Volume 1

A dictionary of Christian antiquities : being a continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible' / edited by William Smith and Samuel Cheetham ; illustrated by engravings on wood.

Date:: [between 1890 and 1899?]

Credit: A dictionary of Christian antiquities : being a continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible' / edited by William Smith and Samuel Cheetham ; illustrated by engravings on wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

1023/1096 (page 1003)

$Preces. Dicamus omnes: Miserere nobis Dens. R. Misert-re nobis. V. Tu Redemptor, Jesu Christe, salva mundum Tua morte. ‘ R. Miserere nobis. Qui pro nobis es percussus, et inique Judicatus. R. Miserere vobis. Qui ligatus crucem portas, et in cruce Patrem vocas. R. Miserere nobis. Cujus latus perfoditur, et humilitas arridetur. Miserere nobis. The “ miserationes ” said at compline on week days in Lent are of the same nature. There is a different form for each day in the week. III. The typical form of litany differs from those already noticed. It was, moreover, appropriated to other occasions of prayer, and used at other times than the ordinary liturgy or daily offices, and specially in connexion with processions. The original and simplest form was, as we have seen, Kyric Eleison and its repetitions. The smallest and most usual number of these repetitions was three, in the place of the second of which the Roman church, at an early period, substituted the form Christe Eleison. To this introduction was added an invocation to each Person of the Blessed Trinity severally and to all collectively, with miserere nobis at the end of each clause. Then followed invocations to the Blessed Virgin, angels and saints, each with ora pro nobis. Then “ deprecations ’ from various evils, spiritual and temporal, each followed by Libera nos Eomine ; supplications for the church and all estates of men, each followed by le rogamus, a<'di nos; the whole series concluding with the Agnus Dei thrice repeated, with the three successive responses—Farce nobis Domine; Exaudi nos Domine; miserere nobis. Then Christe a idi nos; Christe exaudi nos; Kyrie, &c.; Pater noster, a few “ preces ” (said alternately), a psalm, or disconnected verses of psalms said consecutively, and sometimes called capitula,” and the whole concluded with prayers or collects (orationes), mainly for forgiveness and pro- tection. This is the outline of a Roman litany in its full development. The names of the saints invoked varied with the place, or the occasion, or the service, as in the Ambrosian litanies in Lent, already referred to, in which they vary with each litany. The list was alwa3's headed by the Virgin and the heavenly host. The Agnus Dei was added in the 9th or 10th century.^ According to some authorities the essential parts of a litany, without which no form of prayer is properly entitled to the name, are the invocation of saints, and the Christe audi 7ios, &c., at the end of the supplications. The following litany is found, under the title Litania liomana, in an old MS. sacramentary of Gregory the Great. It was doubtless adopted in some church or churches of Gaul, as appears from the introduction of the names of some saints who were not speciallv venerated at Rome (S. Maurice, f a.d. 286, S. Geruianus, t A.D. 448, &c.), and from the petition for the Emperor of the Franks. Incipit Litania Fomana. Kyrie Eleison .. ter. S. Philippe .. ora. Christe audi nos .. ter. S. Bartlioloraaee .. cn-a. Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis. Sancte Michael .. ora. S. Gabriel .. .. ora. S. Raphael .. .. ora. S. Johannes .. ora. S. Petre .. .. ora. S. Paule .. .. ora. S. Andrea .. .. ora. S. Jacobe ,. .. wa. S. Johannes.. .. ora. S. Thoma .. .. ora. S. Jacobe .. .. ora. S. Matthaee.. .. ora. S. .'Simon .. .. m-a. S. Thaddaee .. ora. S. Matthia .. .. ora. S. Barnaba .. .. ora. S. Marce .. .. oj-a. S. Luca .. .. ora. S. Stephane.. .. ora. S. Line o)-a. S. Clete .. .. ora. S. Clemens .. .. oi a &c. &c. [And so on for 101 Omnes Sancti Propitius esto Propitius esto Ab Omni malo Ab hoste malo A periculo mortis Per crucem tuam Peccatores Ut pacem nobis dones .. .. Ut sanitatem aeris dones Ut fructum terrae nobis dones Ut aeris temperiem nobis dones names.*] Orate pro nobis. Farce nobis Domine. Libera nos Domine, Libera. Libera. Libera. Libera. Te rogamus audi nos. Te rogamus. Te rogamus. Te rogamus. Te rogamus. Ut domnum Apostolicum ill. in sancta religione const rvare digneris, Te rogamus. Ut domnum Jmperatorem et exercitum Francorum conservare difineris, Te rogamus. Ut cunctum populum Christiannm pre- tioso sanguine tuo redemptum con- servare digneris, Te rogamus. Ut iram tuam ab eo auferre digneris, Te rogamus. Fili Dei, Te rogamus. Agnus Dei qui toUis peccata mundi, Mise) ere nobis. Christe audi. Kyrie eleison. Later form^ of litanies are fuller, but in cha- racter do not dider from the earlier. In the early Latin church various kinds of litanies were distinguished by difterent names. The principal of these were— 1. The greater litany (litania major), called also the sevenfold litany (litania septiformis). This is said to have been instituted by Gregory the Great, a.d. 590, to be observed on St. Mark’s day (April 25), for the purpose of averting the Divine wrath on the occasion of a pestilence then ravaging the city. In a sermon preached the day before, he urged the people to come at daybreak the next day with contrite heart and amendment of life to the sevenfold litany, for which he then proceeds to give directions. It was so called from its being divided into seven litanies or processions, each of which started from a different church, and singing litanies on their road, all met in the church of St. Mary the Gi‘eat. “Let the litany” {i.e. the pro- cession), he continues, “ of the clergy proceed from the church of St. John the Baptist; the litany of men from the church of St. Marcellus the Martyr; the litany of monks from the church of SS. John and Paul ; the litanj' ot the handmaidens of God from the church of the Blessed Martyrs Cosmas and Damian; the litany oi married women from the church of the Blessed Stephen the Protomartyr ; the litany of v idov)S from the church of the Blessed Martyr Vitalis; the litany of the poor and infants from the Letter from J. M. Tommasi to Eras. Gattola, abbat and librarian of Montecasino, dated Rome, 1690. * The number of these invocations was sometimes much larger. A litany of the church of Tours, assigned to a date not later than a.d. 800, has more than 300.$