TES Epiphany. Luke iii. I-II. the first, mentioned in the Collect and the Gospel, the declaration of the birth of Christ to the wise men of the East;1 the second, related in the second Morning Lesson, The Lessons, the manifestation of the Trinity at the baptism of Christ; 215-22. the third is the manifestation of the glory and divinity of John ii. Christ by His first miracle of turning water into wine,3 related in the second Evening Lesson. The first Lessons contain prophecies of the increase of the Church by the abundant access of the Gentiles; and the Epistle 1 declares that the mystery of the Gospel was revealed to them. 4 From Christmas to Epiphany the design of the proper Services is to set forth the humanity of our Saviour; and from Epiphany to Septuagesima to show the Divine nature of the Son of Man by relating in the Gospels some of His first miracles. The design of the Epistles is to. excite us to the imitation of Christ, and to show ourselves His disciples by the practice of Christian vir ́ues. The following are the originals of the Collects : Deus, qui hodierna die Unigenitum tuum gentibus stella duce revelasti: concede propitius, ut qui jam te ex fide cognovimus, usque ad contemplandam speciem tuæ celsitudinis perducamur.5 Vota, quæsumus, Domine, supplicantis populi cœlesti pietate prosequere: ut et quæ agenda sunt videant, et ad implenda quæ viderint convalescant." 1 This was the chief object commemorated by the Western Church: hence it was the festum trium regum, and held in honour of Christ as the Redeemer of the Gentile world. Guericke, p. 165. This was the original object of the festival in the Eastern Church: hence it was a solemn time for baptism, and was called τà pŵтa, nμéoa τῶν φώτων, τὰ ἅγια φῶτα τῶν ἐπιpavíwv. Greg. Naz. Orat. in Sancta Lumina, Opp. I. 624; Guericke, p. 164. 3 This was associated with the Isa. lx. Isa. xlix. 13-23 The Collect for the Epi phany: First Sunday after the Epiphany. The Epiphany. Second. Third. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. The Sundays before Lent. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui cœlestia simul et terrena moderaris: supplicationes populi tui clementer exaudi, et pacem tuam nostris concede temporibus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, infirmitatem nostram propitius respice; atque ad protegendum nos dexteram tuæ majestatis ostende. Deus, qui nos in tantis periculis constitutos pro humana scis fragilitate non posse subsistere: da nobis salutem mentis et corporis; ut ea quæ pro peccatis nostris patimur, te adjuvante, vincamus.1 Familiam tuam, quæsumus, Domine, continua pietate custodi ; ut quæ in sola spe gratiæ cœlestis innititur, tua semper protectione muniatur. In the Sarum Missal, the Sundays were reckoned from the octave of Epiphany; so that no propria had been required for more than five Sundays. In reckoning them more simply in 1549 from the Epiphany itself (omitting the 'Sunday within the octave,' or 'the octave Sunday,' whichever it might be), some provision was needed for a sixth Sunday; which, as being seldom required, was supplied by a rubric:-The vi. Sunday (if there be so many) shall have the same Psalm [Introit], Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, that was upon the fifth Sunday. Our present Collect, Epistle, and Gospel were appointed in 1661. They refer more particularly to the manifestation of Christ's glory at His second coming, because they are more commonly read on the second Sunday before Advent,2 than on the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. From this time the Sundays begin to be reckoned with reference to the coming Easter: and as the first 1 This is the fifth Collect after the The Epistle was Rom. Sunday was taken from the begin ning of the same chapter, which had been read on the Friday after the first Sunday: feria vi. post Dominicam i. post octav. Epiph. 2 See the rubric, 25th Sunday after Trinity. Sunday in Lent, being about forty days before Easter, was therefore called Quadragesima Sunday;1 and the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, being fifty days before Easter, was called Quinquagesima Sunday; the names of the two preceding Sundays were given from the next decads, sixty and seventy; and they were called Sexagesima and Septuagesima Sundays. Lent. The design of the Services on these Sundays is to call us away from the joy of Christmas, in order to prepare ourselves for the fasting and humiliation of Lent; from the manner of Christ's coming into the world, to think of our sins, which were the cause of the sufferings of His life. The first Lessons are taken from those chapters of The Lessons. Genesis which relate the creation and the fall of man, and his wickedness and punishment by the deluge. The design of the Epistles and Gospels is to persuade to acts of self-denial and religious