PART II - COMMENTARY
THE ANAPHORA III
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Introduction to the Lord's Prayer
Listen to Malotte's Lord's Prayer sung the Vauxhall Male Voice Choir. Music details HERE.
The Lord's Prayer would naturally be used frequently in the public services of the Church at all times, but there is little evidence for its use in early days in the liturgy. Ap-Tr (Eth) has a bidding, 'Pray ye', where the Lord's Prayer usually comes, that may well imply it. Woolley thinks that it was used in early times after the communion, and that it was taken for granted in some documents where it is not mentioned, e.g. Ap-Const [Liturgy of the Primitive Church, 131.]. Test-D refers to it in a prayer for the communicants on receiving, but does not seem to suggest that the prayer was said. De Sacr had it after communion. Gall after the Fraction, which followed the Canon. The Roman practice is doubtful (see p. 66); Gregory put it where it is now, but whether he introduced it or altered its position is uncertain. It is in most Eastern rites. Eth has it in most manuscripts, but not Tasfa or Mer-3 at this place. In the special Anaphoras it is only in Eth-Chrys-Our Lord. These two have Prayers of the Fraction also. It must therefore be a late introduction in Eth.
While the priest is saying the following prayer (Byz), the deacon recites a litany, repeating for the most part the subjects of the great Intercession.
Unto thee, O gracious Lord,
we commend our whole life and hope,
and pray, beseech, and implore thee
to make us worthy to partake of thy heavenly and fearful mysteries
of this sacred and spiritual table
with a pure conscience for the remission of our sins,
for the pardon of our transgressions,
for the fellowship of the Holy Ghost,
the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven,
and for confidence towards thee,
and not for judgement and condemnation.
And grant, O Lord,
that we may boldly and without condemnation
dare to call upon thee, our heavenly Father, and say:
Bas's prayer (ἡ μέση εὐχή) asks for cleansing, union in Christ's body, and His indwelling, that all unworthiness may be removed, for a sure hope in the day of judgement, a share in the heavenly blessings', &c. Most rites ask for boldness, and the idea is implicit in Cyril of Jerusalem. Syr-Jac Three Prayers of Fraction, accompanied by the Litany precedes the 'Prayer of our Father'. Jas is longer; after referring to the angelic hosts and to the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the gifts, it asks for the sanctification of souls and bodies,' that we may be made bold', &c. Mk has a similar structure, but differently expressed; the Lord's Prayer is included in the body of this prayer, and the people say it after the ecphonesis. Copt and Eth resemble this, but are longer. Nest has a penitential prayer, not making mention of the Holy Spirit as most do, though it mentions 'speaking in a new tongue with lips of fire', and, after the usual reference to boldness, it leads up to the prayer by ' Whensoever ye pray', &c. Ap-Const has a similar type of prayer, accompanied by a deacon's litany, but without the Lord's Prayer, or any allusion to it. From its diversity in form this prayer must be late, and it would seem that it has the same origin as the Prayer of Inclination, the Lord's Prayer having been added.
The Roman Preface is, 'Taught by the precepts of salvation, and guided by the divine teaching, we make bold to say'. Amb, which retains the Gallican position, has three; Gall and Moz were also variable; this is the Ad orationem dominicam, Isidore's Oratio septima.
Our Father, which art in heaven, &c.
In De Sacr the Lord's Prayer was used twice, once at the end of the Canon by the priest alone, and after communion by the people. St. Gregory in response to a complaint had the Lord's Prayer said by the people, but it dropped out again.
the Embolism of the Lord's Prayer
It is a very widespread practice after the Lord's Prayer to expand the last clause into a prayer for protection against sin and other evils. Cyril of Jerusalem did not have it, for he says, 'After the end of the prayer thou sayest, Amen.' The Embolism usually takes up the words 'lead us not into temptation', but Rome 'deliver us from evil'.
Yea, Lord, lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
for thy great mercy knoweth that we are not able to bear it through our great weakness, but with the temptation make a way of escape, that we may be able to bear it, for thou hast given us power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon every kind of evil thing.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
forever and ever.
This is Mk. Jas is similar down to ' weakness', and then prays for deliverance, 'for the sake of thy holy name, which is invoked upon our humility'; Syr-Jac is nearer Mk. Copt follows Mk, but alludes to the ' fiery darts of the enemy'. Eth has no proper introduction or Embolism, but the Doxology only. Nest and Arm are less like, but have the same idea. Byz has no Embolism; the ecphonesis is the Doxology as above with a Trinitarian ending. Eth has a prayer for the effectual reception of the mystery, and a curious reply by the people:
The hosts of the angels of the Saviour of the world
stand before the Saviour of the world,
and encompass the Saviour of the world,
even the body and blood of the Saviour of the world.
And let us come before the face of the Saviour of the world.
In faith of him, give we thanks to Christ.
Rome also has the Embolism, but in its own manner:
Deliver us we beseech thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, present, and future,
and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever-Virgin Mary the Mother of God, with thy blessed apostles, Peter and Paul and Andrew, and all thy saints, mercifully grant peace in our days, in order that through the help of thy bountiful mercy we may be always delivered from sin and safe from all anxiety.
It is here that the bread is broken in the Roman rite. Amb has the same Embolism with variations. De Sacr, 'through our Lord Jesus Christ in whom and with whom there is to thee honour, praise, glory, majesty, and power with the Holy Spirit from all ages, &c.' Biasca has before the Lord's Prayer, 'to thee, the Father Almighty, from him and through him and in him is all honour, virtue, praise, glory, rule, perpetuity, and power in the unity of the Holy Spirit, through endless ages and ages', which appears in Gel and Rom as the ending of the Canon Per quern:
Through him, and with him, and in him, is unto thee.
