In the period following the fall of the Roman Empire, Latin as the imperial language was gradually replaced by the regional dialects that developed into the modern romance languages. One such dialect, commonly known as Mozarabic, was spoken by the native inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula who lived under Muslim rule. The language is also frequently called “old Spanish” because it was the precursor to the development of modern Spanish. The liturgy that developed in the post-Latin dialects were certainly influenced by the Latin liturgies, but that may not have been the only source of influence. In the present essay, Anton Baumstark compares elements of the “old-Spanish” liturgy with eastern liturgies, particularly Byzantine and Egyptian liturgies, in order to demonstrate an “oriental” influence.

• Orientalisches in Altspanischer Liturgie (page 5)