From Age to Age: How Christians Have Celebrated the Eucharist

by Edward Foley Capuchin

2009 Catholic Press Association Award Winner!
From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name."

Eucharist is the fullest expression of our life with God, a life we share with Christians throughout the ages. It is also a sensory experience, engaging us in the sights and sounds, tastes and touch of the worship. Edward Foley's revised and expanded From Age to Age draws readers into that sensory experience. He traces the development of Christian Eucharist from its Jewish roots to our own time. In addition to exploring the architecture, music, books, and vessels that contributed to each period's liturgical expressions, this edition introduces readers to the theology of each age as well as the historical and cultural contexts that shaped the Eucharist. Richly illustrated with numerous images and quotations from period texts, this book is a feast for the mind and eye. Through many examples of the visual and auditory symbols that are central to Eucharist, readers will discover how Christian worship is embodied worship that from age to age gives glory to God and sanctifies people.

Genres: Theology, History, Christianity, Religion

392 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1991

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Foley told us about this book subtly in one of his homilies at Old St. Pat's. I enjoyed his homilies so much that I decided to buy it. For the first few chapters, I heard his voice reading before it morphed into my own. His came back for me at the end, too.

He included music in his homilies at all the right places. It made his points so poignant and I have never heard one like that since.

This book was a thorough, but still sometimes over my head, walk through the church from its inception to now. It's so full, and I loved learning from it. I expected more Eucharistic theology and discussion of the real presence, but it was more about the history and evolution of the whole church and the Eucharistic celebration in the mass. Spoiler alert - he explains this in the last paragraph of the book, and it gave me peace. His speaking always gave me peace, too. He is an excellent priest.

[Jeffrey Faux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foley offers a well-researched, annotated, illustrated, chronological history of the Eucharist. He presents several categories within which he frames this history. Aside from cultural, historical, and philosophical influences on communion, Foley addresses trends in architecture, music, books used for worship, vessels used for the elements, and the make up of the elements themselves. He concludes his analysis of each era by combining all these elements with the theological development of the Eucharist. In doing so he gives the reader a very well-informed perspective on the history of the Eucharist.

His perspective largely follows the Roman Catholic Church. He is not afraid to be critical of how the practice of the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church, particularly in the middle ages did damage to the worshipper’s understanding of who God is. His insights on the influence of a variety of cultures, as the Roman Catholic Church spread, bring greater understanding to these developments in eucharistic theology.

He does adequately address theological questions and practices associated with the Reformation, however, he all but ignores Eastern Orthodox Eucharist trends. Each chapter ends with an inventive narrative story that expresses the encounters of a fictional worshipper who is experiencing the realities of worship in each era as illustrated in the chapter.

By fusing the many disciplines that contribute to, impact, and influence the eucharist, Foley is effective in offering a deeper and more nuanced understanding of theological issues regarding the eucharist. All of this gives me a deeper foundation on which to evaluate how the theology of the eucharist is expressed in our worship services. The theology of the Eucharist is more than the eucharistic prayer. To understand that all the aspects surrounding the Eucharist communicate to the worshipper what the eucharist is, is enormously powerful.

[Ence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting, very (very!) accessible history of the Eucharist, mainly focusing on its celebration in Italy & France. The illustrations are wonderful and the tracking of the lay relationship with communion (through chalice form, size of bread, etc) was solid too.

[Harrison Glaze · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Patti Clement · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my textbooks for my Worship, Liturgy and Sacraments course. I found his writing to be redundant at times. I felt the author could have covered the same content with a lot less repetition.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent history of the development of the Eucharist (Communion) in Christian churches. Easy to understand and well laid out.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF THE LITURGY

I’ve just re-read this book after many years. It is probably the best written histories of the liturgy I’ve read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

religion,nonfiction,history