God the Father Almighty, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
all honour and glory, for ever and ever,
Amen.
The Embolism of Gall, but not Moz, was variable.
the Inclination
Peace be to all.
R . And to thy spirit.
Deacon: Let us bow down our heads to the Lord.
Before thee, O Lord our God.
This introduction is found in Syrr (not Ap-Const), Byz, Egypt. Copt and Eth have the second pair in most Anaphoras. Arm for the second has, 'Let us worship God' with the usual response. Gall and Moz before the Benediction (see p. 274) 'humiliate vos benediction!'.
To thee thy servants bow down their heads,
awaiting the rich mercies that come from thee.
Send them, O Lord,
and sanctify our souls and bodies and spirits,
that they may be worthy to partake of the body and blood of Christ our Saviour
by thy mercies, &c.
This is Syrian (not Ap-Const), but a similar form is found in all Eastern rites; Bas is very like this. In some the praise predominates at this point, and the idea expressed above appears in the Elevation or Fraction. In Copt and Eth, in addition to the Prayer of Inclination, there is also a Prayer of Absolution, based on St. Peter's possession of the keys, and asking that the faithful' may be loosed by my mouth'. This is followed in Eth and Copt-Bas by a memorial of the living and the dead. Arm is addressed to the Holy Spirit:
'Keep thy people entire, and stamp upon their hearts the posture of their bodies, for the possession and inheritance of good things to come.' Chrys-Barb starts with praise, and then becomes an intercession for the needs of each; Chrys is nearer to Bas and Jas. Greg has its own form of prayer of the same type. Angl has a similar prayer, following a Confession and Absolution, and before the Prayer of Consecration.
the Elevation
The Eastern liturgies do not as a rule give many directions on ceremonial, and there is in many of them no indication in the text that the elements are to be raised before the people; but the custom is very ancient and the formulas general. St. Basil says: 'Some one of the saints has left us in writing the words of the invocation at the exposition of the bread of the eucharist.' [De Sp. Sanct. 27.] Ap-Tr (Eth) does not mention an elevation of the oblates, but after the Sancta sanctis and its response says: ' And then they shall lift up their hands for glorifying, and the people shall come in for the salvation of their souls'; but this is not original. St. John Damascene says: 'At the elevation of the bread of the Eucharist we do not say τρὶς ἅγιος - tris hagios or τρὶς κύριος - tris kyrios but ἕις ἅγιος - heis hagios, ἕις κύριος - heis kyrios, &c.' [De Trisagio, 27.] There is also an allusion to it in St. Gregory [Dialog, ii.]. A relic of this observance is preserved in the Roman liturgy in 'Si quis non communicat det locum' in the ordination of an exorcist, and possibly a rudiment is to be seen in the words of the Didache,' If any man is holy let him come; if any man is not let him repent, Maran-atha', at the end of the consecration prayer. This elevation has no connexion with the Roman Elevation at the completion of the consecration, which seems to have been introduced to mark the point of consecration. The original ceremony was intended to warn receivers to make themselves worthy; the latter for purposes of adoration.
The Roman directions are:
(a) after 'This is my body', to show it to the people, and before the words, 'This is the chalice', to elevate it a little, 'parum elevans'. This comes from the eleventh century, and is found in Sar, Bang, York. It is also mentioned by Durandus and others. A Canon of the Synod of Exeter (1287) explains it: 'The host is raised on high that it may be seen by the faithful congregation.' [Maskell, Ancient Lit, of C. of E. 138. See on the whole question, Cabrol, D.A.C.L. iv. 2666.]
(b) At the end of the Canon to raise the chalice a little with the Host. This is mentioned in Ordo I, Micrologus [X.xi.] Amalarius [De eccles. offidis, iii. 26.], and others; it is more ancient than the other, but has been superseded by it in custom. Fortescue gives the directions as follows: at the first Elevation of the Host ' he lifts it straight up before him to such a height that it may be seen from behind, over his head', and similarly with the chalice. At the second 'he elevates the host and chalice together a little above the altar'. [Ceremonies of the Roman Rite, 54, 55, 57.] The emphasis has thus been transferred from the original elevation to the more recent ceremony in the interests of the theory of consecration.
In the Ruth rite (19th cent.) the lavabo comes here.
O holy one, who dwellest in the holy places,
sanctify us with the word of thy grace,
and the descent of the Holy Spirit,
for thou, Lord, didst say, 'Be ye holy, even as I also am holy'.
O Lord our God,
incomprehensible God and Word,
being of one substance with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
coeternal and inseparable,
receive the pure hymn of the holy and bloodless sacrifices
with the cherubim and seraphim
and from me a sinner who cries and says:
Jas and Mk; Byz is less theological. All the prayers naturally speak of sanctification. In Arm the Host is here dipped in the chalice.
Give heed.
In Mk and Jas the prayer follows this and leads directly to the Sancta sanctis, but the people in Mk say a triple Kyrie eleison.
Holy things to the holy.
One holy, one Lord Jesus Christ,
to the glory of God the Father.
