HIST O R Y

O F T HE

R O MA N BR EV IA RY

MGR P I
.ERRE BA T I
FFO L , e '

r
. D .

R
T AN SL A T E D BY

AT WELL M Y . . BA Y LA Y , MA
. .

FROM T HE T HI RD F REN C H EDIT IO N ,

WIT H A N EW C H A PTER O N T HE DEC REE O F P I U S X .

LON G MA N S, GR EEN AN D CO .

39 PA T ERN O ST ER RO W , LO N DON

NEW YO RK , BO MBA Y A N D CALCUTTA

ai lti l O bs tat :

F RA NC I
SC U S CAN ON I
CU S W YN DHA M ,

C ensor D ep u ta tws .

EDN . C AN . S uaN O Nr ,
Vic Gm
. .

W nsr u om mu nu , du 3 Im a m! rgrz .
 T H E A U T HO R S T O T HE
’
P R E FA C E
T H I R D ED I T I O N ( 19 1 1
)

H OWEV ER nu merous the e h

a ut h o rs who, in the sixt e n t

c e n tury an d the fi rst ha l f O f the se v e n tee n th wrote o n ,

the subj ect of l iturg y an d as in cl uded th e rein of the , ,

D iv in e O ffi ce I ma y b e r mitted to asse rt th a t the

,

fi rst O f the m to rega rd t ese stud ies from the sa me

sta n dp o in t as ou r own was the v e n e ra bl e an d l ov a bl e

C ardin al Bon a He was Ge n era l of the C istercian s

.

w h en h e p ubl ish ed a t R ome in 1 6 5 3 the b ook l on g , , ,

s in ce be co me a classic n e ra ll y k n own as D e D i mn a
'

g e ,

P sa l modza He became a C ardin a l in 1 669 a n d died

'

.
,

in 16 7 4 He had read wise ly an d ga v e us the resu l ts

.
,

O f his r ea din g w ith ca n dou r an d u n ction T he ma in .

O bj ect h e ha d in v ie w was e difi ca tion an d it is his z ea l ,

fo r th is tha t led him to amass his e ru dition but tha t ,

erudition is r ich an d has the tru e r in g about it

, .

D om Mabillon is howev er the tru e maste r of our, ,

stu dies It is o n l y to be reg r etted tha t he was n ot abl e

.

to dev ote h imse lf mo r e e xten siv e l y to the stu dy of R oma n

l iturgy Bu t a t all e v en ts we owe to him the p ubl ica
.

in his M u saeu m [ta l zm m ( P ar is O f the

'

tion , ,

rin ci a l O r din es R oma n i H s trea tise D e L i tu rg za

’

p p i .
,

Gall zca na ( P ar is th o u h on l y an app e n dix to his

'

ed itio n of the w o rks of S e rma in is the wo rk O f a

.
,

master In it h e se ts fo rth a ll th a t can be l earn t from

.

documen ts co n cern in g the an cien t Gall ica n l iturgy an d ,

h e p ubl ish es the te xt of the Sacra men ta r ies exta n t .

T h en fi na ll y w h a t h e had don e for the Mass h e has

, ,

al so do n e for the Gal l ica n Oflice in his diss e rtation D e

cu r su Gal l zca no wh ich is a mode l of terse n ess a n d b rev ity

'

.
,

vii
viii PREFA CE

What our c un tryman

o Mab illon did n ot do for
the R o man l iturgy was u n de rtak en a t R o me b y the
T h ea tin e T o masi Lea v in g out . of con side ra tion his
u bl ica tio n s on the su bj e c t of the Mass we ma e m k
p y r ar ,

tha t h e p rin ted the docu me n ts w h ich ap p eared to him to

iv e the b est re resen ta tion of the an cie n t R o ma n O ffi ce ,
g p
a n d first an d fore mo st a mon
g th em the an tip h o n ar y of ,

the Basil ica O f 5 P eter O f w h ich we shall fr eq ue n tl y

.
,

ha v e occasion to sp eak , R esfi on som l za et A n fifi /zon a r za

’ ’

R omanae E eelesza e a S Gr egvr zo mag n o dzlrp oszta cu m

' ' '

.
,

app end i x mon u men tom m vetem m et se/zol zzs ( Ro me,

' '

T h is al on g with a ll T omasi s p ub l ica tion s is to

’

, ,

b e foun d in the editio n of his comp l ete works p ub l ish ed

by V ezzosi ( Rome, 1 7 4 7 T omasi was made a
C ardin a l in 1 7 1 2 an d died in 1 7 1 3 He had, b y mean s
, .

of his p ub l ica tion of we ll ch osen an d a ccurate docu me n ts ,

-

a massed ma te ria l s of w h ich w e still mak e use : h e him

se l f a n n o ta tin
g t h e m w ith so b rie ty an d j ud me n t
g .

m
O f the sa e l iturg ica l lin e is the German Be n e
dietin e D om Gerbert, fro m w ose M on u men ta vel en s
'

L zt u rgzae A leman meae ( San t Blas ie n

' '

we shall
'

-
,

uote
q .

In Fran ce l itur ica l eruditio n

g , at the b eg in n in g of ,

the eigh teen th ce n tu ry p roduced two b oo ks O f las tin g

,

va l u e . I n the fi rst ra n k is the Tr actatus a e a n ti a re

’
y
E eeleszae dzkezfl zn a i n dzmn u s celebm ud zs ofi zezzs
' ' ' ' ' ' '

L
( y on s 1 7 )
06 O f,D o m M a r te n e T h i s a u th or is O fte n .

ov erw he l med as it were un der the ab un dan ce of his

, ,

docu me n ts : h owe ve r th is criticism on l y ap p l ies to his

,

ar ra y O f textu al a uth o r ities ; for his e xp ositio n of th em ,

wh il e p resen tin an admirabl e rich n ess of in forma tion

g ,

is at the sa me ti me distin guish ed by a c l ea rn ess b oth O f ,

ar ra n emen t a n d O f p e r cep tio n w h ich re n de rs Dom

g ,

Ma rten e s work a boo k w ith which on e must to th is

’

da y con tin ually reck on .

In the seco n d ra n k I sh oul d wish to p lac e the Com

men tazr e lzzston q ue le B r éma zr e ( Pa ris, I7 2 7 O f

)
' ’ ' ' '

su r

the Sorbon n ist Gran colas, soo n a fte r tra n sla ted In to
Latin ( V e n ice , He owes much to Dom Mar
 PREFA CE ix

t e n e ; n ev erthe l ess e has his own eruditio n an d his own

h
q ual it y of s r ehw d discer n me n t He is in str u ctiv e ,.e v e n

a fter rea din

g Dom Marte ne .

In the n in etee n th ce n tur

y F ran ce if I am n ot mistak en , ,

led the wa y in the re v iva l of l itu rg ica l studies T he I n .

om Gué ra n ger
stitn tion s titu rg ignes )
( P ar isD , 1 840 of
was in th is resp e ct a n ep o ch ma ki n g w ork -
In it the .

histo ry of l iturgy in the se v en teen th an d eighteen th cen

tu ries is tr ea ted with eq ua l force a n d l ear n in g T h is, .

w h ich did a g reat dea l towa rds the rootin ou t of the

Gal lica n brev iaries of the ancien r egi me is t e best pa rt ,

of the I n stitution s It may b e sa id a l so w ith o ut p ara dox

.

th a t the P aleog mp /n e M u sicale of Sol esmes an d the

'

M elodies Gr ég or zen nes of Dom Poth ier a re amon g the ,

r esu l ts of Gu é ra n er s I n stit ution s O n the o the r han d

’

g .
,

a n d in so me so r t in di rect desce n t fro m Mab illon a n d

,

Marten e we hav e the Or zjgi n es da on lte of Mgr

, .

D uch esn e . T his b ook giv es u s for the h istory of La tin

liturgy b efor e C ha r l emagn e a critica l classification of
sources a n d rites wh ich is admira b l y trustw o rth
y I n it .
,

h owev er tha t wh ich relates sp eciall y to the Div in e

,

O ffice is p assed o v er But of th is I ough t n ot

.

t o co mp la in sin ce w ith out tha t o mission th ere wou ld

,

hav e be en n o occa sion for my Histo ry of the Roma n

Br ev iary
O n e h ardly dares to men tion Rosk ov an y the a uthor ,

of a co m ila tio n en titl ed D e Coel io t t B i r io i n

p a n e r ev a ,

th irteen v ol umes p u bl ish ed a t P es th between 1 86 1 a n d

,

1 888 in to wh ich v o l u mes th is oo d b i h o h as th row n

, g s p
p e l-
l m e l
, l as on e m ig h t th ro w th in gs in to dr a w e rs a ll th e ,

docume n ts h e met w ith relatin g to the h isto ry of the

Br eviar y an d of the cel iba te state I t is a co l l ectio n to
.

draw fro m, p rovided we do n ot trust too bl in dl y to the

exactitude of its comp il er .

So me Ger man works cal l for n otice .

We owe to a R edemp torist Fath er G Schobe r a n , . ,

excel l e n t work though mod est in ap p earan ce Exp l an atio

, ,

er itiea edit ioms B r evi a r i i R oma n i i S t R 12 Con

g n a e g . . .
 PREFA CE

n ti typ ica
’
aeel a m ta est
( R T he a u th or
a tisbo n ,

in his in trodu ctio n g iv es a sh ort sketch of the h isto ry of

the Bre v iary in wh ich for the first time the p roj ects
, , ,

of Be n ed ict X I V were broug h t in to n o tice T h e y had .

b een ign ored or l e ft u n e xp lain ed b y Gué ran g er .

T wo y ea rs after the p ubl ication of the fi rst editio n of

my H istoi r e dn B r éma i r e R oma i n at Pa ris in I893 a
'

Be n edictin e of Beuron D om Baumer , ub l ished his ,

Gese/zielzte des B r ewer s ( Fribou rg 1 89 5 wh ich has ,

s in ce b ee n tra n sla ted in to Fre n ch by a Ben e dictin e of

Farn bo ro ugh D om Biron ( Pa ris

, It is a com
,

ila tion o t he u bj e ct of the R o man Bre v iary a n d

p n s

subj ects co n n ected w ith it I n eed hardl y sa y I hav e

.

rea d it w ith a tten tion a n d I ha v e fou n d in

,
it much
in stru ctiv e in formatio n ; h av e fo un d so me q u estio n s
p rej ud ed ; an d occasion a ll ,
g y in r ega r d to m y ow n

wor k c riticisms of some a cerb ity

, I ha ve en dea .

v oured to ofi t b y it l l a n d towards th is e xcel l e n t ma n

p r a , ,

w h om I su r v iv e my on l y fee l in g is g ra titude
, .

My ow n M ier ologn s tha t is to say my History of

—
, ,

the R oma n Bre v iar y of wh ich the first Fre n ch ed i

tion a p p ea red in 1 89 3 a n d the se con d in 1895 , an d an
E n g l ish editio n tran sla ted b y Mr Ba yla y was p ub
, .
,

lishe d in Lo n do n b y Lon gman s in 1 898 has b een out —

of p rin t b oth in Fre n ch an d E n g l ish for some yea r s .

I was p ressed in man y q uarters to rep rin t it b ut I fel t ,

it n ecessary fi rst to cop y certa in records from arch iv es

a t R o me , to fo ll ow u p the study of the man uscrip t
Brev ia ries a n d to ma k e a mo st car eful re v isio n of a ll
,

the r efe re n ces to do cumen ts tha t occu r in my boo k I .

set to w o r k on it in 1 90 4 b ut o th er wo r k de l a yed me ,
,

an d more p ress in g in te re sts : a n d so it is o n l y afte r

b ein g sev en yea rs on the stocks tha t th is n ew edition

has b een lau n ch ed .

T he kin dn e ss with w h ich th ese twe n ty years or so , ,

th is h istory of min e ha s bee n re ce iv ed, must n o do u b t b e

as c ribed to the in te rest tak en b y ou r rea de rs in the

Br e v ia ry itsel f an d to the a ffe ction felt in deed eq uall y

,

b y us as b y th em for th is v e n e ra bl e work of Ro man

 PR EFACE xi

p ie ty . N ewman wh il e still an A n glican co u ld sa y :

, ,

T h ere is so much of excelle n ce an d bea uty in the

s e r v ices of the Bre v ia ry tha t w e re it s kil full se t b e fo re
, y
t he P rote sta n t b y R o man con tro v ersia l ists as the b o ok
o f de v o tio n s r e ce iv ed in th e ir C ommu n io n it wou ld u n ,

d ou bte dly ra ise a p rej udice in th eir fav our 1

.

T he resto ratio n of the Greg o rian me l od ies in all

th e ir orig in a l bea uty has made us ye t more se n sibl e of
the tr u th of this op in ion ; bu t ev en l ea v in g on on e side ,
”
the Ro man C ha n t th e re remain s the in sp irin g tex t of
,

the r esp o n ds an d an tip h on s the arran g eme n t of the ,

p s a l te r ,th e in s tr u c tio n co n v e ed b y the le sso n s : th ere

y
is in fact a t the r oo t of all a tra ditio n al co n cep tio n of
, , ,

u blic p r aye r its obj ect an d its so u rces ; th ere is a so u l

p , ,

a n d tha t the so u l of R o me A s we re cog n iz e a n d a p

.

r ehen d it we fee l o u rsel v es in touch w ith an a n cien t

p ,

p ie t y w h ich w e i n sti n ctiv e l y pp

a r e c ia te an d l o v e T h is .

is the b en efit to b e r ea p ed fro m all study of the h isto ry

o f l itu rgy .

My read e rs h av e also felt obl iged to me for ha v in g

a tt e m ted to v e a en tzka l h isto r f h B
'

p g i y o t e rev iar
y .

T he l a bours of the con sulta tors of Ben edict X I V dis

e d m e f r o m atte m tin o t f m m e t o
p n s e
p g a s r o c o n a r
y n

the c redib ility of the l ege n ds or the claim of certa in ,

fes tiv als to o bserv an ce I had n o th in g to do bu t to rep ort

the j udg men t of th ese con su lta tors so sp ecia ll y a u ,

thor ized But b y critical h istory I u n derstan d the

“
.

meth od wh ich co n sists with regar d to an y in stitution in

,

the C h u rch in search in g ou t what h av e b e en its succes

,

s iv e sta tes fro m its o ri in down to ou r own times i

g n ,

assi n in to ea ch dev e l op me n t its da te a n d in descr ib in

g g g ,

the tu rn of e v en ts b y wh ich ea ch such de v el op men t was

ro duced esta bl ish ed or a ba n do n e d
p , , .

T h us I v en tur e to th in k w ill b e man ifested

, ,

the u n ity of my ow n la b ours th e se tw e n ty yea rs : for

History of the Roman Bre v iary has be e n the
”
t h is

p re l ude to v a rio us o th er research es in wh ich se

(
va na is ) the sa me me th od was a p l ie d to the h istory of
'
p
T r ac ts for the Ti mes , N o 7 5 , on the Roman Breviary,
. p . 1.
x ii PREFA CE

oth e r in stitu tio n s of the C h urch an d to the v ery n otion

,

itse lf of the C h urch an d of Cath o l icism T he day will

.

co me wh e n the b e n efit w h ich on e rej o ices to fi n d in a

h istory of the Brev iary on e wil l eq ually rej oice to fin d in

a h isto ry sa y
, of ordin atio n o r of the o rig in s of the
,

dog ma of the Ho l y T rin ity .A n d wh e n o n ce we are

of on e min d in th us th in k in th tru th wh ich Cath o l icism
g , e

p o s s e ss e s b y t ra d itio n h a n d e d d o w n f r o m t h e fi rs t a
g e s

will acq u ire a n ota bl y en han ced v al ue .

A t the p resen t time the farth est p o in t wh ich we hav e

rea ch e d is to e n deav o u r w ith a l l our o w e r to e n sure
p
th is futur e p ro ‘ess I owed it to the rea ders who hav e
fis
.

”
l ov ed th is P tory of the Ro ma n Brev iary a n d hav e ,

p ar d o n e d a n y s t a te m e n ts a dv a n c e d in it w h ic h w e r e n o t
well matured to rev ise it w ith e xtr e me care
, I a dmire .
,

with o ut a las ! be in g of th e ir n u mb e r the a u tho rs who

, ,

hav e n o n eed to corre ct th e ir state men ts an d n eve r ,

wr ite an yth in g that is n ot a bso l ute l y fin al For us his

.

tor ian s e v e n if the tren d of the main l in e s of our su bj ect

,

is easil y traced th ere a re al ways the de tail s to v erify

, ,

an d of th ese de ta il s th e re a re n o en d . T he ma in l in e s
of my boo k h a v e b ee n a dh ered to , the fun damen ta l
th eses hav e b een stre n gth e n ed the ir docu men ta ry j u sti
,

fica tion has bee n v erified an d en riched O n man y .

p o in t s I h a v e m o d ifi e d m y o r ig in a l as se r tio n s an d I ,

l d l u t th e e o e ti o d e r the o te ti o o f th e
g a y p s c rr c n s u n p r c n s e

g o l d e n w o rd s o f T h o m ass in : M o s t p peo l e l i k e an a i r

of decisio n an d the state men t of re cis e co n cl usion s on

, p
w hate v e r subj ect is u n der discussion with o ut an y sh adow ,

of do u b t b e in suffered to re ma in in the min ds

g
N ev erth el ess that is n ot by a n y mean s the cou rse that
,

must b e tak e n in order to b ecome p rofoun dly acquain ted

with the l earn in g of an tiq u ity .Bearin g in min d tha t it is
a re io n v ery far dista n t fro m our ow n d l e l o
g a n , a r
g y c
cup ied by da r kn ess on e must mak e o n e s wa
’

, y st e p yb
step an d with e xtre me ca utio n
,

R
PA IS, Sep tember 30 , 19 10 .
 A U T HO R S T O T HE N EW
’
P R E FA C E
EN G LI SH E D I T I O N ( 19 1 2
)

T H E p resen t En g l ish e ditio n is tra n slated from the third

F ren ch editio n ( Paris 19 1 , the diffe re n ce co n sistin g
in a series of c orrectio n s of deta ils T he most n o te
.

w orthy a mon g th e m are due to the suggestion s of that

e xc e l l en t l itu rg is t M A twell Bayle y wh om I tak e
, .
,

l ea sur e in tha n k in for the frien dly ca re an d atten tion

p g
he has besto wed on the En glish tran sla tion .

The con cl usio n of the Fren ch ed ition has been

o mitted a n d a chap te r on the refo r m of P ius X has b een
,

a dded in its p la ce N 0 on e wo u l d hav e accep ted the

.

idea of a h istory of the R oman Brev iary that sho uld

hav e left out the co n cl usion wh ich the Holy See has
j ust giv e n to the p roj ects of Ben edict X I V by the Bull
D i vin o A fi atn of N o v e mber 1 1 9 1 1 , .

I n wr itin
g th e se additio n a l p ag es I h a v e ha d
g,rea t

sa tisfactio n in fi n din g in all th at the p ap al reform

,

r esto res the fu l filmen t of th ose desires my boo k fi rst

,

a v e res ectfu l e x ress io n to tw en ty years a o

g p p g .

PA u s, O cta ve of the Epi pha ny, 1 91 2.

 T R A N S LA T O R S N O T E
’

FO U RT EEN years ago I had the p l easure of tran slatin g

i n to E n glish the for me r ed ition of th is Histor of the
” y
R o man Brev iary a n d n ow by the k in d p ermission of
, ,

Mg r Ba tiffol I p e rform the same office for the n ew

.
,

edition wh ich h e has bro ugh t out .

In the yea rs th a t ha v e in terv en ed I ha v e r ead

s u n dr b oo k s co n ce rn ed w ith the h istory of the Br e v iar y
y ,

b u t I am still of the op in io n tha t Mg r Batiffol s i s the

’
.

b est A n d if I may b e so bo ld as to sa y so, I th in k

.
,

th at I n this ed itio n h e has v ery ma ter ia l l y im ro v ed it

.

He has matured his statemen ts an d stre n t en ed his

p o s itio n s w ith o ut sa crifi cin g tha t l ucid ity an
, g
v i v acit of
.

y
styl e wh ich ma k es him, in his ow n such an

easy a uth o r to read T h at I s h o u ld p

. ch arm of

tha t styl e in an En g l ish v ersion is a th h I ha ve

'

n ot su ffi cie n t se lf con ce it to dr eam of

-
. that I c laim
is that I hav e don e my best to con v ey the auth or s
’

mean in g cl ear ly an d accuratel y . T he few n otes w h ich

I hav e th o ught it desira b l e to a dd are distin guish ed by
the in itia l s A B . I .s my hop e that, in p lacin
t I g M gr .

Batiffol s b oo k In the han ds of En glish readers, I sha ll

’

b e do in g so meth in g towards in creasin g their lov e an d

v e n e ra tion for th os e n o b l e o ffi ces of ra er w h ich are
p
amo n
g th e ch ief g l o ries of the Western C urch z .
 CO NT EN T S

PA G E

A u thor s Preface to the T hi rd Edition

'

( 1 91 1
)
A uthor s Preface to the
’
new En glish Edition ( 1 91 2
)
ran sla tor s N ote
’
T

ITh
A?

. e Gen esis of the Can on ical Hours

11 The Sources
. of the R oman O fi ce

III The R oman O fi ce of the ti me of C harl emagn e

.

V The Moder n mn Ofi d n m an d the Breviaries of the Crma

I
'

V . The Breviary of the C oun cil of T ren t

V I T he P roj ects
. of Ben edict X I
V

VII The Decree

. of 1 9 1 1

In dex
 C HA PTER I .

I
T HE GEN ES S O F T HE CA N O N C A L I HO U R S .

I
T w a s the d istr ib u tion of Ch ristian p rayer over the various
t i mes of the day that gave b irth to these H ou rs of P rayer
,
”

a n d a mon g the m th ree g rou p s a re to be d iscern ed : ( 1) the

n oc tu rn al grou p ; ( 2 ) the grou p co mp osed of te rce, se x t, an d

n o n e ; ( 3) the group comp risin g p r ime an d co mp l in e Eac h

o f these group s has its ow n date , an d its ow n p ecu l iar orig i n .

The n oc tu rn a l g r o u pits fi rst el e men t the

has as v ig il ,
“

wh ich in p ri mitive times was cel ebrated in the n igh t betw een
Saturday an d Sun day : for it must be re me mbered tha t, in the
method of reck on in g foll owed by the R oman s as w ell as by
the J ew s, the ex ten t o f each day w as fro m even in g to even in g,
a n d con seq uen tly the ob serva n ce o f the Su n day began on the

Satu rday even in g When ce did the Ch ristian s of the first

.

cen tury der ive the idea of assembl in g in the n igh t to w atch a n d

p ra y t og e th er ? 1
T he orig in s o f t h is Su n day v ig i l a r e ex c ee d
in g ly O bscure .

L ater eccl esiastical w riters have n everthel ess attemp ted to

ex p l ai n th is v ig il , an d th eir in terp retatio n of it i s as foll ows : T he
L ord s D ay was the comme mora tion of the Resurrection of
’

Ch rist, an d th u s w as, as it were, a w eekly E aster N ow the .

Ch ristian festival of Easter had a sol emn vig il , emp l oyed in the
so l e mn bap tism o f the catech u men s The idea was en terta in ed
.

th at, the n igh t of H o ly Satu rday be fore E aster Sun day be in g

tha t whereo n Christ rose fro m the dea d, it wou l d be on such a
n igh t th at He wou l d rea p p ea r in the worl d, l ik e the destroy in g

M Duchesn e, 0n g irn cs da en l te, 2n d ed p

Paris, 1898 , p 2 19, recog
g
.

n iz es t a n oc turn al assembl a s bein g alr eady referr ed to in the l etter of Pl in y

h
c on cern i n g th e C ristian s ( p 11E .S tato d i e an te l ucem con ven ire, car
men q ue Christo quas i Deo dicere in v ic em . h p
But t is assag e may p o s
p
si bl y r efer to the assembl y for the ba ti sma l i n iti ation : see L ig tfoot, I h g n a ti us

t 1
. . p
5 2 . In. t a t caseh i t w oul d a t a l l even ts s ow t ah h
t the C ri stians h
cel ebrated bo tmn befor e dawn
f .
2 H I STORY OF T HE ROMA N BREVI A RY
a n ge who had of old, on the n ight of the first Passover, smitten
l
the fi rst bom o f E gyp t -
O n th at n ight of E aster, that n igh t
.

of w h ich the p rop h et ( as men be l ieved ) ha d foretol d that it

h l l
s ou d be as c ea r as the d ay
— ct n ox si cu t dies i ll u mi na bi tn r ( Ps .

m —it was meet tha t

h l d sl eep but w atch
cxxxv ) . 12 n on e s ou ,

an d p ray ti ll dawn awaitin g the comin g of the Lord ,

Then ce .

ca me the in stitution o f the P asch a l vigi l an d the P asc ha l v igi l , ,

in time gave birth to the Sun day v igi l

,
Th us S A ugustin e . .

”
call s the Pasch a l v ig il the moth er of al l the holy vigil s an d
“
,

S J erome foll owin g Lactan tius e x p l ain s the observan ce of the

.
, ,

v i il by the ex p ec ta tion of the re turn of C hrist an d sp e ak s of

g ,

th is e x p l an ation as an A p ostol ic tradition

l
.

IS B Paul us dicit : I
“

. A ug . Serra . ccxl x . . n tiis saef i us (2 Cor x1 . .

Q uan to e rg o al acr iu s i n hac vi gil ia [ P asc a s ] v u t ma t r e o m n i u m hsan ct

arum vi gi liarum v igi lare deb emus, in q ua totu e mun dus vi gi lat
”
.

Pri sc i ll ian , T ract 6 ( ed Sch ep ss , . . ut d el egatas in Pasc a Domin i h

vigi l ias imitan tes , con ver san tes in i gn ora n tiae n oct e p ervi gil etis ad De um
”
.

S erome, C anon i n Ma tt Iv 2 5
. .
“
.T he tr adi ti on of the ews is t a t
. . J h
T ra tio j u daeorum es t Christum C r ist will come a t midn ig t, as at the
‘

h h
med ia n octe ven turum in simili tudi n em time of the goin g fort from Egy t, h p
A egyp ti i temp oris, q uan do Pasc a cel e h
w en the Passover was celebrated, an d h
bratum est et exter min ator v en i t, et the destroyin g an gel came ; w en th e h
p
Domi n us su er ta b ern ac ul a tran siit, et Lord assed over our dwell in p an d
sa n guin e agn i p
os tes n ostr arum from our door osts w er e al l ow ed p
th e h
U Wh I
,

tium co n secrati sun t n de r eor et

. blood of th e lamb en ce also .

tradi ti on em A p ostol icarn p erma n si ss e th in t a t the A ostolic tradi tion has k h p

ut, in die vi gil iar um Paschae , an te n octis survived, of n ot all owi n th e eo le to p p
pp
dimidi um o ul os dimi ttere n on l iceat, be dismissed before mi n ight on th e d
p
ex ecta n tes adven tu m C risti h
Et vi gil of Easter , in ex ec tation of the
. p
p o st q ua m il l ud t em u s tr a n si p
er it se c o m in g o f C hr.is t B u t a ft er t a t o ur . h h
c u ri tate p ra es u m p ta f es tu m c u n cti h as ass e d , a l l , w i t c o n fi dp en c e o f h
agun t diem . U
n de et P sa l mist: dice safety , cel eb rate th e festival W en ce . h
bat : Medi a n octe su rg ebavn ad eonfi the salmist al so sai d : A t midn ig t p h I
ten dn m T i bi super j nd ici a j us tifica tioni s wil l rise to v e t an s un to T ee be
‘

h k h ,

T n ae
”
. ca use of by rig teou s udg men ts
”
h j
v m
( P s c x . .

Cf L actan tius, D i vi n I
. n sti t VI .I 19 ; sidor , E ty m
. v1
. 17 IWe fi n d a . . .

h
trace of t i s same bel i ef in a Poiti ers on ti fieal of th e ten t cen tury , n ow in th e h
li b of the A rsen al of P aris : MS l 0 2 2 7 , Fol 1 7 8 . p . . .

mn i sol lici tudi n e p rocuretur ut it great care be i t con trived W h

Glori a i n excelsi s D eo ea n octe [San cti t at Gl ory be to God on ig h be n ot h h
Sabbati] an te n on in cip ia tur
q uam begun that n ig t before on e star can be h
stel la ap p ar eat i n ca el um, ea scI licet seen in the sk y, to the en d t a t th e h
r ati on e n e pp
o ul i an te medi um n oc ti s eo l e ma p p
n ot be di smissed fr om the
ab eccles ia dimittan tu r Siq uidern c urc be re midh i ht
. h h
For in deed it .

p
tradi ti o A ostoli ca est media n oc te in is an A ostoli c tra ti on t a t at mid p °

huj us sac ra tissimae n octis V igil ia Do
j
min um ad udici um esse v e n turum
h
n i g t on th is most sacred n ig t th e h h
Lord wi ll come to u dgmen t
. An d j .

p
En imver o sieu t veraci um erson arum as i t is rep orted on the tes ti mon y of
r el a tion e tr ad itur , q ui n ostr o tem ore p
trut ful ers on s w ho in our ti mes h pave h
de Hierusal em adven erun t, hac auctori come from erusal em, th e fait fu l t ere, J h h
ta te et traditi on e fi del es o ul i i ll is pp
bein
g in structed in t i s aut oritative h h
in structi , in Sab bato v igiliarum tr adI tion a ssemb l e i n the c urc , for h h
i n eccl esi am con ven ien tes q uasi Do the vi gil on Easter Eve as if ready to
e
4 HI STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
w ith A men or a dox ology T he Ch ristian Litan y is essen ti
,
.
1

a lly the sa me th in g
2
.

Th is simp l e A men the first sign of the ex isten ce of a Ch ris ,

tian l itu rgy testifies to its form h av in g bee n that of a d ial ogue
, ,

as do a l so such acc l amation s as i n sa crela

8
.

The si n gin g a l so assumed the form of a dial ogue T he

n u mber of p eo p l e who k n ew how to rea d be in g sma ll book s ,

bein g scarce an d the tex ts of the p sa l ms often difficul t the

, ,

sa l mod y wa s n ot ren de red by a l l toge th er b ut by on e cl erk

p , ,

a s a sol o He recited the p sal m on a musica l p hrase some

.
,

times si mp l e l ik e a recitative someti mes more orn a te

, ,

C ustom was div ided between these two modes of p sa l mody .

I n the fourth cen tu ry at A l e x a n dria S A th a n asius ordered , ,

.

that the reader of the p sa l m sh ou l d u se such sl igh t in flex ion s

o f the v oice th at he migh t see m to say rath er than ch an t it
ta m modi co flew voci s f a ci eba t son a r e l ector ern p sa l mi , at p ra

n a na a n ti vi ci n ior esset m
’

q ua

Mean wh il e , wh il e the
the con gregation l isten ed in l
s i e n ce

rea de r said or sun g the p sa l m : but the p sa l m was always con

c l ud ed w ith so me sort of re frai n or acc l a mation sun g by the

con gregation al l togeth e r l ik e the resp on se of a l ita n y T he , .

dox ol ogy Glor ia P a rt is a n acc lamation of th is k in d .

T he custom al so grew up of in tercal a tin g simil ar re frain s in

the course of the p sa l m to be tak en u p by the whol e con grega ,

“
tion after each verse o r p air o f verses The refrain s were .

l W
Bousset, Di e R el ig i on des nden thmns ( Berl in , 15 6 See
?
. .

the text of the Kaddisc in E arren s L i tu rgy an d R i ta

’
h f t he A nFte . .

N i cen e C hur ch ( Lon don , 2 14 5 pp .

-
.

’ N on e of th ese ra ers in the

[ y rim i tive ofi c es wp ere of the n a ture o f C o p
h
but s ort, l i e versi cles, or the sufi rages of the Li ta n y, followed by a t e
’

s po n se .
—A . gl
On the use of A men see Dom Gabrol , Di et d a rcheolo Chr et art icl e A men
’
’
. . .

T he accl amation i n sa cul a , or i n sa cn l a sa cn lor mn , is e uen t in the E istl es p

of th e N ew T estamen t, an d in variab l y fol l owed by A men om x1 36 , v 27 g . . .

Gal 1 5 ; Ep h 111 2 1 ; P il w 2 6 ; 1 Tim 1 17 (of VI

. . . . h
2 T im I. v 18 , . . . . . . .

Heb 11111 2 1 ; 1 Pet Iv 1 1, v 1 1 ; A oc 1 6 , v 1 3, V II

. . . . In S ude, . p . . . . . J
verse 2 5 , i s to be foun d the most com l ete formul a T ertul li an (D e Spectae p .

w
.

h
tel ls us t at the accl amati on s is a l ai r as h r a lé m r was on e em oyed by the w im
‘ '
h
p
i n the s ectacul ar games , as for instan ce in the gl adiatorial combats, for th e
p urp ose of ren deri n g an ovation , an d he desi res t at C ristians s ould reserve h h h
h
t a t accl a ma ti on for C rist our God al on e h .

4
8 A ug Confess x 33
. . . . .

“Se e an exam l e of suc p

salmody i n Bruce s Gn osti c
'
hp
a yr us ( A mé l in es u , pp
N oti ce sn r te papy r us g nosti q ue Br uce, Pari s, 189 1 , 1 60
'
T en he be an pp h
g
.

to sin g a h
n gi vi n g g l ory to His at er , g i ve l
g ory to T ee, etc T en F h I h .

He made is disc i l es respon d t rice, p

A men , A men , A men h
A gai n , He said ,
‘
I h h
wil l si n g un to T ee a ymn of raise, O God My ath er : for it is T ou, etc p F h .

h h
T e n t ey sa id t rice, O God un moveab le h A n d a fter ea c cou l et the dis h p
cip l es rep eated, O God un moveabl e, suc wa s T in e un moveabl e will h h
 THE GE N E SI S OF THE CA N O N ICA L HOUR S 5

ca lled
in Greek de p oa r lxca I took my p l ace on the thron e, .
‘

writes S A than asius, a n d tol d a deacon to rec ite a p sa l m,

.
“

a n d the con grega tion to re sp on d, Fo r H is mercy e n d u reth for

2
So a l so S A ugustin e sa ys Evod ius took the .

Psal ter, an d bega n to ch an t a p sa l m, to wh ich we, even the

whole fa mily, resp on ded, My son g sh all be o f mercy a n d
j g
u d m en t : un to Th ee , O Lo r d ,
w i ll I s in
g
3
Th is m a n n er

o f tre atin g the p sa l mody is a ttested by T e rtull ian a s an e x ist

in g custom, a bout A D T he Ch ristian s, n o doubt had .

“
a do p ted it fro m the J e w s .

We a re assured by J oh n Cassian th at the mon a stic com

mun ities of E gyp t, at the en d of the fourth cen tu ry , had re
main ed fa ith ful to the most a n cien t an d sev ere for m o f
p sa l m od y Th e offi c e ,
o f t
.h e e v e n i n g an d of th e n i g h t a l ik e ,
“
co n sisted o f the rec itation of tw e l v e p sa l ms A n d th is n umbe r .

w ould ap p ear to have been fix ed on at a very ear ly date , for

the E gy p tian s l oved to a ssert th at i t wen t b ack to the time of
S Mark , their first b ish op , an d th at it had been reveal ed by an
.

g e l fro m H ea v e n .

These twel ve p sa l ms were ex ecuted as a sol o by a reader,

o r rath er by fou r reade rs who re l i eved o n e a n oth er, ea ch of

th em hav in g to sin g n ot more than th ree p sal ms i n suc cession

7
.

C onsti t A st 11 5 7 , 6 : d k abs r d dxpoc r ixta br o m l fl e

1
. . . C f Mar c Vi l a w . . .

S P orp hy n i
. a r en sis , 7 7 (A d a S S F eb t 111 . . . .

3
. h
S A t a n A l de f ug a 2 4 . He says of t e deacon dr a ytr é oxew da nd y ,
. . .
' ‘

a n d of the p eop e br un e t t e C f. S o n C rys in 1 C or Hami l xxxv x 6

. . J h h . . . .

d M a m M ines, xhr t dr r r s h ea r ty , dos i f i r bs “ tim es I ) p e r i l l

o p aie r ‘
.

h
N ote t at the women ta e n o art i n the sin g in g i n c urc k p
D i dascal ia h h .

C C C X VI IIP a trum ( ed Ba tiffol , 1 8 : l w a rtl r apow éA A eo Oa t i n i n t i m a te p ‘ ‘

m
. .

i
p p M ei r , p in e ” hy e n i
“p n e m a c h o , cl p )i y ar 6 17 6 11
M .

’
8 A ug C onfess 1x 12 :
. .
“
Psal ter ium arrip ui t Evodi us, et ean tar e coep it
. .

p s a l mu m , c u i re sp on d e ba m u s o m n ia do m u s
”
N o te t a t w ereas S A t a n . h h . h
as i us says dr a ywé d n ew, S A ugus ti n e says ca n ta re A ain i n En a rr in P5 v r
g
‘
. . . . .

1 : In hoc p sal mo
q u em c a n tat u m a u d iv i m u s , c u i can ta n d o res p o n d im u s,
”

a n d E n a rr in Pa xcrx 1 : . Psa lmum, fratr es , q uum can taretu r audistis

. .

T ertull D e or a l 2 7 : . Dil igen ti ores in oran do subj un gere in oration ibus

.

A l lel uia sol en t , et hoc gen us p sal mos q uorum cl ausul is res on den t q ui simu l
"
p
su n t

m
.

8
h
P il o, q uoted by Eusebius , H E 11 Mi m i? i m 1 7 , 22 :
W
ar ts p a r a
W
. . .

raO fia vxiay
Jtor r os, oi Aort a! I h a m r ai r har der r d M drm
'

nxoii a tr
‘

a w ee el t e
-

h
P il o is sp eak mg of the T her apeu ti But at al l even ts th e idea of i n tercal atin g .

p
doxol ogies i n to every rayer or C risti an discour se goes bac to th e v ery ear liest h k
p eriod of C ristian ity S ee h
C l em xxxv m 4, 6 , L 7 , 1 v 111 2 ,
. I . . . . .

3, XI L V .

Cassi an , I ns ti l coen ob 11 5 : n us in medi um p salmos Domin o can ta

. . . U
turus exsurgit Cumque seden ti b us cun ctis , ut est mor is n un c usq ue in
.

p p
A egy ti arti bus, et in p sal l en ti s verba omn i cordis i n ten tion s defi xi s, u n dec im
j
os oration um in ter ection s distin ctos con ti gui s versi bus p ar ili p ron u n ti ati on e
can tasset, duodec imum su b A l l el ui a s res on sion e con summan s, cseri p
mon i is fi n em impon it
i bid 11 . .
6 HI STORY OF T HE ROM A N BREVI A RY

I
f the p sal m ,
was w a s m l on g
a d e a f t e r ev e r y t
a se n h ort p ause
or twe l ve verses, to i o t ity fo m d it t io n
g v e o pp r u n r e a
en i m mul ti tud i ne ver sn n m sed men tis zn tel l z en tza del ecta n tn r
jg
' '
'
.

There was n o dox ology at the en d of the p sal m, but on ly a

p ra y e r W e do n.o t k n o w wh a t w as t h e f o rm o f t h es e or a t i one s
l
.

A fter the p sa l ms they w en t on to the readin g of the Sc rip tu re s,

wh ich comp rised two l esson s, on e fro m the O ld Testamen t
a n d o n e fro m the N ew, on every da x t S t u d a y a n d
y e ce p a r

Su n day, wh en both w ere from the New T esta men t 12

T he .

mon k s remain ed in absol ute sil en ce d urin g the whol e ti me

occup ied by the l m o d y n d th e l s o s n o t h i n g w a s to b e
p sa a e s n

hea rd but one voice : there seemed to be as it were but on e

sou l , so rap t was the atten tion o f the con gregation
’
.

Thus far we have sp ok en of p sal ms an d p sa l mody as if th ere

were n o q uestion of an y other p sal ms than those of the O ld
Testamen t But there is n o roo m for doub tin g that, in the
.

fou rth cen tu ry, the Glor ia i n ex ceLris was reck on ed as on e of

the p sa l ms of the morn in g ofli ce In the sa me way th ey
‘
.

rec k on ed amon g the v es er l m th fo ll ow in l i tt l e hy m n

p p sa s e g
We T hee, we hymn Thee, we b less T hee for T hy great g lory,
p ra i se
O Lord our Kin g , Father of C hrist the Lamb without sp ot, that tak eth away
the sin of the world T o Thee be p raise, to Thee the hymn , to T hee the
.

g l or y, to T hee wh o art G od ,
e ve n th e Father , th roug h the Son ,
i n the H ol y
“
Ghost, for ever an d ever A men . .

These are two cur ios ities of euc h ol ogy O ne may p l ace in
.

the sa me
w ith th em a th ird
c ass l hy mn wh ich is asse rted by
,

S B asil to be a p sal m of th an k sg iv in g used at the a er na r zn m

'

or vesp e rs a n d w h ich he assu res us was v ery p o p ul ar a n d very

,

an c ien t

J
O b lessed esu Christ, j oyful Light of the hol y gl ory of the immorta l
Father, the H eaven ly, the H oly l—n ow bein g come un to the settin g of the

C assian , I
1
ns ti l mu c h 11 8 Ill ud eti am nod i n hac rovi n ci a [
. . ad Mas.

siliam] vi dimus , ut un o can tan te i n c lausul a mi omn es tan tes co n ci n an t

cum cl amore Gl oria P a tri et Fi l io cl s rstn i S a n cto, n usq uam p er omn ern
‘

Ori en tem audivimus, sed cum omn i um s en ti o ab eo q ui can tat fi n ito psal mo
'

orati on em succedere ; hac vero gl ori fication e T rin itatis tan tummodo solere an ti

p hon a termi n ati

"
.

’ bi d
i 6 .
‘
i bid 10
. . .

h
Pseudo-A t an D e vi rgi ni ta te, 20 (ed Von der 0 0112 , 1905 ,
. Con sti t . p . .

A post V II 47 (ed. . un , . F k p .

Cons ti t A past V II 48 ( un ,
. See un s n otes on bot
.
’
. F k p
assag es . F k hp .

h
N ote al so t at the doxol ogy Glor ia P a trr per Fi li um i n Spi r i tn Sa n cto is a more
h
an ci en t formula t an our Gl ori a P a tr i et F i l io et S i r i tui S a n cto
p Philo st o rg . .

H E 111 1 3 ; Theodoret H E 11 19 ; 8 Basil De Spi r i tu Sa n cto, 3

. . .
. . . . . . .

D e Spi ri tn S a ncto, 7 3 .
 THE G E N ESI S OF THE CA N O N ICA L HOUR S 7

sun, an d be holdin g the light of even ing , we bless the Father, the Son , an d
the H oly Sp i rit of God .

Worthy art Thou at al l times to be p raised with holy voices, 0 Son of

God that gi vest Life .

T herefore doth al l the wor ld g lori fy T hee l

.

These a re what used to be ca lled “

p r ivate p sa l ms Th is
so rt o f l m had been in the secon d an d third cen turies in
p s a

g rea t fav o u r b ot h w i th C a th o l ic s a n d h ere tic s In a fra g m en t .

of a n an on y mous R oman trea tise A gain st the heresy o f

“
,
”
A rte mon q uoted by E useb ius the con troversial ist op p oses to
, ,

the U n ita rian in n ovation s o f that her esiarch o f the en d of the

sec on d cen tu ry the a uth or ity of the Pop es V ictor an d Zep hyr

in us who had con demn ed hi m as al so of 5 J ustin Martyr

, , .
,

S Cl e men t S I
. ren mus a n d Mell i to who ha d so cl ear ly affi rmed
, .
, ,

the D iv in ity of Ch rist a n d so grea t a n u mber of Ch ristian

“

p sa l m s a n d hy m n s c o m p o se d by t h e fa ith f u l f
,r om th e ve ry
begin n in g [of the Ch urch ] wher ein they cel eb rate Christ the , ,

W ord of God p roc laimin g Him to be God H imsel f , Paul

o f Sa mosata who was B isho o f A tio c h fr o m 2 6 0 to 2 7 0 h d
p , n a ,

su p p ressed the p sa l m s which were c han ted there in h on our

”
of our Lord J esus Christ Such is the ex p ression used by .

the bish op s in gi vi n g sen ten ce o f dep ositi on aga in st Pau l of

Sa mose ts A n d wha t p retex t had the l atter alleg ed in j usti
.

”
fication of this su p p ression ? These p sal ms he had said “
, ,

were n ot the an cien t p sa l ms of Dav id : they w ere n ew an d ,

the work of n ew men 3 ”

.

There is p rese rved in a p ap yrus in the A rch duk e R ain er s ’

co ll ection a comp o sition o f th is k in d fro m E gy p t wh ich dates , ,

from the fi rst yea rs of the fourth ce n tury It is a k in d of .

p sa l m w i th a d o x o l o gy th e l a tt e r b e in g in t e n d e d to b e ta,
k en
u p by the fa ith fu l al l toge the r

0 T hou Who wast born at Bethlehem, an d dwelled st at N azareth of

Galilee, we have seen the sign in the sk y .

The sta r hath ap p eared, an d the shep herd s, who were up assin g the n ig ht
in the fields, we re filled with won der A n d fall in g on their k n ees they .

sai d

1
k
See the Gree ten t in C rist an d P aran ik as , A n thol Gr a ca C ar m Chris h . .

tia n ( L ei z i g 1 87 ) p 4
1 O d o n o t see fror u th e p as sa g e in s B I
as i l th a t o n e

m
.
, , . . .

has an y rig to con cl ude t at t i s li ttl e sal m 08 : h

r ay la s 86 hs the ymn
I p M h
of A then ogen es
—
.

”Busc h
H E v 28, 5 b llfa k ml I
. . t al 5 8d
. . .

’
i bi d v 11 30, 10
. . T he doc umen t quoted adds t at Paul had substituted for
. h
p salms com osed i n p rai se of C rist, others corup osed I p n h
raise of i mself an d
'

p h
ca used t em to be eh sun women z Jr p i mp f f i n cl ud e Gei r wr ain as — ' ’

fi
.

t
w n e ud fw A n d w e . a w t a t i t w as n ot a t i n g t ol era tha t th
h e v oi c es o f h
h
women s oul d be ear d In the C hr istian con gregati ons h '

.
8 H I STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
Glory be to the Father, A llel u ia Glory be to the Son ,
. an d to the H ol y
Ghost . A llel uia, Allel uia, Allel uia l
.

The na mes o f so me h
a u t o r s o f n ew p sa l ms of th is so rt are

k n own A then ogen e s, a martyr of the time of Se p timiu s

.

Severu s, was the auth or of a p sa l m, still fa mous in the fourth

ce n tury for the re mark abl e e x p ression of fa i th in the H o ly

Ghost wh ich it con ta in ed ”

T he fragmen t of Muratori te stifie s .

that Marc ion , in the sec on d ha l f o f the secon d ce n tury , p ut

in c ircul ation a book o f p sa l ms o f his own way o f th in k in g .

S D ion ysius o f A l e x an dria ( d 2 6 5 ) sp eak s in p ra ise o f the

.
“
.

n u me rou s p sa l ms so dea r to a v ast n u mbe r o f the fa ith ful ,

”
,

comp ose d by N ep os, an E gy p tia n b ishop o f the first h a l f o f

the th ird cen tury 8

Val en tin e, a gn ostic of the middle of the
.

secon d ce n tu ry , had a l so co mp osed p sa l ms, wh ich were k n o w n

to T ertull ian ‘
Bardes a n es, about A D 200, was the auth or o f
. . .

a co ll ec tion of 1 5 0 p sal ms, wh ich we re w ide ly used in Sy riac

sp eak in g c h urch es
ls
it was a n en tire p sal ter .

Thus in the secon d an d th ird cen turies an origin a l Christian

ly ric p oetry was devel op ed In the fourth cen tury the Don at .

ists a n d A ria n s made use of si milar p sal ms in order to p rop s

g a te th e ir d oc tr in es A riu s co m p os e d to n e w
. me l od ies
”
son gs for sail o rs, son gs fo r trave ll ers, wh ich in sin u
”
an d

ated his p e rn icious teachin gs in to simp l e hea rts th rough the

cha r m of th ei r music I t was q uite e n ough to d iscourage

the Ca th o l ic Ch urc h , wh ich reso l ved to con fin e itse l f to the
p sa l m s o f D a vi d a l o n e T h e metr ica l hy m n s o f S G re g.o ry .

N az ian z e n we re n ever hon oured w ith a p l ace in the l iturgy .

By that time, the secon d ha l f of the fourth cen tu ry, the p sa l mi

i dzoticz or p rivate p sal ms had been ban ished from Cathol ic
’ ’

l iturgica l use Yet th ey h ave n ot e n tirely p erished T he

. .

beautifu l even in g p sa l m O bl essed J esu Ch rist, j oy ful L ight,

etc
”
— . still forms p a rt o f the c an on ic a l offi ce of the Greek

Ch urch —
T he morn i n g p sal m Glor ia i n “ coin s ban ish ed
.
—
from the office of La uds, foun d , be fore the six th ce n tury , a
l i h R m O ' M
'

p a c e n t e o an r a o zssa e .

T he vigi l office, which o rig ina lly was p ecul iar to the ob serv

See the Gree text in k

arn ac , Geschichte der al tchr L i tt Ht I 467 ,k . . . . p .

an d in Dom Lecl ercq , art A n tip hon ai r e in D iet A r ch C hr et t I . 24 4 1 3, . . . . . pp .

-

h
w ere he gi ves a very in teresti n g commen t on the text .

9
S Bas il , D e Sp i ri ts S oneto, 7 3
. .

Euseb H E V II 2 4, 4 : t oM ii s ¢M M lu
. . . . .

T ert ull De carn e C hristi , xv n 20

. Cf P hi l osop hn m VI 37 , an d also, . . . . .

esp eci all y , v 1 . .

Soz orn H 3 111 1 6 . Socrat H E VI 8 ; Phil ostorg H E II 2

. . . . . . . . . . .
 TH E GE N E SI S OF THE C A N O N ICA L HOURS 9

an ces Sun day, was early in trod uced in to the O bse rvan ce
of

of the fe stiva l s o f marty rs E very an n iversary of a marty r .

wa s ob served, l ike the Lord s Day , w ith a E ucharistic asse mbly

’

p rec e d e d by a v ig i l T h e an tiq u ity o f th.ese an n ive rsa ries is

a ttested by a docu ment of the yea r 1 5 5 : I mean the en

cy c l ica l l etter of the fa ith ful a t Smy rn a , an n oun c in g the

marty rdo m of S Polyca rp th eir bishop . In it we fi n d men .

tion ed as somethin g a l ready san ction ed by custom, the idea

,

o f ce l eb ra t in g the n a ta l e o f a martyr by the asse mbly o f the

fa ithfu l a t the p l ace whe re his body rep oses l

I t is the .

sa me custo m to wh ich all usion is made in the P assion of

“

S Cy p rian
. T he sain t bein g imp rison ed w ithin the h ouse o f
the govern or, the Christian p eo p l e k ep t watch al l n ight before
the door, a nte far es p n n ajois a mba ba t I
t was l ik e k ee p in g
’

the v igil o f a martyr by an tici p ation : concessi t ei tu n e dimn a

’

” m
vi g i l a n t A n d the. au th o r o f the P as sio n of S Sa tu in us .

of To ul o use has d escribed this custo m in ex cellen t terms,

w ritin g th us : T he an n iversaries o f the days on wh ich the
marty rs were crown ed in H eaven we celebrate by vigil s an d
by a Mass 1110s dies , gmbn s i n D omin ici N omi ni s confessi one
’

l a cta n tes , bea toqu e chi ne reg n zs ca l estzbn s renascen tes

' ’

hon or a nzns Th ese vigil s o f martyrs were n ot cel ebrated in

.
3

city ch urch es, but outside the w a ll s, in the cemetery wh ere the

ma rtyr was buried 1

.

A n d the Sun days an d the an n iversaries o f the martyrs

were n ot the on ly sol emn ities which in the early Church had
— noctn m ae convoca tion es—as T e rtull ian ca ll s th e m
“
th eir v igi l s .

The sta tion da s

y
”
w ere a dd ed to th e m at a n ea r ly date
”
J ust as the Jew s fasted tw ice i n the week , so did the Chris
tian s The D ida che, at the en d o f the fi rst cen tu ry , al ready
.

men tion s these two fastin g days T he Shep h erd o f H e rmas, .

1
Mar ty ri um P oly ca rpi XVIII 8 led , . . F k p
un ,

P ou t Vi ta Cypri a n , 15
. .

1
Ruinat t, A cta si ncer a , 109 p
C f Con ci l Ga r th III (A D 397 can 47
. . . . . . . . .

L ieea t l egs passion s ma r ty r nm q ua m a n n i versarii dies eor n m cc br a n tn r

”

( M an si , t 111 . . p .

Con stan ti n i I p
mp E ist in Eusebius, Vi ta Consta n t II 40 : r ats r h our dl
. . .

W
.

s G‘W If ar ar r n fp nr r ar C f i bid Iv 23 ; an d H E v 11 1 1 , 1 1 ;
‘'

r oI . . . . . . .

13. 3
11
T ertul l A d uxor em, II 4
. He is discussi ng the case of 2 Pa
. . usban d of h
h
a C ri stian wife : uis si na t con ng em sn a m
j
g c ir cu i re 2 ni s n octur n is
con voca tion i bn s , si Il a opor tn eri t, a la ter e suo adi mi i en ter f erel I Qn is den iq n e
l b 1

sol emn i bn s P aschae a bn octa n tem secn rns sn sti n ebi t 2 He also in a n ot er assage h p
k
sp ea s of ca tus a n tel uca ni A olog et
( p .
10 H I STORY OF T HE ROM A N BREVI A RY
a bout A D . .
g v el
s th
140 , a so sp ea s of t em, an d
i e m for th e k h
fi rst time the titl e of “
station s
”
( awa n on
) In the th i rd
-
.

ce n tury the sta tion s on Wed n esday an d F riday we re a matter

o f Cath ol ic cu stom l
A n d every station in vol ved a v igil. I
t .

was d uri n g a F riday vig i l th at S A th an asius was attack ed in .

the ch urch of S Th eo n as, o n the n igh t betwee n the 8th a n d

.

9 th o f Feb ruary , A D 3 . .

Su n day l l i n cemeteries each com

v igi s, sta tion v ig i s, v igi s l ,

p ris i n g a tr i p l e o ffi c e — e v e n i n g n ig h t an d m o rn in g ,
: th e l ite ra ,

tu re of the first th ree cen tu ries a ffords n o trace of any oth er

asse mbl ies for
p u bl ic p ra y e r th a n th e se W e sa y p u bl ic
”
p ra y e r fo,
r m o s t a ss u re d ly t h ese v ig i l s f o rm e d b u t o n e p a r t
o f Ch ristian p raye r : v iz sol emn p ra yer .
p ra ye r i n co m m o n , ,

p re s id e d o v e r by th e b i sh o p a n d h i s c l e rg y E a c h o n e o f .

the faith fu l in the retireme n t of his own dwe ll in g was n ot

, ,

on ly at l iberty but req uired to p ra y

,
Th is p rivate p rayer
, .

i n cl uded at least p rayer in the morn in g an d in the even in g .

Tertull ian sp eak s o f it as a n atural duty : Omn i di e gu is

da bi tot p r oster ner e se D eo, eel p r i m sa l tem or a ti on e qu a l a cem
”
i ng r eai tn r He mak es of it an ex ercise wh ich n o on e is at
'
.

l iberty to n eg l ect : legi ti mis or ati on i bns qn a e si ne n l l a ad mon i

ti one deben tn r , i ng r essrc l a cis et n octis
” a
We sha ll see that the .

fai th fu l a dded so meti mes , in their z ea l , p ray er at the th i rd,

six th , an d n in th h ou r of the day But a ll these ex ercises were .

p u r e ly p r i v a te, a n d q u ite d i stin ct fro m t he as se m bl ies i n w hic h

the commu n ity o f the fa ith ful met togeth er , whether in a ch urch
with in the city , or outside its wa ll s, at the tomb of a martyr,
to obse rve a so lemn v igi l .

Thus matters stood un til the da wn of the fourth cen tury .

But at that p o in t we see the con dition s of p ubl ic p rayer u n der

g o in g a ch an ge T h e era o f C o
. n st an ti ne beg i n s : a n e w sta te

o f thi n gs, both materia lly a n d soc ia lly , p rod uces n ew develop

men ts in regard to l iturgy .

For, i n fact, the fourth cen tu ry wi tn essed the b irth of Ch r is

tian eccl esiastical arch itectu re T he p oor an d n arrow l imi ts .

w ith in which Christian worsh ip was so lon g con fin ed , ow in g to

1
D octr
Ap ost .III 1 ; . V
erm S i mil i tudw . H
1 an d 2 ; T er tull D e j ej n n 1 4 ;
. . . .

A d n xor 11 4 ; De or a t 19
. . . .

. h
S A t an Apol de f ug a , 24 : N ai r ya $ 81) fir , I
. .
p t al f oii m a fl r es M xrfor

sp oo B eb ns c ur dfeo s :
on u I
'
cer tai n the fai t ful were ee in g i gil al l n i g t, in h k p V h
pre aration for the Euc aristic assembl h
pD e ora ti one, 2 3 an d 2 5
y
.
 12 H I STORY OF T HE ROM A N BREVI A RY
ascetics an d virgin s esta bl ished in al l the great Churches of the
—
East at A l ex an dria J erusa lem A n tioch E dessa , , , .

Well then th eir rul e of l ife imp osed on these ascetics and
,

v i rgin s the duty of d aily common p raye r They were n ot to .

be con ten t w ith the ap p oin ted v igi l s o f the Ch u rch b ut were ,

to ce l ebra te p rivately daily v ig il s Their l ife was i n fact to .

, ,

I
‘

be a p e rp etua l v ig il n th e t reati se D e Vi rg i n i ta te wh ich

.
,

has bee n a sc I i bed to S A than asius b ut w h ich i s in re al ity an

.
,

a scetic a n d p erh ap s C a p p a doc ia n work of about A D 37 0 . .

,

v irgi n s a re to l d to r ise eve ry n ig h t fo r p rayer an ofi ice e n ti rely

‘
,

p r iv a te b u t wh ,
ich i s n o t h i n g e l se th a n th e v ig i l offi ce m ad e a

d ai ly ex ercise 1
A l ittl e l ater S J ohn C hrysosto m sp eak in g
. .
,

of the ascetics of A n tioch w rites Scarce ly has the cock ,

c rowed when th ey rise Scarce ly have they risen when they

.

ch an t the p sa l ms of D av id—an d with what sweet ha rmon y l

N e ither harp n or fl ute n or any other instrumen t of music , ,

can utter a mel ody comp ara bl e to th at wh ic h is h eard to

rise in the si l en ce of that l on e hour fro m the l ip s o f th ese

, ,

holy men A n d so w th the A n gel s with the A n gel s I say

. i — , ,

—they sin g O p raise the Lord of Heaven wh ile we men o f ’

,

the worl d a re still asl eep or it may be ha l f awak e an d even , , , ,

th en th in k in g o f n oth in g b ut our o wn mise rabl e a ffa irs Not .

un ti l dayb reak do th ey tak e an y re p ose an d sca rce ly has the ,

sun ap p eared when th ey on ce more betak e th emse l ves to

p ra y e r an d p
, e r fo rm th e i r m o rn in g se rv ic e of p r a is e
1
.
”

S J ohn Ch rysostom an d the auth or of the tr eatise D e Vi r

.

g i n i ta t e b o t h g o o n to sa y th a t n o t o n ly e ve ry m o rn in g at ,

cock c row an d at the h ou r o f da w n do the ascetics an d virg in s

-

devote th e mse lves to un ited p sal mody b ut yet ag ain every , ,

day at the th ird six th an d n in th h our

, ,
1
So an cien t a c ustom
, .

i s it for C hristian s to con secrate by p rayer the ti mes we call

Ter ce S ea t and N on e
, , Ch ristia n p iety associated the com
.

memoration of Ch ristian myster ies wi th these th ree p oin ts of

time which d ivided the day in to th ree stages : a t the th ird
,

hour ( 9 a m ) the commemoration of the con demn ation of the

,

1P
seudo-A tha n . De Virgi ni ta te, 20 ( T is ofi ce con sists in recitin g , p . h
stan din g up , as man y sal ms as ossibl e, ese p p
sal m bei n g fol lowed by rayer , p p
k
said n eel i n g : an d th a n ebxi) I »
t al y aw n A w l a b a ck sid e» A fler every t ree
'
. h
p salms comes an A l l el ui a .

1
. h
S C rys Ham XIV i n 1 Ti m 4. . ave merel y given a bri ef r esumi of the
. . Ih '

sai n t s l on g descri ti on , w ic
’
p h h
wi l l be foun d cur ious an d in terestin g if read in its
en tir ety P G.
5 75 7
. .
-
.

1 S Chr sostom l
.
y ( oc ci t en um era tes rec.i sel y )1 .the s al mo d y a t coc crow, p p k -

(2) at dawn (ebxal M i n t) , 3) terc e, (4) sext , (5 ) n on e, (6) the sal mody at even p
in gtide ( ehxal i n spi r ed) .
 THE GE N ESI S OF THE CA N O N IC A L HOUR S 13

Saviour ; at the six th (n oon ) , of His C rucifixion ; at the n in th

(3p . o f His d eath 1
A n d each of these h o u rs ,
as it soun ded , .

was to reca ll to the faith fu l their obl igation , n ot to allow th eir

hea rts to l ose their hol d on the mysteries of the Faith ; as says
Tertu ll ian : Tr es istas horas a t i nsign iores i n r ebns hu ma ni r,
zss e in d m
ora tion ibn s
i i i ll m
'

fl n s [n t e ega us ]
What was for the faith fu l of the th ird cen n oth in g more m
than a coun sel , had become for the ascetics an d v irg in s of the
1

fourth cen tu ry a ru l e They p rayed at Terce, an d Sex t, an d

N on e, an d they un ited in p sa l mody at each of these hours, j ust
as th ey un ited at the cock c row in g or at the h our of the l acer -

na r i n m
‘
.

O n e ste p yet remai n ed to be tak en : na mely, that the

Chu rch sho uld offer the hosp ital ity of its aisles to th ese ascetics
a n d v irgi n s, an d that the cl er y should un derta k e the d irectio n
g
o f these e x ercises , which had been origi n ally v ol un tary an d

p r i v a te Th i s ste p w as ta k e n to ward s the mid d l e o f the

fourth cen tury Sozome n tell s us o f a Syrian bi shop , Ze n o of

.

1 S. Cl em Ales S tr om v11 7 ( ed Stahlin , t 11

. . .
3 0 , S . C yp r D e . . . pp . . .

Dom C r est 34
. . h j
T ese sub ects are dwel t u on freq uen tly : see the assages
. p p
q u o te d b V o n der G ol tz 1 0 1 13 p
S
y
-
.
,
‘
T ertul l D e j ej n n 1 0
. Ep ip ha n ius ( aer 1111111 9) testi fies to the fact of
. . . H . .

J
the ews in his ti me havi n mor n in rayer at dawn , even in g rayer at n ig tfall , p p h
an d also p ra er a t n oon g
his is ‘i e all otmen t of rayer alrea dy in dicated in
.
‘
g p
Ps L IV 18 , esper e cl mane ettmeridie na rra bo et an n n n ci a bo et exan die t vocem
. .

mea ns T he assa ge ( Pa c xv m
. p Sep tics i n die la n dem di ei Ti bi , merel y
. .

p
ves ex ression to a mysti cal n umber C f Iv Reg (z ud of Kin gs) v 1 0, an d
E
. . . . .

W V 16 : an d see C assi an , I
. nsti t Ca n ab I II 4 : Q yp
n i t e s , l i cet ex oc . .

cosi an e vi deatur i n ven tus, er r ecen ti memor i es sta tn tns a a r ea t

”
It will .

h
n evert el ess n ot av e fai l ed to have a sen si bl e in uen ce on t e distributi on of h fl
the can on ical ours of rayer h p .

1 T r ul l D e or a t 2
e t .
5 .

“
N on er it oti osa extrin secus obser The outward observan ce of cer tai n
vati o etiam horarum q uarumdam Is ours wil l also be n o vai n t i n g Of
. h h .

tar um dic oI commun i um, q uae diei in ter those common ours , mean , w ic h I h h
ra tis sign an t, tert ia, sexta, n ona mar out the eri ods of the da the k p
g
.

tar si
mp
l ici ter se habean t sin e ul li us t ird, sixt , and n in t
observ atron is p raecep to, bon um ts men we sim l fi n d t em i n bein g, wit out
Al oug h
p
h
h
h .

h
h
y
si t ali q ua m con sti tuere p raesump ti on ern a n y C hr rsti an rece t as to t eir oh p p h
qua et oran di adm0ui tion em con strin ga t, sa van ce, let it be gran ted a goodl
et q uasi l e e ad tale mun us ext orq ueat
g t in g to establis some such rule , w io h h h
a n egotiis I n terdum Excep ti s uti . may im ress on us an admon iti on to p
q e 1 ti mi s oration ibus , quae sin e
u
‘

ra , and exac t from ti me to ti me,

y p
on i tion e deben tur in gressu ami dst our busin ess , the'p erformauce of
l uci s et n oc ti s ”
. t at tas N ot by an y mean s in clud h k .

i n g t ose l awful ly establ is ed rayer s, h h p

w ic wit out n eed of admon ition we h h h
ow e to God at the begin n in g of the day
an d of the n ig t
”
h .

‘ Pseudo A th
an -12 ( . p
8 Gr eg N yss Vi ta Ma cr in a e (P G xuv r
. . . . . . . p .

8 Aug De Ci r D ei , 111111 8 ( ed Hofi man n , t 11

. . . . .
’

. . p .
14 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
Mein ma , wh o d ied , a h un dr ed yea rs old , a b ou t A D 8
3 ,0 t h at . .

he made a p o in t of n ev er fail in g to be p resen t at the daily

morn ing an d even in g service 1
It is the most an cien t testi
mony as to the e x isten ce of a da ily p ubl ic ex ercise of p sal mody,
in the morn ing , at cock crow, an d in the even in g, at sun set -
A .

simil ar testi mon y is to be fo un d in a docu men t of Syria n origi n ,

the secon d book o f the A p ostol ic Con stitution s, w h ere i t is

made a p art of the bish op s d uty to in vite , an d even to urge, his
’

l to b u l i tt n dan ce a t Ch urch in the morn in g

p e o p e e r eg ar n a e

a n d even ing o f each day So, every day , the p eop l e are to .

assembl e th emse l ves in the c h urch es a t dawn an d in the even

—
ing , for p sa l mod y an d p raye r in the morn in g is to b e said
Ps Lx11 :
. D ens , D ens mens, ad Te do l a ce vigi l o a n d in the

D omi no, cl a ma vi aa Te
’ ” A
eve n in g Ps C XL .

I f th is custom had its b irth in the E ast, it was n ot l on g b e

fore it p ro p agated itsel f i n all p arts of the Ch urch A s ea rly .

as 360 S H il a ry w r ites :
. P rog r essn s E ccl esi ae i n ma tn ti n or n m
et oesp er ti n or n m hy mnom m del ecta tion e max i mu m mi ser icor a i a e
'

D ei sig n u m es t D ies i n ora tion ibn s D ei i nchoatn r , di es i n hy mn is

.

” 3
D ei cla n di ta r S B asil in troduced it at C aesa rea ( A D
. . . .

in sp ite o f the op p osition o f a p a rty amon g the clergy , w ho

were disturbed in th eir old customs by this l iturgica l in n ovation ‘
.

1
8 0 2 H E V II 28 : 80 00 6 11 h i n epwi w 61m »
'

. . . .

9
C onsti t Apar t 11 5 9 (ed 17 1 F k p
T i s assage i s deriv ed from the h
p
. un ,. . . .

D idasca l ia A post 11 5 9 ( P un k , . . ut the l ida sca l ia , w i c p

i s of the
. h h
h p
t i rd cen tury , on l y con tem l ates the assembl in g of the fait ful on S un day, an d h '

h
says n ot i n g of an y da i l morn in g or even in g assembl y ere we see the . H
h
c an ge w ic h h
has ta en k
cc by the fourt cen tury p
A s regards the distri buti on h .

p
of the sal ter ov er the vari ous days, an d in accordan ce wi t the s iritual wan ts h p
p
of the C hri stian , read the E istl e of S A t an asi us, A d Ma r cel l i n n m, es eciall y . h p
2 2 an d 2 3 .

1
S Hil I
. n P s ma y 1 2
. .T he in creasin g del i g t of the C ur c in the morn i n g
. h h h
p
d even in g sal mody is a n otable si gn of the mercy of God T he day beg in s .

p
th rayer to God, an d en ds wi t Hrs rai se
”
C f S A ug Conf v 9 h p . . . . . .

Bi s in die, man e et v es er e, ad p
Of her (S Mon ica) w ho came tw ice .

eccl esi am T uam sin e u l la in termissi on e every day , morn i n g an d even i n g, to

v en ien tis, n on ad van as fa bu las et T hy C urc , wit out ever fail in g, n ot h h h
an i l es l oq uacita tes , sed ut T e audiret for vain tal es an d old wi ves goss i ,
’
p
i n T ui s sermouibus, et T u il lam in suis but t at she mig t ear T ee in T hy h h h h
oration ibus
"
. words , an d t at T ou mi g test ear h h h h
her in her rayers p .

A n d Epist m ax 1 1 . .

p
A cta sun t v es erti n a, q uae cotidie T he even in serv ice was p er

sol en t , n obisq ue cum ep isco o rece p

formed , i n accor a n ce w it dail cus
y g h
den tibus, fratr es eodem loco hymn os tom, an d w en w e, w it the bi s ho , h h p
p
di xerun t, n on arva mul titudi n e utri us reti red , the bret ren i n the sa me lace h p
q ue [sex u s] ad obs cu ratum die m r ec i ted sa l ms : n o smal l mul titude of p
man en te atq ue p sall en te
”
ei t er sex remain in g a n d c an tin g wi t
. h h h
t em, un til i t grew dar
”
h k .

‘
S Basil , Ep eevn 2 4
. . .
-
.
 THE G E N E SI S OF THE C A N O N ICA L HOUR S 15

A t M il an , S A mb rose , a p erson a l fr ien d of S Basil s, havin g

’
. .

become b ishop i n 37 4, i n troduced the O rien tal custom of daily

v ig i ls Hoe i n temp or e, w rites Paul in us, his biog ra p her,
.
”

p r i m a m v ig i li a i n E c cl es i a M ea i ola n ens i cel ebra r i cre

'
'

p er u n t
” 1
A t C o.n s ta n tin o l
p ,e S J oh n Ch ry so s to m i m p o rted .

it from A n tioch , an d i mp osed it on his c l ergy , an d an old

au th or te ll s us th at th ey we re v ery much p ut o ut at n ot bein g
”
al l owed to sl ee p all the n igh t a s had been their w on t At .

J erusalem, where the ascetics an d virgin s were mo re n umerous

th an an ywh e re e ls e, th is da ily p u bl ic offi ce assumed a sti ll

g r ea ter s o l e m n i ty .

A p ilg ri m, a Sp an ish la dy, who visited the holy p laces a bout

A D 38 5 8 8, an d wh ose trave ll in g j oum al has come do w n to
. .
- -

us, has l eft us a deta il ed descrip tion o f the daily service o f

’

p ra y er i n t h e A n a st a s is, th e g rea t c h u rch o f J e r u sa l e m ‘

.

H ere is her accoun t of the vesp e r offi ce, w hich she p l aces at
a bout 4 p m . .

—
A t the ten th ho ur the hour wh ic h they ca ll here l i ci n i con ,

a n d wh ich we ca ll l ucer n a r e— the p eop l e crow d in to the A n a s

tasis . A ll the can d es a re l
lit, an d the illumin ation is brill ian t .

Then they cha n t the even in g p sa l ms (p sa l mi l u cem a r es)

p sa l m s s u n g a n t i p h o n a lly a t g rea t l en g t h 6
A t t h e a pp o in te d .

mo men t, word is sen t to the bishop He comes down , an d .

se a ts h imse l f on his l ofty th ron e , w ith the ri ts i n th e ir

p es

p l a c es ro u n d h i m Wh en th e . c h a n ti n g o f th e p sa l m s an d
a n tip ho n s is fi n ished , the b ishop rises, a n d sta n ds up righ t i n

fro n t o f the bal ustrade of the san ct uary , w h il e a deacon reads

ou t the n a mes o f a l l those who are to be y e d fo r, a n d the
p ra

i i h l d f wh m h m b d
’

p n n n , o r c i re n , o o t e re a re g r ea t n u ers , re s p o n
at ea c h n ame Ky ri e el eison ’
Y ou h ea r as it were th e sou n d .

o f in n u mera bl e voices The deaco n hav in g fin ished the l ist, the

.

bishop recites a p rayer It is the p rayer for all the c on gregation .

both the faith fu l a n d the catechumen s h ave p a rt in it Then .

the b ish op rec ites the p rayer for the catech u men s, a n d these,
a t a sign
g iv e n th e m by th e d ea co n ,
b o w th e i r h ea d s wh i l e

Paul in Vi ta A mbr 13
1
. Pall ad D i a log hist 5
. .
1
. . . .

1
J G a m
.u rF
r i n i , S
. S i l via e A q ui ta na e er eg ri na tio a d loca sa ncta ( Rome,
.

p
But my q uota ti on s are from the editIon of P G er , I ti ser a Hier osoly .

mel a na (V ien na, In 1903 Dom P erotin rov t at the P er eg ri na l io. p h

h
s oul d n ot be attri bu ted to S Sil via of A uitain e bu t to a S an i s
q ,
. v i r i
g ,n p h
h
Et eri a M Karl Meister has si n ce ( 1909) en deavour ed to assi the P er eg r i n
. .

a tio to the si xt cen tury : but h do n ot t in he has rov ed his I esi s See the h k p .

R evue Bi bl i q ue, 19 1 0 , 432 45 pp .

- .

1P
er eg r i n 2 4 ( Gey er, pp 7 1. .

11
I h
s all recur l ater on to t is im ortan t deta il h p .
 16 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
the bishop g iv es t h e b ene d ict io ne m su p e r ca te c h u m i n os L as t ly , .

the b ishop sa ys the p rayer for the faith ful , w ho in their turn ,

at the sign give n by the dea co n , bow do w n themsel ves for the

ep iscop a l ben ed iction So en ds the offi ce : eve ryon e dep arts,

.

a fter k iss in g the b ish op s han d

’
— ct si c
fi t M is s a A nastasi
” 1
.

I I I thi s short descrip tion o f vesp ers we distin gu ish two

p a r t s — t h e p sa l m od y , a n d t h e p ra y e rs T h e l a
. tt e r fo r m th e

con cl usion of the O ffice : th ey are recited by the bi shop Be .

twee n the p sa l mody a n d the p ra yers comes a short l itan y, said

by a deacon , an d resp on ded to by the ch ild ren T he p sal mody .

forms the main body of the offi ce N ote th at to th is even in g

.

offi ce there are assign ed ce rtain sp ec ia lly a p p o in ted

p s a l m s ,

the p sa l mi l u cem a r es, j ust as fo r the morn i n g offi ce we sha ll

fi n d other p sa l ms ap poin ted, the p sal mi ma tul i n i Doubtl ess .

we may con cl ude that in each case they are p sa l ms whose

matter has rel ation to the en d an d to the begin n in g of the day
resp ective ly .

