How did early Christians see and understand their own worship? How did this interact with early Christian beliefs?

Here is a tried-and-tested, straightforward, readable introduction to worship in the first four centuries of the Church’s existence. It describes what Christians actually did, but also explains why they acted as they did. Why did they choose some patterns instead of others? How did they see and understand their worship? What effect did all this have on developing Christian ideas, and what effect did the ideas in turn have on the worship?

This new edition takes account of recent research by the author and others, which in some cases has led to different conclusions from those of earlier scholars. The bibliography has also been brought up to date.