GESTURES IN THE PRE-TRIDENTINE LATIN MASS

Abstract

Gestures within medieval Europe were more than physical movements of the body. This is especially true for the liturgy, where every action and movement has a deeper symbolic meaning for the faith. Since the way the Church worshipped and the Catholic faith were interlinked, the priest's gestures during the liturgy effectively summarized the entire purpose of the priesthood as both the leader of the laity and the consecrator of the Eucharist for God. This thesis examines the gestures of the priest within various fifteenth and sixteenth-century missals and texts from Western Europe, specifically focusing on the gestures concerning the Eucharistic bread and wine. It explains their roles, placements within the Mass, regional differences, and what these gestures may mean for the greater liturgical and sacerdotal tradition for Catholic theology.