Myth And Ritual In Christianity Part 20

That section of the proper or variable part of the Ma.s.s which is sung immediately after the Lesson or Epistle (q.v.), while incense is blessed and other preparations made for the singing of the Gospel.

GREGORIAN CHANT.

The traditional music of the Catholic Church, otherwise known as Plainchant. So named from the particular encouragement and advance. ment of its use by Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604) in the sixth century. A type of unharmonized, modal chanting designed to be sung unaccompanied and to follow the natural rhythm of the spoken word.

H.

HOLY OF HOLIES.

The inmost sanctuary of the Hebrew Temple, containing the Ark of the Covenant (q.v.). It was constructed in the form of a perfect cube, symbolizing the wholeness of G.o.d, and was entered but once a year, and by the High Priest alone.

HOLY WATER.

A mixture of water and salt, both of which are solemnly exorcized and blessed for the banishment of devils and for the infusion of divine grace. Its primary use is for the rite of the Asperges, the sprinkling of the people, which occurs immediately before High Ma.s.s each Sunday. Otherwise it is placed in a stoup or small basin at the entrance of churches, and kept by the faithful in their homes. It is used on almost all occasions when objects are specially blessed for holy use. Sprinkling with holy water is usually accompanied by the recitation of the words from Psalm sr (Vulg., So) Asperges me byssopo, "Thou shalt purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than snow".

HOST.

Lat., hostia, victim. The round wafer of unleavened bread which is consecrated in the Ma.s.s to become the Body of Christ-the sacrificial Victim. These ma.s.s,breads are of two kinds, large and small. The large is the one elevated in the sight of the people, broken at the Fraction, and used for the Communion of the celebrating priest. The small are for the Communion of the congregation. Normally they are made with wheat, flour and water, with a little salt, and before baking are embossed with some sacred emblem, such as the crucifix or the sacred monogram IHC.

HOURS.

The daily Hours of Prayer const.i.tuting the divine office (q.v.) and contained in the Breviary (q.v.). While the phrase "the Hours" often refers to those Offices named after the hours themselves-Prime, Terce, s.e.xt, and None-the Hours may be taken to mean all eight Offices. These are: Matins (the "night,office", properly sung between midnight and 3 a.m.), Prime (between 3 and 6 a.m.) followed by Lauds, Terce (between 8 and 9 a.m.), s.e.xt (between II a.m. and noon), None (between noon and 3 p.m.), Vespers (between 3 and 6 p.m.), and Compline (about 9 p.m.). In religious communities silence is observed after Compline, and continues until the end of breakfast the following day. The actual times at which the Offices are sung varies from place to place in accordance with custom and convenience.

I.

ICON.

Gk., eikon, image. Specifically a holy picture of Christ or of the saints or angels, such as are particularly venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Usually an icon shows the figure of the sacred personage painted in accordance with archaic Byzantine traditions against a background of gold, representing the encompa.s.sing presence of G.o.d. In later times such icons were overlaid with sheet gold and embellished with precious stones.

ICONOGRAPHY.

The science of sacred pictures and images-their execution, symbolism, and identification.

INTROIT.

The words of the proper or variable part of the Ma.s.s which are sung at the beginning of the rite, before the Kyrie (q.v.), while the clergy say the prayers of Preparation and the altar is censed. The introit usually consists of a part of one of the psalms, with an antiphon (q.v.).

K.

KYRIE.

Gk., kyrios, lord. That part of the Latin Ma.s.s which is sung in Greek immediately after the Introit (q.v.). The words are Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy), Christe eleison (Christ have mercy), Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy). Each pet.i.tion is repeated thrice, and addressed respectively to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

LAUDS.

v. Hours.

LESSON.

(1) Any liturgical reading from the Scriptures. (2) The portion from one of the Epistles (q.v.) or from the Old Testament or Apocrypha sung at Ma.s.s by the Subdeacon immediately after the Collect (q.v.) for the day.

