A wonderful articulation of why there “lives the dearest freshness” deep down in these old liturgies. The premise of her book is simple. Despite the slovenly and self-indulgent preference of our own age for dressed-down informality, we are still in desperate need of ritual and form . . . The value of Gillhammer’s book is that it reminds us of liturgy’s foundational importance. . . . The impression that lingers most insistently from this book is the sheer richness of life and experience possible in a culture where form, ritual and a body of stories are shared across a community and across generations. - The CriticThis book tells a story that needs to be heard. In part, it is historical, but what Gillhammer’s Light on Darkness achieves is much more than this. Written in an engaging style, it ranges broadly, drawing and showing connections between the Church’s poetry and wider culture and life. - Church TimesLight on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy is an illuminating journey through the affective resonances of Christianity’s rites and rituals. Cosima Clara Gillhammer argues that liturgy is not the relic of a bygone age but a living tradition which has shaped the grammar of western culture, from Michelangelo’s Pietà to the Marvel Universe. It is a small treasure of a text. - Felicity Brown, The TabletGillhammer’s new book about the liturgy may well foster a renewed appreciation for what has, for many, become routine; Light on Darkness has certainly taken its place on my list of books to recommend to anyone curious to learning more about the Christian Faith. - Catholic HeraldGillhammer’s fresh history text Light on Darkness shows how Christian liturgy shaped Western civilization . . . The book takes a multidisciplinary approach to trace how liturgical rites performed in seasonal cycles informed and shaped human lives through relatable stories and enactments. Drawing on medieval manuscripts, ancient artworks, and liturgical texts, it unpacks the metaphors and meanings found therein, translates them for a modern audience, and links them to contemporary writings, music, art, and drama . . . Enlightening. - Foreword ReviewsExploring the liturgy and its associated rituals and demonstrating not only how it has informed and inspired every kind of art and culture for centuries, but also how it embodies and illuminates the profoundest of human ideas and emotions. - Mathew Lyons, The Broken CompassThis is a superb book. Gillhammer writes with great sensitivity and imagination, skilfully demonstrating how over many centuries the rituals and songs of the liturgy have shaped and given voice to the deepest emotions of human experience. Insightful, accessible and often moving, this book is a wonderful guide to the liturgy, its rich history and its lasting influence on modern culture. - Eleanor Parker, Lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Brasenose College, Oxford, and author of Winters in the WorldA beautiful book that gives voice to our deepest human need for ritual and meaning. Through scripture, art, music, poetry and liturgical theology, Cosima Clara Gillhammer retells the story of Christian worship through sign and symbol, affirming the place of the liturgy in the modern world and as a gift that continues to shape our culture and our imagination. - Victoria Johnson, Dean of Chapel, St John’s College, CambridgeThe rituals of Christian liturgy have survived the centuries, Cosima Clara Gillhammer believes, because they express something central to human experience, having a powerful effect on believers and non-believers alike. Indeed, she claims, the liturgy stands at the very centre of the cultural history of the West. Yet nowadays this fact is appreciated only by a relatively small number of believers, while for most people it stands as a well-kept secret. Gillhammer seeks to share that secret broadly. Her admiration of the vast body of art and thought generated by the essentials of Christian ritual is conveyed with great success. This attractive and elegantly written book is well-designed for non-specialist readers, and richly deserves wide interest and appreciation. - Alastair Minnis, Douglas Tracy Smith Professor Emeritus of English, Yale University, and Professor Emeritus of Medieval Studies and English, University of York
