History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A. D. 100-325

Here, reading of the Scriptures, preaching (and that as an episcopal function), prayer, and

communion, plainly appear as the regular parts of the Sunday worship; all descending, no doubt,

from the apostolic age. Song is not expressly mentioned here, but elsewhere.

376

76 The communion

is not yet clearly separated from the other parts of worship. But this was done towards the end of

the second century.

The same parts of worship are mentioned in different places by Tertullian.

377

77

The eighth book of the Apostolical Constitutions contains already an elaborate service with

sundry liturgical prayers.

378

78

§ 66. Parts of Worship.

1. The reading of Scripture lessons from the Old Testament with practical application and

exhortation passed from the Jewish synagogue to the Christian church. The lessons from the New

Testament came prominently into use as the Gospels and Epistles took the place of the oral instruction

of the apostolic age. The reading of the Gospels is expressly mentioned by Justin Martyr, and the

Apostolical Constitutions add the Epistles and the Acts.

379

79

 During the Pentecostal season the

Acts of the Apostles furnished the lessons. But there was no uniform system of selection before

the Nicene age. Besides the canonical Scripture, post-apostolic writings, as the Epistle of Clement

of Rome, the Epistle of Barnabas, and the Pastor of Hermas, were read in some congregations, and

are found in important MSS. of the New Testament.

380

80

 The Acts of Martyrs were also read on

the anniversary of their martyrdom.

2. The sermon

381

81

 was a familiar exposition of Scripture and exhortation to repentance and

a holy life, and gradually assumed in the Greek church an artistic, rhetorical character. Preaching

was at first free to every member who had the gift of public speaking, but was gradually confined

as an exclusive privilege of the clergy, and especially the bishop. Origen was called upon to preach

before his ordination, but this was even then rather an exception. The oldest known homily, now

recovered in full (1875), is from an unknown Greek or Roman author of the middle of the second

century, probably before a.d. 140 (formerly ascribed to Clement of Rome). He addresses the hearers

as "brothers" and "sisters," and read from manuscript.

382

82

 The homily has no literary value, and

betrays confusion and intellectual poverty, but is inspired by moral earnestness and triumphant

faith. It closes with this doxology: "To the only God invisible, the Father of truth, who sent forth

376

Cap. 13. Justin himself wrote a book entitled 

́ψάλτης.

377

See the passages quoted by Otto, l.c. 184 sq.

378

B. VIII. 3 sqq. Also VII. 33 sqq. See translation in the "Ante-Nicene Library, " vol. XVII., P. II. 191 sqq. and 212 sqq.

379

BK. VII. 5.

380

The Ep. of Clemens in the Codex Alexandrinus (A); Barnabas and Hermas in the Cod. Sinaiticus.

381

̔ομιλία, λόγος, sermo, tractatus.

382

§ 19, 

ἀναγινώσκω ὑμῖν. But the homily may have first been delivered extempore, and taken down by short-hand writers

(

ταχυγράφοι, notarii). See Lightfoot, p. 306.

143

Philip Schaff

History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene

Christianity. A.D. 100-325.

---

unto us the Saviour and Prince of immortality, through whom also He made manifest unto us the

truth and the heavenly life, to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

383

83

3. Prayer. This essential part of all worship passed likewise from the Jewish into the Christian

service. The oldest prayers of post-apostolic times are the eucharistic thanksgivings in the Didache,

and the intercession at the close of Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians, which seems to have been

used in the Roman church.

384

84 It is long and carefully composed, and largely interwoven with

passages from the Old Testament. It begins with an elaborate invocation of God in antithetical

sentences, contains intercession for the afflicted, the needy, the wanderers, and prisoners, petitions

for the conversion of the heathen, a confession of sin and prayer for pardon (but without a formula

of absolution), and closes with a prayer for unity and a doxology. Very touching is the prayer for

rulers then so hostile to the Christians, that God may grant them health, peace, concord and stability.

The document has a striking resemblance to portions of the ancient liturgies which begin to appear

in the fourth century, but bear the names of Clement, James and Mark, and probably include some

primitive elements.

385

85

The last book of the Apostolical Constitutions contains the pseudo- or post-Clementine

liturgy, with special prayers for believers, catechumens, the possessed, the penitent, and even for

the dead, and a complete eucharistic service.

386

86

The usual posture in prayer was standing with outstretched arms in Oriental fashion.

4. Song. The Church inherited the psalter from the synagogue, and has used it in all ages

as an inexhaustible treasury of devotion. The psalter is truly catholic in its spirit and aim; it springs

from the deep fountains of the human heart in its secret communion with God, and gives classic

expression to the religious experience of all men in every age and tongue. This is the best proof of

its inspiration. Nothing like it can be found in all the poetry of heathendom. The psalter was first

enriched by the inspired hymns which saluted the birth of the Saviour of the world, the Magnificat

of Mary, the Benedictus of Zacharias, the Gloria in Excelsis of the heavenly host, and the Nunc

Dimittis of the aged Simeon. These hymns passed at once into the service of the Church, to resound

through all successive centuries, as things of beauty which are "a joy forever." Traces of primitive

Christian poems can be found throughout the Epistles and the Apocalypse. The angelic anthem

(Luke 2:14) was expanded into the Gloria in Excelsis, first in the Greek church, in the third, if not

383

Ed. by Bryennios (1875), and in the Patr. Apost. ed. by de Gebhardt and Harnack, I. 111-143. A good translation by Lightfoot,

S. Clement of Rome, Appendix, 380-390. Lightfoot says: "If the first Epistle of Clement is the earliest foreshadowing of a

Christian liturgy, the so called Second Epistle is the first example of a Christian homily." He thinks that the author was a bishop;

Harnack, that be was a layman, as be seems to distinguish himself from the presbyters. Lightfoot assigns him to Corinth, and

explains in this way the fact that the homily was bound tip with the letter of Clement to the Corinthians; while Harnack ably

maintain, the Roman origin from the time and circle of Hermas. Bryennios ascribe, ; it to Clement of Rome (which is quite

impossible), Hilgenfeld to Clement of Alexandria (which is equally impossible).

384

Ad Cor. ch. 59-61, discovered and first published by Bryennios, 1875. We give Clement’s prayer below, p. 228 sq. The

prayers if the Didache(chs.9 and 10), brought to light by Bryennios, 1883, are still older, and breathe the spirit of primitive

simplicity. See § 68.

385

See vol. III. 517 sqq., and add to the literature there, quoted, Probst (R.C.), Die Liturgie der 3 ersten Jahrh., Tüb., 1870;

C. A. Hammond, Ancient Liturgies (with introduction, notes, and liturgical glossary), Oxford and Lond., 1878.

386

Ap. Const., Bk. VIII., also in the liturgical collections of Daniel, Neale, Hammond, etc.

144

Philip Schaff

History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene

Christianity. A.D. 100-325.

---