N ex t, we h ave the descrip tion of the n octurn s

Every n ight, before cock crow, the doors o f the A n astasis
-

are o p en ed , an d the monaz on tes an d the p a r then ce come i n ;

n or on ly these , b ut lay folk besides , men an d women , who

-

d es ire to k ee p v igil ( l a i ci qui ool u n t ma ta r i as vig il a re) From .

that time to su n ri se they sin g p sa l ms 1

a n d at the en d of ea ch

p s a l m a p r a y e r i s rec i te d Th .e se p ra y e rs a re s a id by p r ie s ts

a n d deacon s, who a re ap p oin ted for ea ch day , to the n umbe r

of two or th ree , to come a n d con duct the offi ce of the mona

z an tes . But at the momen t when the day dawn s they begin
si ngi n g the morn in g p sa l ms ( ma tu ti nos y mn os) A t th is time .

the b ishop arr ives with his c lergy, an d stan din g wi thin the
bal ustrade he says the p ray ers, p r o omn i bus , p ro ca techumen is ,
p fi
r o de l i bu s . H e th e n re ti re s, ev e ry o n e h a v in g g o n e u p to

1 h
The offi ce of the An astasia has atta c ed to it two rayers : on e an te Crucem, p
h
the ot er post C r ucem T he A n astas ia bein g the san ctuar y w ic en closes the
. h h
H p h h
ol y Se ul c r e, the san ctuary of the C ross, w erei n i s rese rved the T rue Cross , p
is on on e side of it By an te Cr ucem is mean t the outer a rt of the san ctua ry of
. p
the A n as tas is, an d by post C r ucem the inn er art or c a n cel p h .

11 D icun tur y mn i cl psa l mi r espon dun tur , si mi l i ter et a n tiphon a , cl ca ta

si ng n los y mn os fi t or a ti o
”
In t is
. h p
assage, as con ti n ual l y in an cien t aut ors , h
y m n us o r hy m n us i s sy n on o u s w i t psa l mus h e n t he P e
.r eg riWh
na tio say s
dicun tn r y mn i , it mean s, I p
ieve, sal ms reci ted as a solo ; an d by psa l mi r e
spon dun tur it i n dica tes the refrai ns sung by the fai t ful al l toge t er , w ic , as h h h h
h
w e ave al ready seen , cl osed or in terru ted the solo p By a n tiphona it mean s
.

p h
sal mody sun g by two c oirs al ter n ately, a t in g of w ic h we s all av e mor e h h h h
to say by a n d by Cf S A u
. . . Epis t xxrx 1 1 : .
“
P omer idia n o die maj or q ua m
.

a n te meridiem a df ui t mu l ti tu et usq ue a d hor a m q ua cu m epis co o eg r eder emu r ,

p
l eg eba tur al terna ti m cl psa l l eba tur n obisque eg ressis duo psa l ms l ec ti sun t
 TH E GE N E SI S OF THE C A N O N ICA L HOUR S I7

k iss his ha n d an d receive his ben ed iction It bein g n ow day

, .

l igh t (j a m l a ce) the con gregation is dismissed , .

I n th is de sc ri p ti on aga in the fo ll ow in g p oin ts a re to be

, ,

d isti n gui shed F irst comes the n octurn comp osed of p sa l ms

.
, ,

e ach o f wh ich is fo llowed by a p ray er I t is the sa me o rder .

a s tha t n oticed by Cassian i n the mon aste ries o f Egy p t whe re ,

the n u mber of p sa l ms rec ited was twe l ve This n octurn con .

sti tutes the dai ly v igi l Then at daybreak (ubi cazp m t l a ces
'

.
,

cer e) comes the offi ce of l aud s at wh ich the b ish op atte n ds

, , ,

as he had don e at v esp ers Thus a distinction is draw n in .

favou r of ve sp e rs an d lan ds as if these offi ces which iden tify , ,

the mse l v es w ith the momi n g an d even in g p rayer had a ch ar ,

acte r of obl igation wh ich the n oc tu rn does n ot p ossess In .

fact the n octurn or to sp eak more accurate ly the dai ly vig i l

, , , , ,

is a n offi ce atten ded on ly by a few o f the fa ith ful in add ition

to those who mak e p rofessio n of asceticism But th ere is a .

crowd ed co n gregation at vesp ers a n d as i t wou l d seem a t , , ,

l auds also O n Sun day however the n octurn is the tradi

.
, ,

t ion al offi ce of the Sun day vigi l : o n that day there is a crowd

p res e n t a t th e n oc tu rn — “
a s g re at a m u l titu de a s i f i t w e re

Easter says the P er ggr ina tio 1

.

Then fo r sex t and n on e

,
“
A t the six th hour the monason tes an d the p a rt/rem again
assembl e i n the basil ica o f the A n astasis an d the p sa l ms a re ,

sun g 3
This bein g duly sign ified to the bishop he co mes an d
.
, , ,

without sitting down remaini n g stan din g w ithi n the ba l ustrade , ,

as in the morn in g he recites the p ra yers as before ,

He then .

retires everyon e ha vi n o u to k i h is h n d A t th e
, g g n e p s s a .

n in th hou r the sa me office is p er formed a s at the six th T he .

P er eg n n a tio says n othi n g of an y assembly for p sal mody at the

’

th ird hour .

Such was the daily ofli ce when in troduced al on g with the ,

1 h p
N icetas , Bis o of Remesiana, about A D 400 , in hi s sermon De Vigi l m , . .

3( e d B. u r n , 1 9 5,
0 w ri tes :p “
N e e. s a s s o n ero sm s ci difi ici l c vid cr i d ebc t
stra in del i cati s corp ari bus, i s sep ti ma s a dua ru m s od i um, i d est S a bba ti a as

Domi n ici , por tion s» : al scam D d mi n isterso de artu r e

'

p H e i s aston is ed
’

t h
h
some C hristians s ou l d n d the ofi ce of the w gil s exactin g , w en reduced to
'
h
h
t is exten t Saturda y an d Sun day on l y) :
( M i ran me fatcat essc c l iq ues q ui
‘

S acr a: vigi l s“ , ta m spi ri tal i op crcf m ctuosas , or a tioni bus, h m acs, h etion i busq uc
'

f m s da s , a n t supe fl
r ua s e sti m a n t a n t ot i osas , a n t, i d est d e ta i ns , i mp or

ta s a s
”
i bid I
( s r . . p .

Dwu tu psa l m at an tip hon s ”

We n o l on ger ave to do Wi t sal ms t e
‘

h hp
m
.

cited wit a res on se h p

T he reason is, n o doubt, t a t t is a ee of sext an d n on e
. h h
is atten ded on l y by the ascetics, who, n owi n g the sal ms by eart, coul d sin g k p h
h h h h
them t r oug ou t : w il e all t at the good l ay fol were able to do was to come i n - k
h h
wit t eir refrain .
 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
ascetics an d v irg in s, in to the p ubl ic service of the basil ica s Do .

we wi sh to see how it was combin ed the re with the an cien t oh

servan ce o f the Sun day vigil ? The P er eg n na ti o shall tell us
'

O n the sev en th day , that is to say , on Su n day, before cock

crow , a mu l ti tude, as great as the basil ica ca n con tain , as

n umerous as i f it were E as ter , asse mbles at the A n astasis, in

fron t of the ch urch , by the l ight o f certain l an terns T he faith .

ful begin comin g even l on g befo re the time, fea ring to arrive
after the time o f cock c rowi n g They sit dow n , an d p sa l ms
-
.

are sun g , each p sa l m bein g fo ll owed by a p ra yer sa id by a

1

p ri es t o r d ea con ,
fo r th e re ar e a lwa ys p ri ests a n d d ea co n s p re

sen t, p a r a ti ad wgi l ia s
’
It is the c usto m that the doo rs o f
’
‘
.

the basi l ica shou ld n ot be op en ed before the first cock crowi n g -

.

But as soon as th is is heard, the b ishop co mes, al l the doors

ar e th rown op en , the c ro wd e n ters : the ba si l ica sp a rkl es wi th

in n u merabl e l ights Wh en the p eop l e have come in , a p riest

.

says a p sa l m, to which the con gregation res p on d a fte r the

p s a l m , a p ray er Th en . a d eac on s ay s a sec o n d p sa l m ,

fo ll ow e d
by a p rayer Then some sort of cl e rk says a th ird p sa l m,
.

fo ll o wed by a th ird p raye r Then fo llows the commemoration

.

o f th ose to be p rayed for, with the th ree p raye rs, j ust as be fore

at vesp e rs These be in g en ded, the cen sers are bro ugh t in ;

.

the ba si l ica is filled with th ei r p erfume A t th is po in t the .

b ishop tak es the Gosp e l book , an d reads from it, a fter wh ich-
a

he bl esses the faithful , an d the offi ce is ov er T he b isho p re .

tires ; the faith fu l go home to rest But the man a z on tes re main .

in the basi l ica un ti l daybreak , a n d sin g p sa l ms, each p sa l m be

i n g foll owed by a p rayer said by some p riest or deacon So me .

o f the l a ity a l so re main , whoeve r may w ish to do so , wheth e r

men or women .
”

l
Di cun tu r wu m , seas on at a n tip hona c, atfi u n t or ation“ ca ta si ng u lar y umas
’

t
ad a n tip hon s .

D icct psa l ms ": q uicun q ue do pr csby teri s, et r esponden t ama ss pos t li ar fi t

oratio . H
er e we have again the sal m sun g as a sol o, wit p a res onse h p .

H
er e, at las t, i s a l esson J
But at eru sal em, in the basilica of the An astasi s,
.

the same lesson was al wa read on Sun day morn i n v i z the acc oun t of the .

Saviour s Resurr ecti on :

’
gi t r csm ec tiam D avi n a: pi s ca
pu s ipsc L ot to
” ang el i c exi t episcop us , at ds ci tur cum y m a s ad 0m m , L e he goes i n to the
" '

sa nct uary of the T rue C ross , adj acen t to the A nastasis ct omni: pa u l ss cuts
i110 I bi don ua dici tur a n us psa l m , ct fi t or a tia I
. tm benedi ci t 1 3 I
n at fi t . £
m sa .
'

P ra l mi dicus tur at a n tip hon s usq ue ad l ucem, at ca ta si ng u lar psa l m a d

a ntiphon s fi t ar atio
”
T he P are ri s a tia oes on to say, wi t regard to t i s
.
g g h h
p sal mody w i c h h
foll ows that at Wt h the bi s o ha s u si sted : h p
Vici bns cotidi e
bi d m i l d m D
’

p r cs tcn c t i a c s vig a n t a A nas ta si a cu pp

a i l l a c l a id : atta i n ai ri s .

at mu tter ibus , si q ui a ol us t, usq ue a d l ucem l oco smut Si qui sal us t, rcacr tun tur.

i s domos suas ct n pam t so dormi ta "

.
 H I STORY OF T HE ROMA N BREVI A RY
means the han ting o f two choirs which resp on d to on e an
c

oth er v e rse by verse : so 5

, I sidore desc ribes it as 5 B asil .
,
.

ha d be fore him 1
S I sidore adds that th is k in d o f p sa l mody
. .

c a me from the Greek s an d th is is fu lly born e out by oth er ,

testi mon ies w h ich with on e con sen t agree in attr ibutin g to
,

D iodo ru s the first in troduction of an ti p hon a l chan tin g in the

Ch urch of A n tioch .

I f we may be l ieve Theodore of Mop suestia who was we ll ,

p l a c e d fo r k n o w in g a cc u r ate ly h o w thi n g s w e r e a t A n t io c h ,

hav in g p assed his youth in the brotherhood p resided over by

D iodorus an tip hon a l chan tin g was borrowed by the l atter from
,

th e Sy riac sp eak in g Ch urches -

2
S B asi l con fi rms th is testi . .

mon y writin g th at in his time ( A D 37 5) the ch urches of the

, . .

E up hrates valley p erformed th eir p sa l mod y in two choirs l ik e ,

the Greek church es o f P al estin e an d Sy ria ‘

A t A n tioc h .
,

so mewha t l ater they desired to mak e o ut a mo re n ative an d a

,

more g l orious orig in : they sa id that an tip hona l chan tin g dated
back to the time of S I gn atius who h a vin g seen in a vision .
, ,

the a n gel s ch an tin g in th is fash ion the p ra ise s of the H o ly

Trin ity rea l iz ed the heaven ly v ision i n his church at A n tioch
,
‘
.

B ein g thu s in trod uced at A n tioch at the sa me time as the

da i ly obse rvan ce of the Div in e offi ce the an tip h on al ch a n tin g ,

of the p sal ms soon esta bl ish ed itse l f in al l the great ch u rch es

of the East S B asil in the sa me l etter wh ich we have al
. .
,

rea dy rep ea ted ly

q uo te d d e fe n d s h i m se l f ag a in st th e, c r i t i c is m
of certai n of the cler y who ch a rged him w ith h avi n i t o
g , g n r

d uced a sin gul arity of his own devisin g in to the ch urch o f

Cmsarea by establ ish in g th ere th is mode o f chan tin g the
p s a l m s a n t ip h o n a lly °
Th is n e w p sa l m
. o d y ”
h e w r i tes h a s , ,
“

o i S m t p l l ti
f i t ti m k di i th of l l fo th
f
-
t u , e t sa en r a ern a nan a e a n n e ears a : r us

p
a str e a t. N on mun h e at th e s am
omn i um
e ti me fu l fi l
est
s h is du ty i n
”
ha bere aacemflexi bi l em a el can ar a m the serv ice of God, an d hi n ders n ot his
.

b ret ren in t ei r c an tin g A n d in h h h .

deed i t is n ot everyon e t at ossesses a h p

exi bl e and tun eful v oice
”
fl
m
.

S Basil , E
. t cc v n 3 : 81x?) 8lauep n0£r m M tlp
. . ow w M i xers N ote
h
t a t S Basi l , li e the aut or of the P ereg r i na tio,
. h rts t at i t i s n ot a l l the ms h Mh
that are t us sun g an tih ph
on all y : a good man of t em are sun g
“
wi t t e h
p
s ouse ( t etr a 1 & w h erp flrm es b l m dp xetr 7 30 ”( h ave ol As tr al M xofia c
S . I
sid E t mol
y v1 1 9, 7 :
.
“
A n tiphon a ex Gr aeca in terp r eta tur aax
. .

r ecip raca , duabus sa licet char ts a l terna ti m psa l l es tibus or di n e cammu ta ta , si ve

de u na ad un um q uad g en us psa l leudi Gr aeci i n s eni sse tradun tur The word
a n tip hona came . of course, i n ti me to bear a di fferen t mean i n
g .

3
h
T eodor a ud N icet T hesaur v 30
. p . . . .

S Basil , Epis t ee vn 3
. . Socr at H E v1 8
. . . . . . .

5
So N icetas, D e sal m bon o, 2 (ed Burn ,
p . S cia nauuul l as nan sol u m
. p .

i n n ostr is sed etia m t i l ar ien tal i bus esse pa r tibus, q ui superfi uam, s ec "si n us cou
g r uen tem di ai n ae r el igi an i es ti men t psal m ar u m et hy m na r um de can ta ti an e m
 THE GE N E SI S O F THE CA N O N ICA L HOURS 2!

n ot hi n g b
sin gu ar a out l
it for at th is very day (A D 37 5) it is ,
. .

p ra cti se d i n a l l the Ch urc h es o f G o d Th e cl er g y w h o ar e d is .

p o se d to b rea k w ith m e o n th is g ro u n d m us t o n th e sa m e ac

coun t b reak w ith the Ch urc hes of E gy p t P a l estin e Sy ria an d , , ,

the E up h rates vall ey We fin d an tip hon a l chan tin g estab.

lished at Con stan tin op le in the ti me of S J ohn Ch ry sostom .

,

at J erusa l em a t the date o f the P ereg r i n a tio at Mi l an in the ,

ti me o f S A mbrose an d by his mea n s

. .

More than th is the an tip hon al cha n t man ifests itsel f all at
,

on ce as a mel ody of va ried an d p ath etic character The p sa l m .

ch an t havi n g beg un by be in g a si mp l e recita tive assu med the

, ,

for m of an e l aborate p iece of music In 38 7 wh en Fl av ian .

, ,

B ishop of A n tioch w en t to C on sta n ti n op l e to beg for mercy

,

for the i n hab ita n ts of his city who w ere th reaten ed w ith the ,

a n ge r o f Th eodosi us in o rde r the more effectually to touch the

,

heart of the E mp eror he ask ed the youn g sin gers who were ,

won t to furn ish music at the royal table to sin g the p sa l mody
of sup p l ica tion used at A n tioch These mourn ful an d sup p l i .

ca tin g me l od ies wer e it is evide n t w ork s of ar t ,

Theodosius ,
.

was overco me by the ex p ressive ch aracter of thi s rel igious

music wh ich was n ew to him ; tears of emotion fell in to the
,

cu p w hich he was h ol d in g in his h an d When S J ohn Ch ry

1
. .

sosto m beca me B ish o f C o n t n ti o l h in t rod u d th i

p o s a n p e e ce s

music from A n tioch in to his ch urch giv in g the d irection o f ,

th e c hoi rs in to the han ds o f a e un uch o f the E mp ress s house

’

hol d hol d in g so me such p osition as the ch ie f musician of the

,

cou rt.
”

A n tip hon a l c han tin g took a simil ar devel op men t at Mi l a n

to that w hich we have re ma rk ed at A n tioch S A mb rose , in . .

o rder to i n c rease the attraction of the da ily v igi l s in his ch urch ,

ca used the p sa l ms to be sun g th ere after the eastern

fash ion A n d th is in n ova tion sp read rap id ly to
. a l most al l

the ch urch es o f the West How have I wep t, writes S .

A ug ustin e n ot l on g afte r, at the soun d of th is p sa l mody ,

Soz om H E v n 2 3 lxé r evar p ek q dfats fl a ir av r uu i s u p bs f a: Aur a

'

. . . . s '

r em ai n s
”
.

‘
Socrat H E V I 8
. .N ote , n evert el ess, t at the music con ducted by this
. . . h h
eun uch was on ly to be h
ear d a t the Sa turday an d Sun day vigi l s .

a
S A ug Canf 1x 7 :
. . T un c (A D 385 ) hymn i et p sal mi ut ca n eren tur cecun
. . . .

dum mor em O rien tal ium partium, n e o ul us maeroris ta edio con tabesceret, in pp
sti tutum est, et ex ill o i n hodi ern um reten tum, mul ti s j am ac n e omn ib us
”
ib t i t ter a or bis i mi tan ti b us An d Pau l i n , i ta A mar 13
fe
g r us u s e p er ce . .

p p
i 0c in tem ore ri mum an tip hon ae , hymn i a c vigiliae i n ec clesia Mediolan cn si
celebrat i coep crun t . j
Cu us cel ebrita ti s devotio usq ue in hodi ern um diem n on
solum i n eadem ecclesia , ver um er omn es aen e O cciden tis rovinc ias reman et
p p
”
p .
22 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
moved by the v oices h
t at w eetly h h the
“

ran g so s t roug
c h urch ! Q ua n tu m fl ea i sua ve sona n ti s ecd m ae tua e
w a bus commatus a m ter i n hy mn is at ca n ti cis tu is 1 Van s .

i l la e i nflu eba n t a u r i bus meis , at el iq ua aatu r ven ta s i n car meu m,

at a a estua ba t i n a e a ctus p i eta tzs, at ou r r eba n t l a m ma e, at
'

fi” 1
'

bane mini er a : cu m eis Y et the sa me A ugustin e is i n c l in ed

.

to con sider th is el abo rate musica l ren derin g of the p sa l mody

a s a d isturb in i i o f A t i t th i t d
g n v a s o n r n o e a n c e n an se v e re

s imp l icity o f worsh i

p : Pa r d o n m y se ve ri ty i f i t is a fa u l t— I
have often w ished I cou ld ban ish fro m my ea rs, an d from the
ea rs o f the Ch u rch h erse l f, a l l the sweet mel od y of th ose

ch an ts to wh ich the p sa l ms o f D av id a re n ow su n g
A n d it is in th is con n ex ion that he reca ll s the d irection o f S .

A th an asius, tha t the reader “

sh ou l d mak e use of such
moderate in flex ion s of the voice as to see m to say the p sa l ms
”
rath er tha n to ch a n t th e m, add in g th at it is sa fer to follo w
it
A than asius .

I t is beyon d ou r p rov i n ce to in q u ire a s to wh a t th is musica l

ren de ri n g of the p sa l mod y may h ave been l ik e, wh eth e r a t

A n tioc h or a t Mil an We have on ly to remark the sc rup l e

.

with wh ich the min d of S A ugustin e was disturbed He re . .

g r e tte d the p r i m it iv e s im p l ic i ty o f p sa l m o d y ,
fo r g et ti n g, i t
wou l d seem, that such simp l icity was n o l on ger su ited to the
p o m p o f Ch r i sti a n w or s h i p i n i ts t r iu m p h Ch r i st ia n a rt o f .

ev ery so rt was b udd in g forth : arch itectu re , p a in ti n g , ce re

mo n ia l For th ese n ew mul titudes o f the fa ith fu l th ere was

.

n eed ed the attractio n a n d the p restige of a p o w er ful an d

1
S A ug C onf xx 6
. . . . .

1‘C
anf x 33 . . .

Erro n imia severi tate, sed val de Ierr , it may he , on the si de of too
in ter dum ut mel os omn es can ti l en arum gr eatbut sometimes Iw ould
seve ri ty ,
sua vi um, q u i bus D avi dic um psal teri um h h
t a t al l t at mel ody of sw eet c an ts , h
fr eq u en tatur , ab auri bus meis removeri h h
w er ewi t th e salms of David are n owp
vel im atq ue ip si us Eccl es iae , tutiu sq ue p
erformed, w ere removed fr om my ears
h
mi i videtur q uad de A l exan dri n a e is p
an d th ose of the C ur ch ; an d that h
ca op h
A t a n a sia sa s e dictum com p seems to me the safer course w ic h h I
memin i . V eru m ta men
.
q u u m rememb er was often s o en of by pk
remin iscor lacrimas meas , uas fudi ad h hp
A t an as ius, Bis o of Al exan dria .

can tus Eccl esi ae in rimor iis rec u er p p

A n d yet w en h I
remember t ose tear s h
atac fi dei meae , et n un c i sum q uod p h h
w ic , in the fir st ferv our of my revived
mov eor , n on can tu , sed rebus q uae can h I h
fait , s ed at the so un d of the c an ts h
tan tur , quu m l iq u ida v oce ct con ven ien t h h
of the C urc , an d how am mov ed I
iasima mod ul ation e ca n tan tur, magn am ev e n n ow , n ot by the c an t, but by the h
i n sti tuti huj us util itatem rut an s ag h h
w ords t at are c a n ted , w en th ey are h
n osc o. sun g wit h
s weetn ess o f vo ice, an d i n
flexion s most excel l en tl y suited to th
—I recogn iz e the grea t adva n tage of
t is met od h "
h .

As re
ga r ds t he Opi n ion . h p
of S A t an asi us , see his E i stl e to Marcell in us , 2 7 9 -
.
 T HE GEN E SI
S O F T HE CA N O N IC A L HOUR S 23

orn ate c ora h l music on a l evel with the e l oq uen ce of a S J ohn

—
, .

Chryso stom or a S . A mbrose o r i n deed of S A ugustin e

, ,

h imse l f .

T he l iturg ica l work o f the fourth cen tury is accomp l ished .

I t has co n sisted in the organ iz atio n of a doubl e se rvice o f

p sa l mod y fo r e v ery day : o n th e o n e h an d , the n oc tu rn a l

cu r sus, comp risi n g ves p e rs, th e n i h t office at cock crow , an d
g
- -

l auds in the ea rly mo rn in g on the oth er, the diurn a l cou rse,
c omp r isin g p sa l mody at the th ree h ours of terce, se x t, an d

n on e .

But dati n g fro m the reig n of Theodosius an d the time

n ow,

when Cath ol ic ism beca me the socia l rel igion of the R oman
worl d , co mes the mo men t when a dee p cl eavag e i n rel ig ious
soc ie ty ma n ifests itse l f These ascetics an d virg in s, who till
.

n ow h ave l ived min gl ed w ith the common bod y o f th e faith fu l ,

a ba n don the wo rl d a n d go fo rth in to the w il dern ess T he

.

c oen ob itic l ife establ ish es itsel f a s a d istin ct Ch ri stian soc iety

outside the body o f C ath o l ic secu l a r fo lk .

From th is sece ssion a rises a doubl e or do p sa l lena i , that of '

the cl ergy, an d that o f the mon k s .

I n n o ch urch s ha ll w e fin d the office as it was cel e bra ted in

the A n asta sis at J erusa l em at the time o f the P er eg r i n a tio

te rce , se x t an d n on e fo rm n o p art o f the p ubl ic O ffi ce o f the
,

cl ergy . We desire , says a con stitution of J ustini an , dated

”

5 9,
2
“
th at t h e wh o l e c l er g y es ta bl is h e d i n eac h ch u r c h d o
” ”
th e mse l ves sin g vesp e rs, n oc turn s, an d l a n ds Fo r , adds
the E mp eror,
“
it is a bsu rd th at the cl ergy , on whom rests the
d uty o f ex ec utin g the p sa l mody , shou l d h ire p eo p l e to sin g i n
th e ir stead ; an d th at the l a rge n u mber o f lay folk , w ho for the -

g oo d o f t h e i r so u l s s h o w d il ig en ce in co m i n g t o c h urc h t o ta k e

p a rt in th e p sa l m o d y , sh o u l d b e in a p o si ti o n t o se e th a t th e

cl ergy w ho are sp ec ia lly a p p oin ted for th at ofll ce do n ot fu l fi l

”
it . A n d the con stitution accord in g ly en acts that the clergy
of ea ch ch urch sh a ll be req u ired by the b ish op of the p l ace

a n d the p rov ost o f the p a rt icu l a r ch u rch to tak e p art in the

p sa l m o d y : t h o s e w h o s h o w th e m s e l v es n e l
g g i en t o f th i s s er

v ice a re to be ex p ell ed fro m the c l erica l bod y Th us we see

1
.

1
Cad ust x 3, 4 1 (ed K
. . . ru er ,
g . p
A d hoc san cimus, u t omn es cl erici
.

p er s i n gu e ccl e si as co n stitu ti p er sei p sos ct n oc tu rn as ct matu tin as et ves

p e r ti n as rec es pc a n ten t, n ev e i n con sumen di s tan tummodo rebus eccl esiasti ci s

cl eri ci esse videan tur A bsurdum eten i m est, u um i sis n ecessitas in cu mbat,
.
p
scr ip tos (W 063 ) corum l oco caner e N am si mu ti l aic 1, ut an imae suae con sul
.
 24 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
h
t at in the k sp eak in g East at the begin n in g of the six th
G ree -
,

cen t u ry each ch urch ha d its n octu r na l course : v iz the offi ces

, .

o f e ven in g n ight a n d ea r ly morn ing

,
— a t wh ich the fa ith fu l
,

sti ll l oved to a ssist a n d ove r wh ich it was the d uty o f the ,

c l ergy to p re side — fo r th is is the service for wh ich th ey are

p a id : b u t n o p ubl ic di u r na l c o u rse .

T he custom in all p arts of Gau l was simil ar 1

We ordain .
,

says the C oun ci l o f B raga in 5 6 1 tha t th ere sha ll be b u t on e ,

an d the same or do p sa l len di for the even in g an d morn in g offi ces

an d we rej ect the mon astic uses wh ich it is soug h t to min g l e

with those which accordin g to ru l e obtain in our Churches

I t woul d be i mp ossibl e more stron g ly to e x p re ss the d istin ctio n
between the mon astic an d cl erica l offi ces We orda in says
”
.
,

the 4 th C oun c il o f Tol edo in 6 33 th a t the re sh a ll be b ut

“
,

on e or ao p sa l l ena i for Sp a in a n d Gaul

'
i n the e ve n in g and
'
,

morn ing offi ces Such was the min d of the coun c il o f A g de
” 3
.

in 506 wh en i t p ron oun ces that th ere sha ll be in the N arbon

,
”
n aise j ust as every where e l se an offi ce chan ted every day in
,
“
,

the morn i n g an d a l so an office cha n ted ev ery even in g at wh ich

, ,

the cl ergy a re to assist with the b ishop at th e ir head

‘
I
f in , .

some ch urches — as for i n sta n ce a t A rl es in the time of S , , .

—
C a saria s men tion is made of the p erforman ce in the ca
thedra l o f a d iurn a l cou rse ( terce se x t an d n on e) we a re , , ,

at the sa me ti me d u ly in formed th at th is mon astic ex ercise

an t, ad sacrosa n ta s eccl esi as con fluen tes, studiosos se ci rca p s al modia m osten
dun t, q uemadmodum n on absurdum est cl eri cos, ui ad hoc ordin ati su n t, mun us
q
su um non i m l et e ? Q u amp
ob rem o m n im od o el en co s ca n er e j ubemus
”
.

1
See Mabill on , D e cursu Ga ll ica n a disq uisi tio : i n Mign e, P L L xxu 38 1 . . .

et seq .

Man si Concil
1
, . C oll ect .
( Ve n i ce , t . p
777 ; riedberg, Corp us f a n s. F '

Can on ( L ei z ig
p
.
, t 1
. . p .
31 : U n us ordo p sal len di in matutin is vel ves
p er ti n i s ofli ci i s ten eatu r, n eq ue monasteriorum con suetudines cum eccl esi
asti ca regul a sin t p er mixtae
1 M
an si , t x . . p
. 6 16 ; Fi r edberg, t . 1. p .
31 : U n us igitur ordo oran di at ue
sal l en di n obi s m n em Hisp aniam atq u e Gal l iam con ser vetur , u n us m
p er o
p us
1n missarum sol emn i tati bu s, arms i n ves ertin is matutin is ue om ci is c di sa
q , n e v er
si t ul tra i n n obis eccl esiasti ca con suetu o, qui i n un a flde con tin emur et regn o
. . . F
Man si , t v m p 32 9 ; riedberg t 1 p 14 15 : Et q ui a con ven i t ord in em , . . .

Eccl esiae ab omn ibus aeq uali ter custodit i , studen dum es t ut sicut ubi q ue fi t et , ,

post an ti phon as collectiones p er ordin em ab ep isc0p is vel presbyteria dican tur,

ct hymn i matutin i v el vesperti n i diebus omn ib us d ecan ten tur e t i n con cl us i on e ,

matuti narum v el ves ertin arum missaram post hymn os cap itel l a de sal mis
,
p
dica n tur et p l ebs col ecta oration e ad vesp eram ab ep iscopo cum ben e iction e ,

dimittatur ”
We shal l recur further on to the l iturgical in forma tion furn ish ed
.

by the 3oth can on of the coun cil o f A gde Compare the description o f the .

psalmody as used in S Marti n s at T ours given in ca n on 11111 ( 18) of the counc il’

T ours i n 5 6 7 —Man si , t 111

. .
,

of 7 9
.6 ; M aas en , C onc i l Mer aa . 1 2.
7 :p . . . p .

h h
an d combin e wi t t is the i n formati on give n i n the De cursu stel l a ru m of Greg ory
of T ours (Arn dt s ed i tion of Man Germ
'
87 0 . . pp .
 TH E GE N E S I S OF THE C A N O N ICA L HOUR S 25

e x ists on ly
for the ben efi t o f p en iten ts, or o f those o f the
faith fu l who are d istingu ished by an ex traord in a ry deg ree o f
l
fervour .

Such was the or dop sal l endi o f the cl e rgy in the six th cen tu ry .

A s to the an n iversaries of marty rs, to which we re n ow a dded

the a n n iversa ri es of tran sl ation s o f marty rs, of sain ts othe r
th an marty rs, an d of dedica tion s o f ch urch es , i t w ould be an
e rror to sup p ose, w ith res ect to an uch an n ive rsa ry, that
p y s

beca use i t is foun d in martyrologi es , as for in stan ce in the so

ca l led ma rty ro l ogy of S J erome of the s ix th cen tury , it was
.

th ere fore observed th roughout the Ch risti an worl d : the n u m

be r of such Cath ol ic festiva l s, the fi x ed festiva l s of ou r Lord
o r o f His A p ostl es, is as ye t ver m ll Th ey w ou l d seem to
y s a .

con sist of Ch ristmas, E p ip ha n y, an d the festiva l s of S J a mes , .

S J ohn , SS P eter a n d P aul , to wh ich we may a dd tha t of

. .

“
S Step hen
. But ea ch church has its own loca l a n n iversa ries
.
a
.

A s a gen eral rul e it was at the p l ace where was the con fes
”
sion of a sai n t ( i e his tomb , or wh ere th ere was a
) . . m em o r ial ,

th at is to say wh ere so me rel ic o f a sa in t was en sh rin ed, th at

his na ta l e was obse rved ; a n d so the festiv a l had alw ays some
con n e x io n with a certain p l ace, j u st as it had w ith the ti me

when it was origin ally cel eb rated in the actual cemetery , ad

corp us H en ce it is th at the mon astic commun ities , such as
.

John Cassian describes, k ep t n o festiva l s of sa in ts ; an d it was

a n ew fea ture in the B e n ed ictin e ru le th at it in trod u ced in to

the monastic l itu rgy the na tal i tia S a nctor u m, wh ich had

1Vi ta Ca sam , 13 ( Bollan d A eta 8 8 A ug t W . . . . p

De p rofecti bus
. .

c u n ctoru m sol l icitu s et rovi du s astor , sta ti m instituit ut cotidi e T erti ae Sextaeq ue
p
et N on a c op us in S Ste . ph
an i l ica cl er ici cum ymn ic can taren t, u t siq uia
‘

h
forte saecul ar ium vel p oen iten ti um san ctum op us exseq ui ambiret, absq ue ex
c usation e a li q ua coti di an o in ter esse osset o ei o p m
Gr 0 of T ours attri buted
h
to on e of his redecessors in t a t See, n ur iosas (d 5 45 , he i n itiati on t ere of Ij . ? h
the cu stom o cel ebrati n g terce an d sen t : Hic in stitu it T ertiam et Sen tam in
ec cl es i a dici , q uod modo in Dei n omi n e
1
Greg N y sa In l a udem fr E
.

h p
.

Himer i us, Bi s o of T arragona ( aflé , J

. m rat

w e
s ea s of the
’
H ist Fra n c x
i r
p k
i ci u s , w ri ti n g i n
.

3
N ata l atiis C risti seu
8 5 to
. .

h
A p p ari ti on is, n ecn on et A postol orum seu Martyrum festiv ita ti bus T ere is as h
y e t n o i n d icati o n o f th e in c l us io n o f sa in t s w h o w er e n o t m a rt
y r s T h e fi rs t .

h h
men tion of suc observan ce t a t we n ow of occurs in P al esti n e m regard to S k . .

H ilarion (d . See Soz omen , H E 111 14 ( P G v n 1 0 7 7 . . . . . It can t ere

. h
fore n o l on ger b e said , as i t w as by Marten e, D e a n t Ecol ri t . uen , . . p .

5 5 0 , t ha t S M a
. rt i n ,
d 4 )
0 0
. is t he ea rli es t i n sta n ce o f a c o n fess o r o f w o m a n h
an n ual fes tiv al w as 0 serv ed .

1 So
z omen (H E v. . h
in the fi ft cen tury , s ea i n g of tw o n eig bouri n p k g h
l oca lities , Ga z a an d Maiuma, so cl ose to ether t a t t ey formed but on e mum h h
h
ci p ali ty , but organ iz ed , n ev er t el ess , un er two in de en den t c urc es, te ll s u s p h h
h h
t a t t ese two ch urc es ave eac t eir ownh h h h p
ecu l iar a n n iversaries ust as eac , j h
has i ts own bi s h an d cl er gy : Exaf epa il fa “tu m or na l 106 5a
‘ ’
( Xu I t a l n am

M m m
’
6 i é l
p -r
‘

7 9 0 : M 1: c s 1 6 11 na
p a ir r ois
y s n p l a e .
26 H I STORY OF TH E ROMA N BREVI A RY
hith erto been the p eculiar p rivil ege of the an cien t Ch ristian
c h urc hes rich in l oca l marty rs
, Thus the k alen dars of churches .

g i v e t he l is ts o f th e i r a n n iv ersa ries a n d a t th e sa me t i m e in ,

dica te the bas il ica or sh ri n e wh ere each is ce l ebrated A .

k a l en dar drawn up for the ch urch of To urs by the B ish op

Perp etuus (4 60 90) has been p rese rved to us by Gregory of
-

Tours The n a tal e of S J oh n Evan gel ist was celeb rated there
. .

in the ba sil ica of S Martin that of SS Pe ter an d Paul in their .

, .

own basi l ica ; those of S Ma rtin S B rice an d S H il ary in .

, . .

the ba sil ica of S M arti n ; of S Litorius in his own basil ica ;

. .

an d the festiva l s o f Ch ristmas E ip ha n y E aster an d Pe n tecost

p , , ,

were k ep t in the cathedral 1

.

But by th is time the or do p sal l en di of the mon k s had reached

its full devel op men t T he mon k s of Pa lestin e had in this
.

matter exe rcised a p re pon deratin g in fluen ce A s for those of .

“
Egyp t at al l even ts in the time of Joh n C assian th eir on ly
, ,

co mmon e x e rc ise was the n ig h t office a n d that in the a rch aic ,

for m we hav e al ready desc ri bed They had n o di u r na l cou rse .

when on ce the a n tel uea na e or a tiones as C assian in old fash ion ed ,

-

p h ra se so m ewh ere ca ll s th e m w e re fi n is hed th e E y

g p t ia n c ae , ,

n ob ites we n t ofi to th eir man ual l abour an d whatever p raye rs

"
,

th ey sa id in the course o f the day were the freewi ll offe rin g of

each in div idua l ( a ol un ta r i u m mu n us)
1
But the mon k s of P al es .

tin e on th eir p a rt had p rese rv ed the office in the form in wh ich

, ,

it was p ractise d by the ascetics a n d v irgin s a t J e rusa l e m in the

time of the P eregr i na tio the n ight course comp risin g ves ,

p e rs ( ves er ti na sol e
p mn i tas) at sunset n oc tu rn s ( n octu r na sol e m
n i ta s) , a n d a so l l auds in the ear ly morn in g : an d the diurn a l
course, co mp rising terce , sex t, an d n on e.
‘

1
Hist Fra nc . . D e aigi l i is
x
.
31 : Natal e Domin i in Eccl esia E ip han ia
. .

in Eccl esia N atal e S

. . J h
o an n i s ad basil icam Domn i Martin i a tal e S . .

Petri ep iscOp atus ad i ius basil icam Sexto k al en das A r il is Resurrecti o

p .

Domin i n ostri J basil icam Domn i Marti n i

”
C . . Pascha m Eccl esia etc . .

[N o te t h
a t th e an n iv ersa ry of o u r L o r d
’
s a c tu a l r esu rre ct io n is e t o n as M arc , kp h
h
t er e bei n as yet n o festival of th e A n n un c ia tion , A B ] . .

1
Pal l ius . His t l a us xxm 3 (ed Preasc en , 1 897 ,
. . . . h
tes tifi es t at the p . h
h ermits had n o common assembly i n the churc exc e t on the Saturday an d h p
Sun day , for the Euc aristic li tur h
1
Cass I ns ti t
. 111 a : .
“
Ap u .il l os [ Aegyp tios] aec ofli cia q uae Domin o h
sol vere p er distin c tion es bot ara m et temporis in tervall a cum admon i tion e com

p u l s oris adi g i mu r , er tot u m di ei s a ti u m j u g it e r c um o e r ip

s a dj ec tio n e s o n ta ne e p p
cel eb ran tur . uamobr em excep tis v es p erti n is n octurn isq ue con gr eg ation ihus,
p
n u ll a a ud cos
p e r di em ubl i ca s o l em n i tas p
a bs q u e di e S a bb a to ve l D o m in ica
cel ebratur , in q u ibus h
ora terti a sacrae commun ion is obten tu con ven i un t
”
So .

al s o Soz omen , H E 111 14 (P G v . . .u . . .

Cass m 3 : I n Pal esti n ae vel Mem otamiae monasteriis ac totiu s O ri en tia,

“
. .
p
p
su ra dictarum b ot aram sol emn itatem, trrn is sal mis cotidie fin i un tur
p
28 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
” l
p sa l m Qu i lta bi ta t i n adj utor io a l tissi mi
,
These words of .

S B asil have been with reason regarded as the most an c ien t

.

men tion o f th is mon astic p rayer at bedtime wh ich is a l so ,

men tion ed by the author of the l ife o f S Hy p atius w ritten .

,

between 44 7 an d 4 5 0 where thi s p rayer is ca ll ed ” s t om a ,

'

( fi rs t sl eep
)
?
B u t C ass ia n k n o w s n oth in g o f it In the West .
,

. i —
S Be n ed ct was the first so it s sa d to give it a p l ace in
i i —
the course of daily oflices giv in g it at the sa me ti me the n a me
‘
,

which it has ever sin ce retain ed o f comp l in e—comp letor i u m , ,

the comp l e tion It is h ow ever p ossibl e tha t S B en edict did

.
, , .

n o more th an a dop t a cu stom a l rea dy ex istin g in the W est ,

for we fin d it men tion ed by on e who was his co n temp ora ry ,

a n d p rob ably n ot his d iscip l e — Cassiodorus 8

.

A n d n ow th e cycl e of the mon as tic offices was co mp l ete

that cy cl e wh ich has n ever been desc ribed in more h ar mon io us
l a n g uage than by C assiodorus : It is by the p sa l ms th at our “

v ig il s a re made sw eet when the v oice o f man b rea k s i n to music ,

as the choirs cha n t in the sil en t n ig ht a n d tha t word of God ,

wh ich ca me for the sa lvation of man k in d is given ba ck in

sweetly mod ul ated ton e to H im who gave it The un ited .

voice of th ose who chan t becomes a son g wh ich a t on ce de

l ights the ea r an d in structs the hea rt an d the words of our ,

p ra ise s a re m i n g l ed w ith t h os e o f t he an g e l s w ho a re u n h ea r d
by us In the m (the p sa l ms) the glory of the Father Son an d
.
,

1
S Bas R e l f us tract xxxv rr 5 Kai e di to r, f i r van as dp xaai r ns i)
fi
. . . . . .

a ffi rms r a ii a r ti ce ” fl a i n a l M a o i ! ( M 1104 o r dp fa r t he M i n no w A r ya
‘
r r

M vov real i n r ail- r j Sp

i a r h am m l es s f o ?
r d ‘
tfi
fl oa Th e a u t o r , i n fa c t, en u m er h
ates the fol low in g ours of h
u er : ( 1) 7 5 11 ” ; ( ) i l S M; ( ) p i
h p a r p r p r n r p a s 3 r ! !

( m y ; ( 4) t hat l r r dmr ; (5 ) t e our f ij s a vp n l tnpenflsfa ns r ips fip tfpa s (6) the hour ‘ ‘

r iis m as dpxoal ms ; (7 ) f t N ovas-n or ; ( 8) the our before 8p 0p or h

The m .

p assag e, ow ever , h g ives on e the idea t at t ese acts of rayer are rat er matters of h h p h
h
coun sel t an of stri ct rul e
m
.

1 A cta S S
g u n t 111.
3 2
.
5 . S y. ap t i
. a s i s d esc
. r i b e
. d H p
a s a " x a l .t xo
p i n s p wMd ( l an d s o r r i m e ) p s inp y i n n s M d r m r Ro ana !
x (v e s er s ) u p w frr ma p
m
, , , , ,

omp l in e) , an d m a Su l emen t t is by the arti cl e pp A odei n onh in p p

(g
a

ie t A rc
. h Ch r t t t
. 1 2 5 7 9 82 by P Pargoire
.
-
. . pp .
, . .

1 Cassiod Ex
p o s t n
.
p s a l t P a
. c a v u r 1 6 4 :. S ep .ti es i n d i e. t a n de m d i x i T i bi
Si a d liter am hun c n umerum val imos adver tere, se tem illas sign ifi cat vices p
q u ib u s se m o n ac o ru m p i a h d e v o t i o c o n so l a t u r , id es t, m a tu ti n is, ter tia , sexta ,
n ona , l ucernaria, com l etorii s, n octurn is
p Hoc et 8 Ambrosi i ymn us in sextae . . h
h orae deean tation e testatur
"
The al l usion is to the ymn Bis ternas hor as
. h
exp l i ca ns, w ich . t oug h h hh
ere attr i buted to S A mb rose, is rat er of the time of . h
Cassiodorus imsel f h
Prop hetae dioti memores ( Pa cxv rrr 1 64 ) . .

Sol vamus are in can ticis

P rec e mixta Davidicis,
U t se tics diem v ere p
Laeti sol vamus debi tum
'

Bfiumer, t r
p 240, n otices i n th e A n ti
. . . on ary of Ban gor a rayer, ad i n i ti um ph p
noctis , as a p rrmitive trace of com l in e in the est p W .
 THE GE N E SI S OF TH E CA N O N IC A L H OUR S 29

H oly Ghost i s
mbin ed in on e in order that the p erfect p ra ise
co ,

o f ea ch of the m may be dec l a red For the p sa l ms in our ea r ly .

,

morn in g p raise commen d to God the comin g day they ded i

,

c ate to Hi m the fi rst h ou r o f the da wh n it o m th y

y e c es ; e

co n secra te the th ird hou r ; they mak e j oy fu l the s ix th h ou r

w ith the B reak in g of the B read they release us fro m our fast
at the h hour ; they brin g the l a st hour of the day to a
n in t

c l ose ; a n d w h en n ight fa ll s it is by them that ou r sou l s are

,
”1
p reser ved fro m b e i n g e n sh rou de d in d a rk n es s .

From the p oin t at wh ich we h ave arrived we take in at on e ,

vi ew the who l e rocess in w hich is foun d the gen esis o f the

p
can on i ca l hou rs A p rimitive Christian idea p erhap s th at o f
.
,

the en d of the worl d an d the return of Christ crea ted the ,

ancie n t v igi l viz the ev en in g n ight a n d ear ly mo rn in g offi ce

,
.
, ,

of Sun day I n the fo urth cen tu ry the con fratem ities of a sc etic s
.
,

a n d v irg in s cau sed it to become of da ily ob se rvan ce The d e .

s ire o f
p a y i n g h o n o u r to Go d a t e ac h o f the h o u rs wh ic h
divided the day p roduced the offi ces of terce , se x t an d n on e, ,

p io us offi ces wh i c h t h ro u g h o u t t he wh o l e o f Ch rist ia n a n tiq u ity

remain ed p ecu l ia r to the mon k s The two ex e rcises k n own as
.

p r i m e a n d co mp l in e o rig i n a ted in th e c o n d itio n s o f t he c a m o

b itic l ife We recogn iz e in these broad features o f the can on ica l
.

offi ce the p a rts res p ecti ve ly due to the p ri mitive Ch urch a n d

to mon asti cism — p a r ts wh ich re m a in e d se p a rat e u n ti l t he six th
cen tu r y .

1
Psal mi n obis gra tas faci un t esse vi gi l ias p sall en
q uan do sil en ti nocte

m
,

ti bus choris h
uman a vox erum t in musicam, verbisq ue ar te modulatis ad I ll um
a Quo p ro sal ute h
uman i gen er is di vin um ven it eloqui um C an tus .

uia aures obl ectat et an imas in strui t, fi t vox un a p sall en tium, e t cum an geli s
q p
) ei uos audi re n on ossumus laud um verba mi scemu s Eis [ salmic] Patri s p
q
.

p
et Fl i i at S iri tus San cti una g loria soci atur , ut p erfects Eorum p raecon ia com
'

p ro be n tu r .s i en i m Ipdi em ven turum m a tutin a exsul ta ti o n e co n ci l i an t ; i si p

n obi s p
rima m di ei h
oram dedican t ; i si n obis tertiam p
oram con secran t ; i si h p
p
in P an ic con fraction e l aetifi can t ; i si n obis n on a e ua i s resolv un t ; jj
p p p
i si di ei ostrema c on cl udun t ; i si n octis adven tu n e men s n ostra ten ebretur efli
ci un t
”
Ex as i n sa l t ut su ra) p
For a com arison betwe en the offi ce as p
g
. . .

ordered ct an d the Roman ofi ce, see Am alarius, S upp l a d l i b I V de

'

. .

p h
ubl is ed by Mabill on , Vetera ana l ecta ( Paris, 93 100 pp .
-
.
 CH A PTER I I .

T HE SO U RCES O F T HE RO MA N O FFI CE .

WE h ave stud ied the l iturgy o f the ca n on ica l hours , as t e

g a rds its fi rst for mation an d i ts deve l op men t, o utside the

Roman Church , in order to be in a better p osition for dis
tin guishin g , in the l itu rgica l usages o f tha t Ch urch , that which is
due to l oca l tradition , from th at wh ich is derived from un iversa l
tradi tion
1
H en ceforth , our work l ies at Rome : a n d w ith the
.

hel p of the docume n ts an terior to the eighth ce n tury w ith wh ich

Roman eccl es iastical l iterature sup p l ies us, we have to describe
the dev elo p men t o f the l itu rgy of the hou rs o f p rayer a t Ro me ,
the success ive sta ges th rough wh ich it p assed be fore beco min g
fi x ed in tha t 0r do psal l endi , p a rtly orig in a l , p a r tly borrow ed
from e l se where, wh ich was to form the can on ica l Roman ofli ce
o f the time o f Ch ar l e mag n e .

Sin ce the sp ecial in terior organ iza tio n of the Roma n Ch u rch
con dition s the wh ol e h istory of the D ivi n e O ffi ce i n th at

Church , it is imp ortan t to recall its details .

Four sorts of churches are foun d at R ome First, those .

which were subseq uen tly k n own as p atr iarcha l ch urches— the
Con sta n tin ian basil ica of the Lateran , the L iberian basilica or
S Mary the Grea ter, the Sessorian basi l ica or H o ly C ross in
.

J erusa l em, the Con stan tin ian basi l icas of the Vatica n , over the
tomb of the A p ostl e S Pe ter , of 5 P au l o n the O stia n Way ,
. .

a t the tomb of the A p ostl e S P au l , o f S Lau ren ce , over the

. .

to mb of th at g rea t R oman martyr , an d l astly the basi l ica of

S Sebastian ad Ca ta cuntbas , at the sp ot where a t on e time the
.

bodies of SS Peter an d Paul were laid A ll of these are

. .

ch u rch es o f e x cep tion a l i mp ortan ce , so me of wh ich ( v iz those .

within the city, l ik e the L ateran , the L iberian , an d the Ses

sc rian ) w ere to R ome what the grea t ch urch e s w e re to

1 We have
disr egarded the documen t en titl ed O rig o can tuum et cu rsuum cc
cl esi asti caru m P L
cen tury in the
Baumer , t 1 .
L xxrr 605 , of whi c
. .

riti sh Museum N ero, A

. pp
5 an d 2 35 .
.

.
I h h
t ere is a MS cop y of the ei
g. t
as it i s of n o val ue for our ur ose
. p p
hh
.
 TH E SOURCE S O F THE ROMA N OFFICE 31

A l ex an dria , A n tioch an d C arth age, wh il e the oth ers ( th ose in

the subur bs) were the ren own ed basil icas of the cemeteries ,
an d of these the most ren own e d a n d h ighly ven era ted was the

bas il ica of the Vatican 1

.

I n the secon d p l ace ca me the

“
titl es ( ti tul i ) : o f these there
were twen ty five in the six th cen tury, an d th is n umber, wh ich
-

seems to h av e re ma in ed sta tion ary sin ce the fourth cen tu ry ,

rises even tu a lly to tw en ty e i h t, bu t o n ly by the el ev en th

g
-

cen tu ry These titles, sc a ttered over the whole sp ace en c l osed

.

with in the wa ll s of Rome , were l ik e p arish ch urches qua sz

di oceses as the L i ber P on tzfica l zlr says : they main tain ed the
service of God as rega rded H oly B a p tism, the dea l in g w ith

p e n i ten ts , a n d the b u r ia l o f t he fa ith fu l E a c h t itl e had a .

p r ies t o ve r it .

Th irdly there were the deacon ries From the th ird cen tury
, .

the city o f R ome was d iv ided i n to sev en eccl es iasti ca l districts ,

each ha vi n g a deacon over it These se ven deacon s were n ot .

origi n al ly atta che d to a n y Ch u rch : th ey ad min istered ea ch in ,

his own district a k in d of ch arita bl e in stitution an d th eir

, ,

d uties in cl uded the man age men t of the hosp ita l s for the p oor
an d fo r i
p gl ri ms an d t h e d is tri b ut
,i o n o f a l ms L a te r— th a t is .

to say a fter the fi fth cen tu ry but be fore the e n d o f the seve n th ,

— wh i le the n umber of districts rema in ed un chan ged the n um ,

ber o f deacon ries was g radually e x ten ded to six teen a n d un der ,

Pop e H a drian I ( 7 7 2 7 9 5 ) it reached e igh teen A n d by th is

-
.

time each deacon ry had a c h urch bel on gin g to it wh ic h bore ,

the n ame of the deacon ry .

Lastly the various san ctuaries of the subu rban ce meter ies
,

con sti tu ted a fourth o u o f h u h th i f wh i h

g r p c r c e s e ser v n g o c ,
”
ap p ertai n ed to the cl e rgy of the titl es .

Thus the c l ergy of Ro me comp rised two distin ct bodies

”
the c l ergy of the “
titl es a n d the cl e rg y of the , d istricts “

O n these two bod ie s of c l ergy rested the obl igation o f the p e r

forman ce o f the D iv in e Service at a ll even ts from the fourth ,

to the eig h th cen tury : though there ca me a ti me it is true , ,

when recourse was had to a third body of cl ergy the membe rs ,

”
of the monastic co mmun ities .

1
8 A ug Epist ma x 10
. . . de basil ica B A post Petri,
.
qu od re m o tus .

p
.

si t locus ab e i sc o i con versa ti on e

p .

1
h
O u t is distr rbution of the Roman cl er see the L i ber P on tifi cal i s ( ed .

h
Duc esn e) , t 1 . . pp
1 64 an d 364 : al so Mabi on , Mus I
. tal t 1 1 pp xi an d . . . . .

sqq an d th e first
. aragra p ph
of the most an ci en t O r di n es Rama n i Pri mo
omn um ch ervan dum est se tem ease re ion es eccl esi astici ordin i s urbis Romae
etc
’
.
j p g ,
 32 H I STORY OF T HE RO MA N B REVI A RY

T he h istory l hours at Rome on ly becomes

of the ca n on ica

c l ea r at the e n d of the fourth ce n tury With S J ero me the

1
. .
,

obse rva n ce o f terce se x t a n d n on e a n d a l so o f the l m o d y

p sa , , ,

a t the L uce m ariu m a n d in the e ar ly morn in i i n th

g s e c as e , ,

o f a R oma n l ady l ik e P a ul a E ustochi um o r La c ta a r i t

p v a e , , ,

an d in d ividua l e x ercise It was in the so l itary sec l u sion of her .

mothe r s house that the daughter o f Laeta had to p ractise these

‘

e x erc ises a l on w h h i h
g it er v ,rg o v eter a na ( e r gov e rn es s as w e ,

might ca ll her) who was a lways with her : assuesca t ad or a tiones

,

et p m os n sa l
o cte consu rg ere ma ne hy mn os c a ner e,
ter t ia sex ta n ona , , ,

hor a sta r e i n a ci e quasi bel la tr icern Cl msti a ccensaq ue l u cer n ul a

'

r edder e sacr fici u m aes er ti n u m

i p
” 1
In fa ct b e s id e s M ass , th e re .
, .

was n o oth e r p ubl ic oflice at wh ich she had to assist e x ce p t

‘
,

the vigi s l .
’

T he ao ca l led Canons of S Hippol tus , w ic , up to wi t in fi fteen ears a go,

1 -

y . h h h
it was beli eved coul d be q uoted as a drsci l inary Roman documen t of e time o f
T ertull ian , have sinc e been the sub ect 0 too man y doubts as to t e ir da te , t eir j h h
p lace of or igin , an d th eir sources, to ma e it an y l on ger ruden t to q uote th em k p
as beari n g w i tn ess to l i tur gical usages actu all y Roman We w il l n ot borrow .

h
from t em even a sin gl e detai l N evert el ess l et it be n oted t a t the l itur cal
. h h '

con diti on to w i c th h h
test ify i s a n archai c con di t ion , an d t at in i ts ma i n in es h
i t corres on ds fa irly w p h
wit the con dition of thin gs an teri or to the Con sta n tin ian
p eace Mgr Du c esn e, O r ig i n es,
. . h 5 04 2 1 , re roduces the v ersion of t em pp .
-
p h
h h
w ic Dom Han eberg ave, from the Arabi c
g A better text , in German , i s .

ven by
'

W
Riedel , B se Ki rchen r eclrts q uel l en des P a tri a r cha ts A l exa nd ri a
.

Lei z i 1 93 200 p
g
- .
.

1 erome, .
pi st c v rr 9 , to L ae ta ; . see al so E pi.st xx xx 37 , to E us tac ium . . h
C f what P el agi us, in 4 1 4, wri tes to th e vi rgin Demetr ias, in reti remen t at Rome
.

Deb et ali q uis esse determin atus et con sul tatus horarum n umerus O ti mum . p
est er go u ic h
eri matutin um d e utari tem us usq ue ad oram terti am p h
i n secretiori omus arte ora p
auso c ubicu l o tuo
”
Epist a d D emetri a d 2 3 . . .

d V i a S Mela n iae j u n 47 (ed Rarn p oll a, 190 5 ,

( P L . 1
1 11111
. 11 A n . se e th e t . . .

p .
“
Regulam vero n octurn is tem or ibus an c in sti tu erat, ut s in e in ter p h
missi on e comp leren tur tria resp on soria , tree l ecti on es , ct, quum matuti n i fier en t,
q uin d ec i m an ti p ho n a e By r esp on s or i o o n e m a y u n d er s s al ms su n
g as a p
h
sol o w i t an in ter cal ated res on se, an d b a n tip han ae psalms sun g by all to —p
h
et er, i n two c ai rs h
Mel an l a observ al so terce, sext, an d n on e, an d the
g
.

arc l ucerna ri a A gai n , further on , 64 ( Ram olla.

.
“
Con suetudo er a t p p .

ci p er vi gil ias san ctorum q uin q ue le ger e l ecti on es

”
T us on th e vigil of S . h , .

ph
Ste en , she caused to be read the accoun t of the fin din g of hi s relics, an d, h am
the A cts of the A tl es , the n arrativ e of his Martyr dom I t w il l be n oticed that .

the order foll ow in regard to th e ours by Melan ia at Jersual ern is the sa me a s h

h
t at in dica ted by S erome J
Cardina l Ram ol la (
. 2 62 ) con ectures t at she
. p p . j h
p J
ursued at er usa lem the usage s w i ch she had racti sed w en at Rome h p h .

1 C f V ta S Mel on m p
j
2 pp
i . un 5 (
. R a p o ll .
5 . .

“
Occasi o even i t ut dies solemn is et t ha en ed t a t a sol emn festival h
commemoratio S L aur en tii Martyris was to b e e t, for th e commemorati on
. kp
a geretur Bea ti ssima vero ferven s of the Mar t r S L auren ce T he most
.
y . .

p
s iritu desider abat ire et in san cti bl essed virgi n , ferven t in s irit, desired
ma rtyria basilica p ervigil em cel ebra t e to go an d k ee vi i] the w ol e n ig t in
-
p h
n octem : sed n on permi ttitur a a ren ti the b asil ica of p
e holy martyr : but i
 THE SOURCE S OF THE RO MA N OFFICE 33

But at these so l e mn vigil s , bo th of the Sun day a n d o f the

sta tion s, whic h were ce l eb ra ted in th is o r th at ch urch , a l l the

fai th ful atten de d T he crowd was con siderabl e, the attraction

.

ve ry g rea t, a n d so meti mes there was dep l orabl e disorder

l
S . .

J ero me advises La c ta n ot to all ow her daughter to go with out

her ; he tell s he r to k eep her c l ose by he r side when th ere
Vzgi l zar u m di es et sol emnes p er nocta ti on es si c a i rgu ncul a n ostr a
cel ebr et, u t ne tra nsv er so
q u i d e m u n g u e a m a tr e d is ced a t 1

A n d he th us l ets us see that it was n ot w ithout some groun d

th at V ig ila n tius de man ded the su p p ression o f the n octurn a l
offi ce of the v ig i l s, on accoun t of the scan da l s th at arose fro m

it. But that wou l d have been to mak e a very foo l ish con ces
sio n to the p ervers ity o f a few l ibertin es cu l p a j uven u m v il is

s i ma ru mq ue mu l ie rum

Ye t we must n ot sup p ose that, at the en d of the fourth cen

tu ry, these so l e mn v igi l s a t Rome, however we ll atten ded they
were, p ossessed the sa me attraction s as the vigil s which w ere
ce l eb rated da ily in oth er p l a ces as for in stan ce at C on sta n ti ,

n op le m the time of S J oh n Chryso sto m, or a t Mi l an 1n the

.

ti me o f S A mbrose The Greek styl e of music ca n ena i

'
. .

mos or i en tal i u m p a r i ra m ’
— as S A ugusti n e ca ll ed it when
.

sp ea k in g o f the A mb rosian v ig il s, tha t mel os ca n ti l ena r u m wh ich

g a v e so th ri ll in g a ch a r m to th e da i ly n o c tu rn a l o ffi c e of th e

basil icas at Milan , was an in n ovation as yet un k n own at Ro me .

I n the time o f Pop e D a masu s an d S J erome there is n o sign , .

a t R ome , o f p sa l mody ren dere d by two ch oirs : n oth in g , it

wou l d seem, more than p sa l mi resp onsor i i , p sal ms ex ecuted in

the same way as l itan ies .

T o the deacon s a p p e rtain ed the d uty o f th us e x ec utin g the

p sa l m od y ; a n d in m a n y in s ta n c es th e e p it a p h s o f d ea c o n s al
l ude to the sk ill which they p ossessed in th is so rt of chan t .

Th us, that of the dea con Redemp tu s, an in scrip tio n of the

time o f Damas us, in the cemetery of Call ix tus

bus, co ni mi s ten era et del icati she was do so by her

n ot al lowed to
q l aborem vigil iarum ferre
no p ar en ts , forasmuc as h
sh e was too
n on p
osse t A t ill a, timen s ar en tes ,
. p ten d er an d de lica te of body to en dure
et desidera ns I
acere Deo
perman sit , the fa tig ue of suc a v igil h
A n d so she , .

tota n octe v i an s in oratorro domus h h h

wis in g bot to on our her r en ts an d
a p
s ua e.
"
p
to l ease God r emai n ed all n i ht ee
, k p
i n g vi g il in the oratory of er own
hom e .
"

1
S . J erom e, Con tr a Vi i l a n t 7
g . .
1 Epist . cv rr. 9 .

1S . J erome , Can t Vig i la n t 9

. . .
34 H I STORY O F T HE ROMA N BREVI A RY

R ed emp tum
Levitam sub ito rap uit sib i regia ca eli .

D ul cia n ectareo p romebat mel la can ore,

P rop hetam celeb ran s p lacido modula min e sen e m
H aec fuit in son ti s vitae l audata j uven tus 1 .

T he ancien t p rop het rs of course n o other than David .

In the e p ita p h of a n other deaco n , con te mp orary w ith R ede mp

tus, we read

Hic levitaram p rirn us in ord in e vivens

Davidici can tor carmin is iste fui t ’
.

We see t hat
l ms of D avid was in thethe c han t o f the p sa ,
”
ti me of D a masus ex ecuted as a sol o by the Roman l ev ites , ,

a n d that in a styl e suffi cien tly s evere to be described a s modul a

men p l a ci du m .
’

Th us about the year 400 the Roman Church show s herse l f

,

rcep tibly beh in d h a n d in comp ariso n w ith oth er Ch u rche s ;

p e -

she was for a l on g p eriod u n affected by the i n fl uen ce of mon

asticism an d the c l ergy of Rome were more than an y oth e r

4
, , ,

attached to th eir own l iturg ica l customs : th us the correction

of the tex t o f the p sa l te r ca rried out by S J e rome ( A D . . .

D Ro i R m
1 e att ss t ,1 a p 39 T h wo d l i t i th
a s er a nea , . 11 . .
1
2 . e r ea a, n e
l guag of D m u a d J om
an e lw y m
a as s deac o n S J om Epi t er e, a a s ean s n . er e, s .

cu m S . also th
2. Damasi ee epit ph of the d co Flore tin D Ro i
e an a ea n n e . e ss ,

I scrip tio “ t
n p 92n , . n . . .

R om
1
a tt t 1 1 p 24 sa S J ome who i
er . .
y 1 . u p.o n th l2. gy 0 1 . er , s ver sever e e c er
R m g to u d d th t th cha ti g f th d co i t
o e, t
i ve s u s n ers an
g a e o c s o o a e n n o e ea ns v ca n
c ti i m
ri c s h w do ot p t to fi d i ep it ph :
s suc as e n ex ec n n a s
N i t ga do um mod
ec n
grat tu eN o ftr th m a n o f p
urnl ay u r r, a er e n er
et fau d l i m d i ami e colli i d
ces u c actorse th th o t a d j aw to b
c n n en as , , are e r a n s e
ut i l i th t al es modul i
n ecc es a di an oi ted wi th
ea r om oothi g d ug o au n s e s n r , s
that i th ch h theat ical to es may
"
a tu
n r. n e urc r n

be h ard
”
e .

E
( p r t x vr s . C f Ni t s R mes D bo o p l modia
c n .
3(. d B ce a e . e n sa e, 1 e . urn ,
p 8
So u ti m l melodi co ti
. 0
n s e a Both i
ve to of oice a d i n sen n ne v an n
o e t l igio i p al lat m el ody h o l d th h an ti g b u h
n
s a an c e re o q ae n s ur , n n u s u e c n e s c as

t
r ag c
a d fli l t t ex l met
r s r cu d q u b a es
ec o m th h ol y d ot i
c a on o t ai m i, g se t ae e ev , n n a
m ob n m h i ti i t t m d mo
rs v eta th utte
c r s ce of b il l ian t d am ti c p as
an a e e n e ran r r a
t et ;
s r o qu al i
n n id th t l aesages but t s tti g fo th to u t u
u
q e ea ra e r , a e n r s r e
dol at
e d omp u t o em pecc to um C hristian do t i
, se c nc r n o t uc h as i ya r c r ne : n s n an
l l th th t but u h as m y
"
fac at r . way reca s e ea re, s c a
p oduc omw ti o fo sin r e c nc n r .
”

De Rossi , I
1
nscrip t t 11 45 0 : A n an on ym ous wr iter
. in the . .

Codex C ol an iensis, 45 , fol 17 , wrote of avid .

Mystice dulci son is dep romit carmina fibris

Redden s mel l ifluum dul ci modulamin e can tum .

Let us al so q uote the verses w ic serve as a rol o u e to the Carol in ia n

g g h h p
psal ter s (i bid 44 9) . p .

Psal lere q ui docuit du l ci modulami n e san ctus .

h
See, n ever t eless, S A ugusti n e, D e mar ibus Ecc l Ca tir r 33 ; an d Card . . . . .

p
Ram oll a, S Mel a n i a gi n n i ore Sen a tri ce R amona Rome,
.
( 155 p . .
36 H I STORY OF TH E RO MA N BREVI A RY

grea te r in terest .With 5 J erome, at the e n d of the fourth

.

cen tu ry, there wa s n o q uestio n o f an ythin g more th an v igi l s

for Su n days an d sta tion day s (festi aa e di es) But ord in ary days, .

ca ll ed in the fi fth ce n tu ry p riv a t e d ay s (p r i v a ta e d i es ) , w e re

n ot, u p to th at ti me, furn ish ed with v igi l s It was on ly in th e

.

course O f the fi fth ce n tu ry th at th ey bega n to h ave th e m at

R ome T he most a n cien t men tion to be foun d of dai ly vig ils

.

a t R ome is in the rul e of S B en ed ict . H av in g to settl e the

.

p g
r o ra m m e O f th e v i gi l s fo r p r iv a te d a y s, S B e n e.d ic t o r d a in s

th at a t these o n e o f the O ld T esta me n t ca n tic l e s sha ll be

cha n ted eve ry day as doe s the Roman Church ( ceteris
di ebus ca n ti cu m u n u mquemqu e di e suo ex p r op heti s, si cu t p sa l l i t
E ccl esi a R oma n a , dica n tur l
When ce we in fer th at at the en d
.

o f the fi fth ce n tury the Ro man Ch urch had a da il y ca n on ica l

offi ce , or, i n oth er words, vigil s for p r iv a t e d a y s T h e

Roman Ch urch was l ate in fa ll in g in w ith the rég ime adop ted
a ce n tury before at J erusa l e m, A n tioch , Co n sta n tin o p l e , a n d

Mil an But the in n ovation ada p ted itsel f, n everthe less, w ith
.

out d ifficul ty to the p rev iously e x istin g R oma n customs . T he

v igi l s O f the statio n days were , i n fa ct, a rran ed i n con n ex ion
g
w ith the Mass of the station ; w ith it th ey w e re cel e b rated in
a sp ecified ba s i l ica , the who l e Ch u rch bein g su p p osed to ta k e

i h ce l ebration , the Po p e, the c l er y , a n d the fa ith ful

1
p a rt n t e g .

The da ily v igi l s , on the other han d, stood in a simil a r re l a tion

to the p r iv a te M ass c e l e b ra te d d a i ly i n ea ch p re sby te r a l
Titl e ; a n d j ust as this p rivate Mass was cel ebrated by the
”

p r ie st o f th e T itl e , a s s is te d o n ly by h is a c o ly te s , a n d w i th n o
oth er th an a vol u n tary con gregation — some of the faith ful of

the n eighbourhood a n d p erch an ce so me p il gr ims— so the daily

v ig il s were ce l ebrated i n each p resbytera l T i tl e, on ly by the

c l ergy atta ched to tha t T itl e , an d the con gr egation was

comp osed o f such of the l ay folk as migh t be d isp osed to at -

ten d .

These daily vigil s, in augurated in the fifth cen tury , were

destin ed for a l on g time to form the ch ief p art o f the offi ce of

1R
e I 13 (ed WOlfil in
. .
, 1 895 , p .

E t 111 2
. .
(Jafi é , 406 )
Q au m m n i
so eor
q u a eq ue fes ti v i h en W
some more solemn festival
tas con ven tum p op ul r n umerosioris has caused a more n umerous assembl

m
y
in dixeri t, e t ea fidel ium multi tudo of the l” an d such a mu l ti tude O f
con v en erit q ua m rec ip er e ba sil i ca th e fa i l has com e to ge th er th at i t
simul un a n on posait sacri ficn ob latio is n ot possibl e for on e basil ica to con
i n dubitan ter i teretur . ta i n them, th en w ith out doubt let , ,

there be more than on e O ffer in

”
g of the
Sacn fice.
 T HE SO U RCE S OF THE R OMA N O FFI C E 37

the R o ma n c lergy Le t us p roceed to fo llow up such few .

t races a s th ey have l e ft in h isto ry an d can on l aw .

T he L i ber P on tifi ca l zs re l ates th at P op e H ormisd as ( 5 14 5 2

com osu i t cl em m et p sa l mis er ud i oi t
p I f t h is had m ea nt

th at he i n structed the c l ergy in the k n owl edge o f H oly Scrip

tur e men tion woul d n ot h ave been made o f the p sa l ms a lon e
,
.

T he referen ce is to ch an ti n g p sal ms H ere then th is chan tin g .

,

of the p sa l ms is sp ok en o f as a d uty i n wh ich it was n ecessa ry

to in struct or to the p e rforman ce o f wh ich it was e ven n oces

,

sary to comp el the cl ergy : er ud i a i t ,

— comp osu i t We may , . ,

in fact see in th ese e fforts o f Pop e H ormisda s the same l n

,

ten tion wh ich the E mp e ror J ustin ia n e x p ressed at about the

sa me da te in h is C on stitution of A D 5 2 8 wh en he reca lled . .
,

the c l ergy to the d uty of chan tin g the p sal ms a t the da ily v ig i l s
of the ch urches to wh ich th ey we re attached .

A much more defi n ite ex p ress ion o f the sa me duty a p p ears

in a fra gmen t of a decretal in co rp ora ted in the work of Gratia n ,
.

I t bea rs in the man uscrip ts so metimes the n a me o f Pop e Ge l a

sin s sometime s o f a P o e P e l a ius O n o t b e certa in to
, p g n e c a n .

whom it ought rea lly to be a ssign ed but we may ce rta in ly see ,

in it an a uth e n tic doc ume n t o f the time of J ustin ian or a l ittl e

l ater A n d wh at do we read in it ? A subu rbica rian b ish o p
.
9

had g ive n a p l edge to the H o ly Se e that he woul d ca use the

offi ce o f the da i ly vig il s to be p erformed in his ch u rch by his

c l ergy But the l atte r deemin g the O bl igation too on erous

.
, ,

ha ve n ot resp on ded to the ca ll of the ir bisho p who th ere fore ,

re fe rs the ma tte r to the P o e an d the Po e re p l ie s th at the

p p ,

bishop is to reca ll his cl ergy by e very mea n s in his p ower to

their l itu rg ica l duty which he th us defi n es : a t cotti di a n zs
,

di ebus aig i l i a e cel ebr en tu r i n eccl esi a 3

A n d w oul d on e l ik e to k n ow wha t was the p rogra mme of

th ese da ily vig i l s, wh ich th us i n the fi fth an d six th ce n tu ries
fo rmed the en tire ofli ce recited by the Roma n cl e rgy ? We ll ,
‘

a doc ume n t c l ose ly con n e cted w ith the fra men t of d ec reta l
g

1
L P t r. . 2 69
. . p . .

[
1
T h e sub ur bi ca ri a n c u r c e s, ac cordi n g to th
he la th
e C an on Bri ht
g , were ro b p
h
abl y t ose of Pic en u m Suburbica ri um, Cam an ia, T usc ia an d U mbr ia, A ul ia p p
a n d Cal abri a, Brutti r an d L ucan ia , Val er i a , Sici l y, Sardin ia , an d C ors rca —A B ] . .

1
F ri ed berg , t I 31 6 . p
Eleuterius frate r et coep iscop us n os ter q ue ritur ,
. .

p
cl eri cos suos si bi con tra can on es su er bi re ct i d q uod n ob rs j uben tib us fa cts in
,

scri n io cauti on e pr orn i si t, ut cottidian is dieb us vig i l iae in ej us cel ebren tur ecclesi a,
p p
il l is con temp n en ti bus i m l et e n on osse, sed magis un umq uemq ue su is ( p ostposrto
eccl esia e servi tio) vacar e n egotii s Et ideO Exp er ien tia tua cos, q uos tibi ease
.

os ten deri t con tumaces, debits O bj urga ti on e com sce , et modrs omn ibus vi gi lii s m
vacar e c omp el le
”
.
38 HI STO R Y OF THE ROM A N BREVI A R Y

wh ich I have j ust q uoted will form tak en fromte ll us . I

t is a

the L iber D i u r n us — the actua l fo rm o f that p l ed ge wh ich the

subu rb ica ri a n b ishop s gave to the Pop e on rece iv i n g con sec ra

tion from him Th is form describes the l itu rgica l ofli ce to

‘
.

wh ich th ese b ishop s boun d themsel ves in their own n a me an d

th at o f th ei r c l ergy It is the mo st an cie n t 0r do o f the Roman
.

ofli ce wh ich we p o ssess .

I
l l ud eti am mn ib us sp on deo atq ue p romi tto, me omn i temp ore
p rae o

p er sin gu los d ies a p r imo g a llo u sq ue man e, c um om n i ordi n e cl e ricorum

meor um vigilias in ecclesia celeb ra re ita ut min oris q uidem n octis, id est
a Pa scha usq ue ad aeq uin octi um XX I V die men sis Sep temb ris, tres lec‘

tiones et tr es an tip honae atq ue tr es resp on sorii dican tur : ab hoc vero
aeq uin octio usq ue ad al iud vem ale ae uin octi um et usq ue ad ascha,
q P
q ua tuor l ection es cum resp on soriis et an trp hon is suis dican tur : D omin ico
autem in omn i temp ore n ovem l ection es cum an ti p hon is et resp on soriis
sui s p ersol vere D eo p rofitemur
l
.

