Description
In the belief that religious experience is the starting point of theological reconstruction, Evelyn Underhill analyses the characteristics, principles and nature of how man relates to God. The way and degree in which ritual, symbol, sacrament and sacrifice become part of worship is also examined and, subsequently, its principles are illustrated, as embodied in the varieties of Judaeo-Christian faith.
With a foreword by Christopher Armstrong.
About the Author
Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) was a prolific author well known for her works on Christian mysticism and religious practice, and her work has continued to inspire readers in the years since her death. Her writings were greatly influenced by her spiritual mentor, Baron Friedrich von Hügel, the philosophers Rudolf Eucken and Henri Bergson, and the mystics Ruysbroeck and Rabindranath Tagore.
Contents
Foreword by Christopher J.R. Armstrong
Preface
Note to the Second Edition
Part I
I. The Nature of Worship
II. Ritual and Symbol
III. Sacrament and Sacrifice
IV. The characters of Christian Worship
V. The Principles of Corporate Worship
VI. Liturgical Elements of Worship
VII. The Holy Eucharist: Its Nature
VIII. The Holy Eucharist: Its Significance
IX. Principles of Personal Worship
Part II
X. Jewish Worship
XI. The Beginnings of Christian Worship
XII. Catholic Worship: Western and Eastern
XIII. Worship in the Reformed Churches
XIV. Free Church Worship
XV. The Anglican Tradition
Conclusion
Index
Endorsements and Reviews
Enterprising, extensive, a book that any so-called Christian would be the better and wiser for reading slowly and thoughtfully. … A must for all religious booksellers, for students, teachers and all professions interested in philosophy, psychology, ethics, theology, law and medicine.
Kirkus Reviews
A popular writer on Christian spirituality, Underhill looks at the nature and principles of worship and the chief forms they take in Christianity. She has no liturgical training, she admits, and only seeks to explore the primary realities of people’s relation to God that devotional action is intended to express. The first part considers various elements of worship, such as ritual and symbol, the principles of corporate worship, and the Holy Eucharist. The second part surveys worship in the various denominations and in Jewish traditions and early Christianity.
Reference & Research Book News, October 2011