duty, and to recommend charity and faith, as the necessary foundation for all religious actions. The following were the Collects in the Sarum Missal: Preces populi tui, quæsumus, Domine, clementer exaudi; ut qui The Collect juste pro peccatis nostris affligimur, pro tui nominis gloria miseri- for Septua corditer liberemur.2 gesima, Deus qui conspicis quia ex nulla nostra actione confidimus: Sexagesima, concede propitius, ut contra adversa omnia doctoris gentium protectione muniamur.3 Preces nostras, quæsumus, Domine, clementer exaudi: atque a Quinquapeccatorum vinculis absolutos ab omni nos adversitate custodi.4 1 It would also have this name from being the first Sunday in the quadragesimal, or forty-day fast. 2 Miss. Sar. Dominica in lxx. col. 108. The Epistle had been continued into the following chapter: this part was omitted in 1549, as introducing another distinct subject. 3 Dom. in Ix. col. 114. The Epistle had been continued to the ninth verse of chap. xii., and thus 4 Dom. in l. col. 121. This Col- gesima. Leat its antiquity. Ash The fast of Lent, as a preparation for the solemn festival of Easter, is of primitive observance, though not of Apostolical institution. The original duration of the fast appears to have been forty hours, in commemoration of the time that elapsed from the noon of Friday, when our Saviour began to yield to the power of death, until His resurrection. But in the time of Irenæus and Tertullian other days were added to these, varying in different Churches; until, in the fifth century, the usual fast was kept for thirty-six days, or six weeks, deducting the Sundays; and in the eighth century, in the pontificate of Gregory II., Ash Wednesday and the other three days were added to Lent, and the Quadragesimal fast was observed during forty days. Its employment was to prepare the catechumens for Baptism, and penitents for Absolution, and the whole body of Christians for a worthy participation of the Communion at Easter.* The first day of Lent is now commonly called Ash Wednesday (dies cinerum), from the ceremony, described by Gratian, as used towards those who were admitted to penance. It was also called caput jejunii, as being the confession, in order to receive the 1 Lent: Anglo-Saxon, Lencten; in Evangel. 1. 16, Opp. I. 1494 Some Eastern Churches extended the thirty-six fasting days over seven weeks by deducting Sundays and Saturdays, except Easter Eve. Sozomen, Hist. Eccl. VII. 19. 3 See Bingham, Antiq. Bk. XXI. ch. i.; Guericke, Antiq. pp. 140 sq. It will be remembered that many periods of forty days occur as seasons of sorrow or abstinence: the rain of the deluge the twice-repeated fast of Moses; the fast of Elijah; the space of repentance allowed to the Ninevites; and the fast of our blessed Saviour. 4 Bingham, ibid. §§ 11-13. 5 The bishop gives them imposition of hands, sprinkles them with Lent. tential first day of the great fast. Special additional Services were used, which included the seven penitential Psalms,1 The Peni and many Collects. These Psalms are still appointed in Psalms. our Services of the day; six of them in the Morning and Evening Prayer, and the seventh in the Commination Service, which is said after the Litany. A new Collect2 was composed in 1549, as was also the Collect for the first Sunday in Lent. in Lent. The Epistles and Gospels, read during this season, The Sundays are continued from the old Offices. They set before us the duty of self-denial, and teach us to withstand temptation by recounting Christ's victories over Satan. The fourth Sunday is called Midlent Sunday, or the Sunday of refreshment,' probably because the Gospel relates our Saviour's miracle in feeding the five thousand. The fifth is called Passion Sunday, because the commemoration of our Lord's Passion then begins: the Epistle speaks of Him as our High Priest, sprinkling His own blood for us; the Gospel relates one of those conversations with the unbelieving Jews, in which He endured the contradiction of sinners. The following are the Collects in the Missal: Deus qui ecclesiam tuam annua quadragesimali observatione purificas: præsta familiæ tuæ, ut quod a te obtinere abstinendo nititur, hoc bonis operibus exequatur.3 Collects for First. Deus qui conspicis omni nos virtute destitui: interius exteriusque Second. custodi; ut ab omnibus adversitatibus muniamur in corpore et a pravis cogitationibus mundemur in mente.* holy water, puts ashes upon their heads, and then covers their heads with sackcloth, declaring that, as Adam was cast out of Paradise, so they for their sins are cast out of the Church. Grat. Decr. p. 1, Dist. 50, cap. 64. See Bingh. XVIII. ch.ii. § 2. i Above, p. 15. 2 The opening clause of the Collect was taken from the benedictio cinerum: 'Omnipotens sempiterne 3 Miss. Sar. Dominica prima qua- Dom. ii. quadrages., 'Reminiscere:' col. 171. |