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.

1046/1096 (page 1026)

$^026 Clement.” [Apostolical Constitutions, I. pp. 119-126.] We have already given (§§ 15, 17) a brief account of the Eucharistic services as we find them in the Coptic edition of these constitutions. Ludolf, in his Comment a.d Hiitoriam Aethiopicam (pp. 324-327), gives a Latin translation of the corresponding passage in the Ethiopia version of the constitutions. This has been reproduced by Baron Bunsen in his Analecta Ante-Nicaena (vol. iii. pp. 106-126). It commences with “The Lord be with you, and with thy spirit. Up with your hearts,” etc.; then an Eucharistic address to God for the gift and work of His Son, passing at once to the words of institution, which are given in the simplest form. The prayer proceeds, “ calling to mind, therefore, His death and His resurrec- tion,” etc., “ we offer to Thee this bread and cup, rendering Thee thanks that Thou hast made us worthy to stand before Thee, and to perform the functions of Thy priesthood.” The Holy Spirit is invoked upon the oblations, but there is no prayer that He will make them the Body and Blood of Christ. The prayer is, “ that those w'ho partake of the gifts may be fulfilled with that Spirit.” We have the “ Sancta sanctis,” and the “ Unus Pater sanctus,” etc., and the “ Hymn of Praisethe latter, possibly, consisting of the 148th Psalm. The people enter to receive the “ medicine of their souls,” and the thanksgiving follows with a collect. The service concludes, “ Depart in peace^ and so the Eucharist is ac- complished.” It will be noticed that the Lord’s prayer is not introduced. (36.) Neither is the Lord’s Prayer introduced in the so-called liturgy of St. Clement. This liturgy is found in some MSS. of the eighth book of the Greek Apostolical Constitutions, but in the valuable Oxford manuscript {Codex Baroccianus) it is entii'ely omitted. There are other marks that it is an interpolation of late date. In the manuscripts where it occurs, it follows on the service for the consecration of a bishop, as it does in the Coptic and Ethiopia constitutions. The Greek liturgy begins with the apostolic benedic- tion, and the unbelievers, the hearers, the cate- chumens, etc., are then dismissed in order. Then comes a long intercessory prayer, the “ kiss of peace ” is given, and the apostolic benediction is repeated in a slightly different form ; we have the “ sursum corda ” and the “ dignum et justum.” This is Eucharistic, detailing the blessings of the creation and the history of God’s dispensations to mankind. When we reach the victories of Joshua, the ascription of glory by the Cherubim and Seraphim, “ Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus,” is introduced, and the Thanks- giving passes on to record the mercies of the incarnation, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord; then the bishop intro- duces the wo«ds of institution, and recites how, “ Remembering His sufferings. His resurrection. His ascension, and second coming, we offer to Thee, our King and God, according to His appoint- ment, this bread and this cup, giving thanks to Thee by Himthen follow the epiclesis and the great intercessory prayer, the various clauses of which are introduced by the words, “ We pray Thee,” or “ we entreat Thee,” or “ w'e offer to Thee,” or “ we beg Thee.” After this come the “ Sancta sanctis ” and the “ Glory to God in the highest.” All the people receive in order; first. presbyters, then deacons, sub-deacons, etc. The psalm, “ I will always give' thanks to thee,” (which includes the words, “ 0 taste and see,”) is sung during the Communion. The post-Com- munion service begins with a prayer of thanks- giving, the benediction from the bishop follows, the deacon says, “ Depart in peace.” (37.) Considerable doubts are felt as to whether the liturgy was ever celebrated after this fashion. At all events we have here the advantage of examining a rite, as it was proposed at some time not later than the 4th century. It can scarcely have been altered or interpolated since that time. It is worthy of mention that the liturgi- cal expressions, which have been noted in the recently recovered pages of the genuine Epistle of Clemens Romanus, are not found hei'e as they are found in the Alexandrine service books ; this would be an additional proof, if proof were wanting, that the ascription of the liturgy to St. Clement is purely fictitious. (38.) Liturgy of the Churches of Carthage, etc.— In passing from Alexandria along the coast of Africa to Carthage we pass from an order of things of which the characteristics were Greek to another whose characteristics were Latin. The early w^riters of the Carthaginian churches are so important and so voluminous that from their works which have come down to us we can supply many details of the Carthaginian services—our sources of information being per- haps more trustworthy than any “liturgy” would be which professed to have been prepared by St. Augustine. Thus we know^ from Tertullian {Apology, xxxix.) that in the gatherings of the faithful, “ the most approved seniors pre.sided.” The same chapter in the Apology mentions that at their gatherings the Christians in one body sued God by their prayers. They prayed for the emperors and for their ministers, for the state of the world, for the quiet of all things, “ for the delay of the end.” The sacred writings were called to remembrance, selections being made apparently with a view to the emergeucies of the times,—and an exhortation followed. Then we infer that all were directed to leave the church who were under censure. A collection of money was made on one day of the month, the money collected being used for the relief of the poor, and for the succour of those who were suffering for conscience sake. No doubt Tertullian is describing features of the ordinary Sunday Eucharist. The section passes on to speak of the Agapae» Elsewhere we learn that the passages from Scripture were taken from the Prophets, from the Epistles or Acts of the Apo.stles, and from the Gospel {Apology, xxii.), and that psalms or {Ad Uxor, ii. 9) hymns intervened between these sections. Tertullian frequently insists that these rites had been “ handed down *to us.” In praying they turned to the east {Apology, xvi.), lifting up their hands to God the Father {Idolat. vii. 7). We have two ascriptions of glory, one {Ad Uxor. i. 1) “ To whom be honour, glory, majesty, dignity, and power, for ever and ever.” The other {De Oratione, iii.), “To whom be honour and power for all ages.” With regard to the second part of the eucha- ristic office, to which he apparently gives the title '•Officium sacrificii' we have additional evidence. The prayers for the emperor seem te$