Thus at al l ti mes of the year every day from the first cock
, , ,

c row in g u n til sun rise the whol e cl er w i th the b ishop at th e i r

, gy ,

head asse mbl ed at the church to cel ebrate the vigil s O n

,
.

eve ry Sun day i n the year th ese vigi l s comp rised p sa l mody w ith

a n tip hon s n in e l essons a n d their resp on ds

,
D a ily there was .
,

p sa l m ody w it h a n ti p ho n s a l so l esso n s a,
n d res p o n d s va ry i n g i n

n u mber acco rdin g to the season : three l esson s fro m E a ster to

Sep te mber the 24th four l esson s fro m then to E aster

,
Let us .

study the p assage p oi n t by p oin t .

1) E ach day th ere is a vigil ofli ce The an on y mous de .

cretal q uoted by Gra tian tol d us this b ut the L i ber D i u r n us is ,

more p recise : it show s us that th is offi ce is to be p erformed

on ev ery day in the year at whateve r season ; th at it beg in s at
,

the fi rst cock crow in g ; an d that it is obligatory for the whol e

-

body of clergy .

( )
2 Th is v ig i l O ffi ce i s ce l e b ra te d a p r i m o g a l l o u sq u e m a ne .

T he L i ber D i u rn us does n ot men tion , it is true, the oflice o f ‘

lan ds : b ut S B en e dict, who p resc ribes the l a udes ma tuti nae

.

at su n rise, at the en d of the n octurn a l v igi l offi ce, g ives us to

u n dersta n d that such was a l so the custom o f the R oma n

Church We may therefo re conj ecture that the office of la uds

.

was conj oin ed w ith the v igil .

( 3) O n the o th e r h an d , the L i oer sa y s n ot on e word a bout

the office of vesp ers : n or does the dec reta l q uoted by Gratia n .

1L i b D i ur n III 7 ( P L c v 7 1 , or ed Sic el [
. . . . .Vien n a ,
.
77 . k pp . The
. p
MS of the L i ber reserved at the Vatican dates from about A D 800 . . . T he
h
form ere q uoted is on e O f a grou w ic , i n the O in ion of M Sick el ( h h p . p .
)
xxx ,
w as i n serted i n the L i ber before e en d of the seven th cen tu ry .
 TH E SOURCE S OF THE ROM A N OFFICE 39

We are th us l ed to recal l the fact that the Sp an ish an d Fran k

ish Cou n c il s of the s ix th cen tury in ag ree men t w ith By za n tin e ,

law at the sa me p e riod distin gu ish cl early between the qfli ci a

,

vesp er ti na an d the
qfi cia ma tuti na Th e co n tra st i s v e ry re .

marlt ab le .
l

(4 ) The v ig il m Easter to Sep te mber the 24 th whe n

ofli ce , fro ,

the n igh ts are shorte st comp rises th ree l esso n s th ree re sp on ds

, , ,

th ree an tip hon s ; from Se p te mber the 2 4 th to E aste r whe n the ,

n ig hts are lon gest it has fo ur l esson s ; but on a l l Sun days

, ,

without e x cep tion n in e l esson s , T he mean in g to be attached .

to the wo rd s r esp onsorrz an d a n nplton a e rema in s doubtfu l A re .

we to un de rstan d by r esp on sor i i

”
resp on ds in the sen se in ,

wh ich we fin d that word used l ater ? O r does r esp on sor i i here .

mea n p sal ms sa id as a sol o in con tradisti n ction to those recited ,

by two choirs al tern ate ly ? I wou ld n ot ven ture to say .

5) T h e l esso n s wh eth e r th,

re e o r fo ur o r n in e in n u m b e,
r a r e , ,

su p p osed to be d ra wn fro m H oly Scrip ture I t is howeve r cer .

, ,

tain th at i n the ti me of S Greg ory ( 5 90 604 ) they were al so tak en

.
-

from other tha n can on ica l writin gs I t has been re p orted .

“

to us he w rites th at our reveren d b ro the r an d fe ll ow bish op

”
, ,

Mar in ian u s uses our commen tary on Job for readin g at the
vi gi l s .We are n ot p l eased at th is for that work is n ot com ,

p o se d fo r th e e
p p o l e T e ll hi
. m to su b st i tu te fo r it a t th e

vig i l s our commen tary on the P sa l ms as that i s more suited ,

for the in struct ion of the min ds of the l aity in right con duct 1
.

We have sa d that the vigil s of the p ri ate day

i v s — the
feria l vigil s—were the p rov in ce of the p riest an d the c l erk s at
tached to each T itl e or p ari sh ch u rch A mo n g th ese in ferio r .

c l ergy we must assign a sp ecia l p l ace to the readers They .

1
Baumer , t I p
2 5 1 , insists wit
. . . h
reason on the fa ct t a t S Ben ed ict fi shion ed h .

p h
his Ofi ce of ves ers q ui te ot erwise t an as he foun d i t used in his ti me h Let .

h p p
us add t at the ty e of ves ers devised by S Ben edic t is t at w ic was sven ta . h h h
a l l y in trod uced a t Rome i n the cou rse of the ei g t cen tury hh .

1
8 Greg E
. .t 1m 24 . . .
Q u ia M ar in ia n u s l eg i c omm e n ta b ea ti obi J
p ubli ce ad v igi I a s fac iat, n on grate susce i ,
p uia n on est il l ud us o u l a re pp
Sed di c ci ut commen ta Psal mor um l eg I
”
vi gi l ia s facia t aflé , 1 8 5 7 ) T he
'

decree attr ibuted to Po e Gel asi us (492 p D ecr etum de l i bris recipien dis et
r eci i en dis, ma
p y as re g a r d s s o m e of i ts fea t ures g o b ac to th e ti m e O f D a masus k
h
b ut, in the form in whi c w e ave it, it i s of the time of P0 h ormi s H
(5 4
1 T er e i h
n i t is sa i d t a t th e Op h
u sc u l a a t q ue tr a ct a tu s o rt Od o x oru m
Patrum, q ui in n ull o a S Romanao Eccl esia e con sor tia devi ave ru n t, may be
.

rea d : doub tl ess in p

ublic wors i hp
The decree is, on the ot er an d, se v ere as
. h h
regards the g esta ma r ty r um h
beca use t ey do n ot bea r u on t em the n ames of p h
h h
t ei r aut ors , an d t ere are amon h g t em some w ic h av e been fabr icat ed by h hh
h ereti cs : so i n S Roman a Eccl esra n on l e n tur
"
N evert el ess , t is severi ty. h h
h
s ows si n s of r el axa ti on : t us the a cts O f
g h Syl vester a mul tis in urbe Roma
Cathol icrs l egi cogn ovimus, et p ro an tiquo usu multae hoc imitan tur ecclesi ae
 4 0 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
belon ged to the T itl es n ot to the d istricts I n scrip tion s of the , .

fo urth ce n tury men tio n a [ector tztul z P a l l a czna c ( S Ma rk s) a

' ' '
’
.
,

[actor tztul z Fasczol ae ( SS N ereus an d A ch ill es) a l ector dc

' ' '

.
,

P uden tia na I n a n i n sc ri p tion of the se ve n th c en tury we fin d

.

me n tion of a [actor tztul z S Cacczl za c l

There is an imp ortan t
' ' ' '

. .

deta i l to be n oted h ere viz tha t in the fo urth cen tu ry the , .

readers o f R ome were n ot on ly g rown up men but of ri p e age ; -

,

the rea der o f the basil ica o f P uden tian a is twen ty four years -

o ld ; he o f the ba si l ica o f Fasciol a is fo rty six But in the -

.

seven th cen tury on the con tra ry the rea de rs a re ch il d re n : the

, ,

reade r of the basil ica o f S C aeci l ia is twel v e yea rs ol d Thus

. .

between the fourth a n d the seven th cen turies the con dition o f the
R oman readers was comp letely chan ged an d that because the ,

Ro man chan t itse l f was comp letely chan ged They had brok en .

w ith tha t an cien t an d severe styl e o f chan tin g the p sal ms wh ich
an in sc ri p ti on of the ti me o f Da masu s as we have seen cha r , ,

acteriz ed as maria /a men p l a cidu m Chora l p sa l mody had at .

last become n atu ral ized at R ome That is why th ese .

cl erks w ith th eir grave a n d man ly ton es

, had give n way to ,

c hoi rs o f ch il dren w ith fle x ibl e youn o i s s h d l dy

g v ce a a a re a ,

been the case e l sewhere in Cath ol ic Ch risten dom for a con

side ra ble ti me : in A fr ica for e x am l e wh ere w e co me across
p , ,

the twel ve l ittle c l erk s o f C arth age —znf a n tul z cl or i ci

' '

strm z a t ue ap tz modu l i:
q
'

ca n tz
'

l cn a c— wh o s e tou ch i n g co u ra g e
'

( A.D 4 8.6 ) is re l ated by V ic to r V ite nsi s

’
.

J ust at the en d of the six th cen tury we fin d the colleges of

youn g cha n ters at Rome becomin g as it were semin a ries of the
R oman cl ergy The ep ita p h o f P op e D eusd edit (6 1 5 8) te ll s
.
-

us tha t he th us began his ca reer in the shadow o f the ba si l ica

o f S Peter.

Hic vir ab exortu Petri est n utri tus ovili

Excuvians C hri sti can ti b us hymn ison is .
’

I
n the me way it is record ed o f Pop e Leo II (6 8 2 3)
sa ,
-

that he had bee n fa mous for his cha n tin g ca n tel m a ac

p sa l mod za p r aea f
'

uu : ;
— o f P o p e Be n ed ict 11 ( 6 84 5) tha t he -

had distin guished h i mse l f from his ch i l dhood in ch an ting— i a

ca n tzl cna Pop e Se rgi us I ( 6 8 7 7 0 1) that
' ' '

a p a cr zl z sta te ; of -
,

when q u ite youn g , he ha d been en trusted to the P rior of the

De Rossi , Bul l eti n , 1 883,

1
20 p . .

‘
Vi ct V it D c persecu t Va n d
. .
39 40 (ed Petschan ig)
-
. T he aut . . . ho r te
k h h k
mar s t at t ese l ittl e cl er s l ived toget er i n a col l ege : U na degun t, h si mul
vescun tur C f Greg T uron en I
. n g lor ia Ma r t 7 6
. . . .

De Rossi , I nscr ip t t u 12 7 . . . p . .
 THE SOURCE S OF TH E ROM A N OFFICE 4 1

chan ters for in structi on , beca use he was in d ustrio us an d had

a tal e n t fo r ch a n ti n g — q u i a studzosus er a t et cap a r i n o fli
'
cro
' '

r zor z ca n tor u m
1
ca n tel ena e, d d
' '

i
'

p p r o octr n a est t r a ztus .

Th us we see ap p ear i n the seven th cen tury the R oman

clra n t, an d stra i h tway w ith the ch an t comes forth a sch oo l
g
for ch an ters .

Each Title had its readers It was though t good that the .

two great basi l ica s o f R ome , th ose of the Va tican a n d the

Latera n , shoul d have their reade rs gathered together in a sort
of colleg e, l ik e those S col a c [ ectom m which al ready ex isted

at Mi lan , a t Lyon s, at R heims, a t Con sta n tin o p l e

2
The two .

coll eges of rea de rs th us foun ded, a n d destin ed to b ea r in com

mon the n a me at first of Orp ha notr op lu u m, aft erwa rds of S cola

’
'

ca n tom m, formed tw o disti n ct esta bl ish men ts : the on e b ui l t

in fron t of S Peter s, the oth er hard by the P a tn a r cfzzum o f

'
’ '

the Lateran ‘
A t a l l even ts, such was the case in the n in th
.

cen tu ry , when J oh n the D eacon w h

( A D 8 7 2 ) w as r itin g t e . .

l ife of Sain t Gregory , to whom he attribu tes the foun dation

o f the S col a ca n tor u m .

O ne can n ot but be struck with th is fact : the simul tan eous

‘
LJ t 1 ’
. . . pp
35 9, 36 3, 37 1 . De Rossi, Bul l eti no, 1 883,
. 19 p . .

L P t u
. .
92.: S
[ g
.er p i u
.s
(8 44 a a Sca l ar » c a n ton II
s», q ua e p r idem pp
O rp ha notr oflm m vocaba tur , q uum rae n imia vetustate emarcuerat, et e n e in p p
rui n s p
osita atq ue eon frac ta a pr i scis tem or ibus videretur , Dei an n uen te cl e p
men tia , a fun damen ti s in meliorem, ut ol im fuerat, sta tum n oviter restauravi t
I n real ity , as Mgr Duc esn e remar s . h k
1 02 ) the Seol a ca n tor u m is men tion ed
p
i n a l etter of Pa e Paul ( 7 5 7 -67 ) to e in the S ort (j aflé ,I a n d in the p h ‘

O r dims of the eig t an d n in t cen turies hh h

Po e Leo 111 (7 95 8 1 6) in ta in g . p -
k
charge of an or ph
an , destin ed himsel f to become P0p e Sergi us , en trus ts him II
to the Scota cus tom s; T un c p raesul eum Scal ae can ton » : ad erudien dum
commun es tradidit l itteras et ut mel lifi uis in s tr ueretur can til en ae mel odi is
h
T he c ild soon sur assed omn es Scolae p us tul os p L P t 11 86 . . . . p . .

0 r do R oma n s, xx 1 ( P L a m 1 003
. . . . p .

Primum, in q ualicun q ue sc ola t e n the fi rst h

lace, if in an y sc ool p h
fueri n t p ueri ben e pu l l en tes, tol boys are foun d w ho c an t wel l , t ey h h
n urur in de, et n u tr iun tur i n Scol a can a re removed t em e an d br oug t u in h h
t orum, et ostea fi un t cub icul ari i Si the Scol a con tou rs , an d ar e a er
p .

autem n obi li um fi l ii fuer i n t , sta tim in wards made C amberl ain s Bu t i f t ey h . h

cubi c ulo n utriun tur Ea h ac acc i ien t are son s of n obl es , t ey are fort wit
. p h h h
p ri m am b e n ed icti on e m a b a rc hi di aco n o, b rou g t up i n th e ou se o l d [of the h h h
ut l i ceat eis su er l in teum v il losum p Pap s] A n d t ereafter l et t em rece ive . h h
seder e, q uod mos est on ere su er sel p p
from the A rc deacon the fi rst ben edic h
l am eq ui ”
. tion , so t at t ey may ave ri g t to sit h h h h
u on cl ot wit a lon g ile, suc as is p h h p h
w on t to be p ut u on orse saddl es "
p h .

h
As to t is foun da tion cl ose to the L ateran , se e Mgr Duc esn e s n ote , t 11 ’
. h . .

p . 102 .T he L i ber Di a n na con tain s a form rel atin g to an en dowmen t un ustl y j

tak en away from the O rp ha a otr op hi m , in w ic we re ad : Dumq ue n ecessi tate h h
vi ctu s arctatur locus , freq uen ti a cessavit in fan ti um, q uib us deerat ex en sas
p ro p
vi den tia N e ergo can torum defi oeret ordo atq ue Dei Ecclesia e eon turuel ia
.

”
irrogaret ur , etc .
42 HI STORY O F T HE R O MA N B R EVI A R Y

a p p eara n ce a t Rome h
o f the c an t a n d the schoo l for cha n ters
dates back to the age S Gregory (d
of . . But was the
Scol a ca n tor u m , a fte r a l l , in stituted by th at great Po p e ?
J oh n the De acon , it is true , p ositive ly affi rms it

Lik e a wise Solomon in the H ouse of the Lord , S Greg ory, k n owi n g .

how the sweetn ess of the musi c can touch the hea rt, comp iled for the
ad van tage of the chan ters the extreme l y useful collection cal led the
A n tip hon ary So a l so be in sti tuted the school for chan ters, whose
.

memb ers sti ll execute sacred son g in the holy Roman C hurch ac
cordin g to the in stru cti on s re cei ved from him T o thi s sc hool he assign ed .

o
p p
r er ty, an d b ui l t fo r it two d well in g houses, one a t the foot of the steps
-

of the basi lica of the A p ostle S Pe ter, the other cl ose b y the b uildi n g s of
.

the P a triarchal p a la ce of the La teran T hey still show there the couch on
.

which he rested while g ivin g his lessons in chan tin g ; an d the w hip with
which he threaten ed the child ren of the choir is sti ll p reserved there, an d
ven e rated as a re l ic, as is al so h is origin al A n tip hon ary By a cla use in .

serted i n the d eed of gift, he d irected un d er p ai n of a n athema tha t the

p p erty given b y him shoul d be divided between the two p arts of the
ro
Scol a as a remuneration for their d ai ly se rvice ‘
.

T he Lzber P on tifica l zs, whose

S Gregory is of the
'

n otice of .

se ven th ce n tu ry, say s n ot a word of th is a lleged foun dation o f

the S col a ca n tor u m ’

Th en too we have the con stitution s of
.

a coun c il h el d at R ome by S Gregory in 5 9 5 , a n d what do

.

we read there ? I n the holy Roma n Ch u rch th ere is a c ustom

of old sta n ding b ut most re p reh en sibl e, o f h avin g the ch an ting

don e by deaco n s a n d other p erson s who a re e n gaged in th e

min istry of the holy a l tar : when ce it comes about that in ad
van cin g p erson s to the orde r o f D eacon , l ess a tten tion is often

p a id to t h e i r co n d u c t t h an to th e q u a l i ty o f th e i r v oices : a

g ra ve a b use ,
fo r wh i c h a sp ee dy re med y m u st be fo u n d by fo r

biddin g the deacon s to act as chan ters , an d confi n ing th eir

duties to those of the sac red min istry ; as for the chan tin g, it

l
Joan n . Diac 6 (P L
. n. xxv go)
. . L . an ti p hon ar ium cen ton em can torum
studiosissi mua comp ila vi t ; scolam q uoq ue can tor um, q ua e hacten as ei sd em in
stituti on ib us i n S Roman s Ecclesia modulatu r, con sti tui t ; s iq ue c um n on n ull is
.

p rae di is duo h a bi ta c ul a , sc il icet a l ter u m s u b g ra d ib us b asi l ica e B P etr i A os toli , . p

al terum vero su b L atera n en sis Patria rc ii domibus fabricavi t , ub i usq u eh od ie h
fl
l ectus ej us i n q uo rec uba n s mod ulabatur , et agell um ip sius q uo ueri s min abatur , p
ven era ti on e con grua cum authen ti co an ti bon ario reservatur
”
I
n the seven t h
b
.

h
cen tury t ere was p
res erved i n dee d the ed on w ic it was bel ieved t at 8 h h h .

Gregory died See , in D e Rossi , I nscrip t t n 22 7 , the p assage of the

.
p . . . .

I h
tin erary k n own as t at of Sal z bur g : P erge ad por trcum P etro n ellas , auden s
g
ue ascen ds ad Gr eg orii l ec tum p atris sanc ti , i n q uo sp iritum reddidnt Deo
"
.

-ia the sev en t h

c en tury, the ta l k
was n ot of a bed on w ic Gregory rested h h
h h
w i l e gi vi n g l esson s in c an tin g wit a w i in his an d ! h hp h
1'
h h
N ot in g eit er in the Vi ta a n tiqui ssi ma ubli s ed by Dom Gasq uet , p h A
p
l ife of Po e S Gregory the G rea t
.
( es tm i n ster , W w ri tt en abo u t 7 1 3 b y a
mon k of the monastery of Whitby .
44 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A R Y
sa cra men ta ry A n d it is th us th at we fi n d Egbert, A rchbisho p
.

of York 7 32 7 6 6 , the most a n c ien t au thor who testi fies to the

,
-

Grego ria n origin of the an tip hon a ry saying with refere n ce to , ,

the E mber tide fast : -

It is S Gregory who in his an ti p ho n a ry .

an d his missa l ha s ma rk ed the wee k wh ich foll o ws Pe n teco st

a s that in wh ich the Ch urch o f E n l an d ou h t to ob serve th is

g g
fast : it is n ot on ly o ur an tip h on aries wh ich a tte st th is , b ut
a l so th ose wh ich with the missa l s wh ich be lon g to th e m, we
,

h ave con sul ted in the basi l ica s o f the holy A p ostl es Peter an d
Pa ul n ostr a testa n tu r a n tip hona r i a , sed ct ip sa qua e cu m
missa l i bus su is comp er i mus ap ud Ap ostol ora m P etr i et P a ul i
1
Whatever a uthority th ere is for assig n in g to S .

Gregory the sacra men ta ry , the sa me th ere is for attrib utin g to

him the an tip h on a ry a n d n o more : an d everybody k n ows
,

how l ittl e right the sac ramen tary has to be ca ll ed Gre

”
g o ri a n , b ei n g i n fa ct p a rt ly m o re a n c ien t a n d p a rt ly m o r e

modern tha n the time of S Gregory “

A n d even were the
. .

sacra men tary a b so l utely Gre o r ia n , an d the an ti hon a ry n o

g p
l ess so, we shoul d sti ll have n o righ t to say that the comp osi
tio n o f the a n tip hons a nd r esp on d s o f tire D i v i ne Ofi ce i s d u e to

S Gregory, for in the la n guage of the e igh th c en tury , a n d ce r

.

ta in ly in the p assage q uoted from Egbe rt of Y ork , the word

a n tzJo/ton a ry design ates the coll ection o f mus ic sun g a t M ass
wh a we n ow ca ll the Grad ua l , Li ber G adual is , an d n ot of
t r —
the p ieces sun g i n the D iv in e O ffi ce A n d so the whol e q ues .

tion of the a utho rsh ip o f th is coll ec tio n of a n tip h on s a n d re

sp on ds in the of fi ce is q uite un conn ected w ith an y th in g wh ich
Egbe rt had in his min d , a n d th ere fore rema in s for us n u
so l ved .

T he op in ion wh ich attributes to S Gregory a n d to n o other .

p e rso n t he te x t a n d t he c h a n t o f t h e a n t ip h o n s a n d re s p o n d s

of the R oman ofii ce be in g p ut aside , my th eo ry is as foll ows

‘ 3

1E
gbe rt , D e i n s ti t ca th xv 1. 2 ( P L L xx
. x nt . M or i n ,. 2 8 . . p . .

1'
Duch esn e, O rig i n s 1 1 7 19 : pp
A n ot er error again st w hi c we ave to
, .
-
h h h
h
be on our gu ard is to con sider t is boo [the Gregor ian sacr amen tary] as be in g k
k
the wor of 8 Gregory imsel f . h
O n e w oul d n ot be far wro n g in ta i n g the
. k
p
Gr egorian sacramen tary as r e res en tin g the sta te of the Roman l itur in the
time of Po e p H
adr ian (77 2 IDo m M o r i n , 69 : T h e wo r o f r e o
g y
r p . k
w as [ h k
for the Gregorian c a n t] a wor of organ iz in g an d re castin g r at er t a n of - h h
p
com osition p p
ro er ly ao ca l led bel iev e the w or do n e [
-
. I
by him] in rega rd k
to the sacramen tary gi ves us the best i dea of w at was don e by him for the h
h
c an t .
"

h
T is n ega tive con cl usion is n ot so n ovel as s ome ave en deavoured to ma e h k
out . T he wise Gran col as two cen turies ago, sa id ( Commen t
.
“
A n ti . p .

p ho n ari um R om an um p l erum q ue S G reg ori o tr i b ui tu r , ver um. id c e rte afli rmare

n on p
ossumus
"
Dom Lecl ercq , in hi s artic l e,
.
“
A n ti on ai re
”
( D iet A r ch ph . .
 T HE SOURCE S OF THE ROM A N OFFICE 45

M uch better foun ded w as the O p in ion o f that an on ymous l it

u rg ica l auth o r of the eigh th cen tury a n ea rl ie r w ri ter th erefore , , ,

th an J oh n the D eacon an d p erh ap s th an E gbert o f York a n d , ,

more fa mil ia r a l so it woul d se e m with the tradition s a n d

, ,

u sages o f the V atica n bas il ica who a ttrib utes th e collec tive ,

creation o f the R o ma n ch an t o f the an tip ho n s a n d resp on d s ,

n o t to a n y o n e Pon ti ff b ut to man y : to S Leo (d to

, . .

Gel asius ( d Sy mmach us ( d

. J ohn I ( d Bon i . .

face II ( d a n d o n ly fi n al ly to S Gregory ( 5 90
. .

N or was it a t the han ds o f S Gregory that it rece ived .

i ts full develop men t : the wo rk was to be con tin ued by

the l abo urs of P o p e Ma rtin I ( d an d still more by .

other masters o f ch an t un k n own to fa me whose n a mes a re , ,

reco rded for us by thi s sa me l itu rg ical a uthor Catalen us , ,

Maurian us an d oth ers 1

,
Doubtl ess it will n ot d o to accep t .
,

u n hesitati ng ly a l l the asse rtions of th is an o n ymous l i tu rgist .

When he asse rts that Pop e Da masus in troduced at Ro me with ,

the a id o f S J e rome the 0r do p sa l l end i o f J erusa l em he de

.
, ,

rives his in for mation fro m the a p ocry p ha l l etters of D a masus

a n d J erome the tru e ch a racter of wh ich we h ave a l ready i n

,

d icated morev er they hav e n o mo re to do with the Roman ofii ce

,

than w ith the Roma n cha n t What he says of the ca n tus .

a n na l i s in stituted by S L eo by P op e Ge l asius or e ven by .

, ,

P op e Symmach us accords i ll w ith the documen ts wh ich we

,

have tud ed
s i But let s ma
u rk m ost ca e
. r fu lly th o
is n e fact— a

fact of ca p ita l imp ortan ce — viz th a t ou r l itu rg ist rega rded this .

ca n tus a n na li s of the Roman Ch u rch as a w o rk of grea t an

tiq uity but wrough t by var ious ha n ds at successive p er iod s ; a

,

CM » . 1 1
. 244 3
. pp . ves a very l earn ed ex ositi on of the con troversy , from
‘

p
h
the seven teen t cen tury ow n to our time, an d gives his su ort to my sol ution , pp
h h
w hi c he c arac teriz es as an ecl ectic sol ution , by n o mea n s ri gid, an d su ei m
en tl y accommodati n g to p u t everyon e in mu tu al agreemen t
l A
m y m Ger ber t, v 6. See the assag e q uoted i n ful l further on ,
. p
1 19 p . .

Dom Mori n ( 2 3) sa p h
T is very curi ous fra men t accords wi th the e i g t
.
g hh
cen tury both as r egar s its sty le an d its matter : i t is evi den t] closely related to
the O r do of the Ben edi cti n e mon a steries of Rome, ubl is er by Dom Mar ten s p h ?
from a MS of Murbac of the ei g t cen tury (P L v
. h r hh
A gain ( 67 ) . . . p .

h k
T is documen t is the wor of so me ran k is mon of the eig t cen tury , who F h k hh
p p
wen t to Rome for the ur ose of examin in g at close q ua rters the customs a n d
tradi tion s of the Roma n monasteries He seems arti cu larly well in formed
. p
as to the tra di tion s w ic h h
obtai n ed i n the mona steri es si tua ted cl ose to S Peter s
’
. .

It is a pp h h
aren tly from t em t at he must have rece ived this in formati on , w ic h h
h
has n ot i ther to a ttrac ted suffi cien t n oti ce , a s to the va rious er son s who elabor p
a ted the l iturgical chan t of Rome
"
Bii umer , t 1 320 , is i n cl in ed to bel ieve
. . . p .

th is doc u men t stil l more an ci en t T he l ast Po e men tion ed in it is Pa e Marti n

. p p
I ( d
. t e re i s n h
o al l usi on to P o e a dr ia n ( 7
7 2 O n e m ig p H
t giv e i t I h
a date bet ween the two .
4 6 H I STORY OF TH E ROMA N BREVI A RY
wor k in regard to wh ich S Gregory al on g w ith man y others .
, ,

hel d mere ly the p osition of a con tributor ‘

.

Th is op in ion agrees with that of the greatest of the l iturg ists

of the C aro l in gian sch oo l in the n in th cen tu ry A mala ri us , ,

h imsel f a l so an terior to John the Deacon Sp eak in g of the .

Roman offi ce as he had studied it at Rome itsel f he asserts ,

tha t the r esp on ds O f th at offi ce were comp osed a magrirtr is

S R oma na o E ccl esi ae
” )
.

T o sum u p wh at has been sa id : the L i ber R esp onsal is of

R ome is the tradition al work of the master cha n ters O f the -

R oman Ch urch ; it becomes fi x ed in the seven th an d eigh th

cen turies ; an d it o n ly begi n s to be a ttributed to S Gregory .

fro m the n in th cen tu ry on wards a n d tha t by as simil atin g its ,

a uth orsh ip to th at of the Gregoria n L i ber Gra du a l is .

II .

Omn i temp ore p er si ng ul ar di es, a p r i mo g a llo usque ma ne,

3—
cu m omn i or di ne cler i cor um, vi i l i a s i n eccl esi a cel ebr a r e such
g
‘ I
t is a most strik i n coi n ciden ce, t at h
th e vi ew ta en by t is k
ra n i s h F k h
l iturgist, foun ded on w t was k n own an d sai d in the monasteri es of Rome
p
devoted to the racti ce of th e l itu rgical c an t, agr ees wi t w a t w e r ead in h h h
rO I
O u i r se w hich, in a fter ti me, w ere l d t th a d of th p h
f
p es n ve ace a e e e
L i bor GrG s ol is O f Rome, the most famous O f w ic is that attributed to Po e h h p
H adr ian ( 7 7 2 I
95 ) -

Gr orius p raesul , meri ti s et n omi n e digh ua

011 e gen us duci t, summum con sc en di t on orem h
Qui ren ova n s mon umen ts atrum, j un iorque p riorum [i ] , p
Mun ere cael esti tretn a orn a n s sap ien ter ,
C omp osui t scol ae can torum hun c rite li bel lum,
Q u o r p
eci rocan do modul etur carmin a C ri sto h .

Mori n , p
26 T he exp ression
. . ren ovan s mon umen ts a trum rea ears in p pp
a n ot er h p
rolo u e, i n the an ti
g on ary o f S Ga ll ph .

se Ip p
atr u m mon umen ts seq uen s ren ovavi t et a uxit ,
m
C armin a in o c iis reti n et q uae circul us ann i .

Morin , 69 p . h H
T us, i n th e ti me of adria n , the L i bor Gr a du a l is was sti ll re
. I
rded a s the wor kj
oi n tl y of 8 Gregory an d of t er more a n ci en t a uthor s
. Oh .

ut s oon the n ame of Gr egory al on e was e t in memory N ext, as time wen t kp .

on , th e L i ber R espoa sa l is ca me to b e attri buted to the same au t or as the L i ber h

Amal ar D c 0r d A n tip hona r u, 43 Amalar ius (D e Eccl Of IV 30) d is
1'

auctores l ection ari i et a n ti p hona rii , ac missal is—en im

. . . . . .

tin guishes between

auctor em [ missal is] credimus case B Pa am Gregori um p
A gobard ( 77 9
.

D c cor r ect a s tiflr 1 5 , is awar e of the attribution to 8 Gregory of th e L i bor

. . .

R espoasa l is , an d he iv es i t as the
g
”
Op
in ion O f certa in erson s, w i c h e does p h h
h
n ot con sider t at he i s boun d to en dorse : veru m q ui a Gr egorii p ra esul is n omen
titul us p r aefa ti l ibel l i p rae ten dit , et i n e h Op
in ion e sump ta p utan t eum q uidem a
B Gregor io Roman o p on ti fi ce e t ill ustri ssimo Doctore corn cl tum T he w ords
'

hi: p
.

Gre gorii p raesul is n omen betray the i n uen ce of t rol o ue

g fl
p r aesu l a l ready q uo ted , an d in dica te the con fusi on t at ar ose from it W a l afr id h .

S trabo ( 80 7 49) al so draw s his in sp iration from the same r ol ogue

-
Dom Mor in , p .

pp 14 5 -
.

‘
L i bsr D i urrms, 111 7 . .
 THE SOURCES OF THE ROMA N OFFICE 47

is the formul a p rescrib in g the custom wh ich we h ave see n

flourishi ng at Rome in the six th cen tury SO fa r, there has .

been n o q uestion , at Rome, of a n y O fli ce but that O f the secular

c l e rgy The momen t has n ow come when , for the first time
.

in the h istory O f Roma n l iturgy , the mon astic in fl uen ce ma k es

its a p p ea ran ce .

We k n ow the sort of rece p tion the Roman cl e rgy gave

to S J ero me, the fi rst advocate of mon a sticism at R o me
.

he has tak en good ca re to let us hear o f it, an d in deed

to g ive his adversa ries as good as they gave Less well .

k n own are certa in p refaces of the Leon in e sacramen tary, wh ich 1

it is be l ieved may be dated back to the l atte r p a rt O f the fourth

ce n tu ry, an d wh ich on n o su p p osition can be l ater th an the first

ha lf of the six th , in wh ich Roman p riests do n ot shrin k from

e x p ress in g th eir gr ievan ces even in the l itu rgy They are ex .

ressed in v ery live ly terms : Th y regu l ar d iatribes

“
p e are

a gai n st the mon k s T he atten tion o f the A l mighty is

.

ca ll ed to the fa ct th at n owaday s His Ch urc h con tain s fa l se

con fessorsmin g led a mon g the tr ue ; much is sa id a bout en emies ,

ca l u mn ia tors, p roud on es w ho dee m th e mse l ves better th an

oth ers an d tea r th e m in p ieces, who p resen t a n ou tw ard a p

p ea ra n c e o f p ie ty , b u t w h o a re se t o n d o in g h a r m T he n e ed .

” 9
o f gua rdin g aga in st th e m is asse rted .

If such l iturgica l utteran ces a re to be un de rstood as the p ubl ic

e x p ression O f the fee l in g O f eve n on e secti o n o f the R oma n

c l e rgy, th e re is n o reason to be aston ish ed at the fact tha t it

was l on g be fore monas ticism succeeded in ma k in g itse l f accep ted

”
at R ome But, in sp ite O f a ll this, monach is m took root in
.

Rome an d en dured , however restri cted was the p l ace which the
Roman cl ergy allowed it to hol d In 5 5 6 , the el ec tion O f Pop e .

Pel agius was hel d in check by the op p osition of the Roman

mon k s ‘
U n der S Gregory the favour shown to them was
. .

g re at . B ut th is fl ou r i sh i n
g sta te o f R o m an m o n a c hi s m t o w a rd
the en d of the six th cen tu ry was O f sh ort d uration ; the favour
wh ich it had met with, an d which it owed p articularly to the
p ro tec t io n o f S G r eg o r y , ce ase d i mm
. e d i ate ly a fte r th e de a t h
of that Pop e in 604, an d s p ercep tible reaction foll owed The .

1
P L rv 2 8 , 64 , 65 , 7 4
. . Duc esn e, O rig i n es ,
.
1
h 1 35 p . .

p h h
Perha s it is w it some suc state of t in gs t at the l ost con stitution of Po e h h p
In n ocen t
(4 0 1 1 7 ) D I
e r eg a l i s mom -
“ w a s co n cer n ed . L P t 1 2 20. . . . . p . .

‘L P t 1
.
3 3
.0 : .M o n ast
.er p
ia ,.e t m ul ti tu do rel i g i oso r u m, sa p ien ti um et
n obil ium, su bduxer un t se a corn mun ion e e ue j
er e we see , a t t a t H h
p
date , the im orta nce of the Roman mona steries, an d the great n umbers of the
mon ks .
4s H I STORY O F T HE RO MA N BREVI A RY
l k who ed it this p a rt of the L iber P on tifica l zir betray in more
c er s

th an on e p assage the gratificatio n whi ch th is ch an ge O f feel in g

in sp ired in the m We fin d them commen ding Pop e Sabin ian
.

6
( 4 )
0 6
-
fo r h a v i n g d u ri n g hi s sh ort p on tifi ca te a n d,e viden tly in ,

con trast w ith his p re decesso r S Gregory filled the Ch urch .

,

E ccl esia m de cl ero i mp l evi t — an d Pop e Deus

”
with clerks
dedit ( 6 1 5 18) for h aving restored to them the ofli ces an d
-

re ven ues wh ich they ha d forme rly p ossessed — s gre at ma rk of

a ffec tion for the c l ergy Hi c cl em m mul tu m di l exi t sa cer dotes ,

et cl em m a d [ oca p r is ti na revoca rzi t

l
What had hap p en ed at ”
.

the el ection O f Pel agius in 5 56 did n ot occur again a ft er the ,

c l ose of the six th cen tu ry But on the other ha n d if there .

, ,

was mission aries for the most remote coun tri es of the
n eed O f

West or of men to serve the most forlorn an d n egl ected sa n c

,

tu aries in the outsk irts O f Ro me it wa s to mon ach ism th at the ,

Pop e l oo k ed ly the wan t to s up p .

The fi rst mon astery wh ich we fin d esta bl ished in the

Etern a l C ity goes back to the time of Six tus I I I (4 32 40) -

Thi s Pop e en trusted to some mon k s the care O f the cemetery

ad Ca ta cu mbas on the A p p ian Way ’
The ex act O bj ect
, .

of th is fou n dation it is n ot ea sy to d iscover : was it to

sec ure the se rvin g of the sa n ctuary as rega rds l itu rgy or ,

merely the p rop er care O f it ? O n e can n ot say O n the other .

han d the idea of his immed iate successor S Leo ( 44 0 6 1) is

,
.
-

more easy to determin e He esta bl ished a mon astery of men .

at the ba sil ica O f S Peter

a
N ow it is n ot per missible to th in k . .

tha t th ese mon k s we re p ut there for the se rvice o f the cate

chumen s an d the p e n iten ts or the faith ful dep a rted for such , ,

to the p riests o f the d istricts Nor ca n we ‘

service was reserved .

sup p ose h h t at t eir O ffice was to ta e ca re O f the asi ica , an d more

k b l
e sp ecia lly O f the Con fession of the P rin ce o f the A p ostl es ,

for th at had bee n en trusted by a con stitution of S Leo h imse l f .

to c lerk s of a pa rticula r sort th e Cubi crd a r i i Th ese mon k s

'
‘5
.
,

were p ut there for the p e rforman ce of the D ivin e se rvice Th eir .

mon astery is be l ieved to ha ve been that o f SS John an d Pa u l .

a t the Va tica n .

T he foun dation in the fifth cen tury of this monastery thus , , ,

1
L P t
. pp 3 5 3 9
. . 1. . 1 , 1 .

1
See L P t 1 p 34 an d Mg Duchesn
. . . . ot . p 236 H w ha
2 , r.
’
es n e, . ere e ve,
so f
ar as th L i b P o tifi
e li i c ed th fi t
er amp l of th o
n ca mo st i s s con er n , e rs ex e se na er es
fo d d i co xi wi th s b b b sil icas fo th pu ose of m i tai i g a r
un e n
u
n ne
2
on
p a u r an e r n n n
there th pe forma
e of th r D e O fi ee w th n ce g u l ty w hi h t hed ot rvrn r a re arr c r a n
po ibl to f om th p och ial l Cf H G isa
"
b e
e n ss e sec ur eal o r e ar c er ne . . . r r,
Hist i d R m t d P p
o re e o my ge e( F di ti
eso t p
a as a n
1 14 o rn a e ren e n, . 1. . .

1 L P t
. p 39
. . 1.i bid p 49. 2 i bi d p 39
. . . 2 . . . 2 .
 T H E SOURCE S O F T HE RO MA N OFFICE 49

a tta c hed to the ,

is basil ica
a v e ry i mp o rof
t an S
t f
.ac t P eter
th is mon astery is the most an cie n t of the basil ica n mon asteries
o f Ro me , the ty p e o n wh ich was foun ded shortly a fter, un der

Pop e H ilary ( 46 1 tha t attached to S Lau re n ce w ith .

out the wa ll s S Gregory te ll s us of a mon astery ex ist

1
. .

in g in hi s ti me, attached to S Joh n Lateran mona ster i um .

T he foun da tion of a n oth er mon astery attached

” 2
L a ter a nense .

to the sa me ba s il ica is attributed to Pop e H on orius ( 6 2 5 3 -

T he L i ber P on tifi ca l zs, in the l ife O f Po p e Leo I I I ( 7 9 5

g i v es a l i st O f the R o ma n m on as ter ie s a t th e e n d O f th e e ig h th
c en tu ry A t that time, Rome had n o l ess th an forty n in e
.
-
.

I n cl uded in th is n umbe r a re so me O f women an d a l so con ven ts

o f me n un a ttach ed to a n y ch urch : b ut th ere a re a n u mbe r of

mon as teries a ttached to basil icas I t is w ith the se on ly that .

we have j ust n ow to do : th ey are as follows

Mon asterium S Pan cr a tii q ui p on itur j uxta b asilicam Salvatori s

. .

SS A n d reas s r Bartholomei q ui app ellatu r H on ori

. .

M 00
S Step han i q ui pon itur j uxta La teran is
. .

MO11
p rimi m a rty ri s Ste p ha n i q ui p on i tur ad B P etrum A p ostol um . .

M011
. J
SS oha n n is et Pauli q ui p oni tur j uxta B Petrum A p ostol um . .

S Martin i q ui p on itur ub i sup r a

. .

M 00 S Step han i ub i sup ra, q ui ap p ella tur cats Galla p atricia

. .

M“0
S Ce ss rii q ui pon itu r ad B Pa ul um A p ostolum
. . .

MO11 S Step han i ub i supr a

. .

M"n SS Cosme et D amian i q ui pon itur j uxta Pr aesep em

. .

M"11
S A n d ree q ui ap p ell atur Massa uli an a [
. ub i sup ra
] J .

M011
S A dr ian i q ui poni tur j uxta Praesep em
. .

S Cassian i q ui p on itur j uxta S La uren ti um foris murum

. . .

Mon S Step han i q ui p on itur ub i sup ra

. .

M 111 1
S V ictoris q ui pon itur ad 8 Pan crati um
. . .

Mon S A n dree q ui pon itur j uxta basilica m A p ostolorum

. .

M00 S A gap iti q ui p on itur j uxta titul um Eudoxie

. .

M0 11
5 8 Eufemie et A rchan geli q ui pon itur j uxt a ti tulum P ud en tis
. .

MO 11
S D on ati q ui poni tur j uxta titul um S Priscae
. . .

M“ l l Hierusalem q ui p on itur ad B Ferr um A p ostolum . .

If we leave out th is l ast mon astery, wh ich , accord in g to a

c onj ecture o f Mgr D uch es n e s, is p roba bly a con v en t O f women ,
’
.

we have in a l l n i n eteen mon a steries attached to bas il icas ‘

.

The Vati can basilica has four : SS J oh n an d Pau l , datin g from .

the fi fth cen tury ; S Ste p h en the grea ter , sa id to ha ve been

.

1
L P t. . . 1. p
3 Gr eg Di a l og 11
. 245 .
1
. . .

‘L P t. .1 324 :
. . F
eci t autem in domum suam j uxta Lateran is mon asterium
h
in on orem S A n dreae et Bartholomei , q ui a p el atu r Honori i , ubi r aedi a et p
dons simul obtul it h
T is same m as ter i u m on orii i s men tion ed in th e ei g t hh
cen tury , in the tin erary I
n ow n as t at of Ei n si edel n k
U rlichs, Codex u r bi sh .

R om s for m
at/ti m (Wfirz burs. 7 3. 7 4 pp .

‘
L P t 11
. . .22 5 . pp .
-
.
5 0 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
foun ded by Gall a , daughter of the Con su l a n d Patrician Sy m
machu s , in the course of the six th cen tury ; S Step hen the .

l ess, da tin g from Pop e Step hen I I ( 7 5 2 an d S Martin , .

g o i n g b a ck to th e ti m e o f P o p e G r e g o r y III (7 3 1 T h e

Lateran basil ica has three : S Pan cras, o lder than the time .

O f S Greg ory , who re fers to it as M onasteri u m La ter a nense

.

SS A n drew a n d B artholo mew, an d S Ste p hen , both O f th em

. .

o f rece n t foun dati on a t the date o f our l ist T he two at S Paul s

’
. .

without the Wa ll s, v iz those of S Caesarius an d S Step hen , . . .

a re mon asteries refou n ded by Gre o ry I I S l

g (7 51 o a s o
a re the th ree mon asteries at S Ma ry the t i th o o f
g r ea e r ,
. v z se .

S A n drew, S A d rian , a n d SS C osmas an d D a mian

. . .
1
.

There are p assages in the L i ber P on tifica l is wh ich en able us

to un dersta n d the cha racter o f these basil ica n mon asteries of
the e igh th cen tury .

( )1 T h e c o mm u n it y i s e x e m p t fr o m t h e a u t h o r i ty o f t h e

p r i e st O f th e T i tl e t o wh ic h it is a tt a c h e d s e
g g r e a te » : a

f a r e p o tes t a ti s p r e sb i ter i ti tu l i — a s w e r e a d i n a d o c u m e n t
wh ich is as it were the hul l of foun dation of the mon astery
a ttac hed to the ch u rch of S C hry sogon us by Gregory II I .

(7 3 1 ( )
2 T h e co m m u n ity p o s se s ses f u n d e d p p
r o e r t y
g iv e n to it by th e P o p e o r by p r iv a te d o n o r s,
an d i t s u b s i s t s

on the in come th us p rovided i

p r o s u st en ta t i on e
[ p ]p
P a a r a ed a

et dona a t ue f a mi l ia m [ i d i i d
q a r g tu s e s t e t v er s i a l i fi e l es e t
a ma tor es D N j C .
p r
. ae d i a. et d o. n a d e v o t i s s i m e con

SO far, we see n oth in g which distin g uishes th is

” 3
tu l errm t .

mon astery from an ordinary Ben edictin e on e, but at th is p oin t

the d istin c tion be gin s ( 3) Wh e n P a u l I
. i s f o u n d in g t h e

mon astery of SS Step h en a n d Syl vester in 7 9 1— a mon a stery

.

n o a t ach ed to an y ba il ca
t t s i — it is p l ain , j udgin g by the b ull

1
. J h
T he mon astery of SS o n an d Pa ul was u on the site n ow occu ied by the
p p
h p ph
Sixti n e C a el : 8 S te en the l ess u on t at of the resen t sacrrsty of S
. p h p .

h
P eter s ; the ot er two mon aster ies were b the a e of the basil ica
’
8 Ste e n ph
iiz
. .

the less w as also cal l ed D e A g ul io , from c obe k whi c is sti ll stan di n In h

L P t 1
. .
45
. 1 , t.e rp
e i.s a n im orta n t h p
assage an n exed to the n otice 0 Pop e p
h
Step en l l : Ofii cia q uod p er mul to tem ore relaxa ti fu eran t n octu rn o tem ore p p
n octurn i s h
ori s exp l ere feci t , e t d ium o ofii cio simi l iter resta uravi t , ut ab an ti q u itus
fuers t Et a tr ibus monasteri is q ui a risco tem ore in eccl esia B Petri A stoli
. p p .

eun dem ofli ci um p ersolvan t adj un gen s qu artum, ibidem mon ac i s ui a uc in h

p
i so conj un ger en tur ofi ci o in sti tuit, atq ue abbatem su er eos or n av i t Et p ‘

mul ta doua ibi l argitus est, tam un iver sa q uae in mon asterio n ecessaria sun t
h
monac i s, q uamq ue foris immobil ia loca , q ui in p sa ll en ti o B A p ostolor um .

p rin c i i
p”s P etri c u m s up r adic t is t rib u s mo n as teri is u sq ue i n hodiern um d ie m c ou
stitui t . h h
The o fi ces w ic ha d l on g been n egl ected i n the n ig t time , he h -

caused to be d uly erformed in the noctur nal p ours, an d in l i e man n er he t e h k

stored the day ofi c e, a s it had bee n of old, etc .

11L P t 11
. .
43 et .se
q. pp .
‘
L P t 1 4 18 . . . . . p . .
5 2 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY

N O doubt But the p r i n cip al O fli ce o f these mon k s is to sin g

.

the D iv in e Se rv ice A n d bei n g both cl erk s an d mon k s, th is

.

offi ce O f th e i rs is a do ubl e on e A s cl erk s, th ey ta k e p a rt in .

the da ily ofli ce o f th e cl ergy — Imean the v igil s A s mon k s, .

they ad d to th ese the d iurn a l O fli ce p ecul iar to mon k s : terce,

se x t, an d n on e
1
Sp eak in g of the re foun din g by Gregory II
.

( 53)
7 1 1 o-
f t he m on aster ies a tta c hed t o S P a u l ’
s w ith out the .

Wa ll s, the author of the Li ber P on tzfi ca l zlr w rites

Monasteria q ui ba silicam S P a ul i A p ostoli eran t ad solitudin em
secus .

deducts in n ovavi t ; atq ue ord ina tis servi s D ei mon achis, con gregation em
p ost l on g u m tem p us constituen s, ut tr i bus p er d i ern v i ci ou s et n octn ma

tu ti n as, d icere n t, etc .

A nd if a fraid we migh t n ot ascribe to these word s

ag a in , as
the ir full mean in g, he rep e ats th e m soon after, in d ica tin g still
mo re cl early the can on ical ch a racter of the O fli ce
Mon asterium j uxta [ecclesiam S Dei Gen etrici s . ad P raesep e p osi tum
S A n dre as A p ostol i, q uod Barbare n un cup a tu r, a d n imiam d uctas d e
.

sertion s m, in q uib us n e un us hab eb atur mona chus, restauran s, monachos

facien s, ordin avi t ut ter ti a nr, sex ta nt, et n on a m vel rn a tn ti n os, in ea dem
ecclesia S D ei Ge n etricis cotid ian is age ren t d ieb us : et manet n un c usq ue
.

p ia ej us o rdi na tio
’
.

I
n words the mon k s at S P aul s an d S Mary s the
ot er h ,
.
’
.
’

t r sin g in th eir bas il icas by n igh t the v ig il O fli ce n acta

g re a e ,

ma tuti n os an d be sides th is by day terce se x t n on e tr ibus

, , , , , ,

r diem v i a o Th i i ly h h h y f w
'

p e n s s s ea r I
n t e e ig t. c e n tu r a e

years later an d it is n o lon ger a q uestion O f terce se x t an d

, , ,

n on e on ly b ut of p ri me a n d vesp ers as well

,
Th is is how the .

Liber P on tifica l is sp eak s of PO p e H adrian I ( 7 7 2 9 5 ) -

Hic d um p er s lrua exq uisition e sua repp eruisset mon asterium

q u o n da m H o n o r i i P ap a s in n im ia d e so la tio n s p er q u an da m n e l
g g
e en tia m
s ven i re, d ivin a insp i rations motus, a n oviter e um aed ifica vi t atq ue d itavit,
s t s b batem cum octetos mon achos reg ulariter ib id em vita d egen tes ord in
a vit Et constituit eos in basilica Salvatoris, q uae et Con stan tin ian a, j uxta
.

Lateran ensi Patriarch io p osits , ofii cio celeb rari , hoc est ma tu ti na, or a
p r i m ,
et te r ti a , s ex ta , se n n on a , e tr a rn e t v esp er
-
ti m , a b un o c ho ro q u i
d ud um sin g ulariter in utrosq ue p salleb an t, mon achi mona sterii S Pan .

cratii ib idem p osito, et ab altero choro, mon achi j amfati mon asterii SS .

A n d reas st Bartholomei q ui a p p ella tur Hon orii Pap as, etc ’

.

This p assage sp ecifies th at the mon k s O f the two mon asteries

attach ed to the Lateran a re to ch an t the offi ce in ch oir in the

reha ut, uti l itsr p ra ep ara ns n ecessari a sub min istra ba t .

”
Paschal was at that ti me
abbo t of S Ste en s the ter ph '

m
. .

1
p
ou the se a raten ess the o ces for the secul ar cl er gy a n d th e mon s, see k
W . h p
C Bis o , The Moz arabic Breviary, C hu r ch Q ua r ter ly Revi ew , A ri l, 191 1
. p .

1
L P t 1
. .
397
. 8pp ’
i bi d
.
5 06 .
-
. . p . .
 THE SOURCE S O F THE RO MA N OFFICE 53

basil ica , co mp risin g the n octurn a l O ffice of the l

v ig i s, a n d the
d ay O fli ce O f terce , se x t, an d n on e , to wh ich, n ow an d hen ce
forth , we fin d added p ri me an d vesp e rs l
.

We detec t in these p a ssages some in dication s O f the l iturgi

ca l ev ol ution wh ich took p l a ce at R ome between the en d O f

the se ven th cen tury an d the middl e of the eigh th , un de r mon

astic in fl uen c e : I mea n the da ily j ux tap osition O f the tra d ition a l

v igi l o f the c l e rgy an d the mon astic h ours of p rayer But is .

the re n ot someth in g more th an th is j u x ta p osition ? Has n ot

the v ig il O fli ce of the c l ergy as it was set forth in the L i ber
D in r n us in the seven th cen tu ry un dergon e a comp l ete tra n s
for mation ? Was n ot that a rran gemen t o f the p sal ms an d
lesson s in the v igil ofli ce at R ome at the en d of the e igh th
cen tury , wh ich we a r e about to ex a min e in the n e x t c h a p ter

a n a rran gemen t so p e rce p tibly d iffe ren t from wh at i t had

-

been at the beg in n in g of the se ven th, j udgin g by the Liber

—
D i u r n n s bro ught about by the bas il ican mon k s ? 1

A n d th is l iturg ica l evol ution , wh ich took p l ace in the bas il

icas o f R ome be tween the en d O f the seven th ce n tury an d the
midd le O f the e ighth was du e to the p rep on de ratin g in fl uen ce
,

of the Vatican basil ica It is certai n that in the time O f Gre

.

g o r y II I (7 3 4 )
1 1 th
-
e m o n k s o f th e th re e mo n ast er i es th e n e x
is ti n g in con n ex ion w ith that basil ica we re al ready won t to sin g
v esp ers every da b e fo re th C o n f io n o f th e P rin c e O f the
y e ess

A p ostl es We k n ow this from the foll owin g p a ssage tak en

.

from the c on stitution s of a R o man sy n od o f the yea r 7 32 z

T ria illa monasteria q uae secus basilica m A p ostoli sun t con stitute, SS .

Johan n i s s t Pa uli , S Step han i, s t S Martin i, id est sorum con gre gatio,
. .

o mn ib us d ieb us d um vesp eras exp ls verin t an ts con fession em .

1
k h
Simila rl y of the mon s atta c ed to the basilica of 8 Mar : Matuti n o, ora
. k h
p rima , terti a st sea ts atq ue n o n a , ss u ves er s p
( bi d
i p
A n d of the
. .

h
mon astery c n un s attac ed to the basi l ica O f S Eugen ia : .ora rima , ter tia, H p
s exta, non a, ves 2 , s t matuti n o
(i bi d p 5 1
) . See also ( pp 5 0 1 an d 5 1 1) w at
. . h
i s sai d O f the 0 cc of the mon asteri es of the vatican an d S Mary s the gr ea ter
’
.

P Op e H adria n l ays down regu l a tio n s I

'

n ea c h
c ase for the offi ce to be sun g in the
basil icas . p h h
Her e i s the assage w ic rel ates to the Vati can ( C on p .

s ti tui t in mon asterio S . ph

S te an i cats Ba rbara Patri cia , si ru m ad B P etrum .

h
A p ostol um, con grega tion em mon ac orum, ub i s t A bbatsm idon sa m ersona m p
ord ins n s , statuit ut sedul us la udes I n ecc l esia B Petr i p ersol v s n t sicu t et ceter a
.
,

tri a mon aster ia ; ut duo mon aster ia p er la tsra I p s ius ec c l es ias D eo n os tro ca n an t
p
l a udes ; q uo n i am i sum mon as terium in magn a desidi a s t n egl ec tus in cur ia
o s i tu s rat, e t n ul l um ofi c iu m div i n o c u l tu ib idem exhi beba tur
p s .

1
h p p p
N ote t at the assa ges above ci ted for th e ur ose of in dica tin g the l iturgi
cal usa ges at Rome I
'

n th e eig t hh
cen tury mak e n o men ti on of compl i ne V es ers . p
h
i s at t a t time the sol s even in g rayer p .

h p
1 T is
k
a ssage is ta e n from a code of regul ation s establ i s ed by a syn od of h
h h
the cl ergy of Rome, w ic were en gr aved on marbl e tabl ets I n the basil ica of S .
54 HI STORY OF THE RO MA N B REVI A RY
A n d the sa me Pop e, wh en foun d in g the mon astery attached
to the bas il ica O f S Chrysogon us, sp ec ifies th at the mon k s of
.

the said mon astery are to sin g the p raises O f God in th at basil
ica , n ot on ly by n ig ht , but a l so by day , accordin g to the
custom o f the b asil ica O f S P ete r .

Constitus n s mon achorum con greg ation em, ad p ersolven d as Deo laudes
in s umds m titul um d ium is atq ue n octurn is temp orib u s ordin ats m, secun d um
in star Ofli ciorum ecclesiae B Petri A p ostoli . .

SO l
a so he restores an d reorgan iz es the mon asteries of the
Lateran
Con greg ations m monachorum con stituit ad p ersolven da cotid ie
sac ra ofii cia la n di s divine in ba sil ica Salva tori s D N C q uae Con stan . .
J . .

tin ian a n un cup atur, j uxta Lateran is, d iurn i s n octurn isq ue temp orib us or
din ata, j uxta in star ofii ciorum e cclesia e B Petri A p ostoli 1
. .

The l iturgy Peter s beca me the p attern o f al l

used a t S .
’

l iturgy T he mon asteries wh ich served th is basil ica were al so

.

the most an cien t in Rome goin g back to the ti me o f S Leo : ,

.

their customs con stituted a trad ition wh ich even in Rome it ,

sel f p osse ssed a n e x cep tion a l a uth ority

, Their abbots or .

recto rs who w ere as we h ave see n cl erk s added to their fun c

, , , ,

tion s as abbots the still more imp orta n t ofli ce of ch ief chan te rs
O f S P eter s ; th ey were the l eading authori ties on l iturgy for the
'
.

R oman Church The an ony mous Fran k ish writer on l iturgy

.

whom I have al ready men tion ed an d of whom I sha ll have ,

more to has p reserved for u s the n ames O f three of

say a n o n ,

th ese rectors he p l aces th e m n ex t a fte r the Po pes Leo, Gel asius,

Sy mmach us, John , B on iface , Gregory an d Martin , as the
masters O f litu rgy an d sccls siastieal music in the R oman Church
who were in his ti me the most recen t in date a n d O f the greatest
auth ority

Post istos q uoq ue Catal en us Ab ba, ibi deservien s ad sep ul crum S .

Petri, st ip se q uidem an n i circuli can tum di ligen ti ssime edidi t .

Post hun c q uoq ue Ma urian us A bba, ip sius S Petri A postoli se rvien s, .

ann al em suum ca n tu m s t ip se n ob ile ordin avi t .

Post hun c vsro Domn us V irbon us A bba s t omn em can tum ann i circuli
magn ifies ord in avit 1
.

What Rome stood for to the devotion an d imagin ation O f

the La tin sp eak in g p eo p l es O f the West in the height O f the
-

p
P eter , an d arts of th ese tabl ets are still reserved See the w ol e assage in p . h p
h ’
Du c esn e s L i ber P on tifi ca lis, t 1 4 22 4 . . pp .
-
.

1
L P t 1 418 9 p
h
-
. . . . .

1
An on Get
"
v 6 (see furt er on ,
. . . h
The rig t readin g is p
Domn us . h
V ir bon us, n ot Domn us , vir bon us The use of th e ti tl e D omn us ind ica tes
h h
t at t is Abbot was still al ive w en the documen t was wri tten h .
 T HE SOURCE S OF T HE RO MA N OFFICE 55

Middl e A ges has bee n often tol d, a n d n ever better than in

1

h
t ose ru de i n sc ri p tion s whi ch met the eyes of p i lg rims to the

e terna l ci t y .

Quis neger ha s arces in star esss p oli ?

w as to be read in the six th cen tury on the gate O f Rome k n own
as S . Peter s gate ’
. O r again
N un c coelo est simil is, n un c in clyta Roma vere[n da
]
C uj us cla ustra d ocen t in tus in esse D s um ’
.

O n the triump h al a rc h Of the ba sil ica of the Vatican was

i n scri bed
Quod d uce ts mun dus surrexit in astra tr iump hsn s,
H an c Con stan tin us victor tib i con didit s ula m .
1

Peter s was p re emin en tly the san ctuary ven erated by

S .
’
the
whol e O f Latin C athol icism a n d the tomb of the A p ostl e , the
co me r ston e of the Weste rn Ch urch
-

Magus q uid em serva t ven erab ile R oma sep ulchr um

In q uo p ro Christi n omine p a ss us ob it
‘
.

y
The were turn ed towards that august Con fes
e e s of a l l

sion P il grims ca me th ith er every day from the farthe st

corn ers O f B ri ta in j ust as much as from the valley s O f the ,

Lo ire a n d the Rh in e A n d th ese regarded the l iturgy i n use .

at S Pe te r s a s in a n esp ec ia l degree the a bso l ute can on of

’
.

what l itu rgy shoul d be .

Ben ed ict Biscop ( 62 8 the fa mous abbot of Wea rmouth ,

the teac her o f Bed s was on e O f th ese p il gr i ms o f the seven th ,

cen tury so fu ll O f devotion to the to mb o f the P ri n ce of the

,

A p ostl es : fiv e times d id he mak e the p il g ri mage from En g lan d

to R ome It was at R ome that he so ught adv ice as to the p l an
.

o f his abbey at Wea rmouth In me mory of R ome he dete rmin ed .

1
J
Guiraud, R oms , vi e sai n ts an V Si
. l l 0 é cl s ou l e I
(C p rsn dn doc V Con g rés
1

Sci-m l i n terna l des C a l h ri bourg, 1 897 , 106 s t F

Cf Vi ta a n tiq n iss pp
m
. . . . . .

S Gr eg or i i , 28 (ed Gasq uet,

. Romae . s ur brum ca ut e st orbi s ue
q p . p
domin a T he a ut or wrote about A D 7 1 3, at h
tby C om ar e the dedica to ’
‘

?
. . .

in seri tion of the C odex A mia ti n as , resen ted to the basil ica o S Peter by Geo p
A
.

hi d bbot of Wearmou th , in 7 16 z
Cor us ad eximrImerito ven erabil e Petri p
Dedicat eccl esia e q uem ca ut al ta fi ds s
”
.

Cf my ar ticl e,
.
“
A miatin us ”
in D i et dc l a ibl e ( Vigouroux) , w ere ave . h Ih
summed up the wor of De Rossi k .

1 De Rossi I
, nscr ip t t 11 99 . . . p . .

1
U rlichs , 60 [ p
T he trium a l arc . s the great arc across the basi lica at
I . ph h h
the en tran ce of the a se p .

‘
De Rossi , p
1 1 3 : an i n scri tion of the c urc
. of S Peter at S ol eto ( fift p h h . p h
cen tury ) .
 5 6 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
that it shoul d bea r the n ame of S P eter A t Rome he bought . .

the book s for his mon k s From Rome above a ll he derived .

, ,

the O fli ce an d the ch an t wh ich th ey we re to use Fin a lly he

'

ask ed Pop e A gath o ( 6 7 8 8 1 ) to fu rn ish hi m w ith some R o man -

cl erk s who mig h t co me to Wea rmouth to in struct the A n l o

, g
Sax on mon k s in the customs O f the mon k s at R o me A nd .

the PO p e gran ti n g his req uest en trusted this co mmission to

, ,

the ven erabl e J oh n ch ie f chan ter O f the ch u rch O f the A p ostl e

, ,

S Pete r an d abbot of the Mon astery O f S Marti n on e O f the

”
.
, .
,

four V atica n mon asteries B en ed ict Biscop accordin g ly b rough t .

the sa id A bbot J oh n from Ro me i n to B ritain

“
in o rder that ,

at Wea rmou th he migh t teach the mon k s in hi s mon aste ry to

sin g the ofli ce as it was s un g a t S P eter s at R ome

' ’
.

It is a fact fu ll O f i n struction a n d n ot h ith erto sufli c is n tly ,

dwelt on that the basil ica O f S P ete r with its S col a ca n tom m
.
,
.
,

a nd its ch ie f cha n ters was the foun ta in h ead of the R oman ,

can on ica l O fli ce I t beca me recogn ized as such in the th ird

'

q u ar ter O f the se ve n th cen tu ry tha n k s to th at irresistibl e move ,

men t O f devotion a n d ad miration which in duced mon k s from

beyon d the A l p s n o l on ger to l ook up on as truly R oma n an y
th in g but the O fli ce used by the mon k s O f S Peter s : an d to
‘ ’
.

borrow from that ofli cs the distribution of the p sa l ter the order ,

O f the l ection ary the word s O f the a n tip hons an d resp on ds an d

, ,

the cycl e O f the fea sts — those n a me ly O f the season s O f the

Christian year Such was the ren own an d such the authority
.

of the ru l e O f D iv in e Service in use in the ba si l ica O f S Peter .

,

even a t a time wh en it was n ot y et cod ified — for the abbot

J ohn was obl iged at Wearmouth to set about writin g down , ,

a t a ll eve n ts a di r ectori n m Of it, fo r the grea te r con ven ie n ce Of

the A n g l o Sax on mon asterie s

-
When at l ast the O flice of S .
‘
.

Peter s was cod ified , an d it beca me p ossibl e for those L i br i

’

r esp onsa l ss or a n tip h o n aries to mak e th eir way e l sewh ere , wh ich ,

1Beds , Hist A ng iar Iv 1 8 P L xcv

. . . V ir ven erab il is o an n es arc i
. . . J h h
can tator eccl esi ae S A ostol i . p
str i , s t A bbas mon as teri i B Marti n i ven er ar .

a Roma p er j ussion em P a as A gathon is p

q ua ten us i n m on asteri o [ A bba ti s
BisOOp i] sursum can en di an n uum, sicu t ad 8 Petrum Romae agebatu r, edocs rs t . .

J h
Egitq us A bbas o an n es u t j ussion em accs at p on ti fic is , s t ordi n em vid el icet
ritumqu s can en di ac l e en di vi va voce
g m on asteri i can tores edocsn do, st
ea q uae toti us an n i cI rCul us in cel ebra tion s disr um festorum p oscs ba t etiam
l i tteri s ma n dando
"
.

I n R ev ue Bi né di cl i ns , 19 1 1 , 296 330 , pp
L iturgis s t basil i ues de Rome au
.
-

m il i e u du v 11e s iscl e,
”
Dom Morin gi ves a study of the list 0 Station s in
di cated in the Lection ary at Wurz bur ( MS He beli eves t at t is list of . h h
festi val s an d sta ti on s corres on ds to p
s stats of the l iturgy in the e riod fi om
-
p
h
642 to 6 7 2 . an d t a t, sin ce it comes fr om En glan d, i t may be con n ec ted wi t t is h h
J h h
visi t of o n , the c ief c an ter of S Peter s, to Wea rmouth
’
h . .
 T HE SOURCE S O F T HE RO MA N OFFICE 57

h
t o ug t e ore the n a me O f S Gregor ,
h h yb y w
ere in rea it l y
simp ly .

b k
the oo s in u se at S P a t on ce made the con q uest
h y
’
ete r s, t e .

O f the Fran k ish Ch u rch es

1
.

But be fo re con side rin g th is success O f the R o man ba sil i

ca n O fli ce we h av e to ex p l a i n how th ere was formed an d de
,

v elo p ed the offi ce O f the c e metery c h urches — in oth e r words

the Sa nctor a l e of the R oma n Ch urch — an d how it was e v en tu

a lly in trod uced in to the O fli cs O f the Ro ma n bas il icas

‘
.

The festiva l s of the Ch ristian

sa in ts , at Ro me as in a ll ot er h
Churches were origina lly the an n iversa ries p f l ocal martyrs
, ,
.

A n d it is th us that the h istory o f the Roman sa in ts days is

’

boun d up with that of the cemete ries an d cemetery ch urches

o n the o utsk irts O f Rome .

The churches w ith in the wall s d id n ot at first bea r the n ames

of sa in ts T he . Titl es or p resbytera l churches were n a med
a fter the Po p e o r oth er Ch ristian a t whose cost th ey had bee n

foun ded Thus in the fou rth an d fifth cen turies p eop le sp ok e
.
,
” ”
the Titl e O f V estin a o f Lucin a O f F asc iol a
”
of
“ “ “
,
of , ,

D a mas us
”
O f Cl emen t
”
o f P uden s by way o f design atin g
” “
, , ,

these p arish ch urches 2

It was on ly in the l atter p a rt O f the six th
.

cen tury a n d d uri n g the seven th th at the c h urc hes o f the Des ,

couries w ere foun ded an d recei ved the n a mes O f sa in ts : a mon g

,

these we fin d w ith in the wall s the basil icas O f SS C osmas an d

, ,
.

D amian S A dria n SS Serg ius a n d B acch us S Lucy etc

,
.
,
.
, .
, .
,

an d th ey a re th us n amed in i mita tion O f the subu rba n basil icas ,

which had been bu il t over the actual tombs O f the martyrs an d

o n th at accoun t were ca ll ed by their n a mes .

It was in fact on ly in these suburban cemeteries that the

, ,

a n n iversaries of the marty rs were o rig in ally cel eb rated j ust a s ,

were those O f the dep arted members O f each family A p assage .

in the L i ber P on tzfica l zs n ot p articul a rly clear attrib utes to , ,

PO p e Fe l i x ( 2 6 9 7 4 ) the in sti tution of E ucha ristic assembl ies

-

a t the tombs O f the marty rs ; but as has been re ma rk ed th is , ,

p as s ag e i n re al ity tes tifi es to n o th in g m o re th a n th e c o n te m

p o ra ry c u s to m s a t R o m e a t t he t i m e wh e n th is tex t o,
f th e

fl
As to the in uen ce of the Roma n ofli cs on the Gall ica n b efore the time of
1

p
Pe in , see Dom Morin , “
ragmen ts in e F ”
di ts d an tip honaire Ga ll ican , R evue
’

Ben edicti n s , 1 905 ,

’ ’

329 5 7 pp.
- .

1
Sse the si gna tures to the Con stitution s of the Roman Syn od of A D 49 9 . . ,

h
un der POp e Symmac us, in the Vari a s of Cassiodorus ( Mommsen s edrtron of
’

pp .
4 1 0 -
15 .
5 8 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
L i ber was ed ited , i s the begin n ing O f the six th cen tu ry
. . .
1

N evertheless, than k s to Pruden tius, we k n ow that such a

custom ex isted at the beg in n in g of the fifth cen tury : viz th a t .

on the an n iversa ry of the dea th O f a martyr M ass was ce l e

b rated , either at the al tar O f the cemetery ch urch wh ich had
been buil t over his tomb, or at the very sp ot where the body
rested in the catacomb itsel f if th at was still in ex isten ce , at
( )
a n a l tar erected by the tomb Th is Mass ad corp us, with its .

n ecessarily restricted n umbe r of worsh ip p ers, was, by force of

circ u mstan ces, qua s i p rivate ; bu t the oth er, o n the con tra ry,

cel ebrated as it was i n a build in o ft f t i i

g en o g rea s z e, o r ev e n n

the op en air on the a r ea O f the ceme te ry, was a p ubl ic Mass ;

the p eop l e could a ssist a t it in crowds Sp eak in g O f the an n i .

v ersar
y o f S H i pp o lytus o n. th e T ib u rti n e w ay , P ru d e n tiu s

d istin guish es care fully between the cry p t, wh ere the body of
the marty r rep oses an d the fai th ful come every day to p ray by
themselves
H aud p rocul extremo c ults ad pomaeria vallo
Mersa lateb rosis cryp ts p atet foveis
an d the basil ica (in th is
hat O f S Lauren ce) erected on case t .

the l evel of the groun d above wh ither on the an n iversary the , , ,

o
p p
e l e O f R o me a n d i
p gl ri ms fro m a far c
,o me in crowds to ,

assist at the E uch aristic solemn ities

Jam q uu m se ren ova r decursi s men sib us a nn us,

N atalemq ue diem p assio festa refert

U rb s aug usta suos vomi t eflun ditq ue Q uiri tes
'

Exsultan t fremitus vari arum hin c i n de vi arum

Stet se d j uxta aliud q uod tan ta freq uen tia temp l um
T un c ades t, cultu n ob ile regifico
Plena laboran tes segre domus accip it un das
A rctaq ue con fet ti s aestuat in forib us ’
.

The l ife Of S . Melan ia has in formed us t at the h feast of S .

L auren ce was solemn ized by a Mass p reced ed by a n octurn al ,

v ig i l
.
’
That such vigil s formed p art O f the an n iversary service
of the marty rs we a l so k n ow fro m wh at is said by the auth or of

the treati se D e lra er esi p r aedesti na toru m who writing in the fifth , ,

cen tury te ll s us that the basi l ica of SS

,
P rocessus an d Mar .

ti n ian at the secon d mil eston e on the A ure l ian Way had been
, ,

recove red ou t of the h an d s o f the heretica l sec t of the T ertul

l ian ists who had establ ished in it their form of worsh ip ( 39 2

,

1
L P t 1 158
p
. . . . . .

1 Pruden t ‘sri ste lr 111 1

p .
5 3 s t seq . . . Cf Card Ram
. . polla p
, . 26 7 .
1
See above , 3 2 , footn ote 3 p . .
60 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
an c ie n t Roman Missa l whic h
we p ossess, bein g un doubted ly
an te r ior to the ti me of S Greg ory , wh il e so me p a rts may be .

as old as the en d O f the fou rth cen tu ry , in dica tes, in the case

O f a l l th e fe stiva l s O f sain ts in c l uded in it, the p l ace whe re th ey

are c e e l brated ; an d it is lway s in

a a su burba n ce metery h at
t
the meetin g p l ace for -
O n e may
the fa ith fu l is a p p oin ted .

g a th e r i n d ic a tio n s t o th e s a m e e ffec t fro m the h o m i l ie s O f

S Grego ry ; in fact, if we fi n d the Po p e p reach in g to the p eop l e
.

on the n a tal e O f a ma rty r , we may be su re th at it is in the

ce mete ry basi l ica be lon g in g to tha t ma rty r, i s in so me ch u rch . .

w ithout the wa ll s Such was the state of th in gs a t the be.

g in n in g O f t h e se v e n th ce n tu ry .

But in ceasin g , a fte r the tak in g of Rome by A l aric a n d his

Goth s in 4 10, to be the ord in ary ce meteries of the R o man
p a ri s h e s , an d s o b ec o m in g m e re p l ac es O f i
p gl ri m ag e ,
th e ca ts

co mbs l ost man y O f their v isitors, an d su ffered a corres p on d in g

d imin ution in the n umber O f those who O fli ciated there ‘

In .

the fi fth cen tury the grav ed iggers (fossor es) disa p p ear from
the scen e The custom O f ce le bratin g , in these an c ie n t cities
.

o f the dea d , p riv ate a nn iversa ry Masse s fo r the dep a rted be

ca me ex tin c t in the fo llow in g cen tu ry , when we fi n d Pop e Joh n

III ( 5 6 1 7 4) en deavourin g to restore th is devotion , an d

-

obl iged to de fray h i mse l f the mod erate e x p e n se o f k ee p in g u p

ev e n a Sun day ce l ebration O f the H oly Mysteries in the

a n c ie n t ce meteries
‘
.

Thus with the six th cen tury comme n ced the p eriod of gradual
“
min an d n eg lect TO th is the sieg e o f Ro me by the Go th s
.

in 5 37 con tributed mo re than a n yth in g e l se : na n z et eccl es ia s

et cor or a ma r ty r u rn ar ter mi na ta e su n t a Gotlris,

p
”
w r it e s th e

edito r O f the l ife O f P o e Sil veri us ( 5 36 7

a
p ) -
.

