A Second Century Liturgy (Part 1)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 เม.ย. 2023
- In this episode on Liturgy in the second century, we resume our journey of reconstructing and envisioning early Christian worship. In Part 1, we focus on change and continuity with regard to the (1) location, (2) timing, and the (3) “shape” that the Eucharistic gathering is taking in this post apostolic era.
You won’t want to miss this one!
Leave your thoughts and comments below!
2:00 The Christian Eucharist and the Jewish Passover: misconceptions
5:05 Justin Martyr’s Description of Early Christian Worship in Rome
9:38 Why we should be careful when reading Justin Martyr’s account
12:14 The Location: from predominantly domestic settings to rented spaces
14:59 Christians are renting dining halls in Roman “insulae”
17:59 Christians are renting Roman storehouses
21:41 Day(s) of the week and time(s) of the day for Christian Eucharist
36:14 The changing “Shape” of the second century ritual
40:13 “Symposium Form” vs “Discernment Form”
47:31 What they are reading when gathered, and what they ARE NOT reading.
51:04 No Torah readings in second century; more evidence that Saturday evening Eucharist may have been first century practice?
55:14 Preview of Part 2: Sites, sounds, smells, and atmosphere of the gathering
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There's a lot of Catholic Mass elements in Justin Martyr's description (ch 65-67):
Prayers of the Faithful
The Sign/Kiss of Peace
The Offertory
Eucharistic Prayers of praise and thanksgiving
The Great Amen
Taking the Eucharist to the absent (as we do for the sick and elderly)
Closed communion: Only baptized Catholic Christians in a state of grace who assent to the teachings of the faith are admitted to Communion
Transubstantiation/Real Presence (literal interpretation of Luke 22:19-20)
Sunday being the day of gathering and worship (not Saturday apparently)
The Liturgy of the Word (happening before the Liturgy of the Eucharist): Readings from Old and New Testaments
The Homily
Collection for the Poor & Needy
I do early medieval crafts and education (Anglo-Saxons, Picts, Vikings etc) and I'm finding your work very useful in shewing away early modern preconceptions of Christianity, you know, forgetting everything I thought I knew, starting at the beginning and working forwards.
Thanks for all your work, it's greatly appreciated - especially by this orthodox Anglican
Saturday night is Sunday on Jewish days. Sundown begins the next day on their timelines
You guys are awesome!
Always a treat when you guys release a new video. Great content as always!
Can’t wait until the next one
I faithfully check my subscription tab daily to see if this channel has dropped a new video. Really excited for this one. Thank you guys for your work and presentation. 😁
Thank you for this insightful video
this channel is a goldmine. great video!
Awesome, something to get into tonight. I am on my second watch through the entire series!
Great subject guys, I enjoyed this.
Found your guys’ channel yesterday. Super thankful to God for finding you guys! God Bless you and these episodes rule! You guys should each drink an Orval beer during an episode! If you are unfamiliar with Orval, it is the greatest beer in the world and Catholic.
Great stuff guys!
Another great video
What a wonderful video! I'm glad you are reminding us in these series of not overstating what we know and not jumping to bold conclusions(like many liturgical scholars of the 20th century did.) Have you all read "The Roman Mass: From Early Christian Origins to Tridentine Reform" by Fr. Uwe Michael Lang?
Just saw you two on Cordial Catholic podcast, and very interested in early church history. Thanks for for sharing your knowledge of the Catholic church.
Welcome aboard! 😃
Looking back at the content on the 1st century mass, I believe daniel mentioned at some point that the earliest community of christians, who were comprised of mostly Jews, most likely were going to temple before holding agape feasts in their homes. In my mind that sounds a lot like discernment form, although slightly unique in that instruction was coming from the temple, and communion would take place in the home at some point afterward. As always you guys are great!
@25:21 - another data point comes from what's called 'Baumstark's Law' in liturgics - notably the Easter Vigil - as being both rarely done and extremely solemn in the mind of the Church appears to preserve the idea starting on Saturday evening (and in Eastern traditions going all the way to sunrise on Sunday). Maybe a stretch, since the Old Roman liturgy was still in play, but there is at least broad agreement among the various liturgical families here that Easter begins on Saturday evening.
@40:03 - 'excused' is perhaps too mild :) There is one of those great Byzantine deacon's bits in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom echoing this time of many catechumens: "All catechumens, depart! Catechumens, depart! Let none of the catechumens remain; all the faithful, again, and again, let us pray to the Lord in peace....The doors! The doors! In wisdom, let us be attentive!"
Outstanding content!
