Liturgy Institute London

L718: Liturgies of the Early Church

Elective course for IL diploma

13 – 17 July 2026, weekdays

Taught by: Em Prof. Thomas O’Loughlin

 

This course consists of two parts:

1) This one-week course, taught by Thomas O’Loughlin, covers the earliest centuries of the primative church.

2) The one-week course L702 Liturgy in the West: History and context, taught by Stefan Geiger, considers the rest of liturgical history until our day.

You may enrol in this one-week course only (L718), or in both weeks (L718 + L702).

 

Aims:

At the end of the course each student will be prepared to describe and explain:

i. a selection of texts of liturgical character from the first christian centuries

ii. the context, authors and liturgical content of the texts studied

iii. the theological content and contribution of the texts studied to developing liturgical traditions.

 

3 hours daily with a break. Schedule to be determined.

The course anticipates the student will spend 60 hours in personal reading and study.

Cost: £300

Location: Liturgy Institute London (at Ealing Abbey)
74 Castlebar Road Ealing London, W5 2DD, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8194 2320
For further details or to register contact the Institute at:
E-mail: il AT liturgyinstitute DOT com

 

Previous knowledge

It is recommended that participants have a general familiarity with the Bible and the history of western civilization in the Christian period in order to understand the context and content of the documents examined and their contribution to developing liturgical traditions. Analysis of texts of early Christian writers assumes a working ability in Latin and some basic knowledge of Greek. Suggested but not required are the L701 Liturgy Research Seminar and L702 Liturgy in the West, History and Context.

 

Content

The instructor presents a general introduction to Early Christian writers and a working bibliography with a specific bibliography of critical editions and studies for a series of important early Christian documents including the Didache, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian, the Apostolic Tradition, Ambrose, Egeria, Cyril of Jerusalem. Together we shall read selected writings which pertain to the liturgy and consider the cultural, historical and ecclesial context of each and their contribution to the developing liturgies of the church and to their theology.

 

Course Material

♦ B. STUDER, “Liturgy and the Fathers”, tr. M. O’Connell, in A.J. Chupungco (ed.) Handbook for Liturgical Studies I, Liturgical Press, Collegeville MN 1997, 53-79.

♦ B. STUDER, “Liturgical Documents”, in ibid, pppp.

♦ T.K. CARROLL – T. HALTON, Liturgical Practices in the Fathers, Michael Glazier, Wilmington DW 1988.

♦ L. DEISS, Springtime of the Liturgy, Liturgical Press, Collegeville MN 1979.

 

Course activities

♦ read and study the recommended texts and other liturgical and cultural sources;

♦ active participation in class activities;

♦ development of a knowledge of the theological issues involved in their contemporary controversies;

♦ development of a knowledge of the diverse perspectives and developments relating to the liturgy in the early period.

 

Evaluation description

You may audit the course without taking the exam or receiving any mark for the course.

If you you need to submit a mark for the course for valuation toward a programme of study at KU Leuven or at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy at Sant’Anselmo or another academic institution, the evaluation comprises the following assessment.

Examination type: ongoing (40%) and oral (60%) with written preparation.

When?: the ongoing assessment is based on regular participation in class discussion. The oral exam is conducted at the end of the final session; written preparation comprises notes handed in at the beginning of the oral exam and kept on file for one year.

Explanation: The ongoing assessment is based on the student’s demonstration of having read the assigned materials and contribution to class discussion. For the oral assessment, students may bring their prepared written notes to help the student prepare a satisfactory answer and to support the student in his or her oral presentation and discussion. Copies of the documents discussed during the course may be brought by the student. For the exam students choose one document for a more detailed study and prepare the other materials for a more general discussion of the continuity and change of early liturgies. The instructor asks descriptive-analytical questions to accertain the student’s knowledge of the facts and synthetic-applied questions concerning the relationship of the document and liturgies as they develop.

Criteria for evaluation: The ongoing assessment is based on the student’s demonstration of having read the assigned materials and contribution to class discussion. The oral assessment is based on the student’s oral presentation of their study and their general understanding as presented to the discussion.

Second opportunity to sit the exam: Because this is an intensive summer course, the opportunity for a second exam is by appointment and depends upon the availability of the instructor.

 

Notes: Students must be over 18 years of age.

Students wishing to pursue our programme of studies are encouraged to begin with the two courses L701 Liturgical Research Seminar and L702 Liturgy in the West: History and Context before progressing to other courses.

If students enrol in two concurrent courses, they may wish to prepare for the intensive schedule by reading suggested texts before the course begins.

The instructor will arrange with the students to be available regularly for some time at the Institute and is also available by appointment.

Students and the public are invited to attend the annual St Bede Lecture, to be held at Ealing Abbey on Saturday afternoon 11 July at 2.30 PM.

 Academic year: Summer 2026
 Language: English
 Difficulty: Graduate-Intermediate
 Duration: 26.0 hours
 Periodicity: Taught every other year, beginning with the summer session 2012

Page updated on 9 December 2025 by DM.