Customer Reviews

The Sacred Bridge: The Interdependence of Liturgy and Music in Synagogue and Church During the First Millennium (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series)

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This is a great (if somewhat difficult) book. It opened my eyes to the depth of Christian liturgy, and its close relationship to Jewish liturgy. It is rich with musical examples. Highly recommended if you want to know more about the origins of chant, liturgy, etc.

I got this book to understand the roots of the Liturgy and especially the Gregorian Chant. I found his opening chapter based on a number of assumptions He quite honestly gives himself away on Page 26 where he says:
"The Gentile church evolved in the Synagogue of the disapora, and was little concerned with the actual temple. Much later. when the individualistic character of early Christianity had faded away, and the collective ('Catholic')ritualistic tendecies grew stronger."

This is nothing more than the "Hidden Church Theory" popularized by some Protestants. The whole book is built on this assumption. He says in one place that the Temple could have no influence on early Christianity since it was destroyed in A.D 70. Well thats still over 40 years from 33 A.D (Penecost) to destruction of the Temple. Consider the following:

Acts 2:46 - And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one accord in the TEMPLE, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,

There are many more references in NT of the Early Church attending the Temple. Consider that many modern critics attempt to date the Books of ACTS well after 70 A.D and yet there several references in ACTS to christians and/or the Apostles going to temple, and breaking bread in their homes. This illustrates that if there is a late date for Books of Acts then attendance with the temple must have been a influence on early christianity develeopement for the writer of acts to stress it in the an early chapter of Church history. The writer also give preference to Jewish sources over early Christian writers as well as casting doubt on the christian tradition of linking the Last Supper with the Jewish Passover (Seder) since the Seder occurred in Jewish home as opposed to a ritual enacted in the temple or synagoge.