collections) Paperback – Illustrated, January 1, 2011 by Paul F. Bradshaw

Description

Author: Bradshaw Paul F.

Brand: Pueblo Books

Edition: Illustrated

Format: Illustrated

Package Dimensions: 20x213x272

Number Of Pages: 256

Release Date: 01-01-2011

Details: About the Author Paul F. Bradshaw is emeritus professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and an Anglican/Episcopal priest. The author or editor of over thirty books and of more than 120 articles and essays, he is also a past president both of the North American Academy of Liturgy and of the international Societas Liturgica. From 1987 to 2005 he was editor-in-chief of the scholarly journal Studia Liturgica. Maxwell E. Johnson is professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The author or editor of twenty-five books and of more than ninety articles and essays, he is also a past president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, serves as an editorial consultant for Worship, and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Ecclesia Orans. Product Description The liturgical year is a relatively modern invention. The term itself only came into use in the late sixteenth century. In antiquity, Christians did not view the various festivals and fasts that they experienced as a unified whole. Instead, the different seasons formed a number of completely unrelated cycles and tended to overlap and conflict with one another. In early Christianity, the fundamental cycle was that of the seven-day week. Taken over from Judaism by the first Christians, this was centered on Sunday rather than the sabbath. As the early Church established its identity, the days of the week set aside for fasting came to be different from those customary among the Jews. There also existed an annual cycle related to Easter.Drawing upon the latest research, the authors track the development of the Church’s feasts, fasts, and seasons, including the sabbath and Sunday, Holy Week and Easter, Christmas and Epiphany, and the feasts of the Virgin Mary, the martyrs, and other saints. Review The chapters are short, written in a clear style and easy to read. It could be easily used in small groups or as a text for adult religious education on the development of the liturgical year.Father Mark G. Boyer, The PriestThis book is filled with excellent leads on the finest contemporary liturgical scholarship. It will serve as an invaluable companion to anyone studying the origins of the church’s liturgical feasts and seasons.John F. Baldovin, SJ, Doxology: A Journal of WorshipTheir historical study of Sunday worship, Holy Week, Easter, Christmas, Epiphany, and feasts of saints and martyrs is interesting and based on sound research.CHOICE