The Liturgical Formation of Identity in Byzantium from the Sixth to the Ninth Century

FAIN: FB-53099-07

Derek Krueger
University of North Carolina, Greensboro (Greensboro, NC 27412-5068)

Between late antiquity and medieval Byzantium, Christian liturgists disseminated and laity adopted new patterns of worship that constructed a distinctly Byzantine conscience. The changing shape of the eucharistic rite, the composition of hymns for vigils and festivals, and the rise of the cult of images heightened a correspondence between liturgical action and biblical narratives. Biblical and saintly figures served as exemplars against which lay Christians judged themselves. Both icons and consecrated bread showed worshippers how Christ regarded them as subjects of divine judgment and mercy. This project examines how religions form identity in a critical but understudied period in the development of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Associated Products

Liturgical Subjects: Christian Ritual, Biblical Narrative, and the Formation of the Self in Byzantium (Book)
Title: Liturgical Subjects: Christian Ritual, Biblical Narrative, and the Formation of the Self in Byzantium
Author: Derek Krueger
Abstract: Focusing on Christian practice in Constantinople from the sixth to eleventh centuries, Krueger charts the impact of the liturgical calendar, the eucharistic rite, hymns for vigils and festivals, and scenes from the life of Christ on the making of Christian selves. He explores the verse of great Byzantine liturgical poets, including Romanos the Melodist, Andrew of Crete, Theodore the Stoudite, and Symeon the New Theologian. Their compositions offered templates for Christian self-regard and self-criticism, defining the Christian "I." Cantors, choirs, and congregations sang in the first person singular expressing guilt and repentence, while prayers and sermons defined the collective identity of the Christian community as sinners in need of salvation. By examining the way models of selfhood were formed, performed, and transmitted in the Byzantine Empire, Liturgical Subjects adds a vital dimension to the history of the self in Western culture. [from the publisher]
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/liturgical-subjects-christian-ritual-biblical-narrative-and-the-formation-of-the-self-in-byzantium/oclc/877077614&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat entry
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780812246445
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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