The Advent Collects in the Missale Romanum 1970

The collects, which conclude the opening part of the Mass, are among the most characteristic, yet often neglected, texts of the Roman liturgy. They are characterized by a high degree of conciseness and condensation of theological content, as well as by extensive rhetorical stylization. The repertoire of collects in the current Latin Missal (1970; 3rd edition 2002/2008), which was renewed in the wake of the liturgical reform after the Second Vatican Council, draws largely on the oldest liturgical manuscripts copied in the early Middle Ages. The project focuses on the 29 Latin collects for the days of Advent, which outline the profile of this season of the church year. The individual prayers, most of which originated in late antiquity, will first be thoroughly analyzed from a philological and theological perspective. On this basis, the substantive structure of Advent is developed in the context of an oration synopsis, incorporating also the scriptural readings designated for the respective days. Given that only since the most recent liturgical reform each weekday of Advent has its own Mass texts, the number of Advent orations contained in the Missale Romanum was considerably increased compared to the tradition prevailing since the High Middle Ages. In a third step, the criteria for selecting the collects from the sources, subjecting them to revisions, and distributing them over the Advent season will be determined based on the records of the liturgical reform. This should also explore how a particular period of the liturgical year specifically Advent was (re)conceptualized. Such detailed research into the background of the renewed liturgy of the liturgical year has been sorely lacking. Beyond the previously described philological-theological and liturgical-historical aspects, the project addresses a highly topical issue: using the example of Advent orations, the question of the characteristics and functioning of sacred language will also be discussed. The focus is not limited to the Latin texts; rather, it also includes their respective translations in the German-language Missal. The principles of translation theory for the vernacular editions of liturgical books have been revised several times since the Second Vatican Council by the relevant Vatican authorities. Work on a new edition of the German Missal began in the summer of 2024. Against this background, the criteria for liturgical language of prayer are once again becoming the focus of attention.

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