Text and Performance in Merovingian Liturgical Sources

Activity: Talk or presentationInvited talkAcademic

Description

The well-known adagium expressed by the anonymous fourth-century author ‘Ambrosiaster’, presumably a Roman contemporary of Ambrose, that liturgical language must be accessible to the hearts and minds of ‘the people’ in order for liturgy to be effective, arose in the context of the transition from Greek to Latin as a liturgical language in the West. The question occurs, in how far the need for liturgical prayers to be ‘confirmed’ by the illiterate is still felt as relevant in the early medieval period, marked by a second linguistic transition that affected the liturgical performance: from Latin to the Romance and Germanic vernaculars. Liturgical sources from this period show that the confirmatory response by ‘the people’ is still counted upon, while at the same time the language of prayer challenges the ability of ‘the people’ to take part in the performative setting not only with their hearts but also with their minds.
Period21 Apr 201723 Apr 2017
Event titleMedieval Rites: Reading the Writing
Event typeConference
LocationNew Haven CT, United StatesShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

Keywords

  • Liturgy
  • Performance
  • Medieval Studies
  • Sacred Language
  • Latin