Corso di laurea magistrale in Scienze storiche

History of Western liturgy.

The course aims to provide basic knowledge on the history of the liturgy and on the history of Christian worship, from its origins to the present day, focusing on the genesis and evolution of the Western practices and rites, and on their interactions with the history of art, the religious architecture and the history of music.

At the end of the course the student is asked:

- to know the principles of the historico-liturgical science;

- to be acquainted with the principal stages of the history of the liturgy;

- to know the main liturgical sources and the liturgical books;

- to recognize the connections between liturgy and art (architecture and figurative arts).

36-hour course (six credits) for 6 weeks, 3 days per week for 2 hours each.

Students are invited to come to class with the recommended handbook.

Any additional material will be available on this page.

The oral examination will focus on the topics contained in the recommended texts and, for attending students, also on the topics treated in class.

The examination will assess the ability to expound and discuss:

- the principles of the historico-liturgical science;

- the principal stages of the history of the liturgy;

- the main liturgical sources and the liturgical books.

The preparation of the student will be assessed taking account of these elements:

- the ability to appropriately formulate the speech on the specific argument under discussion;

- the ability to conduct autonomously the speech;

- the real understanding of the topics, not only mnemonically;

- the argumentative skills;

- the ability to grasp the relationships and connections between the different issues and problems.

- the acquisition of a basic disciplinary lexicon;

- the correct use of language.

Methodology for the historical study of the liturgy.

The origins of Christian worship.

The Christian worship during times of relative clandestinity.

The so-called "golden age" of the Christian liturgy.

The liturgy of Rome.

The liturgy during the "barbaric" age.

The liturgy in the Carolingian age.

The decline of the Roman model and the Germanic influence.

The Gregorian reform.

The liturgy in the High and Late Middle Ages.

The reforms promoted by the Fifth Lateran Council and by Luther.

Reformation and Counter-Reformation. The age of the Baroque.

Liturgical science and pastoral in the eighteenth century.

The Italian Jansenism.

The liturgical movement in the nineteenth century.

The liturgical reforms from Pius X to Pius XII.

The Second Vatican Council.

For the attending students:

Andrea Nicolotti, L'evoluzione della liturgia, in Emanuela Prinzivalli (ed.), Storia del cristianesimo, vol. 1: L’età antica, Roma, Carocci, 2015, pp. 387-409.

Enrico Cattaneo, Il culto cristiano in Occidente, Roma, CLV Edizioni Liturgiche, 1978 (or subsequent editions). Only from the chapter "Il culto cristiano durante le persecuzioni" to the chapter "Il Concilio Vaticano II".

Non-attending students are invited to contact the professor to arrange a personalized program. These are the suggested texts, to make a selection:

Arturo Elberti, Il culto cristiano in Occidente: storia e fondamenti, Napoli, Chirico, 2015.

Marcel Metzger, Storia della liturgia: le grandi tappe, Cinisello Balsamo, San Paolo, 1996.

Burkhard Neunheuser, Storia della liturgia attraverso le epoche culturali, third edition, Roma, CLV Edizioni Liturgiche, 1999 (and subsequent reprintings).

Ferdinand Hahn, Il servizio liturgico nel cristianesimo primitivo, Brescia, Paideia, 1972.

Marcel Metzger, Storia della liturgia eucaristica, Leumann, Elledici, 2003.

Enrico Mazza, La liturgia della penitenza nella storia: le grandi tappe, Bologna, Dehoniane, 2013.

Robert F. Taft, La liturgia delle ore in Oriente e in Occidente, Roma, Lipa, 2001.

Francesco Pieri, Sangue versato: per chi? Il dibattito sul "pro multis", Brescia, Queriniana, 2014.

Arturo Elberti - Lucia Valdarnini, Arte e architettura sacra in Occidente, Napoli, Chirico, 2015.

Felice Rainoldi, Traditio canendi. Appunti per una storia dei riti cristiani cantati, Roma, CLV Edizioni Liturgiche, 2000 (without the chapter "Antologia").

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