This is the form in Cyril of Jerusalem, Ap-Const, Byz, Arm, Peter, and Jas (which adds 'to whom be glory forever'). Syr-Jac, Egypt, and Nest have a Trinitarian formula such as 'One holy Father, one holy Son, one Holy Spirit', so also Theodore of Mopsuestia, Narsai. Syr-Jac repeats this after the Elevation in the form,' One holy Father be with us, &c.' Copt and Eth also use it at the Prothesis. Ap-Const adds, 'Blessed for ever' (and so Syr-Jac), and then the scriptural Gloria in excelsis with Hosanna and Benedictus. Mk has instead of 'to the glory, &c.' the words,' in the unity of the Holy Spirit'. There is an Anthem of Praise in Nest. Byz-Greg says, 'The presanctified holy things, &c.'
The elevation is made before the prayer in Jas, and the Fraction after the prayer and before the Sancta sanctis. Syr-Jac has the elevation after 'one holy', the Fraction having been made before the Lord's Prayer. In Copt the Fraction has also been made before, and only the central portion of the bread is raised. In Byz the Elevation is made here; Nest has no manual acts here.
In the Slav liturgy of the twelfth century, after the Sancta sanctis the priests and deacons approached the celebrant and said, 'For many years, reverend father, your prayers, which are pure and holy before God; for many years, reverend father', to which he replied, ' May it be as long as you live'. This was deleted by Nicon (1655).
the Fraction
The breaking of the bread was so prominent a feature both in our Lord's last Supper, and in the repetition of it in the Eucharist, that in the earliest days the sacrament was known as 'the breaking of the bread'. This for the first two centuries was the most usual term for the Eucharist. The action of breaking the bread must therefore have been universal from the beginning.
At first the Fraction probably took place at the recitation of the Institution. This is suggested by the fact that most of the Eastern liturgies use the phrase, 'which is broken for you', although there is no first-class authority for their inclusion in our Lord's words. The time when the bread was broken is not indicated, but it gradually became separated from the Institution, if that was its place, by the development of the Anamnesis and other forms. It began to be consciously a separate ceremony somewhere between the fourth and fifth centuries.
In the West the practice arose of accompanying the account of the actions of our Lord with appropriate gestures on the part of the priest, but these were dramatic, and did not include the Fraction, which would thereby have been duplicated. In some medieval Missals a special warning is given to ill-trained priests not to break at the Institution, as they might quite naturally do. For example, the Sarum Missal says,' Here the host is not to be touched so as to break it, as some stupid people (fatui) do, and wrongly'.
It was 'after he had given thanks' that our Lord broke bread, and to make the Eucharist a true analogy the Fraction must be after the completion of the Canon or Anaphora, which is the 'giving of thanks'. Angl has, however, adopted the practice of breaking at the words of Institution, though in that case it is so near the end of the consecration prayer that it is insignificant. The 1927-8 form is more subject to criticism in this respect.
In Roman Ordines the Pope broke one of the two loaves offered by him and placed one-half on the altar that' while the solemnities of the Mass were being performed the altar should not be without the Sacrifice upon it'. The rest of his loaf was taken to the Pope at his seat and broken for him by the deacon; the other loaves were broken by the bishops and priests present. A fragment consecrated at a previous Mass was also at this point placed in the chalice to symbolize the unity of all Masses.
In Copt and Nest the Fraction precedes the Lord's Prayer; in Nest there is a censing. In most Eastern liturgies it is rather elaborate, and difficult to separate from other ceremonies connected with the sacred elements - the Consignation, Commixture, and distribution of the portions of the bread, which in some cases are very numerous. In some liturgies there is a double or treble Fraction. In Copt and Eth the bread is broken at the recitation of the Institution, at the Fraction proper, and again at the elaborate subdivision before communion. The Byz is simple and is given here:
Deacon: Sir, dismember (μέλισον - melison) the holy bread.
Priest: The Lamb of God is dismembered and distributed,
he that is dismembered yet not divided,
who is always eaten yet never consumed,
but sanctifies those who partake.
So saying he divides it into four, which he places in the form of a cross. This division into four became general about the tenth century, and shortly afterwards the communion of the priest and the faithful was elaborated. In the Byz of the ninth century the Fraction was made while the priest was saying the words εἷς ἅγιος - heis hagios of the Elevation, as in other rites. This Fraction is now so complicated in some countries that it is even said that it takes a priest some years to learn to do it properly! The Greeks place the portions in a square on the paten, the IC, which is to be placed in the chalice, at the top; the XP, the priest's, at the bottom, NI to the left, and KA to the right; the last two are for the laity. Moz broke the host into nine parts, which were placed in the form of a Cross, seven signifying the mysteries of our Lord's life (Incarnation, Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, Passion, Death, and Resurrection), the remaining two, representing the heavenly mysteries, Glory and the Kingdom, being placed beside the Cross on the right. The portion ' Kingdom' is placed in the chalice. The Celtic rite was even more complicated.
Mk accompanies the Fraction with Ps.cl.1a, 'O praise God in his holiness', and a short prayer of blessing. This also is within the 'Elevation', for it is followed by a repetition of εἷς πατὴρ ἅγιος, κτλ - heis pater hagios, ktl.It is accompanied by a litany of three petitions. Arm makes the Fraction just after the confession of faith (p. 287), and like Chrys before the πλήρωμα - pleroma (in this case ' the fullness of the Holy Ghost'). Nest has the formula ' We draw nigh ... we break, we sign the body and the blood, &c.' For Eth see Lord's Prayer, but the subordinate Anaphoras have prayers of various types. In Rome the Fraction is during the Embolism of the Lord's Prayer and before the 'Pax Domini', but before Gregory (590-604) it was at the end of the Canon, and before the Lord's Prayer. Gall and Moz also had the Fraction before the Lord's Prayer, but the Commixtio after. Amb has both the Fraction and Commixtio before the Lord's Prayer. There is also a variable Confractorium: that for the Epiphany is: 'This beginning of miracles did Jesus, &c.' (Jn. ii. 11).
