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Medieval Spirituality and Liturgy as a Source for Contemporary Worship

An annotated research guide from the field of history, exploring the relevance of medieval spirituality and liturgy for current worship practices.

This research guide is designed for students, teachers and scholars who are interested in studying congregational worship practices, including those in fields that have not traditionally studied worship practices extensively.

PDFDownload the research guide.

The audience for this guide includes upper level college students who might want to explore the deep roots of their traditions, graduate students in worship and other related fields, and Christian scholars and teachers in a wide variety of colleges, seminaries, divinity schools, and universities in several different denominational traditions.

This research guide includes the following elements:

  • An overview of medieval spirituality, with special attention to monasticism and mystical traditions; an exploration of medieval liturgical practice, including private devotions (such as Liturgy of the Hours); and an examination of the use of the Bible in medieval times, including its use in preaching and worship
  • Significant publications in the past 15 years that have explored medieval spirituality and liturgy, with annotations that explain their value
  • 10-15 classic resources (books, as well as multimedia and online sources) for further study of the deep roots of spiritual and liturgical practices, with annotations that explain their value
  • Some suggestions for further research
  • A general bibliography of additional resources