Scholarly Reading
8/13/26
Bouyer, Louis. (1968). "Ch. 12: Modern Times: Decomposition and Reformation." (pp. 380-442). In Eucharist: Theology and Spirituality of the Eucharistic Prayer. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame. (Personal Library)
From the twelfth century onward, Bouyer observes a process of extension of portions of the chanted liturgy by addition of tropes to the established texts (Bouyer 1968, p. 380). Over time, this could even include insertion of popular songs which had been brought into the liturgy. Beginning in the 13th century, the elevation of the consecrated elements became the central feature of the mass (Bouyer 1968, p. 382). This allowed further detachment of the liturgy from the events in the mass. As the Reformation drew near, there were numerous attempts at recovering the authentic and ancient eucharist. In Bouyer's view, these all tended to pick and choose mostly recent elements to retain (Bouyer 1968, p. 384).
Luther, who was well equipped to reach back to an Augstinian theology, after 1523 developed his two mass orders which Bouyer considers a failure because of containing innovations (Bouyer 1968, p. 385). The innovation described by Boyer is to remove the concept of the mass as a sacrifice and to consider only the words of institution necessary to the consecration. Bouyer further sees the Formula Missae of 1523 as "a kind of monument to his basic failure" (Bouyer 1968, p. 387). He sees it as embracing "aberrant tendencies" and having an unrecognizable eucharist. Bouyer walks briefly through the elements of the Lutheran communion, observing that it lacks the extended prayers which had developed after the fourth century, and thus is not an adequate reconstruction (Bouyer 1968, p. 388).
As time progressed and as the additional branches of the Reformation spread, the ancient prayers were generally lost from the eucharist, along with the symbolic actions (Bouyer 1968, p. 390). In many cases, only the institution narrative remained. This is especially the case in the Calvinist and Zwinglian camps, where the institution narrative alone was used, and in which there was a self-conscious move to avoid anything that seemed Roman (Bouyer 1968, p. 392). Bouyer describes this in detail.
Bouyer continues with a discussion of the Lutheran liturgical restoration movement as seen in Sweden "from Olavus Petri to John III" (Bouyer 1968, p. 396). In 1531, Olavus Petri published a first mass in Swedish, including an amplification of the preface, linking the forgiveness of sin and the history of salvation (Bouyer 1968, p. 398). Bouyer sees this as recapturing an important element of the Medieval Roman tradition. In the next generation some idea of sacrifice was brought back into the liturgy (Bouyer 1968, p. 399).
Cranmer's 1549 Prayer Book represented another Protestant liturgy which reflected some Catholic element (Bouyer 1968, p. 407). Bouyer regards this as a reworking of the Catholic liturgy in such a way as to be acceptable to Zwinglians. While at times Bouyer will acknowledge Cranmer's skill as a liturgist (Bouyer 1968, p. 416), he yet considers the work itself to strip the historic liturgy of its form and some essential elements of substance, in particular the sacrificial nature of the Mass and the presence of Christ. Cranmer's 1552 version of the Prayer Book further stripped the real presence of Christ from the liturgy (Bouyer 1968, p. 417).
Cranmer's 1552 liturgy was not broadly accepted by English Calvinists or Anglicans. In 1556, John Knox published a distinctively Calvinist liturgy (Bouyer 1968, p. 420). Here the institution narrative and other "evangelical sentencce[s]" (Bouyer 1968, p. 422) are addressed directly to the believers, rather than being imbedded in the prayers. Such patterns continued through the middle of the 17th century in a variety of forms of liturgy.
Bouyer next considers an Anglican eucharistic revival in Scotland (Bouyer 1968, p. 424). In this movement, exemplified by a 1637 liturgy, elements of sacrifice and real presence moved back into the eucharist. In 1718 and following, the various liturgies prepared by the 'non-jurors," who rejected allegiance to William of Orange and Queen Mary, continued restoration of the real presence and sacrifice to the mass, but by means of rejecting the Roman canon in favor of elements of the liturgy of St. James (Bouyer 1968, p. 426).
The eighteenth century in France saw a number of moves to restore the elements of sacrifice and real presence to the liturgy (Bouyer 1968, p. 430). Bouyer does observe that in the various Protestant liturgies, elements were gathered and used with or without any historical context (Bouyer 1968, p. 431). By the 20th century, after World War I, Bouyer describes the ecumenical group in fellowship with the monastery at Taizé (Bouyer 1968, p. 432). This group produced a liturgy which Bouyer evaluates in some detail. Bouyer is more enthusiastic about this liturgy as it moves to capture the concepts of sacrifice, presence, and mystery which are less prominent in many modern liturgies.
Bouyer briefly reviews a 20th century ecumenical liturgy from South India, noting its roots in Anglican piety (Bouyer 1968, pp. 437-438). He considers this work to be by and large unremarkable. Finally, he discusses a eucharistic liturgy from a coalition of Lutherans in North America, the United Lutheran Church (Bouyer 1968, pp. 439-442). Bouyer observes that this coalition of Lutherans was self-consciously restoring piety to a previous state, unlike the conditions of church bodies which were more dissimilar (Bouyer 1968, p. 439). They therefore moved closer to the liturgy which had been in use in the early 16th century, and even to reach to patristic sources (Bouyer 1968, p. 440). Bouyer considers the ULCA liturgy of 1958 to succeed in its attempt to restore liturgical purity (Bouyer 1968, p. 441).
