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vocation. But the African church may very

y

well

have introduced this form in imitation of the oriental liturgies, in which it had been extant from a most remote period. I have not found any distinct allusion to the words of our Saviour". The verbal commemoration of Christ's passion and death is spoken of by Cyprian and Fulgentius*. The commemoration of the departed saints is mentioned by Augustine, Cyprian, and Tertullian ; as is also the termination "in sæcula sæculorum," and the response of the people, Amen, by Tertullian". We also read, in Augustine, of the breaking of the bread or body for distribution, and of a benediction of the people, to which the canons of the African church refer, as an imposition of hands";" and Optatus alludes to the absolution of penitents sometimes given at this time. The Lord's Prayer then followed, and is

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spoken of by Augustine, Optatus, and Cyprian“. The salutation of peace, "Pax vobis," and the holy kiss, are alluded to by Augustine, Optatus, and Tertullian. Augustine speaks of the anthem sung during communion, and of the thanksgiving, "post communionem "."

This is perhaps almost all we can know about the African liturgy, and, as far as it goes, it agrees perfectly with the ancient Roman, except in the single instance of the invocation of the Holy Spirit, which was probably introduced from the east, or from Gaul and Spain. Some passages from the African Fathers have been cited, which may be imagined to refer to a liturgy different from the Roman. Thus, for instance, Tertullian and other Fathers speak of prayers for the emperor and his court", &c.; Augustine, of prayers for infidels, catechumens, &c. which do not appear in the ancient

d Augustini Epist. cxlix. ad Paulin. p. 509, tom. ii. quoted above, in note", p. 138. The following passage is also valuable. "Ideo cum dicitur, Sursum cor; respondetis, Habemus ad Dominum-ideo sequitur episcopus vel presbyter qui offert, et dicit cum responderit populus, Habemus ad Dominum sursum cor: gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro-et vos adtestamini, dignum et justum est dicentes.

Deinde post sanctificationem sacrificii Dei -ecce ubi est peracta sanctificatio dicimus orationem Dominicam-Post ipsam dicitur Pax vobiscum; et osculantur se Christiani in osculo sancto." August. 227, in die Paschæ, p. 974, tom. v. See Optatus Milev. lib. ii. adv. Parmen.

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Roman canon. But in fact we have no proof that these prayers were used in the African canon; they may have occupied the place of the Roman collect before the lessons; and even if they did occur in the canon, it would not have constituted any material difference between the Roman and African rites, for we often find that such small additions were made in ancient liturgies, the main substance and order still remaining identical. I am altogether satisfied that the African liturgy agreed in very many points with the primitive Roman, and that no material difference can be shewn between them. If this were the proper place for doing so, and if I did not fear to enlarge this dissertation too much, it would be easy to trace this conformity of the Roman and African rites through the offices of Baptism, Matrimony, &c. and to bring a large body of

j Victorinus Afer, lib. i. adversus Arianos, cites the following passage from the African liturgy: "Sicuti et in oblatione dicitur, munda tibi populum circumvitalem, æmulatorem bonorum operum, circa tuam substantiam venientem." Fulgentius, in his remarks on 1 Cor. xi. 23, amongst the Excerpta published by Sirmond. p. 36, says, "Cum tempore sacrificii commemorationem mortis ejus faciamus, charitatem nobis tribui per adventum sancti Spiritus postulamus: hoc suppliciter exorantes, ut per ipsam charitatem, qua pro nobis Christus crucifigi dignatus est, nos quoque gratia sancti Spiritus accepta, mundum crucifixum habere, et mundo crucifigi possimus: imitantesque Domini nostri mortem, sicut

Christus quod mortuus est pec-
cato, mortuus est semel, quod
autem vivit, vivit Deo, etiam
nos in novitate vitæ ambule-
mus, et munere charitatis ac-
cepto, moriamur peccato, et
vivamus Deo." p. 39.
"Hoc
autem quod petimus, id est, ut
in Patre et Filio unum simus,
per unitatem gratiæ spirituali-
ter accipimus." This plainly
shews that the African canon
contained petitions which did
not exist in the Roman, but it
does not prove that they were
originally different. The invo-
cation of the Holy Spirit was
derived from Gaul, Spain, or
the East, by the African church.
The petition for unity was no
doubt introduced, in conse-
quence of the schisms so pre-
valent in Africa.

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evidence to prove the original derivation of the African rites from those of the Roman church.

When we reflect on the patriarchal jurisdiction of the archbishop of Carthage, the resolute independence of the African churches in the third and following centuries, and their rejection of the pretended jurisdiction of the patriarch of Rome, we shall find it difficult to account for the identity of the African and Roman rites in any other manner, than by supposing that the first bishops of Africa were ordained at Rome, and carried thence the liturgy and ritual, which in after-ages prevailed in Africa. It is unknown at what period the church was founded in Africa; but as Tertullian was presbyter of Carthage at the end of the second century, as the acts of the martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas speak of Optatus as bishop of Carthage about the year 200, and Agrippinus bishop of Carthage is said. to have assembled a council of many bishops about A. D. 215; it seems probable that the church of Africa was founded some time not remote from the middle of the second century, or about the same time as the church of Gaul.

* See these points proved by Basnage, Hist. de l'Eglise, lib. iv. ch. 1.

SECTION IX.

LITURGY OF GAUL.

It has been long known that the ancient liturgy of Gaul differed from that of Rome, though the precise nature of the difference was unknown, until Bona and Thomasius discovered and published some ancient monuments of the Gallican liturgya. To the learned Mabillon we are indebted for a valuable commentary and observations on these remains; and at a later period, Martene published an ancient treatise on the Gallican liturgy, professing to have been written by Germanus, bishop of Paris, in the sixth century, which materially elucidates this subject.

Mabillon traces the composition of the Gallican liturgy principally to three authors; Musæus, presbyter of Marseilles; Sidonius, bishop of Auvergne; and Hilary, bishop of Poictiers. Had this learned writer said "missal," instead of "liturgy," it would

a

Bona, Rer. Lit. lib. i. c. 12. Thomasius, Codices Sacramentorum 900 annis vetustiores. Rom. 1680.

b De Liturgia Gallicana, Paris, 1685.

c Martene, Thesaurus Anecdotorum, tom. v. p. 85, &c.

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