1. The significance of the book of revelation to the development of the liturgy
- Author
-
Parry, Marilyn M. F.
- Subjects
264 - Abstract
This thesis demonstrates that there are materials in the Book of Revelation which reflect and build upon the Eucharist of the Seven Churches to whom the Apocalypse was sent. This material is shown to have been influential on the later development of the eucharistic worship. The argument develops in five stages: 1. The worship materials in Revelation have a number of features in common which relate well to elements in the cultural and religious milieux of the Seven Churches. Some of these features are used in a distinctive manner (Chapter 2). 2. The worship materials are extensive and integral to the structure of the Book of Revelation. They give an overall structure to the text which is very like that of the eucharistic liturgies of some of the early churches (Chapter 3). 3. The worship materials are essentially eucharistic. They presume a eucharistic context of hearing and contain elements from the Eucharist of the Seer's churches. The reading of the text of Revelation is impoverished if this context is neglected (Chapter 4). 4. The structure, content and theology of the Eucharist of the Seven Churches can be exposed, at least in part, by a careful study of the worship materials of the Book of Revelation (Chapter 5). 5. The Liturgy of the Seven Churches, as attested by the Apocalypse, is a precursor for the Antlochene (West Syrian) family of liturgies. This fills a gap in the present understanding of the derivation of this group of liturgies (Chapter 6).
- Published
- 2000