010320 FS Was ist liturgische Theologie (2017W)

Contents: This seminar examines the question “what is liturgical theology?” by reading primary sources of both ancient and modern authors who have written on the meaning of liturgy and explained its theology. Despite the ancient authors’ diverse liturgical traditions—whether early Christian Hagiopolite, late antique Syrian, Milanese, and Palestinian, medieval Constantinopolitan or Frankish, or late Byzantine—they all wrote in the form of “mystagogies,” i.e. a text genre that leads the faithful into the Mysteries and Sacraments of the Church. These ancient texts are then read alongside modern liturgical authors—both Catholic and Orthodox, clergy and scholars—working in the wake of the liturgical movement. Examination of the modern authors shows how “liturgical theology” has developed from explanations of individual liturgical rites and rituals to an all-encompassing theological method and approach. The course concludes with an examination of new approaches in liturgical studies and theology, including ritual and performance studies, as well as the insights of hymnography and “liturgy from the bottom up”.

Methods: The seminar is envisaged as a “great books” seminar allowing the participants to read primary source texts and to understand not just the development of liturgical theology, but also the diverse views among liturgical theologians. The texts will be read using the methods of historical, systematic, and critical liturgical studies.
All participants are expected to read all the texts listed in the seminar syllabus and will come prepared to discuss them. Each participant will also have the opportunity to present one ancient and one modern author to the seminar, and to summarize these presentations in two brief seminar papers. A third seminar paper will be dedicated to the topic of new approaches to liturgical theology, which the participants will bring to the concluding seminar to be discussed together.
The seminar will be offered in two languages—German and English—and participants are free to deliver presentations, write papers, and participate in discussions in either one of the two languages.

Goals: The goals of the seminar are to: (1) introduce the participants to the concept of liturgical theology, (2) engage the topic from various perspectives (historical, systematic, critical), (3) study primary sources, (4) exchange ideas on their contents through class discussions, and (5) enrich one’s own study of theology and liturgy by gaining insights into other liturgical traditions and theological approaches.