The Sanctus in the Eucharistic Prayer

by Bryan D. Spinks

Overview

The sanctus (the "thrice holy" of Isaiah 6.3) is found in almost all eucharistic prayer, ancient and modern, and comprises the prayer recited over the bread and wine at the communion service. The origin of the sanctus as a constituent element in the eucharistic prayer is one of the unsolved mysteries of Christian liturgy, and the author of this study makes a careful investigation into its background and the instances of its occurrence in early Christian literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521526623
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/18/2002
Edition description:	FIRST
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.63(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Abbreviations; Introduction: the enigma of the sanctus; Part I: 1. The Old Testament background and setting; 2. The worship of heaven and the qedussah in Judaism; 3. Continuity and influence in early Christian documents; Part II: 4. The sanctus in the East Syrian and Syro-Byzantine eucharistic prayers; 5. The sanctus in the Egyptian and western eucharistic prayers; 6. The possible origins of the sanctus in the eucharistic prayer; Appendix: the literary forms of the sanctus; Part III: 7. Developments in east and west to the reformation; 8. The reformation rites; 9. Protestant and Anglican liturgies 1662–1960; 10. The sanctus in some contemporary eucharistic prayers; 11. The sanctus in perspective; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Spinks has given us a work of immense erudition. His knowledge of primary sources and secondary literature is wide and deep. A great collection of detail is presented without losing the larger picture. Any student of the liturgy, or of the history of the church, will gain much from a careful reading of this work. I doubt that this volume will be equaled on its subject at any point soon. It will quickly takes its place as a standard on the topic." Church History

"This is a work of careful, sensitive and mature scholarship that is sure to be a standard resource for years to come." Thomas J. Talley, Worship

"...thoroughly-researched [and] carefully crafted..." Religious Studies Review

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