622 - The Westminster Dictionary of Worship

The Westminster Dictionary of Worship
J. G. Davies, ed.,
Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1979. 385pp. $12.50.

This work has already gone through three printings in Great Britain where it appeared in 1972 under the title A Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship as a companion volume to the Theological Word Book of the Bible and A Dictionary of Christian Theology.

The reader will find in this volume the amazing variety of elements and events produced and interpreted by Christian worship. Entries range from three line definitions to a thirteen-page article on "Burial" and even longer treatments of "Liturgies" and "Vestments." The articles include historical background, contemporary practice, and interpretation of principles involved.

Articles contain cross-references to related concepts and some have photographs and diagrams. Bibliographic references are helpful to those who wish to do more extensive research. While neither the bibliography nor the articles themselves are informed by the American experience, this volume will provide American readers with a helpful reference on many facets of the universal Christian experience of worship.

Conrad Harry Massa
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, N.J.