The Rhetoric of the Early Christian Liturgy

Abstract

Much has been written about the historical conditions which encouraged, influenced or impeded the spread of Christianity in the early centuries of the Roman empire; much has also been written about the influence of Jewish and classical thought upon Christian theology and ethics, and about the influence of Roman administrative organisations on the ecclesiastical structure of the Church. Somewhat less has been said about external influences which may have shaped the forms or reception of the early Christian liturgy. Yet it seems likely that persons converted to Christianity brought with them expectations and assumptions, probably largely unvoiced, which affected their attitude towards and understanding of the new religion and which conversely may have influenced some actual practices and rituals of Christianity. Certainly Jews converted to Christianity brought with them expectations about worship developed within the synagogue, and it was indeed in the synagogues and within Jewish worship that some of the important utterances of Jesus, Paul and other apostles were voiced. Can we discover anything about how gentiles may have understood or reacted to the liturgy?