D um p eri tura Gethas p osuissen t castra sub U rb s

Mover un t sa n ctis bells n efan da p ri us ;
Istuq ue sacrileg o verterun t cords se p ulchra
Martyrib us q uon dam rite sa cra ta p iis .

SO sa ys
i n the cemetery j or da nodu m, on
an in scrip tio n
the n ew Sal a rian Way , rec o rd in g the restoration s un de rtak en
a fte r the d ev astation s of the Goth s N o r d id the Lomba rds,
‘
.

1
L P t . . 1. p .
305 Hic amavi t s t resta uravit cymits ria sanctorum mar tyr um ,

fd l p
iIi
Pa n
bi d
3
.

29 1
e

l .
.

. p
.

.
46 4 :

.
n egl ectus atq ue desidia an tiq ui tatis ( in the n o tice of Po pe

‘D
e Rossi , I ns cr ip t t . . 11
. p . 1 00 . Cf L P
. . . t
. 1. p . 2 93, n ote 1 1 of Mgr
h
.

Duc esn e s Commen tary

’
.
 THE SOURCE S OF T HE RO MA N OF FI CE 61

i n the time Of S Gregory

. an d a fter , ho w
s an y more re sp e ct

h
t a n the Goth s for these holy p l aces I
n the mid st O f a ll th ese .

p a n ic s a n d d isa ste rs wh a t wa s to bec o me O f th

,e c u l tu s o f the

mar ty rs ? When the locus dep osi ti on is had beco me in accessibl e

for worsh ip , woul d the an n iversa ry O f the sa in t ce ase to be
k e p t ? Wa s it n ot p ossible for the Cu l tus ma r ty r u rn to mig rate
i n to the in terior O f the c ity O f R ome an d fin d a she l ter with in ,

he r wall s ?
This migration coin cides w ith a n d is ma rk ed by the p eriod , ,

when the R oman churches beg in to be design ated by the n ames

O f sain ts .The churches O f the deacon ries foun ded in the l atter ,

p a rt O f the si x th cen tu ry a n d i n the cou rse O f the se ven th had , ,

as we h a ve see n been a ll al on g so design ated A n d about

, .

the sa me time the p resbytera l Titles assu me the n a mes O f

martyrs : the ti tu l us P uden tis becomes S Puden tian a s ; the .
’

ti tu l us P ri sca e S P risca s ; the ti tu l us A n a sta s i a s S A n as

’
.
, , .

ta sia s ; the ti tul u s Cl emen ti s S Cl e men t s Th is tran sforma

’ ’
. .
,

tio n o f the n a mes O f the ba sil ica s w as comp l eted in the eigh th
cen tury . T he sa me idea which led to the na mes of sa in ts
foreign to Ro me bein g bestowed on the churches of the
deacon rie s had even in the fifth ce n tu ry caused the con
, , ,

secration O f ba sil icas w ith in the w a ll s O f R o me bearin g the

n a mes of the V irgi n Mary an d the H oly A p ostles T he .

an n ive rsary o f the ded ica tion of th e se u rba n ch urches most

O ften coin ci ded w ith the date se t down i n the martyrol og ies

a s the a n n iv ersa ry O f the sa in t wh ose n a me the p a rtic ul a r

c h urch bore Th us it was th at the festiva l s o f n on loca l sa in ts

.
-

were the first to establ ish themsel ves in the churches with in
the walls O f R o me The n begin n in g from the seven th cen tury
.
, ,

the rel ics O f martyrs ca me to be trans l ated fro m the suburbs

in to the ba sil icas O f the c ity— those O f SS P ri mus a n d Fe l i .

c ia n us in 6 4 8 fro m the fifteen th mil eston e on the N o ms n ta n

,

Way ; those o f SS Simp l icius Fs usti n us an d V iatrix in 6 8 2

.
, , , ,

fro m the fi fth mil eston e o n the road to Porto I n the e igh th .

cen tury a fter the sieg e O f R ome by A stol p hu s an d the L o m

,

bards in 7 5 6 the bod ies O f the p rin c ip a l martyrs were tran s

,

l ated even from the cataco mbs n earest to Rome to ch urches

withi n the wall s : an d their cul tus followed them th ithe r l
.

1 De Rossi, R oma Sotter t 1 22 1 In the ti me of Gregory

. . . p ( 7
.
3 1 4 1 ) . III -

the an n i versari es of the martyrs were sti ll observed wi t vi gils i n the cemeteri es : h
disp osui t ut in cimitsri is circumquaque iti s Romae, in di e n atal iciorum eorum
l umi n aria ad vigi l ias faci en dum ep ortsn tur
”
L P t 1 42 1 But . . . . . p . .

un der Paul I
( 7 7)
7 5 -6 a ll su c w orsh i ceases :
“
cern en s h
p l ur i ma eo r u n dsmp
san ctorum cymi tsriorum l oca demol iti on s atq ue j am vrci n a mi n e p osi ts ,
62 H I STORY OF T HE ROM A N BREVI A RY
Wh ile l
the festiva s of the sain ts t u s bserved h ceased to be O

in the ce meteries they

d id n ot as yet l ose th eir strictly l oca l
,

ch ara cter Wh ere the rel ics O f the sa in t rep osed there was
.
,

O b se rved his festival ; an d n ow a l so by an al ogy to the ch urc h , ,

which bore the n a me of an y sain t belon ged the k eep in g of the

festival O f that sa in t Th us the feasts of the V irgin Mary were
.

O bserved at S Mary s the greate r ; of SS Cosmas a n d D a mian

’
. .

a t th eir ow n basilica ; of SS Si mp l icius an d Faustin us at the .

basil ica O f S B ibian a ; an d so with othe rs In the Roman

. .

0r do in the l ibrary at Mon tp ell ier wh ich is of the eigh th cen ,

tu ry occ urs the foll owin g rub ric : The arch deacon at the
1
, ,

p o n tifi cs l H ig h M ass b efo re gi v in g C o mm u

, n io n to t he fa ith fu l ,

is to gi ve n otice of an y ap p roachin g station as follows : Such

a d ay is the ann iversa ry ( n a ta l e) of such a sain t mar tyr or , ,

con fessor wh ich will be k ep t at such or such a p l ace

,
which
p ro v e s th a t t he fes tiv a l s o f th e sa n cto r a l e even when ce l e brated ,
”
with in the wall s of Rome remain ed merely local feasts ,
.

There is an other p roof O f the same fact in the life O f Pop e

Gregory I I I ( 7 31 He constructs in the basil ica of S .

Peter an oratory in hon our o f the Saviour the Virg in Ma ry

“
, ,

the A p ostl es Martyrs Con fessors an d all the J ust an d or

”
, , , ,

dain s that every day after vesp ers have been sa id be fore the
, ,

Con fession O f S Peter the mon k s O f the th ree mon asteries at

.
,

tached to the ba sil ica sh all p roceed to the n ew oratory an d

sin g the re th ree p sa l ms in hon our of the sa in ts wh ose
“

an n i e sa es
v r ri fa ll on th a t d ay — q uo r u m na ta l i cza fi esr i n t In .

p r oti n us eade m san ctor um cor ora p

de ip sis dit uris abstulit cymi tern s : q uae cum
hymn is st can tici s s p iri tal ibus in fra han c civitatem Roman am i n troducen s, al ia
eorum p er T itul os st Di acon i sa seu mon aster ia et rs liq uas eccl esi as cum con
decen ti studuit recon di hon ors L P t 1 464
h
. . . . .

1
O r do of Mon t ellier , fol 92 : p
T u n c s rc idi aconus accep to i
. cal ics vadet
juxta al tars in dexteram p
artem, s t ts n en s i sum c ali cem i n man i us suis , p ro p
n un tians v en tura m sta ti on em di cs n do : I l l a f er i a ven isn te n a ta le est i l l i n s sa nc ti
si ve ma r ti r um si ve con essor um i n i l l o st i l l o l oco
f Et res on den t omn es : D eo . p
g r a tias
”
Thi s rubri c I
. s t o b e fo un d yet earl i er , an d in a more r ec ise f o r m , i n p
the Gelasi an sacramen ts ( s even t c en t u ry In i l l o i g i th
ur l oc o , v el i n i ll s
via, i ll a fer ia , an c h
em festi vi tatsm so i ts devoti on s c el ebremus
”
P L . . .

1 xx1v
. 1 15 5 . . h h
O n the ot er an d, in the ao call ed Gr egorian sacramen tary, -

hich is th“ the sacramen tary of PO p e adrian (7 7 t i b iH h I h

3
2 u c as
z
s r r
sap ear
1
r d o of Mon t el lier, fol 95 (s p in of the feast of the Purifi cati on )
g .

Postea q ui dem di s secun do ms n se sbruan o, quod est 1111 N on ipsius mensis, . .

coll egun tur omn es , tam cl srus Roman as Eccles iae q uam s t omn es mon ac i h
p
monasteri orum, s um omn i op ul o suburban o, ss u st co iosa mul ti tudo eregrin p p
or um de quacun q us p rovin tia congr egati , vs n ien tes ad eccl esia B A drian i man s .

p rima Et p rocedun t omn es cum magn a rsversn tia ad 8 Mari am Ma

. .

j o em r .

1 T rss p salmos st evan geli a matuti na Deo can an t .

 THE SOURCE S OF T HE RO MA N OFFICE 63

h
o t er ,
wor ds d id sin ce
n ot m a k e an ythe
co m da ily oflics
‘

me moration O f the sain ts whose festiv al s we re mar k ed in the

R oman k a l en dar the PO p e in stitutes a commemorative office ,

a l l by itse l f, i n order th at th ese sa in ts, who se festiva l s were be in g

k e p t el sewh ere, shoul d n ot be forgotten in the ba si l ica O f S .

Peter C ommen tin g on th is p assage Mgr Duchesn e observes ;

1
. .

Th is l itu rgical fou n dation O f Gregory II I is n ot men tion ed

in the l ives O f the Po p es who succeed him, n or in an y oth e r
p as sag ,
e s o f a r a s I k n o w P ro b a bly th e mon k s soo n sh ook .

the mse l ves free from a so mewha t bu rd en so me se rvi ce

”1
May it .

n o t rather be the case th a t th is foun dation or o rd in a n ce O f

Gregory I I Iwas tran sformed in to an oth er , whose ex isten ce was

more l astin g ? A n d what woul d th is be but the cel ebration
at S . Peter s o f the n a tal i ti a of the sa in ts of the R oman
’

k al en dar gen erally ?

Pas sion es san ctorum vel g ssta ip sorum usq ue A d rian i temp ora tan tum
modo i bi le geb an tur ub i ecclesia ip sius sa n cti vel titul us ers t ip se vero a
temp ore suo renn uere 1 j ussit, ut [for s t] in eccle sia S Petri legen d as e sss .

constituit .

Thus we read in the 0r do of the V all icel lan Library p ubl ished
by Tomasi Th is in deed a moun ts to n o more than a hin t :
‘
.

what is more th an a hin t is the fact th at the C arol in gian l itur

1 L P
. . t . 1. [ Co n s p
ti tu
. it ] p
42 1 ro :
c e l e br an d a so ll sm u ia v i gi l iarum atque
h
missarum C risti Domin i N ostri , S an cteq u e B us Gen etricis, SS A postolorum, j .

v el omn ium san ctorum s t co n fessor um, er fectorum j ustorum, toto in or be terr
p
ar um r uis scsn ti um, ut in oratori o n omrn i eorum dedica to i n tr o ecc l esiam B .

p p
Petr i , su arco ri n ci ali , a mon ac is vi gili as cel ebren tur, et a resbyteria eh h p
domadariis mi ssa ru m soll emn ia ”
T he syn od of 7 32 i s more ex lic it :
.
“
Ut p
san ctorum festa c s lebr sn tu r i n ora tori o q uod a me con stru ctum est in hon ors
Sal vator is, S De i Ge n etr ici s se mp erq us vi rgin is Mar iae Domin as n ostr as ,
.

san ctoru mq ue A p ostoloru m, mart rum q uoq ue s t c on fess oru m C hri sti , p erfec toru m
y
j us to ru m , in tr o e cc l esia m S P e tr : A p o s t ol or u m r
. i n c i i p p
a, s t ut tri a il ls mon asteri a
tr es p sal mos s t evan gel ia matutin a Deo can an t His sxp l eti s , r esbyter qu i
. p
I n h ebdoma fuer it in eun dem oratorium i n on orem Sa l vatori s, De i Gen e h
tri cis, S S A p ostolorum, Martyr um s t con fessoru m, p erfec torum j ustor um,
.

q u oru m na ta l icia fu eri n t [m i ssa m fa cie tJ

”
A n d in t h e C an o n of
. th e sa i d Mass,
after I p
m ri mis etc omn ium san ctorum. he i s to add :
.
”
Sed s t n atal icium
cel ebran tss san ctorum tuoru m martyrum ac con fessorum, p sr fectorum ustorum,
'

3h
1m m sol smn i tas
uc ean s , L .P t 1
h
odie in s on sp ectu gl orias T uae cel ebratur
p
”
uoted by .
d
42 2 . . . . .

1
1bid 423 . .

1
R sn n uer e = disa llow
“
T he D ecretu rn Gelasi i de l i bris r ecipisn dis, s ea in g p k
h h
O f the c ron icl e and istory of Eusebi us , decl ares that t ey ar e n ot con demn ed : h
u s q uoq u e n on di cimu s r sn n usn dos .

1
omas i , Oper a omn i a , ed V ez z osi ( Rome, 1 7 4 7 . t w 325 T is 0rdo . . p . . h
is extracted fr om the MS D 5 (ten t to eleven t cen tur y in the Val lice l lan h h
h
. .

Libra at Rome . Ih
ave c ol lated T omasi s text wi t
’
the S h
T he i n forma .

tion w c it
‘

h
ves is con fi rmed b
‘

y the foll owin g assa ge of a let ter from POp e p

H adrian to C lemagn s : Passron ss SS Martyrum san cti can on es cen sus run t .

ut liw at eas etiam in eccl esia l egi, q uum an n iversar ii di es eorum celebran tur .
64 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N B REVI A RY

g is ts , w h en in tro d uc in g in t o F r a n ce th e R o m a n ca n o n i ca l o fi
f ce ,

a re n ot aware of a n t h t t f th i t h th i i t h t
y o e r s a e o n g s a n s , v z a .

the sa n ctom l e forms a n in tegral p art of th a t can on ica l ofii ce .

T he time had in fact co me, an d—a n other sign ifica n t coin cid
en ce, it ca me w i th the o tifi c t o f t h i m m d i t u o
p n a e e e a e s c c es s rs

o f Gregory I II — wh e n the offi ce used at S Pe ter s was to

’
.

establ ish i ts rul e ov er the Fra n k ish Ch u rches ; when the sa me

sen timen t wh ich in the cou rse of the seven th ce n tur had made
y
o
p p u l a r i n E n g l a n d th e f a r m : a n d t h e c h a n t o f S P e te r
’
s w as .

to lea d to the adop tion of the sa me chan t a n d office by the

Fran k ish bish op s ; when there woul d be n o l on ger on ly basil icas
a t Ro me l ik e th a t o f S Chr sogon us, but d ista n t ca th ed ra l s
y .

suc h as those o f Me tz a n d R ouen , where the D iv in e O ffi ce

would be hen ceforth cel ebrated j uxta i nsta r ofiiczom m B P etri

’

Ap ostol i I
n F ra n ce , as i n E n g l a n d a h un dred yea rs b efo re,
.

this adop tion of the Roma n l i turgy is sp on ta n eous : we

see the l itu rgy o f R o me attractin g devo tio n to itse l f fo r the

s ak e o f S Peter, a n d by reason of its own inheren t beau ty it

. .

S C hrodeg an g , l ik e Ben ed ict Biscop , became deep ly imbued

.

with devotion to the customs of R ome an d of S P eter s O n his ’

. .

mal a ri us D c or d a n tifh 28 z
1A
, . .

Mul ta ofii ci a san ctorum in didi in have in serted in our an tiphon ary I
n ostro a n ti p hon a rio ex Roman o q uae from the Roman on e ma n y offi ces of
,

n on habet Me tensis an ti p honari um the sai n ts, wh ich are n ot in the an ti

Co tavi cur ea omi tter em ? Q u um p honar y of Metz
'

, For , thought , w hy . I
es em auctori ta te ful cian tu r q ua et sh ou ld om it the m Seei n g th ey rest I
il la q uae scr ip ts i n ven imus in Meten si on the ver same author ity as those do
an ti p hon ario, sci l i cet Matri s
w ich we n d wri tten in the a n ti onary
san ctae h ph
n ostrae Roman ae Eccl esiae
”
of Metz . viz on t at of our ol y . h h
mot er the Roman C urch "
h h .

C f Man si , t xu
.
395 , ca
. n on 1 3 of
. p
the coun ci l of C l oveshoo in 7 47
.

Domin ica e disp en sa tion is fes tivi Let the festival s of our Lord s di s
’

tates in can til en ae modo cel ebr en p en sa ti on be ob se rv ed wi t c a n t in h h

tur , j uxta exe m l ar vi p
deli cet q uod such sort as accords wi th t e co h
scri p tmn de Roma n s habemus Eccl esi a w ic we av e received . h h
from e h
I temq ue u t p er gyrum toti us an n i n atal Roman C urc A n d so l i ew ise l et h h . k
ic ia san ctorum u n o eodem die , uxta the an n iv of eac j sa in t throug h h
j
martyrol og ium e usdem Roman ae Ec ou t the w ol e year be cel ebrated on h
cl esiae cum sua sibi con ven ien ti psal h
t a t ver y da y w ic is ap oi n ted i n the h h p
modia se u can tilena ven eren tur ”
martyrol ogy of the same Roman
.

C hurc , an d wit th e salmody an d h h p

c a n t t at belon eth t er eto
”
h h h .

In the n in t h
ce n tury w e fi n d q uite a di fleren t state 0 thi n gs, as testifi ed by
'

the l etter in w ic POp e Le o I h h V (847 5 5 ) r e roac es Hon oratus (su osed to -

p h pp
h av e bee n abbot of arfa) wi t F hh
avi n g n o feeli n g but on e of aversion for the
dulcedin em Gregori an i carmi n is cum sua , quam i n ecclesia traditi on e cane ndi
l egen diq ue ordi n a vi t et tradidit, so t at the abbot is i n disagreemen t wi t the
”
h h
See of Rome, and equal l y so w i t omn i h
en e occi den tal i Ecclesi a pLeo I V
p
i n timates his in ten ti on of i m osin g the observan ce of the tradition em nostri
a in o f excommun ication
”
san cti p raesul is, un der See the text of this letter in
p .

M G , Epistolae Car ol i n: A t ari

. . t m 603 4 . . pp .
-
.
 T HE SO U RCE S O F T HE ROM AN O FF I CE 65

return from a p il grimage to the to mb of the Prin ce of the

A p ostles in 7 54 , bein g desirous of securi n g the regul ar p erform
an ce of the O ffi ces , both n octu rn al an d diu rn al , i n the cathed ra l

of Me tz , he foun ded a co ll eg e of cl erg y , on the model O f the

mon astic commun ities atta ched to the basil icas a t R ome, a n d
g a v e t o th es e c l er k s re g u l ar fo r th e i r O b se rv a n ce th e R o m a n

Or do of the offi ce an d the Roman ch an t : 6 1m m a bun da n t”

[ag e di vi n a R oma na q ue zmbutu m ca n tzl m a , mor em a tq u e or di nem
’ '

R oma na e E cal m a e rer va r e p r aecep i t, quad usqu e ad zd temp us

' '

i n M etem z Eccl m a f a ctu m Before the death O f

’ '

the great b ishop O f Metz his ex a mp l e had been foll owed by

R emed ius, archb ishop o f R ouen He al so was return in g fro m .

a p ilgri mag e to R ome wh en he b rough t to R ouen , in 7 6 0, by

p er m iss io n o f P o p e P a u l ,
t he sec o n d in c o m m a n d — th e v ic e

p ri n ci p ,
a l as w e m ig h t s a y
— O f th e S col a ca n tom m ,
to i n itia te

the mod ul ation s O f the R oman p sal mody

”
his cl ergy in to “
.

Then , this R oman chan ter bein g obl iged with in a short time
to retu rn to Rome, Re med ius sen ds hi s cl erk s to fin ish th ei r
course of instr uction at Rome itsel f, in the S col a ca n tom m
’
.

He wished to ha ve at Rouen , as Chrodegan g had w ished to

ha ve at Metz , the p ure an d gen uin e 0r do an d chan t of S .

Peter s ’ ‘
Th en in his turn , Pep in ex ten ds to all the Fran k ish
.
,

Churches the reform in augurated at Metz an d R ouen , comman d

in g a ll their b ish op s to give up the Ga ll ican Or do, to l ea rn the
Roman chan t, an d to cel ebrate the D ivin e O fii ce hen ceforth
in con formity w ith the c usto m of the H oly See Such are the .

terms used by the E mp eror Cha rl e mag n e, when ren ew in g, in

7 8 9 , t he dec ree o f P ep in
‘
.

1
Paul Di sc Gesta cfi saopom m Motes si u m (P L xcv
. . Cf Monach . . . . .

S D : g as“: Car ol i , 1 1 1 ( P L xc vm . . . .

237 1 ( P L xc v m . Paul
. wri tes to Pep in t at he has been
. I h
k
as ed to see to the com l eti on of the in stru cti on of the mon s of Ar c bis o k h h p
Remedi us : p ra ese n t es eo am ab i l i s Rem edi i , g erm an i v es tr i , m o n ac h o s S im e o n i
p
S cola e ean torum riori con tradere, ad in stru en dum eos in sal modis e modul a p
ti on e The vice ri n ci pal who had been sen t to Rouen was n amed Simeon .

He was recall ed to ome owin g to the deat of the Prin ci al by n ame George, h p
h
to w om he succw ded : defu n cto p raefato Georgio, et in ej us idem S imeon ,
utp ote seq uen s ill in s acceden s locum, ideo p ro doctri n a Scol ae e um ad n os accer
sivimus
”
T he Rouen mon k s ar e to come to Rome, an d the Po e en tru sts t em
. p h
on ce more to Simeon eosq ue op time col locan tes , sol erti in dustria eamdem

p s al modia e m o d u l a ti on em in stru i pr aecep imus

”
.

p
Com are Gesta a bba ta m Fon ta nel l mri um ( S an dri ll e] , 16 , in P ertz . W
Scr if ton s , t 11 . . 292 : G
[ erv ol d pns . abba s r el i q u it] an ti p h o n ar i um
Roman ae Ec cl es iae , vol umen un um Se e i n the same p l ace ,w hat is said of hi s
l ove for the c an t h
He died in 806
. .

P L xcv n 180 , an d Pertz , M O L eg t

. . .
44 . ; . O m n i c.l er
. o U t p . .

can tam Roman um p l en iter discan t, e t ordin ab iter p er n oc turn al e vel gradal e
'

S
66 H I STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
The l
con c usion ,hen wh ich we must draw from all these
t ,

i mp ortan t facts is th at by about the midd l e of the eighth cen

tu ry the R oma n O ffi ce is al ready cod ified an d sup p l an ts in ,

F ran ce the O ld Gall ican Ofli ce T he an tip hon ary ca l led Gre .

g ori an — in rea l ity the a n ti p ho n ary of S P e te r s— has n ow bee n .

’

written out an d comp leted In fact about A D 7 60 we have .

,
. .
,

Pop e Paul I sen din g to Kin g Pep in a cop y O f the an tip hon ary ,

o r coll ection of the an tip hon s an d resp on ds o f the Roman

Offi ce A simil ar coll ection had been brought by S Chrode

1
. .

g g
an to Metz
in 7 5 4
—
.

It is th is l iturgica l work , thus fo r the fi rst ti me cod ified or

at a ll even ts , so fa r as we k n ow, mak in g its a p p eara n ce in a

cod fi ed form
i — about A D 7 5 0 , wh ich we h a ve n ow to desc ribe
. .

i n deta il , recon structin g, so fa r as ou r h isto rica l resources p er

mit, that R oma n O ffi ce by wh ich our forefathers, the p ilgri ms
O f the eigh th cen tury, were so p owe rfully attracted th at th ey

d id n ot hesitate to ren oun ce in its fa vour the l iturgica l trad i

tion s wh ic h be l o n g ed to their ow n c h urches .

ofi ci um p erag atur , secun du bea tae mern oriae en itor n oster P i i n us Rex
m uod
g p
decert av it ut neret, quan do Ga l ican um tul i t, ob unammi ta tem A osto ese Sedis, p
et san ctae Dei Eccl es iae p acifi ca m con cordia m .

1 2 6 6, 2 35 9 ( P L. L.x xxrx D.irexi m u s eti am P raecell e n tia e v estr ae

p
et l ibros , q uan tos re erire p otuimus, id es t A n tip hona l e et R esp on sal e, in simul
Artem grammati cam, Ar istotelia, Dion ysn Areo a giti l ibros, Geometr icam,
O rthograp hiam, Grammaticam, omn es Gr acco p
oq mo scrip tores , n ecnon et
H orol ogium n octurn um The an tip hon ary bro ght fr om Rome to C or by
the abbot W a la , in th e time of Gregory I V ( 82 7 bore the n ame of op e
H adr ia n I . h
A t the ead of it was wri tten I p
n ci it Res on soria le de circul o
. p
p p
an n i, tem or ibus ter beati ssimi et A ostol ici D omin i A drian i P ap ae, p e r i n di c
tion ern sep timam ( i e 7 83 4]. . A n d at th e en d
-
“
Hoc O us summus arat . p p
p on ti fex Domin us A drian us si bi memorial e per saecl a A malar B a ard A s tiflr . . .

(p ro l og ue) .
68 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVIA RY
n oted h at he
t giv es t h e re p l ies o f t h e A rc h d ea c o n Th e od ore to

the q uestion s he ask ed of him on that subj ect .

Between various cop ies of the an tip hon ary at Rome, as well
as be twee n the actual Roma n custo m o f his ti me an d th ese

cop ies of various dates, A mal arius records man y d iscrep an cies .

T he reason of this it is easy to conj ec tu re the tex t, the music,

an d the order of the offi ces, he tell s us, v aried, even at R ome ,

betwee n 7 50 an d 8 30 When he was at Rome in 8 31 he ask ed

.

O f P op e Gregory IV a cop y of the c ha n t foll owed at R ome ,

a n d the P op e re p l ied that there was n ot on e th at he cou l d

O ffe r to the E mp eror ( Lou is le D é bon n a ire) , a s he had g iven

the on ly on e wh ich he had at his d isp osa l to Wa l a , abbot of

C orbey, when he had l ate ly co me on an e mbassy to Rome .

A mal arius accordin gly rep ai red to the mona stery of C orbey,
a n d con sul ted th is a n tip hon a ry g iven by Grego ry IV : a cop y

i n fou r vol umes, three for the n octurn al offi ce an d on e for the
diu rn al , bea rin g at its head an in scrip tion ( a l ready q uoted)
which attributed its cod ification to Pop e H adrian I A n d he .

te ll s us that th ere were d ifferen ces between th is C o rbey an ti

p h o n a ry an d th o se o f M e tz n on s o l u m i n o r di n e , v er u m e ti a m
i n ver bzlr et mu l titudine r esp om on om m et a n tzp bona m m qua:
’ '

It is true that the an ti p hon ary O f Metz

”
n os n on ca n ta mar .

see med to A ma larius to be on man y p oin ts be tter ordered :

i n mul tzlr r ep m ”astr a s ol u mzna qua m

‘ '

sta tute:

err en t A malarius was thus face to face with a critica l

p r obl e m , wh ic h h e so l ve d w ith a n i n g e n u o u s ec l ec tic is m ,
fra m
i n g a Roman an tip h on a ry p rop er to Metz , destined for a lon g
ti me to be the model ed ition of the eccl esiastical ch an t “
I t is .

th is q uas i cr itica l editi on o n wh ich he co mmen ts in his book

-

D e or di ne a n tip lzon a n z, p ubl ished be tween 8 2 7 an d 8 33 We

' ’

—
fin d in it sin ce from other q uarters we are in p ossession of
1
p
D e ord A n tiflr ( rol ogue) A a in (i bid w en s ea in g of t ose an ti h p k h
g
. . . .

ph h
ons of w ic h th e text was ta en k
om the Gos el for eac day , Amal ari us tell s p h
h
us t at he as ed k th e mas ters of the Roman C urc h h
w et er t ey san g t em, h h h h
h
an d t ey an swer ed no
”
He goes on to sa y
.

N ostri ts men ma gistr i di cun t se Yet our masters say t ey received h

p p
eas a b ei s erce isse p er p
rimos ma gis t em from t em, t r oug h t ose fi rst h h h h
tros q uos mel odiam can tus Roman i Masters w ho ta ug t the mel ody of the h
docuerun t in fra termin os Fran corum Roman c an t i n the domi n ion s of the
. h
Deus sci t si isti fal l an t, aut si i si fe ran s p F k
God n ows w e t er t ey ar e . k h h h
fel l isen t q ui gloriati sun t se eas p er mista en , or t ose were mista en w ho k h k
cep isse a ma gistri s Roma n ae Eccl esi ae, boasted t at t ey had recei ved t em h h h
aut Roman i p
rop ter i n curiarn et n e l e
g f ro m the masters of the R o m an C urc , h h
g en ti am eas am isi ss en t
”
. o r w et er th e R o m an s av eh h
si n ce h
l ost t em t roug
"
h h
carel essn ess an d h
n eglect .

1
S ee Sas g al les Mos aeh 1 1 1 ( P L xcvu
. . . . . .
 R OM A N O FF I CE O F T I ME O F C HA R LE MA GN E 69

the re sp on ds an d a n tip hon s of wh ich A malarius sp eak s — most

va l ua bl e guidan ce in recon structin g the ofii ce a uthen tica lly

Roman l
.

We have in addition an ex cellent source of in formation in

, ,

a MS of late date n o doubt

.
— —
it is of the twel fth cen tury but
,

v ery auth en tica lly R oman sin ce it is an an ti h on a ry which has

p ,

been in use in the basil ica of S Peter at R ome 2

In dea l in g . .

with it however it wi ll be n ecessary to tak e accoun t of the re

, ,

flex in fluen ce which the C arol in gian l iturgy had been ex ercisi n g
on that of Ro me the R oman o F ran k ish use h avin g b roug h t
,
-

i n to a state of un ity an d order the l iturgical tradition s of R ome

itsel f : a p h en o men on n ot con fi n ed to the an tip hon ary b ut ,

eq ua lly n oticeable in the case of the sacra men taries .

We take then as the basis of our descrip tion the in forma

tion fu rn ished by A ma larius co mbin ed with that derived fro m ,

th is a n tip hon ary of S Peter s A n d these we will sup p l emen t

’
. .

by what may be gathered from the most an cien t an d p urely

R oman Or dznes R oma n i such as the 0rdo of S A man dus ‘
'

, .
,

that of E in siedel n ‘
the 0r do P r i mus of Mab il lon in those
, ,

wh h l “ l y wh h h
p a r ts ic are orig i n a a n d astl the 0r d o ic we a
,
v e

re ferred to as th at of Gerbert s an on y mous l itu r ist the essen

’

g ,

tia l p a rts of wh ich we sh all give in fu ll later on ( p I .

1 Wal afi id Strab '

. De( P L creel . f or . ezar d . 2 5
x 1v 65 9
) . . .

Et qu ia Gallican a Eccl esia, viris A n d sin ce the G all ican C urc , h h

n on min us p eri tissimis in str ucts sacro bein g furn is ed wit men n o less dis h h
r um ofi ci orum in strumen ts habeba t tin guished for t eir l earn in ossessed h p
n on min ima, ex ei s al i ua Roman oru m a v ion o f the sac ed ces of th e
q ers r
offi cii s immixta di cun tur, q uae p l erique i g est considerati on , t ey say t at h h h h
e t ver bis et son o se a eaeteris ean tibus from t em cer ta i n t i n were in serted h h
discern ere osse fatean tur p Sed p ri in the ofi ees of the
. oman s, w ic h h
vil egio Roman as Sedi s ob servato, sr man y n a decl ar e t ey can di s h
00 11 en tia rati on ab il i d isp osition um tin ui from the r est of the c a n t, h
ap u eam factarum ersuaden te, factum p bo by the w ords and the mel ody i .

est ut in omn ibu s en e Lati n or um Ec But re ar d bein g had to the ri vil ege p
cl esii s con sueta 0 et magisterium of the oman See, an d t roug the i n g h h
ej usden Sedis p ra ev al eret , q uia n on fluen c e of the reason abl e agreemen t
est ali a tradi ti o aeq ue se q uen da
’
between t emsel v es of the arran ge
. h
men ts made by it, it has come to as s p
t at in almost all the Lati n C urc es h h h
the custom an d rul e of t at See p re h
vail s, seei n g t a t t ere i s n o ot er h h h
tradition so wort y of bei n g foll owed
”
h .

Walafrid was made abbot of Reic en a u i n 838, an d died in 849 h .

I p
t was ubli s ed by T omasi , t w h It is refer red to as Arc ives
. . p . h
of S P eter s, B, 7 9 It is a smal l fo io MS of 196 1eaves, an d bears on the
’
. .

k
bac the ti tle Gradual e an ti quum T he w ole of the c an t is noted Fol h h . .

197 is a fl y l eaf on w ic -
h h h
a l ater an d has wri tten out the res on ds an d an ti p
ph on s of the feast of the T ran sfiguration .

1
Duchesn c, O rigi n“ , 439 63
- 1pp
De Rossi , I . nscrip t t 11 34 5
. . . . pp .
-
.

P L Lxxv m 937 68
. . .
-
.
70 HI STOR Y OF T HE R OMA N BREV I A R Y
Such a re the p rin cip a sources l
e n ce we are to derive the wh
material s h
for t at recon struction of the o ma n ffi ce of the R O
time Of Cha rl emag n e wh ich we are n ow about to atte mp t .

We ta ke first the ordin ar y O ffi ce o f the sea son an d, to be

g i n with , the n oetu it co mp rises vesp ers, the n oc
m al cou rse :

tu rn s p rop e rly so ca lled, an d l auds .

The O ffi ce o f vesp e rs begin s with the ve rsicl e D ea r i n adi a

tor zu m, i n ton ed by the O ffi cian t, foll owed by Gl or i a P a tr z
l
' '

Lauds begin in the sa me way , as do al so the hours of the

d i urn a l course 2
.

It may be conj ectu red th at th is in trod uctory form is b ut a

vestige D em i n aaj utor zu m is in fact the beg in n in g of p sa l m
' '

wa x , wh ich formerly was recited h ere in its en tirety T he .

sa me fate has ha p p en e d h ere as i n the case o f the I n troi t o f the

Mass : n oth in g su rvives but the fi rst verse of the p sal m, an d

the d ox ol ogy 3
.

T he p sal mody of vesp e rs has in variably five p sa l ms ; a n d

”
these five p sal ms a re Cotzdza n ur u m n oster
“
an ti p hon ed
' '

tenet a t qu i n que p sa l mos ca n temus i n oerp er tzn a l z JJma x r

’ ’ '

I m / m m m
” '

to: q u i n qu e p sa l os a n tzjo zona tz ea a r e r ol e u s,

'

A ma la ri us ‘
.

T he version of the p sa l ter in u se at R ome is n ot the sa me

as that n orth of the A l p s A t R o me they use the p sal te r as .

c o rrected by S J erome in 38 3, at the req ues t o f Pop e

.

D a masus , wh ich rep resen ts the version from the Sep tuagin t,
wh ich was in use p revious to the time of S J erome , merely .

1
As regar ds Con ci l Vases “ (secon d Coun ci l of Vai son
the Swa t era t, see .

A D
. . c an on 5 Et q uia n on sol um i n Sede A ostol ica, sed eti am per totam p
O r i en tem et tota m Africam vel I tal iam, ro te r her eticor um astuti am q u i Dei p p
p
Fil ium n on sem er c um Patre fuisse. sed a tem ore coe isse blasp hema n t, i n
p p
omn ibus clausul is , p
ost Gloriam, S i cu t n o t i s p r i n cipi o d 1catur, etiam et n os in
un iversi s ecl es iis n ostr i s hoc ita dice n dum esse dec revi mu s Man si, t v m . . p .

7 7
2 . M aa s se n , M G , C om i.t A em M or on
.
-
57 .
’

. p . .

1
h
S Be n edi c t is acquain ted wit the D en : i n adj u tori m , but he on l y sets it
m
.

p
down for ri me , terce, sext, an d n on e R eg a i n , 1 8 (ed Wal i n , 1 895 , . . p .

1
In su pp h j
or t of t i s con ecture see C hrod egan g , R eg a i n , 1 4 : N octurn is
h ori s q ua m ad Op
us divi n um de l ec to surrexi t cl erus, rimum si gn um sibi S .

C ru ci s imp ri ma t p er i n vocati on em S T rin itati s Dei n e di ca t versum D omi n o . .

l a bta area ap er i es Dei n de p sal mum D an: i n adj u tor i m 111m m i n ten ds totum
cum Gl ori a p
Et tun c roviden t sibi corp oream n ecess itatem n atura e, et sic ad
.

oratori um festi n et
"
. h p
T us the sa l m D ear i n a d utor i mn w as reci ted ou t of
“

h
c oir , in th e dormi tory
3
But i n the case of Chr egan g , the observati on 011
.

app l ies to the n octurn al ofii ce ro er ly so ca l l ed p p

See the same t in g in - . h
Du n stan , D c reg i mi s e Mon aehorum (P L cxxxvrt . . .

4 A mal ar
D e eccl ofl IV 7 De 0r d A n tiflr 6
'

. . . . . . .
 ROM A N OF FI CE O F T I ME O F C HA R LEMA GN E 7 1

hi m : this is p rop erly call ed P ral tm um

hed by
’

re-
touc
R oma n um A secon d ed ition was b rought out by S J erome
. .

in 392 , wh ich rep resen ts a more severe correction o f the version

from the Sep tuagin t, made at B ethlehem, w ith the a id of the
H e x ap l a I t is sa id to have been adop ted at T ours in the
.

six th cen tu ry, an d p rop agated th en ce in Gaul , when ce its n ame

of P ra l tm u m Gal l tea n u m Th is Gall ican Psalter gradually

l
’ '

su p p l an ted the R oman P sa l ter in I ta ly , an d fin al ly at R ome .

But in the eighth cen tury R ome was still usin g on ly its old
P ral ter zu m R oma n u m, an d it is fro m th is that the words o f the
’

an tip hons an d resp on ds, as we sti ll have them, are borrow ed ,

as we ll as the g radua l s an d oth er features of the M ass wh ich

a re tak en from the p sa l ter .

”
To an tip hon a p sal m is, in the eighth cen tury as it was
“

in the fourth , to have it sun g by two choirs alternately , verse

“
by verse : th us l iturgists such as A malarius are abl e to give
the same defin ition of a mp lzona as S I sidore gave But i n . .

the eighth cen tury a s ap /tom has al so begun to mea n somethin g

e l se
’
. It design ates a short musica l p hra se comp osed to w o rd s
n ot n ecessa ri ly tak en from the p sa l m they are sun g w ith , or

even from the p sa l ter a t al l The p sal m is chan ted on the .

ton e of th is musical p h rase , wh ich havin g been sun g before

1 Walafrid Strab D e r ebus eecl 25

. . Psal mos autem, quum secun dum LXX
.

p
in ter ret es Roman i adhuc ha b ean t, Gal li et German oru m al iq ui secun dum
emen dation em quam H
ieron ymus Pater de LXX edi ti on e comp osu it, sal teri um p
can tan t Q u a
. m G r eg o r i us T uro n en si s e pi sc o u s a p atri b us R om an i a m u t ua ta m ,

i n Gall iarum di ci tur ecclesias tran stuli sse C f the fragmen t by Bern o of
’
. .

h
Rei c en au, P L c x1 11 1 17 4 O n e must n ot acce t wi t out q uestion the asser tion
. . . . . p h
of W al afrid about Gregory of T ours T he i story of the text of the Bibl e in the
. h
p h
Merovi n gia n e och is t at of the en etration in to ran ce of the S an ish , p F p
An glo Saxon , an d rish versi on s
-
”
I
S Ber er , Histoi r e de l a Vu lg a te ( Par is,
. .

1 893 61 p S . . J
erome broug t out a t ir. h
versi on of the Psal ter made from h
the ebrew , w ic n ever h h
n ed a foo in li turgical use
‘

[It i s th e s ec o n d .

versi on , the P sa l ter i u m G ica mm , wh fi n ds a l ace i n the V ul gate

’

p .

’
D e ear l of i v 7 . . . .

1
A s tiflwn , in thi s n ew sen se, a ears for the first time in the sixt cen tury , pp h
i n the Rul e of S Ben edict ( R eg a l . an d at the sa me e oc . in a sermon by S p h .

Caesariu s of A rl es ( Pse udo- A ugust Sen n a cc c m 3 P L xxxrx 2 32 5 ) . . . . . . .

mu l ti rustici, et q uam How ma n y coun trymen an d

mul ta s mulieres rustican ae can tica coun trywomen learn by eart an d si n g h
diabol ica, amatoria et turp ia, memori ter the devi l s son gs , l ewd l ove son gs
’
.

retin en t et ore deca n tan t Q u an ta H ow. m u c m o re ui ck l y a n d eas il y, h

cel eri na et mel ius q uicun que rusticus an d wi th how muc mor e advan tage
vel q uaec u n q ue m u li er r ust i ca n a , m i g t an y c o u n try m a n o r c o un t r y h
to utilius,
p oterat et symbol um woman l earn the A ostl es C reed , an d
’
p
scere, et orauon em Domin icam, et the Lord s Pr ayer , an d some an ti
'

p on s , h
al iq uas an ti p honas , et p sa lmos L am vel an d the M 1118 Miser ere an d 0111 ha bi
X Cm , et p arare et ten ere et trequen tius ta t, an d have t em i n readin ess an d
'

h
dicere l ee t em i n mi n d, and re eat t em k p h p h
ever an d again I
 7 2 HI STORY OF T HE ROMA N BREV I A R Y
the p sa m, is re p eated
l at its l
in terva l s in
c ose , an d even at

the co urse o f the p sa m l O n e sees here a con fusion between the

.

l m d i i h l l m d y h
'

p sa s r esp ons o rzu r a n th e an c e n t an t p o n a p s a o , t e

latter havin g adop ted the refrain which was the characteristic
featu re of the p ra l rn a s r esp onson ur , an d given to this refrain ,
’

q uit e i n app p ro r i ate ly , t h e n a m e o f a n ti p h o n T h e cu st o m

o f rep eati n g the an ti p hon after eve ry verse of the p sal m,

though ear ly aban don ed , has l e ft man y traces Thus at the .

en d of the n in th cen tury , the can on s O f S Martin s at T ours

’
.

sti ll rep ea ted the an tip h on after ea ch verse of the p sa l m, at a ll

even ts in the n oc tu rn s O f the feast of S Martin “

u na m .

q u a m q u e a n tzjo/zo n a m p er si ng u l o s p sa l m o r u m v er su s re p et en do

as we read in the l i fe of S O do of Cl un y
’
ca neba n t, O n the . .

oth e r h an d, at the beg i n n i ng of the sa me cen tury , a cl erk of

Ratisbon comp l ain s that his fell ows sin g the ofii ce without de
votio n , g ettin g th roug h the p sal ms as fast as th ey can , an d , in

order to be O ff to their oth er con cern s the soon er, l eav in g out
the rep etition O f the an tip hon s , forgetti n g the very r a zr on d étr e
'
’

O f th ese re etition s, in stituted o f old by holy doctors for the

p
con so l ation of soul s

N esciun t q uia san cti doctores et eruditores Ecclesiae ins tituerun t mod u
l ation em in an tip hon arum vel resp on soriorum rep etition e hon estissima,
q ua ten us ha c d ul ced ine an i mus arden ti us accen de retur ‘
.

Ro me the custom of sup p ressin g these rep etition s early

At ,

p rev a i l ed ; b ut th e w ritte n ru b rics p re scri b i n g t h em w e r e n o t

su p p ressed I n th e twel fth ce n tury for so l e mn fea sts such as
.
, ,

Christmas we sti ll fi n d the direction that in the n octurn s the

,

an tip ho n s are to be re eated at the beg in n in o f th l m i

p g e p sa n , ,

the co urse of the p sa l m at the p oin ts mark ed for th e p urp ose at ,

the en d O f the p sal m after the Gl or i a P a m! an d fin a lly a fter

,

the S l ow er a t ‘
This rubric is tak en frb m the an tip hon ary of
.

See Dom L ecl ercq , articl e

1
A n tien n e, in D iet A r ch C lrr ét t 1
"
1 292 ; . . . . . p .

F .A G evart , La mé lopée a n ti q u e da ns l s cha n t de IEg l ise L a ti no ( G en t,

.
’
h
p 83, q uoted by Dom L ecl ercq
m
. .

ll
. h
Joan n Monac Vi ta 011011121, 10 ( P L cxxxrn 48 : Q ui a ej usdern o e n
.
“
. . .

an tip hon ae, u ti omn ibus p

atet, b reves sun t, et e ue temp oris n oc tes l on giores, j
vol en tes ofii cium ad l ucem usq ue oten dere, u n amquamque an tip honam
per
s in os p sal morum v ersus r ep eten 0 can eban t Fieba t n amq ue eis la bor 1m .

p o u
”
Od o
'
bi o s er tes ti fi es to ph
the ese rv a ti on o f the an ci en t custom,
fi
r s . s r
at al l even ts on th e y of the fes ti va l of S arti n ; but the r a ison d ztr e of t at
’
. h
k
c ustom is un n own to hi m, an d th e ex l an ati on whic p
he gi ves is based on a h
mere miscon ce tion p
C f Dom L ec lercq , a r t ci t
. . 2 309 et seq . . p . .

1B
'

p
en ed1cti o D ei ( ref ) P L c xxrx 1399 . . . . .

‘
T omas i , t xv 37
. I . p
n n octe N atal ia Domin i , ad omn es an ti p hon as
.

h
vigil iae, c or us choro resp on det, et sic omn es an ti p hon as ca n tamus an te sal mos,
p
et in fra p sal mos ubi i n ven i un tur , s t in fi n e p sal mi , et ost Gloria P a tre, et ost p p
 ROMA N O FFICE O F TIME O F C HA R LEMA GN E 73

S . Peter s already men tion ed O n e can see here how the

’
.

R oman Offi ce in becomin g the Offi ce of the F ran k ish Ch urches

, ,

was shorten ed an d i mp overished .

A fter the five vesp er p sa l ms an d their an tip hon s were fin ished ,

the ofii cia n t read a short l esson fi om H oly Sc rip ture : S eq u i '

”
says A malarius The R ule
1
ta r l ectio br evi s a p astore p r ola ta :

,
.

of S B en ed ic t sets down a l esson at this p oin t b ut does n ot

.
,
” “
ca ll it sh ort an d attaches to it a resp on d hymn an d versicl e
, , ,
.

T he R oman Office on the con trary atta ches to the short l esson , ,

n othi n g more th an a vers icl e such as Ves er ti n a or a tio as amda t

p ,

ad Te, D omi n o, 0 r D i n ga tur or a tio mea si cut i ncenr u m .

a

A s soon as the versicle had been recited, the M ag n ifica t was

‘

su n g .

A fter Mag n ifi e d, the Ky r i e el eison was said Th is is a ves .

ls

tige o f on e of the most an cien t forms of p ubl ic p rayer, the

Si ca t era t Sed chorus cu us est versus in fra

. j
mum q ui es t an ti ons , ih M ph
ci p i t an ti p hon am, al ter resp on det : et q ui in cep it fi ni t eam Si d ua e an ti p hon ae .

n ota n tur sub un o p sal mo, rima an ti on s ca n tatur in p ph

ri n ci io s t in fi n e p sal mi , p p
p
et ost Gl or ia et p
ost S tou t er a t ; secun da an ti ons can ta tu r in fra p sa lmum ph
tan tum, ubi in ven itur
”
Cf t w 2 1 , ru bric for the B en edic t“ in lauds of
. . . . p.

the fi rst Sun day in A dven t : Hoc die an ti p hon amus T en foll ow four an ti h
ph on s [N ote a lso the fact of t ere bein g sometimes two or more an ti on s to
. h ph
on e p
sa lm or can ti cl e A surviv al of th e sal m wi t an ti on re ea ted after
.
p p h ph
ev ery ver se i s fou n d i n the Ven i te a s sun
g o n E p i b an i n th e t u d n oc tu r n ; h
so al so i n th e N unc D i nu ttis on C an dl emas at the stri ution of ca n dl es For
' '

h p
ot er exa m l es see the A s cen sion s alm, x1 vr an d the Ass u m tion sal m, xu v p . . p p .

in Va ri a c P r eces, Sol esmes , 1892, 149, 1 92 pp

T he last has the an ti on afi er ph
every pa i r of verses —A B ]
. .

. .

1D
e eccl of W 7 : D e 0r d A n tiflr 6
. . . . . .

1
R eg a l 1 7 : . p
V es erti n a autem sy naxi s q uattuor p sal mis cum an tefan as ter
p
min etur , ost quib us p sahn is l ec ti o recita n da est, in de res on sorio, A mbrosi an o, p
v ersu , ca n ti c um de Evan el io l eta n ia e t orati one domin ica , ct fian t missae S
g , , .

h p
Be n edict, ow ever , resc rib es t at, i n th e fer i al n oc turn of the n i g ts of summer h h
( w h en b y r eas o n o f th e s o r tn e ss o f t h e n i g t th e s h
a l m o d y i s n o t fo ll o w ed b y th
h e p
h
usu al t ree l essons) , p r o i p si s tr i b us l ec ti on ibu s u n a d e V et e r i T estamen to
memori e di eatur , quam brevis res on sori us subseq ua tur "
R eg a l 10
h
. . .

1T
h
ese versicl es , ado ted by t e Roman Ofi ce, w ere t ose w i c p were sa id at h h h
Metz : 11am in Roman o a n tip hon ari o i n ven i versus E xa l ta bo T e, D es : m us,
“

R ex mens , et Mag ma: D omi n us noster , say s A mal ar ius, D e 0rd A n tip h 6
"
. . .

1
A malarius w ri tes A udi v i ol im resp on sorios ca n tari a ud uosdam ost
q p p
l ect ion em vesp ertina lem, q ui con tin en tur in al iq u ib us a n tip hon ari 1s ; sed a ud p
n on n ul l os modo ac p
en e omn es , p os t l ecti o n ern se ui tur conj un cti m ver sus,
"

D e eccl of w 7 . . I . h
. h
t may b e, t en , t at S Ben ed ic t ere re resen ts the an cien t . p
h h h
Roman custom, w ic must av e fall en in to disuse at Rome soon after his time .

[ T h is c on ec tu j
re i s s u orte dpp b y th e fh
ac t t a t s o m an y o f th e m edi a e v a l b revi ar i es ,

h p
Domi n ican , Sar um, etc , ave 9 res on d after the s ort lesson at ves ers. .
It is h p .

k h h
most un li el y t at t ey borrowed it from the Be n edictin es See the retty . p
p p h
dote about the r es on d at ves ers in T omas a Kem is, S erm a d N os 111 Pars p
Serm III 20 —A B ]
. . .

. V . . . .

11
D e eccl of i v 7 . Post hun c hymn um p er n octes domi n icas ali q uibus in
. .

l oc is dicitu r Ky n e el ei son , ut audivi Romae, et ostea col l ects

’

As to the col p
l ec t, see i bid 4 . H
aec ora ti o in omn i tem ore subseq ui tur, i e Pascha l i, p . .

Pen tecostes , domi n ici s diebus et testis Ama lari us seems to exce t ferias p .
74 H I STOR Y O F T HE R O MA N BRE V I AR Y
l itan y S B en ed ict g ives the Ky r i e its ancien t n ame of L i ta n i a ,
. .

or S upp l i ca ti o l i ta n i a e
l
A malarius desc ribes the l itan y at .

l ength “
I n its essen ti al con sti tution th is l ita n y consists of a
.

series of i n vocation s or versicl es, the ord er of wh ich forms a

can on of very an cien t p resc rip tion This can on, somewhat .

d ifferen t fro m that of A mala rius, an d more develop ed, we fin d

in 0 ur p resen t P r ecee femal es 3
.

T he l itan y bein g en ded , the ofli cian t rises , p ronoun ces the
D omi n as Vobiu n m, an d says the coll ect H avin g recited it, .

he says Ben edi ca rn n s D omi n o, an d the choi r resp on d D eo g r a

ti ae Th us the offi ce of vesp ers is en ded
.
‘
.

C omp l in e, of wh ich it seems n atural to sp eak in th is p lace,

was an ex erc ise p ure ly con ven tua l , the p rayer at bed time of
the mon k s, commen din g to God the sl eep to wh ich th ey betak e
t emse
h l ves .
ls

A malari us does n ot in dicate an y other p l ace for the rec ita

tion o f comp l in e th an the choir But Gerbert s an on ymous
’
.

l iturgist is more archaic, an d gives us a p icture of the monk s

meetin g together in the refectory There .

Collig un tur ad collectam sem r lection es ad coll ectam legun tur, et ibi m
fructum q uod eis Deus dederit man ducan tur et b iben t Postea, p ulsato .

sign o ca n un tur comp letorii ub i dormiuut in dormi torio ‘

.

1
R eg a l 9, 1 2 , 1 3, etc
. D e eccl of w 4 .
1
. . . .

1D
0m Bi umer, t 11 4 29 4 1 , h a s. a s. e ciapp
l s t u d
y . of t h e P -r ec e s f e r i a l e s p .

He q uotes the most an cien t liturgical MSS w ic con tato t em : of the eig t h h h hh
—
.

to the n in t cen tury h S Gal l , 20 , an d 349 ; V eron a, 106

. See al so the t irteen t . h h
cen tury MS , . F
1 8 , i n the arc ives of S
.
’
h
P eter s at Rome, fol 199, an alysed by . .

A Ebn er , Q n el l en a nd Forscl mng en ( reiburg,

. 192 F p . .

‘
D e eccl of w 4 : .
Q u am o
.r a tio
. n em p r a ece d i t sa l ut a tio , c t s u b se q u i tu r
ben edictio , q ua m et grati ar um actio seq uitur T he l i tan y was the ri miti ve p
p
con cl usion of ves ers, as al so of l auds , an d of the l i ttl e ours So a l so wi t S h . h .

h
Ben edi ct, w ho, owever, adds a P a ter n os ter to ves ers an d l an ds ( g
R e a l 1 3) p . .

I n ul tim0 ordin e orati o Domin ica omn ibus audi en ti bus dicatur a Priore, ro ter p p
scan dal orum s in as q uae oriri sol en t p D uran dus, R ati ona l e, W 14 , 1 7 , n otes a .

sin gu lar ru bric of his ti me ( the t irtee n t cen tury) :

“
I h
n eccl esia L ater an en si h
n un q uam dicitur oratio ( i e the col l ect) sed i n Mi ssa ; et in omn ibus . . or is l oco h
orati on is al ta v oce on un tiatur oratio Domi n ica , q uae in N ovo T estamen to
pr ima ora tio fui t am s t i n rimi ti v a Ecclesia si c fi ebat
.
”
p
A Roman doc u .

men t of the time of Po e A l exan der ( 1 15 9p th e L i b er d e e c cl e si aIII

L a t er a n
ensi of the deacon J h
o n , gives the same in formation ( P L 1 xxv 111 ave . . . . H
h h
we ere anot er in stan ce of S Ben edict witn essin g to the arc aic Roman cus . h
h
tom ? Suc i s th e op in ion of Gran colas , 104 p . .

e 0rd A n tip h 7
5 D . .

Q u ot l a ten tes i n si di ae o sa u n t H o w m an y id d enp snar es m a y b e h

p
in gruere su er dorrn ien tes p er i sum set sl ee ers t roug the devil imsel f, p p h h h
diabol um, et p er sua membra, et p er i an d t ei r own es , an d the eri l s of h fl h p
cul a vermium et bestiarum n on val co ser en ts an d fi er ce bea sts, it i s beyon d p
p
ex lan at e
”
. my ower to set fort "
p h .

n on ym Ger b x
6 A
v 2 . . . .
7 6 HI STOR Y O F T HE ROMA N BREVI A RY

began earl ier than on ord in ary d ays A t the soun d of the .
1

—
bell an d the hell of the R oman v ig il s was in the eighth
1—
cen tury q u ite h isto ric c l erk s an d mon k s assembl ed i n the

basil ica The ofli ce op en ed w ith the versicle D omi ne l a bi a

.

mea ap er i er said by the ofli cian t which was fol l owed by the
, ,

Glor ia P a tr i a
I mmediately after th is came the in vitatory
.

m m
”
p s a l V en
, i te ex u l te rn u r a l r ea d y ar k e d by S
,
B e n e d ic t as .

bein g sun g cum a n te/ a na “ 4

Th is admirabl e feature of the l iturgy is n ot as has been ,

o ften sa id a vestige of the a n cien t mode of chan tin g w ith

“
,

what we ca ll an tip hon s 5

i t rather rep resen ts the an cien t
way of sin g in g the p ral rn i r esp onsori i an d th erefore the

F rank ish author of the eig hth cen tury k n own as M ag i ster ,

A nony mur to whom we owe the most an cien t commen tary

,

on the R ul e of S B en ed ict has very j ustly given to the in .

,

v itatory the titl e o f R erp onr on u rn I n it a soloist

'

first chan ts the refrai n ( which is n ot rea lly an an ti p hon b ut an ,

acr or ti clzion
) a n d th e c h o, ir r e p ea t it a l l t o g e t h e r A f t er t h is .
,

it is n ot the choir that sin g the p sa l m b ut the soloist wh il e , ,

th e choir does n oth in g bu t rep ea t at ea ch p ause in the p sa l m , ,

the refrain with which th ey began H ere we have the true .

p ri m it iv e ec c l es ias ti ca l p sa l m o d y 7
.

A fter th e in vi tatory the chan ti n g o f the p sal ms begi ns ,

.

The n octu rn comp rises twel ve p sal ms whi ch are n ot an ti ,

1
A o ym G b v 3: e p
n n . er .
5 1 . s e . 11 .

1
L P t . p 45 4
. . 1. .

B ti im ea P p a f it supe ba i
ss us a Th mo t bl s d Pop ( St h
ec r s e s es e e en
licam B P t i A o toli tu em
.
p e r s i II 75 7) rrb u i l t u po t h b s il i c no t h , 2- n e a a e

q u a t i br p o t
us a m pa i sur
q u i c l
c o Bl s d A
n s, p o s t l e P t t o
er w an d e se e er a er ,
e t popul um ad ofi ci um Dei i tare t plac d th i th bel l to ll th
n v1 n .
"
e er e n ree s ea e
l y d th e p o p l e to th e v i ce o
e f ser
Ge g
an e
H

I th ti m of St h
n e III ( 768 w a e tol d i th accou t of the co n
e
e en n e n
p
e r ,

s i t acy o f S giu a erC h i to p h es h no w S g i t i

r se d t o g ai ad m i
r,s s io i t o S er us r n n n .

t
e er s
’
o t qn u h o
c e, c m p a a i
a o i tra
( L P at 1 p n ns nu . . . . .

1
D d A tip h 1 :
e 0r . I domi ion octe o g
n . n j xta con u tudi em n n c n r ue, u s e n
Rom anae E cl i c som o u g es ae, a t di imu p i mo D omi
n s r l bi m
en es p i c s r ne a a ea a er es ,
e t post hu c um gl o i ficam
n vers S T i it tem r S B edict ( Regul 9 sets
us . r n a . en .

dow h e th Domi
n er l bie m but b fo the Gl o i h i e t m 3 r a e ns r s
ne a a ea ,
p e re ,

D omi ne
q id m luti l
p i ti ut a p lm ca y 0 p
su n i t to th aw a
sa k e m g f
verom a 1 ra e e n r
t ma b th t the ( f amh i simply all th t i IR
,

l mb
s u of th mo k
er I e n s. e a r ere s a s e
of p l m 3 a d i ts do ol ogy e more so as A m l a i u doe ot s d ow h e
sa n x
t a r s s n e n er
the D one i n adj u tor i u m .

R ag ul 9 . .

1
[Con trast the Ven ite as used in the t ird n octur n on E i han y, w er e we h pp h
j
fi n d u st suc a vestig e h
A B] — . .

1M
ag i : R eg ul a , 4 ( P L 1 xxxv111
4 . . . .

1 H
ere i s a v ery curi ous detail : Amal ar ius a t Con stan ti n op l e ear d the in h
vitatory p
sal m sun g by way of an in troit : Hun c sal mum audivi C on stan ti
p
n o ol i i n eccl esia S So hi ae in
p ri n ci io missae ce
.l e ( D e 0 r d A n tiph 2 1 p p . . .
 R OMA N O FFICE OF TI ME OF CH A RLE MA GN E 77

p h on ed , t hat is to i n ter s ec te d by
say , n ot
a n ti p h on s,
l ik e t h o se

a t v esp ers, b ut su n g co n tin uously A fter every four p sa l ms a .

Gl or i a P a tr i is in serted 1
.

The distri b ution of the p sa l ms over the successive n octu rn s

o f the week was reg ul ated by regard in g the whol e p sa l ter as
1

bein g divided in to two p arts : the first en ds with p sa l m 10 8 , an d

is ap p rop riated to the n octu rn al offi ce : the secon d , begin n in g
with p sa l m 109, D i r i t D omi nus , bein g assigned to the diu rn al
office
s
. A t Rome , w rites a l itu rg ist of the fourteen th ce n tu ry ,
th e who l e p sal ter is recited every week th e fi rst p a rt o f
the p sa l ter be in g d iv ided in to se ven n octu rn al p ortio n s,
e ightee n p sa l ms for Sun day , an d twe l ve for ea c h fe ria, some

few p sa l ms ex cep ted , wh ich are e mp l oyed in the day hours

This distribution , wh ich sti ll exists in the Roman brev iary , is 11

the same that A malarius was acq uain ted w ith .

T he twel ve p sa l ms of the n octu rn hav in g been sun g, the y

p a s se d o n to th e l e ss on s T h e p sa l m od y w a s o n ly se.
p ara t ed
“
from the l esson s by a versicl e N ev erthel ess, in Fran ce, they .

p l ac ed be tw ee n th is v e rsic l e a n d th e l ess o n a P a te r n os te r,

wh il e at R o me they in serted a short absol ution such as the

1
A mal at D e cool of W 9
. . . Seq uun tu r duodecim p sa lmi si n e an ti on s , cum
. ph
tri bus glori fi cation ibus S T ri n ita tis p er tern as divi sion es q ua tuor p sal moru m
.

1
T h18 di stri bution is a c aracteri stic fea tu re of the Roman O ffi ceh T he .

p sal mody at Rome is stri ctl y 1 lated an d n ot l eft to the c oi ce of the c oir , h h
h h p
ei t er a s to w at sal ms are to sun g , or how man y T ere is some trace of a . h
more ancien t custom, an al ogous to t at d escribed by C assian , in some co ies of h p
p
th e sal ter in which eac hp sal m is accom n i ed m
T omasi ( t n ) has
3 p
a ray er . . .

p ubli sh ed a text of t i s ty e h p It i s w at i s cal l . h

sa l ter i u m cum or a ti oni bus
i n ter j ectir ,
”
see Baumer , t 1
p 3 60 O n. t he. fr e .ed o m i n. t h e sixt cen tury as h
rega rds p
sal mody see 8 Ben od1et, R eg a l 1 8 . .

Hoc p raecip ue common en tes, ut A bove all t in gs givin g t is ad h h

h
si cui forte aec di strib u tio psalmorum mon ition , t at if to an y on e t i s di stri h h
Iicuer it, ordin et, si mel ius al iter boti ou of the salms is n ot l easin g, l et p
j u
'

ca v erit : d um o m n i m o di s a d t en d h i m o rd a i n o er w i se , as h e s a l l ud
g e h j
a tur ut omn i ebdoma da sal teri um ex p to be be tter : t i s o in t on ly be in g i n h p
in tegro n umero C L p salmom m p sal la an y case atten d ed to, t a t in every h
tur , et domin i co di e sem er a ca ut wee p p
the w ol e n umber of the 15 0 k h
rep r en datur ad vigilia s
”
sal ms of the sal ter b e sun g t roug , h h
p
p
.

egi n n i n g a ga tu on Su n day from the

commen cemen t, a t the vi gil s .

[ T he c u r io u s t ih
n g i s t a t S B en e dihct
’
s c u r r us does n ot be i n the sa l ter at the
.
g p
Sunday n octurn s bu t at Mon day rime On the di fferen ce between the Roman
.

k
an d Ben edi ctin e we e l y cu rsur o the sa l ter ave wri tten i n p Fax, N o 1 5Ih .

( Marc , h I t i s my bel i ef t at the Roma n C urc h mater ially modifi ed her h h

p
di strib ution of the sal ter i n the seven t c en tury, h
ti n g the arran gemen t
h
whic is stil l in force, gr ea tly 1n fluen ced by w at S en edi ct had ordain ed, h
b ut y et exercisi n g a large degree of fr eedom —A B ]
.

. .

1 T
[ h a t i s to sa y , i n c l u di n g ve sp ers , w ic , be l ie v e, S B en h h I
ed i ct w as t h e fi rst .

to p lace amon g the day ofli c es : it had rev iousl y been regarded as bel on gi n g to p
the n octurn al course .

1
Radulf D e Can on Obser v t 0
. . an 1 1
i e down to A D 1 91 1 : see ch v 11
. . . . . . . .

1
A malar D e ord A n tiph 1
. . So al so in S Benedict, Reg a l 1 1
. . . . .
78 HI STORY OF THE ROMA N B R EV I A R Y
foll owin g In terceden te bea to P r i ncip e Ap ostoloru m P etra,
T he l esson s are read in the
” 1
r a l aet et acr todi a t n o: D omi n us .

u
p p l it : the c l erk o r b rothe r wh o go es th ere t o r ea d th e m ,
fi rst
a sk s of th e ofli c ian t his bl e ssin g , sayin g u be damn e bene
“

”
j
di cer e, to wh ich the ofli cian t re p l ies by p ron oun cin g a sho rt
ben ediction , such as those which we still use, an d the ch oir re
11

s p on d A men The n beg in s the readin g, the l esson s bein g tak en

.

from the book s of H oly Scrip ture occurren t in th eir due order .

T he d istribution of H oly Scrip tu re over the v arious season s

“
o f the year was a th in g r egu l ate d by trad ition a l c ustom, a

cu stom dep en din g on the l iturgica l syste m of th e Ch ristian

—
yea r A dven t, Len t, Paschal tide, an d so forth -
.

N or must we be su rp rised to fi n d in th is distrib ution an

ag reemen t between the Ro man customs an d the mo n as tic .

I saiah was read in A dven t From Christmas to Sex agesima .

th ey read J ere miah , E zek iel , D a n iel an d the Min o r P rop hets .

A t Sex agesima they beg an the Pen tateuch , J osh ua , an d J udges,

an d wen t on u n til H oly Week From Easter to Pen tecost, .

the A cts, the C athol ic e p istl es, an d the A p ocalyp se D urin g .

the summer, Kin gs an d Chron icl es From the begi n n in g of .

a utumn u n til A dven t, the Sap ien tia l book s, w ith Job, Tob it,

Esther, J udith , Esdras an d the Maccabees ‘

.

T he custom of readin g the H oly Scrip tu res after the n oc

tu rn al p sa l mody o n ly dated, at Ro me, from the seven th cen
tury, if we are to bel ieve T heodemar, abbot of Mon te C assin o

( A D
. .

1A mal ar . De 0r d. A n tiph . rol ogue ) : De eccl . o

f N am
.
q od
111.
u 6
Gal l i , fi n itis p salmis n octur n ali us, solemus can ta re orati on em Domin i cam,
Roman s Eccl esia p r aetermitti t
1 B
aumer , t 1 . . p
385 : he n otes from Smaragd ( n in t cen tur y) R eg a l 9
. . h .

( 1
P .L . 01 1 . a n d t h e Ri tua l e u n el m e n se .

h
See w at Po e Gregory p II
, in 7 16 , l ays down on t is sub ec t for the bis o s h j h p
of Bavari a . j
He en oin s sacri fi can di et mi n istran di sive etiam p sall en di e x
fi gura et tradi tion e S A p ostoli cae ct Roman ae Sedis Ecc l esiae ordi n e ”
He
m
. .

desi res that the cl ergy cetera di urn arum atq ue n octurn arum horarum o cia, sive
eti am l ecti on em sacrorum libroru m N ovi a tq u e V eteri s T e stamen ti ordi nab il ia

p rae d i ca m en t a s tu d ea n t o b se rv ar e sec u n d u m t r adi tum A p ostolica e Sedi s an ti q ui

tatis ordin em
"
fl
'

J a é
.
, 2 1 5 3( P L L x xx rx . . .

1 On
e ma
y p
com ar e the distributi on giv en by Gerbert s an on ymous aut or
’
h
( 0 r do c an on s: d ec a n tan di i n e c c l esi a S P e tr i ) ( see an d t a t
. w ic Amal p . h h h
ari us recei ved from the A rc deacon T eodore ( D e 0r d A n tip h h h
rol o l e) p
gi
. . .

1 T
heodemar , Epi st ad Ca r ol um R eg em, P L xc v 1 5 84 :. N ec t m eo tem . . .

p ore in Eccl esia Romans , sicu t n un c l egun tur, sacras Scrip turas l egi mos fuisse
sed p p
os t al i q uod tem us hoc in sti tu tum esse , sive a beato P a a Gregorio, sive u t p
ab al iis ad firma tur ab on orio Q u a d e H
r e m a or es.n os tri i n sti tu er un t ut hic i n j
j
sacro n ostro coen obio, q uod uxta san ctum illi us cor us in stitutu m est, tr es cot p
p
tidia n is diebus aestivo in tem ore ex V eteri T esta men to l ecti on es in codice l ega n
tu r, n e a S Roman s Eccl esia di scre are vider en tur
. Dumml er ( M p Epi st . .

Ca rol A em, t 11
.
’

.
5 10
. p . .
 ROMA N OFF I CE OF TIME OF CH A RLE MA GN E 79

The lesson wen t on for so l on g as was deemed suitabl e, an d

en ded when the O ffi cian t mad e a sign to the reader to stop
'
.

The reader always en ded w ith the formul a Tu a u tem, to wh ic h

the choir resp on ded D eo g r a tias 1
T he th ree l esson s of the .

n octu rn were ea ch foll owed by a resp on d .

I t woul d be an error to id en tify the Roma n resp on d w ith

the p ra l mns r esp onsor i n r of the an c ien t Ch urch O f the l atter .

w e have j ust come across an e x act ins ta n ce in the in vitatory,

a n d n oth in g is l ess l ik e the in vi tatory tha n a resp on d T he .

respon d is in rea l ity a sort o f grad ual , an d on e k n ows that the

g r ad u a l i s at R o m e th e m os t a n c ie n t fo rm o f the ec c l es ia s tic a l
“
musical chan t A chan ge of mean in g has tak en p l ace h ere
.

co mp a rabl e to th at al ready n oted in the case o f the word

an ti p hon the gradual o f the Mass , which was n ot a p r a l mus

r erp onr on us , ca me to be ca ll ed r erp on son u m A malariu s g ives
’ ’

“
it n o other titl e Later on , th is use of the term was l ost ;
.

p p
e o l e sp o k e o f th e g r ad ua l o f t h e M ass, th e r esp on d o f th e

Office, an d any origin al iden tity between the two was n o lon ger
re mark ed
‘
I
t is p ossibl e that the r eep onr ar in m, both in the
.

Mass an d i n the Oflice, was a creation p ecul iar to the La tin

‘

Ch urch , an d that it is in this se n se that we are to un dersta n d

the sayin g of a con temp ora ry of S Gregory, S I sidore o f . .

Sev ill e R eep an r or i a a b I ta l i s l ong a a n te temp or e ra n t r ep er ta

T he resp on d is comp osed o f th ree el emen ts : the r esp on sor “

i u m p rop erly so call ed , the verse, an d the dox ol ogy

-
T he .

resp on ds were ex ec uted i n the foll ow in g man n er, wh ich is cer

1
Mat tan e De a n tiq eccl discip l p 33
, . . . .

In T uron en si S Martin i basil ica,

.
“
I
n the basil ica of S Martin at .

ui ch oro p ra eera t al ta voce cl amabat T ours he who rul ed the choir cr ied out
qac finest statimque lector parchat : with a loud voice Make an en d ( Fae
,
‘

V idi 1n M j or i Mon aster io [M armouti er] fi ncm) an d the reader forthwi th obeyed
a , .

v etus lecuon ar ium in cuj us l ecti on um I aaw at Marmouti er a n ol d l ectionary

fin e legitur F a c j l nem "
in wh ic h these w ords were written at
.

”
the en d of eac h lesso n.
1 h
Duc esn e, O r ig i n “ , 107 p
Amal ar D e eecl of 111 1 1
. .
1
. . . . .

1
[R eepon romem was origi nall y an abbreviation , mearu n g the same as psa l mur
r esponsori us h
How did suc a titl e come to be a p l ied to the gradual of the
. p
Mass an d the resp on d after the l esson an d to w ic of t em fi rst ? T he latter h h h
q u es ti on feeIl q ui te un a bl e to an sw er : b ut i n re ga rd to th e fo rm er we m ay
h
n oti ce t at in the or i i n al w ay of sin gi n g the res on ds the sol oist an d c oi r
g ave p h h
p
the same arts to sustain as i n the in vitator , w ic
y is a psa l ms: r esponsori ur , h h
an d the same is true of the an ci en t mode of si n gi n g the gradual T is may ave . h h
occasion ed t eir bot h h
bei n g call ed r esponsori um But t ere is a most stri in g . h k
con trast between the gradual s an d the res on ds, bot as regards t eir matter a n d p h h
their con structi on ; an d the ty e of chan t em l oyed—in eac p p h k
h —
c aracteristi c é s as di ffere n t as can be
case mar edl y
We t erefore must n ot sup p ou t at,
. h h
because the gr adual an d the res n d were bot call ed responsor i um, t ey ar e de h h
vel op men ts of w at was ori h y on e an d th e sa m e t in g A B ] h .
— . .

1
. I
S sid D e eccl of 111 1 1
. . . . .
80 HI STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
tai n ly the an cien t method an d as A malarius te ll s us the on e
, , ,

au t horized at R ome First the p recen tor san g the tex t of the
.
,
”
res p on d, the r esp onsor i u m as a so l o an d the c h oir rep ea ted
, ,

the sa me al l toget her ; th en the p recen tor san g the v erse, a fter

which the choir on ce more whole r eef on r on u m

rep ea ted the
’

”
a s be fore A t Rome modern Pop es says A mala rius had
“
.
, , ,

attach ed to ev ery resp o n d a Gl or i a P a tr i — in n o ca se foll ow ed

—
by S icn t er a t wh il e in the R ul e of S B en ed ict ( ch 9) there . .

is a Gl or ia on ly at the l ast resp on d in each n octu rn T he .

dox ol ogy h av in g been su n g by the p recen tor the choir fi n a lly ,

rep eated on ce more the res p o n soriu m

I
n p a ssi n g from R ome
in to Fra n ce , the Roman resp on so ral
s uffered mo re th an o n e mutil a tion A malari us te ll s us th at, in
.

his pa rt of the w orld, for the sak e of b rev ity, they did n ot t e
h i
”
b m d
’

p ea t t e e n t re r erp onr on u rn ,
ut resu e i t p er l a ter a

i e i n the middl e , or for the l ast th ird o f it on ly

. . H en ce 1t .

beca me n ecessary to se l ect verses wh ich woul d fit on to th is t e

su mp tion —a fi rst ca use o f rehan dl in g the resp on so ral
“
Th en , .

at R ome, a good ma n y resp on ds had, n ot on e v e rse, b ut two,

or th ree, or p erh ap s more : an d th ese ve rses al l fo rmed p a rt o f

the resp on d , an d were n ot in al l c ases, a s A ma l arius sup p o ses ,

mere a l tern atives, to be u sed in succ ession when the sa me t e
sp o n d was sun g ti me a fter ti me in the sa me week T he .

beautifu l resp on d A rp i ciene a l ong e, on A dven t Su n day, ha s

su rv ived in th is for m, w i th th ree ve rses : a n d i f the R o man s

assur ed A mala riu s that the rea son o f th is was p r op ter I

“
zon or ern

mag n a e fer ti vi ta tzlv, it is very p robabl e th at other festiva l s wou l d

be eq ually hon ou red Th us we see rea son to bel ieve th at the
.

res p on so ral , as it has co me dow n to us , has been mu ch abbre

v iated an d imp over ish ed , in co mp a riso n of wh a t it must on ce

have been .

