The Place of Christ in Liturgical Prayer by Jungmann, Josef A - 1989

The late Balthasar Fischer said that this classic work "represents a milestone in twentieth century liturgical studies." In this book, Jungmann showed clearly for the first time that per Christum was a precious legacy from early times. Every liturgical act takes account of Jesus Christ as mediator, as intercessor.

Fischer says that this was a very influential insight. First of all, this concept helped give a firm foundation to liturgical piety. Second, this concept clarified the nature of presidential prayer in the liturgy, especially the Eucharistic Prayer, the Anaphora. No issue in the liturgy could be more central than this: understanding clearly the role of Christ as mediator of our liturgical prayer.

With extensive footnotes (on the corresponding page) and other documentation, The Place of Christ in Liturgical Prayer represents the highest level of scholarly research. Greek and Latin citations, untranslated, abound.

Conclusively, Jungmann demonstrates that the Eucharistic Prayers (the Anaphoras) and the other public prayers of the priest or bishop largely are directed to God through Christ, from earliest times, including the time of the New Testament.

It was only beginning in the fourth century, especially in reaction to the Arian heresy, that public prayer in some places came to be directed to Christ. At the time, this was a legitimate and appropriate way to defend the true faith. Now, centuries later, he says, it is possible to emphasize the original pattern of Christian prayer, in part because of its value for our faith.