Dom Cagin gives some interesting evidence of forms found in Italian manuscripts; e.g. 'Send out thine angel (or thy Holy Spirit): we break thy body and blood, do thou deign to bless, &c.' Cabrol seems to think these of Roman origin; if they are they are of special interest as suggesting that the Fraction prior to Gregory followed an epiclesis which was replaced by the Lord's Prayer [D.A.C.L. v. 1371.]. These forms are introduced by the rubric 'infra actionem', which may well stand for 'in fractionem'.
prayer of Fraction.
This must be considered distinct from the Prayer of Elevation, which is Greek, and probably Byz in origin. Only the Syr, which is given here, and Nest have a true Prayer of Fraction.
Thus truly did the Word of God suffer in the flesh,
and was sacrificed and broken on the Cross:
and his soul was severed from his body,
albeit his Godhead was in no wise severed
either from his soul or from his body.
And he was pierced in his side with a spear
and there flowed thereout blood and water
a propitiation for the whole world, &c.
and so it continues to the resurrection. There are two other Prayers of Fraction.
the Commixture
There are two actions coming under this heading, though they are not distinct in many liturgies:
(a) The ἕνωσις - henosis, i.e. the dipping of the Host into the chalice to be used for the consignation;
(b) the Commixture proper, the placing of a portion of the Host in the chalice. Both these practices signify that the body and blood are one. In Byz there is no henosis, but the fragment IC is simply placed in the chalice.
The union (henosis) of the all-holy body
and the precious blood of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Jas. As he says this, the priest dips into the chalice the half of the broken bread, which he holds in his right hand, and then signs with it that held in his left hand. Then he divides the bread and places a fragment in each chalice, saying:
It is united and sanctified and completed,
in the name, &c.
Mk, which has no commixture, has ' It is sanctified and completed and become the body and blood of the Lord &c.' Byz calls the Commixture the Pleroma; the deacon says: 'Sir, complete the holy cup'; Priest: 'The completion (πλήρωμα - pleroma) of the holy cup with the Holy Ghost'. Here he places a portion in the chalice. In Copt and Eth, in which the Fraction has taken place earlier, after the Commixture there is a kind of Creed, in which at some length confession is made ' unto the last breath' that the consecrated elements are the quickening flesh of Christ. This is also in Byz and Arm; in the latter once here and once at communion. Slav (12th cent.) had ' Mixture of the sacred body and precious blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the fullness of the Holy Spirit'. With the Ruth, the Commixture began to be neglected in the seventeenth century, and was abolished in 1720, but is said to be still often practised. In Nest the priest dips the broken buchra, but does not seem to leave any in the chalice. Arm also dips it whole before the Elevation and Fraction.
Rome has the Commixture, after the Consignation, with these words: 'This commixture and consecration of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be to us who receive for eternal life.' This is not in Eng. Amb, on breaking the piece for the Commixture, 'May the blood ever be to us for life, and the salvation of souls, O our God'; he signs over the chalice and says: 'May the mingling of the consecrated body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be of advantage to us who eat and partake thereof for life and everlasting joy.' The Moz words are: 'The joining of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ be for pardon to us ... and to provide rest for the faithful departed.'
the Consignation
This is the signing of each element with the other. It goes back to the Acts of Thomas, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and Narsai, 'He signs the blood with the body and makes mention of the Trinity, and he signs the body with the living blood with the same utterance.' [Hom. xvii, Connolly, p. 23.] It is only in Syrr, Egypt, and Nest, and with no verbal resemblances. The following is Nest:
The precious blood is signed with the life-giving body of the Lord Jesus Christ,
in the name, &c.
and vice versa. Jas has 'Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, slain for the life and salvation of the world'. Some of the rites have long prayers at this point, especially Nest, and many accompanied the rites with deacon's litanies, psalms, or anthems. The Communion Hymns are in some cases, e.g. Byz, being sung during the manual acts (see below). The order also varies.
Other liturgies sign the chalice with the bread, as in Rome at 'Pax Domini' before the Commixture. In Ordo I three signs were made over the chalice, and then a fragment from the preceding Mass was put in the chalice.
the Agnus Dei
Listen to the Robert Shaw Festival Singers sing the Agnus Dei (Barber - Adagio for Strings Op11.). Music details HERE.
In the Roman and some Eastern rites this formula is used before communion. In Jas it is used here, and in modem Byz at the Fraction, and it includes a reference to the dividing of the Lamb, the name given to the priest's portion of the Host, which, at the Prothesis, had been symbolically sacrificed and pierced, with the words of the Agnus. Peter has it, having probably borrowed it from Rome, as the κοινωνικόν - koinonikon .It is in the same place in the Western liturgies. The first known use of it is in the Gloria, in excelsis, which is not in the liturgy in the East. Liber Pontificalis says that Sergius I (687-701) ordered it to be sung by clergy and people at the Fraction, with the Miserere nobis; he was a Sicilian of Antiochene family. Duchesne thinks this may have been a protest against the prohibition of the representation of the Agnus Dei by the Council in Trullo. [Liber. Pont. i. 381 n.] At first it was sung by the Schola once only, and so appears in Greg, St. Amand, Ordo I, repeated by the people, and Walafrid Strabo and Amalarius only know of one [De rebus eccles. x; De cedes, offic. iii. 33.]. Later a third repetition was added, about the beginning of the eleventh century. Beleth and Innocent III in the twelfth century mention the 'Dona nobis pacem' of Masses of the departed, and the latter says it was introduced on account of the disorders that threatened the peace of the Church [D.A.C.L. i. 967.]. Many Churches, however, retained the third Miserere nobis, as the Lateran does still. About the same time the Requiem form was also used.
