History of the Liturgy: The Major Stages

Revised and updated edition of bestselling History of the Liturgy provides an accessible, panoramic survey of the origins and development of the liturgical life in the Catholic church. How great the differences between the Last Supper celebrated by Jesus and a papal Mass at St. Peter's in Rome, between the early baptism by immersion described in the Acts of the Apostles and the baptisms of newborns in our parishes. Why such changes in the celebration of the Christian mystery? Why the post-conciliar reforms, often misunderstood? In this revised edition of the bestselling History of the Liturgy, Marcel Metzger answers such questions and offers an understanding of this evolution through a carefully documented historical survey. The essential forms of the liturgy were fixed very early according to the tradition received from the apostles. But the place given to biblical readings, preaching, singing, and ritual has varied over the centuries. Churches adapted the form of the celebration to pastoral needs, the conditions of different communities, and different cultural contexts. Metzger describes the most important phases of these changes.