Pre-reformation Liturgies
Source: The Complete Library of Christian Worship, Robert E. Webber, General EditorThe following entries provide the reader with an overview of the major liturgies and worship orders from the early church through the nineteenth century. Each entry has three distinctive features: Introduction, Text or Order or Worship, and Commentary. Each model is preceded by a brief introduction that puts the selection into its historical setting. For clarity, the text (or order of service) and the commentary are preceded by the words "Text" or "Commentary," respectively. The commentary...
The Didache (a.d. 100)
The Didache probably represents the type of small Christian group that met in the region of Syria, perhaps outside of the city of Antioch. By the fifth century, this hilly countryside was dotted with small churches and baptistries, but in the late first century there were probably no buildings specifically designated as churches. Christianity was still a proscribed religion, and the Christians of a village or rural area gathered after work.
Justin Martyr: The First Apology
Justin Martyr was a Christian catechist living in Rome who was martyred, along with several of his students, in the mid-second century. His First Apology, written in the style of a classical speech of defense, was addressed to the household of the non-Christian Emperor Antoninus Pius, defending the new faith and arguing for their conversion to Christianity.
The Apostolic Tradition Of Hippolytus (a.d. 215)
The Apostolic Tradition, a church order which was compiled sometime in the third century and attributed to Hippolytus of Rome probably contains a text of a complete eucharistic prayer, or anaphora. Although much of the text may have been typical of the eucharistic prayers in use in Rome at the time, some scholars suggest that it reflects the way in which a conservative bishop may have wished the Eucharist were celebrated.
The Byzantine Liturgy (ninth Century) Part I
The Byzantine Liturgy is the product of a complex evolution that began before the time of Christ. Like its Western counterpart, the eucharistic service of the Eastern Orthodox churches consists of two parts. The first, the Liturgy of the Word, developed from the services of the Jewish synagogue. The second, the Liturgy of the Faithful, evolved from the prayer of blessing or brakah of the Passover and other Jewish religious meals.
The Byzantine Liturgy (ninth Century) Part Ii
The Byzantine Liturgy is the product of a complex evolution that began before the time of Christ. Like its Western counterpart, the eucharistic service of the Eastern Orthodox churches consists of two parts. The first, the Liturgy of the Word, developed from the services of the Jewish synagogue. The second, the Liturgy of the Faithful, evolved from the prayer of blessing or brakah of the Passover and other Jewish religious meals.
The Byzantine Liturgy (ninth Century) Part Iii
The Byzantine Liturgy is the product of a complex evolution that began before the time of Christ. Like its Western counterpart, the eucharistic service of the Eastern Orthodox churches consists of two parts. The first, the Liturgy of the Word, developed from the services of the Jewish synagogue. The second, the Liturgy of the Faithful, evolved from the prayer of blessing or brakah of the Passover and other Jewish religious meals.
The Roman Catholic Mass (1570) Part I
Although the Roman Mass, standardized by directives of the Council of Trent (1570), is technically a post-Reformation document, it is not an innovation but rather the summation of the medieval development of western Catholic worship. Consequently the mass below is presented as part of the pre-Reformation liturgies as an example of ancient Catholic worship.
The Roman Catholic Mass (1570) Part Ii
Although the Roman Mass, standardized by directives of the Council of Trent (1570), is technically a post-Reformation document, it is not an innovation but rather the summation of the medieval development of western Catholic worship. Consequently the mass below is presented as part of the pre-Reformation liturgies as an example of ancient Catholic worship.
The Roman Catholic Mass (1570) Part Iii
Although the Roman Mass, standardized by directives of the Council of Trent (1570), is technically a post-Reformation document, it is not an innovation but rather the summation of the medieval development of western Catholic worship. Consequently the mass below is presented as part of the pre-Reformation liturgies as an example of ancient Catholic worship.
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