The Door of Heaven: A Manual for Holy Communion

Burgett, Arthur Edward, 1869-1942Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.9

Word count: 51K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Door of Heaven: A Manual for Holy Communion by Arthur Edward BurgettAuthor: Burgett, Arthur Edward, 1869-1942,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: Jul 30, 2010

Editor's review

This is a short liturgical manual centered on the practice of Holy Communion, belonging to the category of Christian practical theology and public worship. From a pastoral perspective the author gathers material for preparation, meditation, and prayer before and after Communion; the language is plain and the structure clear, making it suitable as an aid for personal devotion or small-group worship. Its value lies not in academic argument but in connecting liturgical actions with inner self-examination, helping readers quiet their hearts and participate with reflection before receiving Communion. This public-domain electronic edition is convenient for reference at any time, and also serves as a sample for readers studying early twentieth-century English liturgical texts. It is best read slowly, as a manual of practice rather than a theoretical work, drawing on passages in keeping with one's own tradition rather than copying them word for word.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Ordinary believers with a Christian background who wish to deepen their preparation for Communion
Those who lead small fellowships or Bible studies and need liturgical material
Scholars of religious history and literature studying English public-domain liturgical texts
Readers accustomed to using short devotional material for daily meditation

Not a good fit for

Readers with no religious interest who simply want general literature
Academic readers seeking systematic theological argument or historical investigation
Non-Christian readers who find liturgical language and the prayer style alienating

Reading tips

Read the table of contents first, and prioritize chapters closest to your own church's Communion procedure
Read only a short section at a time, then leave a few minutes of silent reflection before continuing
Note down prayers that speak to you as material for personal devotion
If used in a group, select a passage in advance and read and discuss it together at the meeting

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for non-Christians?

It can be read, but some knowledge of or interest in Christian liturgy is needed. The many prayers and self-examinations in the book presume a stance of faith; non-Christians would do better to observe it as a religious document than to treat it as general spiritual reading.

Is the electronic edition long? Does it need to be read in one sitting?

This is a manual for actual practice and should not be read straight through. It is best used in stages according to the Communion cycle, taking one or two sections at a time with meditation; reading too quickly defeats its purpose of preparing the heart.

Can the content be used directly in churches today?

It can serve as reference material, but the book was written long ago, and its language and liturgical details may differ from contemporary practice. Before use, it should be checked against the tradition of one's own church and the counsel of pastors, and adapted appropriately rather than copied verbatim.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Burgett, Arthur Edward, 1869-1942 Author · 1869–1942

Arthur Edward Burgett (1869–1942) is an author about whom relatively little biographical information is available: his birth and death years appear in bibliographic records, while his nationality, education, and professional career are not sufficiently documented in public sources. The library currently holds only one work by him, The Door of Heaven: A Manual for Holy Communion. As the title and subtitle indicate, it is a practical manual centered on the sacrament of Holy Communion, intended for readers preparing to receive communion, and it clearly belongs to the genre of religious devotion and liturgical guidance. Manuals of this kind typically explain the order of the service, matters of preparation, and points for meditation in clear, dignified language, for use by individuals or groups before and after worship. Because other works and biographical details remain unknown, a full assessment of his style and influence must await further material; at present, the book can be confirmed only as a work of Christian devotional practice.