Impressive early description of the Liturgy, in Apostolic Constitutions

Toma · Nov 7, 2012

If you're inclined to learn the worship of God as it was practised closest to the time of the Apostles, it would do well to read the Apostolic Constitutions. They're not actually by the Apostles, but certainly antedate A.D. 400, so they are a valuable source of the patristic mindset.

Book II, chapter 7 is especially germane to the Eucharist. These are a set of instructions to a bishop on how to gather on that solemn occasion.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.ix.iii.vii.html

When thou callest an assembly of the Church as one that is the commander of a great ship, appoint the assemblies to be made with all possible skill, charging the deacons as mariners to prepare places for the brethren as for passengers, with all due care and decency. And first, let the building be long, with its head to the east, with its vestries on both sides at the east end, and so it will be like a ship. In the middle let the bishop’s throne be placed, and on each side of him let the presbytery sit down; and let the deacons stand near at hand, in close and small girt garments, for they are like the mariners and managers of the ship: with regard to these, let the laity sit on the other side, with all quietness and good order. And let the women sit by themselves, they also keeping silence.
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1. They assumed seating, unlike the prevailing Orthodox mindset.
2. They assumed many deacons, to guard and order the pews - unlike our more liturgical ideal for them.
3. They assumed deaconesses, ministering to the women separately.
4. They assumed some sort of special vestment apparently?
5. All was expected to be strictly quiet, in good order, and well-arranged by the usher-like deacons.
6. The church was always to point toward the east, if possible.
7. Only deacons stood, to represent their continual service.
8. The clergy sat in the middle of the nave, presumably at a desk or lectern symbolizing the mast of a ship.

In the middle, let the reader stand upon some high place: let him read the books of Moses, of Joshua the son of Nun, of the Judges, and of the Kings and of the Chronicles, and those written after the return from the captivity; and besides these, the books of Job and of Solomon, and of the sixteen prophets. But when there have been two lessons severally read, let some other person sing the hymns of David, and let the people join at the conclusions of the verses. Afterwards let our Acts be read, and the Epistles of Paul our fellow-worker, which he sent to the churches under the conduct of the Holy Spirit; and afterwards let a deacon or a presbyter read the Gospels, both those which I Matthew and John have delivered to you, and those which the fellow-workers of Paul received and left to you, Luke and Mark. And while the Gospel is read, let all the presbyters and deacons, and all the people, stand up in great silence; for it is written: “Be silent, and hear, O Israel.” And again: “But do thou stand there, and hear."
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Readings in order:

(A processional entrance psalm or psalms)

1. Old Testament
2. More Old Testament
3. A Psalm or Psalms
4. From Acts
5. From an Epistle
6. Gospel, all standing.

It's nothing like any of our services, reformed, roman, or eastern: for they had even more scripture.

In the next place, let the presbyters one by one, not all together, exhort the people, and the bishop in the last place, as being the commander. Let the porters stand at the entries of the men, and observe them. Let the deaconesses also stand at those of the women, like shipmen. For the same description and pattern was both in the tabernacle of the testimony and in the temple of God. But if any one be found sitting out of his place, let him be rebuked by the deacon, as a manager of the foreship, and be removed into the place proper for him; for the Church is not only like a ship, but also like a sheepfold. For as the shepherds place all the brute creatures distinctly, I mean goats and sheep, according to their kind and age, and still every one runs together, like to his like; so is it to be in the Church...
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1. A series of short homilies by each of the clergy, forming a whole?
2. Interesting that the deacons had to watch over everyone in their several places - rambunctious?
3. Sermon(s) was a time of great and solemn silence, so as to receive life-edifying instruction. Good advice.
4. We aren't to be comfortable, but well-ordered, packed in, and meek like sheep.

After this, let all rise up with one consent, and looking towards the east, after the catechumens and penitents are gone out, pray to God eastward, who ascended up to the heaven of heavens to the east; remembering also the ancient situation of paradise in the east, from whence the first man, when he had yielded to the persuasion of the serpent, and disobeyed the command of God, was expelled. As to the deacons, after the prayer is over, let some of them attend upon the oblation of the Eucharist, ministering to the Lord’s body with fear. Let others of them watch the multitude, and keep them silent. But let that deacon who is at the high priest’s hand say to the people, "Let no one have any quarrel against another; let no one come in hypocrisy." Then let the men give the men, and the women give the women, the Lord’s kiss. But let no one do it with deceit, as Judas betrayed the Lord with a kiss.
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1. Beginning to look "towards the east" assumes they had been looking at the central lectern or pulpit?
2. Non-baptized, and the penitents who had been allowed to stay, were dismissed before Communion.
3. Some of the deacons did attend to the altar, though most kept to the pews to keep order.
4. The sign of peace, an intimate kiss, was separated by sex. No young couples making out for 5 minutes!

