Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy
By Cosima Clara Gillhammer
Reaktion Books
ISBN: 978 1 83639 043 5
For the uninitiated, the rituals, prayers, and music of the Catholic Church can seem difficult to understand. This book provides an accessible introduction to liturgy in Western Europe, showing what these rituals were meant to convey from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Excerpt:
Liturgy has become strange and foreign to us. It is a form that is little understood and mostly relegated to the realm of private religious observance or obscure scholarship. Perhaps it is one of the best-kept secrets of our time that the liturgy stands at the centre of the cultural history of the West. It deserves our close attention and appreciation. It is a common assumption that liturgy is stuffy and stale, but nothing could be further from the truth. The rites of the liturgy are endlessly rich and imaginative, generating in turn new artistic responses throughout the centuries. Through a number of individual stories, this book tells the larger story of how the liturgy influenced the culture of the West for more than a thousand years. It speaks of extraordinary artistic beauty, expressions of faith and human connection. And it contains an enduring symbolism of hope and renewal, passed down the centuries, much like the return of a lighted candle into a dark church on the night before Easter.
Who is this book for?
Although this book presents itself as an introduction to Catholic liturgy, its real aim is less to trace the history of these rites than to give readers a sense of what they were meant to convey. Many of the chapters are organised around particular emotions—love, grief, suffering, joy, and others—showing how medieval Christians encountered and expressed these feelings through liturgy.
Medievalists, especially those without a Christian background, will gain a better understanding of the appeal of this faith and its practices. Because much of the book focuses on the medieval period, it will also be a useful resource for those studying religious life in the Middle Ages, offering many valuable examples.
“The multiple cultural references and the well-chosen illustrations in the book amply show, in the author’s words, “what lies behind these words” — the words, that is, of liturgical and biblical texts that are read, prayed, and sung in worship. Liturgy has always been, especially in its varied medieval forms, multi-sensory. ~ review by Christopher Irvine in Church Times
“Written in a conversational tone, the book presents liturgy as a timeless dialogue between human beings and God and an efficient means of reaching large audiences with Christian teachings.” ~ review by Kristine Morris in Foreword
The Author
Cosima Clara Gillhammer is a Career Development Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. Her research includes literature, culture, and liturgy in late medieval England. View her website or follow her on X/Twitter @olde_bookes
Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy
By Cosima Clara Gillhammer
Reaktion Books
ISBN: 978 1 83639 043 5
For the uninitiated, the rituals, prayers, and music of the Catholic Church can seem difficult to understand. This book provides an accessible introduction to liturgy in Western Europe, showing what these rituals were meant to convey from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Excerpt:
Liturgy has become strange and foreign to us. It is a form that is little understood and mostly relegated to the realm of private religious observance or obscure scholarship. Perhaps it is one of the best-kept secrets of our time that the liturgy stands at the centre of the cultural history of the West. It deserves our close attention and appreciation. It is a common assumption that liturgy is stuffy and stale, but nothing could be further from the truth. The rites of the liturgy are endlessly rich and imaginative, generating in turn new artistic responses throughout the centuries. Through a number of individual stories, this book tells the larger story of how the liturgy influenced the culture of the West for more than a thousand years. It speaks of extraordinary artistic beauty, expressions of faith and human connection. And it contains an enduring symbolism of hope and renewal, passed down the centuries, much like the return of a lighted candle into a dark church on the night before Easter.
Who is this book for?
Although this book presents itself as an introduction to Catholic liturgy, its real aim is less to trace the history of these rites than to give readers a sense of what they were meant to convey. Many of the chapters are organised around particular emotions—love, grief, suffering, joy, and others—showing how medieval Christians encountered and expressed these feelings through liturgy.
Medievalists, especially those without a Christian background, will gain a better understanding of the appeal of this faith and its practices. Because much of the book focuses on the medieval period, it will also be a useful resource for those studying religious life in the Middle Ages, offering many valuable examples.
“The multiple cultural references and the well-chosen illustrations in the book amply show, in the author’s words, “what lies behind these words” — the words, that is, of liturgical and biblical texts that are read, prayed, and sung in worship. Liturgy has always been, especially in its varied medieval forms, multi-sensory. ~ review by Christopher Irvine in Church Times
“Written in a conversational tone, the book presents liturgy as a timeless dialogue between human beings and God and an efficient means of reaching large audiences with Christian teachings.” ~ review by Kristine Morris in Foreword
The Author
Cosima Clara Gillhammer is a Career Development Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. Her research includes literature, culture, and liturgy in late medieval England. View her website or follow her on X/Twitter @olde_bookes
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website. See also the special website about the book.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
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