Inculturation of Roman Rite

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer explores the Roman funeral rite and the ability of the Romans to successfully inculturate elements of this ritual into the other cultures that they touched. The writer supports the thesis that the successful inculturation of funeral rites into mainstream society is a result of the willingness to adapt the ritual to include elements of the culture that they wished to acquire, rather than getting them to submit by sheer brute force. The new funeral rite then represents a perfect blend of two cultures.

Outline:
Understanding Inculturation
Roman Funeral Rites Past and Present
Inculturation of Roman Funerary Rites
The Jewish Funerary Liturgy
Developing a Plan for Inculturation
On Liturgy and Faith
Inculturation Methodology

From the Paper:

"As the pagan practices of the Roman Empire became entangled, and later replaced by Christianity, many of the pagan practices became obsolete. In some cases, they were no longer allowed, particularly those that honored pagan gods. However, as the Roman religion transformed into the Roman Catholic Church, many elements of the old funeral rites survived. The survival of these elements demonstrates a high degree of inculturation of the old Roman practices. The modern Catholic funerary service still maintains the basic structure of the old Roman ceremony.
"The modern Roman Catholic Church requires that burial rites contain three distinct lithurgical sections. A funeral must contain all three sections."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Acts 19:18-19. The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society: 1999
• Beuchlein, D. 1999. The Cultural Primacy of Plausibility and Inculturation of Our Beliefs . Faith. Jan-Feb. 1999. http://www.catholic.net/rcc/Periodicals/Faith/JAN- FEB99/Cultural.html (Accessed January 24, 2008)
• Eternal Word Television Network (ETWN)(2008) Instruction: Inculturation and the Roman Liturgy. http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDWINCLT.htm (Accessed January 24, 2008)
• John Paul II, 1991. encyclical Redemptoris Missio Dec. 7, 1990, No. 52: AAS 83 (1991), 300.
• John Paul II. 1979. Apostolic Exhortation. Catechesi Tradendae of Pope John Paul Ii On Catechesis In Our Time. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp- ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.html (Accessed January 24, 2008)

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