Paul Bradshaw is a masterful scholar and, here in this revised edition of his text Eucharistic Origins, we have his historical and theological insights on full display. Examining eucharistic worship from its roots in the nascent church through to the fourth century, Bradshaw draws on the latest scholarship to address age old assumptions about many of the fundamental understandings of the liturgy. He does so with a depth of scholarship and logic of argument that disassembles long-held understandings regarding everything from the origins of Sunday worship to the development of the epiclesis. This text is an essential companion for students and scholars of the liturgy alike.
A fundamental axiom of studies in the early church is that unity is most often expressed in and through diversity, that is, diversity in prayer forms, in ministries and in ecclesial structures, to name just a few examples. Eucharistic Origins makes the truth of this in regard to eucharistic worship abundantly clear. Proceeding systematically, beginning with the New Testament accounts of the “Last Supper and the Institution Narratives,” Bradshaw provides an insightful, concise analysis that draws out the development of liturgical scholarship over the last decades. He demonstrates how current thought and research asks new questions of the texts, offering a different orientation that supersedes long-held beliefs about language and meaning through linguistics and textual analysis. Bradshaw provides numerous comparative tables, and the plentiful and lengthy quotes from the various manuscript traditions are exceedingly helpful and illustrative of the arguments being presented. These will also be of assistance to students who may not be familiar with or have immediate access to the full range of texts under discussion.
Moving systematically through the central eucharistic writings of the early church, this work includes an examination of the Didache, Apostolic Tradition, the writings of Justin Martyr, and the work of Cyprian, Irenaeus, and Tertullian to name just a few. Bradshaw provides a focused reading of these texts that brings out the diversity of practices through detailed scholarship that deepens the discourse and opens to the reader such concepts as wineless Eucharists and the role of water in eucharistic practice, one possibility among a variety of traditions that the texts indicate. Beneath the experience of a gifted liturgical scholar, the book is woven with the insights of a thoughtful eucharistic theologian. Bradshaw carefully lays before the reader not only the elements and structures that will eventually form the prayer of the worshiping communities, but he also pulls back layers of scholarly assumptions to reveal both a diversity of early theologies and the roads that lead to the eucharistic theology we are familiar with today.
Without question Eucharistic Origins, Revised Edition, should be on the shelf of everyone who studies the liturgy, the history and theology of the Eucharist, and the early church. The text is scholarly, clearly and thoroughly researched, and articulately presented. It is best suited for undergraduate majors, graduate students, professionals in the field, and academics. The depth and breadth of resources that are provided are extensive and reflect the most recent scholarship available to date. It is a worthy addition to any course syllabus on eucharistic theology, sacramental theology, or liturgical history, to name just a few. Indeed, Paul Bradshaw has affirmed once more why he is considered one of the preeminent scholars of early church liturgy.
