{"id":12259,"date":"2011-11-16T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2011-11-16T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=12259"},"modified":"2012-03-13T10:08:34","modified_gmt":"2012-03-13T16:08:34","slug":"tension-between-public-and-private-worship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/","title":{"rendered":"Tension between public and private worship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bowes, Kim. Private worship, public values, and religious change in late antiquity<\/em>.<\/p>\n

New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008 (2011).<\/p>\n

Review by Jordan Zarembo, PhD student, Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University. \u00a0[1]<\/p>\n

Fifty years after the opening of the Second Vatican Council, divergent viewpoints continue to shape post-conciliar liturgical discourse. The rapidly approaching introduction of a new English translation for Mass based on the third typical edition of the Missale Romanum<\/em>, as well as recent decisions by two American bishops to restrict the administration of the Eucharistic cup to the laity [2] underscores differences between Catholics supportive of liturgical renewal and Catholics critical of post-conciliar liturgical developments.\u00a0 Today’s liturgical contentions resemble at times the relationship between the public and private spheres in late antique institutional Christianity.<\/p>\n

Kim Bowes’s investigation of fourth and early fifth century Roman Christianity [3] places today’s contentions in perspective.\u00a0 Roman Christians in the fourth century CE encountered both an ascendant hierarchy bolstered by Constantinian wealth and an already established network of home devotions and liturgies supported by private benefactors. [4]\u00a0 While Constantine’s peace of 312 returned property held in common by Roman Christian communities to the episcopate, [5] the Liber Pontificalis<\/em> implies that confiscated private property frequently filled episcopal coffers at the expense of rightful owners. [6] Established domestic churches, diverse pre-Nicene Roman Christian communities, and private Christian beneficence frustrated a newly-wealthy episcopate’s domination of Roman Christian life. [7]<\/p>\n

Fourth century Roman Christians continued their pre-Nicene focus on home devotion. [8]\u00a0 The still-heeded exhortations of the early theologians Cyprian, Origen, and Tertullian, as well as church orders such as the Apostolic Tradition<\/em>, all recommended daily private prayer and home Eucharist. [9]\u00a0 Even so, cramped living conditions, the possibility of \u201cprofane\u201d activities such as sexual acts, the presence of a pagan spouse, unworthy reception of the Eucharist by a non-baptized person, [10] or the contamination of the home Eucharist with pagan temple bread, [11] greatly complicated Origen and Tertullian’s exhortations.\u00a0 [12]<\/p>\n

Bowes notes in her conclusion to fourth-century Roman liturgy that \u201cto build a domestic church or to partake of the reserved Eucharist in Rome during [the late fourth century] was to jump into a whirlpool.\u201d [13] Bowes notes that towards the end of the fourth century, enhanced hierarchical power uneasily coexisted with the existing private donor networks which the episcopate and clergy still relied on for building capital. [14] The compact between private beneficence and hierarchical administration of titular churches [15] created an uneasy bargain. The titular agreement pitted the donors’ desire to place churches within longstanding Christian neighborhood communities [16] against episcopal desires to control the clergy of titular churches beholden to private donors. [17] Pope Damasus’s (366 \u2013 384) pandering to wealthy women donors, as well as his determination to limit clerical control over titular finances, resulted in episcopal regulation of diaconal charity to counter clergy paid out of private donation.[18]\u00a0 Bowes concludes that the fermentum <\/em>rite, in which titular churches shared a portion of episcopally consecrated Eucharistic bread as a gesture of unity, attempted to solidify hierarchical control over \u201cprivately funded communities\u201d.[19]\u00a0 Perhaps one might also understand the fermentum<\/em> as an episcopal attempt at the hierarchicalization of Eucharistic celebration and the suppression of home reservation of the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

As Fr. Anthony Ruff, editor of the blog Pray Tell<\/em>, has noted, \u201cin late antiquity, episcopal power truly was in the ascendancy. Now it isn\u2019t. Bishops\u2019 efforts to pretend otherwise only diminishes their real power even more.\u201d[20] Nearly 1700 years and multiple reinventions of the episcopate separate Damasus’ episcopacy and the role of bishops in the post-Vatican II Church. Even so, the complications of the intersection of liturgy and power still complicate relationships between bishops, clergy, and the laity.\u00a0 Bowes’s investigation of the public and private tension in late fourth century Rome suggests that both the late antique Church and Catholicism of the 21th century have encountered the trying complexities of competing ideologies and visions.<\/p>\n

NB: The preceding book review relies on the 2011 paperback edition.<\/em><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0 I have submitted similar but longer and more detailed review of this same book to ARC: The Journal of the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University<\/em>.\u00a0 This longer review is being considered for the 2011 edition of the journal.<\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0 Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix, AZ and Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, WI have both issued guidelines\u00a0 that restrict the administration of the Eucharist under both species to the laity.\u00a0 For a critical assessment of Bishop Olmsted’s decision to withhold the cup from the laity on most occasions, consider Zoe Ryan, \u201cPhoenix diocese to restrict Communion wine\u201d. National Catholic Reporter<\/em>, October 10, 2011. http:\/\/ncronline.org\/news\/faith-parish\/phoenix-diocese-restrict-communion-wine?page=1<\/a> Accessed November 18, 2001.\u00a0 For a supportive assessment of Bishop Morlino’s decision to withold the cup from the laity, consider Kevin J. Jones, \u201cBishop Morlino Supports New Missal’s Communion Norms\u201d, National Catholic Register<\/em>, October 12, 2011.\u00a0 http:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/daily-news\/bishop-morlino-supports-new-missals-communion-norms\/<\/a> Accessed November 18, 2011.<\/p>\n

