Best christian rites & ceremonies books according to redditors

In short, liturgical theology is the study of God through your church's worship and rule of prayer (lex orandi) and how your worship/rule of prayer illuminates theological meaning and defines the faith (lex credendi). Both currently and historically over the centuries of the tradition of your church's rule of prayer.

This texts by an Orthodox priest, fr. Alexander Schmemann would be good to study this and how the early Church inherited and contiuned the lex orandi of Israelite Temple and synagogue worship and its passage through time.

https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Liturgical-Theology-Alexander-Schmemann/dp/0913836184

Followed by this book by an Anglican priest doing something similar.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0281070989?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

Although if you are intersted, you might want to look for scholarship explicitly on the anglican rites, but this would be a good start as its a shared pre schism history.

> Is there any book that discusses ideological bias in the revised Lectionary?

Hopefully this doesn't count as excessive self-promotion, but Dr Peter Kwasniewski wrote the foreword "Not Just More Scripture, But Different Scripture" to my book Index Lectionum: A Comparative Table of Readings for the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite. Dr Kwasniewski's foreword can be found at https://www.academia.edu/25621308/Not_Just_More_Scripture_But_Different_Scripture. For those who think they might find the book useful, it is available from the North American and European Amazon websites (USA here).

The foreword touches on some aspects of this question, but as far as I am aware there is no book-length treatment of this issue. I think that this is, in part, because there is a good amount of spade-work to do before the question can be properly answered. For example, it is easy to point to particular Sundays and say "See! There's ideological bias there!" In doing this, one might be right, but it seems of limited use without an attempt to put this into the wider context of the whole Sunday OF lectionary - let alone the process of the reform of the lectionary itself, its various stages, what the reformers themselves said about their work (i.e. in the schemata of the Consilium), etc.

In other words, there's a lot of work yet to be done before the question of possible ideological bias can be answered to any degree. Some people have done and are doing some of this work, and this is very valuable, but the definitive, academic critique of the OF lectionary is, IMO, yet to be written.

(I'd love to be the person to write it - but as I don't work in academia and thus have to do this sort of thing in my spare time, this is definitely a long-term project for me!)

Just finished up Fortescue’s The Early Papacy, and now starting to dig into O’Brien's A History of the Mass and its Ceremonies in the Eastern and Western Church. Been on a bit of an early church kick lately.

This might have some history in it.

Doxology & Theology


​

This book is also great. A very practical guide.

Liturgy of the Hours Inserts are awesome for this.

IIRC, 1789 represented the triumph of Seabury's high church faction over the latitudinarianism of Bishop White et. al. The Prayer of Consecration departed markedly from 1662 by following Scottish sources (Seabury had promised to promote this option in return for his consecration).

After the Revolutionary War, American Episcopalians had had to use 1662 and improvise modifications to the state prayers. Bishop White's proposed book of 1786 was controversial and generated a backlash, with Seabury's vision prevailing at the third General Convention in 1789.

I know fewer details about the changes in 1892 and 1928, but this book was really helpful for one paper I wrote.

Apart from my province's own prayer book (1962), I'm partial to the Korean Book of the same year: the Communion office (pdf) is basically Anglican Missal!

You're very lucky. It's really confusing trying to figure it out on your own and fairly easy once you sit down with someone who knows what they're doing. I struggled with it for months on my own in college before I went home for the summer and was able to start praying Morning Prayer with my friars every morning. That's when I finally started understanding it.
Whenever someone's new at it and confused, my first suggestion is to see if their priest would be willing to help them.

If it doesn't come with a 2018 St. Joseph's Guide, pick one of those up with it. They're only like $2 and they tell you the page numbers for each day. You can look the page numbers up online for free, but I find it easier to just have the little booklet. You may also want to buy the inserts if it doesn't come with them. Again, they're only a few bucks and it saves you from a lot of flipping around.

Perspectives on Christian Worship: Five Views.

If you want to understand the differences in worship ‘styles’ and practices from church to church, and between denominations this is an excellent book.

Each contributor puts forward a defence of their view which is then cross-examined by each of the others. The best way to understand a subject is by reading people debate it!

There is the Sunday Missal, but it doesn’t contain all the liturgy and rubrics (for example, it lacks the prayers at the foot of the altar, the last Gospel, and forms of the Prayers of the People), and only shows the readings and propers for Sundays and major feast days.

You might would be more interested in the study missal. It is a miniaturized version of what is in the altar missal. It has all the parts of the liturgy and all the rubrics for every Mass, but does not have the readings in it.

They’re both a little pricey

Pick up one of these for $2. It has all the readings and the order of the Mass in an easy to follow format.

Edit: I linked to the 2015 one. Here is the 2014 missal.

I will name some names, link some links and include some quotes.

For a description of the symbolical meaning of the Liturgy you can read Maximus the Confessor's Mystagogy. You can find that text in parts in this book "Tasting Heaven on Earth" , or try his "Selected Writings" for the full text. I highly recommend the Mystagogy!

>CHAPTER FIFTEEN
>
>Of what the closing of the doors of the holy church after the reading of the holy Gospel is a symbol.
>
>The closing of the doors which takes place after the sacred reading of the holy Gospel and the dismissal of the catechumens signifies the passing from material things which will come about after that terrible separation and even more terrible judgment and the entrance of those who are worthy into the spiritual world, that is, into the nuptial chamber of Christ, as well as the complete extinction in our senses of deceptive activity.

For more information on how services ought to be performed you can read the "Abridged Typicon".