T he matter of the resp on ds had r el ation to the p art of H oly

Scr ip ture wh ich was in course of read in g There were r e .

sp on ds from the P rop h ets ; re sp on ds ta k en fro m Gen esi s

1
D e 0r d A n ti h
. rolo ue :
g . p Al tero ordin e can tamus n ostr os r esp on sori os
uam Roman i p p
lli a ca 1te in ci p iun t res on sorium fi n ito v ersu : n os ve rsum
.

p
n i tum i n forrn amus res on sorium p er l ater a ej us
"
Id 1 : Fri scia tem oribu s
. . p
n on can taba tur Gl ori a p
ost versum, sed rep etebatur res n sorius A moder
n is autem A stolici s addi tus est h
mn us [Glor i a P a trr ost v ersu m "
al a p W
i
B
.

fr id Strab . r ebus cool 25 : un c itaq ue hymn um [

. Glor i a P a tt i ] n onn ul l i
omn ib us p
en e p sal mis, e t i n terd um in ci sion ib us p sal mor um co ap ta n t, resp on
sorii s v ero aucioribus, ut illi q ui statu ts atris Ben ed ic ti in p ori s seq uun tur
”
h
can on ici s . Oman i cum in p sa l mis rari us , i n resp on sori i s creb rius iter an t T he .

h
Gal lican custom has in t is matter su l an ted the Roman pp .

1
See the l etter from Hel isachar to N idibri us, ubl is ed i n ( M G ) Efi r t p h . . .

Ca rol i n i A eoi , t 111 . .

3 7 09
0 -
pp . .
 RO MA N OFFICE OF TI ME OF C HA RLE MA GN E 81

r es onsorii :
p R eg n m ,
r esp o ns or i a d e S ap i en ti a ,
d c j ,
o b d c T ob i a

dc j udi tlz, dc Hes ter , de M a cca oa ei s The r esp on sor i a de p sa l mis .

wen t w ith the l esson s from the N ew Testa men t The collec .

tion of resp on ds tak en fr o m the same book o f Scrip ture wa s

ca ll ed H is tor i a
1
.

With the th ird resp on d, foll ow in g the third lesson , the n octurn
came to an en d Twelve p sal ms, three l esson s, an d th ree re
.

sp on ds con sti tuted the n octurn both on Sun days a n d ferias .

But, wh il e th is formed the whol e of the f er i a l n octurn al ofli ce,

on Sun days th ere were added six more p sal ms, six l esson s, an d
six resp on ds, div ided in to two n octu rn s The three p sa l ms of .

the former of these two n octurns had an tip h on s as at vesp ers

in the othe r the p sal ms were a l l el u i a ti czsed i e th eir an ti . .

”
p h o n s c on si ste d o f n o th i n g m o re t h a n a n A l l e l uy a A t ea c h o f .

th ese two n octu rn s, as at the first, the p sal mody en d ed w ith a

vers icl e, on wh ic h fo ll owed th e l esson s Th ese were tak en from .

the ho ly Fath ers : T ra cta tus 5 5 H i er ony rn i , A morasi i , ca eter .

orn mgue P a tr u m, p r an t or do p asci t, l eg un tu r , says Gerbert s

’

an on ymous writer Th is custom was certain ly older than the

.

time of Pop e S Gregory, who men tions it ex p ressly ; S B en e

. .

d ict, al so, p rescribes it in his R ule 8

.

A cop y of the H oly B ibl e sufliced for the l esson s of the first
‘

n octu rn , b ut for those of the other two a whol e l ib rary w oul d

n ot have been too much A ccordin gly we fin d Po p e Zacha ry

.

(74 5 )
1 -
2 b es to w i n g o n th e b as i lica o f S P et e r a l l th e m an u .

scri p ts he p ossessed , to serve fo r use at the n octu rna l se rvice

on Sun days an d festival s : H ic in eccl esia Prin cip is A p ostol

o rum omn es codices domui suae p rop rios q ui in c ircul o an n i

Iegun tur ad matuti n os, a rmariorum op e ordin av it But in th is

sa me eig hth cen tu ry, the cen tury o f l itu rg ica l codification , the

task o f p ubl ish in g coll ection s of sermon s an d h omil ies w as un der

1
A mal ar De 0r d A n tip h 5 3 et seq
. . I
[ t i s w
. ort y o f re m a r , t at t
.h e ma tter
"
h k h
p
of the an ci en t res on ds 1s n ot, for the most art, ex ressed 1n th e exact words of p p
H p
oly Scr i tur e, t oug h h
fr eely remi n iscen t of t em : see, for i n stan ce, t ose tn h h
the n oct urn s of C ri stmas Day h h
T i s is on e fea ture w ic con sti tutes a s ar
. h h h p
h
l i n e of div isi on betw een t em an d th e gradual s T he an ci en t res on ds deserve p
to be made the sub ec t of s ec ial study —A B
.

j p . .

1
De eccl of W 9 .
“
. Sequen tes tr es p sal mi cum an ti on s
. . tres n ovis ph . .

si mi p sal mi cum A l lel uya Sedetur ad l ection es ost p sal mos, p raecedi t versus
. . p
l ecti on em .

1S
. Gr , Epist x1x Di c [Marian ian o ep iscO p o] ut commen ta psalmo
. .

rum l egi vi gili as facia t S Ben ed R eg a l 9 : Codices autem l egan tur 1n

. . .

vi gi lii s tam V eter is T estamen ti q u am N ovi Divi n ae a uctori tati s , sed et exp osi
tion es earum, q ua e a n omin atis doctorum orthodoxi s ca tholi cis Patribus taet ae
aun t
”
. F
See the l ectionary from l eury, seven t to ei g t ce n tury , Orlean s, MS h hh .

1 5 4 formerly
P t 1
. . .
43 2
. pC f. t 11 1 32
. an d .1 95
. . pp . .

6
 HI STOR Y OF T HE R O MA N B R EVI A R Y

tak en H en ce those learn il i a ri a an d ser mona r i a n umerous

.
l
,

e n oug h in our l ibra ries as every on e k n ows : Omel ia e si ve ,

tracta tus BB . A moroser, A ug nsti n i , Hi er ony mi , Fulg en ti r,

bil i a m P a tr u m, l eg enda e p er totius a n n i ci r cul a m is the titl e we

read at the begin n in g of on e of th ese, sel ected at h a z a rd ; it is

MS n o 2 9 of the Mon tp ell ier Library, of n in th cen tury date

. . .

Some o f these collection s have the n ame of the comp i l er The .

n a me of A l an u s, abbot o f Fa rfa in the secon d h al f of the eig hth

cen tury ( d 7 7 0 is attach ed to a homi l iary comp il ed by hi m

) .

“
an d of wh ich a MS su rvi ves of the en d of the sa me century . .

Similar co ll ec tion s were made by Bede ( d 7 3 a n d al so by .

A l cu in ( d T he n ame of Paul the D eacon , the most

.

e rudite an d fa mous of the mon k s of M on te C assin o, an d on e

of the best read men in Ch arl emagn e s l itera ry work shop , eu

’
-

sured the success of an oth er of th ese h omi l iaries, p ubl ish ed at

the req uest o f Charl emagn e , an d with a p re face by him .

Char lemagn e had given Paul the Deacon a commission ut

studi ose ca tlwl i coru rn P a tr um dicta p ercurr ens , vel u ti e l a tzssi rn i r

eor um p r a tis cer tas quosqne j l ascul os l eg er et, et i n u n u rn qua que

essen t u til ia quasi ser turn ap ta r et

”
This homil iary of .

Charl emagn e q uickly succeeded in sup p l an tin g oth ers, an d

”

from it a con siderabl e p art of the p resen t homi l iary of the

Roman Church has been derived .

1 The MS
Vati can L a t 3835 6 [
. eig t
. cen tury] is a
.
- in twohh h
vol umes, written out by a scribe who si gn s imself A gi mun dus p br , the co y ’
h p
havi n g b een made for a c urc a t Rome , the h h
basilica A p ostol orum Phil i p i et p
J ac o b t ( i e of th .e . ol y A o stl e s )H S ee th e d p
e s c r i ti o n o f .it i n E h re n s ber p H .

g e t , L i br i l i tur gi ci B i bl i o thecae A p o sto l i c a e V a ti c a nas ( re ib u r pp 1 48 9 F .

-
.

1
Mun ic , 45 64 Bi umer, t 1 h .
410 . . p
See the text of t is omi l iary in P L
. . h . .

L xxxrx 1 198 C f A Ra tti, L omel ia ri o detto di Ca r lo Mag us e l omel ia ri o di '

'
. . . .

A la n a di Farf a , in the R endi con ti del R I ns ti tu to Lomba r do, 1900, quoted by .

Baumer , l oc ci t . .

1
Dorn Morin , “
L homi l i ai r e d A lcuin r etr ouvé
’ ”
it is the MS Lat 14302,
(
’
. .

h
of the twel ft cen tury , in the Bi bl N at ) R evue Bén édscti ne, 1 892 , .
49 7
. 1 -
pp . .

1 Th
p
e em eror goes on to say :
“
Q [u i Pa ul th e D e ac o n ] n o str a e C el s i tu di n i
p
devote arere desiderans, tr actatus atque sermon es diversorum catholicorum
p
Patrum p erl egen s, et o tima q ua ue decerp en s, in duobus vol umi n ibus p er totius
an n i ci rcul um con gruen tes cu iq ue estivita ti di stin cte et absqu e viti is n obi s obtul i t
l ection es Q .uar u m o m n iu m te xt u m n o s t ra sa ga c i ta te p per e n d en te s, n o s tra e ad em
vol umin a auctoritate con sta bilimus , vestraeq ue rel i gion i i n C risti eccl esi is h
tradimus ad l egen dum
”
Perts ( M G L eg es, t 1 T m il i i p
g
.
45 h
. e bo s . . . .

p rin ted in P L xc v 1 1 5 9 et se . .
q but t m text rin ted by Mign e con tain s ter
. . p
addi tion s (of the el even t to t i rteen t cen turi es bl en ded wi t h h h
the origi nal : an d h
on e ean n ot t erefore, in the h Op
i n ion of Dom dorin , regard i t as the actua l g
h omi liary of Pa ul the Deacon For a restoration of the ori gin al text, see
. F .

W i egan d, D a: Homi l iari um Ka r l: dc: Grossen m i n e ursp n i ng l i clre Gesta l t

ar
'

k i n u n ter su cht ( Lei z ig,

-
p
an d Dom Mori n , sources n on iden tifi é es dc
l k oru de
’
. R evue Bén édi cti ne, 1898, 4 00 -
3 pp . .
 84 H I STORY OF THE R O MA N BREVI A RY

( CXLDL ), L a u an d
d a to D om i na nt i n sa n cti s ( )
C L F o r th e fi rs t, .

on S un days D omi nas r eg ua m? ( X C II on ferias, M is erer e ( L )

-
. .

For the secon d, a p sal m varyin g for each day of the week .

A n d for the fourth, on Sun days Ben edi ci te, an d on ferias on e

o f the six oth er can ticl es from the O ld T esta men t
‘
The .

p sa l m s , l ik e th o se o f ves p e rs, w e re fu rn is h ed with a n tip h o ns ,

an d the p sal mody was fo llow ed by a sh ort l esson , an d a versicle .

“
Then came the Benedzotas, with its an tip hon A fter th is,
'

Ky r ie el ezlron an d P a ter n oster : A malari us says n oth in g of

the recitation here o f the co ll ect With lauds the n octurna l .

ca n v as ca me to an en d , an d the mon k s cou l d n ow go an d tak e

a l ittl e re
p ose .

For the daytime was p rovided the d iurn al ta rsus, comp risin g
the th ree ofii ces of terce , sex t, an d n on e Each of these had .

the sa me p rogramme : the D eus i n acij a tor i a m, Gl or i a P a tr i ,

a n d th ee p sa l ms
r —or rath e r th ree section s of P sa l m CXVI IL,
comp risin g six teen verses each, an d su n w h a
g it ou t a n ti p h o n s .

A fter the p sal mody, a sh ort l esson , versicl e , Ky r i e el eison , an d

P ater n oster ‘
The offi ce for th ese th ree l ittl e day hours is
.
-

th us q uite in dep en den t of the n octurn al course , an d it was in

v a ria ble .

Lik e comp lin e, p rime was an ex ercise in its essen ce con ven
tual . I t was the p rayer of the mon k s on risin g, j ust as com
p l in e was th ei r p y
ra er at b e d tim e Is ta P r i m o i bi c a n ta tu r .

1D
s cool . o N am eeteris
diebus [ i
f . tv . 10 an d
v a tts can ticum un um( n em ue di e suo ex
Ben edict, Reg a l 1 3 :
12 . Cf .

h i
S
.

i ll i E
.

p ] o e t s s c u t p sa t o
p
p
r

B d
r ,

cl esia Roman a, dica n tur S en e i ct sets down or the l ands on Sun days,
after Miser er s an d Confi tm mi Dm D eus mm (mm wit out D m .
— h
miscra tu r h h
t is avin g b een said before Mir an " He ad n de ben e . I
diction es ( i e Bm dici tc) et l audes (p as c vm c x l ectio de A p oeal yp sin una ex
. . . .
-
..

cord e ( vn . p
12 ) et res on sori um, A mbrosian um y m n
) , v e rs u m , ean t ic m n de
Evan gel io (Bm di ctas) , l eta n ia (Ky rsc cl oison ) , et comp l etum est N o men tion
’

of an coll ec t C f Dom Morin ,

. .
“
L un iformité dans l es L audes da Diman c e.
’
h
du au V I I Siecl e, R m : B én i dicti no, 1 889 ,
' ”
30 1 4 [ T o l u d s b e l o gs
h pp
a n .
-
.

the sin gul ar distin cti on of n ever avin g (t r oug h

1 the c anges of sixteen cen h h
suffered an y material var iation —A B ]
B
turie . . .

e 01 4 A n tiph a :
. Post hos p sal mos can i tur a l iq ua l ectio
. Post q uam .

l ec tion em dici tur versus [ D omi n as r eg n a vit Post hoc tem us sequi tu r ut p
h y m n us di ca tu r [Ben e di ctus F or t he feri al l au d s A m a l ar i u s m ar k s t he v ers
iel e R e l eti suum: ma s s , an d he adds : “
I n Roman o vero an ti p hon ari o in ven i

p l ure s ( Df c 0 r d A a tip lr . .

on Vi ta S Bened i cti A n ia a m i s, 5 2 ( P L cm
“
‘ Ard
. . Ofi ci a [ diurna] . . .

j uxt a Roman um p salmo c xv m p ersol ven tur

"
.
( S B e n e di c t
’
s a rr a n g e m e n. t o f .

p
the sal mody for the li ttl e H
ours is wi del y differen t from the Roman A mon g .

h
ot er di fferen ces , his section s of Pa cxvm are of on ly eig t v erses eac , fol l ow h h
lan of the sal m —A B ]
. .

in g the origin al H
ebr ew acrostical p p . .

A mal at D r cool of N 3 an d 4
. . S Ben edict, R e I 1 7 , men tion s, after
. . . . .

the t r ee h p
sal ms, on l
y a l esson , a versi cl e an d K y r sc c t er n o s p s a l m o s
’

l ection e et v ersu, Ky m cl oison , et missas N o trace of anyt in g by way of a h

col l ect, beyon d th e P a ter n oster .
 RO MA N OFFICE OF TIME OF C HA RLEMA GN E 85

ti bi dor mi a n t to q uote on ce more Gerbert s an on ymous w riter

’
.

A n d as a con fi rmation of the th ree day hours havin g al so bee n -

orig in ally p urely con ven tual , we may remark that, l ik e th e m,

p ri m e co m p r i se d t h ree p sa l m s for p rim e th ese w ere D ear i n

n omi ne Tn o ( LI II) an d the two first section s of Psa l m CXV III Bea ti
. .

Imma cul a ti l
Lik e th em, p rime began w ith D an: i n aa'fa tor ia m
.

an d Gl or i a P a tr i : l ik e th em, it en ded w ith a ve rsicl e, Ky r i e

el ei mn , an d P a ter n oster But at p rime th ere was n o short .

”
l esson A fter P a ter n oster , A malarius p l aces the rec itation of
.

the A p ostl es creed 3

T o th is he j oins the sin g in g of the
’
.

Miserere, an d between th is an d the creed come versicl es ex

‘

p res sin g p e n i te n ce an d as k in g fo r p ar don ,

s uc h a s Vi v e z
a n i ma nsea at l a uda bi t Te, etj udzk i a tua act / a m o u n t m e ( P s .

CXV III, l ast two verses)

. There is n o men tion of the Con .

“
fi teor .

—
U p to th is p oin t we have an offi ce the ofii ce of p rime
which is distin ct from that wh ich is to foll ow ; at l east it was
so in its orig in as the R ul e o f S C hrodeg an g w itn esses which
, .
, ,

whil e it mak es the recitation of p rime tak e p l ace in the ch urch ,

p l ac es the ser vic e wh ic h fo ll o ws it in t h e c h a p ter h o u se Th is -

.

ex ercise beg in s with the rea d in g of the Ma rty rol ogy foll owed ,

by the versicle P r etiosa i n comp act“ D omi n i an d the p rayer

Sa n t a M a r ia at omnes S a ncti or some other of the same k in d ,
.

But the readin g of the Martyrology was n ot the r a ison d ttr e

’

A t some la ter d te the was dded to thi psalmody t p im the fi e psa l m

1 a re a s a r e v s
xxr xxv wh ich Pi u V di t i buted ov
-
. . the w eek I do ot k ow what w th
s s r er . n n as e
o i gi
r of thi
n dditio [B i des th
s a
se fi p sal m s th
n.e p sa l mod y o f
es p im e ve , r e
e en tua lly ecei ed the acc ti o of Pa
v r xv t a d th Q i
v q l tre A nd i t . c r . n e a cu n ac s a . n
u tb e ember d that th ofli ce of p i me was i i abl e Sun d ys a d w k n var a n ee
ay —A g
us e r r e e r ,

g s .

De A n tiflc 6 : Psalmus D am i s nomi n e T ao

0rd . . m p ra ep on i tur c xv °

cool Dein de sequitur versus En su rg s D omi n o ad u va nos

f
Do D I V 2:
. . .

j .

p
Postea in e oamus im lorare miser icordiam Domi n i p er Ky r i e d a mn et Chri s ta
A c dein d e seq uitur ora tio Domi n i ca
”
01 6 3013, et iterum Hy r se cl oison
‘

. .

D r M A n tip h 6 In rima n on rec ita tur l ectio

B
. .

3 D: rod o
f I
V a : . o st
. o r a ti one .m D om i n i cam se q u i tu r n os tra cred uli ta s

q u am SS A to l i
. co n sti tu er u n t
”
.

i bid equi tur p sal mus q uem David can ta vi t p ostquam p aen iten do con
‘
.

versus eat a mal o adul teri i et homic idi i

”
.

h
But t ere i s, in the Rul e of S C hrodegan g (ch Con ven i en tes cl eri
m
. .

ad Pri mam can en dam i n eccl esi a, com l eto o eio i so, an te Ps q uin q ua esimu m
p g p .

don en t con fession es suas vi ci ssim, di cen tes : Confi tcor D omi no at ti bs, f rom ,
ro ad coco s i i n cog i tation o, at l oca tion s, at op en p p
r o tcr r a , cco r , am p m m .

t i e resp on det : Misen a tu r tu i omn ip oton s D eus , st i n u lg sa t ti bi omn i a

pe c ca ta tua : l i b cr s t to o b o m n i m a l o, com m a to i n omn i bono, ct p ardaca t to a d
n i tu m ad am a nt Et il l e di cit : A men
. Su l ici corde certa ti m p ro se oran tes , . pp
hoe sibi faci un t Hoe exp l eto con ven iun t ad ca itul um
.
”
C f S Dunstan , D c p . . .

R egi mi no Mona clc 1 ( P L c xxxv n . P ost hoc [

. . at the brea i n g up of
. k -

Chap te 1 uicun q ue se reum ali cuj us cu l a e agn osci t, ven iam humil iter p ostulan s, p
p etit in ‘ gen tiam33 ”
.
86 H I STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A R Y
of t ish meetin g in Chap ter wh ich took p l ace thus , ,
at begin the
n in g of the day, for the p urp ose of assign in g to each me mber
of the commun it his tas , an d in vo in g the y essin g of k k bl God
on the work un dertak en it is that by His servan ts . Therefore
we fin d here the th ree fold rep etition of the D eus i n aayutor ium l
'

w ith Gl or i a P a tr i Ky r i e an d P a ter n oster followed by the , , ,

versic l es R esp i t e i n ser vo: Ta or etc an d the coll ect D i n ger e

2
.
, ,

et T he basil ica n mon k s at R ome did n ot dis

miss the Chap ter w ithout hav in g read so me p ortion of the
R u l e of S B en edict as we are tol d by Gerbert s an on ymous
.
,
’

”
w riter A mal arius merely sp eak s of a readin g
‘
. b ut b e “

r ega rd ed this as a custom whi ch had ori in ated in the mon as

g
°
teries .

H ere we fin ish
descrip tion of the ordin ary office of the
ou r
season I s th er e an y n eed to remark on ce more, as we con cl ude
.

it, how cl early the re was even th en to be distin guish ed in it

the j ux tap osition of d ifferen t cycl es of offices—the an cien t cc
clesiastica l cycl e of the n ig ht vig il s v es ers, n octurn s, l an ds) ;
°
( p -

the sup ererogatory cycle of the day hours (terce, sex t, n on e) ; -

an d the al togeth er mon astic cycl e of con ven tual ex ercises

(p rim e a n d co m p l in e) ?

T he cycl e of the sol emn ities of the C hristian season s began

w ith A dven t The custom of obse rvin g with sp ecial solemn ity
.

the four Sun days before the gr eat an n iversary of C hristmas

1 Gerbert s ’
an on h
ous aut or , v 4 see bel ow, 1 18 tel ls us t a t it is wit
.
( p .
) h h
the same formul a
p h h
rayer t at the brot er w ho en ters on his wee of serv ice in k
thekitchen begi h s ta sk on the Su d y mor i g
ns S t ti m di i t q ui i g d
i n a n n . a c n re
it D si
ar dj to i um m um i t d
eu n a t i ta o atio e te cum om ibus rep eti tur
u r n en s, e s r n r n
He adds th at the same is do e at S P ter s ve y Satu day n . e
’
e r r
M io ri i who ar beginn in g thei week s ser ice
an s na e r
'
v .

S Chrod g g R g a l 1 8 :
. R espi i n servo T o pa i ter usq ue i n fi n em
e an , e . te s a : r

p sa l mi , sub un gen tes

j Gl or ia . Dein de Pri or dicit : D i rig er e, etc .
"
Cf S.

Dc n i m a e Monach 1
’

stan , cxxxv n . .

3 D e cool
of xv 2 . . . .

‘
A n ony m w 1 (see . bidem
. p
o in vicem ca itul o di cto oran t
.

”
I p .

Statim ibi redeun t, et Prior cum ip sis, et ibi egun t Regul am S Ben edicri . .

D c sect of xv 2 : .Mos in ol evit ut p er monasteria Deo devota l egatur

. .

l ectio in ca itul o p
‘B
y ves ers m u st bep un d erstood fi rs t ves ers For cv festiv a l b eg i n s
h p
wi t ves ers on the ev en in g before, an d by ri ts oug t to en d e are ves ers on h p
the day itsel f, so t at t er e are n o h h
See T heodul p h, C a i p
p
secon ves ers
tula a d pr esb tcr os cv Con ven ien dum est Sabbato die cum u
y .

h
mi n ar ibus curlibet C r istian o ad ecc l esiam, con ven ien dum est a d vi gil i as sive ad
ma tuti n um offi cium C on curren dum est eti am cum obl ati on ibus ad Missarum
.

sol emn ia
"
h
A n d t is is al l the ubli c wors i t ere is on Sun day at the en d of
. p hp h
hh
the ei g t cen tury H
en ce the formul a ta en fr om the 1 5 th can on of the k
coun cil of Laodi ce a : A ves ers ad vesperam dies Domin ica servetur
”
p .
88 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
T HE PR ECE N r oa '
.

y Q uiq ue terrigenae et filii homin um , si mul in un u m, dives et p p

a u er .

C H O IR .

I
te ob viam et d icite .

T HE P REC EN TO R .

flQ ui regisIsr ael, in ten d e : q ui d educis vel ut ove m Josep h q ui sede s

sup er Cherub im l

C HO IR .

N ua tia n ob is si tu es ip se q ui regn aturus es in p op ul o I

srael .

But what n eed h

t us to scan the horizon in doubt ? He
who mes is k n own
co ,
an d no tri u mp h ca n be fair en oug h to
welcome His adven t
T HE P R ECENT O R .

T ollite p ortas, p rin cip es, vestr as, et eleva min i, p ortae a etem al es,
n troib it
et I .

C H O IR .

Q ui regn atur us e s in o
p p ulo I
srael .

T HE P R ECE NTO R .

Gloria Patri et Filio et Sp iritui San cto .

A n d the whol e of the op en in g tex t is rep eated in c horus

A sp icien s a lon ge o
p p ul o I
srael .
l

A mal arius commen ts up on this resp on d of A dven t w ith

j ust admiration for it is on e of the most p erfect model s of
this sort of co mp osition N o doubt there are man y oth er re
.

sp on ds , the in sp ira tion of wh ic h is far from bein g so g ran d or

so b ril l ian t Moreover, by the en d of the eigh th cen tury, it

.

woul d seem that the taste for th ese comp osition s began to be
lost ; p eop le w ished them shorter ; they were p ared down an d
g r u d i
g gn ly ren d er e d T h e A .sp i ci en r a l ong ,
e as w e hav e j ust
q uo te d i t,
a n d as i t sta n ds i n dee d in ou r offi ce to day , h as th ree -

ver ses ; b ut at R ome, in the time of A malari us, a l ready on ly

1
I h
Beholdin from afar , lo, see the mig t of God ap roac in g, an d a cloud h
coverin g the w ol e eart h— h
Go ye fort to meet Him, an say T ell us if T ou — h
h
art He t at sha l l ru l e the p p
eo l e of sraelI 7 A l l y i ab it ers o f th e w h o r l d
h —
e n .

h
an d c il dren of men , ric an d h p h
oor, on e wi t an ot er Go ye fort to meet Him h
an d as 7 ear , 0 H
T o u S h h ph
e erd o f srIa e l , T o u t a t l ead es t h h
o se l i k e a J ph
h
s eep , hou t at sittest u on the c erubims—T el l us, etc
h p h 7 L i ft u p y o .ur gates,
p
0 y e ri n ces, an d be ye l i ft up , ye ev erla sti n g doors, an d He shal l come in
h h p p
T at s all ru l e the eo l e of srael I
”
.

9
D o 0r d A n tiph 8
. . .
 ROMA N OFFICE OF TI ME OF CH A RLE MA GN E 89

two of hem were sun g ; an d it had become the gen eral rul e
t 1
,

even at R ome n ot to assign more than on e verse to a res on d

, p .

So the A sp i a en r a long e has su rvived w ith its th ree verses as

'

, ,

a sp eci men o f a ty p e al ready out of date in the time of A mal

a rius . Such as they are however cut down an d mutil ated , , ,

the R oman resp on ds have l asted down to our own times an d , ,

in sp ite of much op p osition have k ep t their p l ace even in the

p r iv a te rec it a t io n o f th e o ffi c e B u t o u r p rac tice o f sa y.
n
over an d over again a certain n umbe r of the most commo n

p l a c e o f th e m i n disp oses u s t o a pp rec ia te th e be a u ty o f th ese

an tiq ue creation s so me of whic h ,

— as I hop e o sh ow
t — a re in

ve ry truth masterp ieces o f l itur ical l iteratu re

g .

The four Sun days of A dven t w ere l ook ed up on at R ome i n ,

the eigh th cen tu ry an d even in the tw el fth a s so man y stages

, ,

i n a season of j oy where al l was g l adn ess at the n earn ess o f

,

the co min g o f the R edeemer The th ird o f them the Sun day
.
,

Ga udete w ith its station at S P eter s wa s the cu l min atin g

’
, .
,

p o i n t o f th is j o y ou s g o i n g p u to B et hl eh e m T h e s i x da y s .

before D ecember the 24th garn ished their feria l p sal ms at vesp ers
an d l a uds w ith an tip hon s wh ich a l rea dy reflec ted the sp arkl e

o f the Sav iour

’
s star— R ora te oa el i Ha u r ietis a
q ua : in

su rg e, i nda er e E l eva re, el az/ a ro, consu rg e, Hier ara l em

while the an tip h on to M agn ified at vesp ers in thi s last week
o f ex p ectation was, as early as the eighth cen tury, tak en from

that series whi ch we call the grea t 0 s 0 S ap i en tia

’
-

O Cl a vir 0 Or ien s ”

0 R ex g en tiu m 0 Vi rg o vi rg i n u m l — w ith their

lofty an d p rimitive symbol ism ”
.

T he station of Christmas was at S Mary the greater, n o .

doubt ever sin ce the recon struction of the basi l ica in the
fi fth cen tury with the ab ove titl e durin g the p o n tifi
cate o f Six tu s I I I
(43 2 A t Ch r istmas w e m eet for

the fi rst ti me , w ith an office which is n eith er do min ica l n or

feria l : a n office o f th ree n octurn s, comp r isin g n in e p sa l ms an d
n ine l esson s The p resen ce of the Pop e added all the disti n c
8
.

1 Do 0rd . A n tip h . p ologu

r e:
“
I
A rchidi acon um Theodorum
n terrogavi

q uot v er su s ca n tar et Roman a Eccl esia i n res on sori o A t ri t i on : a l ong :

t p
R e
di t : Duos Sciscita tu s sum cur duos can tasset, extra sol i tum morem, in
.

p
o res on sori o Resp on di t : Pmp ter
. on orem magn ae festi vi tatis hR e er i . p
p ostea n on sol um in isto, i e A spioi m a lon e, tr es v ersus, ut in n ostro a n ti
g. .

ho ar io co n ti n etu r , sed et iam in al ii s mul tis I R om o ti ho a i o t d o

p n
”
n an an p n r au u s
aut tres scr ip tos .

D c 0r d A n tiph 13
. . .

p
Or do of Mon t ell i er , fol 87 .

In vi gil ia N atal ia Domin i i n ci p i O n the eve of our Lord s Birt day,

'
h
90 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
tion of a h at of the p salms w ith their
state ly ceremon ial to t
oft rep eated an tip hon s
-
l
I
t w as a g l orious v igil wh ich deserved.
,

to be wh at i t beca me the l itu rgica l model of which al l oth er

, ,

festiva ls ex cep t i n deed Easter an d Pen tecost were the

, ,
2
cop ies .

Ep ip han y more
t an the rest, was a cop
, of ristmas h y Ch .

h
T he statio n on t a t day was at S eter s : an d the offi ce was,
’
. P
l ik e that of Ch ristmas of n in e p sal ms an d n in e l esson s al l , ,

the p sa l ms be in g an tip hon ed 8

.

The R oman Len t as early as the fourth cen tury comp rised
, ,

six w eek s : b u t the custom of a o in tin t tio n for ea c h

pp g a s a

day durin g these six week s as al so for the th ree Sun days i n ,

S ep tuag es i ma , i n S exag esi ma , i n Qu i nq uag esi ma , can n ot be '

traced further back th an about the seven th cen tury ‘

Sep tua .

g es i ms w a s a S un d ay o f j y,
o a l ast l ook ba ck u p o n B ethl eh e m,

on wh ich an tip h on s an d res on ds still re echoed the A llel uy as

p
-

of C hristmas : the rubric p rescribin g th is l asted on at R ome

5

en te n octe mox in gr ediun tur ad vi gilias, at the begi nn in g of the n ight th ey go

dein de exp l eti s p sa lmis v w r cum l ec in to the church for the vi gil : an d
.

tion ibus vel resp on suri is se u et matu havin g fi n ished the n in e sal ms, wi th
tin i s cum an ti p hon is ad i psum di em the l esson s an d res n an d al so

p e rt i n en ti b us, ex ectan tes Domn um l au ds , with the an ti p on e that bel on g

p
A p ostoli cum modIce req ui escun t Ad to that day, th ey rest aw hi l e, w aiti n g
.

rO p in q uan te vero
g all oru m c an tu i p so fo r th e com i n g o f th e ,A po st ol ic P r e l at e .

omn o A postol ico cum ep i scop ia vel But wh en the time of cock crowi n g -

rel i qui a sacer dotibus cum cerei s vel draws n ear an d the A p ostoli c Prel ate ,

mul tis l umin i bus proceden te surgen tes comes in with the b ish ops an d the rest
,

p rae p a ran t se q u ali ter a d M issa s i n g r e o f th e c l er gy , w i th m an y l i gh t ed

dia n tur , et mox ut gall us can tav er it can dles, th ey ri se up an d pre pa re th em
Domn us A p ostol icu s c um omn i ordi n e selves to begin the Mass An d as soon .

sacerdotum ad Missas i n gredi tur as the cock has crow ed, the A postol ic
”
.

Prel ate, atten ded by the cl ergy of every

begi n s the Mass ra n k , .
”

1
See n ote 4 , p
A rn al arius ( D e 0r d A n tip h n otes the fact t a t i n h
gg
72 . . . .

the Roman an ti ph
on ary he foun d, for the n ig t of xistmas, tw o n octur n al h
ofi ces : the fi rst w as sun g by the P o e at S Mary s the greater , the secon d by
'
p .

the c l ergy a t S Peter s

’
h h
Eac of t ese offi ces had its own r es on ds an d an ti
. . p
lton s h h
A mal arius al so tel l s us t at t is ofi ce of S Peter s came, i n ran ce , to
’
F
g
. .

h
e assign ed to the Oc ta ve of C ri stmas, i a to w at i s n ow the festival of th e . h
C ircu mc ision .
q p
But th e O rdo of Mon t ell ier us on ly ac uai n ted wit on e an d the h
same ofii c e, for Chri stmas an d its Oc tav e : Post n ativrtatem vero Domi n i usque
i n O ctabas , raeter San ctorum festivi tatibus, p salmi, an tip honae , resp on suria,
p
seu l ection es I n n octe et i n di e de i so Domin i N ata li sun t ca n en di I p
n Octabas .

au tem Domin i, q uod est K al . J

an uar , ordi n em q uo Domin i N atal e in omn ibus .

obser van t
‘
D s 0r d A n tiph 1 5 : “
Sicut p er n ovenarium n umerum, ui cel ebratur in
. .
q
N a tiv itate Domi n i , gratias agimus de Dei descen sion e rta p er eumdem
n umera m gratias a i mus in festivi tati bus San ctorum
"
g .

3 T he
h
omissi on on t is day of the in vi tatory was a ran i s custom N ostra F k h
t gi o n p omitter s i n vitatori um
"
D c 0r d
i
ra esen ti offi cio sol i ta est
j
. .

n ti 21 .

h
c esn e, O rig in ” , 234 3
- 6 5 Do
pp
0rd A n tiph 30
. . . . .
9 2 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
Th us they ex p ress the comp l ain t of Christ in the garden of
—
Gethseman e forsak en an d be trayed w n p u nctionem tr adi tion i r
—
,

Ej ur to use the words of A mal arius .

D ixerun t imp IIn on recte cogi tan tes Circumven iamus j ustum, q uon iam
con trarius est O p erib us n ostris Promitti t se scien tis m Dei habere ;
.

Fil ium Dei se n omin at ; et glor iatu r Patrem se ha bere D eum V i de .

amus si sermon es il l ius veri sun t et si est ver us Fil ius Dei, l iberet ill um
de man usi b n ostr is I M orte t p
ur issim a con d emn em us E um l— H aec cogi
ta ver un t, et erraver un t : excaecavit en im ill os mal itia corum, et n escierun t
sacramen ta D ei — Morte turp issima con demn emus Bum l
.
1

There we have the evi l min d of the cro wd still un decided ,

al l their sarcas m an d t h eir p itil ess sp irit. Then in an ot er h
resp o n d, the cry of Ch rist
A dten de D omine ad me, at audi voces adversa riorum meorum N um .

q uid red di tur p ro b on o mal um ? u ia fo de run t fovea m an ima s m eaeQ .

H omo p aci s meae, in q uo sp erabam, q ui edebat p an es meos, a mp l iavit in

me sup p a tatio e
l n n m — N umq uid r ed d
. itu r p ro bon o mal um — A dten de,
Domin e, etc ’
.

So we en ter on the H oly Week T he office of the Mon day, .

T uesday, an d Wedn esday was the ordin ary ferial on e : twel ve

l m h l A d h m h m d m ”
l
'

p sa s, t ree esso n s n t en ca e
. t e na , the ast
three ferias of the H oly Week , an d the offi ce assumes the am
l it u de wh i ch c haracteriz es the most sol emn ann iversa ries
p .

The office of these three days is min utel y described in the

u rest an d most an cien t Or di n er R om a n i , suc h as that o f
p
E in siedel n , an d of S A man d I t was un doubtedly a p urely
. .

Roman creation 8
T he offi ce commen ced at midn ight, an d,
.

declare Thy name un to my bret ren —My God, my God, l oo u on me : why

h . k p
h h k
ast t ou forsa en me, an d art so fa r from my eal t ? Save me from the lion s h '
h
mout —T roubl e Is ard at an d, etc ( Ps xxx
h h ”
h
'

. . .

1 T he un godl y said, reason in wi th t emselves, but not arig t : Let us l ie In h h

h
wait for the ri g teous, because j e I s cl ean con g to our doin gs He pr o .

h k
fesseth to ave the n ow l ed ge of God, an d he cal le imsel f the C il d of the h h
Lord . k h h
He ma et his boa st t at God Is his at er Let us see if his words be F h .

tr ue . If he be the son of God , He w ill del iver him out of our an ds L e t us h .

con demn him wit a s ameful deat h h Suc t i n h h h

t ey di d imagi n e, an d wer e
. h
h k h h
decei ved, for t eir own wic edn ess at bl in ded em : an d as for the mysteri es
o Go , t
f d h k
ew t em h n ot — Let us con demn him wi t a shameful dea t h h
8
n
W
( 1 i sd o 1
m h
Gi v e ea r to me, 0 Lord, an d ear T ou the voice of min e en emies h S all h
—
.

ev il b e r en d er e d for goo d ? F o r t e y av e g eh h
d a p i t for m y sou L Y ea ,

h I
min e own fami lia r fri en d, w om trusted. w 0 did al so eat of my bread, hat h
m —h d d d ? G ”

g
la g re a t w a it for e S a l l ev il b e ren er e for g oo ive ear , et c .

x1 .
)
8
[It is rem ar k abl e th at S B en edict p rovi ded n o offi c
e s of his ow n for the
He ad0p ted the Roman Ofi w s un chan ged—s trikin gly divergen t as
.

T riduum .

i s th ei r structur e from tha t of his own ofi ces It seems to give g roun d for be
that the ofi ce of the T riduum—matti n s an d la n ds at a l l even ts—al ready
.

Ievi
gg n the sixth cen tury in much the same state a s n ow —A B ]
,

at R ome I . .
 RO MA N OFFICE OF TI ME OF CHA R LE MA GN E 93

con trar to the gen era c ustom, n eit er D eus i n a af

y l i n tor i n m h
n or in vita tor ere said, b ut the p sal mody
y w eg an at on ce, b
it out an y p re imin aries
w h l
ere ere t ree n octurn s, eac
. Th w h h
havin g three p sa l ms with A fter the th ird p sal m
a n ti p hon s
.

ca me the v ersic l e an d a fter th at the rea der stood up to begi n

the l esson s : b ut be n either ask ed for a bl essin g on beg in n in g

the m, n or said the Ta a u tem at th eir con cl usion l
O n all three .

da ys, the l esson s in the first n octurn were from the La men ta
tion s of J ere mia h, in the secon d from S A ugustin e, in the third .

fro m the E p istles of S Paul Neith er p sal ms n or resp on ds

. .

had the Gl or i a P a tr i A fter the three n octurns ca me l auds ,

.

with antip hon s to the p sal ms an d the Benedi etar , b ut, at the
con cl usion , n o K r i e el eimn as usual , but sim ly the v erse
y p
Clm lrtas f a t ty : es t obedi en t The con greg ation then retired
.

in silen ce A t the n ight office of Ma un dy Th ursday, cel eb rated

.

a t S J oh n Lateran , the bas il ica was l it u p as usu al : b ut on

.

Good Friday, when the office was s un g at H oly C ross in J eru

sal em, a ll th e l ights were ex tin g u ish ed on e a fter an other, so

that at the en d of Bened ictm on ly on e rema in ed al ight, wh ic h

was then hid behin d the al tar un til the n ex t day r eser veta r

a bsaonra ar u e i n S a bba to S a n cto — in to k e n th at the Lig ht

g
of the worl d was ex ting u ished , Ch rist being dea d, an d tha t
dark n ess was up on the face of the whol e ea rth The n ig ht .

office of Easter Eve was cel eb rated in the da rk , on ly on e l a mp

being suffered to be lit for the reader ta n tmn u n a l a mp ad a
'
a ccen aa ta r p r o
p ter l eg en da m
I n deed, the Roman Ch u rch had n ot even an y n eed of this
dra matic symbol ism to imp ress the min ds of the faith ful T he .

whol e dra ma of the Passion of the Saviour was set forth in the
resp on ds o f her offi ce

Eram quas i agn us in n ocen s, ductus sum ad immol an dum et n escieb am .

Consilium fecer un t in imici mei adversum me, dicen tes : V en ite, mitta mus
l ign um in p a n em ej us, et con teramus cum de terra viven tium —omn es .

in imici mei adver sum me cogi tab an t mala mihi, verb um in iq uum man
daver un t advers um me —V en ite, mittamus lign um in p an em ej us, et con
teramus c um de terra viven tium —
.

Era m q uasi agn us, etc

.
8
.

1
[ P ossib ly, i n all t ese hom i ssi ons , w e o u g t m er el y h
to see an ev i den c e of the
h
extreme an ti q uity of t ese offi ces : ow ever a h pp p
ro ria te t ey may a hear to the pp
p arti cular occasion of t eir use h A B] — . .

1
h
The extin ction of the can dl es, on e after an ot er , at the n octurn s of all t r ee h
h F F
days, T ursday , rida an d Saturda y, is a ran k i s custom, as A mal arius attests h
( D c 0r d A
. n t ip h . i s ha s ev en tu a l ly ous te d th e o l d R om a n cus to m w itn essed
h h
to by the A rc deacon T eodore in the n in t cen tury h
1“
h h
Iwas as a l amb wi t out guil t ; broug t to the slaug ter an d k n owi n g it h
n ot ; min e en emies devised devices again st me, sayi n g : Come, l et us mak e him
94 H I STORY O F T HE ROMA N B REVI A RY
Then , after h
t is co C hrist the emotion
mp lain t of ,
of His
Moth er , ca l l ing for hel p to the A p ostl es who have fled
V adis p r0p itiatus ad immolan d um p ro omn ib us N on ti b i occurri t Petrus, .

q ui d ice b at mo ri tecum ? R el iq ui t to T homa s, q

ui s i eb at : O mn es cum ao
moriamur ? E t n e un us ex ill is ? Sed tu solus duceris, q ui custam me con
fortasti, fi l ius et D eus meus l—P romitten tes tecum in carcerem s t in mortem
i re, rel icto te fugerun t l E t a s un us ex illi s — V adiis p r0p itiatus, etc 1 -
.

A ll the horror of the con scien ce of man k in d at the sig ht of

suc h in iq u ity

Barrab as l atro dimittitur, et in n ocen s C hristus occid itur N am et .

Judas, armid octor scel eris, q ui p er p acem d idicit facere b el l u , osculand o

tra did it Domin m m C h i m — V d f l l ib m fl ll
m
u Jesu r stu er ax a tar a ac us, p
i u a g.e a t
imp iua — O scul an do tr adidit, etc —Barrabas la tro di mittitu r, etc ’
.

The sh udder o f N ature h ersel f, an d of the ver y fab ric

wh ich en sh rin ed the law of God
T en eb rae facta e sun t, etc.
Et vel um temp li scissu m est, etc.

A n d after th is storm of grief; an d treachery , an d bl ood,

an d after this q uak in g of earth an d h eave n , the tumult d ies

a w ay in the rel ief of tears

Reoessit Pastor n oster, etc .

Ecce q uomod o moritur ustu s, etc J .

D omin e, p ost p assion em T uam at p ost d iscip ul orum fugam, Petrus

p l ora b a t, di oens : L a tr o T e con fessus est, et ego T e n egavi M ul ieres .

T e pra ed ica verun t, et ego ren ui P utas, j am vocab is me discip ul um .

T uum ? A ut iter um con stitues me p i scatorem mun di ? Sed rep oen iten tem
suscip e me, D omin e, et miserere mei Ego dixi in excessu meo : omn i s —
homo men dax —
P utas, j am vocab is, etc ? Domin e, p ost passion em, etc ’
.

ta ste of the tree, l et us cu t him off from the lan d of the l ivin a - All mi ne en emies
g —
h p h
w is er toget er aga inst me : even against me do t ey ImagI n e t i s evil C ome, h h .

l et us mak e him taste of t e tree, etc

”
h Pa . .

1
h p
T ou goest , our Pro i ti ation , to be sl ai n for al l l A n d dot n ot Peter come h
to Th ee, he who said he woul d die wit T ee h h
at T omas l eft Thee, who sa id, H h h
Let us die wi t Him ? h Wh
a t, n ot on e of them ? But T hou art l ed awa9 y to death
h
al on e, T ou who ast h p
reser ved me in c astit , My Son an d My God !
y h T hough
h p
t ey romised t at t ey would go wit h h h h
T ee In to rison a nd to dea t , t ey ave p h h h
forsak en T ee an d fled lh —Wh
a t, n ot on e of t em T ou goest, etc
”
T he h — h .

a din fi i f op ti a tus, an d oonsm as ti for confor tau i , are a l so foun d

re fi a t a tor or
i .

1 “ he robber B bas is set fi ee an d Christ, the I n n ocen t on e , i s sl ain l For

J h
udas, t at very Master of the arms of wic edn ess, who n ew how by mean s of k k
h h J
ea e itsel f to mak e war, at betrayed the Lord esus wit a k iss
p c T o deceivers h .

I s gI h
ven over the T ru e : un oly han ds scourge the H h h
oly On e He at betrayed .

the Lo d J esus with a k iss

”
r .

1 0 Lo d after Th passi on an d the di ht of Thy disci ples Pete l amen ted

r , , r .

sayi g : T h th i ef
n eased T h e
e an d I en i ed Th e Women ack nowl e, e .

T hee a d ! ej ted T h eo
,
n r T h i k est Thou that T hou ca t yet call me
ec . n y ns
disc i pl ? C a t T hou o ce
e ns sen d me fo th a fi sher of men ?
n Yet raise r
T h o me up agai 0 Lo d an ha e mercy upo me fo asmuch as I rep en t
Isaid i my haste : All men are liars —
u n, r , v n , r .

n Thin l est Thou that Thou canst yet call . r

me T hy disci pl e ? .
96 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
O n e mig ht have thought th at th is l iturgy o f the Pascha l
n ight, be in g n othin g e l se than the an cien t vigi l , woul d have

tak en the p l ace of the ordi n ary can on ical n octurn offi ce But .

n oth in g of the k in d A fter the vigi l , the daily n octurn al offi ce

.

”
kep t its p l ace . E ven in the n ight of the R esurrection , says
the 0r do of S A man d, . we rise a fter cock crow, we go in to -

the chu rch, an d after a p rayer the k iss of p eace is given in

”
sil en ce . Then begin s the usual n octurn al office, the D ew i n
a aj u tor i u m, the in vita tory w ith its A ll el uyas, three p sal ms w ith
'

A lle luyas , the versicle ; th ree lesson s, an d th ree resp on ds

1
.

Then lauds, w ith A llel uyas T he Benedi ctus havin g been sun g,
.

the Ky r i e el eison was n ot said, but the an tip hon H a ec dies, fol
lowed by the collect ’
Thi s can on ica l n octu m offi ce was, we
.

see, on e of three p sa l ms, th ree l esson s, an d th ree res p on ds .

T he reason for th is brevi ty was tha t, beginn in g p or t g a l l oru m

t a n tu m, an d n ot medi a n octe, it woul d hav e been i mp ossibl e to

g ive i t th e a m p l itud e o f th e o ffi ce of C hri stm as ,

fo r i n sta n ce ,
”
with its n ine p sal ms, n in e l essons, an d n in e resp on ds A ll .

th roug h the octave o f Ea ster they rep eated this o ffice of on e

n octu rn , foll ow in g the rul e tha t the office of the octave must

corresp on d w ith tha t of the feast .

T he octave of Easter or, as it was th en cal l ed, the seven di es

bap tzk ma l er , had an ex cep tion al ofli ce We have seen that the
.

Ordi n er R oma n i , which fu rn ish us with such min ute p articu l ars
as to the l iturgy of the l ast th ree days o f H oly Week an d as

to th at o f E aster, n ot on ly do n ot men tion the th ree hours of

terce, sex t, an d n on e, but say n othin g o f vesp ers either : n o
p u bl ic v es p e rs w ere co n t em p l at ed fo r M a u n d y Th u rs d ay o r

Good F riday, n o vesp ers of an y k in d for Easter eve ‘

O n the .

1 Th
eOr do of S Aman d inserts here a rayer
. p Et orati on em dat resbyter p
n o doubt the P a ter noster .

1 A ma
lar D c sect of Iv 23 :
. . . p
Hab emus scri tum in Roman o ordi n e, ut n on
dicatur Ky m sl eison sive C hrist: s l eison ad ul l um cursum in memoraria dishn a,
sed sin e retr action e can temus Ha sc dies Col l ectam sola m solet sacerdos
.

"
dicer e in fin e O E ci i .

1 Gran
p
colas , .
332 : Un us tan tum n octurn us dicitur, quia ferme dies erat
u a n do in ci i ebatur ofi ci um n octi s, er at ue hora Laudum
q p q
1
p h h
T he O rdi n os urely Roman , suc as t ose of Ein siedel n and of S Aman d, .

k
ma e n o al lusion to an y diur nal course durin g the T ri duum T he 01110 of the .

Val l icel lan l ibrary wr ites : Prima n ee tertia, n ee n on a, a S Pasc a u us in . h

octavas n on can tatur h h
O n the ot er an d the O r do R oma n ae P ri nts: of abil
h h p
l on , w ic , as reg ards the Pa schal l iturgy , re resen ts the Roman use a s ractised p
h h
el sew ere t an at Rome, men tion s the diurn al ofi ce sa v ero die [ Maun dyIp
h
T ursday] omn e di um al e ofi cium in simul can un t on Good riday Vesp eram F
p
dici t un usq uis a s riva tim on Easter eve, n ot in g h
The a n ti on ary of S
. ph .

Peter s ves Primam, tertiam, sea tam, et n anam usq ue

'
’
foll owi n g rubric :
h
ad Pasc a secreto di cimus ; simil iter ves eram Pa ra sceuen
p ( T omasi , t Iv . . p .
 ROM A N OFFICE OF TI ME OF C H A RLEMA GN E 97

h
ot e r ha n d, th ese Or di ner p rescribe vesp ers for each of the di es
bap tzlmra l er It wou l d be a matter fo r surp rise , if these Pascha l
.

v es p e rs w e re an office simil a r to ves e rs such as we ha ve met

p
w ith in the common an d p rop er of the seaso n : b ut in fact
th ey have n othi n g in co mmon with the vesp ers of the o rdin ary
ca n on ica l offi ce beyon d the n a me .

O n the even in g of E aster Day , for ex a mp l e, when the

sta tion was at S P eter s, the cl e rgy ca me i n for vesp ers in p ro
’
.

cess ion , p r eced ed by the cross an d the in cen se, an d took u

p
th ei r p l aces in the p resbytery, roun d the hig h al tar T he .

office began with Ky f i s el eison th en was sun g the D i r i t

D omi nas , the Confi tebor , a n d the Bea tur vi r ( p ss CI X th ree . .

p sa l m s w i th A ll e l uyas B e tw ee n th e sec o n d a n d the t

.h ird o f
these p sa l ms was in serted a grou p of versic l es—D omi n us r eg

fl miana D omi ne—al l bein g all usion s to the resurrection an d

triump h of Christ . A fter the p sal mody there was a p rolon ged
c han t of A l leluya ex ecuted cu m mel odi a: si mul ca m i nf a n ti
,
”
bur says the 0r do of S A man d
, Then the M ag n ifiea t with
. .
,

its an tip hon an d by way of concl usion a collect

, H ere is an .

e x traordin ary
p g
r o ra m m e fo r v es p er s ! B u t th is is n ot t h e

whole of it The p rocession in fact took up its march again

.
, , ,

a n d the c l er y l i th b t y i th p o f t h
g ea v n g e p res
, y e r e e a se e , . .

basil ica we n t an d rang ed themselves in fron t of the triump hal

,

a rch between the n ave an d the p resbytery before the great ,

cross wh ich was su sp en ded in the cen tre o f the arc h There .

they san g the fou rth ves p er p sal m L auda to p aer i ( CXII ) w ith ,
.

A l leluyas the M ag n ifica t over again w ith an an tip hon an d a

, , ,

secon d co ll ect T he p rocess ion then wen t on to the ba p tismal

.

fon t where was chan ted the fifth vesp er p sal m I n exi ta I sr a el ,

( C XI II ) w
. i t h A l le l u y a s M a
g ifi
.
n ea t w i th an a n t,
ip h on fo r t h e ,

th ird time a n d a th ird coll ect

, Such are the rub rics g iven by .

A malarius l
The 0rdo o f S A man d which rep resen ts a still
. . ,

more an cien t state of the l iturgy directs a lon g verse in Greek , .

[Wh were even tuall y rovided for the T riduum, t ey were curi
en ves ers
p p h
on el y en tan gl ed I n the en d of Mass T hi s is sti ll the case on Easter ev e, an d
—
.

w a s fo r mer l y so o n the ot er tw o da ys a s w a l k A hB ] . .

10
: 0r d A n tip h 5 2 :
. De glorioso ofii cio quod fi t circa v esp er tin al es termin os
.

in Paschal i ebdomada in Roman a Eccl esia For a mor e deta il ed descri tion
p
see Dom G Mori n , Les vepres Pasesl es dan s l a n ci en n e l iturgie Romai n e,
.
“ ’ ”

R a ms Béni di cti ne, 1 889 , 15 0 7 [S e e ord s wo pp

rt an d Procter s S am nr
.
‘
-
. W h
Brevi a ry , vol I col s dccertvij dcccxxij , for th e form of this beauti ful service
. . .
-

us ed in En gl an d un til the R eformati on It was r etain ed in the Gal l ican brevi

aries down to the time of t eir su h
ressi on i n the n i n eteen t pp
cen tury ; an d still , h
I p
ho e an d bel ieve, survi ves at Lyon s A B] .
— . .

7
9 8 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
to b e sun g at whol e these Paschal
the fo n t . Tak en as a ,

ve sp e rs a re e x cee d i n gly d iffe ren t fro m th o se of the can on ica l

offi ce : i t is true th ey c on ta in fi ve p sa l ms a n d th e se a re the ,

sa me w h ich the c a n on ica l ofli ce reserves fo r v esp ers ; b ut the

th ree statio n s the th rice re p eated M agn ifica t the ve rsic l es in

,
-
,

La tin an d Gre ek a re features o f a Roman l iturgy wh ich is n ot

,

me rely more an cien t b ut be lo n gs to a time w hen the ordin ary

,

ca n on ica l v esp e rs were as y et un k n ow n at S Pe te r s

’
. .

O n Low Sun day D omi n i ca i n a l bir dep osi ti r the ex cep tion al
, ,

ofli ce of E aste r D ay a n d the dies bap tis ma l es gav e p l ace to the

ordin ary ofli ce for Sun d ays an d ferias ; the rest of the Paschal
1

seaso n had n oth in g p rop er to it beyon d the a n tip hon s an d

res p on ds T he festiva l of the A scen sion of ou r Lo rd w as cel e

.

b rated fo rty d ays a fter E aster ; it wa s l ik e Ch ristmas an d ,

E p ip han y a feast of n in e p sal ms an d n in e l esson s w ith its

, ,

own p ro p e r a n tip hon s a n d resp o n ds

2
.

But fi fty days after E aster P en tec o st b roug ht back once

, ,

mo re the ofli ce of th ree p sal ms an d three l esson s For Pen te .

cost P ar e/za P en teeor ten as the an tip h on a ry o f S P ete r s ca ll s

’
.
, ,

it had l ik e Ea ster its l itu rg ica l v ig il o f six l es son s read tw ice

,

o ver in Greek a n d La tin w ith th eir r esp onsor i a a n d the coll ects
, ,

wh ich accomp any them ; an d th is vigil l ik e that of E aster , ,

was foll owed by the ba p tism of catech umen s I wg i l i a

‘

P en tecostes si cu t i n S abba to S a n eto i ta ag end u m est — says the

0r do of S A man d .T he can on ica l ofli ce woul d therefore by

.

rig h ts b e simil a r to th at of E aste r an d th is shorten ed offi ce ,

woul d be rep eated th roug h the octav e It would seem how .

,

e v e r that fo r so me time th ey h esitated thu s to a ssi mil ate the

,

ofli ce o f P en tec ost to th at o f E aste r : w h il e the a n tip ho n ary

o f S P eter s testi fies that the ofli ce of Pe n tecost a n d its octave

’
.

is of th ree p sal ms a n d th ree l esson s A ma lari us was ass ured ,

a t Ro me that th is ofli ce had n in e resp o n ds that is that it was

‘
, ,

the o rdin ary D o min ica ] ofli ce

3 ‘
.

We have n ow come to the en d of the cycle of the feasts of

the Ch ristian year ( for the observan ce of the festival of the

1
Dr 0r d
A n ti h
p . rol ogue . p I
n terrogav i q uotus ordo resp on soriorum cel e
braretrrr i n Domin rca n octe q uam sol emus n omin are O ctavas Paschae Res on sum . p
est : N oven a rius, in c a can ta mus de auc tor itate O n the res on ds D c a uctor i ta te p
see i bi d 5 2 . .

“i bi d
56 . .

1' b
i id p
rol ogue :
.
“
Simil iter in terrogavi de ofli cio Pen tecos tes R es on sum . p
est : N ovem can ta mus , ut i n caeter is Domin icis in n octibu s
”
C f i bi d 5 7 . . . .

I h
t is an ot er i n stan ce of Gal lica n usage bei n g ad0 p ted by Rome, after the time
h
m l ari us ( S Ben edict has t ree n octurn s bot at Easter an d at Pen tecost h
fig
of . . .
100 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
i n th is faith ful to its tra dition as an o ffi ce be l on g in g to
res p ect

cemeteries, at l ast foun d a p l ace in the b asi l ican ofli ce T ha t .

l w a t fi rst a h umbl e on e, co mp ared w ith the grea t d a ily

p ac e as

ofli ce . Fa r from disp lacin g that ofli ce, whether D omin ical or
fe rial , the offi ce of the sain ts was an a p p en dage to it Ev en tu .

ally , however, it blen ded itse l f with the grea t daily offi ce,
l

th ough at R ome the p rimitive sup erp os ition of the offi ce of

the sain ts on the fe ria l ofli ce l eft d urable traces A mal arius .

q u ot es fro m th e a n t ip h on a r y o f C o r b e ex R om a no A n ti
p h o n a r i o qu i a d n or p er ven i t — th a t i s to say from the a n ti

p h on ar y o f P o p e H ad rian I , so m e v a l ua bl e i n for ma tio n to th e

follow in g effect
I r ac cl ari ss imi s festivi ta tib us san ctorum con suetudo est sa n cta e
n p
ma tris n ostras R oman s a Eccl esiae duo oflicia p eragere in n octe, q uorum
‘

ofli c ia p raetitulan tur D e rzig i l i rlr P rimum corum, q uod ca n itur in in itio
.

A llel uia p eragi tu r

n octis, sin e Al terum vero, q uod ha be t in itium circa
.

medi um n octi s ct fi nitur in d ie, habet in tertia n octurns in suis an tip honis
1
A llel uia .

A n d th is in dication is made the l

c earer by w hat he ys
sa

about the fea st o f S P eter .

Ex Roman o an tip hon ario p osui dua s vigil ia s in n ostro an ti p hon ario .

Primam solet A p ostolicus facere in in itio n octis, q uae fi t sin e in vitatorio,

i m h ra n on in vi ta tur p op u l us ad vigil ias [ m d i t
]
q uon a e a o e a n oc e
in greditur cl erus et p op ul us ad secun d am vigi l iam, et can tatur in vitatorium .

I
t resul ts from th ese two p assages t at the most so emn h l ly
b
o served festival s R o f sa in ts had , at o me, two n octurn offi ces,

on e at n igh tfa ll , w ith out in vitatory, the oth er in the midd l e of

the n ight, w ith in vi tatory I conj ecture tha t the ofli ce cel e
.

b rated at n igh tfal l w ith out in vitatory was the p rop er oflice of
the sain t, the v igil office of the festival ; an d the offi ce w ith
in vitatory ce l ebrated in the middl e of the n ight the feria l offi ce,
n ow tran sformed in to the office of the sai n t
4
.

A n ti ph
. 28. See the passage quoted p ,
. 64 , n ote 1 .
r 59 .

1 i bi d . 60 . p
Com are the O r do R oman s: of the Vall icel l an l ibrary : D c fer tis
sa n ctor u m, q ua l i ter ap ud Roma n o: celebran tur I
n ri mis con gregan t se ad cc
. p
p j
cl esiam sero, ad vigi l ias eragen das ill i us sa n cti cu us n atal i s fueri t, in gredien tes ue
q
ad vi gil ias D omi no l a bi a nu a aperi es et in vi ta torium n on dicu n t, sed sta ti m I n

ci p iun t an tip hon a e i n p sal mos cuj uscu n que fuerit, aut A p os tol orum aut cuj u sl ibet
san ctoru m Q u
.i vo l ueri n t v 1I11 l ec tion es fa ce
.re , vrrrI sa lm 0 s decan ten t ; q ui . p
ve ro V I I oua ten t v 1 [ sic] ; q u i vero v simil iter VI [
. sic] . tem in n octe fes . I
tivi tati s I sorum ad n octurn os in Vsni ts exu l tonrus an ti hon a , i d est in vi ta tori um
p p
de san ctrs sa l mos cotidia n os defer un t, et versu s de sa n c tis, l ection es aut
p
I . . . p
II aut vrr aut sr vol ueri n t v rrrr ad i sum na tal ici um erti n en tes l egun tur
”
p .

1
i bi d 1 7 :
. Sun t festivi tates q u arum ofli ci a celebran tur n octurnali a circa
vesp ertinam h
oram, q uae vu l go ap p el l a n tur rop r ia ; et i n p
osteriore parts n oc tis p
p p
can i tur al terum ofii cium, sive de ro ria fer i a, seu de commun i bus san cti s
”
.
ROMA N O FFICE O F T I ME O F C HA R LEMA GN E 10 1

But this ferial n octurn was destin ed in the en d to be ousted

even from the p recarious p osition wh ich had remain ed to it :

every vestige of the dual ity of the office, of the j oin t celeb ra

tion of the office s of the feria an d the Sain t s D ay, was eflaced
'
’

there was n o l on ger more than on e n octurnal office, an d th at

office was al toget her g iven up to the sa in t T he C aro l in gian .

l iturgists recogn ized n o other custom than th is N o doubt,

1
.

th ese doubl e vig ils w ere not assign ed to al l the greater feasts
witho ut d istin ction : in the n in th cen tury the festiva l s of SS .

Peter an d Paul, S A n drew, S La uren ce, the A ssump tion , an d . .

the N ativity of S J oh n B ap tist were the on ly on es which were

.

observed with th is sp ecial k in d of sol emn ity But this sol emn ity .

en dured, an d was a su rvival of the an cien t obser van ce

’
A fter .

the th irteen th cen tury it van ished ev en at R ome itsel f, an d

n othin g was l eft of it but the l iturgica l ex p ression ( in ex p l icabl e
”
w ithout referen ce to its true origin ) a double ofli ce .

What were the festivals of sain ts observed at R ome ? T he

an ti p hon ary of S Peter s furn ishes us with a p urel y R oman
’
.

kal en dar of the office in its own time, an d this kal en da r of

the twel fth cen tury can easily be brought in to the state in
which it would h ave been three cen turies earl ier ; it is suffi
cien t for us to comp are it w ith the l ist of festiv al s given in the

sacramen tary call ed Grego rian , wh ich rep resen ts the R oman
Sa nd or al e of the time of Pop e H adrian I ( 7 7 2 an d, as a

further hel p , with the l ists in the C arolin gi an evan geliaries,

such as th at of A da of Treves , a MS of the fir st years of the .

n in th cen tu ry Thus we el imin ate from the k al en da r of the

.

an ti p honary of S P ete r 9 the feasts w hich are p osterior to

’
.

the O p en i n g of the n i n th cen tury In the foll owin g l ist the .

festival s in l arger R oman typ e are those in cl uded both in the

Gregorian sacramen tary an d the Comer of A da of Treves ;
those in ita l ics are in cluded in the l atter o n ly ; 1
those in
small er R oman typ e are the addition al on es foun d in the an ti

p ho n ary o f S P ete r
’
s . .

1
0 0 cool .
f
o . rv . 35 I n festivitati bus
: uas recol imus, reool imus p er
ariu m n umerum T he Or do R oman ia of
Val l icellan l ibrary, q uoted above,
h
shows t at at Rome the can on of n in e l esson s an d n in e res on ds was n ot at fir st p
defi nitely esta blis ed h
We read t ere, in fact, as follows : Lection es vero aut
. h
II.I aut v a ut vrr aut vrrrr in vigilia san c torum aut ubil ihet con tigeri t l egun tur ;
. . .

n am I
”
v aut v1 vel vI
. II n ull o modo, q uia an ti q ui tus tal is con suetudo n on fuit
. . .

I
1

n vi gE
.
D c ord A n ti
-
62 :
.
”
Duo n octurn al ia ofi cia i n van i in Romano an tip ho ari o
.

l ia S Mari ae de Assumption e ej us : idcirco et n os du licia ofi cia poaurmus

.

.
n
p
"
i n festivi tates in n ostro an ti p honario .

s K M nz
el , D ie Tri srer A da Ha ndselrrift Lei z ig,
Dom Mon n :
.
e
p ( p
Le l us an cren Come: on Lectron narre de l g as Romarne
p.
-
See
p
.

R m : Bén édi cti n c, 19 10, 4 1 7 4 , for an ear lie r st ate of tpp

he R om. an-
al en dar k
( si xt h
t o seven th cen tury) .
 HI
ST ORY OF THE ROM A N B R E V I A R Y
'

10 2

J A N UA R Y .

O ctave of N ativity . S . M a r ti na .

S T elesp horus
. .

E p ip hany .

Octave of E p ip han y .

S Fel ix P riest
.
, .

S. Maurus .

S . Marcell us Pop e , .

S A n thon y
. .

S . P risca . S A q ui la. .

SS . Marius an d Ma rtha .

SS Fab ian a n d Sebastian

. .

S A gn es
. .

S A n astasius
. S Vi ncen t . . .

8 Emcren tian a
. .

C on version of S Pa ul . .

S A gn es, for the secon d time

. .

SS Pap ias and Ma ur us

. .

SS Cyrus . an d Joh n.

FE BR UA R Y .

The P urification . S Simeon. .

S Bla ise
. .

S A gatha
. .

S Scholastica
. .

S. Va l en tin e Priest ,
.

S. P eter s Chair ’
.

S . Matth ias .

MA R C H .

IO . Martyrs
T he forty .

12 . S Gregory the Great

. .

21 . S Ben edict
. .

25 . T he A n n un ciation .

A PR IL .

14 SS T iburtius, Val erian ,

. . an d M ax imus.

2 3 S Georg e , Ma rtyr
. . .

2 5 S Mark , Evan ge l ist

. . .

26 . S C letus,
. Pop e .

28 . S V ita l is Ma rtyr
.
, .
104 HI ST OR Y O F T HE ROMA N BREV I A RY

24 . S Chr istina
. .

25 . S . J ames the Grea ter, A p ostle .

26 .

27 . S . Pan taleo .

28 . S N azarius ; 8 V ictor,
. . Pop e .

S F elix Po p e SS S zmp l zh us ,
' '

29 . .
, . .

30 . SS A bdon . an d Sen nen .

A UGUST .

5 Peter s C hains
’
. T he Maccabees . .

8 Step hen , Pop e

. .

In ven tion of S Step hen

S Sixtus,
. Pop e ; SS Fel icissimus
. and

p itus .

S D onatus
. .

S Cy riac
. .

S R oman us
. .

S La uren ce
. .

S T ib urtius
. .

SS Rup l us . an d Leucius .

S H ip p o lytus
. .

S E usebius
. .

The A ssump tion .

S A gap itus
. .

8 Ti mothy
. .

S A ura
. .

S B artholomew A p ostl e
.
, .

S H ermes ; S A ugustin e B ishop

. .
, . S Balbina
. .

Beheadin g of S John Bap tist ; S . . Sab in a .

SS Fe l ix an d A dauctus
. .

S . Paulin us .

SE PTEMBER .

8 Gil es
. .

S A n ton in us
. .

N ativity of our Lady ; S A drian

. .

S Gorgon ius
. .

SS Protus an d . Hyacin thus .

Ex al tation of the H oly C ross ; SS . Corn el ius

an d Cyp rian .

S N ico mede
. .
ROMA N OFF I CE O F T IME O F CH A R LEM A GN E 10 5

Sain t E up hemia ; SS Lucy an d Gemin ian us . .

S Matthew, A p ostl e an d E van gel ist

. .

S Maurice
. .

S Lin us,
. Pop e ; S T hecla
. .

SS Cosmas an d D amian
. .

S M ichael, A rchan gel

. .

S J erome
. .

O CTOBER .

S M ar cu
, s P op e ; SS Ser gi us an d B
,
acchus . .

SS Den is R usticus an d El euthe ri us

.
, .

S C all ix tus Pop e

.
, .

8 L uk e E van g el ist
.
, .

S S Cb rj . rsa n t zu s a n l d D a r i us .

S Evaristus,
. Pop e .

SS Simon an d J ude, A p ostl es

. .

S German us of C ap ua
. .

S . Q uin tin .

N OVEMBER .

A l l Sain ts ; S Caesa rius . .

The four crown ed Martyrs .

S Theodore
. .

S T ryp ho
. .

S Martin ,
. B ishop ; S . Menn as .

S. Martin , Pop e .

S. J oh n Chrysostom .

Sain t C aeci l ia .

S Cl emen t, P op e ; S
. . Fel icitas .

S Chrysogon us
. .

S Katherin e
. .

S Saturn in us
. .

S A n dre w
. .

D ECEMBER .

8 Bib ian a
. .

S Barb ara ; S
. . J uli an a.

S Sabas
. .

S N icolas
. .

S A mb rose ; S Sab in us
. . .

3 . Lucy . S Eustratius
. .
106 H I STOR Y OF THE R O M A N BREV I A RY
21 . S . Thomas ,
A p ostl e .

23 . S Gregory
. of Sp oleto .

25 . N ativ ity of our Lord ; S A n astasia

. .

S E ugen ia. .

26 .h S Step en
. .

27 S J oh n E van gel ist

. . .

28 H oly I n n ocen ts
. .

3I S S yl v.es t er P o p e .
, .

T o the eyes o f an yon e who is fa mil iar wi th the top ograp hy

o f Ro me i n the seve n th cen tu ry a wh ole se ries o f n a mes stan d
1
,

out fro m the l ist giv en above ; the n a mes of R o man martyrs ,

recall in g the most ce l eb rated san ctuarie s in the sub urban

c e meteries T he Pop e s SS Syl vester an d Marcell us had their
. . ,

basil ica ( S Sy l vestr z eccl esza) in the cemetery of P riscill a on

’

the N ew Sa l ar ian Way S P risca ( w ith whom the p iety o f

. .

the faith ful afterwards j oin ed S A q uil a as suggested by .

,

Roman s XVI 3) was al so b uried in the sa me cemetery SS

. . .

N ere us an d A ch il l es havin g been in te rred ( as was al so 5 , .

Petron illa) in the burial p lace of the Christian membe rs o f the -

Fl avian g em gav e their n ames to the basil ica of the cemetery

,

o f D omitill a on the A rdea tin e Way

, S F abian Po p e to . .
, ,

g e th e r w ith t h e P o p e s S te p h e n an d S ix tu s r ep o sed i n t h e ,

p o n tifi ca l c ry p t i n th e c e m ete r y o f C all i x tu s S Se b as ti a n . .

had his basil ica on the A p p ian Way a d Ca tacu mbas ; S , .

A gn es on the N ome n tan Wa y ; S Valen ti n e on the Fl amin ian

, . .

Over the cemetery of Praetex tatus on the A p p ian Way was , ,

th e basil ica of SS T iburtius an d Val erian . S A l ex an der . .

,

co n foun ded e ven as ea rly as the seven th cen tu ry w ith the

, ,

Pop e A l ex an der had his basil ica at the seven th mil eston e on
,

the N o men tan Way an d S P an cras on the A urel ian Way , . .

S U rb an tho ugh b uried in the p on tifical cryp t in the cemete ry

.
,

o f Ca ll ix tus had an oratory n a med a fter hi m a t the cemetery

,

o f Pra ete x ta tu s SS P eter an d Marcell in us had their basil ica

. .

o n the La v ica n Wa d d u s [ u r a S S M ar k an d M a r
y a a a s , .

cel l ian u s o n the A rdeatin e Wa S S P r o ce s s u s a n d M a rt in ia n

, y; . ,

o n the A urel ian Way ; the Seven H oly B rethren ch il dren ,

of S . Fe l icitas had their memorial in the l ittl e church of S

, .

Fel icitas on the N ew Salarian Way ; S Fel ix who gave

, .
,

his n ame to the ce metery ad {m a l a toa had al so his basil ica

'

there at the th ird mil eston e on the road to P orto

, A t the .

fi fth mi l eston e on the sa me road the cemetery Gen er osae con ,

1
De Rossi , R oma Sott t I pp . . . . . 1 7 5 - 8 3.
 108 H I STOR Y OF THE RO MA N B R EVI A R Y
troduced in to the ur a nSa mtaral e the festival of S Puden tia n a
b . .

Simil arly, to the fact of the ti tul us P rax edzs becomin g, about
'

the sa me ti me, ti tu l us S P rax edzs was due the adop tion of the
'

urb an festiva l of S P rax ed is

. T he an n iversary of S Cl emen t,
. .

eve n before the en d of the fourth cen tu ry, became associated

w ith the ti tul us Cl emen tzs T he basil ica k n own as San ti

'

”
Q uatt ro,
an o l d c h urch o n the C a e l ian ,
hith e rto u nn a m ed ,
ha d
tak en u p the en ig matic commemoration of the martyrs who bore
the n ame of the Qua tuor Cor on a tz The church of S Step hen s
’
’
. .

the R oun d, a l so on the Cael ian , had received, un der Pop e

-

Theodore (6 4 2 the rel ics an d the a n n iversary festival of SS .

