Path

Success

PathCreated with Sketch.

Warning

Path

Error

FREE SHIPPING Every Day With Purchases Of $60 Or More Of Eligible Items. Online Orders Only.
Cokesbury

'With Angels and Archangels'

Sharing the Worship of Heaven. Bible, Poetry, Liturgy and Devotion in the Middle Ages
  • By John Blakesley
$28.79
Product Description

Nowadays the inclusion of hymns, chants and sequences in Eucharistic worship is a well-established and much-loved feature of liturgical celebration that we tend to take for granted. How this came about is the subject of this present fascinating study in which John Blakesley guides us through the growth and development of chant, office hymns, sequences and tropes and their increased use in the Church of the Middle Ages.

St Ambrose is credited with introducing hymns into the Western Church in the fourth century, and over the next five centuries hymns in his style were the only legitimate form of liturgical poetry. The revival of learning in the Carolingian period led to an outburst of creativity in the writing of tropes and sequences to be sung at Mass. Though opposed by some churchmen, these non-biblical embellishments were defended by Walafrid, the gentle Abbot of Reichenau, who saw that the inclusion of sung poetry could help reinforce the truths of the Gospel.

The greatest exponent of the early sequence was a ninth-century monk from Saint Gall, known as Notker 'the Stammerer', and many examples of his output are included here in translation. Notker's work is contrasted with the more naively exuberant output of the Winchester school and the elaborate biblical typology of the Victorines of Paris, whose sequences are like intricate mosaics of scriptural imagery. The Victorines' interest in contemplative ecstasy was to influence the Rhineland visionaries: the distinctive genius of St Hildegard of Bingen and the liturgical visions of her friend Elisabeth of Schönau.

Medieval Christians had a strong sense of the Communion of Saints; their earthly worship really did take place 'with Angels and Archangels' and shared in the worship of Heaven. Nourished through liturgy, poetry, and the visual arts, the roots of this imagery are in the biblical texts used to enrich liturgical celebration and to foster devotion.

That the dramatic symbolism of the liturgy could make the events of the Gospel vividly present to the worshipper's mind and heart, is fully demonstrated in this book through translations of poetry inspired by late medieval devotion to the Lord's Passion and Death, the Resurrection and the opening up of the Kingdom of Heaven.

free shipping iconEligible For Free Shipping
Usually ships in 4-5 business days. Ships from a Cokesbury Connect Partner.
  • Additional Details
  • Kit components
    The following items and their quantities are included in the kit product: 'With Angels and Archangels'

    Quantity Included ItemFormatSKUIndividual Price
  • Additional Details
    Product Specs
    • SKU: 9780852447192
    • Manufacturer: Gracewing
    • ISBN 13: 9780852447192
    • Publication Date: 01/26/2024
    • Format: Paperback
    • Author: John Blakesley

     
    Shipping & Returns
    This item is available for return. At Cokesbury, we offer various expedited shipping methods for an additional charge during checkout. However, products with long lead times and those shipped from a Cokesbury Connect Partner are not eligible for expedited shipping. If you select expedited shipping at checkout and your order includes items that cannot be expedited, you will receive a notice explaining that not all items are eligible.