>The roofs of the temples are adorned with cupolas or domes: one cupola signifies the highest head of the Church, Christ Jesus Himself; three cupolas tell us of the three hypostases of the Holy Trinity; five cupolas express our Lord Jesus Christ and the four Evangelists; seven cupolas symbolize the Seven Holy Mysteries, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the seven Ecumenical Councils; nine cupolas indicate the nine ranks of angels; thirteen indicate Christ and His twelve Apostles.

For a history of the development of the Orthodox liturgy you can read this.

>For Western Christians the Liturgy offers an experience of eucharistic worship of a kind which they cannot find in their own tradition, and which for many of them has a profound appeal. Their own rites have been renewed in accordance with what modern scholarship assures them was the practice of the early Church. The Liturgy appears to embody principles widely at variance with those they have come to regard as fundamental in worship: and yet for many of them it provides an experience which is deeply worshipful. Familiarity with the Liturgy provokes at least two questions for the Western Christian: How did a rite which claims to go back to the early Church come to assume a form so different from what we know of early Christian worship? and, Might the Western Churches have something to learn from the eucharistic worship of Orthodoxy? The rest of this book will be largely occupied with answering the first question, but will also suggest some answers to the second.

Another guide through the liturgy you can read is "Let us Attend: A Journey through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy".

>The practice of the laity receiving both the Body and Blood of Christ together on the spoon did not come in until the eighth century, and its use only gradually spread. Even by the middle of the eleventh century, its use was not universal. Byzantine canonist Theodore Balsamon wrote in the twelfth century that “in some churches” they had abandoned the age-old practice of receiving Communion in the hand—showing that even then the practice of receiving from the spoon was not universal. Scholars have no certainty regarding why the use of the spoon became the preferred method. Some have suggested that the faithful were taking the eucharistic bread home from the service for private and illicit use, and that using the spoon to deliver the gifts directly into the mouths of the faithful ensured they would actually consume it.

​

This one is a little bigger than pocket sized. But it is small, and the price can’t be beat.

Found it! Index Lectionum: A Comparative Table of Readings for the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite

The Worship Sourcebook is very helpful and comes with a CD with a PDF of the book on it. This is valuable because you can copy and paste the stuff into your service outline.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/159255797X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Nn1gAb2TPM3HR

Here are a few suggestions

https://www.amazon.com/Life-World-Sacraments-Orthodoxy/dp/0913836087

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0281070989/ref=ox_sc_act_image_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Liturgical-Theology-Alexander-Schmemann/dp/0913836184/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=alexander+schmemann&qid=1570773874&sprefix=akexander+schm&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Worship-Living-Continuity-Synagogue/dp/1944967540/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=Orthodox+worship&qid=1570774074&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0881410829/ref=ox_sc_act_image_6?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/988785154X/ref=ox_sc_act_image_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Hymn-of-Entry-Liturgy-and-Life-in-the-Orthodox-Church-Contemporary-Greek-Theologians-Series-No-1/dp/0881410268/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8

Vespers

https://www.amazon.com/Evening-Worship-Orthodox-English-Russian/dp/088141011X

And here is a lecture on the history of the different divine liturgies.

https://youtu.be/i-39xxdeZ9Q

And here is a lecture on what litugircal theology is from the view of fr. Alexander Schmemann delivered by a theology professor with Notre Dame (both authors are linked above)

https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/svsvoices/the_anchor_of_schmemanns_liturgical_theology

> Do you happen to have a transcription of this service by chance? That is very interesting.

I wish, but no. I do, however, own an English translation of their liturgy, which you can find on Amazon here.

> I thought the use of the term "miaphysite" was being discouraged.

I think you're thinking of the term monophysite. I've heard them describe themselves as miaphysites so I doubt they don't like that term. Non-Chalcedonian works too I suppose, though I prefer using the term miaphysite to avoid confusing them with the semi-Nestorian churches that rejected both Ephesus and Chalcedon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1530230721/ shows how the readings correspond between the EF (1962) and OF - which may help cross referencing propers also.

I'm disappointed everyone's only recommending newer works. There is such a rich history; don't limit yourself.

• [The Heidelberg Catechism] (http://www.amazon.com/Heidelberg-Catechism-450th-Anniversary/dp/1490930272/): An introduction to the Reformed faith. Not quite as comprehensive or rigorous as Westminster, but certainly more pastoral.
  
• The Pilgrim's Progress: Really needs no further introduction.
  
• The Valley of Vision: A collection of prayers as patterns and inspirations to help you develop this essential practice.
  
• Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices: A good introduction to Puritan thought.
  
• The Mortification of Sin: The classic on Christian living.

Absolutely nothing special about, honestly. It's completely usable though

And nope, its this one! https://www.amazon.com/After-Christianity-Daphne-Hampson/dp/0334028868

'Daphne Hampson argues that a distinction must be maintained between the Christian myth and human awareness of a dimension of reality which is God. The myth is evidently untenable: there can be no particular revelation or intervention in history. As in any other discipline, so also in theology the criterion as to what from the past remains valid and what must be discarded lies with us. The myth is moreover immoral, serving through its rootedness in the past to undergird a patriarchal order. Working from a feminist perspective Hampson analyses major paradigms of the Judaeo-Christian tradition: the conception of God; the creation thereby of a concept of woman as 'other', and the peculiarly masculinist understandings of sin, salvation, sacrifice and covenant. A chapter on 'woman' shows how devastating (and irrelevant today) the Christian construal has been. How then should we think of God, in a manner both true to the evidence and commensurate with the moral imperative of human equality? In dialogue with Schleiermacher and drawing on the evidence of religious experience Hampson undertakes an original piece of constructive systematic theology. Finally she asks after the manner of life in which such a spirituality can flourish.'