The Agnus does not occur in the Good Friday and Holy Saturday rites, nor in Gel, Bobb, Stowe, Illyr [The Mass of Flacius Illyricus, a composition of the 9th cent., supposed by Flacius (1557) to have been an ancient Gallican document.], Moz, Amb (save as below). Jum has it between the Pax and the Commixtio, so in other manuscripts called Gregorian, all giving it once only. Generally up to the thirteenth century it is in this position; then it was changed to its present place. Gastoue looks on it as a chant for the Kiss of Peace; Cabrol suggests it may correspond to the chant accompanying the Fraction, which probably dropped out in Gregory's rearrangement [D.A.C.L. i. 967.]. In the Middle Ages it was sometimes farced.
Amb has it for Requiems only, with the following form in the third place: 'Dona eis requiem sempiternam, et locum indulgentiae, cum sanctis tuis in gloria.'
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us,
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
grant us thy peace.
In Rome, before communion the priest says, 'Ecce agnus', &c.; it is a recent introduction, and does not serve the same purpose as the Eastern formula mentioned on p.288. The Kiss of Peace occurs here in the Roman liturgy.
the Zeon
In the Byz rite warm water, having been blessed, is poured into the chalice with the words:
The warmth of faith is full of the Holy Ghost.
Lebrun dates this back to Justinian (527-65), and relates that the Emperor Maurice (582-602) endeavoured to induce the Armenian Catholicos, Moses, to use it, but without success [Explication de la Messe, iv. 412.]. St. Nicephorus (d. 815) says: 'The priest must not celebrate without warm water, except on account of a sudden emergency, and if warm water can by no means be procured.' [Canon 13, P.G. c. 855.] Barb does not mention it. In some Greek MSS. and the Slav of the fifteenth century the priest said, as he poured the Zeon: ' He shall come down as rain upon the world, and like the raindrops.' In the sixteenth century the deacon said: 'Complete, father, this cup, putting into the chalice the fullness of the Holy Ghost; bless, father, the warm water, the warmth of the Holy Ghost'; Priest, 'Change both by the Holy Ghost'. The Melkite Uniat Patriarch of Tyre and Sidon wished in the eighteenth century to abolish the Zeon, but was prohibited by Rome (1716). In some Slav. MSS. it is not mentioned.
the Communion
As in the rest of the post-anaphoral portions of the liturgy, the devotions attending the administration vary widely, indicating their late date. In most there are prayers to be used before the priest communicates, generally expressions of unworthiness. Usually there is a form of words to be used to the communicants that also vary, a strange fact, seeing that our Lord's own words of administration are recorded in the Gospels. But by a confusion of thought these words, which were originally said as He communicated His disciples, became associated with the idea of consecration, at least in the West. There is also generally an anthem or Psalm, which is sung during communion, and often begins as early as the Fraction. The order of the communion is sometimes laid down, most fully in Ap-Const, where it is as follows: the bishop, who is the celebrant, priests, deacons, subdeacons, readers and psalmists, ascetics, deaconesses, virgins, widows, children, and then those that remain. There are many variations in the devotions of the Presanctified (Greg).
None of what follows is in the Barb MS., except the proclamation to communicants, the κοινωνικόν - koinonikon ,and the τροπάριον - troparion.
(a) the communion hymn, anthem, or psalm.
This is called κοινωνικόν - koinonikon in Greek; pritshasten in Slav; Communio Rom. Gall calls it Trecanum, Amb, Transitorium, Germ says it is 'signum catholicae fidei de Trinitatis credulitate procedens', but no form is known that would suit those words.
O taste and see how gracious the Lord is (Ps.xxxiv.8).
In Ap-Const it is Ps.xxxiv, 'I will alway give thanks unto the Lord' (or perhaps only the 8th verse as above), as in Cyril of Jerusalem and Jas, with Alleluia. So Arm. Mk and Copt have Ps.cl with Alleluias, and Arm combines that with xxxiv. Originally this was also used in the West. In Jas, Syr-Jac, Arm, Gall, and Moz Alleluias were inserted.
Alongside the Psalm, which in Ross is called κοινωνικόν - koinonikon, an anthem has developed, and received that name. It is one verse, or a series of verses, usually followed by Alleluia, and is found in Byz, Arm, Syr-Jac, Mk, Nest (Anthem of the Bema). In Chrys there is one for each day of the week, and others for the festivals. A hymn is mentioned in Ap-Tr (Eth not Lat). Cyril of Jerusalem says, 'After this ye hear the singer inciting you with divine strains to communion in the holy mysteries and saying, " Taste and see", &c.'
St. Augustine tells us that in his time there was introduced into the African Church the singing of a Psalm, probably xxxiv [Retract, ii. 2, ii. n; cf. En. i in Ps.Ixxi.10.]. St. Jerome says: 'Every day when we are filled with the celestial bread we say "Taste and see "' [Comm. in Is.ii.v.20.], and Cassiodorus (c. 570) testifies to its use in Italy [Comm. in Ps. xxi (xxxiv).]. It remains today in Rom the Communio for the 8th Sunday after Pentecost. Moz kept that text for daily use in Lent and Easter. Stowe and Ant-Bang have it also. Originally, however, these chants, unlike the Respond, had no relation to the day, but were simply suited to the action of the rite. This still applies to many of them, but they were gradually drawn into the scheme of variables and lost their character.
