The liturgies of Guillaume Farel: their meaning and relevance

Abstract

Relatively little study has been devoted to Guillaume Farel. Though a number of Biographies have been published, these were mainly devotional or inspirational. The only critical biography to have been published in modern times, and to which the author has made much reference, is that written by the 'FAREL COMMITTEE' to commemorate the fourth centenary of the reformation at Neuchȃtel. The comparative neglect suffered by Farel and his works is surprising in view of his role as pioneer of the reformation in French-speaking Churches. The spotlight has been held almost exclusively on the second generation reformer John Calvin. The paucity of material available may help explain why Farel has remained such an obscure figure. This dissertation does not attempt to bring to light the full scope of Farel's work. This still has to be done. Incidentally the author has been informed that. there are at present two American post-graduate students doing research on Farel at Neuchȃtel. This may hold a promise of further light on this significant father of the reformation. The author has limited himself here to an examination and evaluation of Farel's liturgical works. These were only a very small portion of his wide field of activity. The further study necessary to investigate the full influence of these liturgies on the development of reformed worship is only outlined here. In order to set the Farellian orders in their context, a certain amount of historical and doctrinal background has been given. This is by no means exhaustive as each service would justify a separate dissertation. An effort has been made to cut background down to a minimum and to bring out the main tendencies only so as to situate Farel in the development of the understanding of the Church 's worship. (Preface)