Worship Old and New by Robert E. Webber

Author:Robert E. Webber
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Religion, Worship & Liturgy, Christian, Christian Rituals & Practice
ISBN: 9780310835127
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 1994-12-10T00:00:00+00:00

An Ancient Syrian church

A second example may be taken from an ancient Syrian church (see Figure 2). This building appears to be a Christianized version of a Jewish synagogue.8

Here, as in the synagogue, the congregation gathered around the symbols of worship. The presence of the symbols (ark, veil, and candlestick) that were specifically Jewish expressed the continuity between the peoples of God. The bishop and the presbyters were in the seat of Moses and continued to communicate the presence of a living tradition in the ordained ministry of expounding the Word.

There were, however, two significant and noteworthy changes. First, the apse, the central focus of the congregation, contained a table. Here the bishop went to celebrate the Eucharist (the supreme symbol of God’s presence in the world), which constituted the climax of Christian worship. Second, the church no longer faced Jerusalem, but pointed toward the east. This symbolized the return of Christ in the east to gather his elect from the four corners of the world.

Here again the experience of the Christian community gave shape to the use of space. God’s action in history as revealed in the Scripture and incarnated in Jesus Christ was expressed through the use of space, the arrangement of the people, and the symbols of God’s presence.

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