Beads and Prayers: The Rosary in History and Devotion

by John Desmond Miller

Overview

The Christian rosary is a devotion in which a set of beads is used to keep tally of the prescribed prayers while pondering with Mary, the Mother of the Lord, on the significant events in the life of her son, Jesus Christ. The most popular of all Catholic devotions rosaries are also well known in other religious traditions beining in ancient times. A detailed and readable study of the Rosary in its various forms has long been needed. [Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is at an all time high, judging by the popularity of parish Rosary groups, pilgrimages to Marian shrines and the many alleged apparitions of Our Lady around the world.] Dr. Miller's book will fill a real need for the many who wish to take their devotion and theirprayer life to new depths, to understand the perennial importance of Christian meditation, and to understand more fully the tradition to which they belong.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780860123200
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/27/2002
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

John Desmond Miller is a retired General Medical Practitioner now actively engaged in Marian Studies.

Table of Contents

	Chronology of the Development of the Rosary	viii
1	Introduction	1
2	Origins of the Rosary	7
3	The Hail Mary	33
4	The Our Father	56
5	The Sign of the Cross, the Gloria Patri and the Creed	64
6	The Pre-Christian Origin of Prayer Beads	76
7	The Use of Beads in the Christian Tradition	87
8	The Use of Prayer Beads in England	95
9	The Rosary in Ireland	136
10	The Marian Movement and the Twentieth Century	145
11	Marian Apparitions and the Promotion of the Rosary	151
12	The Symbolism of the Rose, Rose Garland and Rose Garden	166
13	The Rosary in Papal Documents	177
14	A Method for Praying the Rosary	190
15	Meditating on the Rosary	196
16	Other Rosaries and Chaplets	204
17	The Jesus Clause	221
18	Indulgences Associated with the Rosary	228
Appendix 1	The Salve Regina	233
Appendix 2	The Angelus and Memorare	250
Appendix 3	The Liturgy of the Hours	259
Appendix 4	The Rosary and the Blessed Sacrament	263
Appendix 5	Rosaries in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London	268
	Bibliography	270
	Index	276