Light on Darkness
The Untold Story of the Liturgy
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- £15.99
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- £15.99
Publisher Description
With implications for the history of religion and art alike, an exploration of the lasting influence of Christian liturgy across a range of media.
Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy offers a captivating journey through the history of religious rituals in Western Europe, showcasing the profound impact of Christian liturgy on art, literature, music, and architecture. Through ten evocative stories, it explores medieval rituals and their cultural influence up to the present day, providing fresh insights into the enduring legacy of the liturgy as an expression of human emotion and religious experience. Accessible to all, this guide provides translations and explanations to uncover the hidden treasures of ancient rites and their lasting significance, appealing to those seeking a deeper understanding of Western liturgical traditions.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this intermittently illuminating history, medievalist Gillhammer (A Late-Medieval History of the Ancient and Biblical World) explores how Christian liturgy has evolved in Western culture. Tracing how specific rites have changed over time, she explains how Psalm 51—a song of penitence in which King David asks for God's forgiveness—gained popularity in the Middle Ages for its engagement with sin and repentance, finding its way into church services and private devotions; later, it was set to music by such composers as Bach and Brahms. Dies Irae—a poem filled with references to the Last Judgment—became part of Roman Catholic services honoring the deceased in the late 1600s, cementing its associations with "danger, death," and spirituality that have persisted in popular culture (the poem's eerie plainchant melody features in 19th-century classical music and even in modern film scores). Though Gillhammer repeats some of her points about the liturgy's emotional resonance, she effectively highlights how religious rituals allow people to connect with "community, in the present and across time" and thus remain deeply ingrained in contemporary society in sometimes surprising ways. It's an intriguing if imperfect look at the enduring influence of religious tradition.
