Had a quick look at Rutherford's commentary between flights today. His
interpretation of the evidence, as I thought I recalled, does not clearly
say whether this remnant of a wake vigil would be an example for your model.
He has that it evolved as a rite of its own, psalms and antiphons being sung
while and/or after the body was washed in preparation for burial. It
parallels the development of vigils in the Office but is not --strictly
speaking-- derived or even adapted from it. Rites for the dying other than
the funeral Mass itself were local, with many variations. E.g., the pastoral
manual of the diocese of Brescia (promulgated in 1675) provided the basis
for what became the Tridentine funeral rites and passed to us in the RR
until the reforms after Vatican II.
However, there may be elements of your model at work here. I jotted down
this quote from Rutherford:
'Although this psalm [De Profundis] of trust in God's mercy preserved a tone
of Christian Hohpe through many centuries of funeral liturgy, later medieval
spirituality concentrated on the image of the opening words: "Out of the
depths." The proper antiphon (verse 3), "If you O Lord mark iniquities, Lord
who can stand?" indicates the attitude with which the psalm was prayed. This
was quite a shift from the earlier spirituality that suggested the antiphon
_In paradisum_ . . . .' [R.Rutherford, _The Death of a Christian: The Order
of Christian Funerals. Revised edition_ (Collegeville: Pueblo, 1990), p.96]
Unfortunately, he doesn't cite any sources for the change of antiphons from
_In paradisum_ to _Si iniquitates_, so I don't have any dates to give you.
There is a wealth of literature on the evolution of the funeral rites, but
the RR is a bit far afield from my area of interest (BR). I have a moderate
interest because the parallels to the development of the Divine Office have
caught my attention from time to time. And of course, personally, I was
fascinated by this rite in my own youth. I suspect someone else on this most
learned list can supply bibliography for the topic more readily than I. I do
recall that there is some relevant material in the Ordines Romani, i.a.
Because the rites were local, much of the material is found in local
liturgical books or often even in pastoral manuals not strictly speaking
liturgical books, both types with limited circulation. (Apologies for that
anachronistic artificial distinction but it still appears in some
bibliographies.)
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Stan Metheny" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2000 12:43 AM
Subject: Norms and Praxis
> Thank you for your response to my inquiry on norms and praxis
> for Psalm. 129 and Psalm 50 . The frequent use, and popularity of
> these two psalms may have made the issue of their unofficial
> interpolation into the celebration of the Mass for the Departed a
> less than successful example for my more general query on which those
> specifics rested.
> I am searching for examples where 1) the officially appointed
> liturgical ordo was re-arranged or even significantly altered through
> popular interpolation of other texts ( liturgical, Scriptural)), and
> 2) what theological effect, if any, these alterations/interpolations
> rendered and 3) instances where that altered or interpolated ordo
> then became the new "official' or, if still 'unofficial', then
> traditional usage, supplanting the official.
> I have noted several significant examples of such popular
> modifications of the ordo within the Byzantine Festal Cycles which
> significantly alter, or at least attempt to alter the appointed
> theological narrative of those feasts. I was seeking similar
> occurrences within Western materials. The inclusion of the De
> Profundis and Psalm 50 from the office, directly in the Mass for the
> Departed struck me as, in some degree, such a development.
> Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
>
> Josef Gulka
> Josef Gulka
> [log in to unmask]
> Tel: 215- 732-8420
> Fax (215) 732-8420
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