8/13/26
Bouyer, Louis. (1968). "Ch. 12: Modern Times: Decomposition and Reformation." (pp. 380-442). In Eucharist: Theology and Spirituality of the Eucharistic Prayer. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame. (Personal Library)
From the twelfth century onward, Bouyer observes a process of extension of portions of the chanted liturgy by addition of tropes to the established texts (Bouyer 1968, p. 380). Over time, this could even include insertion of popular songs which had been brought into the liturgy. Beginning in the 13th century, the elevation of the consecrated elements became the central feature of the mass (Bouyer 1968, p. 382). This allowed further detachment of the liturgy from the events in the mass. As the Reformation drew near, there were numerous attempts at recovering the authentic and ancient eucharist. In Bouyer's view, these all tended to pick and choose mostly recent elements to retain (Bouyer 1968, p. 384).
Luther, who was well equipped to reach back to an Augstinian theology, after 1523 developed his two mass orders which Bouyer considers a failure because of containing innovations (Bouyer 1968, p. 385). The innovation described by Boyer is to remove the concept of the mass as a sacrifice and to consider only the words of institution necessary to the consecration. Bouyer further sees the Formula Missae of 1523 as "a kind of monument to his basic failure" (Bouyer 1968, p. 387). He sees it as embracing "aberrant tendencies" and having an unrecognizable eucharist. Bouyer walks briefly through the elements of the Lutheran communion, observing that it lacks the extended prayers which had developed after the fourth century, and thus is not an adequate reconstruction (Bouyer 1968, p. 388).
As time progressed and as the additional branches of the Reformation spread, the ancient prayers were generally lost from the eucharist, along with the symbolic actions (Bouyer 1968, p. 390). In many cases, only the institution narrative remained. This is especially the case in the Calvinist and Zwinglian camps, where the institution narrative alone was used, and in which there was a self-conscious move to avoid anything that seemed Roman (Bouyer 1968, p. 392). Bouyer describes this in detail.
Bouyer continues with a discussion of the Lutheran liturgical restoration movement as seen in Sweden "from Olavus Petri to John III" (Bouyer 1968, p. 396). In 1531, Olavus Petri published a first mass in Swedish, including an amplification of the preface, linking the forgiveness of sin and the history of salvation (Bouyer 1968, p. 398). Bouyer sees this as recapturing an important element of the Medieval Roman tradition. In the next generation some idea of sacrifice was brought back into the liturgy (Bouyer 1968, p. 399).
Cranmer's 1549 Prayer Book represented another Protestant liturgy which reflected some Catholic element (Bouyer 1968, p. 407). Bouyer regards this as a reworking of the Catholic liturgy in such a way as to be acceptable to Zwinglians. While at times Bouyer will acknowledge Cranmer's skill as a liturgist (Bouyer 1968, p. 416), he yet considers the work itself to strip the historic liturgy of its form and some essential elements of substance, in particular the sacrificial nature of the Mass and the presence of Christ. Cranmer's 1552 version of the Prayer Book further stripped the real presence of Christ from the liturgy (Bouyer 1968, p. 417).
Cranmer's 1552 liturgy was not broadly accepted by English Calvinists or Anglicans. In 1556, John Knox published a distinctively Calvinist liturgy (Bouyer 1968, p. 420). Here the institution narrative and other "evangelical sentencce[s]" (Bouyer 1968, p. 422) are addressed directly to the believers, rather than being imbedded in the prayers. Such patterns continued through the middle of the 17th century in a variety of forms of liturgy.
Bouyer next considers an Anglican eucharistic revival in Scotland (Bouyer 1968, p. 424). In this movement, exemplified by a 1637 liturgy, elements of sacrifice and real presence moved back into the eucharist. In 1718 and following, the various liturgies prepared by the 'non-jurors," who rejected allegiance to William of Orange and Queen Mary, continued restoration of the real presence and sacrifice to the mass, but by means of rejecting the Roman canon in favor of elements of the liturgy of St. James (Bouyer 1968, p. 426).
The eighteenth century in France saw a number of moves to restore the elements of sacrifice and real presence to the liturgy (Bouyer 1968, p. 430). Bouyer does observe that in the various Protestant liturgies, elements were gathered and used with or without any historical context (Bouyer 1968, p. 431). By the 20th century, after World War I, Bouyer describes the ecumenical group in fellowship with the monastery at Taizé (Bouyer 1968, p. 432). This group produced a liturgy which Bouyer evaluates in some detail. Bouyer is more enthusiastic about this liturgy as it moves to capture the concepts of sacrifice, presence, and mystery which are less prominent in many modern liturgies.
Bouyer briefly reviews a 20th century ecumenical liturgy from South India, noting its roots in Anglican piety (Bouyer 1968, pp. 437-438). He considers this work to be by and large unremarkable. Finally, he discusses a eucharistic liturgy from a coalition of Lutherans in North America, the United Lutheran Church (Bouyer 1968, pp. 439-442). Bouyer observes that this coalition of Lutherans was self-consciously restoring piety to a previous state, unlike the conditions of church bodies which were more dissimilar (Bouyer 1968, p. 439). They therefore moved closer to the liturgy which had been in use in the early 16th century, and even to reach to patristic sources (Bouyer 1968, p. 440). Bouyer considers the ULCA liturgy of 1958 to succeed in its attempt to restore liturgical purity (Bouyer 1968, p. 441).
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