After this let the deacon pray for the whole Church, for the whole world, and the several parts of it, and the fruits of it; for the priests and the rulers, for the high priest and the king, and the peace of the universe. After this let the high priest pray for peace upon the people, and bless them, as Moses commanded the priests to bless the people, in these words: “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face to shine upon thee,2834 and give thee peace.” Let the bishop pray for the people, and say: “Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thine inheritance, which Thou hast obtained with the precious blood of Thy Christ, and hast called a royal priesthood, and an holy nation.” After this let the sacrifice follow, the people standing, and praying silently; and when the oblation has been made, let every rank by itself partake of the Lord’s body and precious blood in order, and approach with reverence and holy fear, as to the body of their king. Let the women approach with their heads covered, as is becoming the order of women; but let the door be watched, lest any unbeliever, or one not yet initiated, come in.
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1. "The deacon" - perhaps an head of the college of deacons? - says a sort of high bidding prayer.
2. "The High Priest" being the celebrant? The bishop?
3. The Mosaic benediction is not abolished - symbolizing their belief that the old priesthood did not die?
4. The Eucharist is The Sacrifice, and The Oblation - what is a sacrifice and an offering for, but sin?
5. Each sex and order of age-group approached in good order. How unlike today!
6. They practised closed communion, no open table. All were examined and known.

I personally note a marked similarity to the 1979 BCP, 1969 Roman Mass, and others which utilize this newly-discovered (liturgically-speaking) material. The 1962 Canadian BCP, in adding optional psalms between readings, was being more faithful to the early Church than to Romanism. Bravo, Anglicans.

Scottish Knight · Nov 7, 2012

Fascinating glimpse there. The symbolism of the ship is very interesting. When I was in Beirut I remember a Maronite church built in the shape of a ship and the melkite logo has a ship in it (see below)

So in the East the ship symbolism seems to have been kept in some areas. I wonder if it was merely to represent order or wther it had soem other significance. Also interesting the references to the high priest. Was this written by predominantly Jewish Christians? Or did gentile churches adopt the Jewish terms for things? also how much were services ordered throughout the Church, was there much devation from this setting? Time to do some research...

Scottish Knight · Nov 7, 2012

The fact the apostolic constitutions claim to be written by the apostles themselves althouggh dating from the 4th century does make it slightly suspicious to me Could this be some fringe group in the church? whoever wrote them didn't seem that honest:think: Some of the details are confirmed in Justin's account too from the 2nd century:

On the day called Sunday thete is a meeting of all believers who live in the town or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles, or the writings of the prophets, are read for as long as time will permit. When the reader has finished, the president in a sermon urges and invites the people to base their lives on these noble things. Then we all stand up and offer prayers. When our prayer is concluded, bread and wine and water are brought; and the president offers up prayers and thanksgivings to the best of his ability, and the people assent with amen. Then follows the distribution of the things over which thanks have been offered, and the partaking of them by all; and the deacons take them to those who are absent...

and Needham again quotes from a different writing of Justin for a more in depth dexcription of Communion:

Then the bread and a cup of wine mixed with water are brought to the president of the brothers. He takes them and offers up praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and the Holy Spirit. He gives thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things from His hands. When he has finished the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their joyful agreement by saying amen...Then those whom we call deacons give to each of those present the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and carry away a portion o those who were absent

We call this food "Eucharist", which no-one is allowed to share unless he believes that the things we teach are true, and has been washed with the washing that is for forgiveness of sins and a second birth, and is living as Christ has commanded.
(2000 years of Christ's power" vol 1 N R Needham, p69)

While not as detailed we can still see the role of deacon in the service and a lot of reading from scripture it also reads more personally as the people expressing "their joyful agreement" shows. Really get a sense of what it must have been like then

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Impressive early description of the Liturgy, in Apostolic Constitutions

Toma Well-Known Member Anglican

Scottish Knight Well-Known Member

Scottish Knight Well-Known Member