Primus an d Fel ician us of N omen to, brought from the fourteen th

mileston e on the N omen tan Way T he p rivate chap el of the .

domus P zn cza na , the man sion of the A n itii, on the Pin cian , when
' ’

restored in the eighth cen tury by Pop e H adrian I , in trod uced

at R ome the n ame an d the festiva l of S Fel ix of N ol a The . .

basil ica a d aq ua: S al a za r , built in the middle of the seven th

'

cen tury, re ceived the n a me of S A n astasius the Persian (d . .

with whom was associated , n ot l on g after, the Sp an iard S .

Vin cen t, because of his h ead having been broug ht to this ve ry

sp ot, a d aq u a: Sa l mas S A gatha of Catan i a had in the
'

. .

six th cen tury give n her n a me to a l ittl e A rian church in the

Subu rra ; S Georg e, the l egen dary hero of the Greek sp eak in g
.
-

c hu rc h es of the East, to a l ittl e ch urch of the distr ict call ed

Vel a br um, which was enriched in the eig hth cen tury w ith the
head of th is sa in t ; SS Gervase an d Protase, two M il an ese
.

marty rs, to the ti tul ar Vesti na e, in the fifth cen tury but, in —
the eighth, its titl e was ch an ged to th at of S Vita l is, a sain t .

of Ravenn a , l ook ed up on as bein g the fath er of SS Gervase .

an d Protase . S A p oll in aris, an other sain t of R aven n a, gave

.

his n ame to a n oratory b uil t by Pop e H on orius ( 6 2 5 38) on the -

atriu m in fron t of S Peter s ; S Sab in a, an U mbrian martyr,

’
. .

to the ti tul ar S a bznae on the A ven tin e, a ch urch en riched w ith

'

her rel ics towards the en d o f the seven th cen tury ; S A drian .

of N ico med ia, to the an c ien t Cu r i a Hostil ia , tran sformed into

a basil ica in the seven th cen tu ry ; S E up he mia, al so o f N ico .

media, to a church buil t or restored in the seven th cen tury ;

SS Cosmas an d D amian , the two un fee d p hysicia ns so p op ular
’
.

through the whol e of the Greek sp eak in g E ast, to the basil ica -

con trived by Pop e F el ix IV ( 5 2 6 30) in the aa l a for merly used -

fo r the keep in g of R oman archives ; S C aesarihs of Te rracina .

to a small basil ica on the P al atin e ; S Chrysogon us of Sirmium .

to the old titul us Chm /ro om o f the T rastevere S L y f

'

u c o
g ; .
R OMA N OFFICE OF TI ME OF CH A RLE MA GN E 1 09

Syracuse to the Greek con ven t D e r en a tzs, foun ded tow ards the
’

e ig hth cen tu ry ; S A n astasia of Sirmium to the o ld ti tul us .

A nastasza e on the Pal atin e In th ese cases it is p l ain th at we

'

have to do with foreign martyrs, who became Ro man by the

tran sl ation of th eir rel ics, o r by th eir h ap p en in g to become
iden tified with the an cien t titl e of some ch urch at Ro me 1
.

T he re main ing festival s of the R o man k al en dar have n ot

that l oca l an d mon u men ta l character in v irt ue o f wh ich such
a n n iversaries become p rop erly R oman T he E x al ta tion of .

the H oly C ross ( Sep t 14 th) is a festival of J e rusa l em, the an n i .

ver sa ry o f the dedication of the C onstan ti n ia n basil icas o n

Mount C al vary : it was in troduced at R ome in the seven th

ce n tury
”
The festival of the I n ven ti on or R eve lation o f the
.

Cross ( May 3rd) woul d see m to be , at Rome, a Gall ican imp orta
tion n ot much an terior to the seven th cen tury ’
Mgr D uchesn e . .

has defin itely stated tha t the Church of Rome does n ot see m
to have observed a n y feast o f the Bl essed V irgin be fore the
”4
seven th cen tury , wh en she adop ted the four Byza n tin e festiva l s,

the N ativity ( Sep t 8th) the A n n un cia tion ( Marc h 2 5 th) , the
.

Purification ( Feb 2 n d) , an d the Fa ll in g as l eep or A ss ump tion

.
-

A
( g s ),
u I. th a l l fo u r o f wh i ch w ere c e l eb ra te d a t S M a ry ’
s th e .

g rea te r : t h e re i s n o rec ord o f th e m a t R o m e ea r l ie r th a n th e

time of P op e Serg ius I (6 8 7 N ex t come the festiva l s

o f the A p ostl es, a n d fore mo st a mon g th ese, the feast of S .

A n drew, b rother of S Peter ; then those of S J oh n , SS Ph il ip . . .

an d J a mes, an d S P eter s ch a in s A l l of these ha d an n ive rsaries

’
. .

as be in g ded ication fes tiva l s of urb an b as i l icas , b ut n o t to be

“
traced back , at R ome, fu rther th an the six th cen tury at ear l iest .

The feast of A l l Sain ts was origi n a lly the an n iversa ry festiva l

of the P an th eon , con se cra ted by B on i face IV 6 0 8
( u n de r
the titl e B M a r i a e at omn i u m Sa n ctor u m
.
"

l
See MA rmel l in i, L o d rian di R oma dal l a loro or ig i ni si n o a t “ cola xvr
. .

( R om e, un der the titl es of the severa l c urc es referred to h h .

L P t 1
. .
37 4 . . p . .

h
Duc esn e, O rigi n s 26 4 A t a l ater date, foll owin g the l egen d k n own
?
.

as t at of udas Cyr ia c, ! e creation of t is fes tival was a ttri buted to the P o e ,

h J -
h p
Euseb ius, of the da te of the n ven ti on (A D I
See Micr ol og us, 5 5 : Euse . .

p
bius, Pa a a B P etro tricesimus secun dus, con stituit ut omn es C risti an i I
. n ven h
tion em S C ru ci s V N on as Maii solemn iter cel ebraren t
. . U n de et n os illam cum .

p len o ofi cio obser vare debemus Exal ta ti o autem S C ruci s n on adeo g en er .

al iter et sol emn iter cel ebratur , et hoc fortasse ideo u ia n ul l u m in de tam s ec ial e
q p
statutum ut de I
”
n v en ti on e rep eritur .

h
Duc esn e, Or ig i n n , 25 9 l‘L
P t 1
-
38 1 p . . . . . . p . .

“Du h
c es n e , O rig i n s, 26 5 p . .

t 1 31 7 . . p
The dedication was set down as bein g on May 1 3th
. . Si e
g .

bert of Gembloux r el ates t at in 835 Lo uis l e Debon na ire, by a greemen t “n thh

p
Po e Gregory I V , fi xed the feast of A ll Sai n ts, for ran ce an d German y , on F
N ovember 1st, P L cm 15 9 . . . .
 1 10 H I STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
We have verified the observan ce of the p rin cip le that before ,

the midd l e of the e igh th cen tu ry n o festiva l o f a sai n t might ,

be k e p t un less it was l oca l iz ed in some sp ecified basil ica eith er

, ,

o f the cemete ries or w th in the c ity

i —
A t a l ater da te when .

this p rin cip l e had cea sed to gover n the l iturgy of the S a n ctor a l e ,

—
b ut on ly then ap p ea r the festival s whi ch have n o l ocal hab ita
tion con n ected with their observa n ce T he great mon astic .

tradition s l ed to the in stitution of such festiva l s as those o f S .

B en edict S Ma ur S A n thon y S Sabas S Sch olastica

, .
, .
, .
, .

l egen dary l iterature brought in the observan ce of th ose of S .

N ich ol as S B arbara S Katherin e S Eustace S Ma urice 8

, .
, .
, . , .
, .

Christin a S Ch ristop h er S A lex is ; admiration of an d grati

, .
, .
,

tude for their w ritin gs accoun ted fo r those o f 8 J ustin S

, .
, .

Paul in us of N ol a S J oh n Chrysostom S J erome an d S , . , .

,
.

A mb rose But it must a l so be re membered that n ot a ll the

.

festival s mark ed in the k al en dar or fur n ish ed w ith an O ffi ce in

the a n tip h on a ry w ere u n ive rsa lly or even gen e r ally obse rved .

There was still a very l arge l ibe rty in th is res p ect ; ea ch ch urch
an d each mon as tery took th e course d ictated by l oca l de

votio n an d the Sa n ctom l e wa s in p ractice a much more l i mited

,

th in g th an migh t ap p ear at a first g l an ce

1
.

H en ce al so the n eed was n ot as yet ex p erienced of cl assin g

festival s acco rdin g to th e ir degree of imp o rtan ce ex cep t in a very ,

vague man n e r A malari us d istin guishes in the R oman U se

.

—
the p rin cip a l feasts p r a ecl a rzlrszmz— an d to these he attr ib utes
’ '

a doubl e n octurn al ofii c e

’
Thus we see that Roman custom .

th en recogn ized the p rin cip l e th at some festival s are o f lower

ran k A small n u mber of festival s of sa in ts had an octave
.
8
.

Amal ar D e cccl of xv 36 :
1
. N on val emus omni um sa n c toru m n atal itia
. . .

c elebrar e
”
Do ord A n tiph 28
. Mul ta ofli cia san ctorum in didi in n ostro ao
. .

tip hon ari o ex Roman o q uae n on ab et Meten sis an tip hon ari us addidimus h
eti am auca p
uae n ostra re gio sol a con tin et
”
.

D e 0r d u ti h 5 9 . He t us assign s duo nocturn a l ia oc i a to the festi val s

. . h
of SS Peter an . Paul , S L auren ce, the A ssum tion , S An dr ew (i bi d 60 . p . .

h
B ayto, Bis op of Basl e (d 836) gi ves a l ist of feasts s ecia l ly observed : Chr i st
. p
h J h H
mas , 8 Step en. S o n , oly n n ocen ts, Octa va D omin i , E i han y , Purifica
. . I
tion , Easter , the Rogation days, A scen sion , Pen tecos t, S o Ba tist , the . p
p p
A os tl es, es eci al ly SS Peter an d Paul , q u i E u ro .
p am s ua p ra ed nca tio n e
il lumin av erun t, the Assum ti on , 8 Mic ael ,
"
p Dedieatio cuj uscumq ue O ratori i , . h
seu cuj us l ibet San cti i n cUJus on ore eedern eccl esia fun da ta est, q uod vici n ia h
ta n tum ci rcummoran tibus in dicen dum est T he ot er festi val s of sai n ts, as of h
S Remi giua or S Martin , non sun t cogen dae ad ferian d um, n ee ta men p ro
. .

p
hi ben dum, si l ebes hoc caste et zel o Dei cup iun t exercere Ahyto, Ca Tartan ,
8 ( P L cxv. . . p
Com are Can on 36 of the Counci l of Main : in 8 13, an si , t .

x1v , p
7 3, es
. e c i al l y the foll p
owi n g ass ag e : E t ill as fes ti vi ta t es m a rt yr u m v e l p
confessorum observare decrevimus, q uorum in un aq ua q ue p aroc hia sa n cta cor
po ra r eq uiescun t
‘A m
al ar. D e f Sol emus acct.
o ctavas n ata l iti oo
rum . W .
36 al iq uot
san ctorum cel ebrat e, corum sci l icet q uorum festi vi tas a ud n os el ati or
”
p hab etur ,
vel ati est in Octavia A p ostolorum Petri et Pauli .
1 12 H I STO RY OF THE RO MA N B REVI A RY
tion ca rved over the en tran ce to the basilica by Pop e Sim
p l ic ius (4 6 8 8 3) -

Q ui regn i cl aves et cura m tr ad it ovil is ;

Q ui caeli terraeq ue Petro oommisit ha benas ,

U t reseret cla usis, ut sol vat v in cl a l ig ati s,

m
Sim icio n un c I p se d ed it sac ra j u ra ten e re,

P r aesule q uo cultus ven eran dae crescere t a ula e .

l

Fo r its verse the sa me resp on d has th is d istich

Sol ve, j uben te D eo, terrarum, Petre, caten as ;
Q ui fac i s ut p a tean t cael estia regn a bea ti s .

wh ich in the seven th cen tury ap p eared in the basil ica of S .

"
Peter eng raved i n i coua S P etr i . .

T he offi ce of the A p ostl es P ete r an d Paul was l ik e that of ,

S J ohn B ap tist on e of the few sa in ts day ofii ces which con

’
.
,

formed faith fu lly to the p attern of the offi ce of the Season .

For the most p a rt the p rop er offi ces accommodated the msel ves
to the taste for l egen ds an d l egen dary l ite rature Th us the .

a n tip hon s an d resp on ds of the ofii ce of S A n drew a re tak en .

from the ap ocryp ha l A cta A ud r ea e The acts of S La uren ce . .

furn ished the tex t of the an tip hons an d re sp on ds of his ofii ce .

I t was the sa me with the offi ces of S C aecil ia S Sebastia n .

, .
,

S A g n es SS J oh n an d Paul an d a host of others

.
,
. A n d as , .

we re member that we were told by the 0rdo R oma n us of the

V al lice llan l ib rary that the acts an d p assion s of the sain ts were
on ly read a t R o me in the churc h of ea ch sai n t — an d that this

was the case dow n to the time of Pop e H adrian I ( 7 7 2

w ho ca used th em to b e rea d a t S P e te r s— we may con cl ude .
’

th at down to the sa me date these an tip hon s an d resp on ds

, ,

tak e n from hagiograp hic l egen ds were resp ectively p ecul iar to
the b asil icas of the seve ral sain ts .

I t would n ot have be en hard to fin d ap ocryp h al matter for

the offi ce of the feasts of the Bl essed Virgin : but as a matter ,

o f fact th ey p rov ide us on the con trary w ith the most p ure
, , ,

an d gracefu l resp on ds in al l the R esp on so ral

D Rossi I c ip t t 1 p 5 5 :
1 e ,
He who b tows th k y of Hi ki gdom
ns r . . 1
. . es e e s s n

a d the ca
n of Hi fol d ; W ho commi tt d to P t
re s th ei of h a d th e e er e r ns ea ven n ear ,

th t h might Op
a e th p i so fo th cap ti en d l oose th ch i s of tho
e r n th t r e v es, an e a n se a
bo d h ow g t d to S imp liciu to wi l d th t sac d ow
as n ran e s e a re er ,
are
hi ul s r en
un
e rever
,

fo Hi holy co ts mi ght y t mo i crease

ce r s
p ur e re n

D Ro i i bid p 25 4 : A t God comma d 0 P t l oos th chai

’
e ss , . . of s n , e er , e e ns
ear th ; th ou by w hose mea th h e ly al m a Ope d to th bl t ns e eav n re s re ne e es
Dom Mo i ( f l l wi g W Le i o ) poi t o t that th
r n o o n ti ph o. of th H oly
v s n n s u e an n e
0 m g m pi t tis r i i lik man a di ti ch t k f om i
ip ti o i th o to y of tf H oly C oss i th b ap ti t y of S P t s ( R
C o
r ss, a nu e a u , s n e n er s a en r an n
’
scr n n e ra r e r n e s er . e er ev ue
Bém di ti u
’

9 c p , 1 1 0, .
ROMA N OFFICE OF TIME OF CHA RLEMA GN E 1 13

V idi sp eciosam sicut col umbam, ascen den tem Sup er ri vos aq uarum,
cuj us in aestimab il is odor erat magn us in vestimen ti s ej us, e t sicut d ies
vern i ci rcumd aban t eam flores rosarum et l il ia con valli um uae est ista . Q
q u i a scen d it p er deser tum si cut vi rgul a fumi ex aromati b us myrrhae et
thuris ? Et sicut d ies vern i, etc
l
.

O thers , ag ain , less cl osely in sp i red by Holy Scrip ture but ,

d by sp irit of so un d dog ma an d o f affec

'

p en etrate a ten der

tion

facie, sed p ul chr ior fide, beata es, Virgo Maria

Pul chra reSp uen s
mun dum la etaberis cum an ge lis I n terced e p ro omn ib us nob is
. San cta .

et mma
i cul ata vi rg in i tas, q uib us te l au d ib u s refe ram n i
e c o
s I
n terced e, etc ’
.

T he beautiful resp on d

Gaude, Maria V irgo l cun etas haereses sola in teremisti, q ui Gabrieli s

A rchan gel i dicti s cr ed idisti, dum virgo D eum et homin em gen uisti, et
o t a rt um vi rgo in vi ol ata p erman sisti G ab rielem A rchan gel um cr ed imus
p s p .

d ivin itu s te esse afiatum, uter um tuum de Sp iri tu San cto cred imu s im
’

p rae g n a tu m E m.b es ca t J u d ae us in fel ix, q ui d ici t Christum ex osep h J

semin e esse natum l

co mp osed it is by a chan ter born bl in d was first sun g at

,
said, ,

the dedica ti on of the Pan theon by B on iface IV (60 8

I will n ot en l arge further on the subj ect of the Roman
Sa uctor al e of the en d of the eig hth cen tury What has j ust .

been sa id is suffi cien t to show that the sain ts day offi ces—a ’

l ate edition to the can on ical offi ce of the basilicas—could on ly

fin d roo m there by in frin gin g on that an cien t ofii ce .

In the mean ti me the R oman Office in that comp l eted state ,

whic h we have j ust described had arrived at a p itch of p erfec ,

tion which was desti ned n ot to be surp a ssed o r in deed main ,

ta in ed but wh ich was un doubted ly w orthy of the ex traordin ary

,

accep tan ce secured to it by the ad miration of the A n g l o Sax on -

,

1“ I
behel d her , beautiful as a dove, risin g above the water brook s. an d her -

rai men t was fil l ed wi t h

erfume beyon d al l rice p
Even as the s rin g time was p
p
. -

she girded wi t h
roseb ud an d l ilies of the vall ey Who is t is t at comet up . h h h
k
from the desert, l i e a wreath of sweet smok e arisi n g from fran ki n cen se an d
h
myrr ? Even as the s ng time, etc ” ‘

-
.

“ Fair in face but er far in thy fait S Luk e 1 h

blesséd art thou, 0
. .

p
Virgin Mary ; des isin g the worl d, tha n t rej oice Wi t the an gel s Pray h
m
.

h
t ou for us a ll 0 Ir . p
an d s otl ess maiden ood, l wot not how to raise the eh p .

h
Pray t ou for us al l
”
.

j h
Re oi ce, O Vir r “m ! t ou alon e hast destroyed all eresies, who didst h
i
-

gi h h
believe the word of ‘ at ie! t e A rc a n g l , con cei vin g, w il st a virgi n , Him who h
h
was bot God an d man , an d after His ‘irth remain in stil l a ure vir n e We p '

h
do bel ieve t at, sen t from God, the A rcha d Gabri k e to t ee word ; h
h
we do believe t at thy womb was made frui l by the Ho y Ghost qgg
Con foun ded .

hp
be the un a py Jew, who sai t t at of the seed of ose h h C ri st was born ”
J ph h .

T om si , t rv . . p
2 12, who refers to Fl oravan te Martin el l i, Roma ox eth ics
.

sacra ( Rome,
1 14 H I STOR Y OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
Fran k ish and Germanic Churches A work it was of man y an .

u n k n own han d an d tak in g sha p e but sl owly a remar k abl e

, ,

work in wh ich l ived the very soul of R ome l For Rome had
,

en sh rin ed th ere the ve ry be st o f her l iterature an d of her history ;

her P sal ter her B ibl e her Fa thers her M artyrs

,
She had set
, ,
.

u p on i t the sta mp of her straig htforward an d si mp l e p iety ,

more cha racteriz ed by adheren ce to h istoric truth than by

dogmat su t t
ic b il y— o f her sen se of the beautiful del ightin g in ,

, ,
—
b road sober an d harmon ious comp osition s of her l an g uage ,

te rse c l ear an d co n cise B ibl ical in its p hraseo logy musica l in

, , , ,

e very cad e n ce A bove al l she had en dowed it w ith her chan t

.
, ,

that Gregorian p l a in chan t wh ic h was scorn ed by the R e na is

-

san ce an d n o l on ger even u n derstood in the se v en teen th cen

—
,

tury — un de r the yok e of whose trad ition we still l ive but

wh ich we on ly n eed to hear sun g in its true n otation by the
mon k s of S A n sel m on the A ven tin e in ord er to recogn ize
.

an d th at too with the added charm of its del icate archaism

someth in g o f the el egan ce a n d p ower of ex p ression wh ich

thrill ed of old the p il gr ims of S Peter . .

EXC U R SUS A .

X
E T RA CT S FRO M GERBERT S ANON YMO U S L I T U RGI CAL A U T H O R
’
.

( S Gal l
. , Sti ftsbi bliot hek , M8 N 0 39 ;
. . n i n th cen tury , 1 20 fol ios .
)
FO Ls 4 9 .
-
1 1 8 con tain the an on ymous fragmen ts p u lis ed b h by Gerbert,
Mon umen ta vorm s L i turgia c A l cma uu ica c (S Blasian , 1 fol
’

. on .

4 9, m
Can tatur
o m n is S crip tura, et
aute
c ( see bel ow) , G e rber t, t . .

In cip iun t cap itula de libris N ovi ac V eteri

“
11 p 1 8 1
. . on fol so, .

T estamen ti p l en itudin em, Gerbert, ibid at fol 5 4 , I

n cip it . .

in structio l
ecc esiastici ordin is , G er bert, pp
q uali te r in ooen obus, etc . .

1 75 7 -
at fol 6 7, I n cip it cap itu las e eccl esiastici ordin is q ualiter
.

San cta et A p ostolica, an d i mmediately foll owin g, on fol r oo , .

Item de cursu dium o, etc ( see b e low), G e rb ert, pp 1 6 8 75

.
; at .
-

fol 1 0 4 ,
. Item in cip i t de con vivi o sive p ran dio atq ue ooen is mon a
chorum q ualiter in mon asteriis, etc ( see be l ow ) , G erbert, p p 1 83 5 . .
-
.

See al so G Scherrer, Vom it/E ms: dcr MSS dcr Stiftsoiolrotbck 007:
. .

S Gallon , p 1 2 2
. T he text of the followin g extracts has been col
. .

lated for me with the MS by M Fah, curator of the l ibrary of . .

S Gall
. .

For an En glish tran slation of a p ortion of these extra cts, see A p

Can tatur autem omn is scrip ture san cti ean on is ab in itio an n i usq ue .

ad fin em, et sic ordo est oan on is decan tan di in ecclesia san cti Petri .
1 16 HI STORY OF THE ROMA N BRE V I A RY
surgun t . Et haben t p ositum ubi dormiun t tin tin abul um talem q ui
.

ad excitan dum eos p ulsatur, et p ostea modico in tervall o facto surgun t

fratres . Cui autem Op us exi re ad n ecessaria seu urin a digeren dum,
e t ad in troitum ecclesiae habean t vascul um p ositum cum aq ua ubi

laven t man us suas vel facies et tergan t lin teo iuxta p osito Et iteru m .

cum p ulsa tum fuerit al iud sign um ad p sal len dum p a rati in gred iun tur
D
monaci , et p rior sta tim dicit p roli xe O MIN E LA BIA MEA AP ERIEs sub
G LO R I A P A TR Il en te d ecan tan tes s t in fi n e A L EL I L U
A con cl uden tes .

Can tat sta tim cui iussum fuerit in vitatori o, q uod est VEN ITE Ex
ULT EMU s DO MI NO , cum an tip hons ceteris resp on den ti bus Et omn i
.

offici o suo q uod Sup ra scrip tum est c om lebun tur N octum1s autem
p .

fin itis si lux stati m n on su p erven eri t facrun t modicum in tervall um ut

.

sup erius d ictu m est p r op ter n ecessi tates fratr um, et iterum in grediun

tur ad matutin is la udibus exp len das .

[4] S i a u te m co tti dian is di es fu er in t te m p o re hy bern i, p os t n o ctu r

n is fi n iti s i terum p a usan tes usq ueq uo l ux app arere in cip iat, et sic in

g re di un t ur a d ce le b ran du m m at ut in o r u m lau dib us S i

.c au te m est
se mp er solicitus ill e frater cui cura commissa est ut semp er sign um
comp eten ti o ra inson are debeat . Si autem exin de aliq ua n egl igen tia
u t adsolet fragi l itate human a ci even erit ut an te 01am aut p ost oram

p u lsa ve rit, p oe n it e n tia ci e xin de in di c i t p rio r s u us E t

. r
p p o te rea v e l
reveren tia D ei hoc se mp er metitatur et in his sit solicitus ut omn ia

semp er on este vel comp eten ter et secun dum ordin em ex lican tur, et
p
D eus semp er in omn ibus magn ifice la udetur .

Item in cip it de con vivio sive p ran dio atq u coen is mon achoru m
e
ual i te n mon asteriis ro manas eccl esiae con stitutis est consuetudo
r I
q .

[] Q
1 uan do a utem ad p ran diu m acced un t dicit p rior oration e m
cum fratribus, hoc est OC UL IO MN I UM totum cum GLO R IA PATRIsub
seq uen te p rolidicun tur et p ostea in fi n e A LLELUI
xe A can un tur Et .

dicit sacerdos oration em talem vocem ut cun cti audian tur et resp on
dean t A MEN HOC BEN ED ICA NTU R N O BIs DO MIN E DO N A TU A , vel alias
su n t p l urimas q uae ad hun c c ibum sun t dep utatas Et sedeun t .

o stea o m n es in l oco suo H aben t autem p rop e mensa abba tis

p .

ca thedra ta le ex al to stabil ita cu m anal ogio ub i librum p on itur, et

sedeun t cum l egun t Et stati m cum p rimu m cibu m p on un t min istri
.

et sign um in son uerit ut sign etu r a comeden du m, respon d en t omn es

D EO G RA T I AS, p riore signan te aut p resbytero vel cui iusserit, tali voce
sign atur ut un iversi audian t et resp on den t A MEN I n ip so in icio .

comeden ti um est p raeparatu s l ector q ui statirn p eti t be n ediction em

dicit IUBE DO MN E BEN ED IC ER E, seni or autem dicit SA LVET N os DO MI

N U s, ei resp on den t omn es A MEN , et in gred itu r ad l egen dum et legit

q u a md i u il l u m cibum m an d ucan t E t po
.stea si lo n go p ran di o
habuer in t ut diucius sedean t vel si al ium min istration em min istrentur,
”

tan git p rior men sa ut sileat I p s e l ector mo dicu m E t si fuer in t p

. isce s

vel etiam si volatili a man ducan t, c um mini strs tur et in son uerit sign um
ROM A N OFFICE OF TIME O F CH A RLEMA GN E r 17

ut ben edicatur, resp on den t omn es D UO G RA T I

A S, et ben edicit p rior
aut cui iusserit dicen te CR EATURA M SUA M C REA TO R O MN I UM DO MIN US
BEN ED I CAT, et res on den t omn es A MEN et ms n ducan tur Si item
p .

a li us cibus fuerit dl CI
t oration em, hoc est P RECIBUS SA N C TAE D EI
GEN I
CI
TR I S MAR I
AE ET N os ET DO N A SUA C HR I
ST US U
L I S DEIBEN ED I
FI C AT,
resp on den t o mn es A MEN .

[]
2 E t s d al iam m i n istrati on em iteru m legit lector ts mdiu q uous
q ue p rsecip ia t ei a bba ut fi n iatu r , ll
s ut Si
i e c on g ru a m fi n e m in ve n erit ,

si ben edictio son averit, in extremo sermon e rep etit ip sum iteru m

secun dum vicem p rolixe, et resp on den t omn es DEO G RA TI A S, et de

scen dit . Si autem lon gs fueri t l ecti o et vel ben e fin ierit serrn on em,
rep etit ip su m et p ostea dici t TU A UTEM DO MI N E DO MI NE MI SERER E N O BI S,
et resp on den t omn es A MEN Sic et ad n octurn is vel ad coll ects vel u bi
.

p raece p tu m le g er in t di vin u m i sta est c on su e tu d o u t se m p er q u a n d o

in ci p it legere p eti ta ben ediction s dicit IUBE DO MN E BEN ED I C ERE .

Q u an do fin ie ri t l ec tor l ec ti on em D Eo G RA T IA S res p o n d en t, e t d e sce n

den te eo vadit an te men ss m abbatis et dat e i be n ed ictionem un de

man ducat et bibit Surgen tibus autem fratri bus dicen t len te C O N
.

FI TEA NTU R T I BI DOMI N E adiun gen tes GLO RI A PA T R I et ad fi n em

A L LELUI A can en tes . Et si msiorem refectionem habuerin t ut eis
exin de sup erfuerit, di cit p ri or vel c ui curs commisss est orati on em
FRA GMENT A U
Q AE SUPERA R UN T SERVI
S SU I
s C H R IST US LI
FI Us DEI
MULTIP LEXI
T ET BEN ED I
CA T Q U IEST BEN E I
ET A BU N D A RE FA C I
AT CT S D U
SAECU LA SAECU LO R UM . b
Et resp on den tibus omni us A MEN vadun t in
oratori o ad oration em Domin i um gmtias agen tes, et ibi dicen t p ost
fin itam oration em D ISPERSIT DED IT comp leto oflicio c ibi .

[3] Ite m a d s er s co e nan tib us cu m in gre ssi f u e ri t u bi re fi cian tu r

di ca n t subtrahen do moras oration e m EDEN T PA U FERES adiun gen tes

GLO R IA PA TRIst in fin e canen tes A LLELUIA , et dici t sen ior oration em,
sic ts men ut c un cti audisn t et resp on dean t A MEN , hoc est TU A N OS
DO MIN E, vel alias sun t mul tas secun dum temp us Seden tes autem in .

sed il ia sua faciun t simil iter sic ut s t in p ran dio in die . Et si con tigerit
ut n ox p erven iet coenan ti bus et l umen n ecesse sit s ccen dere, ille
a utem frater
q ui l u m e n ad p orta t sta ti m c u m i n gr e d itu r i n do m o

p p
ro e se n iores d ic i t tal i v o ce u t o m n es a u dis n t L U M EN C H R IST I
, et
d icun t omn es DEO GRA TI A S, et iterum ip se in cu rvatus dicit I UBE DO MN E
BEN ED I CERE, sen ior autem di ci t I N N O MI N E DO MI N ISI T, et resp on den t
A MEN , et si c p on it l umen in locum su um ut l uceat omn i bus in domo .

Et Si miscere iussum fueri t fratribus ut biban t, vadit min ister ad

min isterium et tan git digi to suo calicem, et resp on den t omn es D EO
GRA TIA S, Sign at et respon den t omn es A MEN , et sic biben t cum ben e
dictions .Et Si fructum D omin us dederit dici t sen ior ita ora tion em
FR UCT US SUO S DO MI N U S O MN I POT EN s BEN ED I CA T , et resp on den t omn es
AMEN , si c fi t de omn ia admin istration e m . C u m autem refectio exp l ets
fuerit, facto sign o ut surgan t, ille fra ter q ui in q uoq uin s sep ti mana m
facit q uando fratres reficiun t semp er cum aliis min istris ad men ss m
sen iorum si ve fratrum ad min istrat, cum autem surgun t s men sa ille
1 18 HI STORY OF T HE ROM A N B REVI A RY
frater curvs t se con tra orien te super gen us sus et rogat p ro se orsre
D
dicen s O MN I O RA TE P RO ME, s r dicit sen ior SA LVET N os DoMIN Us,
G
il l e frater surgen s dicit p rol ixa voce D EO RA TIAS, statim omn es fratres
in cip iun t canere SEMPER TIBI O MI D NE G RA TI AS, its fi n itum dicit p rior
c um fratribus MI SERA TO R ET MI SER I D
COR S O MI U
N S p rolixe cum GL O RI A,
adiun gen tes et in fi n em A LL LU E IA sive Q U I DA T ESCA M O MN ICARN I
CON FI TEMI D
N I O MI L U
N O C O E I Q ON I A M BONU S Q O N I U AM I N SAEC ULU M
MI SER I OO RD I U
A EI S, et dici t sac erdos oration em hoc est SAT I AST IN os
D O MI NE, fin its resp on den t omn es A MEN , et sic vadun t ad oration em
et oran t sicut sup ra scrip tum est .

Il l m i m i i i di m i i
.

[]
4 e au t e se p t sn a r u s q u n g re tu r u
q q o u ina n d e d o
min ica ingreditur vel egreditur iuxta id q uod in regula san cti Ben e
dicti con ti n etur scrip tu m . Matutin is fin itis statim in oratorio q ui
egreditur p ostulat p ro se orare dicen s DO MN IO RA T E P R O ME, oran tes
autem dicit sen ior SALVU M FA G SER VU M T UM, ill e vero subseq uens U
D U
dici t cu m omn ibus fratribus BEN E ICT S Es DO MIN E DE S, hoc us ue U q
tercio rep eten s accep ts ben ediction s egreditur . Stati m dicit qui ia
g r e d i tu r D E Us IN A D IU T O R IU M M E MU I
NT EN D E , e t i sta ora ti o n e te rti a

cum omn ibus rep eti tur, et sic accep ts ben edi ction e in trat ad se rvien
d um fratri bus suis Sic et in ecc lesia eati Petri ap ostoli p resbyter
.
b
sep ti manam facit, vel man sion arii q ui lu men vel orn atum ip sius
.

eccl esiae custodiun t, die sabba ti ors tercio consign an t ofi cis sus a d
.

p a res su o s, et sic d es ce n d un t e t v ad un t in d o m os su a s, e t i lli al i i c um

p r es b y te r o v e l p a re s s u os u s q u e ad a li o sa bb at o s er viu n t et fa c iu n t
simil iter, et sic in omn ibus offi ciis hon esto vel ordin abili ter Deo con
servan tur .

[5 ] Et fortsi
asse i sts q uae de mu l ti s p a uca c on sc ri p si m us ali en i
disp li cuerit, n on sit p iger sed habes t p ruden tism, sic haben t alii sa
cerdotes vel p atres seu et monachi devoti q ui recto ordin e vi vere
atq ue cu stodire cum di vin a s uctorits te desideran t, q uomodo il li

vadun t, ista m san cta m doctrin am ad suam utili tatem vel suos seu et
mul torum aedi fi cation em cum magn o labore ip sam deferen t, ut hic
p o stm od um v el in fu t urum p p
er etualit e r ga ud ean t a tq u e l eten tu r in

con sp ectu Dei et a n gel orum vel omn ium san ctorum eius V adat .

sibi ip sa R oms , s ut si p iget misso suo fi del i in l oco suo transmitts t et

in quirs t diligen ter si est its aut n on est q uod de p luribus p s rurn con
scr ip simus, aut Si n on its ibidem cel ebratur V el si ben e cum san cts
.

in ten tion e vel devotion s in q uisierat, et adhuc in cen tup l um melias

n u de in O ere Dei p ro fi ciat in ven erit, tun c p ostmodum fortasse ists
p
s udia t desp icere vel derogare vel etiam tan tos et tales san ctos p atres

con tra se adversare p raesuma t q ui istam san cta m n ormam in sti

tuerun t .

[]
6 I
d est p ri beatus
Damasus pap a adiuvan te san oto Hier
mus
on ymo p resbytero vel ord in em ecclesiasti cu m descrip tum de Hier
osol yma p ermissu san cti ip sius Damasi tran smitten tem in stituit et
ordin avit Post hun c beatissimus Leo ap a an ns l em can tum omn em
.
p
in stituit, atq ue Op uscula I
n can on ica in stitution e l uculen tissi ms edidi t,
 C H A PTER IV .

T HE MOD ER N UM OFFICIUM A N D T HE BREV A R ES OF I I T HE

WE read in a hull of J un e 7 th 12 4 1 addressed by Pop e Gre

, ,

g o ry I X to t he F ran c iscan s : We g iv e y o u a ut h o rity to re st

con ten t w ith the observan ce of the moder n o fi ce wh ich y o u ,

ha ve in your b reviaries carefully corrected by us an d con

, ,

formed to the use of the Church o f Rome These words may

serve as a motto for the p rese n t ch ap ter whose whol e obj ect
,

con sists in in vestigatin g first what was th is

, , U se of the
Roman Ch urch down to the th irteen th cen tury ? secon dly ,

wh at was this n on R oman O fiice wh ich the Pop e calls modcr uum
-

o ici u m hirdly wh at a re we to un derstan d by the ex p ression

fi t ,

br evi a ry of this modern ofii ce ?

The Roma n O fli ce, such as we have j ust described it, as we

ha ve foun d it codifi ed in the time of Charlemagn e, was still in
full vigour at Ro me, in the p rin cip al basil icas, at the close of
the tw el fth cen tury .

We p ossess, in fact, an offi ce book of the basil ica of S Peter,

-
.

the an tip hon ary p ubl ish ed by C ard in a l Tomas i This most .

imp ortan t mon umen t of the l iturgy of the Roman basil icas is
of the tw e l fth cen tury In the p reced in g chap ter we ha ve
.

suffi cien tly establ ished the con formity o f its tex t an d its rub rics

with the in formation g iven by A mal arius to w arran t us in say

in g that here we have a first p roof of the substa n tial con formity

h
Pott ast, 1 1028 :
1 Vestrae itaq ue recibus devotion i s in ducti , ut observan tia
p
moder n i ofi cii , q uod in brooia r iis vestrrs exacta di l igen tia correc tum a n obis ex
j
sta tu to Regu la e vestrae uxta Eccl esiae Romanz e morem —
exce to p
sal ter io p
cel ebrar e debetis, sitis con ten ti p p
er e tuo vobi s auctor itate
p raesen ti um in
d ul emus .
"

f p h
The words cxcc to psal ter i o in dicate t a t the Min orrtes are aut or h
is to use the Gal l ican sal ter h h h
t at w i c h
we ave in the brev iary of
h p
to day) , w il e at Rome the sal ter call
-
Roman was still in use .
 T HE BREVI A RIE S OF T HE CURI A 12 1

of the Roman O ffice of the twel fth cen tury with that described
for us by A malarius l
.

A cel ebrated l etter of A belard s of about the year 1 140

’
, ,

testifi es that the basil ica of S P eter was n ot a l on e i n its main .

ten an ce o f the an cie n t ofli ce sin ce he tell s us that th is was

'

eq ually the case with the Latera n basil ica : E ccl es i a L a ter a n
ensi s qua e ma ter est omn i u m a n tiq u u m o
, fi ici u m ten et W it h ,

o ut doubt as we h asten to add A bel ard in ten ds in th is p assage

, ,

to tel l us that the Lateran stood a l on e at R o me in th is oh

servan ce o f the an cien t office : he asserts th at n on e of the
”
daughters of this Mother of ch urches foll ow her ex amp l e ,

n ot even the R oma n i P a l a ti i ba si l i ca by wh ich he mea n s ,

the cha p e l with in the Lateran p al ace .

But th is is in flat con tradiction to the wh ol e ten o r of the

an ti p hon a ry o f S P eter wh ich testifies that the basil ica o f
.
,

the Vatica n was as faithful to the a n cien t office as th at o f the

Latera n A t al l even ts at the very l ea st we have it here re
.
, ,

corded that at S J ohn of the Latera n it was the a n tiqu u m

.

o fi ci u m t h at w as observed at that date

’
.

A n oth er p roof is furn ish ed by the Ordi nes R oma n i of the

twel fth cen tu ry wh ich in desc ribin g the p on tifical c er emo n ial
, , ,

sup p ly on several occasion s a descrip tion o f the offi ce both at

vesp ers an d at the sol emn n octurn s an d l a uds j ust a s much ,

as o f the M ass itsel f A n d this descrip tion accords w ith an

Ordo of the office substan tially the sa me as the Ordo of the
eigh th cen tu ry A s witn esses to th is fact w e may tak e two
.

wel l k n own Ordi nes R oma n i of the twel fth cen tury
-
‘
O n e is .

that of Can on B en edict a can on of the basil ica o f S Peter a n d ,

.
,

R oma na e E ccl esi a e Ca n tor it was w ritten shortly befo re

1 14 3 a n d is the Ordo R oma n us XI of Mabillon : the oth e r
,
.
,

Mabillon s Ordo R oma nus X IL has for its author Cen cius the
’
, ,

‘
The me observation was made by C ardi nal Tomasi (t Iv p xxrnj )
sa I ll a . . .

o
p p
r em o d um o mn ia eoq ue fet e ordi n e
, di g es ts i n eo re p er i u n tur q uae de Roman o , ,

an h p horrari o tradidi t Amalari us un de cui ue con star e potes t n ostri an ti hon arii
q ,

ritus, saccul o XII R omae usu rp atos , ab

il l rs n on distare qui in moribu s oman
orum eran t sa ccul o
"
IX
C ardin al T omasi w oul d n ot assert , an y more t an
. h I
h h
s ould, t at th e ofi ce resen ted in t is an ti p on ary of S P eter is on e w i c has h ph . h h
h
remain ed wi t out an y variati on w atever from the eig t cen tury , b ut suc fvaria h hh h
ti on s as occur are con fi n ed to matters of detai l : the ma i n l in es remain un
h
c an ged .

e ardus, E
‘A ba l t x A n tiq uam certe Romanae Sedi s con suetudin em n ec
.

i pss civi tas [Roma ten et, sed sola ecclesia Lateran en sis, q uae mater est omn iunr,
an ti q uum ten et ofi ci um, n ulla fi liarum sn ar um i n hoc earn seq uen te, n ec i sa p
etiam Roman i Pala ti i basili ca
”
( P L c x v rII . . .

‘ Mabi l l n Mus
o , Ita l t 11 1 18 et seq
. . . . p
T he O r do of Ca n on Ben edict i s
. .

p
al so re roduced i n P L GLxxrx 7 31 -62 . . . .
122 HI STORY OF THE R O M A N B REVI A R Y
sa me man who Chan cellor of the Roman Church edited
, as ,

in 1 19 2 the L i o er Censuu m Thus we have on the whole in .

, ,

these two Ordi nes the con su etudin ary o f p on tifical ceremon ies
,

of the ti me of I n n ocen t I I (d 1 14 3) a n d I n n ocen t I I I ( 1 19 8 .

12 A n d this ceremon ia l is in accordan ce with the an cien t

offi ce as desc ribed in the p receding chap ter an d n ot w ith the ,

modern office which we are about to describe This p oin t .

n eeds in sisting on The oll owi n g dig ression if it is a digres

f .
—
sion — has abun da n t bea rin g on our subj ect Let us see wh at .

was i n the twel fth cen tury the ceremon ial of the offices in
, ,

wh ich the Pop e an d the Cu r i a took p art .

—
The Pop e an d the Cur ia the latter n ow occup yin g the
p l ac e o f th e d is t r ic t c l e rg y o f fo rm e r t im es — d i d n ot t a k e p a rt ,

as a body i n the da ily p ubl ic office a t an y b as il ica b ut on ly

, ,

i n the sole mn offi ce on certa in festiva l s in certa in p ar ticul ar ,

ch urch es For these festival s the old n ame of Station s was “ ”

.

reta in ed ; a n d two k in ds of station s we re d istin guish ed the ,

diurn a l wh ich in cl uded n oth in g more than the M ass of the

,

station a n d the n octurn al o r greater sta tions wh ich co mp rised

, ,

vesp ers on the p recedin g even in g the n octurn a l offi ce in the ,

middl e of the n ig ht an d the sol emn M ass in the morn in g ,

1
.

These n octurn al station s were very few in n umber an d were ,

p ec u l ia r to th e g re a tes t fes tiv a ls s u c h a s th e t h ir d S u n d a

,y i n

A dven t C hristmas E p ip ha n y A scension

, , Pen tecost the , , ,

N ativity of S Jo hn B ap ti st the feast o f the A p ostl es Peter

.
,

an d P a ul the A ssump tion a n d the feast of S A n drew

, , But . .

on th ese vig il s al l the p omp o f the p on tifical ceremon ia l was

disp l ayed .

The Pop e sets out from his p a lace of the Lateran the ,

P a tr i a r eizi u m robed in a wh ite ch asubl e h av in g on his h ea d

, ,

the crow n ed tiara or reg n u m an d moun ted on a horse wi th ,

scarl et tra p p in gs A t the hea d of the p rocession wa lks a sub

.

deacon carryin g the p on tifical cross Then come twel ve c le rk s .

ca rryin g ban n ers foll owed by the fo reign b ish op s who h ap p en

,

to be in Ro me Then the abbots of the mon asteries of Rome

.
,

an d the ca rdin a l s wh eth er p riests or b ish op s , A fter these the .

,

1 At Rom in th tw lfth c n tu y th e i as t o q uestio of co d esp s

e, e e e r , re s e n n se n v er .

A p a sag oft
s e q u o te d f
enro m P o p Al x d e r I I ( 5 9 1e1 8 ) i ot ll
e an y pp os d 11 - 1 sn r ea a e
to th is tio : L icet sc i pt m it D i v rt r l br bi ti b
asser n
t r u s e en er s n e e unt ce e a s sa
b t
a a oe st f torum tam
ra , p i nci pium t fi j xt eo um l i tatem t j uxta
en r n rs u a r ua e
q
es e ,

di ersarum i o um co u e tu d i m d b et a tt
ns di F i
ne b e g t 1 1 p 27 en r e r 1.
v g re n e , . . .

T hi s p a ag in fact impl ies th t the custom of h

ss e, , g
a sec o d w a ot avrn n ves s n
un v i ersal d does ot p o
, an th t Rome had at that tim adopt
n r ve a th m We e e .

sh ll fi d th Min orites i
a n e the thirtee th cen tury mak i g them the establ ished
, n n , n
custo m
.
1 24 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
n the middl e o f the n ight the bell
I toll s, an d ever on e y gets

up . The Pop e an d the Cur ia asse mble in the secreta r i um,

wh ich at S Peter s was a l arge chap el at the south west corn er
.
’
-

of the atriu m . There th ey all v est, an d the p rocession is mar

shalled . A cen ser is ha n ded to the Pop e, a n d four torch bearers -

tak e their p l aces before him Then the p rocession starts in

.

sil en ce, by the l ig ht o f can d l es H avin g p assed through the

.

p o rc h o f th e b a sil ica i n p rocessio n a n d en tered the ch urch , they

come before the al ta r of S Gregory, wh ich the Pop e cen ses

. .

Th is is the fi rst station of the p rocession , in the s ide aisl e on

the l eft . The secon d is made before the al tar of SS Simon .

a n d J ude, at the bottom o f the n av e : h ere is rese rved the

Bl essed Sacramen t, wh ich is cen sed by the Pop e The th ird .

station is before the al ta r of S Veron ica , in the side a isl e o n

.

the righ t : h ere the Pop e cen ses the ho ly w in din g shee t an d
l an ce of our Lord s Passion Then , goin g up the n ave, the
’
.

”
p r oc es s io n c o m es to t h e
“
triump hal a rch , a t th e e n tran ce to

the sa n ctuary, an d the fourth sta tion is made before the a l tar
o f S Pasto r, wh ich in its tu rn is cen sed by the Pop e
. Thus, .

fro m al ta r to al tar, th ey co me at l ast to the Con fession of S .

Peter, an d go dow n the step s wh ich lead to it The Pop e .

ce n ses the a l ta r set up ove r the tomb of the Prin ce of the

A p ostl es ; then he tak es his seat, the fo ur p rocession s ] l ig hts

bein g set dow n before him .

A n d n ow, before the C on fession of S Peter, begins the first .

v ig il — th at first vig il wh ich we have a l ready p o in ted out as

bein g, in the eighth cen tury, a survival of the origin al d istinc
tion betwee n the office fo r sain ts days an d the ferial office, an d
’

o f wh ich the more memory was p reser ved in the Fran k ish
”
l iturgy in the ter m do ubl e offi ce
“
Th ere is n o in vitato ry at
.

th is fi rst vigil : the ch ief chan ter, w ith the S col a ca n toru m, be
fii b l l w h h fi l m
'

g in s th e o c e a s o u te y it t h e a n tip o n o f th e r st p sa

o f the first n octurn . There are th ree n octurn s, each of three

p sa l m s a n d th r ee l es s o n. s T h e ca n o n s o f t h e ba s il ica c h a n t
the l essons, an d at the en d o f ea ch it is the arch deacon w ho
p r o n o u n c es t h e T u a u te m D o m i ne T h.e S c ol a ca n to r u m s in g s

the resp on ds . A fter the resp on d wh ich fo llows the th ird lesso n
of the third n octurn comes the Te D eu m, an d as soon as eve r
it is fi n ish ed a district subdeacon b rin gs a sacra men ta ry, an d
on e of the two assista n t b ishop s h ol ds it o p en befo re the Po p e ,
who reads fro m it the coll ect for the day Then the archdeacon
.

says Benedi ca mus D omi no an d the A osto l ic Father bl esses

p
the con gregation . So en ds the first vig il l
.

Ben edict, 8 .
 THE BREVI A R IES OF THE CURI A 12 5

Then the p rocession sets off afresh : the Pon tiff l eavin g the ,
”
C on fession p roceeds to the h ig h al tar of the basil ica an d
, ,

cen ses it Then he sits down before the al tar rail s w ith the
.
-
,

ca rd in a l deaco n s on either side o f hi m wh il e the oth er cardin a l s , ,

both b ishop s an d p riests tak e their p laces w ith the can on s in

,

the stal l s of the choir or p r esby ten u m The four l ights stan d
’

before the Pop e who h imsel f in ton es the D omi ne l a bi a mea

,

ap er i es .Then the S col a ca ntoru m at on ce begin s the in vitatory ,

which is foll owed by the three p sal ms of the first n octurn with ,

th eir an tip hon s T he ca n on s of the basil ica chan t the l esso n s

.

an d sin g the resp on ds of th is fi rst n octurn A t the other two .

n octurn s the l esso ns a re chan ted as foll ows : the fou rth by o n e

of the sm na r i i the fifth by the sen ior of the ca rdin al bishop s

'

, ,

the six th by the sen ior o f the cardin al riests the seven th b
p y ,

the sen ior of the ca rdinal deacon s the eighth by the sen io r ,

subdeacon the n in th by the Po p e h imsel f

,
Two l ights stan d .

u p on the lectern Each reader i n his turn says j uoe D omi ne

.
, ,

benedi cer e an d the Po p e bl esses him

,
A t the n in th l esso n the.
,

Pop e says j ube D omi ne ben edicer e b ut n o on e bl esses him , ,

un l ess it be the H oly Ghost a n d those p resen t after a sh ort

”
, ,

p a us e , sa y A m en A fter th e n i n th l es
. s o n th e T e D eu m i s s u n g ,

by the Scol a an d forthwith lan ds the p sal ms an d an tip hon s

, ,

bein g sun g by the Scol a Then the versicl e an d resp on se the

.
,

Benedi ctus an d its an tip hon This bein g fi n ished the assistan t
.
,

bishop op ens the sacramen tary before the Pop e who says the ,

coll ect fro m it an d the offi ce en ds a s before A n d after this

1
, .
,
”
says Ce n ci us D omi n us P ap a i n tr a t lectu m an d all the Cu r ie:
, ,

do the sa me so as to be ready to co me in ea rly in the morn i n g

, , ,

to ce l ebrate the so l emn Mass .

Such is the ceremon ial o f a sta tio noctu rna l zs such as wou l d ,

be cel ebrated for in sta n ce on the feast of S Peter

, ,
These . .

long an d solemn vigil s are n ot p erformed without p len ty of

light Two h un dred an d fifty l amp s are l it in the basil ica The
. .

p p
e o l e att en d in c row ds o n ce rt a in fes tiv a ls th e sen esc ha l o f ,

the A p ostol ic Palace had to th row ha n dful s of co in on the

dense rank s of the crowd in order to dis p erse them a n d op en ,
”
up a n easie r p assage for the Pop e an d his atten dan ts .

R esumin g the th read of our argumen t we rep eat th at this ,

ceremon ial of the twe l fth cen tury bel on gs to an office whic h in ,

its mai n l in es is the same w ith that of the eighth cen tury the ,

sa me as reg a rds the n u mber o f p sal ms l esson s an d resp on ds , ,

the sa me as reg ards the rubrics for the begi n n in g an d the cl ose
1 Ben edict, 9 . Cen cius , 37 ; Ben edict, 7 4, 76 .
1 26 HI STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY

of the bove all the same as regards the absen ce

service , a n d, a ,

of e l emen ts wh ich we sha ll see were characte ristic o f the modern

o ffi ce A re we n ot then en titl ed to in fer the iden tity o f the
.

basil ican office of the ti me of A malarius an d the p on tifical offi ce ,

o f the time of C en ci us an d Ca n on B en ed ict ?

But to th is iden tity a grave obj ection has bee n made .

—
Liturgical writers an d their O p in ion on this p oin t was em
1 —
braced by Pop e P ius V ag ree in attributin g to Gregory VI I
a reform o f the R o ma n Office H ere is the accoun t which .

D om Gué ran ger gives of this sup p osed reform The p ress of
i mp orta n t b usin ess by wh ich a Pop e in the eleven th cen tury
was besieged the in fin itely n umero us detail s of ad min istration
,

i n to whi ch he had to en ter made it i mp ossibl e to recon cil e with ,

duties so vast an d so an x ious a co n stan t atten dan ce at the long

”
ofii ces which had bee n in use d urin g the p reced in g cen turies ,

a n d th erefore Greg ory VI I ab ridged the o ffi ces o f the ca n on ica l

h ours of p rayer an d simp l ified the l iturgy for the use of the
,

Roman Cu r i a ’
.

But we sha ll n ot fin d that th is theory deserves much con

sideratio n Was it then on ly in the el even th cen tury that
.

Pop es began to be besieged by a p ress of busin ess an d had to ,

en ter in to a n i n fi n ite n umber of deta i ls o f ad min istratio n ?

D om Gué ran ger woul d be the l ast man in the wo rl d to have

us th in k so It is besides q uite certain th at in the time of
.
, , ,

the immediate p redecesso rs of Greg ory VII the Pop e an d the ,

Cu ria faithful to the obl igation of recitin g the D ivin e O ffice

, ,

without n egl ectin g the duties imp osed up on them by their

station acq uitted th emsel ves of that obl igation by the p rivate re
,

c itation of the office S Leo IX ( 1 04 8 54) is p raised in his

. .
-
,

Life for havin g every day fulfi ll ed the obl igation of recitin g
,
”— —
the en ti re P sa l ter as it
w as wo n t to be ca lled m ean in g

thereby the diurn a l an d n octurna l ofii ce ; an d for ha vin g recited

it at its p rop e r h ours in cl udin g the n ight offi ce ; for recitin g
,

it i n his orato ry i n comp an y with a Sin g l e cl erk an d for n ever

o mittin g it
‘
H ere we see how a Pop e of the eleven th cen tury
.
,

besieged as much as an y other with a p ress of imp ortan t busi

n ess re con ci l ed e asily the duties of so busy a l ife I do n ot say
, ,

w ith daily atten dan ce at the lon g offices of the basil icas ( a thin g
whi ch it had n ever been the custom of the Pop e to un dertak e ,

1 I
n the Bul l
Q u a d 4 n obis ( 1 5 68 wherein is
) promulgated the publicati o n of
the reformed Roman brevia ry .

1
Gué ran ger , Ins ti t li turg t 28 1 . . . .

Wiber t , Vi ta S L eonis, . 1 2 an 13 ( P L. . c I
n 5 01,
.
 12 8 HI STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
o f his has l
S Gr eg ori us P ap a ,
re ation : Bea tus Greg or i us
.

P ap a , S Gr eg or i us P ap a p r i mus
. When ever he mean s
Grego ry VI I , Bemold men tion s hi m in such a way as to dis
tin g u ish him q uite cl ea rly fro m Gregory 1 : Greg or i us P ap a
sep ti mus Gr eg ar i as lzuj us nomi n i s P ap a sep ti mus,
r ever enda e memon a e Gr e or i us P a a d h i h im
’

g p a n e n ev er g v e s
”
the titl e o f “
sa in t So it is n ot to Gregory VI I , b ut to S
. .

Gregory I , th at Bem old, wh en treatin g of the Ordo of the

ca n o n ical offi ce, attrib utes its dis osition Th u h w it
p s e r e s .

S ci en du m est guod S Gr eg on us i ta eccl esi asti ca o di

’

.
fi c i a o r n
”1
A n d he attrib utes to his own con temp orary Gregory
’

aw t .

VI I n o more than the two decrees here following, as to which

a n y o n e ca n see how fa r th ey a ffect the gen eral ch aracter o f

the R o man can on ica l offi ce .

Gregor ius, huj us min is Pap a sep timus A p ostol icae Sed i p raesiden s,
no
con stituit ut san ctorum omn ium R oman orum Pon tificum et Mar tymm
festivita tes solemn iter ub iq ue cum p l en o ofii cio celeb ren tur ’
.

Gregor ius Pap a in A p ostolica Sede con stitutus p ro mul ga vi t

”
“
A d ie, in q uit, R esurrection is usq ue ad Sab batum in A lb is, et a die
Pen tecostes usq ue in sabb atum ej usdem hebdomadae, tres p sal mos ad
n octurn as tresq ue l ection es an ti uo more can tamu s et l eg imus
q O m n ib us .

al iis d ieb us p er totum an n um, si festivitas e st, n ovem p sal mos et n ovem
lection es et r esp onsoria d icimus al iis autem d ieb us d uodecim p salmos et
tres lection e s recita mus in d ieb us domin icis octodec im p salmos, excep to
d ie Paschae et die Pen tecostes, et n ovem lection es dicimus Hoc etiam .

usq ueq uaq ue j ux ta Roman um ord in em ita fi eri statuimus, ut sup ra n ota
vi mus In Octava P ascha e historiam D i n us es D omi n e et A p ocalyp sim
.
g
j uxta ordin em in cip imus ’
.

I
n the first —which p erhap s bel on gs to
of b
the a ove decrees
the Roma n syn od of 107 8—Gregory VII ex ten ds to al l Ch ris
ten do m the o bl igation of observin g the festiva l s o f mar tyr
Pop es It is on e act in his grea t struggl e for the Sup remacy
.

o f the H o ly See an d has n o bea ri n g on the q uestio n o f the

,

Roman ofii ce p rop erly so called

'

-
.

I t
n he secon d decree —p ro bably b el on i
g gn to the R om an

1
Micrologu s 6 1 an d 5 0 , i brd 43
.
’
. .

8 b d
i i 54 .D o m
. M o r i n , R é g l em en t s in e di ts d u P a e S pG r e g o ir.e V I I
p o u r l es Ch an o l n es R é g u l i ers , R ev u e B é n éd i cti ne , 1 9 0 1 , 1 pp-8
77 3 .
, h as di s
p
covered in a con tem orary MS ( Va ti ca n , L a t 62 9) the documen t from w i c
. . h h
this secon d decree is extracted A fter th e words et novem lecti on es dicimus
.

( th d ) c o m th fo l l o w in g : lli a u te I
m ui i n d i eb us co ti di an i s tres
3
n ear e e n e s e
s l m o t tr l ti o s v i d t u e n on ex r eg- a SS Patrum, sed ex fasti dio
p a s c e s ec n e e n r a g er , .

et n eg l egen tia comprob an tur facere Roman i autem diverso modo ager e coe c
p
.

p
r un t, ma xi me a tem or e q uo T euton ici s con cessum est regimen nostrae c
cl esiae N os autem, et ordin em Roman um et an tiq uum morem i n vestigan tes,
.

p
statu irn us fi eri n ostr as Eccl esia e sicu t su eri us raen otavimus, an ti guos imrtan tes
p
p atr es
”
. We shall meet wi t t is passage agarn , in Grati an
h h .
 THE BREVI A RIES OF THE CURI A 1 29

y
s no d o f 107 4 — Greg ory VII rul es that on E aster D ay a n d the
six week day s en suin g as a l so on the D ay of Pen teco st an d the
, ,

six week days of its octa ve the n octurn a l offi ce sh all hav e b ut ,

three p sa l ms three l esson s an d three resp on ds

,
whil e fo r the
, ,

rest of the yea r the n octurn al ofii ce for festival s sh al l h ave

,

n in e p sal ms n in e l esson s an d n in e resp on ds

,
the feria l offi ce
, ,

twe l ve p sa l ms th ree l esso n s an d three resp on ds a n d the

, , ,

Sun day offi ce eighteen p sal ms n in e l esson s an d n in e resp on ds ,

.

But th is Or do o f the offi ce is p recise ly that wh ich we h av e seen

in fu ll v igo ur at Ro me in the time o f A mal arius a t the beg in ,

n in g o f the n in th cen tury : an d Gregory VI I in en actin g th ese

1
,

rul es hi msel f tel l s us th at he is th ereby mak ing n o inn ova tio n

,

a n ti quo mor e ca nta mus et l egi mus he writes such is the ,

an cien t Ro man c ustom an d we mak e n o chan ge th erein

We ordain that it be n one otherwise don e but th at the Ordo ,

R oma n us be adhered to which has n ot ceased to be the can on ,

of our c usto ms an d w hich is for us as we l ove to rep eat the

, , ,

a n tigu ns mos A re these ex p ression s th ose of a reformin g

”
.

a n d in n ovati n g Pop e A re they n ot rathe r such as w o uld be

used by on e who co n demn ed an y attemp t to mod ify the

an ci en t use ?

A n d , as a matter of fact, the tex t of these decrees as cited

by Bern old is on ly an imp erfect on e, while we fin d them given
in fu ll by Gratian ’
A n d th en we see that in the ti me of
.

Pop e Gregory VII some clergy foun d the brev ity of the n oc
turn al offi ce of Easter week a n d Wh its un wee k a temp tation .

—
On ly thin k three p sal ms an d three lessons ! A n d so they
were in troducin g the custom of abbrev iating after this p attern
the daily feria l offi ce, an d the offi ce of sa in ts days as well
’ 8
.

1 With p
the si n gl e exce tion of the c mcc for Pen tecost an d i ts octave , whic h
w at Rome in the n in th c n tu y in the time of A malarius, an ofi ce of n in e
T
as e r ,

esson s .

1 D e c n secr
o . v. 15 ; Fi r edberg, t I
. . p 46. 1 1 .

h
1 T at th
e sain ts day
’
ofi ce ho te
was s r n ed i n con formity to t at of Easter h
k
wee , S Peter . Damian (d
107 2 is a witn ess
. ri tin g ust before the p o n ti fi
. W j
ca te of Gr egory V I I 107 3 e relates in on e of h is Opuscula a vision vouc h
safed to a certa in cler of the basilica of S Pe ter , who on e n i g t saw th e Prin ce . h
p
of the A ostl es ofi ciate i n his own bas ilica
B Petrus A p ostol us ad eccl esiam
. Bl essed Peter the A ostl e came to p
suam ven it, cui p r oti n us omn i um on e his c urc , an d fort wit the com an y h h h h p
cessorum suorum p on ti fi cum vi del icet of al l his successors in the Roman
h
Roman orum c orus in fnl atus ac festi p o n ti fi ca te m et h im , r obed i n festal
vus occurrit : i se q u p n o B P etrus, vestmen ts
. T en 8 P eter imsel f al so , . h . h
q u i e a ten us v i der etur in u tu s H eb r a ic is w ho h a d p r e vio u sl a ear ed in ebrew pp H
vestibus (s icut i n icturis ubi que con att ire, as he is a ways re resen ted i n p
tu n e et g i um s u sce p it i n ic tu res , p u t th e t iar p
a on h i s ead , h
‘

ca te, e t sicut caeteri sacerdotal ibus an d assumed ri estl y robes li k e the p

i is est indutus in cor ore p
Tun c rest . T en all , wi t resoun din g ton es
. h h
9
1 30 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
O f such a p racti ce Gregory VI I sp ea k s thus
I ll i au tem , q ui in d ieb us cottid ian istres tan tummodo p sal mos et tre s
lecti on es celeb rare vol un t, n on P ex regu l a SS atrum sed ex fa stid io com
.

p rob an tur ho c facere R om a n i w r o di r/m o modo ag ere coep cr un t, max ime

.

a temp or e q ua Teu ton i czs concessum est r eg i men nostm e E cel er i a c 1 N os .

aute m, etc .

I
n words he mak es n o accoun t of the reason s which
ot er h ,

some of the cl ergy migh t have for retren ch in g the l en gth of

the offi ce or simp l ifyin g its arran gemen t In a l l th is he on ly .

see s a Sign of l a x ity an d he refuses to dea l w ith it eith er by

,

to l era ti n g the custo m wh ich was begi n n in g to be i n trod uced ,

or by h imsel f in auguratin g some a uthoritative refo rm in the

sa me sen se A n d he con cl udes by sayin g

.

N os a u te m, et or d in e m R oman um in vestiga n tes et an tiq uum morem

n ostrae E ccl esiae, imitan tes an tiq uos p a tres, sta tuimus fieri sicu t sup erius

p ra en ota vi mus .

T he full tex t therefore as given by Gratian is even stronger

than that o f Ber n old 11
Gregory VI I , as regards the D ivin e .

O ffi ce, holds fast by the old custom of the R oman Church ; he

is deter min ed to remain faithful to the an cien t F athers .

We may assert then that n either Bemold of Con stan ce in

the M i crol ogu s , n or Greg ory VI I h imsel f in his decrees, say
an yt h ing of an y refo rm of the tradition al ofii ce h avin g been made

at R ome in the co urse o f the el even th ce n tury O n the con .

tra ry , th ey bea r w itness to the ten ac ity with wh ich, at Rome

itsel f, the an cien t Or do R oma n us of the office was main tai n ed,

p
res on sori u m ill ud quod dicitur T u es of p
sur assin g sweetn ess, began to
p as tor ooi um mel odi rs atq ue mell ifluis h
c an t the hou art th
p
r es on d T e
S h pherd of the he p
”
coep crun t i n ton are c l amoribus, sicq ue e s e , n n a d so co
il l um usq u e ad sacerdotalis c ori con e h duct d th eir ch ief to the th on e of th
r e
sistori um deduxerun t Q p
uo er v en i en s. e r n v n pr sbyte y A d ba i arri ved th
ere
.
,

p
i se A postolorum ri n ce s n octurn um p e p
r n th P i ce of the A po t
s es se e him lf h
est exorsus ofi ci um di cen s D omi n e e n r ce, th oct u na l ofii sayi 0
l a bi a area a cri es dein de tres p salmos d T h ou shal t o e my l s an d
p ip
r , n ,

totidemq ue ection es ac resp onsori a q uae so i n due order oll owed e th r ee

i n A p ostoloru m n ata litiis recen sen tur psa l ms , three l essons , a n d thr ee r espon ds,
ca n on i co more p ersolvi t Omn ibus which a re won t to be sa id on thefeasts
.

i ta q ue p er ordin em rite decursis, matu o Apostl es An d w en al l had b een . h

tin is u
q qo u e la u dib u s con se q u en ter ul y g o n e t r ou g , an d la ud s a lso in h h
j
exp l etis, e usdem eccl esi ae tin ti n abul um t eir tu rn were fi n is ed, the ch urc h h h
son uit, e t con ti n uo resbyter
q u i p
a ec b el l ran g , an d im mh ed ia tel y th e ri es t p
vi de ba t ev igi lan s somn ium terminav it
"
who wi tn essed t ese t in gs awok e, an d
. h h
Opuscu l xxxrv . i i 11 4
. p . . his vision was at an en d
. .
”
.

1 T he w or
ds in i ta lics are n ot i n F
riedberg s cri ti cal text, n or i n the var ious
'

r eadi n gs gi ven in hi s A p a ra tus Cr i ti cus , but t ey are foun d in th e Roman

p h
of Gr ati an
1
h h
As w e ave se en , t is text of Gr atia n i s con fi rmed by the i t erto un pub h h
l ished regul ation s discovered by Dom Morin ( 1 28 , n ote) p . .
1 32 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
R ation a l e must have been w ritten between 1 16 1 an d 1 16 5 .

It is a book full of lea rn in g an d w ritten i n a g raceful styl e .

I t describes the offi ce as used at Paris about the midd l e of the

tw e l fth cen tu ry .This gives the a uthor occasion to in form us
that the cl ergy of his time were far from bein g as faith fu lly
obse rvan t of that ofii ce as duty woul d de man d N 0 doubt they .

did n ot go so fa r as to i mitate those p relates an d cl ergy of the

n i n th cen tury, sp ok en o f in the Bened i cti o D ei , who sat up at
1

n ight drin k in g ti ll cock crow, an d then g ot th ro ug h the n oc

turn al c hice, God on ly k n ows how, before goin g to bed , whil e
‘

the d iurn al offi ce they desp atch ed in the mo rn in g w hil e th ey

w ere dressing 1 Nor were they guil ty of the fault again st which
5 Peter D a mian warn s the cl ergy of the el even th cen tury, who
.

were temp ted to recite the en tire offi ce for the day at on e time,
in the morn in g , so as to be free to go about their secul ar b usi
”
But the l uk ewar mn ess of J oh n Bel eth s con temp oraries
’
n ess .

”
was n o l ess g rievous to his dev out heart A l as l he writes, .

the v ery p u rp ose an d obj ect of the D ivin e service is n ow so

comp l etely lost sig ht of that schol ars rise earl ier tha n the

min isters of the Ch urch , a n d the sp arrows begin to sin g before

the p riests, so ch ill ed i n the hearts o f men is the l ove o f God
”
.

A n d in a n other p assage How man y a mon g us are foun d to

rise j oy fu lly wi th the su n to say the D iv in e service ? In th is

resp ect, we o f to d ay are l ik e Pen elop e s su ito rs, n a t i n n eea ios

’ i '
-

dor mi r e dies 1 A n d why do I sp eak of the n octu r n al offi ce ?

How man y are there who con scien tiously recite in due course
the ofii ce o f th e day 7 Few i n de ed, an d v er y few ,
i f th e re al
truth be tol d I 3

The modern offi ce, then , to begin with, as its very first c har
acteristic, had to accommodate itsel f to the l az in ess of the c l e rgy

by abbreviation In the el even th cen tury, as we have seen ,

.

there was a n attemp t made to cut dow n the feri al offi ce of the
season a n d the ofii ce for sain ts da ys so as to in cl ude b ut on e
’

n octu rn of th ree p sa l ms a n d th ree l esson s, as was the ru l e for

the octaves of Easter an d Pen tecost Such a p ractice was too .

man ifestly con trary to the whol e eccl esiastica l tradition to p re

must be viewed h
w it cau tion I t is well to com ar e w it
. p
th e R a tion a l e of o n h J h
J h
Bel eth the D e ecclesiasti ci s ofi ciis of o n of A vran c es ( P L c xn v rt 2 7 h He . . .

died A rchbisho of Rouen , 107 9 His l itur gical tr eati se is dedicated to his p re
.

decessor Maur l us, Archbis o of Rouen d h p .

1 See al so Ma n a Bi bl iotheca Veter a ns m

[ g s tr u , t xv pp 1 0 2 9 et seq ( C
.ol og .
n e
. . .

1618 P L c xxxx 01 C ommen ta r iol n s a mon acho, a t vi detur ,

3—
. . .

R a tisbon enss ( C a tal B0 1 . A B] . .

Petr Dam Of usca i xxxrv 5

. . . .
‘
. J
oa n Dal et , R ationa l e, 20 . h .
 T HE BREVI A RIE S O F T HE CURI A 1 33

vai lwe ha ve seen in what terms Gregory VI I co n demn ed it .

But if th ey co ul d n ot in terfere with the p sa l ter, they might

w ith the lection ary, wh ich was more easily subj ected to con
traction .

Th u s the abb reviation of the ofiice was p rin cip ally con cern ed
with the l ection ary On e has on ly to comp are the homil iaries .

of th e n in th cen tury, a s for in sta n ce that of P a ul the D eacon ,

w ith the homil ia ries of the el even th an d twel fth cen turies, to
see the great differen ce i n the l en gth of the l esson s for the

sa me festival th at ha s come about in the la p se of two cen turi es

‘
.

O n e of the th in g s a imed at in the reforms made at Cl un y in

the el ev en th cen tu ry was to re establ ish the l on g l esson s which -

by that time had fallen in to desue u e for in stance, to mak e

t d —
on ly six l esso n s in cl ude the who l e o f the E p i stl e to the R oman s,
an d to read th rough Ge nes is in cho ir in the course of on e w eek .

They p rotested against the ten den cy to shorten the l esson s ;

th ey in sisted that ev en the sho rtest s ho u l d l ast l on g en o ug h
to en abl e the brother, whose d uty it wa s to go ro un d w ith a
l an tern an d mak e sure that n o on e was asleep , to mak e the
roun d o f the wh ole ch oir an d the side ais l es as well
'

n e j za n t

i ta br ews ret i l l e f r a ter qu i d r ea m f a ci t cu m a bsoons a n on p ossi t

m h m l l i l i i i
’

p er totu c o r u ,
e t e x tr a ,
a r en z rse, ex p or a tn r us s c c et s q u s

f o r te ob dor m i er i t i n ter l eg e n d u m B u t th e se l o n g l es so n s o f
Cl un y were l ook ed up on as sing ul ar an d ex aggerated : the
first critical remark sup p osed to be addressed to U dal ric, in
his ex p osition of the customs of Cl un y, is A udi o l ection es
ves tr as i n I zi eme et i n p r i va tis nat ti o n s mul tum esse p r ol zx as
3
'

It was n atural tha t the an c ien t R oman O fii ce, wh en in tro

duced in to Fran ce with its own Prop er of the season a n d of
sain ts , shoul d admit n ew l o ca l festiva l s
8
A malari us recogn ized .

the fact that such must n eed s be the case, as do l itu rgi sts

1
Baumer , t p 39 45 . 11 . U dal ic Con
.
-
tudi . Cl i 1 r , sue nes un a een ses, . 1.
W mu t ot o g t that the Rom k l d l eft a la g deg of l ib ty
3
e s n r e an a en ar r e r ee er
to p ti ul arChu h c s
ar th S
rc es a to l T hi
r Wt h w s the
e i
an e r a e. s, as c ase n
th e eighth c t y w stil
en ur o i th el
, as th J oh of A s h s ai i g
n e ev en . n vr an c es , r n
of th o e f sti al of i t wh i h m "
s e v s D omi i l i
sa n s l b c t
“
i t of
or e n ca ce e ran u r , . a. eas s
i e l sso
n n gie l i t o
n s, f t h m q u
ves a it h o t
s l i t w h i h h e d s
, w i th t h w o d
e a s s r s , c e en e r ,
“
e t li q a p l ae i t uae p
( 34 o
a euer n p 6 i M ig s d i.ti o ) O, t h rsa m . 1 n ne
’
e n . n e e
t h i m di i l
'

n y O o t
e sa s :t o f t it t r e
sa t o n sce es q u l t nc ru rn ere a er ce e
,
p s v a es
antu i t ob fastidiosa si
r, n e s n n rspe fi u : ut i imi
e, ti mu
su r ne a s a s n s re ce s,
eo um j u
r mi w eamu va
(
nep 7 9 M i g s
9 A
"
t R o m bo u t t h m n e, e, a e sa e
day ofli ee f om b i g ppl t d by
5 .
,

d t
a e ffo t w
. m d to p
an e r ast th S a e reven e un r e n su an e
a ofii
n of ai ts d y
ce a s J u t Rom m co u t di m i om i Domi ica
n
'
a : x a an a ns e u ne , n n n
c l i ti eo co
e c es as t i um ofii io Domi i l i
n v en u c ti f cim c i i l iq a m l t m n ca sa s a us , n s a u u u
c l b i f ti itas i
e e r s i psa di o cu
es v t ut f stum J oa ni
n e Baptista s v l S P etri
c rra , e n s e .

A postoli Bemold Mi e ol ogus 62

”
.
, r , .
1 34 H I STORY OF T HE RO MA N BREVI A RY

g e n era lly whether regu lars or sec ul ars Th us ca me in such

, .

festival s of l oca l sain ts as those of S Maurice S R emig ius S .

, .
,
.

