Tasting Heaven on Earth: Worship in Sixth-Century Constantinople (The Church at Worship: Case Studies from Christian History)
Robert F. Taft, S.J.Pontifical Oriental Instituteauthor of the multivolumeHistory of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom"I cannot imagine a more vivid way to introduce this great Christian worship tradition, ancient yet ever new. This is a wonderful book in an astonishingly fresh and exciting new series; I am flattered to find my fingerprints all over it. Bravo, Walter Ray!"Paul MeyendorffSt. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary"A splendid introduction to Eastern Orthodox worship. Amply illustrated and documented, Tasting Heaven on Earth makes the ancient and mysterious Byzantine liturgy come alive for modern Western readers."Ralph Martin, S.T.D.Sacred Heart Major Seminary"The more we know about how previous generations of Christians responded to the Holy Spirit in the context of their own cultures, the better equipped we will be for discerning the diverse work of the Holy Spirit in our time. Walter Ray's book makes an important contribution."Vigen GuroianUniversity of Virginia"We have histories of Byzantium and Byzantine worship, but nothing quite like this beautiful volume that invites the reader to explore the world of Byzantium through its worship. This is a rich and luxuriously illustrated anthology, a kind of museum in print that makes tangible to readers the lived faith of this ancient Christian culture through its music, poetry, hymnody, iconography, and architecture."Calvin StapertCalvin College"Walter Ray's fine volume shows us in some detail, via text and image, what Orthodox worship was like at an important time and place in its history. The book not only contains much that teaches us about Orthodox worship; it also does much to encourage us to learn from it."