to speak, a symbolic drama of the history of redemption, repeated with little alteration every Sunday. The preceding vespers represent the creation, the fall, and the earnest expectation of Christ ; the principal ser- vice on Sunday morning exhibits the life of "Christ from his birth to his ascension ; and the prayers and lessons are accom- panied by corresponding symbolical acts of the priests and deacon : lighting and extinguishing candles, opening and clos- ing doors, kissing the altar and the gospel, crossing the fore- head, mouth, and breast, swinging the censer, frequent change of liturgical vestments, processions, genuflexions, and prostra- tions. The whole orthodox Greek and Russian worship has a strongly marked Oriental character, and exceeds the Roman in splendor and pomp of symbolical ceremonial.^ The Roman mass is also a dramatic commemoration and representation of the history of redemption, especially of the passion and atoning death of Christ, but has a more didactic character, and sets forth not so much the objective history, as the subjective application of redemption from the Confiteor to none can understand but God ; but only this much is signified, that the bread, truly, reaUy, and substantially becomes the very true Body of the Lord, and the wine the very Blood of the Lord.' " Freeman, on the contrary, in his Principles of Div. Serv. voL ii. Part ii. p. 196 f., asserts: "The Eastern church cannot maintain the position which, as represented by her doctors of the last four hundred years, and alleging the authority of St. Cyril, she has taken up, that there is no consecration tiU there has followed (1) a prayer of oblation and (2) one of Invocation of the Holy Ghost. In truth, the view refutes itself, for it disquahfies the oblation for the very purpose for which it is avowedly placed there, namely to make offering of the already consecrat- ed Gifts, i. e., of the Body and Blood of Christ ; thus reducing it to a level with the oblation at the beginning of the ofiice. The only view that can be taken of these very ancient prayers, is that they are to be conceived of as offered simultaneously with the recitation of the Institution." ' On the mystical meaning of the Oriental cultus comp. the Commentary of S}Tneon of Thessalonica (f 1429) on the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom, and Xeale's In- troduction to his English edition of the Oriental Liturgies, pp. xxvii.-xxxvi. § 98. THE LITUKGIES. THEIR ORIGIN AND CONTENTS. 525 the Postcoinmuriio. It ajffords less room for symbolical action, but more for word and song, and follows more closely the course of the church year with varying collects and prefaces for the high festivals,' thus gaining variety. In this it stands the nearer to the Protestant worship, which, however, entirely casts off symbolical veils, and makes the sennon the centre. Every Oriental liturgy has two main divisions. The first embraces the prayers and acts before the Anaphora or Oblation (canon Missse) to the