The following is the Ambrosian Transitorium for Epiphany:
Today the Church is joined to her heavenly bridegroom,
for in Jordan hath he washed away her iniquities.
The wise men hasten with a gift to the royal marriage:
and, wine being made of water,
the guests are gladdened.
The soldier baptizes the King,
the servant his Lord, John the Saviour.
The water of Jordan was astonished;
the dove beareth witness;
the Father's voice was heard:
This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased;
hear ye him.
In the Roman Ordines the Communio was sung during communion; now it is after. It is probably of the same date, and it has the same character (antiphona) as the Introit, but now the Psalm has disappeared and only the refrain remains. Occasionally it is non-scriptural.
(b) devotions of the priest and deacon (more or less private).
O Lord God, heavenly bread, life of all,
'I have sinned against heaven and before thee,
and am not worthy' to receive thy spotless mysteries,
but as a merciful God make me worthy by thy grace
unblameably to receive the holy body and the precious blood,
for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Jas; similar prayers occur in most liturgies, but they have only such resemblance as is natural to their subject. Rome has two, 'Domine Jesu Christe' and 'Perceptio corporis tui'. These are both, contrary to the usual custom, especially in the Western Church, addressed to our Lord, which marks their private nature. The former is earlier than the latter, and is found in Amb and most medieval Missals, while 'Perceptio' is absent from Amb, Sarum, Bang, Hereford. Other prayers are substituted and there is no fixity in these devotions.
The Communion Prayers are often introduced by - πρόσχωμεν or a similar call from the deacon, and there are in some liturgies requests on the part of the deacon that the priest should fulfill the various acts.
(c) the Pax.
Test-D, after a proclamation by the deacon, has 'Give us concord in the Holy Spirit, and heal our souls by this offering, that we may live in thee for ever'. Rome has the Kiss of Peace here, before the prayers just mentioned, with the words 'Pax tecum' and the response 'Et cum spiritu tuo'.
(d) the words of administration.
The words used by our Lord were:
(1) Take, this is my body, as in the Gospels; or
This is my body, as in Lk.xix.2, 1 Cor.;
Cor. also adds, which is for you, and
Textus Receptus inserts given.
(2) Mk. This is my blood of the covenant which is shed for many;
Mt. begins with, Drink ye all of it, and adds for the forgiveness of sins.
Luke's narrative is not clear about the cup, and
1 Cor. has This cup is the new covenant in my blood:
do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me.
A modification is necessary to substitute the third person for the first, and also in rites in which either only one kind is received, or the two are administered together; but one would expect that one or other of these scriptural forms, or a conflation of them, would be in use everywhere. But it is not so. Ap-Tr (Bohair) alone of all liturgies retains the words of our Lord: 'This is the body of Christ Jesus.'
The Body (Blood) of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which was given (shed) for thee
preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.
This is Angl (1549), following the form used in Rome by the priest when communicating himself: 'Corpus (sanguis) Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam aeternam. Amen', but adding 'which is given to thee', and coupling body and soul. Arm (uniting the two) is similar, and so is Mk, 'The holy Body (precious Blood) of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ'. Ap-Const, 'The body of Christ' and 'The Blood of Christ, the cup of life'; Syr-Jac, 'To true believers for the pardon of offences and for the remission of sins for ever'. Eth, 'The bread (cup) of life which came down from heaven: this is the body (blood) of Christ'; and other forms are used in the various Anaphoras. Copt, 'This is in truth the Body and Blood of Emmanuel'; Nest, 'The Body of our Lord to the circumspect believer for the pardon of offences; the precious blood for the pardon of offences, the spiritual feast for everlasting life to the circumspect believer'. Byz, 'N. the servant of God, receives the precious and holy Body and Blood of the Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life'; originally only the last words were used. St. Augustine speaks of the form 'Receive and eat the Body of Christ', but he also has simply 'The body of Christ' with Amen [Serm.3.], which is what De Sacr gives. Rome has now no direction for words to be used in communicating the people, nor has Amb, but in the time of St. Gregory, according to John the Deacon, they were, 'The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul'.
The Angl form was dropped under Calvinistic influences in 1552, and the words 'Take and eat (drink) this in remembrance that Christ died for thee and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving (and be thankful)' substituted. In 1559 the two forms were combined. Jas has no form of words. Those of the Acts of Thomas are given on p.19.
(e) the administration is sometimes accompanied by a song in addition to the κοινωνικόν - koinonikon.
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Our Lord God hath appeared unto us.
Accept me as a partaker this day of thy mystic supper,
O Son of God, for I do not speak this mystery to thine enemies:
I do not give thee a kiss like Judas,
but like the robber I confess the Lord,
'Remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom'.
Chrys; (this is Cheroubicon C, p. 213). The last portion is specially interesting, as it occurs in the Amb Antiphonary of the twelfth century, sometimes as an Ingressa, sometimes after the Gospel. The Benedictus and 'Our Lord God' are also used in Arm after communion; there is also before this an Anthem (p.292) 'Mother of Faith'. Test-D has the Benedictus too, and ' send the grace of thy Holy Spirit upon us'; Jas, verses of Psalms and a Doxology; Syr-Jac, an Anthem with Alleluia; Nest, a 'Praise' for Sundays and festivals. Ant-Bang has a metrical hymn entitled, 'Ymnus quando communicant sacerdotes', of which the first two lines were
Sancti, venite, Christi Corpus sumite,
Sanctum bibentes, quo redempti, Sanguinem.
(f) prayers after communion.