LITANY.

A form of prayer consisting of short versicles and responses (q.v.) said or sung between the priest or a cantor and the congregation-e.g. the Litany of the Saints, sung on Holy Sat.u.r.day, or the Litany for the Dying.

LITURGY.

Gk., leitos, public, ourgos, work. (z) The entire rite (q. v.) of the Church's official and public wors.h.i.+p, comprising the Ma.s.s, the divine office, and the administration of the Seven a=mts. (2) The Ma.s.s in particular, normally termed the Divine Liturgy in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the Eastern Church it is customary to "make the Liturgy" rather than to "say" or "hear" Ma.s.s, reflecting the proper sense of Christian wors.h.i.+p as an action done by the whole Church, as distinct from a form of words said by the hierarchy in the presence of the people.

M.

Ma.s.s.

Lac., missa, from the words of dismissal "Ite missa est", a problematic utterance meaning something like "Go, the ma.s.s is done", or "Go, it is sent forth" (Lat., mitto, send). Thus the Ma.s.s is the celebration of the Lord's Supper as the central act of Christian wors.h.i.+p, on which see Chap. V. The order of Ma.s.s is as follows (see other articles in Glossary for specific terms): Ma.s.s of the Catechumens: Ma.s.s of the Faithful: Introit Offertory Kyrie Preface Gloria Sanctus and Benedictus Ma.s.s of the Catechumens: Collect Lesson or Epistle Gradual and Alleluia (or Tract) Gospel Nicene Creed Ma.s.s of the Faithful: Canon (of Consecration) `"Our Father"

Fraction and Kiss of Peace Agnus Dei Communion Post-Communion Collect Dismissal and Blessing The traditional and proper celebration of Ma.s.s is in the form known as High Ma.s.s, which is sung, and requires three clerics-priest, deacon, and subdeacon-taking their appointed parts. Socalled Low Ma.s.s is a mediaeval innovation wherein the Ma.s.s is said by a priest alone, so as to become a sort of private devotion for the priest. This latter custom emerged from the "chantry'system", chantrics being small side.chapels provided so that every priest might say one Ma.s.s a day so as to a.s.sign the full measure of its benefits to some such cause as the repose of a particular soul in Purgatory, or the recovery of a sick person. Such treatment of the Ma.s.s arose from a quant.i.tative philosophy of the divine Grace, and represented the decay of the liturgical or corporate nature of Christian wors.h.i.+p.

MATINS.

v. Hours.

MISSAL.

The ma.s.sbook placed upon the altar for the Ma.s.s, containing all the words to be sung and said, and the rubrics describing the ritual and cere' monial actions to be done. Modern missals are actually "omnibus volumes" containing what were originally a number of separate books-the Sanctorale containing the parts, such as the Canon, to be said by the celebrant, the Graduate containing the propcrs or variable parts to be sung by the choir, the book of Lessons and Epistles to be sung by the sub, deacon, and the book of Gospels to be sung by the deacon.

0.

OCTAVE.

The week following certain feasts, consisting of eight days inclusive of the feast itself, during which the proper parts of Ma.s.s and Office appro. priate to the feast continue to be said.

24.8 Glossary OFFERTORY (z) The opening action of the Ma.s.s of the Faithful, being the presentation of Bread and Wine at the altar. The Host is offered upon the Paten, or plate, and the Wine is offered in the Chalice, mixed with a little water specially blessed at this time, except in ma.s.ses for the dead. Anciently both the Bread and the Wine were brought to the altar by the whole congregation, with other gifts. (2) The words of the proper or variable pan of the Ma.s.s sung at this time by the choir.

OFFICE, THE DIVINE.

