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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Offertorium – 41 The service for Good Friday is not a Mass, and has no Introit, Offertory or Communion. It has however a Tract; in fact the old service had two Tracts, for it began with a reading from Osee (Hosea) 6:1-6, followed by a Tract from Habakkuk 3: Domine, audivi auditum tuum, et timui: consideravi opera tua, et expavi. In medio duorum animalium innotesceris: dum appropinquaverint anni, cognosceris: dum advenerit tempus, ostenderis. In eo, dum conturbata fuerit anima mea: in ira, misericordiae memor eris. Deus a Libano veniet, et Sanctus de monte umbroso, et condenso. Operuit caelos majestas eius: et laudis eius plena est terra. A most obscure prophecy, which has received a deal of Christian exegesis. The idea of God being revealed ‘between two animals’ may have given rise to the ox and the ass (about which the Gospels are curiously silent) on either side of the manger. In the context of the crucifixion, they can only be the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus. The second Tract, after a reading from Exodus 12:1-11 (about the Passover lamb) is from Psalm 139, verses 2-10 and 14, the sense of which may be sufficiently inferred from the first verse: Eripe me, Domine, ab homine malo: a viro iniquo libera me. After the second Tract comes the lengthy reading of the Passion according to Saint John (18:1-40; 19:1-42). This is followed by the Solemn Intercessions. Each of these in two parts. First the priest sings the introduction, setting out the subject of the prayer. Then he invites the people to pray for it: ‘Oremus’. The Deacon sings ‘Flectamus genua’, Let us kneel. When the people have knelt and prayed, the Subdeacon sings, ‘Levate’, Arise. The priest then sings a collect for the subject proposed. This is a very ancient pattern of liturgical prayer, surviving now only in these prayers. The subjects of these prayers are (1) The Church; (2) The Pope; (3) All Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Subdeacons, Acolytes, Exorcists, Lectors, Doorkeepers, Confessors, Virgins, Widows, and all the holy people of God; (4) The Roman Emperor (prayed for long after he had ceased to exist); (5) The Catechumens; (6) That God would purge all errors, take away diseases, drive away hunger, open the prisons, loose bonds, bring wanderers home, give healing to the sick, and a safe harbour to seafarers; (7) Heretics and schismatics; (8) The ‘Perfidious Jews’ (not very kindly phrased); (9) The Pagans. After the Prayers comes the Veneration of the Cross. The celebrant sings three times: Ecce lignum Crucis, in quo salus mundi perpendit. Each time he unveils a little more of the cross, until it is completely exposed. Each time the choir sings in reply: Venite, adoremus. Eamon Duffy writes of what follows: ‘Clergy and people then crept barefoot and on their knees to kiss the foot of the cross, held by two ministers ... Creeping to the cross was one of the most frequent targets of Protestant reformers from the 1530s onwards, and there can be no doubt of the place it held in lay piety: well into the Elizabetheran period Bishop Grindal would complain that on Good Friday “some certeyn persons go barefooted and barelegged to the churche, to creepe to the crosse.” (The Stripping of the Altars, p. 29) During the veneration of the cross are sung the ‘Improperia’ or ‘Reproaches’, a series of scriptural verses contrasting the goodness of God and the ingratitude of his people. They begin, Popule meus, quid feci tibi? aut in quo contristivi te? responde mihi. Quia eduxi te de terra Aegypti: parasti Crucem Salvatori tuo. Then is sung a chant familiar to Orthodox Christians, the Trisagion, in both Greek and Latin: Deacon: Agios o Theos. Subdeacon: Holy God. Deacon: Agios ischyros. Subdeacon: Sanctus fortis. Deacon: Agios athanatos, eleison imas. Subdeacon: Sanctus immortalis, miserere nobis. The celebrant continues: Quia eduxi te per desertum quadraginta annis, et manna cibavi te, et introduxi te in terram satis bonam: parasti Crucem Salvatori tuo. And so on. The celebrant mentions a dozen instances of God’s loving care for his people, and of what was done to Christ in return. After the Improperia is sung the hymn ‘Pange lingua gloriosi’ of Venantius Fortunatus. I believe I have written a commentary on this hymn for this very list, some years ago, so I shall not repeat the exercise today. After the Veneration of the Cross is complete, the reserved Sacrament is brought to the altar for the priest’s Communion, which concludes the service. More anon. ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! 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