History of the Liturgy: The Major Stages

by Marcel Metzger, Madeleine Beaumont (Translator)

How great the differences between the Last Supper celebrated by Jesus and a pontifical High Mass at St. Peter's in Rome! And also, between the early baptisms by immersion described in the Acts of the Apostles and the baptisms of newborns in our parishes today. Why such a change in the celebration of the Christian mystery? Why the recent reforms, often misunderstood? In 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, teaching, singing, and ritual has varied in the course of the centuries. In History of the Liturgy, Metzger describes the most important phases of these changes. In describing the first millennium, he focuses on liturgy's essentials common to the Eastern and Western Churches. In describing the second millennium, he explains the deviations of the Western Churches which called for the effort of reform and renewal begun by Vatican II. Metzger studies the development of the liturgical institutions and distinguishes liturgy's five main stages that correspond to the situations of the Churches in ancient, medieval, and modern societies. He begins by focusing on the apostolic period, roughly the first century of our era, until the death of the apostles. He follows by studying the period of minorities and semi-clan destiny until the beginning of the fourth century. He then focuses on the Peace of the Church," which grants public status to the churches in the Empire, fosters their growth, and organizes the collaboration between Empire and Church. The work concludes by studying the stability, rigidity, renewals, and reforms of the Roman liturgy, from the end of the Middle Ages to Vatican II. This clear and accurate survey of the history of liturgy is designed to awaken readers' interest, on a solid yet introductory level, in the realities that have made and still make up the Church's liturgical assemblies, Eucharist, baptism, reconciliation, dally praise, the Church's calendar, and its architecture. In History of the Liturgy, Metzger stresses that if history is the teacher of life, the eyes of Christian faith allow us to recognize in it as well the mysterious presence of God, who, through the Spirit, guides his people. And this happens, above all, in the liturgy. "

Genres: Theology, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1997

Reviews

[fleegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short overview of the history of the liturgy. Super bare bones.

[Andrew Kinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief, clear, and including copious quotes from primary source materials about the earliest liturgies. Metzger's brief book does an excellent job showing the natural progression of the worship from the first generation of Christians (as near as we can know anything about it) through the Carolingian Renaissance. His treatment of late-medieval and early-modern liturgy is sparing at best—apparently because so little official change happened during this period in the West. At the end some of his biases and motivations for the book are revealed: he discusses the changes in Vatican II to the liturgy and shows how a number of them directly address abuses in preconciliar liturgies, and others are a more faithful continuation of the liturgy of the early church than the extravagances of late medieval liturgy. Especially for those who believe the Novus Ordo was an unprecedented change that disrupted 2000 years of otherwise continuous tradition, this is a helpful book.

One of the unexpected, yet helpful, tidbits is Metzger's distinction between "devotionals" and "liturgy," and how the latter became the primary means of communal worship of the laity in the west—even though liturgies ought always to hold that place, supplemented by devotionals for more private prayer.

[NDH · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent work, the way History is supposed to be written. Taut. Every word, every phrase, every sentence (we’ll, almost every) is solid with meaning. (I did a lot of underlining!) I didn’t expect so much from such a slim volume.
Conclusions:
1. As Cardinal Newman said (roughly ), “To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” I don’t see how any Christian could read this and not become Catholic, sooner or later.
2. The author is clearly in favor of (some or many of) the reforms of Vatican II, and he makes good cases for his points. I would like to read some responses to his arguments. I would also like to hear what he thinks of the liturgical abominations that have grown out of Vatican II.

All in all, an amazingly excellent piece of work. Thanks be.

[Tim Colvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for providing a brief history of the development of western liturgical rites. My only quibble is that it gives the impression that once the liturgy entered the high Middle Ages, almost nothing of note happened afterwards. The book spends a great deal of time examining the development of the liturgy in the early centuries of the church, but spends considerably less time exploring the Middle Ages and early modern period.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, short introduction to the history of liturgy in the Roman Rite. It really needs a final chapter on the Liturgical Movement and the Reform of the Roman Rite. This book will be helpful for anyone who needs a quick survey of liturgical history of Roman Catholicism, particularly anyone who does not understand the ties between the Reform and the historical liturgy of Rome.

[Rudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good historical overview of the development of the liturgy, but the way the material is organized is a bit trying. Metzger is almost amusingly unforgiving in his critique of changes to the liturgy until the pastoral reforms of Vatican II. A must read for all seminarians, deacons in formation, liturgists and curious faithful.

[Przemyslaw]

Very good book and easy to read in order to understand the history of the Liturgy. I recommend it strongly.