F. L. Cross (1900–1968)

These catechetical lectures attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem of the mid-fourth century E.V. are of profound interest for the great amount of detail they provide on the early Christian liturgies for baptism and the eucharist. The "procatechesis" was addressed to catechumens entering the course prior to baptism, and the five "mystical lectures" followed baptism directly. This book provides a full edition of the original Greek texts, along with an accessible English translation.

The introduction show more by editor F. L. Cross places Cyril in the context of the early divergence of the Eastern church from Nicene theology and Roman liturgy, the key points of interest being the homoousios / homoiousios for the former and the role of the epiklesis for the latter. Also, Cross points out the persistence of the disciplina arcani at a time when Christianity had already become fully licit. His assumptions about the primitive church of the second century and before are not ones I share, but they are the common fare on that score.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover an ancient view of Gnostic heresy presented in passing. Simon Magus appears in the procatechesis as an example of the just rewards of those who approach baptism without sincerity. My eyebrows were raised by Cyril's reference to eucharistic communicants as "children of the bridechamber" (68). Although this phrase stems from Matthew 9:15, I am accustomed to encountering its use in a sacramental context only among Gnostic teachings.

The whole book is short and highly digestible, unless it is your plan to tangle with the original Greek. I found it useful, and I recommend it to those with an interest in the origins of Christian liturgy. show less

This is an excellent translation of a work that really gives one insight into early Christian beliefs. After reading it, I cannot see how anyone could be anything other than Catholic or Orthodox!

This unusual reference includes people, places, things, ideas, phrases ancient and modern, and a chronology of Popes. Its impressive range includes accounts and backgrounds of the books of the Bible, major Christian Feasts, histories of heretical sects, descriptions of cathedrals, composers, artists, and much more. The focus is history but this is an amazing book to browse in any area. A more all encompassing reference than anything else on our shelves. OCT 2005

Uniquely authoritative and wide-ranging in its scope, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church is the indispensable one-volume reference work on all aspects of the Christian Church. It contains over 6,000 cross-referenced A-Z entries, and offers unrivalled coverage of all aspects of this vast and often complex subject, including theology, churches and denominations, patristic scholarship, the bible, the church calendar and its organization, popes, archbishops, saints, and mystics.

In show more this revision, innumerable small changes have been made to take into account shifts in scholarly opinion, recent developments, such as the Church of England's new prayer book (Common Worship), RC canonizations, ecumenical advances and mergers, and, where possible, statistics. A number of existing articles have been rewritten to reflect new evidence or understanding, for example the Holy Sepulchre entry, and there are a few new articles. Perhaps most significantly, a great number of the bibliographies have been updated.

Established since its first appearance in 1957 as an essential resource for ordinands, clergy, and members of religious orders, ODCC is an invaluable tool for academics, teachers, and students of church history and theology, as well as for the general reader. show less