Leger S Ge rmain S O uen S B on iface S Meda rd S Michael

,
.
,
.
,
.
, .
, .

en ma r i
l
They al so p roceeded q uite co n tra ry to the Roma n
.
,
”
custo ms to assign octaves to those festiva l s o f sa in ts w h ich
,

w er e e —
l evated to the highest ra n k octaves in which a l l
the offi ces d uri n g the eight days were devoted to the sa in t .

Such from the el even th cen tury was the case w ith the A s
, ,

s um p tion A ll Sa in ts S Peter S A n d rew S Michael S

,
8
,
.
, .
,
.
,
.

Martin the N ativity of S J o hn B ap tist an d the Patron Sa i n t

, .
,

of eac h Ch urc h
‘
.

But other festiva l s were in trod uced of more gen era l in terest ,

suc h as the feast of the H oly T r in ity the ob serva n ce of wh ich ,

was establ ished in the first in sta n ce at L iege u n der B ishop ,

Step hen (90 3 sp read ab roa d by Cl un y ado p ted in the ,

tw el fth cen tury by most Ch u rches b u t for a l on g time rej ected ,

by the H oly See The foll ow in g sign ifican t remark is attr i

.

b uted to Pop e A l ex an der II ( 106 1 o n bei n g ask ed if

th ere o ught to be a festiva l of the Tri n ity he rep l ied that he ,

saw n o greater reaso n for it than fo r h av i n g a festiva l of the

U n ity °
.

1
[Co po di g with hi f stival i mo t t b i ou Sar m k l d
rr es n n s e n n e n sn ae, n r u a en ar

(O ct .
— A B ] . .

’
B ol d Mi
ern ol 44 ,J u t Roma am
cr cto itat. ul l m : to um
“
x a n au r ern n or u san c r
Octavas observare debemus , n isi un de cer tam al i q uam traditi on em a SS Patr ibus .

habern us Eorum q uoq ue octa oas cel ebramus ; n ul la m cotidi a na m men tion ern
.

p er i n terj ac en tes di es ag im us : q u ia n ull am au c tor i ta tem i n d e ha be mu s , eac ep ti s

de S Maria et de S Petro, q uorum sr al io tern p ore n on cessamus fr eq uen tare
”
. . .

[ T he fes tiv al o f Al l S ain ts ha d n o oc t av e i n E n g la n d b e fo re th e R efo rma tio n ,

co mp osui sse asseri tur q uae utraq ue ab A postolica Sede resp uun tur
, U n de p iae .

memoriae Al exan der Pa a de has re in q uisitus respon dit j uxta Roman um ordi n em ,

n ull um di em adscribi ebere sol emn itati Ss T rm ita tis si cut n ec Ss U n i ta ti s . , . ,

p r aec ip u e q u um i n om n i Do m i n ica imo coti di e , u tr i u sq ue memo ria c el ebr,e tu r .

I n con gru um ergo videtur unam Domin icam cum orati on i bus A l bin i [ is . .

Al cuin ] et c an tu Step han i de 8 8 T ri n itate celebrat i J ohn Beleth records the

.

scrup l es of Al exan der , but sets them aside : II

Sol et i n Oc ta va Pen tecostes
c a n tar i sr l eg i de Tr in itate , quan tumvis Al exan der Pa a i n terr oga tus an et iam
p
fi eri debeat, dixeri t se n escire diem p ecul iarem de T rmita te n ec de U n ita te
”
.

R a tion a le, 6 2 Duran dus of Mea de (d 1 296 in hi s R a ti on a l e, v 1 1 14 (before

. . .

1 2 85 a l so r ecords the corn l es of Al exan der 1, bu t remar s tha t the festi val of k
the oly T ri n ity is receiv i n l er i sq ue loci s He attributes the r es on ds , an ti . p
ph on s , Ma ss an d se q uen c e of e T rin ity to Alcuin , w om he ma es a con tem h k
p orary of A l exan der 11 l h
T ere is, as a matter of fa ct, a Mass D e S s Tri ni ta te .

i n the sacramen tary of Al cu i n ( P L but t ere i s n o idea of an y festi val to be

. . h
ob served on a c ertain da te Marten e, D e a n tiq eccl discipl .
54 5 : In . . . p .

vetusti ssi mo sac ramen tor um l ibro mon asteri i S Dion ys ii i n rancia an te an n os . F
 1 36 H I STOR Y OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
R oman use in trod uctio n o f metrica l hymn s into the
the
can o n ica l offi ce He does it with a bad g race
. A t vesp ers,
.
”

he says, when the five p sal ms have been su n g, a short l esson ,

the cap i tn l n m, is said , w ithout j n be D omi ne a n d w ithout Tn
A t R ome,
”
a utem an d a fter this eap i tn l n m comes a resp on d .

we may re mark , in the ti me of A malari us an d later, the cap i

tn l n m of vesp ers had n o resp on d J ohn Beleth con tin ues
.

O r, in stead of the resp on d, a versicl e an d a hymn are said .

A fter which foll ows the M ag n ifica t an d its an tip hon But for
.

the most p art the M ag n ifiea t, w h ic h is the hymn o f the Blessed

Virgin Ma ry, serves for a hymn , a n d n o other is sun g ”
.

Th us he testifies (about 1 16 5) th at metrical hymn s ha ve foun d

their way in to the secul ar can on ical ofii ce, th o ug h th is n ovel ty
‘

has n ot acq uired the autho rity of a ru l e un iversa lly observed .

J ohn Beleth is ultra con servative : but A belard, who belon gs

-

to the op p osite p arty, in his l etter to S B ern ard, about 1 140, .

g iv es u s c l ear ly to u n de rs ta n d th a t hy m n s h e l d a m u c h m o r e

i mp ortan t p osition in the offi ce than J ohn Beleth w ould be

wi llin g to assign to th em
”
A n d when -he says E ccl esia, he
.

means the gen eral custom of seculars as well as of regulars,

which he op p oses to the sing ular usages of Clairvaux ’
.

How th en was the hymn al of the Ch urch formed, an d un der

what in fluen ces did it mak e its way in to the modern office ?
I n the first c hap ter of this h istory we ex p l ain ed how it came

to p ass tha t the first attemp ts at lyric p oetry on the p art of

the Greek sp eak in g Ch ristian s were ban ished from l iturg ica l
-

use, a n d that the hymns of Syn esius an d Grego ry N az ian zen

n ever fo u n d a p l ace in it But in the La tin Ch urc h Ch ristian
.

lyrical p oetry was destin ed to enj oy a very differen t fortune .

I n 386 S A mbrose, behol din g Mil a n in fested w ith A ria n s,

.

ren dered more i n sol en t an d more dan erous by reason of the

g
p r ese n ce a n d th e s upp o rt o f th e co u rt of V a l en ti n ian , p u t th e

true doctrin e of the C on substan tial i n to verse for the p eop l e to

sin g .
Q u id en i m p o ten ti n s ,
”
he c ou l d r ep ly to h i s en e m i es ,
wh en

they accused him of seducin g the p eo p l e by his verses : “

qu id

1
J oan Beleth, R a tion a le, 5 2
. p
hoe est ca itul um, ac dei n de res n
j
cori um, vel e ue l oco versus cum h m n is , et an ti
y ph
on s , a c dein cep s Mag n i ca t .

h
P ler umq ue ts men ymn us B Mari ae, vi del icet Mag n ifica t, l oco hymn i pon itur ,
.

ut area n ul lus al ius canatur

A bel ard, Epist x : hymn os sol itos resp uisti s, et uosdam a ud n os in p
g
. .

auditos , et fere omn i bus Eccl es iis in cogn i tos , ac min us su i ci en tes in troduxi stis .

U n de s r p er totu m a n n um in vi ii a tam feriar um q uam festi vi ta tum un o hymno

et eodem con ten ti estis, q uum el esi n p ro diversi tate feri arum vel festi vitatum
diversis utatur hymn i s P L cn xxvm 339
”
. . . . .
 THE BREVI A R I E S OF THE CURI A 1 37

cel ebr a tn r ? N ote that th ere is h ere n o q uestion of a l i tu r

1

g i ca l h y m n ,
n or a n y s ugg est ion tha t this a n ti A ria n o d e ( fo r -

we sp ea k , so fa r, of a sin g l e ode, the Ven i R edemp tor g en tiu m)

was i n ten ded to fig u re a lon g wi th the p sal mody of David in
the p rog ra mme of the Milan ese v igil s .

But th is C hristmas carol , as we may call it, wa s n ot the o n ly

o
p p u l a r sac r ed so n g co m p o sed by S A m b ro se S A ug u st
. i n e . .

was acq uain ted with , an d q uotes fro m, an other such so n g of

his, tak in g the form o f a morn in g p rayer to God, the A eter ne
r er u n: eon di tor He also men tions a third, the D eus Cr ea tor
.

omn i u m, an even ing p rayer cor resp on din g to the oth er for the

morn in g . I n his Con fession s, writte n in 397 , he relates how

”

on the death of his mother Mon ica , he foun d so me all ev iation

o f his g rief in rep eati n g to h imse l f the beautiful verses of S .

A mb rose
D eus, C reator omn ium,
P ol iq ue R ector, vestien s
D iem decoro l umine,
N oct m sop oris gratia
e
‘

A rtu s salutis ut q uica

R ed dat laboria usui,
Men tesq ue fessas all e vet,
Luctusq ue sol vat auxios ’
.

Yet an other of these so ngs o f S A mb rose also men tion ed by .

,

S A ugusti n e, 15 the j a m sn rgr t hor a ter ti a , en tirely occup ied w ith

.

the th ou ht of the redee min g death o f esus Ch rist

g A n d we J
see how 1n th ese th ree hy mn s—l eavi n g out of accoun t the Vene
.

R edemp tor g en ti um—S A mbrose desired to g ive the p eop l e

.

for their own use a n a bridgemen t of the offi ces of yer p ra used
by the clergy an d T he the ascetics .
p ray o
p p
e l e w ou l d th us

at cock crow, at the hour of terce, a n d at the l n tern a r i a m, an d

th ey wo ul d p ray in a form of words q uite n ew, an d e n tirely

d ifferen t from that of the l iturgy .

To the metrica l form adop ted by S A mb rose his n ame re .

main ed attached : hy mn s in stan za s of four l in es of I ambic

dimeters took an d k ep t the n a me of A mbr osi a n i Pop e .

Gel asius (492 when comp osin g hymn s, ha d n o idea of doin g

so ex ce t in accordan ce with th is metr ica l formul a
p
— “
f ea t et
hy mn os i n si mil i tnden e A mbr os n These hymn s have n ot
‘

co me down to us ; b ut a coll ection mi ht be made of hymn s

g
by unk n own authors of the fifth an d six th cen turies, trad ition
1
Sen na con tr a A nxen tin rn , 34 .
’
S A ug Confess
. . . xx. 12.
’
L P t 1
. . . 25 5 . p . .
1 3s H I STOR Y O F T HE ROM A N BREVI A R Y
ally a ttri buted to S . A mbrose, but on ly far
his so as the oh
servan ce of the same metrica l fo rm is con cern ed . I n deed by ,

the begi n n in g of the six th ce n tury they actua lly were formed ,

in to a coll ection a n d th is collection of hymn s ex ten sively cir

, ,

c ulated in I taly Gau l an d Sp ain de man ded a p l ace in the

, , ,

Such p l a ce wa
as fou n d fo r i t by S Be n ed ict In th e n oc . .

turn s betw ee n the in vita to ry a n d the p sa l ms ; at l au ds after

, ,

the resp o n d that foll owed the cap i tn l n m a t p ri me terce se x t , ,

an d n on e immed iate ly before the p sal ms ; at vesp e rs as at

, ,

l auds after the resp on d of the eap i tn l n m at comp l in e betwee n

, ,

the l ast p sa l m an d the cap i tn l n m S Ben ed ict orda in ed that a , .

hy mn shou ld be sun g to wh ich he gives in variably the titl e of

,

A mbr osia nns He does n ot further Sp ecify wha t hymns were

.

to be used
8
But A urel ian B ishop o f A rl es ( 54 6
. who
,

d rew up a v ery few years l ater a n adap tation of the B en edicti n e

, ,

ru l e for the mon a steries of p en iten ts an d of virg in s in his ep is

cop al city describes in his tu rn the Or do p sal l en di wh ich he

,

e nj oin s on them ; an d in thi s Or do he a l so in c l udes hymn s the ,

first words o f wh ich he is ca refu l to set down by way of title .

We fin d here the D eus Cr ea tor omn ium an d the j a m surg i t

ltor a ter tia of S A mb rose ; an d a l so the foll ow in g a n on ymous
.

A mbrosian hymn s

Fulgen tis A uctor aether is .

Ja m se xta se n sim vol vitu r .

T er hora trina vol vitur .

D eus q ui certis legibus .

Sp len dor P a tern ae glorias .

A eteme lucis Con d itor .

O rex aetern e D omin e .

Hic est dies verus D ei .

Magn a et mirabi lia .

I
n 6
5 7 ,
h
t at is to say years
fifteen a fter the deat h of

A urel ian of A rl es, a Am

cou n c il h el d a t Tours
sp eak s o f the

b ro sia n hymn s eceived i n to the can on

r — th at is, o ne may
conj ectu re, p laced after the p sa l ms—an d su n t T o u It i
g a rs s .

added th a t th ere is n o n eed for the Ch u rch to l imit h ersel f to

the A mbrosia n hy mn s on ly, fo r, seein g tha t the re a re auth ors

of hy mn s oth er th a n S A mb rose, a n d tha t the ir hy mn s a re
.

sufii cie n tly bea utiful to dese rv e b ein g sun g , it is rig h t to re

1
U . h
C eva l i er, P oési e L i tu rgiq ue ( Tournai , xi ii xi v ; C Bl ume, D er pp . .
-
. .

C n rsns S Benedi cti a nd di e l i turg ischen Hy mnen L ei z ig, p pp

32 47
(
.
- .
.

3
C f C Bl ume, D er C n r sn s S Benedicti n nd is l i turg Hy mnene des VII
. . . X .
-

j a h r hu n der ts
( L ei z ig, p
 14 0 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
on R
this p o in t the oman Ch h
urc stood firm u n ti the en d of l
w l y C
the t e fth cen tur : an on B en ed ict a n d Cen ci us ma e n o k
more men tion of hymns in the Roman do A malarius O fiice ‘
t anh
a n d the M i er ol ogres It is true the an tip hon ary of S Peter s,
’
. .

i n the twel fth cen tury, in dicates the T e I na ! a nte ter mi n a m

as be in g su n g at co mp l in e, an d al so the N n n e S a nd e n obis

Sp i n tn s as bel on gin g to terce But, at all even ts as regards

’

the la tter, the rubric is decisive In chor o hun t hy mn um non

dici mus, sed i n a l i is or a ton is deca nta mns 1
Th is an tip hon ary
’

has n o other men tion of hymn s .

I
n the mean ti me the monastic hy mn al had become devel op ed

an d settl ed
”
. I
n the el even th cen tury it in cl uded an i n variable

hy mn for each of the l esser hours : the j a m l ucis or to sider e at

i m N S b i S i R
'

p r e ; n n e a n d e no s p n tn s at te rce ; eetor p o tens ,

v er ax
D eus at sext ; R er mn D eus tena r vigor at n on e ; an d either Te
l u cis a n te ter mi na m, or Chri stus qu i L n: es et D ies at com
p l in e : al l o f th em an on y mo u s A m b ro sia n hy m n s,
n o t l ate r

tha n the six th cen tury Simil ar A mb rosian s con stitute the
.

hymn al for the ferias

Mon da y Somn o refectus artub us
.
( N o ct ) . .

Sp len dor P atemae gloria e ( L a u d ) .

Immen se caeli Con ditor (V esp ) . .

T uesday Con sors Patern i l umini s

.
( N oc t ) . .

Ales d iei n un tius [ Pruden tiu s ( Laud )

T elluris in gen s Con ditor eSp ) . .

Wednesday Rerum Creator op time ( N oct )

. . .

N ox et ten eb rae et n ub ila [ Pruden tius] .

( Laud .
)
C aeli D eus san ctissime ( V es p ) . .

Thursday N ox atra rer um con tegit

.
( N oc t ) . .

Lux ecce surgit aurea ( L a ud ) .

Magn ae Deus p oten tiae (Vesp ) . .

Frida y T u T rin itati s un itas

.
( N oc t ) . .

A etern a cael i gl or ia ( L a u d ) . .

Plasmator homin um De us ( V es p ) . .

n atu m "
cha p . xtx. p
Bfiumer, t 1 .
369 , s a I l es
. t é t
.r an gep .

[b u t , sur y , n o t so l u e, da n s l es sta tu ts des é veq u es a yton d e B el e (d 8 36 ) .

sr Ricul f de Soisson s d oit l es l ivres litur giques son t é n umér es il n e soit

.
,

fai t aucun e men ti on d hymnaire

’

1
T omasi , t xv
. 1 68 . p . .

’
Imay refer to the MS Cassin en sian breviary in the Maz arin l ibrary , of
.

h h
w ic more wi ll be sa id furt er on h
T he researc es of Father Bl ame ave re
. h h
sul ted in some remar abl e in formation beink g afiorded on t is sub ect He s ows h ‘

. h
h h
t at the ymn al w i c we ar e h h h
ere describ mg , a n d w i c has e t its lace in h h p
the Roman brev iary , is a col l ection of ymns formed by the I h ri an d A n l o
h h h h
Saxon C urc es, w ic wa s subs ti tuted for the more an cien t coll ecti on he .

latter we ma iden tify wit t at in the C n rsn s of S Ben edicth h T is subs titution . . h
woul d date to the n in t cen tury h
Bl ume, o ci t . 10 1 -6 C f Dom . . .

“
h
Berliere, Les ymn es dan s le Cn r sn s de Sai n t n oi t,
’
R eone BM it fi n e,
PP
 THE BREVI A RIES OF THE CUR IA 14 1

Saturd ay . Summae D eus d emen tiae ( N oct ) . .

A uror a j am sp argit p olum ( La ud ) . .

O Lux beata T rin itas (V e sp )

. .

Sunday . Primo d ierum omn ium ( N oct ) . .

A etern e rerum Con d itor ( L a ud ) . .

Lucis Creator op time (V es p ). .

Thehymns for the Prop er of the season were tak en from the
same coll ection of A mbr osi a n :

A dven t . Con d itor alme siderum (V e S p ). .

V erb um sup ern um p rodien s ( N o c t ) . .

Vox cl ara ecce in ton at ( L a. u d ) .

Christmas . Ven i, R ed emp tor gen tium ( V e sp ) . .

C hris ta, R ed emp tor omn ium ( N o c t ) . .

A sol is ortus card in e [ Sed ul ius] ( L a u d ) . .

Ep ip han y . J
esu s reful sit omn ium ( V
. es p ) .

H ostis H erodes imp ie [ Sed ul ius] ( N o c t ) . .

Il l uminan s al ti ssimus (
. L a u d ) .

A ud i, ben ign e Con ditor ( V es p ) . .

Ex more docti mystico ( N o c.t ) .

Ja m C hr i ste, Sol j us ti t i ae ( L a u d ) . .

Easter . A d coena m A gn i p rovid i ( V e s p ) . .

Hic est d ies v erus D ei ( N oct ) . .

A uror a lucis rutil at (

. L a u d ) .

A scen sion .
l O p tatus votis omn ium ( N o.c t ) .

Ja m C hr is tu s asc e n d i t p o l u m ( L a u d ) . .

I w il l not dwell on the hy mn al Prop er of sain ts for the ,

which in al l hymnal s is the most v ariable p art beyon d remark ,

in g that here also the g reater p art o f the hy mn s a re A m

brosian in metre
Step han o, p rimo ma rtyri .

A more C hristi n ob ilis .

A gn es, beatae virgin is .

A p ostolorum p a ssio .

A p ostolorum sup p aren s .

Martin e, con fessor D ei .

Post P etrum p rimum p rin cip em .

A d Christi laudem v irg in is, etc .

The A mbrosian hy mns q uoted a bove form as it were the

k ern el of the hymn al We recogn ize among them the authen
.

tic hy mn s of S A mbrose : foll owin g these come a g roup of

.

hymn s written in accordan ce w ith his p rosodic formula, follow

i n g with ex actn ess the ru l es of the I ambic metre, of q uan tity,
a n d of el ision A fter these, again , we see ap p ear in g reat n um
.

bers w hat may be call ed rhythmic hymn s which p reserve ,

n othi n g more of the I a mbic dirn eter stan za tha n the n umber

p h
The V es er Ascen si on ymn , Festn rn n n ne cel ebre, is n ot i n the Ambrosian
1

p
metre, but in the Ascl e iad stanz a N otice of it wil l be foun d furt er on
. h .
14 2 HI STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
of l in es an d of s yl labl es bein g disrega rded
, q uan tity an d e isi on l ,

n t sn n t ca r mena wel a r i n m p oeta m m y B d l

B wh il
’

g sa s e e u t e ,
.

show in g themse l ves fa ithfu l to the A mb rosia n ty p e the sa me

that S B en ed ict ha d ai med at in cl udin g in the Or do p sa l l end i
.

o f i —
h s mon s men of learn in g in the eig hth an d n in th cen
k
tu ries al so con sidered tha t a p lace migh t we ll be fo un d in the
hymn a l for other comp osition s some of them being of mo re ,

recen t date wh ich woul d ha ve a more sen sibly l ite rary cha r acter
,
.

P ruden tius had comp ose d a coll ection of Christian lyric

p oe m s a s
,
o rt o f l ay p sa l te r th e C a tlze rn er i n on i n w hi c h h
,
e ,

d isp l ay ed all the resources o f a l earn ed comman d of metre an d ,

of rhetorica l sk ill But his virtuosities were n ot much to the

.

taste of the Ch urch Ev en the Sap p hic stan z a did n ot fin d

.

g ra ce i n h e r s e v e r e e ye s T h e hy m n a l too k n o th .in g f ro m
P ruden tius beyon d a few stan zas w ritten in I ambic dimeters ,

the A mb rosian formul a These are the A l es di ei n u n ti us for

.
,

Tuesday l a uds ; the N o1: et tenebr a e et n ubel a for Wedn esday

'

l auds ; an d fin ally from a col d an d l an g uid p oem on the Ep i

,

p h a n y the, st a n z as S a l ve te
fl ar es m a r t
y r u m fo rm i n g t he s h o rt ,
”
b ut v ery beautifu l hy mn for the H oly I n n ocen ts .

From Sedulius the in sip id versifie r of the Ca r men P ast /ta l e

, ,

were borrowed severa l stan zas of his a l p habetica l p oem on the

life an d mirac les of Ch rist to furn ish the hymn A sol is or tus ,

ca r di ne for the l auds o f C hr istmas an d the Hastis Her odes i mp i e ,

for the mattin s of E p ip ha n y both of w h ich fo llow the A m ,

brosian formu l a .

To V en an ti us Fortun atus bel on g the two hymn s for Passion

Sun day T he former of them he comp osed i n hon our o f a
.

re l ic of the T rue C ross i n by th E m o J u ti u t o S

g v e e p e r ,
r s n s .

R hadeg un d : it is wri tte n in the A mbro sian stan z a Vexi t/a

R eg is p r odeun t The other in sp ired by the same theme he
.
, ,

wrote in a three l in e stan z a of trochaic tetrameters catalectic

-
,

the metr e said to hav e been e mp l oyed by the R oman so l diers

in the son g s which th ey sa n g on the occasion o f a triump h 3

1 Bede, D e metri c 2 4 C f Wal afrid Strabo, D e eecl r er er ar d 25 (P L

ar te . . . . . . . .

c xrv . Sci en dum tamen mul tos putari ab A mbrosio fa ctos, q u1 n eq uaq uam
ab ill o sun t editi . I
n cr edi bil e en im videtur ill um tal es a l iq uos feci sse
q ua l es .

mul ti in ven iun tur id est q ui n ul lam sen sus con sequ en ti am haben tes in sol itam
, ,

Ambrosio in ip si s diction ibus rustici tatem de mon stra n t ”

.

1'
[L ocal ly the W
estern C hurch made use in the hymn al of two more of Pru
den ti us s poems—both very beauti ful a n d n ei th er of th em in the Amb rosian metr e
,
’

the C or de n a tus ex P a ren tis, for C hristmas, an d the Miss, P a ter s u r eme for
p
-

comflin e i n P assion tide — A B] -

. . .

3
T
[ h is m etre had al ready been empl oyed by Pruden tius in the Cor rie na tn s ex
P ar en ti s —A B ]
. . .
144 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
attri buted to S Gregory ; Quad chorus va ta m vener a ndas olim
.
,

for the P urification of our Lady a n d Chri ste sa n ctor um decus ,

a ng el or n m fo r Michae l mas both assign ed to Ra ban us Ma urus

, , ;
M a r ty r is Chr isti col i n ms tri u mp hum ( Feast of S Lauren ce) .

Cltr is te sa n ctor u m decus a tque vi r tus ( Feas t of S Ben edict) ; .

I ste Conf essor D omi n i sa er a tns ( Common of Con fessors ; a n d

)
Vi rgi n is p r ol es op ifexque M a tr is ( Common of V irgi n s) In the .

A scl ep iad stan za Gande wseen bw M a ter i n i n ti mis ( F east of

'

the N ativ ity) ; a n d S a n otar a m men ti s i n ely ta Ga n di a ( Common

'

of Marty rs) .

A p ar t fro m these carefu lly p o l ished p roduction s of men of

l etters let us g ive their own p lace of hon our to two admirable
,

hymn s full of rugged force an d un studied bea uty F irst the de

,
.

dication hymn of the seven th cen tury w ritten in the metre of

, ,

U rbs heata Jerusalem

dicta pacis visio ;
,

Quae con struitu r in cael is vivis ex lap idib us ;

E t an gel is coornata ut sp onsata comite .

A n d th en the hymn , in I a mb ic trimeters, attrib uted to Paul

in us of A q uil eia (d comp osed for the feast of the H oly
.

A p o stl es, Peter an d Pa ul ; in whi ch on e see ms to hear the

sigh ing of the breez e of the wh ol e w orl d s devotion to Rome
’

O Roma felix, q uae tuorum rin cip um

p
Es p urp urata p retioso san gume,
Excell is amuem mun d i p ul chritudinern .
l

This hy mnis imitated from the A ur ea l ace et deeore r oseo,

a l so comp osed for the festiva l of the sa me A p ostl es, an d said

to have been the work of El p is, the wife of B oeth ius .

A t the en d of the eighth cen tury an d the begi n n in g of the

n in th, u n der the in fl uen ce of the Roman Ch urch , wh ich was

op p osed to the ad mission of the hymn a l in to its l iturgy, it

seemed as if metrical hymn s were goin g to be a l togeth er p ro
sc ribed, a n d ban ished from ecc l esiastica l use But th is state .

of th in gs lasted but for a momen t A l ready, in the first hal f .

of the n in th cen tury, Wa l afrid Stra bo g ives us to un derstan d

tha t ma n y ch urch es had aga in tak en up the hy mn al, in asmuch
as he mak es those wh ich d id n ot sin g hy mn s the ex ce p tion

Q n a mvis i n qui bnsda m E od e si i : hy mn i m etr i ci n on

-
ea n ten tn r ,
'

See L T raube , O R oma nobi l i s. P il o]

1 . h
n tersuc un gen ( Mun ic ,
. U h h
pp 3 3
. 1 -
. C om ar e the senp ti men t ex r essed in th p
e D eer etm n Ge l a si i [Petrus
et Pa ul us] p
a r i ter sup radictam Romanam Eccl esiam C risto Domin o con secr a h
run t, al i isq ue omn i bus in un iv erso mun do urbibus sua raesen tia et tr iumfl o p
p raet u l eru n t
”
P
.r eusc hen , 1 49 p
. .
 T HE BREVI A R IES O F T HE CUR I A 14 5

he w rites .
1
I
mere matter of conj ecture to recogn ize in
t is no

th is s uccess of the hy mn al a p roof o f the great in fl ue nce ox er

cised by the mon asteries
’I
In the el even th cen tu ry the hy mna l
.

had made good its footin g p retty well everywh ere ex ce p t at

Ro me “
.

The mod ification of the k al en dar, the abbreviation of the

lection a ry, an d the adop tion of the monastic hymn al , are the
th ree most sa l ien t characteri stics of th is n on R o man modern -

ofli ce It remain s for us to n ote some oth er deta il s wh ich

.

were features of that ofli ce, an d for which it secured gen eral
a do p tion — viz the creed Qn icn nqn e mel t, the suflrag es wh ich
'

we call Co mme moration s, the daily ofli ce o f o ur Lady, a n d

‘

the daily ofli ce o f the dead .

A coun cil at A utun , about A D 6 7 0 , is the most an cien t . .

ca n on ical wi tn ess that we have to the Qn i cn ngn e mel t

“
I
t .

decrees

l
Walafrid Strabo, D e r er . eccl
( P L ex t v. N otan d
exor diis , 2 5
u m . . .

hymn os di ci non tan tum q ui metr i s v el rythmis decurrun t, q ual es comp osuer un t
A mbrosi us , H p
i l ari us, et Beda A n gl orum ater, et Pruden ti us Hisp an iar um sco
lasticus , et al ii mul ti et quamvis, etc W alafrid relates t at S Paul in us,
. h .

h
Patriarc of A quil eia (d 802 ) was on e of t ose who desired to bri n g in ymn s
. h h
h
w ereve r ossibl e : p saep i us, et maxime in p rivatis missis hymn os vel ab
al iis vel a se comp ositos cel ebrasse
"
.

’
h
See, as rega rds the ten t cen tury, Dunsta n , D e reg in mon ach 2 ( P L . . . .

c xxxvn .

A t Rome itsel f, distin ction s must be dr awn

’
Gran col as , Commen t . 8 4, . p
says : Constan ter adfirman dum est , °
XII
sa ecu l a n ul los i n eccl es ia S Petr i re .

ci taros fuisse [ hymn os] . atque q uum U lricus in Con suetudin ibus C l un iacen sib us
hymn orum Eccl esiae Roman as memin it, de lat ium al iarum Eccl esiarum
hymn is ag ere voluisse ”
I n the hi t erto un p ub
. h ed regul ati on s of Gregor y V I I
p h
for the C an on s Regul ar ublis ed by Dom Mori n , R erme Bén é di cti ne, 1 90 1 , p .

1 83, we read :
“
Ymn os i n eccl esia p er totum an n u m, p er omn es oras diei et h
n oct is, reg ulari a deean tat auctori tas, sol is tri bus di ebus in an n o excl uai s, hoc est
”
Coana Domi n i , Parasc euen , et Sabbato San cto But the words r eg u la ris .

h
a uctor i tas s ow t at w at is h h h
er e s o en of is mon astic or pk r ivate custom, an d p
h
n ot t at of the great basil icas So Dom Morin , loc ci t
. The same remar . . k
h p
ol ds good i n rep l y to the assage of the Consn etudin es Cl n ni cacenses, 5 2 (abou t
A D
. . h
br oug t aga in st us by C eval ier, xxiv h p . .

[A lso ca l l ed M emo r i ae , M em or ies , or M em oria l s, a l w ay s c o m ri si n g an an ti p

ph p
on , versicl e an d res on se, an d a coll ect : a pp
en ded to l auds an d v es ers, an d p
sometimes to the littl e hou rs of the da as w e ll — A B] . . .

5
Dom Morin , in L e symbol s 8 A t an ase et son remi er temoin , S
. h p .

”
Cesaire d Ar l es, R efi ne Bén i dicti ne, 1 90 1 ,
’
347 3 6 h s o w t a t S h h
pp
, as n.
-
.

Caesari us (ci rca 5 42) is the first w ho has not the Q n icn nq ne on l t See A . .

Burn , A n I n tr oduction to the Cr eeds n 15 1 O n the ori i n of

g p . .

the Qn icn nq ne on l t, see T ixeron t, arti e on A t an ase ( Symbol s de h m the

D ic ti on n a i r e de Théologi e, by Vacan t [D o m M o r i n.
(y on r n a l of T h eo l og i ca l
S tu dies, A ril , is n ow of h
in ion t at the Q ni cn nqn e un i t was wri tten by
g
Martin of ra ga between 5 5 0 5 80, for the ben efit of the eop l e of Gal ici a in p
the n or th of S ai n , n ewly con verted fr om Arian ism
p’ H e p oin ts out how roba bl e p
—
.

h
i t i s t at Marun s work would be ra idl y disseminated in GauL A B ] p . .

IO
 146 HI STORY OF T HE ROM A N BREVI A RY

Si q uis p resbyter, aut d iacon us, sub dia con us, clericus, symbol um q uod
san cto insp iran te Sp iri tu A p ostoli tra d iderun t, et fidem S A thanasii .

p r ae sul i s i rr ep re hen sib il iter n on r ecen suer it, a b E p iscop o con d em n etu r 1
.

Th is an cien t Gall ican creed wh ich we fi n d in the ea rl iest ,

p sa l ters o f tha t Ch u rc h w rit ten at the en d o f the p sal ms an d

,

can tic l es — —
the Q n i a en q n e mel t was n ot received in to the l itu rgy
at Rome : n eith er A mal ariu s n o r the M i cr ol og i es men tion it .

A creed was in d eed recited in the R oman O ffi ce at p rime b ut ,

it was the A p ostles C reed cr edu l i ta s nastr a qu a m SS A p ostol i

’
.

cons ti tu er u n t as A mala ri us s ays

” The Qu ica n an e wel t was .
,

in trod uced in to the l iturgy of the F ran k ish Ch urches in the

n in th ce n tury Hayto B isho p of Basl e (d 8 36 ) imp oses o n
.
, .

his c l ergy an obl igation n ot on ly of k n ow in g it by h ea rt b ut , ,

o f rec iti g
n it e ery S n ay a p me
v u d t ri — Fedes S A tha n asn “
.

omn i di e D omi n i ca a d hor a m p r i ma m r eci tetn r

”3
In the fo ll ow .

in g cen tu ry Cl un y adop ted th is custom an d even orda in ed the

, ,

recitation of the Q n i a enq n e mel t at p r ime every day Tex tns

Fidei a S A tha na sia conscr ip tas , cuj us n on na l l ae E ccl esia e nec
.

memi ner n n t n is i i n sol a D omi n i ca , n ul l a di e obmi tta tn r

Seco n d ly, a s to the suflrages .

A malarius n ever p rescribes, eith er at v esp ers o r la uds, the

recita tion o f a memo ria l of the Bl e ssed V irgi n o r o f a n y sa in t .

N or is there an y trace of suc h a th in g in the d escr ip tion of the

p o n ti fi ca l c ere m o n ia l by t h e R o ma n can o n B e n ed ict , a t t h e b e

g i n n i n g o f th e tw e l f th c e n tu ry O n th e o th er h a n d , t he a n ti .

p h o n a ry o f S P e te r
’
s.
p r es c ri bes a m e m o ria l of the C ross in

Pascha l tide, both at vesp ers an d lauds, an d so does Can on

B en ed ict : In omn i bus ma tuti n is l a ud i bus et vesp er ti n is hor is
fi t C o m m em o r a ti o P assi on is Chr i sti et R esu r r ecti on i s, a n tip hon a

Cr a cem sa n cta m et N ol i j l er e, cu m ver si bus et or a tion ibus

’

” 5
su is .

T he an tip hon a ry of S Peter s p resc ribes other commemora

’
.

tion s besid es ; in the fi rst p l ace a memoria l o f the Bl essed

V irgin an d of A ll Sa in ts, then on e of the A p ostl es P eter an d
Paul : they are set down at the en d of vesp ers an d l auds fo r
1
Man si
, t xx
. .B urn p , . 125 .
1 5 6 A m a l at pD e. cc ol o 1v 2 .
’
. . . . .

11 A h to Ca i tul a rs
y , p , 4 P L c xv 1 1 ) M.arten s.
, D e an ti q ecc
.
p . . . . .

In p er cel eb ri S Martin i uron en si s ec cl esi a , ex c ommun 1 toti us cap itu i can on i

.

coru m con sen su, an n o 92 2 sta tu tum fui t ut can ta ren t fratres gen eral i ter ad
h p
oram rimam , ta m festi s dis hna q uam et cot idian is, Catholicam idem, q uam F
h
A t an asi us, Sp 1ri tu Sa ncto di ctan te, composui t : i d est, Qn i cn nq ne r ml t sa l ons
esse
’
. C u us in stitution i s decretu m extat i n p er vetusto e usdem eccl esiae
j j
chartar io
’
.

U dalric, Consumed C l n n ia cen 1 2 . . . .

“Ben edict
55 C
. f T om a
. si , t rv . 1 00 . . p . .
14 8 HI ST ORY OF THE RO MA N BREV I
A RY

D amian , who, be fore be in g made a ca rd in al an d bishop o f

O stia, was a mon k of Fon te A v ellan o, but th is attribution i s
n o t cl ea rly establ ish ed What is certain is S Peter D amian
. .

work ed harder than an y on e el se to sp read the observan ce of

th is o ffi ce He relates that the rul e o f recitin g it daily had
.

been establ ished in a mon astery of his con greg ation , the
mon astery o f S Vin cen t . S ta tu tu m er a t a tque j a m p er
tr i en n i u m f er e ser va tn m a t cu m hor is ca non i ci s catti di e B .

M a r i a e semp er Vi rg i n i s ofii ci a di ceren tn r Then , at the in

stiga tion of a bad mon k , it was g iv en u p , o n the g ro un d that

its rec itation constituted an add ition al obl igation , both n ovel
a n d b urden so me But scarcely had th ey g iv en it u p , wh en
.

temp tatio n s, storms, robbers, an d all the wo rst ca l amiti es p o s

sibl e p o u red d own on the con v en t This hap p en ed about
l
.

10 5 6 . A n d el sewhere, i n his ap n scn lu m on the can on ica l

hours, S Peter D amian recommen ds the recitation of the
.

da ily ofli ce of the Bl essed Virg in , as an add ition al ex ercise

‘

well calc ulated to en sure the fin al p erseveran ce of the cl ergy ,

a n d to g ive th e m con sol ation in their last momen ts He .

tak es th is op p ort un ity of relatin g the story o f a p oo r cl erk ,

who , in his l ast ho ur, n ot k n owin g to wh at good wo rk o f his
he cou ld p oin t, was on ly abl e to remin d the Virg in Mary
Gate o H eave , an d Wi dow o f Parad ise
f n n — with wh at faith
ful n ess he had rec ited her offi ce ev ery day Seven ti mes a
day I hav e set forth thy p raises, an d, un worthy sin n er as I
have been , I have n ever, in the Divin e Service of the can on ica l
ho urs, defrauded th ee of the homage wh ich is thy due It
is, in fact, what S Peter D amian call s .
— “
quo ti di a n a ca n on i cis

hor i s ofii ci a i n M a ri a e l a n d i bzes f regnen ta r e

” f
A n d he assures
u s th at the mercy o f God was ga in ed for th at sin ful cl erk
th ro ugh the in tercession of the V irg i n who m he had so d e

1
S Petr Dam Epis t v 1 32 ( P L c xu v
. . . . . .T he ep istl e is addressed to
. .

k
the mon s of th e mon astery of S Barna ba s a t Ga mugn o, an d the fact rel ated
.

h
is said to ave occurred “
in mon asterio B V mcen ti i, q uod n on roe ul a mon te
.

q u i di ci tur
‘
Petra Per tusa
’
cern i tur consti tutum,
”
see 4 30 b e ba d m onp . . k
“
coep i t con q uer i sati s sup erq ue suffi cere q uod San c tus p raecip i t Ben edi ctus ,
‘

p
n ec n ovse adin ven tion is on dus debere sup erp on i n ec n os esse an ti q uis Patr ibus
sa n ctiores, q ui vi del icet h
aec sup er sti tiosa ac sup er vacua j udican tes, p sall en di
n obis metam omn emq ue vi ven di regul am p raefi xeru n t Hac san e debere n os.

esse con ten tos, a s ab il la i n eautius decl in an tes , p er an fractus et in via duca mur
errone1
1 Ofusca l x 1 0 P L cxn v
. . . . .
“
p
Se tics in di e laudem dixi ti b i et
omn ibus can on icis oris tuae l audi s obseq uium n on fra udavi Hoc pro
c ul dubio n ovimus, q ui a q ui sq uis cottidia n a p raedictis h
or i s ofi cia i n e us l aud1bus
'

fre uen ta re studueri t, adj utricem sib imet ac p atrocin a turam ipsi us Ju cis matt em
'

q
in is n ecessitatis acq uiri t
 THE B REVI A RIE S OF THE CUR IA 14 9

voutl y served .
1
I
n an ot er h p assag e—this time from the ife l
of S Peter D amian by his discip le the
. a —
mon k J ohn we have
whol e chap ter devoted to tell ing us with what zea l the holy cardi
n al l abo u red fo r the sa l vation o f soul s by his devotio n to the

C ross an d to the Bl essed Virgi n Mary an d how he ap p l ied him ,

sel f es p ecia lly to the p ro motion a mon g the l ax sec ul a r cl ergy of ,

his time of the custom of rec itin g dai ly that ofli ce of the H oly
,

Virg in wh ich the mon k s of Fon te A vell an o were won t to recite ’

.

The secon d h al f o f the eleven th cen tury is the mo men t in ,

fact when we fi n d the daily ofli ce o f our La dy sp readin g itsel f

,
‘

in I ta ly in F ran ce in German y an d in En g lan d

, I n the twel fth
, .

a n d thi rtee n th cen turies it beca me the obj ect of fer ven t a tta ch

men t gen eral ly a

A t R o me however an y such offi ce rema in ed
.
, ,

for a l on g time un k n own : the an tip hon ary of S Peter s has n o

’
.

trace o f it an d the fi rst men tion of it that we fin d th ere goes

,

n o fu rther b ack th an the Pon tificate o f I n n ocen t I II

‘
.

We come in the l ast p lace to the ofli ce of the dead

, ,
.

To acco mp a n y the ca rryin g o f a corp se to the grave with

the sin gin g o f p sal ms is a l iturgica l custom to wh ich we fin d
testimon y fro m the third cen tu ry on w ards T he same is the .

ca se with the offerin g o f the h oly sacrifice of the Mass for the

rep ose o f the so ul o f the dep art ed — sacr ifici n m p r o dor mi ti one
— to use the beauti ful ex p ression of S Cyp rian The Gelasian . .

sacra men ta ry in the sev en th cen tu ry sp eak s o f Masses to be

, ,

said on the th ird day a fter bu ria l o n the eig hth day an d on , ,

the th irtieth beside the Mass at the burial itse l f an d an n iver

, ,

sa ry Mas ses But n either the obseq uies themsel ves n or these
ls
.
,

Masses had a nythin g in common with what in after times

,

ca me in to be in g as the ofli ce o f the dead I t was n eve rt hel ess

‘
.

q u ite n a tu ral th a t betw ee n the mo men t wh en a C h ris tian d rew

Peter the Deacon , at the begin n in g of the tw elft cen tury, tell s us t at the
1
h h
m
dail y o es of our Lady was in use at Mon te C assin o, an d he a ttributes t is rul e h
p
to Po e Z ac a rias (d h
T is a ocry al attribu tion s ows t at t ey had
. h p ph h h h
k
been l oo i n g ab out for aut orities to usti fy the im osition of t i s addi tion al h j p h
ofi ce See Bis o , xxvi i i h p p
The assa e from Peter the Deacon is giv en by p
g
. . .

Marten e, D e a n ti monas t ri t 1 2 , 1 7
%
‘ugh, Abbot of C l un y ( d 1 1 09 in tro
m
. . . . .

duced t ere the h y o es of our L a dy , b u t on l y for i n fi rm mon s ish 0p, k .

p . xxx.
1
Jo an n . Mon ach
P etr i D a m 1 5 (P L cxs rv
. Vi ta B O mn ium. . . . .

h
horarum ofi cia in on ore al mae Dei Gen i trici s in l uribus eccl esi is [ i n sti tui t] p
11 B sh
i op p xxx xxx i i C f P L “
Le a i m cs de l
'
offi ce q uo j
p
v . e a y ,
-
s ccro sse en . .

i n k e R evue d n cl er é F r a nca is , t xL
.

tidien ,
”
130 :
“
Les l us . . p . p
an ci en nes formes des eures h
e la V i rge se trouven t dan s l es MSS A n glai s .

R oy a l 2 EV , et T i beri us A 111 tons deux du X 10 siecl e, ublice en 1902 par M

p
. .

k
Dew ic dan s la coll ection de l a Soci é té enry Brads aw H h
Radul p h, D e ca non observan t 20 . . .

De Rossi , Roma sott t 111 495 et s qq . . . pp . .

1 50 HI STORY O F T HE RO MA N BREVI A RY
hi s l ast brea th an d the time of his b urial , p rayer sho u l d be sa id
for him, an d q uite in accorda n ce with Ch ristian ideas th at th is
p ra y e r sh oul d tak e the fo rm of p sa l mody .

It was l on g , however, be fore this sen timen t fo un d its ca n on i

ca l e x p ression T he Pen iten tials of Theodore o f Can terb ury
.

( d 6
.
9 )
0 a n d E g b e rt o f Y o rk ( 7 )
d 6 6 bea r w itn ess tha t in t h eir .

time th ere was n o such th in g at R o me as a v ig il of the dead .

”
A ccord in g to the Ch urch o f Ro me, we read in them, the
c usto m is to ca rry the dead to the ch u rch , to an oin t his b reast

w ith ch r ism, an d to say Mass for hi m then to ca rry him to the

g ra v e w it h ch a n t in g, an d, wh en he ha s bee n l a id in the to mb ,

to say a p rayer over him Mass is said for him n ot on ly on .

the day o f b urial itsel f, b ut on the th ird, n in th, a n d th irt ieth day
”1
a fter, an d on the an n iversa ry if it is desired That is all , an d .

there is n o q uestion o f a v ig il of an y k in d Th is is in the .

se ven t h cen tur y .

T o fin d the ofli ce of the dead establ ish ed , we must co me

‘

“
dow n to the eigh th cen tury, an d to the time o f A mal arius .

Then on ly a l o n gside of the ordo sep u l tu r a e, do we fin d a rea l

,

ca n on ica l ofli ce for the dea d — o ci n m p r o mor ta is

fi
’
T h e an ti .

p ho n a ry o f S P e te r s a n d the Or di nes R oma n i

.
‘
g i ve
’
u s b oth
its tex t an d its r ubrics .

1 Th
eod. P aen i t 5 ; E ber t, P a en i t 1 36
. er e is the assag e from T eodore ,
. . . H p h
h h
w ic Egbert co i es p un dum Roman am Ecc l esi am mos est mon achos vel
rel i gi osos defun ctos i n ecc l es iam p
ortare , et cum chrismate un ger e ectora , ibiq ue p
p r o e i s m i ssas c el ebrar e , dein d e cum ca n ta tion e o rt ar e a d se u l t u r a s ; p
e t cum p
p os iti fueri n t in sep ul cris , fu n di tur p ro eis oratio ; den iq ue umo ve l etra h p
op eri un tur . Pr ima et ter tia et n on a n ecn on tri gesi ma die p ro eis missa agatur :
exin de p ost an n um, s i vol ueri n t, serv etur ( P L x e 1x . . .

1
Mr Bis o ,
. h p p xvi i , n oti ces an offi c e of th e de ad , in th e eig t
. cen tury, as hh
amon g the c ustoms of Mon te C assi n o T he referen ce is to the D iscip l i na C asi n
.

ensi s of Peter the Deacon ublis ed by , p h

ergott, Vei n s di scip l i na Monas tica H
( P ar i s , p 3. C u m f r a te r a d e x itu m p p q
ro i n u a v e r i t, o m n i s c o n g g io
re a t
an te eu m p salrn os deca n tet ; il l oq u e se ul to, p
ost v esper um se tem p sal mos c um p p
p
l i tan iis, omn i cor or e i n terram rostrati , decan ten t p ”
.

1 A ma l arius D e eccl
, of rv .
4 2 , re fe r
. r in g .to a a ss a g e s im il ar t o t a t up s t h j
q u o t e d fro m t h e P en i te n t ia l of T eodore, wri tes : h H a b ern u s sc r i tum i n q uodam p
m
S a cramen tar io q uod o ci a mor tuorum agen da sun t c irca tertiam diem e t se ti p
mam et trigesimam A n d he adds : Q u o d n o n i ta i n te l l ig o u a s i il l e q u i t ertia
di e ager e vul t ofli c ia mortuorum debea t p raetermittere ri ores uos dies sin e sup p
p l ica ti on ib u s ,
"
et c T u s. i n t hhe tim e o f A m a l ar i u s th e c u s t o m r e s c r i b e d b y p
h
T eodore had been cha n ged, an d th e ofi ice of th e dead w as en oi n ed as formerl y j
had been the Mass on ly El se w er e he wri tes h Post o cia san ctor um in serui m
m
.

o c iu m p ro mor tuis ( D e 0 r d A n ti h 6 5
p ) a
. n d fu rt e r o n . n v an i i n R o m a h
n o I
at in Mete n si an ti p hon ariis ordin em sc ri tum q uomodo fun gi offi cio conven iat p
c irca fi n es homi n u m et c irca sep u l tur am cor um Ex utr i sq ue col l egi ea q u ae .

h
r ec ta mi i v ideba n tur , e t ra tion ab il i c ursu i con ruere , at ue ea redacta in un um
g q
co r us p osu i sub u n o textu i n fi n e A n tip hona rii n ostr i ( id Com are p
g
.

p i s t. K a r al i a i ae v i , t 11 1 30 7 , a r
. tic l e x
. 1 p o.f t h e l et t er of Grimal tus .

an d T atto mon s of Reic en a u (A O

. k h . .

Mabil lon , Mus Ita l t 11 . .1 1 5 cl seq (O rdo x)

. . pp . . .
 152 HI STORY OF THE R OMA N BREVI A RY
tion had been in troduced : beyon d the A l p s it remain ed what
the Roman l iturgy had made it an d n otably without an y , , ,

hymn s .

But in stead of bein g, as it had been at Rome, merely an ac

co mp an imen t of so l emn obseq u ies, the p rel ude to the fun eral

Mass, it ca me to be con sidered the n ecessa ry co mp lemen t of

every sol emn Ma ss for the dead, wheth er on the day of b urial

o r on the an n iversary F rom th is, again , the vig il of the dead

.

g o t i n time to be c el eb rated ev er y day, b oth in mo n asteries,

an d by the cha p ters of the secul ar cl ergy , an d even in p aris h

ch urches .
l

A t Cl un y ves p ers an d l auds o f the dead foll owed vesp ers

,

an d l aud s of the day res ectively A fo r the n octu rn s th ey

p s .

were recited every even in g after sup p er in choir : P ast ca ena m ,

mp s 5 0 i n eccl esi a m r ed i tn r ag i tu r afi m vel d

’

cu an ua
.
q a

n u n q ua m ag i tn r modo n isi cu m novem l ection i bus et r esp onsor i i s

et col l ectis
q ua e i su m
p qfi ci n m sequu n tu r It i s, as o n e sees ,

the en ti re n octu rn a l ms n in e lesson s

l ofli ce
‘
w ith its n in e p sa , ,

an d n in e res p on ds S Peter D amian furn ishes us with p roof

. .

o f this da ily offi ce o f the dead be in g i n the el even th cen tury , ,

“
p ra ctised i n I ta ly eve n as it was in F ran ce, an d w e a re to l d ,

o f certa in c l erk s who fin d in g it a h eavy bu rden to rec ite both

,

the can on ica l offi ce of the day an d the offic e of the dea d con ,

fi n ed th emse l ves to the l atter as be in g sh orter an d simp l er ‘

,
.

He relates the story of a certa in brother who was accustomed

to say n eith er the ofli ce of the season n or o f the sain ts days
’

but on ly the ofli ce of the dea d Well he died an d as soon as .

, ,

he ap p eared before the tribun a l o f God the dev il s made accusa ,

1 M Lej ay
.
, p. 1 19, th in k that th
s e most an cien t men tion of the da il y moe
o of
the d ead is furn is ed h
by the ritual of A n gilbert dra wn up for the c urch of S h .

Req uier , somew ere about A D 800 h T is ri tual , ublis ed for the first time by
. . . h p h
h p
Mr Bis o (Downsi de Review ,
. from a MS of th e el even t cen tury , s ea s . h p k
of cel ebrati n g ob meri tori ous cn n ctorn rn fi deli nsn , f er si ng u los di es ac n at tes ,
vesper ti n os , n octurnas a t ue ma tu ti nas
q
"
C om ar e A m al ar iu s , D e e cc l of. rv p . . .

2
4 : Sun t en im I con in q uibus gen erali ter ro omn ibus defun ctis , omn i tem or e, p
p
exce to Pe n tecos tes et festis dieb s , in o cio ves ertinal i et matuti n al i oratur
u p .

Sun t e t al ia i n q uib us Missa p ro eis cottidie cel ebra tur Sun t etiam et alia in .

q u i bu
s i n in iti o men sis n ove m p sal m i , n ov em l ec tio n es , to ti de m q u e res p on so ri i
p ro ei s can tan tur
1
U dal r ic Consnetn d Chen 1 3
. . . . .

’ A
s to F J h
rance, see o n of A vran c es, D e eccl of 31 ( P L c h v11 39) . . p . . . .

en da mortuorum si c p er totum a n n um cel ebratur , exce to a Pasc a usq ue p h

d en tecosten , et a N ativitate usq ue ad Octavam Ep ip han iae, et omn ibus
p“ h ”
as
‘
I
n J oh n of A vran c hes the office of the dead has on l y three l esson s i n the
n octurn al servi ce.
 T HE BREVI A RIES O F T HE CURI A 153

tion again st him wit h ve eh men ce that , n eg ectin gl the ru le of

the l
ecc esiastica he had re fused to ren der to God His
l state,
”
d ue, in the matter of the D ivin e Service But the V irg i n .

Mary, an d, al on g w ith the bl essed Queen of the worl d , all

”
the ch oirs of sa in ts , in te rven ed to save the sou l of th is frien d
of the dead
1
So at least the story was tol d to S Peter
. .

Damia n by a ten der hearted visio nary, his frien d the B ishop
-

o f C u mae, n ot that eith er of th em ha d an y in ten tion of en

cou rag in g the d aily recita tion o f the offi ce o f the d ead to the

j l fl i zm trtutzbmlr
‘
d i
’ '

p re u ic e o f t h e ca n o n ica o c e ec cl esi a s t cae

”
r eg a l u m
-
.

H ere is an other l egen d of the sa me p eriod A p ilgrim o f .

Rodez, return in g from J erusal em, foun d h imsel f close to a

deso l a te isl et, in hab ited by a hermit This holy man ex ten ded .

hosp ital ity to the wan derin g p ilgrim, an d ask ed him, sin ce he
bel on ged to A q uitain e , whether he k n ew a mon astery ca lled
Cl un y, an d its abbot, O dilo The p ilgrim rep l ied that he d id . .

”
Listen then , sa id the hermit, in this p l ace we are close to
th ose reg io n s whe re the so ul s of s in n ers un dergo the temp oral
p e n a l ty o f s in s c o m m i tte d o n e a r th ; an d f ro m wh er e w e are

th ey ca n be h ea rd l a men tin g that the faith fu l , an d p art icula rly

the mon k s o f Cl u n y, are so n igga rd ly as regard s p rayer for
the a ll ev iation o f their suffer in gs , an d thei r del iveran ce fro m
th em . Go, seek out the abbot of Cl un y, an d b id him, fro m
u —
me, redo ble b h he an d a l l his co mmun ity p rayers , v igil s,
o t —
”
an d a ims , fo r the de l iveran ce o f th ese soul s in p a in On .

hearin g th is fro m the p ilgrim, S Odilo (d 1049) orda in ed that . .

in al l the mon asteri es of his con gregation the morrow of the

feast of A l l Sain ts sh o ul d be devoted to the commemoration
o f a ll the fai th ful dep arted ” .

These devotion s to the Bl essed Virg in an d to the souls in

u
p g r a t o r y d id n o t e x h a u s t th e p ie t y o f t h e m o n k s a n d c l ergy .

They n ow began to p ile on to the daily offi ce the recitation

of the fifteen gr ad ua l p sal ms before mattin s ; of the seven

p e n it e n tia l p sa l m s a fte r p r i m e ; a n d o f an in d e te rm in a te n u m

P etr Da m Opi a t e ! xxxrv 32 n 5 P rat p

er u ida m n on
m
. . . . . , .

cottidian o, n on certe sol en ni san ctorum, sed sol o utebatur et del ecta tur o ci o
defun ctorum, etc
”
.

Iotsa l d Vi ta O di l oms , 11 13 Hac igitur occasion e Sa n ctus Pater gen eral e

'

. .

mp ositum p er omn ia mona steri a sua consti tuit, ut sicut in ca ite Kal en darum p
pi ovembrium fes tivi tas a gitur O mn ium San ctoru m, ita etiam in seq uen ti di e
memoria gen erali ter ageretur p ro req uie omn ium fideli um an imarum, rivatim
et publ ice Missae cum p sal mi s et el eemosyn is cel ebraren tur Cf dalric . .

Com Cl a n 1 4a
. . . .
1 54 HI STOR Y O F T HE ROM AN BREVI A RY
ber l ms with in ten tion for ben efactors ca ll ed p sal mi
of p sa ,

These addition s o f the ten th an d el even th cen

turies crushed the trad ition a l ofii ce an d th rew it out o f bal an ce .

The best reg ul ated mon asteries asp ired to so me reform

-
2
Bu t .

th en these addition s w ere for the most p a rt the ve ry con dition s

,

of the en j oy men t o f the ben e faction s on wh ich the mon astery

subsisted these d ev otion s were o f the n atu re of mortgages It .

was n ecessa ry to await the foun d in g of the me n d ican t orders

before a reform of the offi ces of p rayer could tak e p l ace .

T he dail recitation of the gradual sal ms before matti ns is a c ustom w ic

1
p h h
Mr Bisho . p
xv carries back to S Ben edic t of An ian o, rel yi n g on a . e
from Ardo, i ta Ben ed A s i an 5 2 ( P L c m . . To the same sa in t
. . . r .

Bis o ( h p p xi x) traces b ac
. the rec ita tion after k rime of the p
iten tial sal ms p
ra ffi ti rel y i n g on the fi fteen t h oun ci l of Aix l a
g
resol ution of the -

hap el le i n 8 1 7 ( errgott, H p H
ow ever i t may be as to t is secon d oin t,
. h p
h
it is certain t at the da il y reci tation of the grad ual an d en i te n ti al sa l ms w as p p
a custom al ready es ta b l i s ed i n the ten t cen tury—see th e Ben ed icti n e Concor dia
h h
R eg u la t i on , q uoted by Bi s o an d Shp Du n stan , D c " gi s t Mou t h 1
—
. . .

( P L . cx x x
. v m 4 80 , 4 8 1) an
. d t i n th e f o l l o w i n g ce n t u ry i t w as a f ea tu r e o f
mon astic l ife throug out the h
est ( Le ay , W
12 6 j pp
T o t ese were added after h
m
.

ea c hh
our of the can on ieal o oe , two or t ree h
sal ms (psa l mi fa mi l ia r es) to be p
h
said wi t in ten ti on for the ben efactors of the mon as tery (S Du n stan , i bi d Bis o , h p
m
. .

p .xxi) h
T ere w ere al so, al on g wi t the o ce of our L ady , an d the ofi ce o f
. h
the dead, a n ofi ce o f A l l Sai n ts, of the H
oly C ross, of the T ri n i ty, an d of the
H ol y G ost Bi s o , h m ) h p p . .

Vi ta 8 m a t ch a bb Ti ran os sis , 6 1 2 (A cta 8 8 Apri l i s, t 11

.
“

.
-
2 37 ) . . . p .

N on h aben tibus il l i s u n de viveren t As t ey had n othi n g to l ive on b ut h

n isi labore man n um a u ireren t, i sa p
w a t t ey earn ed by th e labours of h h
n ecessi tas in sistere l abori us imp erabat, t ei r h h
an ds , very n ecessi ty bade t em h
ac p
mul ti lex p rol ixita s famil ia rium a ly t emsel ves to suc labour , an d pp h h
morum, q uos tu n c temwrts dice yet th e exceedi n g l en gt of the s ecial ly h p
t, cos magna arte di ei ab o eri s p en oin ed p
sa lms , w ic j pat t a t time h h h
studio detin eba t
”
. t ey w er e won t to recite, e t t em for h kp h
a gre at art of the day from a tten di n g p
to t eir w or
"
h k .

Wh
en the mon k s com l a i n ed , Bern ard re l ied to t em p p h
Psal mos q uidem, q ui p er omn ia T ese sal ms, w ic a re custom
. h p h h
fere mon asteri a err more decan ta n tur , aril y sun i n al most al l mona ster ies , I
n i si Domi n us al i u id r ev el er, vereor a m a f a i to o m i t ; u l es s in deed the
q r n
omi tter e
”
. Lord s ould reveal to us in some way h
His il l W .

h k
T en within a wee s ti me, it a en ed on e day t at n ot a sin gl e erson in the
’
h pp h p
k
mona stery wo e up u n til wel l after daybrea ; so t at on t a t day the mon s
, k h h k
h
foun d t emsel ves obl iged to go on sin gin g t eir se rvice un til aftern oon h
Q uae so p ori s o pp r e s s i o re ve r a fu i t A n d t i s v i s i t a ti o n o f s l ee w as h
in p
rel in uen di su radic tos
q l mos divi n i tru t a revel ation from h ea v en t at H h
tus mi ssa rev atio min us autem t ey s oul d lea ve off the aforesaid h h
Bern ardus ab i l lo tem ore hos psal mos p sal ms p
A n d so Dom Bern ard from .

dicere p rae ter misit, et disc ip ul is su is u t t at time gave u p t eir recita tion , an d h h
ab ill is dei n cep s q uiesceren t im ra v i t m
bade his oc for the fu tu re l eave t em
, fl k h
dixi t ue se p ro c er to sc ire q uod Deus al on e ; sayin g t at he w as n ow q uite h
mal e at il l es l aboran do sibi victum se certain t at God w oul d ha ve thern ra ther h
q u i rer e, q ua m ta m m u l ti p l i c ib us p sa l m i s g a i n t e ir l i ve l i o o d b y l a bho u r t a n h h
in si stere "
. mak e a oin t of recit in g suc a v a st p h
h
T is S Bern a rd died i n 1 1 1 7
. n umbe r of sa l ms
.
"
p .
 1 56 H I STOR Y O F T HE ROM AN BREVI A RY
and day , for the whol e yea r, an d each l esson is ac
for
’
sa in ts

comp an ied by its resp on d To these are sometimes added the .

a n tip hon s a n d p sal ms F in al ly , un ited to all these, we fin d

.
,

n ot o n ly the col l ecta n u m, b u t ev eryth in g el se tha t p erta in s

’

—
both to the n octurn al offi ce itsel f mattin s an d l auds an d —
al so to the l ittl e h ou rs an d to v es p ers So that on e has .

l iturgical coll ection s corresp on din g to the followin g descrip

tion

Lib ri n octurn ales ab sq ue can tu, p rimus ab A dven tu D omin i usq ue ad

Pascha ; secun dus a Pascha usq ue ad A dven tum D omin i ; terti us d e
i I
Sa n ctis p er an n i circul um, cum p salterio et ymn ar io ofii c a i 1 .

Liturg ical collection s of this sort are to be fou n d in goodly

n u mbe r still amon g the MSS in o u r l ib ra ries th ey are gen er .

al ly o f the el ev e n th o r twel fth cen tu ry some even o f the th ir ,

“
teen th But they are sti ll ex ceed in gly vol u min o us sin ce in
.
,

o n e work th ey g ive the en tire tex t o f the C a n o n ica l O ffi ce

a
.

They a re emp ha tica lly choi r book s Someth in g q uite differen t .

was n eed ed for the p rivate recitation of the office : a l ittl e book
tha t coul d be ca rried about susp en d ed to the g irdl e by a rin g , .

The first step had been to el imin ate fro m the L zber N octu rna l zs
' '

l m m 4
f h m l
'

p z ter scr ip tu e ve ryth in g o t e n a tu re o f u s ic a n ot a tio n

th en it was th ought sufficien t to w ri te dow n on ly the fi rst

words of each an tip hon versic l e an d resp on d as con sta n t use
, , ,

was co n sidered to ha ve made the cl ergy fa mil iar with the wh ol e

tex t o f th em A n d so by degre es al on gside o f the grea t l i br i
.
, ,

n octum a /er for the choir th ere ca me in to be in g l ittl e book s of

,

the na ture of ab ridgemen ts p

e ztom a ta si v e br ev i a r i o — a s a
'

ca ta l og ue o f the en d of the el ev en th cen tury ca ll s th em

‘
5
.

1
G Bec
. ker, Ca ta l ogi bibl iothcca mm as tiq ui ( Bonn , pp . 1 7 2 , 234 , 2 5 2 ,
2 7 0.
3
p
A t the same eriod, a simil ar evoluti on too l ace in regard to the Mass kp
k
boo s, an d the N itr a te plen um ma es its a eara n ce k pp
See A Eb n er , Q ual i t y. . .

a n d Forscl m n g m s ur Gsschichts mi d Km tg cschi chtc dos Mi ssa l e R oma n um i n

F
Mi ttcl a l tcr ( reiburg, 35 9 63 : pp
Di e En twi c l un g des Sacramen tars
.
-
k
z um Vol l missa l e
”
.

3 h
See , in the Bibl iot eque N ation al s , 7 96 , a MS of t is sort, con ta i n in g on ly . h
p
the P ro er of the seas on , of the tw el ft cen tury, an d ma de h
er a s for the use p hp
of the abbey of 8 V ic tor at Paris . .

Bec er , k p
25 2 . .

l‘i b
id , 1 7 4
. In Mi l e ag e: ye ti": Hood
.
( P aris, 20 1 9, 1 ave pp .
-
h
p h
described a rimitive b revi ary of t is ty e, wri tt en at Mon te C assi n o a bout 1099 p
1 100 . It i s MS 364 in the Bibl iot eq ue Maz arin e
. h
T he MS Va ti ca n L o t . . .

42 98 , eman ati n g from the mon astery of S Sop ia at Ben even to, dates fr om about . h
1 1 1 3, an d is a b rev iary of the same r imitiv e ty e I p
t con tai n s, fi rst, a al en dar ; p k
m
.

h
t en : I p
n ci i t breviarium siv e ordo o ciorum p er totam an n i decur sion em .

In p ri mis, Sabbato an te A dven tum T en comes the sal ter , th e ymn al ,

. h p h
the col l ec tari u m, an d l astl y the lessons w i t their res on ds Baumer , t 11 h 64 , p . . . p .

men tions the fol lowi n g MSS of the same class : T reves, 428 (en d of X l l th cen t ) ;
.
 THE BREVI A RIE S OF THE CUR I A 1 57

Th is n ew l iturg ical term,

breviary has n o soon er come
in to ge n era l use i n the el even th an d twel fth cen turies th an it
beco mes the sig n of a ten den cy towards someth in g n ewer still .

These p ortable offi ce book s the br evi a ri o are n ot mean t for

-
, ,

the u se O f cl erk s when tak in g p art i n the O ffice in c ho ir b u t ,

when rec itin g it in p rivate or on a j ourn ey A mon g the book s .

p o ss ess ed by t he ca th ed ral O f D urha m in the twel fth cen tu ry

is a b rev iary wh ic h fu lly bea rs out wh at has j ust been said for ,

i t is character iz ed as a l ittl e travell in g brev iary br m b n um

’

» ztzn er a n u m I l T
' ' '

p a r va : n 1 2 2 7 a c o un c i at re ves o rd a in s

that the cl erg y ar e to have brev iaries o f the office to use wh en ,

trav ell in g ! !
Th us was in trod uced a form of the offi ce distin ct
fro m that used i n cho ir a n d con ta in ed in these book s— br evi
,

a n a i ti ner a r i e s or br evi a r i op or ta tzl za

3
What was destin ed to
' ’ ’

, .

hap p en was that the use of such book s sp read rap idly an d that ,

even tually th is sho rten ed offi ce ou sted even from the cho ir the

a n c ien t tradition a l offi ce .

T he in fl uen ce o f the Cu r ie: on this movemen t o f tran sfo rma

tion was g reat an d decisive The Pop e an d the cl ergy o f the
.

Cu r i o recited the daily offi ce in p rivate M oreover the move .

men ts from p l ace to p l ace o f the Pop e an d his train w ere con
The Pop e s c ha p el th erefore coul d n ot be tied down
’
tin ual .
, ,

to the c a n o n ica l offi ce as sa id in cho ir A l iturg ist of the .

l atter hal f of the fourteen th cen tury very well acq uain ted with , ,

an d v ery muc h in l ov e wi th Roma n c usto ms R al p h de R iv o , , ,

p ro v o st o f To n g res in the diocese of Lie e d

g ( in st r u c ts .

u s a s to the p ec ul ia r u se of the p on tifical c ha p el Formerly ”

.
,

he wr ites when the Roman Pon ti ffs were residin g at the

,

La teran the Roman Offi ce was observed in their chap el ; but

,

l ess comp letely than in the collegiate ch urches o f the city of

Ro me T he cl erk s of the Pap a l chap el whether of their ow n
.
,

8 Gall , 4 1 3 an d 4 1 6 ( en d of Kl th, begi nn i n of X I

. Ith) ; Casanate B W 2 1 an d . .

B 11 1 (KI
. . th cen t . I
w i ll men tion also : ar is, Bibl N at (w ri tt en in . .

1 1 82 for the C u sian s) ; ( P o i to u, X IIth c en t ) 7 43 (

; S M ar t i a l at .

L i mo es, X I Ith cen t ) ; 125 3 from the same, X I th cen t ) ; 1 25 6 an d 1 25 7 (T ul l e,

X l l th (p er h a s tr o m s u rvi ll i er s , X IIth );
an d
( Pica rdy , lt ) I h
A lso at T royes , 1 1 5 9, 1 467 , 1608 , 2044 , 206 1 , 1 836
.

( a ll em ana t i n g fr om C la i rvaux, X I It h ) ; a t O rl ean s ,

1 2 3 ( l eu ry , X II th ) ; a t S F .

Oth er , 35 4 (S Bertin , X I . Ith) .

1
Bec er , k 244 pC f Ur ns or di n i s Cis terc 89 ( P L cs xvr
. . . .
[Mon a
. . .

h
c us egr edi en s d e mon a sterioj tam die uam n oc te dum n on eq uita veri t, stan s
h oras, si n on mul tum gravatur , dies t his Cistercian r ule is t at drawn up by h
S Ste en
. ph H
ardin g , abbot of C i teaux (d .

’ Ca n on
9 ( M a n si , t 1111111
p . . tem .
p raec i p im I
u s , eti a m di s tr i c t e , u t
omn es sacerdotes h abean t brevi aria sua , in q uibus p ossi n t
”
oras suas l egere h
u an do au n t i n i tin ere
q .

Marten e, T hesa urus n oon : a n ecdotormn , t w 17 5 7 . . p . .

 1 53 H I STOR Y O F T HE ROM AN BREVI A RY
acco rd or byPo n tiff always abridged the Roman
order of the ,

Office an d often modified it in other ways to su it the con ven i

, ,

en ce o f the Pop e an d the ca rd in al s

” 1
.

Th is testi mon y is very in structive b ut I ca n n ot hel p fea rin g ,

th at R al p h of To n g res is p l ayin g u p o n the word s br w za n u m

' '

a n d br ema r e It w ill be more p rud en t to affi rm o n his a utho

’

rity on ly th is on e fact that befo re the Pop es q u itted R o me for

, ,

A vign on the Cu r io had an offi ce d istin ct from that of the

,

ch u rches of the c ity O f R o me d iffer i n g from it both as reg a rds ,

“
its l en gth an d its rub rics .

Ral p h of Ton gres goes on to state with p recision the origin

of th is u se of the Cu r i a an d his w itn ess o n th is p o in t is n o ,

mere in duction based on a p l ay up on wo rds b ut the statemen t ,

o f a fact I saw at Rome an or di na r i u m of this [p alatin e]

.
“

O fii ce co mp il ed in the time of I n n ocen t III

”
‘
, ( 9
1 1 8 h e

w rites Ral p h had con sul ted an d ex amin ed at R ome itsel f

.
, ,

the O ffi ce book s of var iou s ch u rch es R omae p l u m ex dzw rr zir

'

eccl eszzlr at l i br is sm p tzta m

'

— an d his testimon y is d efin ite

' '

Huj fi i or d i na r i u m vi di R oma e In n ocen tzi I

temp or e II
’ '

ur a a a

r ecoll ectum Moreove r the re a re , man y thi n gs that con fi rm

th is tes timon y : we fi n d in fact traces of rub rics an d those , , , ,

too o f imp o rta n ce wh ich be a r the n a me of I n n ocen t III an d

, , ,

which ap p e ar to be l on g to a ge n e ra l reo rga n iza tion of the

offi ce . Th us the in trod uction of the dai ly o ffi ce of ou r La dy
1
Radu , l h D
c canon mn obser va n ti a , 2 2 N am olim, q ua n do Roman i Pon ti
p
fi ces a ud ateran um resi deba n t, i n eorum ca el l a servabatur Roman um ofli ci um p
n on ita com l ete sieut in al iis urbis ecc l esii s col l egi atis l mmo cl er ici capel l ares ,
g m
.

sive de man ato Pap ae sive ex se, o ci um Roman um sem er breviaban t et sa p

al teraban t, p
rout Domin o Pap ae et Cardin al ibus con grueb at observa n dum t
m
.

huj us o cii ordin ari um v idi Romae, a tem ore I n n ocen tii recoll ect um We p III
q u ote R al o f ph
T on gr es fr om Hi ttor p , D e C a th E ccl di vi n of ( C o l o gn e, 1 5 68 . . . .

an d the Max Bi bl Vet P a tr u m, t xxv r ( Lyon s, As to Ral , se e ph

m
. . . . .

Mohl berg , R ad ulp h dc R i va, def m Ver tn ter ds r a l t Rami ro/m s L i turg i c
Louvain ,
(In T he D o ca non uns obsm a n ti a was wri tten by Ral at Cologn e ph
1 397 .
Radul p h , 2 2
“
Al iac n ation es orb is Roman i l ibros h
T he ot er nation s of the Roman
m
et o cia sua haben t e directo ab ip sis h
worl d ave recei ved t eir offi ce boo s h -
k
eccl esiis Roman is, et n on a ca el l a p di rect from the c urc es of Rome, an d h h
P apae , sicut ex libri s et tractatibus n ot from the Pop e s c a el , as may
’
hp
Amd ar ii, Wal afridi , Microl ogi , Gem h
cl early be gat er ed from the wor s of k
mae, et ceterorum de o eio divi n o sc ri m .
Amal arius, etc , w ho ave wri tt en con
. h
ben tium col l i tur evi den ter
'

His . cern i n g th e Di vi n e O fi ce T is bei n g . h

p raemissi s , vi camus an dieri ra tres F p remi sed, l et us see w et er t es e h h h
q u i si n g ul ar em usum cum R e g ul a ser F riars, who fol low t eir own eculiar h p
van t sin gul ari , an ceterae n ati o es et use, j
ust as t ey h
ave t eir own p e h h
rel i osi m
'

2 roIfl q uen t in i vi n o g cu l iat rul e, or the ot er na tion s an d re h

g
offi o a d
"
in nfi fif S
t k orn an ae Ec l igious orders, come the n ea rest, as
cl esiae . r egards th e D ivin e Ofii ce, to the order of
th e H
ol y Roman C urc
”
h h .
16 0 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N B REVI A RY
to 1 2 10 ? We shall see t hat suc h a con ecture j is n ot witho ut
fou n d ation .
1

I t wo ul d have been q uite con ceivabl e that the or di na ri u m O f

I n n ocen t I II would remain p ecul iar to the p a p al chap el an d ,

n ot travel beyon d the l o f th L t n on the co n trary

p a ace e a e ra ; ,

however it was as a matter of fact p rop agated w ith aston ish

, , ,

in g ra p id ity throug hout La tin C hristen dom This was n ot (at .

all even ts in the fi rst in sta n ce) the work o f the Pop es b u t o f ,

the son s of S F ran cis Ral p h of Ton gres himsel f tell s us that
. .

the sho rten ed o ffi ce O f the Pal atin e c l ergy was adop ted by the
Friars Min or
Huj us ofii c n ordin ari um vidi R omae a temp ore I nn ocen ti i IIIre collec
tum et ill ud ofii cium b rev iatum secuti sun t Fra tres Min ores .

