In the first edition of The search for the origins of Christian worship (SPCK 1992), Paul Bradshaw likens the task of the liturgical historian who seeks to explain how and why rites evolve to the joining up of random dots on a blank sheet of paper. Since there are no obvious connections between them the ‘assumptions and presuppositions with which one begins such an operation are vitally important to determining its outcome’ (p. 56). Juliette Day's detailed and comprehensive study of the Mystagogical catecheses, most commonly attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem, begins with the presupposition that in order to understand the evolution of the Jerusalem baptismal rite, the dating of them is of first importance. Day argues persuasively that the rite of initiation described in the Mystagogical catecheses is not the same as that referred to in Cyril's Catechetical lectures. A detailed structural, theological and narrative analysis and comparison with Antiochene, Egyptian and Palestinian sources reveals that the Mystagogical catecheses shows no sign of being the dominant influence over later rites that E. C. Ratcliff and others believed it to be and, conversely, of having been itself directly influenced by them. It is Day's thesis that, being subject to influences which also affected other provinces, the Mystagogical catecheses is more likely to date from the fifth than the fourth century and to be the work not of Cyril but of his episcopal successor, John. The long-standing debate on the date and authorship of the Mystagogical catecheses is given very careful and insightful treatment here but, since the available evidence is very much a random collection of dots on a page, similarity and dissimilarity can only take the argument so far. Although, for this reader, the balance of probability is successfully tipped in favour of Johannine authorship, there is insufficient evidence for the case to be proven. Moreover, Day's questioning of the influence which Mystagogical catecheses exerted over later rites doesn't necessarily close the door to the possibility of Cyrilene authorship. The study begins with an outline of a synchronic methodology which is employed in subsequent chapters as each stage of the rite is considered. This comparative approach, which considers a number of liturgical genres in their proper context, gives this study a critical edge over others which have been more limited in their treatment of sources. However, in taking Robert Taft's advice that ‘“hypothesis formation” must come early in a study’ (p. 10), the reader is sometimes left with the impression that, having presented the hypothesis in the opening chapter, the texts under investigation have no choice but to comply with it (e.g. ‘Our hypothesis would lead us to suggest’, p. 28). That said, Day's hypothesis is clear and well-researched, and her book essential reading for all those interested in the early history of the rites of Christian initiation.

David Thompson's account of baptism in Britain from the Evangelical Revival to the publication of the World Council of Churches statement, Baptism, eucharist and ministry, in 1982 has no shortage of dots on the page. In fact, so much material is presented in what Henry Chadwick fittingly described as ‘A masterpiece of exact Church History’ that, at times, it is difficult to see how they relate to each other. That said, this expanded version of Thompson's Hulsean Lectures, delivered in Cambridge in 1983–4, provides an extremely valuable survey of baptismal practice and belief which embraces the Methodist, Congregationalist, Baptist and Anglican traditions. Although there is some reference to the situation in other parts of the British Isles, Thompson's study concentrates mainly on developments in England (particularly with respect to Anglicanism) though, regrettably, fails to deal with the Roman Catholic Church during this period. A further slight disappointment is that the work undertaken to bring the study up to date has not always resulted in an accurate description of the current situation. For example, an important liturgical difference between the initiation services in Common worship (2000) and the Alternative service book (1980) is that, in 1980, the archetypal rite was an integrated adult service of baptism, confirmation and eucharist whereas, in Common worship, a baptismal rite which may be used for candidates of any age stands at the centre of the provision (p. 136). These minor criticisms aside, Thompson's study will be of enduring value to those who wish to use conflicting ecclesiastical expectations and popular perceptions of baptism as a framework within which to examine the relationship between Church and society in Britain in the last two centuries.