Commentary on the Ritual of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South

Providing line-by-line commentary on each office of the Ritual that came after the 1870 General Conference, Thomas O. Summers gives the historical and theological context to each prayer, Scripture reading, and collect. This is an insightful and exhaustive commentary on the ritual that pays special attention to the forms appropriated from the English Church and the Protestant Episcopal Church, allusions to Scripture, and Jewish traditions. Summers demonstrates an extensive background in ancient literature, the Church Fathers, Josephus, and Latin and Greek classics, as well as their influence on religious practice.