First Rites. Worship in the Early Church

Paperback. Why do Christians celebrate baptism, or marriage, or the Eucharist? Much of the Christian worship can be traced back to the earliest years of the Church, when the members reshaped traditional Jewish practices as Jesus himself had already done. The author's lively new book looks at liturgy in its earliest recorded state, drawing upon all the available evidence. Beginning with an overview of the early Christian world, this book describes in some detail the approach to daily prayers, treatment of new Christians, preaching of the Word, the Lord's supper, order and ministry, marriage, Christian death and the seasons of the Church. Each chapter includes a portrait of the modern version of a given practice set alongside its precedent. The book is illustrated with line drawings by the author's father. 118 pp. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions ,and all types of Academic Literature.).…