beautiful application of liturgical theology, on the meaning of baptism and eucharist, with a very helpful discussion of the Christian understanding of "death.
" Good explanation of the baptismal liturgy in detail, Even my heterodox friend overwhelmed by this book, A beautiful articulation of how Baptism is both "mother and tomb, " Schmemann's vision of the Christian life is astoundingly wonderful, This one is tied with Fr, Hopko's The Names of Jesus for my favorite book! A beautiful work of liturgical scholarship focusing on Christian initiation from an Eastern perspective, Another great one. Must be read by any and all Christians, Excellent liturgical study of Baptism, it is not the first time I've read it, and I chose to reread to bolster my understanding of Baptism for Church School teaching.
This liturgical study of baptism is a hidden gem, While working through each aspect of the Orthodox Churchs baptismal liturgy was tedious at times, this book immersed me in the wonder of being made
whole in Christ.
Our baptismal identityas beloved by Godis the water that quenches our thirst as we journey toward the better, renewed world of Christs Kingdom,
I hope and pray the Church can recover her identity as baptized saints, as Beloved, through books like this and the application of them into our life together today.
PS For the nontheology nerds, this book will be a hard read, But if you give it time and focus, youll find yourself in awe of what God has given us, Just a heads up. Its not light reading. A exciting introduction to Baptism and charismation by the great orthodox liturgical theologian, read with The Eucharist Read long ago The best book ever written on the meaning and significance of baptism! Learned how early Christians were introduced into a completely new worldview/community.
The candidates for Baptismwere progressively introduced into the life of the Church by special rites which included exorcisms, prayers, explanations of the Holy Scripture, etc.
This preparation involved the entire community, which thus was preparing itself for the reception of the new members, p.
Much of the tradition of Lent and Easter originally came out of the ceremonies of baptism, Lent was aday preparation for the new members and the whole church,
A study of the Orthodox understanding of Baptism and Chrismation, Though I disagree with the various rubrics that Orthodox Baptism involves, Schmemann view of the Christian life is astounding, A fantastic read. a clear, definitive explanation of the Orthodox understanding of baptism I've really only skimmed this book as I was looking for some specific information for a presentation, but wow, this is fabulous.
I was familiar with Fr, Schmemann as a liturgical theologian who was passionate about reuniting theology, liturgy, and spirituality in the church, and his approach of learning what the church teaches by examining what the church does exactly matches my own tendencies.
I need to get back to that presentation, but I'll be blogging about baptism, chrismation, the "eighth day rites" and confirmation, and the churching rites in the not too distant future! I love Schmemann! He combines deep learning with deep spirituality, and communicates it in a practical way.
The book reads like a long sermon on the importance of baptism, and the relevance of ancient church traditions to the modern world, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann was a prominent Eastern Orthodox theologian and priest of the Orthodox Church in America, .