This book explores the Liturgy as the manifestation by cultic signs of Christian revelation, the 'setting' of the Liturgy in terms of architectural space, iconography and music, and the poetic response which the revelation the Liturgy carries can produce. The conclusion offers a synthetic statement of the unity of religion, cosmology and art. Aidan Nichols makes the case for Christianity's capacity to inspire high culture - both in principle and through well-chosen historical examples which draw on the best in Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Anglicanism.

Contents: Preface; Part 1 Explorations of the Liturgy: St Thomas on the sacramental liturgy; Romano Guardini and Joseph Ratzinger on the theology of liturgy; Eucharistic theology and the rite of Mass. Part 2 The Setting of the Rites: Architecture in the church; The icon revisited; Paul Claudel on sacred art; A theological perspective on church music. Part 3 Response to the Word: Dante's Commedia and the role of friars; Poetics in the Russian diaspora. Conclusion – by way of an ending: religion, science, art; Index.

About the Author: Aidan Nichols has written a wealth of books on topics of the Church and the Arts, and of Liturgy, since his first book 'The Art of God Incarnate'.

Reviews: ‘…wonderfully interesting…’ Art and Christianity

'Nichols mines real gems regarding Christian anthropology, and the role of the poetic imagination in the forging of metaphors, and suggestively traces out the lineaments of an aesthetic which may emerge from being immersed fully into the cult of the church.' Modern Believing

'A good work by a really good theologian.' Catholic Medical Quarterly

'… I would recommend this book as a whole for those with sincere interest in liturgics, and individual chapters would certainly be beneficial in undergraduate or graduate classes focused on topics such as church music, ecclesial architecture, or Dante.' Religious Studies Review

This title is also available as an ebook, ISBN 978-1-4094-3162-6

Extracts from this title are available to view:

Full contents list

Preface

Index