LFU:online

knowledge of the most important developments of the ritual actions of christian communities from the 1st century till late antiquity

Ritual (especially the regular eucharistic meals) was the most important activity of early Christians. So liturgy is a most important source for exploring the self-understanding of the Christian church, one of the most influential forces in the time of the principate and in late antiquity. Recent research in liturgical history of the ancient church has been posing into question many traditional views of the development of early Christian rituals. In the prelection the present state of research will be presented: concerning the sources, the specifically Christian rituals (baptism and eucharist) and other ritual actions as daily prayer and the yearly rituals.

oral presentation, possibility to pose questions

oral or written examination

P. F. Bradshaw, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship. Sources and Methods for the Study of Early Liturgy. Revised and Enlarged Edition. London 2002; A. B. McGowan, Ancient Christian Worship. Early Church Practices in Social, Historical, and Theological Perspective. Grand Rapids 2014; M. Metzger, L’église dans l’empire romain. Le culte. Vol. 1: Les institutions. Rom 2015 (Studia Anselmiana 163 = Analecta Liturgica 33); R. Meßner, Der Gottesdienst in der vornizänischen Kirche, in: Die Geschichte des Christentums. Bd. 1: Die Zeit des Anfangs (bis 250). Hg. v. L. Pietri. Freiburg i. Br. 2003, 340–454