The aim of our aesthetics of liturgy is to study liturgical phenomena as a whole from the philosophico-theological standpoint of aesthetics. Liturgy is not only a kind of Gesamtkunstwerk, consisting of musical, visual, literary and dramatical arts, but it is, so to speak, a unified whole of arts, science and religion. For instance, Byzantine arts, music and even literature can be well understood only in connection with Byzantine rites. Armenian, Coptic and other Oriental rites also should be investigated. Of primary importance in our study is the expereince of the Oriental liturgy itself. Then, we sholud try philosophical and theological reflection upon, and description and analysis of, those experiences. For these studies, we need much fieldwork together with collecting essential matierials, not only books and pictures, but also records and sound tapes. We don't hope to turn liturgy into aesthetics but to serve it from a philosophico-theological standpoint. Following St. Bonaventura, our aesthetics of liturgy could be a kind of an eschatological aesthetics. We hope we can deal with Budhistic liturgy in our next essay.