Yet another Anthem is sung in Chrys, the ἀπολυτίκιον - apolytikion, which is variable. In Barb is given a troparion, which is to be found in Chronicon Paschale (ad AD 624). The Patriarch Sergius introduced it (c. 624), but it disappeared in the thirteenth or fourteenth century.
Before this the priest says:
O Lord, save thy people,
and bless thine inheritance.
Byz and Arm. A prayer is found inRome; the minister pours wine into the chalice and the priest says:
Grant, O Lord,
that what we have taken with our mouths
we may receive with a pure mind,
and that that which is given for this life
may become an everlasting healing.
This was originally a thanksgiving after communion. It is ancient, being in Leo, Gel, Goth, Greg, Amb. The priest drinks the wine, 'quo se purificat', and, as he washes his fingers, dries them, and taking this ablution, says:
May the Body which I have received
and the Blood which I have drunk
cleave to my heart,
and grant that in me,
whom thy pure and holy sacraments have refreshed,
no spot of sin may abide.
This is also a Post-Communion; it is in Goth and Illyr. Before the eleventh century, the priest merely washed his hands, and poured the ablutions into the piscina. This prayer is not in Amb, which has instead: 'Establish, O Lord, what thou hast wrought in us, and grant thy Church a lasting tranquillity and peace'. In Jas the archdeacon says a Doxology 'at the entrance': ' Glory to thee (three times) Christ the king,' &c.; Byz also has a blessing:
Priest (silently). Blessed be our God,
(aloud) everywhere now and for ever.
This is also in Peter.
the Thanksgiving
Listen to the Choir of St Gregory of Nyssa sing the Serbian Troparion. Music details HERE.
The deacon usually invites the people to give thanks for their communion, or sometimes to prayer. This is followed by the singing of a Psalm or hymn, or the recital of a litany. According to Chronicon Paschale (AD624) the last στίχος - stichos of the κοινωνικόν - koinonikonis sung, followed by the τροπάριον - troparion, introduced by the Patriarch Sergius in that year. It resembled the following from Jas.
Fill our mouth with thy praise, O Lord,
and our lips with joy,
that we may hymn thy glory.
In Byz it disappeared in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Eth has Ps.cxlv, 'I will magnify thee', with the Lord's Prayer as an antiphon; Nest, Ps.cxlviii, 'O praise the Lord of heaven', and Ps.cxvii, 'O praise the Lord, all ye heathen', followed by the Lord's Prayer three times. Arm, 'We have been filled', a chant that was originally Byz, and is still in Slav. Mk has a litany of four petitions. There is a prayer of incense in Jas. In Chrys the priest says:
Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens;
and thy glory above all the earth. (Ps.Ivii.6.)
Ruth have omitted this. Then there is the prayer of Thanksgiving:
We thank thee, O Lord our God,
for the gift of the holy, incorruptible, eternal, and heavenly mysteries
which thou hast given us,
and for the benefit and sanctification and healing of our souls and bodies;
grant, O Lord of all,
that the communion of the holy Body
and Blood of Christ may give us an irreproachable faith,
unfeigned love,
abundance of wisdom,
healing for soul and body,
the averting of every foe,
the keeping of thy commandments,
an acceptable defence at the fearful judgement throne of Christ,
for thou art our sanctifier, &c.
This is in Mk and Bas. Arm is similar; Greg has another form with the same ecphonesis. Chrys-Barb had a similar prayer, but it has disappeared. That in Jas is rather a petition for mercy. Nest has two, one of praise and one for pardon. A Thanksgiving is referred to by Eutychius [De pasch. et de ss. eucharistia, 3.]. There is also a prayer in Ap-Tr (Eth). Eth has in most of its anaphoras a prayer beginning 'Pilot of my soul'; adapted from Test-D; it is only absent from Our Lady.
Pilot of my soul,
guide of the righteous and glory of the saints,
grant us, O Lord, the eyes of knowledge ever to see thee,
and ears also to hearken to thy words alone.
When our souls have been fulfilled with thy grace,
create in us pure hearts, O Lord,
that we may ever understand.
Our God, be gracious to thy servants
who have received thy Body and Blood,
give us a pure and steadfast mind,
for thine is the kingdom, O Lord, &c.
Angl places after the Communion the Lord's Prayer, two thanksgiving prayers, and the Gloria in Excelsis. The 1927-8 book puts the Lord's Prayer before Communion, and transfers the first of these prayers into the Canon after the Epiclesis because no doubt it contains the words 'here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee', a theme which is however foreign to the Canon, and unsuitable for the moment when the 'full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice' of Christ is being pleaded.
the Inclination
This is peculiar to Syrr and Egypt, though many of the prayers in other liturgies are petitions of the same nature. After the Peace, and before the prayer, the ablutions are taken in Copt-Bas. Arm has a prayer of Blessing and the Peace before the Last Gospel.
Priest: Peace be to all,
R. And to thy spirit.
Deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.
R. Before thee, O Lord.
O God, who art great and marvellous,
who didst 'bow the heavens and come down'
for the salvation of the race of the sons of men,
turn thee unto us in thy mercies,
and pity and bless thy people,
and preserve thine inheritance,
that in very truth and at all times we may glorify thee,
who art our true God,
and God the Father who begat thee
and thine Holy Spirit now and ever.
Syr-Jac, and Jas; similar in Ap-Const. Ap-Tr (Eth) says:
'And the presbyter shall say the Laying on of hands after they have received, and the prayer follows'. Copt has a 'Prayer of Inclination after receiving, of John of Bostra', and then the Prayer of the 'Imposition of the hand', which is also a prayer of Inclination. Eth has only one prayer, which is much shorter, called 'Imposition of the hand'. But perhaps 'Pilot of the Soul' should be taken as the 'Inclination'.
