Die alte Litanei

Litanies, which are sung in great variety also today, especially on pilgrimages, have been popular for centuries in the Catholic Church, as a form of prayer that creates a sense of community and makes people forget their everyday problems. But these kinds of function hold many dangers: they can arise also from ›unholy‹ causes and ›unholy‹ aims can be achieved with them. The »Deggendorfer Gnad«, a pilgrimage in memory of a host desecration in Lower Bavaria, allegedly committed by Jews, and the pilgrimage to Andreas of Rinn near Innsbruck, alleged victim of a ritual murder committed by Jews, may serve as examples of the effects and consequences the traditional but questionable litanies can have for the Christian-Jewish relationship

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Ethnology · Judaism · Pilgrimage · Prayer · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · Historical, Literary, and Cultural Studies · History · Philosophy · Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity · Religious studies