Worship

Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) was a prolific author well known for her works on Christian mysticism and religious practice, and her work has continued to inspire readers in the years since her death. Her writings were greatly influenced by her spiritual mentor, Baron Friedrich von Hügel, the philosophers Rudolf Eucken and Henri Bergson, and the mystics Ruysbroeck and Rabindranath Tagore.

'Enterprising, extensive, a book that any so-called Christian would be the better and wiser for reading slowly and thoughtfully... A must read for all religious booksellers, for students, teachers and all professions interested in philosophy, psychology, ethics, theology, law and medicine.' Kirkus Reviews "A popular writer on Christian spirituality, Underhill (1875-1941) looks at the nature and principles of worship and the chief forms they take in Christianity. She has no liturgical training, she admits, and only seeks to explore the primary realities of people's relation to God that devotional action is intended to express. The first part considers various elements of worship, such as ritual and symbol, the principles of corporate worship, and the Holy Eucharist. The second part surveys worship in the various denominations and in Jewish traditions and early Christianity." Book News Inc., Reference - Research Book News - October 2011 'A reprint of Evelyn Underhill's timeless study on the nature and principles of worship, and the main forms in which they find expression in Christianity. In the belief that religious experience is the starting point of theological reconstruction, the author analyses the characteristics, principles and nature of how man relates to God. The way and degree in which ritual, symbol, sacrament and sacrifice become part of worship is also examined and, subsequently, its principles are illustrated, as embodied in the varieties of Judaeo-Christian faith.' Henk Rutten in 'Studies in Spirituality', volume 20.

• General Introduction Preface PART I: 1. The Nature of Worship 2. Ritual and Symbol 3. Sacrament and Sacrifice 4. The Characters of Christian Worship 5. The Principles of Corporate Worship 6. Liturgical Elements in Worship 7. The Holy Eucharist: Its Nature 8. The Holy Eucharist: Its Significance 9. The Principles of Personal Worship PART II: 10. Jewish Worship 11. The Beginnings of Christian Worship 12. Catholic Worship: Western and Eastern 13. Worship in the Reformed Churches 14. Free Church Worship 15. The Anglican Tradition. Conlusion