This is perhaps the best place to put the Western Post-Communion prayers, though originally they were Thanks-giving prayers. In Gall the Bishop himself invited the people to give thanks in a form headed Praefatio post communionem, which was followed by a Collectio. Only the prayer remains in Amb and Moz, but the Salutation follows. In Rome there are two prayers,
(a) Post communionem, Gel; ad complendum, Greg; now Postcommunio, and
(b) Benedictio super populum. Gel; super populum or ad populum, Greg.
Before the latter the priest says, 'Oremus. Humiliate capita vestra Deo'. The following are the Amb Post-communio, for Epiphany, and the Roman Super populum for the Wednesday in Holy Week.
Prevent us, O Lord, we beseech thee,
at all times and in all places with heavenly light:
that we may both discern with clear glance the mystery of which thou hast willed us to be partakers,
and with meet affection take it to ourselves, through, &c.
Oratio (Super populum):
Look, we beseech thee, O Lord, upon this thy family,
for which Our Lord Jesus Christ was contented (non dubitavit) to be betrayed into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer agony upon the Cross, through, &c.
the Dismissal
Deacon: Go in peace (Lat. Ite missa est).
People: In the name of the Lord.
This is found in most rites; in Rome the priest says the first sentence. Not in Copt-Cyr and Nest. In Syr-Jac there is a commendation beginning with the words 'Depart in peace'. Moz: 'The mysteries are completed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; may our duty (votum) be accepted in peace. R. Thanks be to God.' Amb has three-fold Kyrie and Benediction 'Benedicat et exaudiat nos Deus. R. Amen. Procedamus in pace. R. In nomine Christi. Benedicamus Domino. R. Deo gratias.' Stowe has 'Missa acta est - In pace'. Rome uses 'Ite missa est' on festivals, on other occasions 'Benedicamus Domino' as Amb.
This is followed in many liturgies by either a prayer of dismissal or a blessing. In Jas it is accompanied by an εὔχη ἀπολυτική said by the deacon.
From glory to glory advancing we hymn thee,
Saviour of souls,
with the Gloria, and the latter part repeated. The prayer in the same rite is:
From power to power proceeding,
and having completed the liturgy in thy temple,
we beseech thee, O Lord our God,
to make us worthy of thy whole loving mercy,
direct our way,
root us in thy fear,
and make us worthy of thy heavenly kingdom,
in Christ, &c.
The prayer is called in Byz the εὐχὴ ὀπισθάμβωνος. Chrys has a blessing as well as the prayer:
The blessing of the Lord and his mercy come upon you by his grace and mercy,
now and ever, Amen.
It is followed by the 'Greater ἀπόλυσις, which is the same as the Lesser (p.125), but includes the names of a great number of Saints. It is late, perhaps fourteenth century. Mk has 'The love of God', &c;. Syr-Jac also has a blessing before dismissal. Eth has the Jewish Priests' Blessing, and a prayer for the blessing of peace after it. In Rome there is after 'Ite missa est' a prayer 'Placeat tibi', and the blessing, 'May the Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen'. Angl has the blessing, 'The peace of God', &c. In Rome there is another Salutation and the Last Gospel, which in Amb came before the dismissal.
After this in Byz the vessels are taken to the Prothesis and a prayer said:
Thou art the fulfilment of the law and of the prophets,
O Christ our God,
who didst fulfil all the dispensation commanded of the Father:
fill our heart with joy and delight (with the Holy Spirit: Arm).
So Arm; Bas is somewhat similar.
the Eulogia
There is not much information available on the development of the εὐλογία - eulogia. Theophilus of Alexandria (d. 412) says:
'The things which are offered for the purpose of the sacrifice, after what is chosen for the need of the mysteries, the clergy shall distribute, and no catechumen is to eat or drink of these, but only the clergy and the faithful brethren with them.' [Canon 7.] It would appear that the apportionment was then made at the Offertory, though I know of no direct evidence to that effect, and that to avoid inconvenience and misuse it was transferred to the end of the service. It was formerly before the ὀπισθάμβωνος - opisthambonos and is so now in Arm-Presanct.
It is found in Syr-Jac, Nest, Byz, and Arm. The distribution is accompanied in Chrys, Arm by the reading of Ps.xxxiv 'I will alway give thanks'. In Nest the Prayer of Mary is said. Syr-Jac is more elaborate. It is no longer in use among the Ruthenians.
the Ablutions
Syr-Jac has an elaborate service of ablutions before the Eulogia, beginning with two prayers. Pss.xi, cxvi.11-13, xxxvi.8-12, xxvi, and xxix are recited, and prayers said at each action. The Sedro of the Departed, with the Lord's Prayer, follows it. In Chrys the priest merely washes his hands; in the ninth century, ablution was made twice with wine and once with water. Later the deacon washed the chalice and his hands with a long rite, the priest washing only his hands. In Copt after the people have sung the Kyrie the priest washes his hands and says: 'Angel of this sacrifice, soaring on high with this hymn, make memorial of us before the Lord that he may forgive us our sins'. With Rome in the eleventh century the priest washed his hands here; now only prelates do so; but after communion the minister pours wine into the chalice, &c. (see p.296).
in the Sacristy
Prayers for the ministers in the Sacristy are given in Jas, Mk, Bas, and Chrys. There is also in Chrys a prayer used while taking the vessels back to the Sacristy.