Forging Traditional Liturgy. Exegesis, Mission, and Medieval Baptism

Abstract

At the end of the 8th century, the high stakes of Christian mission led Alcuin of York (d. 804) to develop an approach to Christian formation that became normative for medieval Christianity. In the shadow of the Frankish missionary debacle among the Saxons and with the conversion of the recently conquered Avars on the horizon, the mechanics of catechesis was a burning issue in the Frankish World. This article explores the origin, development, and legacy of an influential approach to Christian formation forged at the end of the 8th century. It highlights the careful attention afforded by early medieval thinkers to patristic exegesis as well as how the bible informed their approaches to liturgy. It also illumines the profound and enduring influence of Carolingian theology on Western Christianity.