From Age to Age: How Christians Have Celebrated the Eucharist, Revised and Expanded Edition

2009 Catholic Press Association Award Winner! From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name." Eucharist is the fullest expression of our life with God, a life we share with Christians throughout the ages. It is also a sensory experience, engaging us in the sights and sounds, tastes and touch of the worship. Edward Foley's revised and expanded From Age to Age draws readers into that sensory experience. He traces the development of Christian Eucharist from its Jewish roots to our own time. In addition to exploring the architecture, music, books, and vessels that contributed to each period's liturgical expressions, this edition introduces readers to the theology of each age as well as the historical and cultural contexts that shaped the Eucharist. Richly illustrated with numerous images and quotations from period texts, this book is a feast for the mind and eye. Through many examples of the visual and auditory symbols that are central to Eucharist, readers will discover how Christian worship is embodied worship that from age to age gives glory to God and sanctifies people.

About the Author :
Edward Foley, Capuchin, the Duns Scotus Professor of Spirituality and Professor of Liturgy and Music at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago

Review :
What a useful book! So many histories of the Eucharist deal primarily with its theological development, it is a pleasure to have a book in a format large enough to accommodate architectural drawings, substantial apposite quotations in the margins, photos of liturgical vessels from Roman times to the present, substantial sections on the written forms of liturgical texts from scrolls to books, the development of music from single voice poetic recitation of psalms and prayers.Catholic Books Review The original edition of Foley’s book found a broad audience because it distilled an enormous amount of state-of-the-art liturgical scholarship into an informative, reader-friendly overview of the history of the Roman Mass. This edition repeats that accomplishment and does it even better.Theological Studies Edward Foley’s large and graphically grand new edition of From Age to Age helps all of us realize that our Christian roots (in eternity, of course, but also in time, in the form of ceremonies, chalices, architecture) are thoroughly fascinating and humbling, endearing and supportive.Review for Religious Edward Foley’s revised and expanded edition of From Age to Age is an even more valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding and appreciating the Christian Eucharist than the original proved to be sixteen years ago. This revision, at nearly twice the size of the original, is a welcome addition to any liturgical library. For all who have not had the opportunity to discover the riches of the first edition, this book is a must for your reading list. You will be sure to walk away with a renewed love of, appreciation for, and understanding of the Eucharist as it has evolved throughout the ages.Pastoral Music From Age to Age is the definitive reference and resource for anyone studying this venerable tradition of Christian worship.The Midwest Book Review As a text for an undergraduate course on the history of worship, there is simply nothing to compare to it for breadth of material in an engaging format.Tom Lawson, DMin, Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri It seems to me that we are living in a time in the life of the Church when there are some who wish to ‘reform’ the liturgical reforms of Vatican II, often in complete ignorance. Alive contemporary liturgy is rooted in preserving the best practices of the past and being open to God’s creative spirit in the present. I believe that Ed Foley’s newly revised and expanded liturgical work From Age to Age is an essential and classic text in helping local parishes and pastors enliven our liturgies. More than just providing an excellent historic overview of liturgy, Ed’s very creative work helps us to understand the theological and cultural settings from which our liturgy has, and continues to, emerge.Monsignor Robert M. Perkins, Pastor, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Hampton, Virginia The genius of this book is that it is almost a multimedia experience between two covers. . . . Most impressive, though, is the vast number of images throughout the text—art pieces, book illustrations, schematic drawings, floor plans, photographs of buildings and artifacts, musical notation—all of which supplement the author’s argument that to understand the history of the Eucharist fully one needs to look broadly at the culture that surrounded it as well as at the liturgical texts and theological underpinnings. This is a great text for the interested nonprofessional as well as the academic. Parish study groups and liturgy committees would both enjoy this book and benefit greatly from it. U.S. Catholic