Very kind sir! Thanks for tuning in
My dear brothers in Christ. Thank you for your efforts. I love that you are using your channel to encourage people to take a closer look at what was going in the primitive or early church. For this Protestant at least, use of the word Mass in connection with 1st and 2nd century liturgies is very problematic. It seems to me that you have several hurdles to overcome trying to read contemporary Roman Catholicism back into the first two centuries. The first is dealing with the scholarship which casts doubts on the papacy even existing this early. The papacy itself is an historical development. Second the fact that the monarchical episcopacy is also an historical development and there is scant evidence it even existed in the first century. Note;that a monarchical episcopate is not the same as bishops (also called pastor or Elder) who led local congregations. Clearly there were those who held the office of bishop but their authority did not extend beyond their local church or congregation. Thirdly, Sacerdotalism is an historical development. Cyprian (died 258) was the first to delineate a doctrine of clerical priesthood. It is reasonable to challenge the notion that the Eucharist was thought of this early as the perpetuation of Christ’s one sacrifice. Also it is reasonable to challenge the idea that Justin Martyr and others ever had transubstantiation in mind when addressing the subject of real presence. Protestants can easily identify with the early liturgies. They recognize these liturgies as a reflection of their own church experience. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the comment Paul! Your thoughts are certainly welcome here.
I would highly encourage you to start our First 500 Years series from the beginning and work your way up to this episode, as we began with the apostles themselves. Almost all of the points you bring up here are dealt with in videos previous to this one.
The last thing that this channel does is read modern Roman Catholicism back into the sources. Anachronism is the great crime of our discipline (TH-cam thumbnail titles, notwithstanding 😉).
Anyway, give the others a listen and see what you think.
God bless, my friend!
@@TheCatholicBrothers I have studied this topic for years (early church) including works Roman Catholic authors. I look forward to listening to your videos. Cheers!
@@paulsmallwood1484 Looks like you've got a lot more studying to do.... Who are the Catholic authors you refer to??
This channel has an entire video or two addressing the monoepiscopate, including in relation to Rome, but that topic is not really relevant to this specific video here about 2nd c. Christian liturgy.
"scant evidence it even existed in the first century"
Ignatius of Antioch is "scant evidence"? To put it bluntly, the guy won't shut up about the bishop and the bishop's absolute authority over his flock. It's in almost every letter he wrote. He is writing in the VERY early 2nd century, so it's completely reasonable to assume what he's talking about was a 1st century norm.
"monarchical episcopate is not the same as bishops...authority did not extend beyond their local church or congregation"
Christianity started off small. So it is natural that bishops started off having authority over one flock/congregation/local church. I don't see how this fact does anything to contradict the monarchical episcopate.
Sacerdotalism/Sacrifice
"But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, *that your sacrifice may be pure.* But let no one that is at variance with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, *that your sacrifice may not be profaned.* For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: In every place and time offer to me *a pure sacrifice;* for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations.[Mal 1:11, 14]" Didache, c. 50 AD
In the 1st c., Clement of Rome refers to the sacrifices Christians offer:
"For our sin will not be small, if we eject from the episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily fulfilled its duties [literally: presented the offerings]. Blessed are those presbyters who, having finished their course before now, have obtained a fruitful and perfect departure [from this world]"
"… These things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths of the divine knowledge, it behooves us to do all things in [their proper] order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. He has enjoined offerings [to be presented] and service to be performed [to Him], and that not thoughtlessly or irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. Where and by whom He desires these things to be done, He Himself has fixed by His own supreme will, in order that all things, being piously done according to His good pleasure, may be acceptable unto Him. Those, therefore, who present their offerings at the appointed times, are accepted and blessed; for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the Lord, they sin not. For his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministrations devolve on the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen. Let every one of you, brethren, give thanks to God in his own order, living in all good conscience, with becoming gravity, and not going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him…." (then goes onto compare to Jewish sacrifices)
"[quotes Mal 1:10-12] He then speaks of those Gentiles, namely us, who in every place offer *sacrifices to Him, i.e., the bread of the Eucharist, and also the cup of the Eucharist* " Dialogue with Trypho 41
Do you think these quotes from Ignatius of Antioch and Justin Martyr comport with your view of the Eucharist?
"For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have *we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word,* and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, *is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.* For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, This do in remembrance of Me, (Luke 22:19) this is My body; and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, This is My blood; and gave it to them alone....." 1st Apology
“They abstain from the Eucharist and prayer, because they [heretics] refuse to acknowledge that *the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins and which the Father by his goodness raised up.”* (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 6)
"I have no delight in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, *the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ,* the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink of God, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life." (Letter to Romans, 7)
"Take heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth ] the unity of His blood; *one altar;* as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever you do, you may do it according to [the will of] God." (Letter to Philadephians, 4)