[3] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 16<\/p>\n

[4] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 65<\/p>\n

[5] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 64<\/p>\n

[6] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 64 — 65<\/p>\n

[7] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 63 — 65<\/p>\n

[8] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 76<\/p>\n

[9] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 53 citing Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 243 note 217 and note 218 for primary citations and secondary resources for the authors and works listed.<\/p>\n

[10] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 54<\/p>\n

[11] For Zeno’s fear of pagan contamination of the Eucharist reserved at home, see Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 83 citing Bowes, Private Worship <\/em>252, note 132<\/p>\n

[12] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 54<\/p>\n

[13] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 103.\u00a0 The review author has substituted the bracketed text [the late fourth century] for Bowes’s \u201cduring those years\u201d.<\/p>\n

[14] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 64<\/p>\n

[15] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 69<\/p>\n

[16] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 69<\/p>\n

[17] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 71<\/p>\n

[18] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 71<\/p>\n

[19] Bowes, Private Worship<\/em>, 71<\/p>\n

[20] Fr. Anthony Ruff, October 8, 2011, (8:37 am), comment on Paul Ford, \u201cThe Case in Phoenix,\u201d PrayTell<\/em>, October 7, 2011. https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/10\/07\/the-case-in-phoenix\/#comment-82315<\/a> Accessed 11 November 2011.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pray Tell<\/i> reader Jordan Zarembo reviews Kim Bowes’ work Private worship, public values, and religious change in late antiquity<\/i> and finds similar tensions in the present-day church and the church of fourth-century Rome. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[12,19,23],"tags":[1663,298,1662,1665,1666,1660,1664],"class_list":["post-12259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotions-and-sacramentals","category-mass","category-recently-published-books","tag-apostolic-tradition","tag-book-review","tag-domestic-church","tag-fermentum","tag-home-reservation","tag-kim-bowes","tag-pope-damasus"],"yoast_head":"\nTension between public and private worship - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tension between public and private worship - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pray Tell reader Jordan Zarembo reviews Kim Bowes' work Private worship, public values, and religious change in late antiquity and finds similar tensions in the present-day church and the church of fourth-century Rome.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-16T13:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-03-13T16:08:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/pt.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"411\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"90\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jordan Zarembo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jordan Zarembo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jordan Zarembo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5094109bb87dc426bed9747db6d6b92e\"},\"headline\":\"Tension between public and private worship\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-11-16T13:00:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-03-13T16:08:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":937,\"commentCount\":11,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Apostolic Tradition\",\"Book Review\",\"domestic church\",\"fermentum\",\"home reservation\",\"Kim Bowes\",\"Pope Damasus\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Devotions and Sacramentals\",\"Eucharist\",\"Recently Published Books\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/\",\"name\":\"Tension between public and private worship - Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-11-16T13:00:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-03-13T16:08:34+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/16\\\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tension between public and private worship\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"description\":\"Worship, Wit & Wisdom\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg\",\"width\":1340,\"height\":209,\"caption\":\"Home\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5094109bb87dc426bed9747db6d6b92e\",\"name\":\"Jordan Zarembo\",\"description\":\"I am a PhD student at the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University, Montreal. My research interests include Latin philology and the early Roman liturgy.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/praytellblog.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/jordan-zarembo\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tension between public and private worship - Home","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tension between public and private worship - Home","og_description":"Pray Tell reader Jordan Zarembo reviews Kim Bowes' work Private worship, public values, and religious change in late antiquity and finds similar tensions in the present-day church and the church of fourth-century Rome.","og_url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/","og_site_name":"Home","article_published_time":"2011-11-16T13:00:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-03-13T16:08:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":411,"height":90,"url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/pt.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jordan Zarembo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jordan Zarembo","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/"},"author":{"name":"Jordan Zarembo","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5094109bb87dc426bed9747db6d6b92e"},"headline":"Tension between public and private worship","datePublished":"2011-11-16T13:00:17+00:00","dateModified":"2012-03-13T16:08:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/"},"wordCount":937,"commentCount":11,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["Apostolic Tradition","Book Review","domestic church","fermentum","home reservation","Kim Bowes","Pope Damasus"],"articleSection":["Devotions and Sacramentals","Eucharist","Recently Published Books"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/","name":"Tension between public and private worship - Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2011-11-16T13:00:17+00:00","dateModified":"2012-03-13T16:08:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/16\/tension-between-public-and-private-worship\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tension between public and private worship"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","name":"Home","description":"Worship, Wit & Wisdom","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#organization","name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/cropped-BlogHeaderFinal2.jpg","width":1340,"height":209,"caption":"Home"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5094109bb87dc426bed9747db6d6b92e","name":"Jordan Zarembo","description":"I am a PhD student at the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University, Montreal. My research interests include Latin philology and the early Roman liturgy.","url":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/author\/jordan-zarembo\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12259"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12266,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12259\/revisions\/12266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}