We left off the last installment of this discussion with the anaphora of Hippolytus. For those of you with a love for Latin, here's that same prayer as Hippolytus would have known it:
Priest: Dominus vobiscum.
People: Et cum spiritu tuo.
Priest: Sursum corda.
People: Habemus ad Dominum.
Priest: Gratias agamus Domino.
People: Dignum et iustum est.
Priest: Et sic iam prosequatur. Gratias tibi referimus, Deus per
dilectum puerum tuum Jesum Christum, quem in ultimis temporibus
misisti nobis salvatorem et redemptorem et angelum voluntatis
tuae. Qui est Verbum tuum inseparabile, per quem omnia fecisti et
bene placitum tibi fuit. Misisti de calo in matricem Virginis,
quique in utero habitus incarnatus est et Filius tibi ostensus
est ex Spiritu Sancto et Virgine natus. Qui voluntatem tuam
complens et populum sanctum tibi adquirens extendit manus cum
pateretur, ut a passione liberaret eos qui in te crediderunt. Qui
cumque traderetur voluntariae passioni ut mortem solvat et
vincula diaboli dirumpat et infernum calcet et iustos inluminet
et terninum figat et resurrectionem manifestet, accipiens panem
gratias tibi agens dixit: Accipite, manducate: hoc est corpus
meum, quod pro vobis confringetur. Similiter et calicem dicens:
Hic est sanguis mcus qui pro vobis effunditur. Quando hoc
facitis, meam commemorationem facitis. Memores igitur mortis et
resurrectionis eius offerimus tibi panem et calicem gratias tibi
agentes quia nos dignos habuisti adstare coram te et tibi
ministrare. Et petimus ut mittas Spiritum tecum Sanctum in
oblationem sancta Ecclesiae. In unum congregans des omnibus qui
percipiunt sanctis in repletionem Spiritus Sancti ad
confirmationem fidei in veritate, ut te landemus et glorificemus
per puerum tuum Jesum Christum, per quem tibi gloria et honor
Patri et Filio cum Sancto Spiritu in sancta Ecclesia tua et nunc
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Let us continue, then, in our discussion. Beginning in the fourth century we see a divergence of the liturgy between the East and the West. Some of the more notable liturgies of the East include the Euchologion of Bishop Sarapion of Thumis (near Alexandria in Egypt), and from Antioch we have the Clementine liturgy. In these liturgies the Mass begins with a prayer for the "fruitful reading of the Scriptures" which is, of course, followed by the Scriptures. This is then followed by the homily and then a second set of prayers that corresponds to our General Intercessions of today. They would pray for the Church, the catechumens, the sick and for people in general. After each prayer the bishop would include a "chirothesia" or blessing which developed the theology of basic catechesis. It is in these liturgies that the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy) first makes its appearance.
By this time the presider makes up the Eucharistic prayer or uses one of the earlier written prayers. In the liturgie of St. Basil the Great (d. 379) we find the first mention of sin and the Real Presence! People who celebrated the liturgy began to call themselves "Thy lowly and sinful and unworthy slaves." This had an impact of the number of people going to communion which, until this time, had been virtually everybody! St. John chrysostom talks about "the terrible sacrifice:" and "the terrible and awful table." Yet, later, he would complain about how few people came to communion! However, this trend continued and more and more the liturgy became something that the congregation watched as the clergy appeared in splendid vestments, lights and incense were introduced along with a formal protocol of bowing, incensing, and so on. A second development followed from this, the line of demarcation between the altar-sanctuary and the people became more pronounced. First there was no separation becuase, in the earliest Masses, the people all sat around the altar-table and ate. Later, as the Mass become more formalized, the people sat in the assembly area while the clergy were in the sanctuary. This soon was separated from the people by an altar rail which later developed into the iconstasis.
All of these liturgies were celebrated in Greek. However, there were liturgies in other languages as well. Among these were the Masses celebrated in Palestine and Syria which used Aramaic, or, more precisely, Syriac. This language is still used in some of the Eastern Churches!
We'll leave off here for now, and will pick this up with a discussion of the liturgy of St. Mark