PREFACE.

There are many questions concerning the development of Liturgies Liturgy: the set forms of public worship, particularly the service of the Eucharist or Holy Communion. in various regions, and the relationship between the different families or groups of liturgies that are currently waiting for a satisfactory answer. The field of Liturgiology The scholarly study of religious rituals and formal worship services. is enormous. There are the Western Liturgies, written in Latin and derived from various sources, which have been modified in different ways through contact with one another; their exact historical lineages cannot yet be considered conclusively settled. There are Greek Liturgies divided into two families, though the texts of two of their most important forms are in a very unsatisfactory condition. There are also liturgies in Syriac A dialect of Middle Aramaic used as a liturgical language in several Eastern Christian churches. belonging to two families, as well as others in Coptic, Ethiopic, and Armenian.

It is true that there is very little manuscript original: MS.; a document written by hand rather than printed. evidence for any of these known to exist from earlier than the thirteenth century. The few earlier examples will be mentioned in their proper places in the Introduction. However, it is possible that other, older manuscripts might be discovered through careful searching in Eastern libraries. Until now, travellers looking for manuscript treasures have paid little attention to relics of this sort. Copies of the Bible and the writings of the Church Fathers Ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers. have been their main focus. It has hardly been realized what a treasure an early copy of the Liturgy of Saint James or Saint Mark would be—or even another eighth-century copy of the Liturgy of Saint Basil.