The daily recitation of the Psalms by all clerics, in the form of the canonical Hours (q.v.). Probably inst.i.tuted by St. Benedict in the sixth century, this custom is called the Opus Dei, the "work of G.o.d". Together with the Ma.s.s, the divine office const.i.tutes the essential "prayer of the Church", showing that the Catholic philosophy of prayer is something quite other than the popular notion of the individual addressing his pet.i.tions and aspirations to G. For the Psalms are understood to be the "songs of the Holy Spirit", so that in reciting them than speaks to G.o.d with the voice of G.o.d. The point is that one cannot and does not pray as an individual, but only in so far as one is "no longer I, but Christ", as a member of the Mystical Body.

P.

Pa.s.sION SUNDAY.

The fifth Sunday in Lent, and the second before Easter, inaugurating the two'week season of Pa.s.siontide.

PATRISTICS.

The study of the lives and writings of the Church Fathers-i.e. the great theologians and historians of the Eastern and Western Churches during the first ten centuries.

PERSON.

When G.o.d is said to be three Persons and one G.o.d the English"Person" is a translation of the Greek hypostasis, for which we have no exact equivalent. By a.n.a.logy, ice, water and steam are three hypostases of a single "substance", or, in Greek, ousia. In the same way, the three Persons of the Trinity are said to be "of one substance" (bomoousios), which is G.o.d, yet nevertheless each of the three is a distinct hypostasis.

PREFACE.

The Canon of the Ma.s.s (q.v.) is introduced with a recitation by the priest which is called the Preface. It is sung to a very ancient chant, and opens with the words, Vere dignum et justum est-"It is truly meet and just, and availing to salvation, that we should at Al times and in all places give thanks unto thee, holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal G.o.d. . . .' The Proper Prefaces involve the insertion of some extra sentences into this formula at certain feasts and seasons. It ends with a reference to the praise of G.o.d by all the angelic hosts, and there follows at once the Sanctus (q.v.).

R.

RESPONSE.

The reply of the choir and/or congregation to a versicle (q.v.) sung by the priest or deacon, usually brief in form--e.g. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. V. Hearts on high! R. We lift them up to the Lord.

RESPONSORY.

An antiphon (q.v.) containing repeated phrases.

RITE.

Originally the Sanskrit rita, Lat., t.i.tus. The action or deed const.i.tuting wors.h.i.+p, together with the accompanying form of words which declare its meaning. "Rite" is thus almost equivalent to "liturgy" (q.v.). To be distinguished from ceremonial (q.v.), which is the ornamentation of ritual. Christian liturgy comprises a number of different rites, a.s.sociated with the great historical centres of Christendom, such as Rome, Byzaw tium, Alexandria, etc.

RITUALE.

A manual containing the forms of administering sacraments other than the Ma.s.s, with the exception of those administered by a bishop-which are contained in the Pontficale. It contains also the various forms of blessing and exorcism, as well as other devotions.

S.

SACRAMENT.

Gk., mysterion, Lat., sacramentum. A divinely inst.i.tuted action with some material object which, though performed by the human agency of the Church, is in fad an action of G.o.d. Thus every sacrament comprises

250 Glossary

(a) the matter (e.g. the water in Baptism), (b) the form-the way in which the matter is used and the words which must accompany such use, and (c) the spiritual power or grace which the sacrament confers. See Chap. VI.

SANCTUS.

Gk., trisagion. The angelic hymn, Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus-"Holy, holy, holy, Lord Gad of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest". In the Ma.s.s it follows the Preface and, with the addition of the Benedictus (q.v.), immediately precedes the Canon, Te igitur.

SARUM BREVIARY.

Anciently Sarum or Salisbury was one of the great cenues of the English Church, and had its own special rite or liturgy (q.v.), contained in the Sarum Missal and the Sarum Breviary. See "Breviary".

SHEKINAH.

(Hebrew)-the glory or radiance of YHVH, which especially shone around the Ark in the Holy of Holies (q.v.). In later Hebrew theology the shekinab is substantially identical with YHVH himself.

STOLE.

v, Vesture.

T.