Baptism and Change in the Early Middle Ages, c.200–c.1150

An inquiry into the baptismal rite, and how far medieval lay people understood church liturgy.

Peter Cramer (Author)

9780521526425, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 October 2003

380 pages
21.7 x 14 x 2.3 cm, 0.5 kg

'His wonderful style and splendidly unconventional approach make this a book worth reading by all scholars and students of the arts.' Early Medieval Europe

The liturgy of the medieval church has been little studied in its relation to medieval thought and society. It has often been taken for granted that the Latin liturgy was understood by the priest, but to his congregation was only a spectacle of authority. This book begins with the hypothesis that the liturgy was, in some senses, understood by its congregations, and it attempts to discover what this understanding might have been. Through studies of the sermons and writings of Tertullian, Ambrose, Augustine, Bede, Abelard and others, of the practice of infant baptism, and of the art and architecture of the baptistery, the book attempts to rediscover the underlying philosophy of symbol which is the grounds of ritual understanding in both priest and congregation.

Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Hippolytus of Rome: right and wrong and the Unknown God
2. Tertullian and Ambrose: reason and desire
3. Augustine
4. From Augustins to the Carolingians
5. The diminishing of baptism
6. The Twelfth Century, or falling short
Excursus I
Excursus II
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], European history [HBJD]