Worship in the Early Church

Worship in the Early Church

Justo L. González
Catherine Gunsalus González

© 2022 Justo L. González and Catherine Gunsalus González

First English edition

Published by Westminster John Knox Press

Louisville, Kentucky

Spanish edition, El culto en la iglesia antigua,
published in 2021 by Editorial Mundo Hispano

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396. Or contact us online at www.wjkbooks.com.

Scripture quotations from the NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.

Book design by Sharon Adams

Cover design by Mary Ann Smith

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: González, Justo L., author. | González, Catherine Gunsalus, author.

Title: Worship in the early church / Justo L. González, Catherine Gunsalus González.

Other titles: El culto en la iglesia Antigua. English

Description: First English edition. | Louisville : Westminster John Knox Press, 2022. | “Justo L. González and Catherine Gunsalus González Spanish edition, El culto en la iglesia Antigua, published in 2021 by Editorial Mundo Hispano.” | Summary: “Written for students in introduction to worship and church history classes, this resource will serve as a valuable guide to the historical developments that brought about Christian worship as we know it today”—Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022027355 (print) | LCCN 2022027356 (ebook) | ISBN 9780664267827 (paperback) | ISBN 9781646982653 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30–600. | Public worship—History.

Classification: LCC BR162.3 .G6613 2022 (print) | LCC BR162.3 (ebook) | DDC 270.1—dc23/eng/20220725

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022027355

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022027356

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Contents

A Word to the Reader

Abbreviations

Introduction: Scope, Limits, and General Parameters of This Study

Part I: Judeo-Christianity

1.    The Background: Jewish Worship

Jewish Worship: The Cradle of Christian Worship

Troubled Times: The Context of Ancient Jewish Worship

The Temple

Scripture

Diversity among the Jewish People

The Synagogues and the Diaspora

The Jews of the Diaspora

The Calendar, the Times, and Jewish Identity

Proselytes and God-Fearers

The Destruction ...