Journals

A round up by the Librarian of New College of recent publications. The number of works relating to Communion is noteworthy. There are also several on church music.

In the New Testament there is reference submersion, immersion and affusion. It is necessary to distinguish between the first two. He then discusses surviving fonts and what suggestions they make about the practice of baptism in that place at that time. Many such baptisteries were separate from the church building itself. It is wrong to think baptisms were performed in the presence of the congregation. Greater study needs to be made of baptisma. Infant baptism is discussed.

A brief history and an account of the Society's work plus an application form for membership (75p per annum).

An explanation of the change of title for the journal. Prior notice given of a new publication from the Committee on Public Worship and Aids to Devotion regarding three revised Communion services. A critique is given of the 'near Communion' service which closed the 1971 congress of Societas Liturgica. Other notes were on a book of psalms and hymns translated from the Hungarian, a book of prayers from a minister in Girvan and an invitation to comment on the revised Baptism service.

The discipline of canon law is discussed as a context for the exploration of the role of Law in the contemporary church. The New Testament evidence is outlined, and the development of law in the second and third centuries and its ultimate codification from the sixth century on. Canon Law was wide in scope but also had built into it a flexibility. The Reformers critique is outlined: in its overlapping into civil law, its solidifying of the authority of the Pope, the confusion of the Nicaean insight of two disctinct functions: declaring the faith of the church and legislating for what is expedient. How the Scottish reformation both appropriated and rejected aspects of what they had inherited. The article concludes with General Principles. It is always necessary that doctrine and practice are kept separate, not always easy to achieve. This helps to see church law as a servant of expediency (in a good sense), taking account of changing circumstances: an example is of altering the reliance on parish ministry to embrace other forms of ministry. The positive contribution of law should be developed: not just to prevent, but to form and reform structures.

This follows a similar article in Liturgical Studies (original title of this series of journals) Vol. 1 No.1

This followed the ending of the Sunday evening service and took place at 9.30am. This enabled a more flexible form and enabled greater participation from both children and adults.