Elements in Religion and Monotheism: Monotheism in Christian Liturgy
by Joris Geldhof
Who’s it for? This small monograph is part of the Cambridge Elements series on Religion and Monotheism. As such, it will be of particular interest to those exploring the theological significance of the Christian confession “that there is one God worthy of worship” (1).
What’s the main point? The Christian conviction that there is only one God permeates the liturgical life of the church. Geldhof’s exploration of this point provides the supporting evidence for two claims he makes in his conclusion: first, that liturgy is a rich resource for exploring a Christian understanding of God; second, that doxology provides “the most appropriate entry into the world of Christian monotheism” (63).
Why should you read this? The book provides a case study of the relationship between liturgy and doctrine and, particularly, a study in the use of liturgical texts as theological sources from which to explore specific doctrinal questions.
What intrigued me the most? The book’s focus on monotheism invites renewed consideration of the ways in which our liturgical texts enable us to imagine, pray to, and worship the Three-in-One God we proclaim as Christians. At the same time, it left me wondering where and how those of us in traditions that have the freedom to compose liturgical texts for prayer and song have missed the mark.
Kudos. Geldhof’s main point about the usefulness of liturgical texts for theological/doctrinal exploration is well in evidence through the book. More to the point of the Religion and Monotheism series, he ably demonstrates “how the oneness and uniqueness of God are imagined in a variety of doxological formulae” (5).
Quibbles. Geldhof’s claim that the Christian confession of the lordship of Jesus, “understood as not different either in degree or quality from God’s own lordship, uniquely characterizes Christian liturgy” (30) results in an argument that is largely “binitarian” rather than trinitarian, even in his section “The unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the orations.” He notes early in the book the importance of the question of “how established prayers in Christian liturgies manifest both the fundamental monotheistic conviction of Christians and their faith in a triune God” (4), but this claim is more an assumption than demonstrated in his argument. That the relationship between the One and the Three receives such little attention seems a significant shortcoming in a book so focused on Christian doxology. And, given this binitarian emphasis, it seems odd that his final discussion focuses on the veneration of the saints.
Suggestions. Geldhof appropriately limits his exploration to standard liturgical texts within a Roman Catholic framework, his liturgical and theological home. Although these texts are widely shared across a number of traditions (especially among Anglican and Lutheran traditions), his discussion leaves this reader wanting exploration of a wider range of examples including, perhaps, examples that seem problematic for a Christian understanding of the One and the Three. Doing so would enable him to explore more fully “the question of the ultimate addressee of liturgical prayer” (4).
Joris Geldhof. Monotheism in Christian Liturgy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2023. 67 pages. ISBN: 9781009003896
REVIEWER: Ron Anderson
Byron (Ron) Anderson is the Ernest and Bernice Styberg Professor of Worship at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois, and president of Societas Liturgica 2021-2023.