Roman Liturgy and Frankish Creativity
Roman Liturgy and Frankish Creativity
$110.00
USDThis incisive, in-depth study unearths the significance of a neglected group of early medieval manuscripts, those which transmit the Ordines Romani. These texts present detailed scripts for Christian ceremonies that narrate the gestures, motions, actions and settings of ritual performance, with particular orientation to the Roman church. While they are usually understood as liturgical, and thus lacking any particular creative flair, Arthur Westwell here foregrounds their manuscript permutations in order to reveal their extraordinary dynamism. He reflects on how the Carolingian Church undertook to improve liturgical practice and understanding, questioning the accepted idea of a “reform” aimed at uniformity led by the monarch. Through these manuscripts, Westwell reveals a diversity of motivations in the recording of Roman liturgy and demonstrates the remarkable sophistication of Carolingian manuscript compilers.
- Invites readers to consider manuscripts as complex, thoughtfully-compiled artefacts demonstrating the creativity of those involved in their creation
- Demonstrates the importance of looking beyond the established editions of liturgical sources, modelling how such sources can be more productively and fruitfully approached
- Examines manuscripts comprehensively, including script, format and language, and thus demonstrates the utility and importance of the disciplines of palaeography and codicology in framing our arguments about texts and manuscripts
Reviews & endorsements
‘This book is an excellent example of revisionist research … in which the serious study of the manuscripts leads to conclusions different from those of the scholarly pioneers of an earlier period. Up until this point, the five-volume series of Andrieu was the only reference point for the study of the ordines romani. With Westwell’s contribution, we can now re-evaluate some of Andrieu’s conclusions and read the ordines in a new light.’ Cassian Folsom, Ex Fonte – Journal of Ecumenical Studies in Liturgy
Product details
January 2024Hardback
9781009360487
300 pages
235 × 155 × 20 mm
0.618kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. The 'Roman' Collection of Ordines in Metz, Lorsch and Tours
- 2. The 'Frankish' Collection in Verona, Regensburg, Nonantola and Corbie
- 3. Unique Collections of the Ordines from Worms and Wissembourg, St Amand and St Gallen
- 4. Liturgical 'Usefulness' and Reading the ordines romani
- 5. Orders for the Stational Mass in Frankish Cities and Monasteries
- 6. The Ordo Romanus of the Baptismal Scrutinies
- 7. Ordines for Special Occasions, Ordination and the Ember Days: The Contribution of Arn of Salzburg
- 8. Layout, Script and Language of the Ordo Romanus Manuscripts
- Conclusion.
