The Bible and The Mass: The Jewish Roots of Christian Liturgy
In this fascinating new study, Dr. Brant Pitre takes something Catholics are very familiar with: the Mass—with all its signs, symbols, rituals, and words—and studies it in light of worship in the Bible: from the Tabernacle of Moses, the Temple of Solomon, the life of Jesus, and all the way to Vatican II and Pope Benedict XVI’s biblical theology of the liturgy. The result is an in-depth explanation of the Mass and the meaning of Christian worship. This series covers such topics as:
• The Sanctuaries of the Old Testament: What was worship like in the Tabernacle of Moses? What about the Temple of Solomon? What did these buildings look like, and what was the meaning of their signs and symbols?
• Ancient Jewish Sacrifice: Christians are often puzzled by all of the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament. Learn how the biblical sacrifices (both “bloody” and “unbloody”) pointed forward to and were fulfilled by Jesus.
• Jesus and the Jewish Feasts: Learn about the seven Jewish feasts of the liturgical year—Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles—and how Jesus fulfilled each one of them in his own life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. This section alone is worth the price of the whole set!
• The Biblical Roots of the Mass: In this section, Dr. Pitre takes you step by step through each part of the Mass—such as the “I Confess,” the “Lord, Have Mercy,” the Eucharistic prayer—and shows you where each part comes from in the Bible, and how the Bible unlocks its hidden meaning.
• Vatican II and the Latin Mass: What happened with Vatican II and the Mass? What did the council actually teach? Why was a new form of the Mass issued by Pope Paul VI, and why has Pope Benedict recently revived the traditional Latin Mass?
• Pope Benedict’s Theology of the Liturgy: Learn how biblical Pope Benedict’s theology of worship is, by studying his vision of Sacred Time, Sacred Space, Sacred Art, Sacred Architecture, and Sacred Music! Finally, as a bonus, Dr. Pitre also includes an in-depth lecture on liturgical abuses that have arisen in recent years, and the Vatican’s instructions on how to deal with them. If you’ve ever wanted to understand the mystery and meaning of Christian worship from a biblical perspective, then this study is for you! |
