The Advent of Christmas and Early Christian Sacred Space
Whereas scholarship has often focused on establishing when Christmas was first observed, this article explores why Christians started commemorating Jesus’ birthday in the first place. I situate the advent of Christmas/Epiphany within the context of evolving sensibilities regarding sacred space and c...
| Published in: | Questions liturgiques |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Peeters
[2017]
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| In: |
Questions liturgiques
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Church
/ Christmas
/ Jesus Christ, Birth
/ Sacral building
/ History 30-354
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| IxTheo Classification: | CE Christian art KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity RC Liturgy |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Whereas scholarship has often focused on establishing when Christmas was first observed, this article explores why Christians started commemorating Jesus’ birthday in the first place. I situate the advent of Christmas/Epiphany within the context of evolving sensibilities regarding sacred space and church architecture. The emergence of Christmas/Epiphany coincided with the identification of physical locations as sacred, prompting a liturgical reorientation wherein Christians anywhere could participate in the Holy Land’s sacredness. Christmas – connected to Bethlehem – was established at the head of the liturgical calendar so that Christians could participate in its sacredness even if they were unable to make a pilgrimage. Il existe une vaste littérature sur la question quand exactement on a commencé à célébrer la fête de Noël mais cet article explore surtout pourquoi les chrétiens se sont intéressés à commémorer l’anniversaire de Jésus. Je situe alors les origines de Noël-Épiphanie dans le contexte de sensitivités vis-à-vis de l’espace sacré et l’architecture des églises. L’apparition de Noël-Épiphanie coïncidait avec l’identification de certains lieux comme sacrés, ce qui occasionnait une réorientation liturgique selon laquelle des chrétiens partout pouvaient désormais participer à la sacralité de la Terre Sainte. Noël – et son lien particulier avec Bethlehem – était mis à la tête du calendrier liturgique afin que tous les chrétiens puissent participer à sa sainteté même s’ils ne pouvaient pas faire un pèlerinage. |
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| ISSN: | 1783-1709 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Questions liturgiques
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2143/QL.98.1.3275142 |