Bible, Life, and Worship. The Liturgical and the Biblical Movement in the German Speaking Area and the US in Comparison

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Marco Benini
• Subject Area: Roman Catholic Theology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 545921436

In the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the Liturgical Movement (LM) and the Biblical Movement pursued the goal of bringing about a renewal of Christian life based on the liturgy and the Bible. The LM was not controlled centrally, but was promoted by protagonists (men and women) in the individual countries, who influenced each other across national borders. However, especially their transatlantic relations and contacts as well as the functioning of the international networks are largely unknown because American and German research on the LM hardly perceive each other. As the already approved DFG-project on the development of an international cooperation between the Theological Faculty Trier and The Catholic University of America in Washington has demonstrated (BE 7183/2-1), an intercontinental comparison of the LM is completely new territory, as is the linkage with the biblical movement in both countries. The intersection of both movements is evident in fields such as the renewal of preaching, the preliminary drafts of the order of reading, or the promotion of a liturgical-biblical spirituality. The central question of the project is: What transformations did the LM undergo in its reception in the US and why? Taking up the trend towards global history, the aim is to explore the connections, influences, parallel developments, and specific characteristics of the LM in the German-speaking countries and the US, as well as the tie with the biblical movement. So, unnoticed aspects become evident: the transfer of the LM to the US in the light of different socio-cultural backgrounds and mentalities; the influence of immigration, networks, and translations of important writings; theological-spiritual shifts in emphasis; the relationship between liturgy and social justice, which is especially emphasized in the US; protagonists from the other side of the Atlantic who have received little attention so far. An intercontinentally comparative study brings the role and the activities of women in the LM into the focus of research and explores them systematically. The processes of reception and transformation are analyzed both from a historical and a theological perspective on the basis of the differing political and social contexts. The systematic comparison of the German and American writings of the LM under theological criteria (ecclesiology, spirituality, biblical foundation, participation, etc.) leads to a deeper understanding of the LM. The project is intercontinental, interdisciplinary, and gender sensitive. In this way, new insights and contexts are to substantially expand the overall picture of the LM, which can only succeed in international cooperation and by including the Biblical Movement. This will result in an innovative contribution not only to the history of liturgy and the reception of the Bible, but also to the global transfer of knowledge (in past and present) and to the research on Catholicism.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Michael Witczak