Understanding Medieval Liturgy: Essays in Interpretation

Focusing on so-called occasional rituals such as burial, church consecration, exorcism and excommunication rather than on the Mass and Office, this book provides an introduction to current work and new directions in the study of medieval liturgy. Recent research on such rites challenges many established ideas, especially about the extent to which they differed from place to place and over time, and how the surviving evidence should be interpreted. Bringing together scholars working in different disciplines, periods and intellectual traditions, the collection demonstrates the potential that liturgical evidence offers for understanding the Middle Ages.