The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-11-25

IIOm d more remote period, some pOr-
lions of these important records of ou1
Lords life were recited before the ceIe-
bration of the sacred mysteries. This
could not have been the case until the
later days of the apostles, as these
! evangelical narratives had not then
! been written. The origin of this custom
OF reading in the Church is evidently
! derived from the ceremonial of the
| synagogue carried into the new religion
/ by the converted Jews: as reading the
| scripture and eXhOTtatory interpreta-
ton of the Mosaic law, were invariable
accompaniment of their sOlemnities.
There is an unsettled question con-
corning the use of the creed called after
the apostles, whether or no it was
used as part of the sacred rite during
| the first three centuries The creed
called the. Nicene, is really that formu-
lated in the first council of Constan-
tinople, assembled to condemn the error
of Macedonius The addition ,of the
word FilioqIe, so frequent of discussion
between the Greeks and Latins, was
complained of by Pope Leo III. in 795
TO some French legate as an innova-
ton that had crept into the churches
OF God. Until the time of Pope Bene-
dict VIII. in 1914, some writers main
tain that it was not chanted in the
Roman churches. Even as late as 1866.
Plus ", by special decree ordained
that the gospel of st. John should be
as 1t is still, read at the closing of the
ceremony, although it was probably in
general use before his time
st. Malachy found many things to
be corrected in the celebration of the
holy mysteries among the Irish. who
had peculiar and ancient liturgy of
their own. as we read in the life of that
Saint written by-his friend ST Bernard.
fhere was mass called "Missa
Hebernica, in which We're found many
ceremonies of pagan origin which ST.
Patrick thought harmless and converted
INTO Christian usage, or else considered
useful in hamonizing their national
preJudlces with the light of the gospel /
Much has been written on the ques-
ton as to the form of garments used I
at the celebration of the divine mys-
teries in the first century. But nothing
certain has been reached. Walfridfns /
Strabo. Radulphus Turgrensis and the I
learned ViScOnti maintain that the /
apostles used none but their ordinary
clothing in offering the holy sacrifice. /
Alemannus not only denies to /
the apostles the use of special gar
nents, but even to their immediate /
successors in the apostcIat Others.
however, think otherwise
AS to the language used in the Litilr-
gy in the first ages of the. Church, John +
Eek attempted to prove that up to the
time of Pope Adrian Agro-Chaldaic
was exclusively adopted. This opinion
has no foundation whatever. The Opin-
on of Cardinal Bona, borne out very
fully by the researches of Martene
holds that the Apostles and their sue
used in the celebration of the
holy sacrifice whatever language they
in, I
nations visited by them. In Jerusalem
hey used the Syro-C haldaic; in Anti
'ch, Alexandria and Greece, they adopt
ID the Greek; in Rome and the west
Latin: and so, wherever
hey went This Apostolic custom has
emained ever since in the east, so
hat all the Oriental churches have
preserved in their liturgies the various
languages in which they first receEed
he faith. This is evidenced even in
Rome today, where the diverse rites
+ the east are freely used with the ap-
recitation of the Pope
1t is very easy to understand Why
he Latin became the, language of the
'hurch in the west of Europe There
'as simply no other language known
D literature or learning. The unculti- :
ated dialects of Germany and Gaul
nd Britain had no settled form in
nose days. whilst Latin was the Ian :
uage of learning. science, art, juris- :
and of civilization in general.
was different in the East. There the
.oman conuuerors found a more an 7
lent civilization than their own, and r
ssuming various forms in a diversity
cultivated and fixed forms of speech.
he wisdom of the Romans prevented
lem from interfering with the social a
IStomS or national habits Of those a
vilized though conquered peoples, s
hose several languages thus contin
ed in general use down to the days of
lie Apostles, who unhesitatingly
1opted them in their religious exer-
ses.
Not so, however, did the first mission
rieS find a like condition of things in
lie various countries of Europe. Hence
lese were forced to adopt in the public
rvices Of the Church the only one p
nguage fit for the purpose. Although D
lie circumstances have changed essen i
ally since then, and new and polished
alects have been permanently built :
, into elegant and stable forms, the v
der language has preserved its first y
,sition of supremacy. so difficult is 1t T
change anything that has grown so n
idely and deeply into the habits Off :,
.ople The Jewish Cabalists, indeed, y
und mystery and doctrinal signif- 4
nee in the very letters of their Ian 81
lage; but those outside of the Church n
no imagine that Catholics regard g
ltin, or Greek. or Hebrew. more sa- h
eG in themselves than English, h
,ench or Irish, misinterpret the mo- c;
res of retaining the I.it2ny in Latin - =