These prayer texts give a picture of Christian worship in its simplest and purest form ("springtime of the liturgy"). Each of the prayers is introduced by a commentary that deals with the provenance of the text and its content.
The texts begin with Jewish prayers, continue in the New Testament, and go through forty-five subsequent prayers down to the Prayer Book of 1790.
Every major revision of liturgical texts during the last thirty years has been strongly influenced by these early eucharistic texts.
The Authors:Dr. Ronald C.D. Jasper, C.B.E., D.D., is Dean Emeritus of York. He was formerly Chairman of the Church of England Liturgical Commission. Dr. Geoffrey J. Cuming was formerly lecturer at King's College, London and Ripon College, Cuddesdon.
