Mass of the Roman Rite : Its Origins and Development

First published in English in 1951 and one of the greatest achievements of twentieth-century theology, Joseph Jungmann's towering work is a comprehensive study of the origins, evolution, and theology of the Mass from its earliest forms to the dawn of Vatican II. It is now revised with a chapter unavailable in the previous English-language edition.

The fruit of over a decade of painstaking research, The Mass of the Roman Rite is a magisterial treatment of every part of the Mass: its form, its history, and its theology. Originally written in German, the work was revised several times by Jungmann, and this new edition includes an important revised chapter on the comingling of the eucharistic species unavailable in the previous two-volume set. The Mass of the Roman Rite was hugely influential on the reformers of the Second Vatican Council and is essential reading for anyone wishing to deeply understand Roman Catholic worship. As the Church continues to reflect on the Mass and reform its rites and rituals, Jungmann's work is sure to find a new audience of dedicated readers.

Joseph A. Jungmann, S.J. (1889-1975), an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and scholar, was ordained to the priesthood in 1913 and entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) four years later. He spent most of his career as professor of pastoral theology at the University of Innsbruck, where he taught both catechetics and liturgy. With the exception of the years during which Hitler closed down the theological faculty (1939-45), Jungmann's entire teaching career was spent at Innsbruck, where for a time he also served as Rector of the community of Jesuits.

Jungmann is best known for his contributions to Catholic catechetics and liturgical studies. In particular, he is associated with the renewal of the Eucharistic liturgy and served on the Second Vatican Council's commission that produced Sacrosanctum Concilium, a document on liturgy and worship, in 1964. He authored many books, including Liturgical Worship, Christian Prayer through the Centuries, and The Mass of the Roman Rite.