ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the historical background to the rise of Christian liturgies of death, and describes some of that development from early days to the medieval period. The Christian funeral is a call to journey with God from glory to glory. The Anglican Church of the Province of New Zealand has drawn heavily on indigenous Maori funerary traditions, and has incorporated them into Christian texts. The Roman Catholic Order of Christian Funerals has had its critics. In searching for early clues Geoffrey Rowell argues that there were two main influences upon early Christian funerary rites: Jewish religious custom, and Roman secular practice. The burial of Jesus is marked by Jewish observance, and it is this mode of disposing of the corpse which Christianity adopted from Judaism. The development of funeral liturgy in Eastern Church proceeds from the Apostolic Constitutions. With minor revisions and concessions to the Reformed party, the funeral service published in 1662 Prayer Book followed the 1549 order.