But the F ran ciscan R ul e itsel f mak es us still more sure of this .
8

1 B p oc ess of in duc ti o I h d b l d to pl ac th O di i of I o
I yl b
a r n a een e e e r n a r n rn nn
cen t etween 1 2 10 an d 2 6 1 S limb
1 .pp to pl
a it i 5 F en e a ears ace n 12 1 . r.
Sal imb . Chron ica ( M G. . p 31 H e th text of this cu iou p
. . er is e r s as
sa ge
A n n o Domin i MC C V In no X . PO p e n n ocen t
“
A . D. 12 15 . I III
p
cen tius Pa a T ertius a ud La teran um p el d a sol emn cou n cil at the Lateran h
m
.

sol l emn e con cil ium cel ebrav it He cor rected th e eccl esiastieal o ce
Hic
m
.

etiam o ci um eccl esiasti cum in meli us an d set it i n ord er , addin

g somew at of h
c orrexi t et ordin avi t, et de suo addidit, t at w ic ri g tl y e rtai n ed to it, an d h h h h p
et de al i en o demp sit ; n ec adhuc est removin g ot er ma tter w ic bel on ged h h h
ben e ordina tum, secun dum ap p eti tum n ot to it But n ot yet is it w el l set in .

mul torum, et etiam secun dum rei veri order, accordin g to w at man woul d h
tatem ; q uia mul ta su n t sup erfi ua, q uae wi s , n or i n deed rea l ly tru ly ; h
magis taedium q uam devoti on em faci for many su er uous t in remai n , p fl h
un t, ta m audien tibus
q uam dicen ti bus w hic ar e a great er es a se o wearin ess h
ill u d, ut Pri ma Domrn ical is, quan do t an devoti on , bot to t ose who ear h h h h
sacerdotes deben t dicere Mi ssas suas, the ofi ce an d t ose who sa i t Suc h h
g
.

et pp o ul us eas exp ec tat, n ec est q ui i s t at l on g rime on Sun a a, w en

y h p h
cel ebre t, —
occupatus i n Prima tem
the I
ri ests ou g t to b e sa yi n g t eir
. p h h
X III m m Masses, an d the
I
dicere V sa l os i n Do i n i ca l i et l e w i ti g to
f
p p e ar a n
n octurn a li ofli c io an te T c D amn la n do ear t em, an d ? t er e is n on e to h h h
nms et i ta, aestivo tem or e , q uan do cel ebrate —he is busy , forsoot , sayi n g
p h
ul icca mol estan t, et n octes sun t hi s Pr ime So al so to as eig teen h
E
.

reves et calor in ten sus, ut yamali , salms in Su n n oc turn o ce or ever p

n on n i si taedi um p rovocat Sun t adhucy o u co
. m e to T o c u m a n d t a t u st a s — h j
mul ta in eccl esiasti co ofi ti o quae p os muc in th e summer (w en the eas h h fl
sen t mutari i n mel ius Et dign um ar e so troubl esome , an d th e n ig ts a re
. h
esset, q ui a l en a sup n t rudi ta ts ort an d the
i b us eat i n ten se) as in the h h
wi n ter—i s n oug t but a w eari n ess
,

q u a m vis n o n cogn oscan tur ab omn i h .

b us
”
. T ere ar e man ot er t in s in the
g h h h
eccl esiastical 0 ca w ic mi g t wel l h h h
be c an ged for the better—an d s ould h h
be , of ri g t : for t ey are fu l l of b ar bar h h
isms, th oug al l men erceive it n ot "
h p .

11 P U
ba ld , L es Opuscu l a: do 8 Fr angais d A ssi sc ( Paris ,
.
’
. 14 16 pp .
-
.

T he text of the earl iest of the t ree Rul es ( 1209) is l ost h

C f Bona ven t Vi ta S . . . .

F r a nci sai , 4 1 (A cto S S O ctobr t 11 . . . . p

V acaban t ibidem divi n is p recib us .

in cessa n ter , men tali ter p otius q uam vocaliter , studio in ten den te s oration is devotee ,
p ro eo q u od n on dum ecclesiasti cos li bros habeba n t in q uibus p ossen t oras h
can onicas decan tar e
 THE BREV I
A RIE S OF THE CUR I A 16 1

The secon d Rul e ( 1 2 10 1 2 2 1) enj oin s on the cl ergy of the -

O rder the rec itation of the offi ce secundu m com etudi nm cl er i

cor u m, a n d to hav e for that p urp o se the n ecessary book s
1
.

N othin g is said of the or di na ri u m of Rome, o r of b rev iaries .

O n the other han d, in the th ird R ul e ( 1 2 2 3) it is enj oin ed

o n the c l ergy o f the O rd er to rec ite the offi ce accordin g to the

Or di na r i u m of the H o ly Roma n Church, w ith the on e ex cep

tion that they a re to k eep to the tex t of the Gall ica n
p sa l ter,
w hic h is by th is ti m e i n u se ev e ry w h ere,
ex c ep t a t
Rome ; a n d the F riars a re direc ted to have for that p urp ose
b revia ries of the said offi ce 2
I n oth er w ords, th ere are in .

ex isten ce in 1 2 2 3 b rev ia ries o f the D ivi n e O ffi ce acco rd in g to

the order o f the H o ly R o man Ch urc h, a n d these n ew b ook s

are a dop ted by the Fran cisca n family Th us, R al p h of Ton gres .

w rites
Et illud ofli cium b reviatum secuti sun t Fratres Min ores, in de est q uod
Breviaria corum et l ib ros ofi cii in ti tul an t sec un d um con suetudin em

R oman as C uriae

But this b reviary of the Roman Cu r io was n ot adop ted by

them j ust as it was in the time of I nn ocen t I II The fria rs .

corrected it fo r their o wn use , an d the mod ifica tio n s in troduced

by them con stituted really a seco n d edition o f the breviary of

the Cu r i o, a n ed ition a p p roved by Pop e Gregory IX in 1 24 1 ,

1 W ddi aA n na l s: Mi n ors »
ng, : ( Rome, t 1 68 : Cl erici facian t ofi cium . . p .

et dican t p ro vi vi s et p ro mortu is secun dum con suetudin em cl er icorum Et .

l ibros n ecessa rios ad imp l en dum corum ofi ci um p ossin t habere

”
T he Rul e adds .

h p
t a t to com en sa te for omi ss ion s an d n eg l igen ce the riars are to say ev ery day F
Miser " : an d a P a ter noster ; and for the dead , D e profundi s an d a P a ter noster .

F rom w ic h h h
we may con cl ude t at the Rul e ab rogates th e dail y recitati on of the
p en iten tia l p
salms, an d the ofi ce of the dead .

’
i bid t 11 . 65 . . p
Cl erici facian t divi n um ofi cium secun dum ordin em
.

S Roma nae Eccl es iae, en

. p
to sal terio, ex q uo abere poterun t breviar ia Cf h .

the Bull of nn ocen t I I

V , of ovember 1 4th , 1 245 ( Pott ast, 1 1962 ; addin g, t h W .

S Bonaven ture , E xp osi tio i n r eg n i a an Fr omm Mi n orant , 3 (V iv es

’
111
p
. . .

ed iti on , t x1v k
ma es the fol low in g commen t : Q uod ofli cium fui t i n
“

g
. .

j
ma ori arte 2 p Gregorio et al iis San ctis in stitutum, exce to sal terio, q ui a
. p p
Ecclesi a Roman a utitu r al ia tran sl ation e sal teri i uam corn mun iter habeatur v el p
verius al i ter eme n dato Ex q uo scil icet o eio ha . e p oteru n t Breviari a m Sed .

q u are S ran c i.scuFs , ex q uo fr a tres suos v ol eb at i n p r aed i cat i on e e t stu di o p er

con sequen s exerceri , ta m on eroso, tam rol ixo ofi ci o on eravi t P Res : S p ran p . F
ciscus O p tab at Roman sa Eccl esi ae vestigii s rel i gion em suam idcirco ro vir ib us
p
cO p ul are, q uia sc iens earn immedia te subcase caelesti curiae, et ab i so fuisse p
Domin o in stitutam, et a San ctis Patrib us gubern atam ua m ergo n ulli i n
Q
.

p
cumbi t ta n ta sol l icitu do vaean di sa ien ti ae p ro reg imi n e ve i l l ustration s un i
veral i s Eccl esiae sicu t Eccl esiae Roman ao, n ul li p ro Eccl esi ae mi n i steri o au t
s tu dio con gr u i t ill ud offi c ium abbrev iate Susp ects est ergo cuj usli bet n utri c ia
.

p i etas, us e afi ectu m uta t transcen der e tan tae ma

’

p
3 nl p h, 2 2 I h k
t s oul d he remar ed t at, even i n c oir , t ese Min ori tes do
. h h h
n ot in variably si n th e offi ce, but merely reci te it This is ex ressly en oi n ed for . p j
the Clares d, . 25 0 U p
. .
16 2 H I STORY OF THE ROM A N BREV I
A RY

an d main ly the work of A y mo of Faversham , Gen eral of the

Fran ciscan s .

Breviarium fratre A ymon s san ctae recor da tion is, p raedecessore meo,
a

io cor r ectu m studio, s t p e r Sed em A p ostolicam con fi rma tu m, st ap p roba

p
tum p ostea p er C ap itu lum g en eral e
1
.

Such words of J ohn of Parma in 1 2 49 in a circul ar

a re the , ,

l etter wherein he enj oin s on the Fria rs Min or the use of the
breviary of A ymo authorized by Gregory I X without chan gin g ,

a n ythin g in the chan t the tex t the hy mn s the an tip hon s o r

, , , , ,

the l esso n s A s for the l ocal festiva l s of sa in ts the Min orites

.
,

a re to ce l eb rate the m out of deferen ce to the custom of the ,

p la ce wh ere th ey l ive ; b ut whatever deg ree o f dig n ity these

festival s may have in their own loca l ity the Min orites are n eve r ,

to give the m a hig her ran k th a n that o f se mi d oubl es : a n d they -

a re n ot to h ave a n y p rop er offi ce but to b e obse rved w ith tha t ,

o f the C o mmon of sain ts on ly : so that n othi n g belon g in g to

the m is to a p p ea r in the book s of the Min orites w ith the on e ,

ex cep tio n of the n ew offi ce of S A n ton y of Padua ( c an on iz ed .

in 1 which is allowed quousque dc ip so mel i us or di n etu r ” s

.

SO here we have a sort of secon d ed ition of the brev iary of

the Ro man Cu r io a n edition for the u se of the F ra n ciscan s
, ,

fo r wh ich in the cou rse of a few years they a re to gain a u n i

, ,

1 W addin g, A n n a l s: Mi noruns , t 111

. . p . 299. We have already ( p . 1 20 ) n oted
the Bul l of Gregory ( P ott ast, n o PIX
é re il ar io bhel i ev es t a t.s has H h
p
discov ered two co ies of the breviary of A ymo, on e in the MS Va ti ca n O ttobon i . . .

h
1 5 o f about 1 290 ; the ot er of somew a t earl ier date, he t in s, i n a MS bel on g h h k .

F
in g to the ra n cisca n co n ven t at Mun ic , cod 292 T he rubrics of t ese tw o h . . h
breviari es attr ib uted toA ymo wil l be foun d in A na l ecta Or di n i s Mi nor n rn , t 1111111 . .

( a
R om e, C f M ohl berg, . 1 29- 30 pp . .

i bi d t III
. . . p
208 9, gi ves the text of the l etter of
.
-
o n of Parma, J h
A D
. . 1 2 49. to the Min ori tes of T uscan y : Q u i a , s i c u t i n du b i ta n t er co o vi ,

n on n u ll i F
ratrum ofi ci um divin um, n od de Re ula n ostra se cun dum or i n em
g
S Roman a s Eccl esiae celebrat e ds mus, in liter a mutars in terdum, sed st
.

in can tu ma xime v ariare p raesumun t di stri cts duxi p raesen tibus in un j

g en d u m q u od, r a e ter i p
d so l u m q uo d o rdi n ar iu m m i ssa l i s e t br e v i a t um a fr a tre
A ymon is san ctae recordation is p raedeces sore meo, p io correctum stu dio , et p er
Sedum A p ostol ica m con fi rmatu m, et app robatum ostea n ihil omin us p e r p
p
Gen eral s C a i tul um, n oscitur con ti n ers , u t n i il omn in o in can tu vel litera sub h
al ic uj u s festi ssu dev otion is obten tu , in hymn is, se n resp on sori is, v el an ti p hon is ,
se u p rosi s, au t l ection ibus , vel al iis q uibusl ib et ( Beatae Vir gi n ia an ti p hon is , vi de
l icet R egi n a cac ti , A l ma R edcm oris , A s a R egi n a C aclor mn , et So l os R egi na ,
fl
q u ae p o st C o m p l s to ri u m d iv e rsts can ta n tu r te m o r ib u s , e t o e io B p A n to n i i , m .

q uo u s q u e de i so m e l i p
u s or di ne tu r, tan tu m e xc e p t i s) i n c o ro ca n t ari ve l l s h
n is i forte al i cu bi com s l l at librorum n ostrorum defectus, aut i n l i bri s Ordi n is a
scr ibi , an ts q uam p er ap i tul um Gen eral s rece ta fuerin t, modo al iq uo er mi ttati s p p
"
.

h
A n d, furt er on : N atali tia vero san ctorum s ec ial is, uxta ordin ar ir tradi tion em p j
secun dum region es diversas div er simodo cel ebran da , j uxta morem et breviarium
n ostrum San ctorum Commun e tan tummodo fa cia tis ita tamen q uod sol emn i
ta tem s t mod um semid up l ici s ofi cii n ostri a ud n os festa huj usmodi n on ex p
ceda n t, q uan tu mcumq ue ab al i is sol e mnia j udicen tur ”
.
 164 HI STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
accord in g to t is h n ew form See .
1
I
n 1 337 , when the H oly
was establ ished a t A vig n on , B en ed ict X I Isu p p ressed the old
book s which were used by the cl ergy an d in the ch urches of
A vign on , in o rder to imp ose u p on them the b revia ry of the
Cu rio He is severe up on the old offi ce book s to which he
.
-
,

a ll u des as p r i sti u zk veter um codi cu m rudi men ti s the n ew book s,

on the con trary, he p ra ises as bein g con ven i en tes sr op tor
‘
1
.

A n yo n e who wishes to k n ow w hat these book s con formed “

to the use of the Cu rio a n d the Roma n Ch urch were , has

o n ly to cast his ey e over the an cien t c ata l og ues of the l ib ra ry

o f the Po p es at A vign on : he w ill n ot fi n d there a n y l o n ger

the book s wh ich used to serve for the D ivin e O ffi ce, l i br i r e

rp onr ol er , l ibr i n octu r no l er , etc , b ut crowd s of book s en titl ed

Br evi a r i u m od usu m Komon u m, Br evia r iu m dc Ca mera , Br e

via ri u m p r o Ca mer a
8
T he l iturgical revol utio n , which sub
.

stitu ted the brevi ary o f the R oma n Cu rio for the old Or do

p so l l en di o f S P e te
’
r s,
was .a n a cco mp l is h ed fact .

This breviary we have n ow to describe ‘

.

1
[T hus from h
t is time on wards , ari ses the distin cti on between the Divin e
,

O ffice a ccordi n g to the Roman ”

U se, an d the ses of the vari ous l ocal U
h h h p
C urches t roug out Bum s w hic did n ot ad o t the ran ci scan breviary h A B] p F — . .

1
Marten s, T hesau rus noon: anecdotor urn , t W 5 5 8 : O rdi n am us a tq u e
p . . .

con stituimus q uod amodo un i versi et si n gul i cl eri ci ac erson a e eccl esias ti cae p
p raedictae civitatis et dioecesis a con suetis ofi ciis liber i et immun es existan t, et
p istin is v eterum codicum r udimen tis omissis
r ofi cium di vi n u m di urn um
a ri ter et n octurn um dicere val sa n t uxta ordi n em, morem, se u sta tu tum j q uo
ccl esia uti tu r et C uri a Roman a su rad icta S t tu i m u s u t in u n iversis et
p a
si n gul is ecc l esi is e usdem civi tati s et dioecesi s
j q u aru m l ib r i e x an ti q ui ta ti s in
commodo ren ova ti on is vel rs p aration i s remedio in di en t, i ll i ad q uos p er ti n e t
g
eman t ssu fieri facian t li bros con ven ien tes et a tos ,
q u p
i di ctae Eccl esiae et C uriae
Romanas usui con grn an t Opp
ortun o
”
.

1 F E rl. h
e, His toric bi bl iothecac R oma nor um P on ti cu nr ( Rome,
fi t 1 . .

PP ' 2 m : 2 1 49 5 47 : etc
1
p
For the fol l owi n g descri tion of the Roma n brev iary of the Cu r io and the
Min orites I h
av e con sul ted a
g r ea t n u m b e r o f M S b r e v i a ri es
. M . d .

k h
Delisl e was in d en oug to l ace a t my di s osal his descri tive in ven tory 0 the p p
p
brevi ari es ossessed by the ibl iothé q ue N ati onal s My observation s are more
.

p ar ti cul arly based on the foll owin

g M S S : B ib N a t 1 0.
4 9 ( 1 5
. t h c en t , aft e r 1 4 5 8 ) .

131 4 (en d of the 1 5 th ; 1 26 2

) ( 1 5 th , fr o m R o d e z ); 1 2 8 9 ( en d o f 1 5 t h ) : 1 2 9 0
1 5 th) ;

$ ( h 6 ( 8 R d ) ( s h R d );
)
1 5 t ; 1 2 0 A D 1 45 o ; 1 t o eo
zf)
.
, . e z ,

1 4th, Sa in t s ; 105 d h
(en o f 1 st h . S ar la t ) ; 1 2 88 ( en d o f 1 4 t , R o u en ) 7 (
; 5 6 A D . .

1 406 , F
lor en ce) ; 76 0 ( 15 th, Mil an ) ; 1045 n th) ; 1064 (begi n n in
(
of 1 5 th ,
p h
S an is ) ; 1 282 ( 1 4th, Sp an is ) ; h ( 4
1 th , t a li a n ) ; 1 2 8 o ( 4
1 t h 1 5 t , tal ian ) ;-
I
1 28 1
( 1 4 th 1 sth , t al i I
an ) ; 1 04 4 ( 1 s th , G er m a n ) ; ( a b o u t A O 1 34 0 ) 9 4
. 2 3 .

( 1 4 th ) See in
. H
Ehr en sbs rg er, Bi bl iotheca l i turgi ca ma n uscri ta ( Karl sru e,
.
p h
p p
2 2 30, a descr i tive l ist of the MS S br evi ari es in the hbrary at Kar la
-
.

r ub e z so in his L i br i li turg i ci , p
199 308 , a simil ar l ist of the MS S breviar ies
-
.

p
m the Vatican l ibrar y , es ecial l y a ti can L ot 60 1 ( A D 147 4
1
. 6069
. .

7692 O rtabani , 5 1 1 1 47 1) an d 5 45 [ ere s ou d a lso be con h h

sul ted the im or tan t wor p k
0 G Mercati , A ( .

p u n ti per la r tor ia d d Brevi a r ia

Roma no n ci Secol i X I V X V, tr otti do l ls R u
-
a s N ovas ( Rome, re ri n ted p
p
se arately from the R asscg na Gre ori a n of 1 03
g 9 .
 THE BREVI A RIE S OF THE CUR I A 16 5

T h e b re v ia ry o f t h e C u r i o is c o m p o sed o f fi v e p a rts— t h e

k al en dar, the p sal ter, the temp or al e, the P rop er of sain ts an d

the C ommo n o f sa in ts T he k a l e n da r is ge n e ra lly at the be
.

g i n n in g o f t he M S ,
a n d. t h e p s a l te r c o m es i m m e d i ate ly a fte r .

I t so metimes ha p p en s, ho weve r th at the p sa l te r is inserte d in

,

the midd l e of the vol u me, betwee n the P rop e r of the season
a n d the P ro p er O f sa in ts A s a ge n era l ru l e, the p sal ter is
.

without a n y titl e, b ut sometimes it has on e, such a s I n cip i t

l m i m i i a tor zi s at y mmr , or I i i m
i p l d
’

p r o r to c u n v t n c p t s a ter u or i na

tu m, or I ncipi t p sa l ter i u m secu n du m mor em Kawa noe Cu r i a s .

H ere we have for the fi rst time the metrica l hymn s in troduced
in to the R oma n O flice ‘ 1
The p sa l ms an d ca n tic les a re set out
.

in the order in wh ich th ey occu r in the domin ica l an d feria l

offi ce, a n d a mon g them, in thei r resp ective p laces, the Te D eu m,

the Qu icu nque, the hy mn s, in vi tatories, a n tip hons, v ersicl es a n d

c a p itu l a of the o ffi c e, wh ether domin ica l o r fe rial, for mattin s,
“
lan ds a n d vesp ers, as we ll as fo r the l esse r hours T he hymn s .

fo r the p ro p er of the seaso n an d of sain ts are p l aced eith er at

the beg in n in g or at the e n d of the p sa l te r .

The version of the p sa l ter use d by the Min orites is that n ow

in use, call ed the Gall ica n : at R o me, at least in the basil icas,
the ol de r version call ed the R oma n he l d its g roun d in l iturg i
cal u se dow n to the e n d of the fifteen th ce n tu ry
8
.

T he P rop er of the season is the p a rt which g ives its n ame

to the en tire book — In cip i t Ordo Br evia ri i secun du m consuetu
di nem R oma na e Cu r i ae, or—I n cip i t Br evia ri u m Fr atr u m M i no

r u m secu ndu m, etc s l atter n ot ea rl ier th an the fi fteen th

( b u
. t th i
ce n tury , or—I r evia r i u m secu n du m con suetudi nem
) n cip i t B ‘

..

The temp orol e c on ta in s the P rop er offi ce o f the season , fro m

the first Sun day i n A dven t to the last Su n day afte r Pen tec ost,
the an tip hon s l esson s, resp o n ds, a n d coll ects
, The Scrip ture .

lesson s of the temp oral : are a ll otted accordin g to the traditio n a l

1 T he hymn s are men tion ed , at all even ts h
for the li ttl e ours, in the time of
e
-
X ( i th O d R m 111 2 6
gg y 1 2 7 1 n e r o o an u s , 11 . .

1
dul p h , 10 In festi vi tatibus q uoq ue ad secun das v es eras
p ratrum F
p
Minorum usus on it psal mos domin ical es , ul timo sec un dum festivrtatem mu tato .

G al l ic i vero in maj oribus festivitatib us p er psal mos L a n da u sol emn izan t Sed .

Al emann i ubi un t ss ten en t a d fer ial es T his observation o f Ral

’
ph
s rel a tes
to th e en d of t e fourteen t h
cen tury A s a matter of fact, the custom of cel e
.

p
brati n g secon d ves ers was i n troduced at Rome in the thirteen t cen tu ry h n der . U
Gregory X( 1 2 7 1 sec o n d ve s ers , as r p
eg a rd s th e P a a l litu p
r gy , are at t es ted by
the O r do R oma n us, 11111 2 5 . .

1T m
p
o asi ( ref to t . .
q u ote s a ter w r itte n i n 1 48 0 for th e C a ter ofhpS .

Mary s the greater The version is

’
. t of the Roman sa l ter , p secun dum con
suetudin ern clericorum Roma nas urbis ej usq ue districtus
 1 66 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
o rder, b ut e ac h of hem ex ten ds over a very few l in es
t ,
an d the
se r mon s an d the homil ies are scarcely at al l lon ger
These l
.

last are tak en by p referen ce fro m the doctors o f the Ch urch ,

SS A mb rose J erome A ug ustin e Grego ry : an d with th ese S

.
, , , .

Leo an d S J oh n Ch rysostom . N o n ame occurs of l ater date .

th an S Greg o ry.
1
.

Two i mp o rtan t n ovel ties characterize the temp or ol e of the

b reviary of the Cu r io the in trod uction o f the festival s o f the ,

T rin ity an d of Corp us Cl mr ti

'

—
.

T he offi ce o t e H oly T rin ity

f h Gl or ia Tibi Tr i n i tos a eq ua l i s
— was certa in ly absen t from the brev iary of I n n ocen t III an d ,

fro m that of Gregory I X it was in troduced in to the o fli ce of

the Min orites by their chap ter at N arbo n n e i n 1 2 6 0 b ut e ven ,

at the beg in n in g o f the fourteen th cen tu ry we fi n d MS b rev i .

a ries wh ic h are w ithou t it R oma n i nu n qua m dc Tr i n i tote .

cel ebr o ut festu m says D ura n dus in ,

whil e n ear the en d
of the fou rteen th cen tury R al p h of T on gres te ll s u s that
lzodi er u ir temp or i bus R oma e at i n Cu r i o R oma no sol emn is
ha betu r f estivi tas S Tr i n i totir .

T he offi ce of Corp us Cl mr ti ( Sacer dos i n a eter n u m), the work

'

o f S Th o mas A q u in as, is missi n g in so me brev iaries o f the be

.

g i n n i n g o f the fo urteen th c e n tu ry The festiv al ,

i n a ug u ra ted .

at Liege in 1 2 4 6 , a n d co n fir med by U rba n IV in 1 2 6 4 , after

the miracl e of B ol sen a, beca me n eg l ec ted towards the en d of

the th irteen th cen tury , but was restored to d ue ho n our by
Clemen t V ( 1 31 I) an d J oh n XXI I ( 1 31 With the ex cep tion
Radul p h, 22 st Lateran en sis et al iae Roma n as ec
1
Al ias nation es
cl esi ae hab en t sermon es et h
omil ias in te gras, p assion esq us san ctor um Sed .

F ratr es Min ores causa brev itatis, Cap el l am seq uen do, hoc al terav eru n t
”
.

1
M Cholat, 0p cit
.
59 6 1.
, n o t i
. ces ipp
n th e .B r evi a ry o
-
f S C la ra some .

sermon s of n n ocen tI III h

in t i s he sees a trace of the re an dl in g of the l iturgy h
carri ed ou t by t at Pon t i fi h '

”Duran dus R a tion a le V I 1 1

, , 4 7, W e n o w of t
.w o o fi c es o f th e T
. r in ity k .

h h h
O n e of t em ( Glor i a Ti bi ) , w ic is foun d in the resen t brevi ary , was the wor p k
of Ste ph en of Liege, i f w e may bel ieve D uran dus ( V I 1 1 4, a n d t erefore dates . h
back to the ten t cen tury h h
T he ot er (Scdcn ti super sol i um) was written by o n
. J h
kh
Pec am (d 1 2 92
. Baumer , Gcschichtc, 362 3 T is i n for mati on of pp .
-
. h
Baumer s is n ot to
’
foun d i n the ren c edi tion ( a rd l y t i n F
s o ig a n h . Ih h k h h
j
an ti q u ity c an be ustl y cla imed for the ofi ce Gloria Ti bi our of the fi ve ves er . F p
h
an tip on s are metri ca l stan z as, two of ambi c d imeters, a n d two Sa ic I
T ey pph h
ave a very D omi n ica n ri n g about t em —A
.

h B] h . . .

Radul p h 1 6 . I . p
n the same assage he men ti on s the fea st of Corpus Chr is ti .

1
Baron ius , A n n a l ee, t 10111 . . p
14 0 , rep rod uces the substa n c e of the Bul l of
.

in sti tution by rb an I U
V O n the offi c e com sed by S T omas. see his li fe by
.
m . h
W il l iam of T occo, 1 8 (A cto S S Mar ti i , t 1 Scri si t ofi ci um de C or
. . . p . p
p h
ore C ri sti de man dato Pa as p U
rban i, i n q uo omn es q uae de hoc su n t Sacra
men to v eteres fi guras exp osuit, et ver itates quae de n ova sun t gr at ia compilavi t ”
.

U rban I V had been formerl y A rc deacon of L iege , before becomin g Bi s op of h h

V erdun , an d fi n al ly Po s p
He was acq ua in ted w it the revel ati on s ex erien ced
. h p
 16 8 HI STORY OF THE RO M A N BREVI A RY
t hese n in e l esson s the first six are tak en from the history of
,

the sain t ; the oth er th ree gen era lly from a homi ly o n the
o
g p
s e l of the Mass .

T he l esson s ta k en from the l ives of sain ts have always been

a stu mbl in g bl ock I have fou n d on the marg in of l ate cop ies
-
.

of the b revi a ry a n n otation s su ch as the foll owin g written ag ain st

the l eg en ds o f the sain ts — N eutigua m Fobul o Ap o

r tol i du m These marg in al n otes are by cl erk s of

et r id i cul u m .

the R en aissa n ce But l on g before the R en a issa n ce R a l p h of

.
,

Ton g res rep roached the brev iary of the Min orites with havin g
ad mitted a p o cry p hal writin gs co n demn ed in the l ist d rawn up

by P op e Gel asius an d acts such as those of S George S ,

.
, .

B arba ra a n d S Ka therin e a p ocryp h al a n d con temp tibl e

—
,

works u ll o f ,
f i n c re d ibl tal
e es n ot to sp ea k of a n u mber of

p as sio n s o f sa i n ts i n s e rt ed i n p a rtic u l ar l oca l ed itio n s o f the

breviary accep ted without an y discern men t which can n ot

, ,

sa fe ly b e rea d i n the offi ce

1
.

T he k al en dar of sain ts i n the thi rteen th cen tu ry is n ot so

d ifferen t as on e mig ht have sup p osed fro m th at given in the
twel fth cen tu ry by the an tip hon ary of S P e ter s Some n ames .
’
.

in cl uded in the l atter have been el imin ated fro m the k a l en dar
o f the Cu r i o—a bo u t fiftee n a l tog eth er
”
O thers have been .

a dd ed : suc h as SS B asil Pa u l the H ermit I gn atius Gilbe rt .

, , ,

o f Se mp ri n g ha m B ern ard J ustin a R e mig iu s H il arion Leon ard

, , , , , ,

Vital is an d A grico l a B rice Peter of A l ex an dria Lucy Thomas , , , ,

o f C an terbu ry a n d a g roup of ea rly Pop es SS Hygin us Mar

, ,
.
,

ce l l in us F el ix Sy l ver ius Z ep hy rin us P on tian us a n d Mi l tiad es

, , , , , .

T he n et in crea se is of b arely ten festival s .

A n d fu rth er it wou l d be a mistak e to sup p ose that the

,

k al en dar o f the Cu r i o suffered an y great s ecretion s from the

th irteen th to the fi fteen th cen tury B efore the en d of the thi r .

teen th ce n tury th ere w e re added to it the festiva l s o f the

C on cep tion of our Lady of the th ree g reat Min orite sa in ts
”
, ,

1 Ra dul p h 1 2 . .

1 ph
SS T eles orus, A quilas, Pa ias, Simeon , Eup l us an d Leuci us , A ura, Bal
. p
h
b in a, T ecl a, Eustac e, etc .

1
t . h
n S T oma s A q uin as wa s com osi n g the P a rr T er ti o of his S u rn rna p
T k eolog i ca , betw een 1 268 an d 1 2 7 4 , thi s festival had n ot been received at Rome .

Sus an T heol 111 q uest xxv11 a rt 2 , ad 3 :

. . .
“
L icet Roma n a Eccl esia con
. . .

cep tion ern B Virgi n ia n on celebret, tol er at tamen con suetudi n em al iq u ar um

.

Eccl esiar um il lud festum cel ebra n tium U

n de tal is cel ebri tas n on est total ite r
.

r roban da
"
I
T he feast of the mmacul a te Con ce tion was co n fir med by Sixtus p
Ie
p
.

i n 1496 .
g h
T ere was a ssi n ed to it the ofi cs of the N ativi ty of our Lady ,
h
wit the n eedful verbal al terati on , but we n ow al so of the existen ce of a Pr o er k p
 THE BRE VI A R IE S OF THE CUR I A 16 9

S Fran cis ( can on ized in

. S Clare ( 1 a n d S A n thon y . .

of Pad ua of S D omin ic a n d S Peter Marty r . .

of S El izabeth of H un ga ry . an d of S Louis .
,

Kin g of F ran ce The fo urtee n th cen tury ad ded the

festiva l s of the Stig mata o f S F ra n cis of S Tho mas . .

A q u i n as ( can on iz ed Of S Louis Bishop of Tou l ouse .

,

a n d of S Mary o f the Sn ows Tow ards the en d of

l
. .

the fi ftee n th cen tu ry it is tr ue we n otice in the firs t p ri n ted , ,

breviaries the accession o f —

festi va l s in greater n u mber the
Tran sfig urati on ( 14 the P resen tation of our Lady
the V is itation SS B ridget N ichol as de To l en .

tin o B ern ardin Vin cen t Ferrier a l so

SS J osep h A n n e J u l ian a P atrick A n sel m an d J ohn Chrysos

.
, , , , ,

tom an d p e rha p s a few mo re ; b ut the up shot is tha t the n u m

,

ber o f festival s admitted by the Pop es in to the b rev iar y o f the

—
Cu ri o is a l imited on e very l imited if w e comp are w ith it the ,

ofli ce, co mposed by Leon ar dN ogarol a, rotonotary to Sixtus I V ofSee the p .

h
tex t of t is ofi ce in the breviary, MS Bi bl N a t 1 31 4, fol 62 0, a n d a letter from . . . .

Leon ard of N oga rola to Sixtus I V , Va ti ca n L o t 7 692 , fol 2 . . . .

1 See Bi bl N at 10 0 A D
5 . fol 37 4 :
.
“
n ci i un t esta n ovi ter p romul
. . . I F
g a ta fi del i b us , s r r i m o a on orem Sp a tq ue In div i uas T r i n ihta ti s After t i s . h
we fi n d : O fii cium C or oris D N p
C secun dum con suetu din em S Roman a e . .
J . . .

Eccl es ia e h
T en foll ow the V is ita tion , S Mary of the Sn ows , a n d l as tly the .

p
C on ce tion of our La dy Cf Ra dul p h 22 : “
Sed ra tres i n eorum usu F
—
. . .

a dducun t l oca l es Roma n os

”
an d he gives a l ist, rel atin g to the en d of the
h
four teen t cen tur y, an d n ot, thin , free from exa ggera tion I k .

1
Ma rten s , D e a n t eccl di scip l 37 5 : C u
. us ins ti tu tio. n e m C a llixto P a p a e. p . j
III refert Pla ti n a : addi t ue a b eodem con scrip tu m esse ofi ci um eccl esiasticum de
q
ea die, et cum in dul en tirs p romul ga tum iisdem q ua e concessae aun t in sol emn i
g
tate Cor oris C ri sti p h
Ca ll ixti Bull am p rotul i t Odoricu s Rain aldus ad an n um
.

1 45 7 , n 7 3 Verum l on ge a n tiq uior em esse an c festivi ta tern constat

. .
”
See the h .

Bull of Cal l ixtus III

i n Baron ius- Raynal di , A n na l ee, t 11 1 28 32 (see above, . . pp .
-

I’ 1 35
1 a rten e, 0p
p.
5 94 ci t. . Pium II , ad in sta n tia m Wi ll elmi Ducis Saxon ia e,
men sis N ovembris Idem festum cum vi cel ebra n durn i n stituisse a n n o 1 46 0
’

21 li a
[refert T here is a Bull of a ul II o n the j
sub ect, Se tember 1 6th, p
1 46 4 .

‘
i bid 571 : 0p . cit p
Circa bo ua diei ofi cium aec en veteri Breviario j h
m
. . .

Roma n o scri bi t Scul ti n Huj us gloriosa s Visita tion is o en composi tion em

U rban us V Idomin o e C ardmal i A n gl ia e doc tori in theol ogia oommi si t, ut
ex Scrip turis eva n gel icis , SS P atrum commen tari is et Doctor um a p p robatorum .

a sser tion ibus histori am huj us festi V isi ta tion is scri ber et et di cta re t, et eidem
m
o eio n ota m con grua m ap p licar st Vol en s q uoq ue Car dinal is p raefa tus vesti gia .

Pa tru m se ui, et ma n da ti a A ostol icis obedire, u xta dic tamen domin i Bon aven
q p j
m
turae C a rdi n al is de o eio S Fran cisci , p ra edi ctum ofii ci um comp il avi t, s t n otam.

con simil s m sib i sump si t

”
T he C ardina l al l uded to is A dam Easton
. Baumer , .

t 11
. .109 p
Mercati ,
. 19, q uotes the text of on e of the R u br i ca s N ovas , w ic
. h h
da tes the institution 0 the feast of the V isita tion , wi t the ra n of a doubl e, h k
p
from A ril 1 3th in the el even t y ear of rban V I T he Bull of rban V I h U U
was con fi rmed by Bon iface , N ovember 9th, 1 389 IX
But the rubric goes on to
—
.

sa y [C uria] n o n con s uevi t face re ofi c i um V isi ta ti on i s Mar iae , i e a t a bout A D . . . .

1400 The observan ce of the festiv al was on ly im osed un der Sixtus I

. V in 147 5 p .
r7 0 HI STOR Y O F THE ROMA N B R EV IA R Y

nu mber of festival s which the brev iaries which are n ot strict ly

o f the Cu r io ad mitted in to th eir k a len da rs
l
.

But if the feasts of the S onetorol e, in the offi ce o f the R o man

Cu r i o, h ave n ot in creased immoderately in n u mber, they have
”
a t al l even ts bee n adv an ced in ra n k A l l the festival s of our .

Lady are n ow greater doubl es, eq ual in ra n k to Christmas

an d E aster ; so a re th ose o f S Peter, S J oh n B ap tist, a n d A l l . .

”
Sain ts T he festival s of the ap ostl es, evan gel ists, an d doctors
.
,

S Lauren ce, S M ich ae l , A ll So u l s D ay , the ded ication of the

’
. .

basil icas of S Peter, S P aul , an d the Lateran , both feasts of

. .

the H o ly C ross the octave d ay s of S Peter, o f the A ssu mp

'

1
.
,

tion a n d of the N ativity of o ur La dy , are doubl es Su n days .

a re n o more th a n semi d oubl es We may reck on th at the -

.

n u mber o f festiva l s of n in e l esso n s amoun ted to n early 1 5 0 by

the en d of the th irteen th cen tu ry, on al l wh ich fe sti val s, to say

n othi n g of octaves, the feria l O ffi ce w as th rust asid e .

Th en , further, the dai ly office was b urden ed w ith the l ittl e

offi ce of our L ady, to be said every day, ex cep t o n the grea ter

festiva l s, the l ast th ree days of H oly Week , the octave of

Easter, an d the feasts of our Lady ” The ferial offi ce is a lso .

burden ed with the office of the dead, a n d the rec itation o f

”
the p en iten tial a n d grad ual p sa l ms I t a l so in cl uded the .

p r eces at l au d s, vesp e rs , a n d the l itt l e h our s

7
.

1 For in stan ce, the isdom of our LordW Bi bl N o t 1 345 ; the .

”
in din g . . F
of the C il d h J
esus,
”
Bibl N a t 1 1 44 : the N ame of es us,
”
Bi bl N a t J
—
. . . .

the S ster s of the Virg n

i i M ary,
"
i bid all of the fi ft een t cen tury
. h .

1 S
r s furt er on , h p
17 5 , the extract from the R u bri cae N ooae on the ra n of k
i
.
“

1estiv a s .

1N
amel y , the four Doctors S S A mbrose, erome, A ugustin e, an d Gre ory . J .

h
T eir feasts w er e el evated to the ran of doubl es by Bon i face V I k I no
Domin i 1 2 95 sta tu it festa A p ostolorum, q uatuor Evan gel i starum ac q uatuor
Doc torum, vi z Gregorii, A ugustin i , A mbrosii et Jeron imi , sub hon ors festi dup
.

l i cis ab omn ibus u n iversal i ter cel ebrari

”
L P t 11 469 . . . . p . . .

‘
See the MS Bi b N a t . . fol 322 : . nci it ofi ci um S Cruci s, com
. I p .

p l e tu m a raFt r e B o n a v e n tu ra a d rec es d om i n i L u d o p
v i ci A l so B ib Mag . .

366 , fol 2 93 (the fol ios are, owev er , n ot n umbered) :

. h n ven tio S C ruc is est I .

p h
du lex festu m, st abet ofii cium ro ri um secun dum Cur iam Roman am p p
n od ofii cium p ubl icatum fui t et man da tum cel ebrari er Ss domi n um n ostrum
p .

regorium XI p
, en u l tima A ril is, 137 7 p
Cf MercatI, 17 . p . .

1
T he Consti tu ti on s: Later an ens e: of Gregory ( 1 37 0 7 8 ) en o i n o n th e can o ns XI -
j
of the L a teran basil ica, al on g wi t h
th e dail y rec itation cum nota of the brevi a ry
of the C u r i o , th e recitation si n e n ota of the ofii ce of our La dy Ofi cium B .

Mariae Virgin ia si n e n ota, a er te tamen et sp ati ose , p roferatur p Can st L o t 1 . . .

M
( 1 a b il l o n , M us I ta l
. 1 1 . .

p
But the e n i ten ti al sal ms ( sa id after p ri me) w ere on l y r ecited in Len t p
Hoc ofii cium dici debet ost Prima m p ut vi di n ota tum i n q uodam Ordin ari o
Roman o . I
Sed n n ocen tius III
man dav it suis cap ellaribus ut solum in Q uadra
’

g e s im s dic ere tu r , et h oc se q uu n tu r ra tr es M in o res F

R a d u l p h 2 1 . .

7
See the fol l owin g assage i n the breviary of S C l are : p Domin us Pa a . p
I n n ocen tiu s p rac ep it,
q u u m a d M a tu tin as L a ud es i n fe ri a l i bu s d i ci tu r M iser er e
p
Mei D eus in in ce tion s (i s as the first salm at lauds) , i n suflr agiis ipsius
. . p '
 17 2 H I STOR Y OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
a n tip hon s a dop ted by the Min o rites —th R eg i na
e cael i , A l ma
R edemp torir , A ve R eg i na a n d Sol ve They wer e R eg i na 1
.

adop ted by the Pop es in 1 35 0

—
.

T o rec ap itul ate we have n ow sp ok en of ( 1) the k al en da r,

( )
2 th e p sa l ter, ( 3) the P ro p e r o f t h e seaso n , (4)
th e P ro p er

a n d C ommon of the sain ts, ( 5 ) the offi ce of our La dy an d of

the dead — the five co n sti tuen t p arts of the b rev iary of the Cu r i o
a n d the Friars Min or I n a dditio n to these we have the
1
.

rub rics, c l ass ified in two g roup s Their p lace in the vol ume .

has n othin g fix ed about it .

First there are the R ubr i coe g eneral s: Brevio r u veterer op

p ell o toe , o r R ub r i co M aj o r B r ev i a r i i R om a n i Th es e b eg i n .

”
with the words A dven tu: D omi ni cel ebr atur ubi eunque, etc .

This group of rubrics is the more an cien t : it goes back to the

ti me of A y mo, an d the edition of the b rev iary p ut forth by
him, in 1 2 4
Then there are the R ubrica e navoe secundu m forma m at can
suetudi n em R oma na e Cu r i oe, edi toe p er di verrar su mmer p on ti

di vi na secund u m R oma na m Cu r i a m, or simp ly R ubr i co e navoe .

”
They begin S ci endu m est quad n ul la luk tar i o vaca tu r , etc .

T he R ubr i coe navoe, writes Mg r M ercati, are arra n g ed by .

mon ths, December to D ecembe r, with an ap p en d ix on the

fea st of the H oly T r in ity, on the an tip hon s of our Lady, on
sa in ts d ays a n d their deg rees of sol emn ity , a n d o n festi v al s of
’

obl iga ti on : the O bj ect of th ese rub rics is to reso l ve doub ts, by

1
W A n na l ee Minor urn, t 111
a ddin g, 208 The R eg i n a coel i is an an ti on
. . p
. . ph
h p
at Pasc al v es ers, w ic , in the twel ft h h
cen tury , al ready fi n ds a l ace i n the h p
an ti ph
on a ry of S Peter s
’
T omas i, t rv
.
p 100 . T he Sa l ve R eg i na , made
. . . .

h
ul ar in the twel ft cen tury by S Bern a rd, i s the work of a mon .of Rei c en a u, k h
W h
m
erma n a Con tract d Bramba c , D ie ver lor en e lo u bte His tori c de
fé
. .

S Af r o u nd de: S oe R egi na dc: H er ma n n u: Con tractu: l r lsruhe, 1 8m

. .

13 14 - T he ori gin of the A ve R egi na is un n own , as is also t at of the si x

. k h
h
meter li n es of w ich th e A l ma R eda np tar i : is com osed (qy by erma n n Con p . H
tract Mercati, p
23, q uotes from the R u bri cas non e the i n formation t at
. h
the A l ma was sun g from A dven t to C an dl ema s, the Sa l ve from C an dl emas to
H oly W
ee k , the Regi na coel i from Easter to the eve of T rin ity Sun da an d the
A ce R e from Trinity to A dven t : “
Q ua s u ide m a n ti p h o n ae C e m ens V l
Pout ax ordin avrt, s t in U rbs statu it
. . on ti catus sui an n o V ° ”
p III
h
T is arran gemen t l asted un til the reform of Pi us V Mercati al so q uotes some .

w ords from the Chron ica X XIV Gener a l i u m O M w ic men tion the rece tion of . . h h p
the four an ti ph J h
on s by o n of Par ma, at the Gen eral C a ter at Met: as hp
p p
an exce tion al de arture from the or di n a ri o S Ma tr is Eccl esi ae . .

1 Br vi
e ari es sometimes con tain , al on g wit the ofii ce of the dea d, an O r do ad h
cammu n ica n du m i n r mum, an O r do a d u ng en dmn i nfi r mum, an O rdo commenda
tion i : a n i mae, an r da a d ben edi cen dom men sa m , a n d B en e d i c ti o : o l i: et aq na e .

S ee MS Bi b N o t 7 5 6 ( A D
. . . . .

1
H
ilari o [ el der] , F 2
44 3 pp .
- .
 T HE B REVI A R IE S O F T HE CURI A 17 3

a ll egin g Pop es or actual p receden ts an d they are

the decrees o f , ,

for the most p art an ap p l ication o f the lost decreta l of Cl emen t

VI which by sup p ressin g the simp l e commemoration of sain ts
, , ,

a n d givi n g a day a n d a n offi ce to a ll festi val s of sain ts p ractica lly ,

”1
led the w ay to the abo l ition of the ord ina ry offi ce de temp or e .

We
have n ow desc ribed th is breviary, an d from o ur descrip
tio n it will be seen tha t the D ivin e O fii ce, as accommoda ted by
the Cu r i a an d the Min orites to the wa n ts of the cl ergy o f their
time, has bee n very much cut down It is n o l on g er made for
.

si n gin g in choir, b u t fo r rec itin g as y ou g o a l on g the hig h roa d .

For al l that, the an tip h on ary, the resp on soral , the Or do p sal l en a z
''

a n d the Or ao l eg en dz of o ld times ha ve been p reserved, an d the

' '

hy mn al has been added : b ut the l ec tion ary has been corrup ted .

A n d if we owe a j ust deb t of g ratitude to those who have given

us the a n tip hon s of ou r L ady, wh at a re w e to say , on the other

han d, of the sup ererogatory offi ces ?

I t is difii cult n ot to see in these a ddition s o f adven titious d e
votio n s , so n u merous an d so bu rden some, a grave wr on g don e

to the ca n on ica l ofii ce itsel f But there is a g raver w ro n g still

.

the festival s of sain ts h av e bee n mu l ti p l ied to suc h a deg ree as

to mak e the Temp ora l e wh ich is the very foun dation of the
—
,

Roman O fii ce, a thin g on c d e m n ed to d esu etu d e to say n oth in g

”
of the who l e year be in g l oaded w ith tra n sl ation s o f festiva ls .

The coun cil s of the fifteen th cen tury v ie w ith on e an other in

dep l orin g the coldn ess with wh ich the cl ergy p erform their
d uty of recitin g the ca n on ica l ofii ce, even in c hoir They do .

n ot, as it seems, suffi cien tly rec og n iz e the fact that th is col d n ess,

th is sca n dal ou s n egl igen ce, p roceed s in p a rt from the deteriora

tion of the offi ce itsel f, an d es p ecia lly fro m th ese b urden so me
add itio n s fo r wh ic h the d evotion o f a sa in t w ou l d sca rce suffi ce
a
.

The D ivi n e O ffi ce, w rites Martin of Se n g in g to the C oun cil

”

o f B as l e in 14 35 , is recited in d isorderly fashion , in h aste,

“

n the Bu l l eti n de l a S oc N a t des A uti q u ai r es de F r a n ce, 1893, pp 1 47 5 2 ,

I 1 . . .
-

M Desl oge an d myself have for the fi rst time called atten tion to the rubrics wh ich
—
.

bear the n ame o f a Po p e, fr om the M S of L y o n s.

46 8 ( en d of 1 sth c en tury ) a
Roman br eviary of the use of A vign on Mgr Mercati has iden tifi ed the auth or
. .

shi of the R u br i cas nova e wi th tha t of the O r do R oma n ia: x v of Mabill on

p .
,

is the work of Peter Amel io (d con ti n ued by Peter A ssal biti (d

. .

both of th em A ugustin ian s a n d sa crists of the Pop e The O r do R oma n ae:

.

xv . p .
’
p
is de end en t on the R u bri eae n ova e, bu t, in Mgr Merca ti s o in ion , the l atter
k
is en tirel y the w or of P eter A meli o imself h .

’ Ra dn l h 2 2 : E x ua ob serv an tia viz th e tr an sla ti on of fea ts of i n

p .
q . n e
l esson s) eveni t in usu eorum (the F
riars n or) con tin ua p erturbati o et ma n a
'

g
con fusi o
’ i bi d 10 . j
Suscip ite igitur suav e ugum Domin i , q uod a S Sede Roman s .

p
vobis i mp on i tur , l i ce t im ortabil e videatur
17 4 HI STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
without devotion , w ith a an d
p erve rse i n te n tio n , v iz a n itc hin g .

desire to get to the en d o f it : the cl ergy even go so far as to

f t o th e ca n on ica l ofii ce itse l f the sup e rfl uou s add ition s
p re er
” 1
wh ich a re tack ed on to it N o doubt reform must in c l ude
.

the reformation o f the cl ergy, b ut it must mean al so the refo r

mation of the offi ce, the cuttin g away of ex crescen ces, the re
sto ration o f what has been l ost : n either Martin of Sen g in g n or

the C oun cil of B asl e hav e an y tho ught of this seco n d p a rt of

the task of reform R al p h of Ton gres al on e seems to have
.

g o t h o l d o f the j u st view o f the case, when he den o un ced the

deterioration of the offi ce, both in its tex t a n d in its ru b rics .

He a ccuses the Min orites of bein g the authors a n d their

b reviary the in strumen t of th eir deterioration They ca ll ed .

their b rev iary , he says , the b rev iary accord in g to the use o f the
”

R oman Cu r ia , without con cern in g themselves about what was the

use of the R oman Cnur A n d he adds T he R oman Church
was on ce cel eb rated an d g lorio us, l ivin g w aters sp ran g o ut from
un der her feet, whe n ce as fro m th ei r fo un tai n , were d e r ived a l l

ecc l esiast ica l ru l es He ap p eals fro m the l iturgy of the Min

”
.

orites to th at set forth by A malari us, the M zer ol og us , a n d the

'

o ld book s A bove a l l , he ap p eals to a reform which sho u ld

“
tak e its beg in n in g fro m Rome .

With this l itu rgical deterioration we arrive at the en d of the

Midd l e A g es T he p rin tin g p ress rec e ives the Roman b rev iary
.

from the h an ds o f the R oman Curia ‘

We are come to about .

1
Martin of S en gin g , T n i tiones p r o observa n tia R eg ul ae, in Pez , Bi bl i otheca
A scetica Ratisbon , C f N icolas de Cl eman
(
cel ebr i ta trbus n on i n s ti tu ndir , i n
t V 111
. .
5 4 5 . .

is Oper a O mni a ( Leyd en , 1 6 13 pp

D e n ovis
1 43 60
.
-
.

h
He is deal i n wit feas ts of obli gation . p
A ga in st the mul ti lication of festiva ls,
we may 1 l the severe words of 8 Ber n ard, Ep i “ c n m v 6 :
. . . Patriae est,
n on exs il i i , frequen tia haec gaudiorum, et n umerositas festorum civ es decet, n on
”
exsu l es .

Radul p h 22 : . Cel eb ris ol im et gl oriosa erat Roman s Eccl esi a, ut de sub

ej us p
ede efil u er en t aq uae vivac, et v el ut ex fon ts rivi tam rerum omn ium fac i
en da ru m q uam eccl esiasti cae regul ae eman aren t . I
n de est q uod omn es scri tu ra e
p
n obis in j un gun t u t ill in s seq uamur author itatem, et ordi n em ten es mus
"
An d
m
.

he con cl udes, at the en d of his pro ositi on 22 : p In o eio ergo divin o ordi n em
S Roman ae Eccl esiae observabtmus si,
. F ratrum usu omisso, sacros can on es ,

scri p turas authen ticas , con suetudin es l ooorum gen eral es , s t in dubiis l ibros (th e
text reads l i br is) an ti q uiores seq uamur
3I bi d 1 2 :. U
Don ec de rbe v en iat q uod et it magis p erfectum
‘
In L . H ai n , R er tori mn bi bl i ogr a hic” : ( Stuttgar t,
p w il l be foun d a
p
descr i tive l i st of oman breviari es ri n ted before 15 00 : T urin , 1 47 4 ; V en ice,
’
74 ; y’ o n s ,
’
7 6 ; N ap l es ,
’
7 7 ; Ro m e ,
’
7 7 ; Ven ice,
’
7 7 ; V en ice ,
’
7 8 ; Ven ice ,
i teru m, 7 8 ; V en ice , 7 9 ; V en ice, i ter um, 7 9 ; N on an tola , 80 ; V en ic e, 8 1 ;
’ ’ ’ ’

Ve n i ce , i ter um, 8 1 ; si ne l oco, 8 2 ; Ven ice, 8 2 ; V en ice , i ter um, 8 2 ; Ven ice,
' ' '

ter tia, 8 2 ; N u remburg, 86 ; Ven ice, 86 ; Ven i ce, 89 ; Ven ice

’ ’ ’ '
0 ; V en ice,
’
, 9
i teru m 90 ; Ven ice, 9 1 si n e low , 92 Pavia, 9
’ ’
Ven ice , 94 V en ice, i ter um,
’ ’ ’
,
4
94 ; V en ice , 96 ; Bresc ia , 97 ; V en ice, 97 ; Ven i ce, i ter um, 97 ; Ven ice, tor t o,
' ' ' ’ ’

'
T i Ven ice, 99 ( R i
’
88
’
97 ; u r n , 99 ; . a n. n o s .
3 7
17 6 H I STO R Y OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
Festa ap ostoloru m , evan gelistaru m et doctorum .

I
n q uibus omn es an tip hon e dup liean tur, sacerdos vero in p rin cip io
ves eroru
p m n on in d uitur sed a ea p itul o in an tes, et ca mp an a ter p ul
satur.

Est autem adverten du m q uod, si eodem die maius dup lex et min us
dup l ex festum occurrent, min us dup lex tran sfertur ; s t in secun dis
vesp eris totu m fiat de maiori dup l ici cum commemora tion e min oris

Hec sun t festa tertie partis, seu w u oaxs ss UP u c rs

Festum ss . I
n n oce n tu m ,

O ctava sStep han i et 5 I

. oan n is evan gel iste, octava Ep ip han ie,
.

octa va s I
. oan n is Bap tiste, oc tava A scen sion is,
A p paritio s Michael is, festu m s Marie Magda len e,
. .

O ctava s Lauren tii,

.

D ecol lati on is Ioan n is Bap tiste, s Martin i et q uecumque missa b . .

Maria V irgin is, que in sabbato celebratur .

Hec sun t S sm w vn x
festa q uarte p artis s MIN O R I c rs
.

Festum s N icolai, s Lucie,

. .

V igilia natalis Domin i, festum s A n ton u, a festo I n n ocen tu m us ue

.
q
ad octavam natal is D omini ,

A gn etis p ri mo, A gathe, Ben edicti, I oann i s et Pauli,

A oommemoration e san cti Pauli usq ue ad octavam A p ostol orum,
A festo A ssump tion is usq ue ad octa vam eius,
A festo Corp oris Christi usq ue ad octavam eius,
A festo Visitation is usq ue ad octavam eius,
A festo nativitatis b Marie usq ue ad octavam eius,
.

Festu m s Cl emen tis, s Blasii, s Cecilie, et 3 Ca tharin e

. . . . .

Hec sun t festa quin te p artis, s m uons sm r mcm .

Et sun t q ue haben t ofi cium p rop rium in missa : et si duo ven erin t

eadem die, p ri mo agitur de p rimo usq ue ad cap itulu m in sec un dis
vesp eris, d e secun do a itu r a ea i tul o in an tes ,
g p n i si a l ie rub rioe
sp ecia les in ven iren tur,

Hec sun t festa sexte p artis

Et sun t omn ia alia superius n on assign ata, et voca n tur festa m u ons
sum mers , et semp er fit de festo p receden ti usq ue ad eap itulu m in
secun dis ves eris, et a ca itul o 1n an tes fit de festo se uen ti
p p q .

D e festivitatibus trium lecti on um n ulla fit men tio, q uon iam p rorsus

abuse sun t, et iuxta man datum san ctissi mi d d Ioan n is p ap e XX II
m
. .

iussit fieri n ovem lection es, n isi o ein m fieret de feria .

 CH A PTER V .

I I
T HE BREV A RY O F T HE CO U N C L O F T REN T .

T HE b revia ry p l ayed too in timate a p art in the d aily l ife of

the c l ergy, an d th at l ife was too w ide ly a n d d eep ly affec ted
by the R e n aissan ce, for n o q uestion to arise at Rome at th at
p er io d co n ce r n i n g th e b re v i ar y . Th a t q u es tio n w as fi rs t ra i se d
by the h uman ists .

E rasmus, who visited Rome in 1 509, treasured a memory

of it w hich en ch an ted his eru d ite an d refi n ed in tell igen ce .

Q m m fl di m n m m
'

ll conf a bul a tzon es , q uot

’

u a e z u a s e r u to r u o zn u

mu ndi l u mzna he ex c l aims wh en th in k in g of it, an d he l oves

'

to reca ll the h ig h estee m wh ich he saw con fe rred u p on g o o d

stud ies,
”
in tha p ea c ea bl e h o m e of th e M u ses ,
th e co m m o n

fatherl a n d o f all me n of l etters T he freedom of the city o f

Rome had been con ferred up on h uman ism by N icolas V ( 144 7
an d it re ign ed th ere un de r P i us I I ( 1 4 5 8 an d sti ll more

un d er Leo X ( 1 5 1 3 who had as secretaries B embo an d Sa

dol eto, an d whose desire was that whatever was to be hea rd or
read sh o u ld be ex p ressed in rea lly p ure La tin , fu ll of s irit an d
p
Bembo s on e idea l was to write in the styl e of wh at
”
el eg an ce
’
.

an oth er Ca rdin a l , A d ria n of C ometo, ca ll ed the immorta l an d

al most d ivin e ag e of C icero
”
. The rev ival of the La ti n lan
g g
u a e e x t en d e d its e l f to p o e t ry an d o ra to ry S.a n n az a r , t h e

Ch ristian Virg il , be loved of Leo X an d Cl emen t VII ( 1 5 2 3

mak es the shep herds o f Bethl ehem sin g roun d the man ger
c radl e o f the Sav iour the Fourth Eclo ue l O G o o d F id y
g n e r a ,

p r eac hi n g b e fo re t h e P o p e , t he m o st fa m o u s o ra t o r o f t h e

Pon tifica l Court con sidered that he could n ot better p raise the
sacrifi ce of Cal vary than by rel atin g the sel f devotion of D eci us -

an d the sa cri fice of I p higen ia

1
. H ere th ere is man ifested a
1
. h
P de N ol a c , Er asi ne en I ta l ic ( Pa ris, p .
76 .
J. kh
Burc ardt, L a
ci vi l isa ti on en Ita l ie a n temps de l a R en a issa nce, F ren c h edttion ( Paris,
t 1
. . pp . 27 7 , 31 1 -
1 7.
17 8 H I STORY OF T HE RO MA N BREVI A RY
l ack f or true p iety , to say n othi n g of an absen ce of al l
o f z est

se n se o f good taste, by wh ic h the b rev iary was boun d to suffe r .

I n the eyes of th ese sup erfin e sc hol a rs, in lov e with C ice ron ian

ism an d mytho l ogy , wh at sort of figure wou l d be made by ou r

’ —
ol d c h ie f ch an ters of S Pete s Catalen us, Maurian us an d
.

V irbon us ?
T o this p e rverted l iterary taste the Roman Cu ri a was temp ted
to accommodate its b revia ry T he in itiative of th is des ign be
.

l on gs to Leo X , the ex ecution of it to a N eap ol itan b ishop , a

fellow coun try man of Sa n n azar, by n a me Zacharia Ferrer i,
-

B ishop of Guards , an d the ap p robation of it to C l emen t V II l

.

A start was made by the p ubl icatio n o f a hymn al : it was n o

more th an a samp l e, b ut it was in ten ded to p rep are the way for
the p u bl ication o f an eccl esiastica l brevia ry, made muc h

shorte r a n d more con v en ien t, a n d p u rged from a l l errors for

such seem to h av e been the terms of the commiss ion g iv en to

Ferreri by Leo X .

In fact, if we w ish to k n ow in wh at sp i rit it w as in ten ded to

ab ridge, simp l ify a n d ex p u rgate the tra d ition a l l iturgy , we h ave

o n ly to cas t o u r ey es over the hy mn a l of F e rre ri, the fi rst sto n e

of the p roj ec ted ed ifice T he titl e read s Hy mn i n ovi eccl esi

.

astza Juxta v er a m metr i et l a tzn i ta tis nor ma m Sa n ctu m et

’ ' '

n ecessa rzu m o Th h h b i f Cl m
'

p us e n w e av e t e a pp
. ro at o n o e en t
VI I , couched in fi n e C iceron ian p h rases
E tsi a ten eris an n is n ob is semp er cord i vehemen ter fuerit bonar um d is
cip lin arum sa cr ae p raecip ue d octr inas exercitia, s t in e is se cu m op timo
virtutum od ore versautes omn i studio fovere et sp ec ialis amoris gr atia com

p l e c ti,
id tamen an im o n ost ro lon ge v ehem en ti us in haesit, p os tq uam, e tc .

an d g r aby his ap ostol ic auth ority l eave to read an d em

n ti n g
l y h hy m i i Th m F
’

p o t es e n e w n s e v e n i n d vi n s en co e s e r re ri s .

p r e face in wh ic h he, a n tic i p at es t h e c h a rge wh ic h s o me m ig h t

b rin g again st him of havin g dared in op p osition to the j udg
, ,

men t of S A ugustin e an d S Greg o ry to sub mit the w ords of

. .
,

the sacred orac l es (ver ba sam or aeul z) to the ru l es of D o n atus

'

The foll ow in is the ti tl e of Ferreri s book : Z acharias Ferreru, Vicen t ,

1 ’
.

Pon t Ga rdien ,
.
ym n i n ovi eccl.esia sti ci ux ta v et a m met r i et l j
a tin ita tis n ormam,
a Bea ties P a tre C l aemen te V I
. IP on t Max ut in divi n is quisq ue eis u ti osai t
. . p
app rob ati , et n ovis L udovic i Vi cen tin i ac Lauti ti i Perusin i cha ra c ter ibus in l ucem
trad iti Sa n c tum et n ecessa rium o us
. p
Breviari um eccl es iasti cum ab eodem
.

Z ac h P on t , l on ge brevin e et facili n a redditum, et a b omn i errore p urga tum, p rop e

. .

diem exibit (Bi b N a t 4 to Y 1 693, R eser ve). . . F

i n is ed ri n ti n g , ebr ua ry r st,
. h p F
C l emen t V I Is brief of ap oba ti on is da ted N ovember 3oth , 15 23 ; it is
’
1 5 25 .

p r i n ted a t the ea d of the boo h k

err eri ha d been P a a l N un cio i n Germa n y ,
.
p
h
a s t is br ief tel ls us, an d as we al so read in the p an egyrrc on erreri by Ma ri n as F
Becichemus refi xed to the boo p k .
1 80 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
O ne c an better re l ish
Ch ristian origin a l s of which
the rud e

these verses a re i mitation s c orrect c l ev er a n d in sip id But , , , .

d id n ot U rban VIII a cen tury l ater tak e up the sa me task of

, ,

metrical cor rection a n d has he n ot in l ik e man n e r disfigured

, ,

i n the attemp t to imp rove th em the an cien t hy mn s wh ich we ,

sti ll re ad i n ou r b rev iary i n the fo rm they assu med u n der his

co rrec ti ng ha n d ? A n d if there is in the p oetry of F erreri too

much a bo ut Phoebus Oly mp us Styx Q uirites Pen ates an d
, , , ,

astra a et/ter ea ; if th ere are Len ten sta n zas such as th is

Bacchus ab scedat, Ven us in gemisca t,

N ec j ocis ul tra locus est, n ec escis,
N cc ma rital i thalamo, n ec ulli
Eb rietati 1
.

an d hy mn s for S . F ran cis of A ssisi w ith su c h verses as

[b at in sylvas taci tosq ue sal tus

Sol us, ut ca el um satius liceret
V isere, et mun das agita ri d ul ci
Pectore curas .
1

we must at al l even ts ack n owl edge th at he has the v1rtues o f

his defects , th at p u rity of l an guag e a n d th at e l egan ce of w ork
man sh ip , wh ich j ustly del ig hted his con temp oraries, a n d an
in ge n uity so metimes suffi cie n tly h ap p y in its ex p ression to be
cap abl e of stir rin g ou r hea rts sti ll A s in the hymn fo r S . .

Gregory the Great

R oma, q uae tan tum decus edidisti,
Q ui d triump hal es medi ta ris ar cus ?

Cogita magn um p ep e risse mun do

Gregorium te l ’

h p
T ou , P eter , o en est w isely the heav n l y door ;
’

h
T ou al so cl osest, of all t in gs the arbi ter h
Bin din g or l oosi n g the soul ere on eart bel ow , h h
Thy word sta n ds firm for aye above A B] — . .

1 I[ har dly, I thi k t ty thi p po t

n , raves s re s er ous stan z a in ren derin g hus
it t
H wi th th
en ce B h !V ee, a cc us en u s , fal l a wee in g l
p
-

H m’
ere s n o pl f l gh t ore ace or au er or for feast mg
N or for the j oys of ma rriage, n or for an y
h —A B ]
Du k r n en n ess ei t er. . .

1
( T he hymn fo S F
r a cis i s
. of a m o
r ne p l ea i g c h ar a ter r s n c

Far i the g wood s h adow an d its sil en ce

’
n reen s ,

L on l y he wal k ed whi l e H ea en itsel f

e , w ea ; v e n rer
Pu e were the th oughts th at i hi g
r bo om n s en e s
R ose an d were ch i h d —A B ], er s e . .

[R1
om e w ho h as t ga,i ed so g r ea t a h i g h t o f l
g y
no e r ,
Why o t i mphal c hes dost thou po der ?
n r u ar n
T hi may 8115 c
s thou has t hown the dark wo l d s r
Grego y s spl en dou l—A B ] r
’
r . .
THE BRE V I A RY OF THE CO U N CIL OF TRE N T 18 1

What was dep l orabl e in this ex p e rimen t of Ferreri s w as the ’

whol e state of mind which p roduced it the ign oran ce of al l ,

l iturgical tradition an d utter aversion to the study of it

, S ol i .

ba r bar zlsa mus I he ex cl aimed A n d it is mel an choly to see .

ch urch me n so ens l aved to th eir C iceron ian ism th at F e rre ri

cou l d w rite i n the p reface to his hymn a l the foll ow in g p assage ,

on wh ich n o o n e seems to h ave rema rk ed b ut which con stitutes ,

in deed the con de mn ation of his times

Q bui
on a l a tin itate p raed iti sun t sace rd otes, d u m b arb a ris vocib us
D eum l audare cog un tur, in risum p rovocati sacra saep en umero con tem
1
n un t .

One won de rs—what woul d the b reviary of the h u man ists

h ave been l ik e ? The terribl e bl ow wh ich fell up on the E tern a l
C ity in 1 5 2 7 that frightful sack of Rome by the Sp an ish and
,

Ge rman a rmy of Charl es V d isp en ses us from foll owin g up ,

the in q uiry a n d fro m p a usin g to p ass further j udg men t on the

,

frivo l ity o f th at ban d of wits a n d sc ho l ars Graver tho ughts .

an d forebod in gs n ow made th emse l ves fel t ren dered sti ll mo re ,

p ress in g by the ec h oes o f the vo ice of L u th er Sad o l e to fro m .

,

his retiremen t in Fran ce w rote th us : If our misfortun es,

h ave d isar med the fierce an ger of H ea ven if on ly these terribl e ,

chas tisemen ts mak e us return to the p ath of righ t con duc t a n d

the ob serva n ce of w ise l a w s ou r situation it may be w ill b e , , ,

l ess cruel Let us seek in Go d the true gl ory of sacerdotal

.

d ig n ity 1 ”
.

When Ferreri died Cl emen t VIIdid n ot give up the n otion

,

o f p resen ti n g to the Ch urch tha ecc l esiastica l breviary bri ef , ,

”
co n ven ien t a n d p urged fro m all errors
, wh ich he had hop ed ,

1 Pri ests who are acq uain ted wit good l atin ity, w en t ey are comp ell ed toh h h p
p raise God m suc h
barbarous l an gua ge, are moved to l aug ter, an d fi uen tl y h '

p
l ed to des ise sacred ri tes al toget er
”
h
C om a re the uttera n ces of Becic emus ,
. p
in hi s in troduction to er rerr s ymn al :
’
F h
Vi des , mi l ec tor, q uos assim ea pYou see, reader, w at ymns are h h
p
n un t i n tem li a hym os, uti su n t omn es
n everyw ere su ng i n the c urc es, how h h h
fer e men dosi , in e p ti , bar bari c refer ti , fa ul ty t ey almost a ll a re, an d how h
n ull aq ue p
edum ra ti on e, n ul lo s l la

er uditos con ci ten t, et ad con temp tu m

y
p
s i l ly ; full of ba rba ri sms, w ritten wi t
barum men eu com ositi , ut ad u sum ou t a ny ega rd to scan sion or to the
q u an ti t of the s l la bl ; so t a t t y
: h h
h

y
y es e
ec cl esiasti ci r i tus vel litteratos sacer mmed men to lau hter , an d
dotes in du ca n t N a m caeteri, q ui sun t brin g the rites of the C ur
. in to eon h
sa cri p atrimon ii hel uon es, sin e sci en tia , tem t , a t all even ts wit p
educa ted h
p
si n e sa i en ti a , sa ti s ha ben t ut dracon es ri es ts p
For, as for the rest, w ho are .

j
s tare uxta a rcam Domin i,
”
etc mere gobbl ers- up of the C urc s atri
.
’
h h p
mon y, wit as l ittl e wit as l ear n in g, h
t ey t in it q uite en oug h h k
to stan d by
”
h
the ark of the Lord lik e dr agon s, etc .

11
Q uo ted by B ur J
ck ar
.d t , t 1, 1 5 6 h . p . .
 182 H I STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
to o ta in from the
b B ishop of Guards But the l eadin g ideas .

we re chan ged : the obj ect n ow was n ot so much to satisfy the

fastidio us tas te o f sch ol ars as to meet the w ishes o f those in
,

favou r of a more sc rup ul ous typ e of rel igion He cast his .

ey es fo r the ex ec u tion o f th is p roj ect o n a g ra ve a n d devout

, ,

man whose n ation al ity wh ich was Sp an ish an d his rel igious
, , ,

p r o fess io n th a
, t o f th e F ran c isca n s s ee m e d to p ro ,m i se p re

se rvatio n from a l l co n tagion o f frivol ity F ran cis Q uign on ez .

,

o f the fa mily o f the C ou n ts of Lu n a en tered the O rder o f S , .

Fran cis when yo un g an d in 1 5 2 2 the Cha p ter of the O rde r

,

ma de him its Gen era l I mmed iately after th is Ch a rl es V wh ose

.
, ,

c o n fe sso r he was had se n t him to Ro me to trea t w ith Cl emen t

, ,

VII on certa in very d el icate affairs we are tol d a n d de l icate — ,

en ough in fact si n ce the matte r to be dea l t w ith was the re

, ,

con c i l iatio n o f the E mp e ror w ith the Po p e Q gui n o n ez w as .

successfu l : an d i n re w a rd he r ece iv ed i n 1 5 2 9 the C a rd in a l s

’
, ,

hat w ith the title o f H oly C ross ln J e ru sa l e m

,
-
1 - -
.

Q gu i n o n ez u n d e rs to o d th at wh a t Cl e me n t VI I a s k ed o f h im
w as so to arra n ge the c a n on ica l h ou rs as to b rin g th em ba ck

as fa r as p ossibl e to th eir a n cien t fo rm to re mov e from the ,

offi ce p rol ix ities a n d d iffi c u l t deta il s : i t w as to be fa ith fu l to

the in stitutio n s of the a n cien t F a th ers an d the c l ergy w ere to ,

have n o l on ger an y reason for rev ol tin g again st the duty of re

”
c itin g the can on ica l p rayers So he ex p resses h imse l f in the
.

p re fa c e to h is b r ev i a ry W e see th a t the idea of the R oman

.

Cu r i a has bee n p ercep tibly mod ified it is n o l on ger a q uestion

”
o f p ray i n g accord in g to the ru l es o f tru e l a tin ity but in s e ,

c orda n ce w ith the in stitution s of the a n cien t Fath ers — n ot

to fl atter the C iceron ia n ism o f the c l ergy b ut to enj oi n on them ,

an offi ce ag ain st wh ich th ey sho ul d h ave n o g ro un d fo r

obj ection .

A n d yet a dan gerous n ove l ty su rely th us to sp eak o f re

, ,

forms to be carried out by a retu rn to a n tiq u ity wh il e wha t ,

a n tiq uity is mea n t is n ot ex p ressed n o r the meth od to be fol ,

low ed in retu rn in g to it ! Was n ot this j ust such a way of

s p eak in g as had been e mp l oyed by the P ro testa n t Refo rme rs ?

A n d th is ec ho of their p rotesta tion s met w i th at R ome is o n e , ,

in d ication amon g ma n y of the fact th at at a p artic u l ar momen t ,

in its h istory th is Roma n Cu r ia itsel f so fi erce ly a ttack ed by

, ,

th ese v io l en t th eo rists w as a fter a l l the mediu m i n the wh ol e

, , ,

1
F
Arev alo, D e hy mnodi a Hispa ni ca ( R ome,
. pp 385 el seq
. istoria
. H
uberior de fatis Brevia ri i Q uign on ian i
”
Re ubl is . p h ed by R osk ovan y, t x1 . . pp .
1 84 H I STORY O F T HE ROM A N BREVI A RY
fore, w rites Q u ign on ez, havin g duly weigh ed the adv ice
wh ich has been addressed to us, whether in word or writin g,
we h ave added , ch an ged , revised, b ut still have retain ed the
”
g e n era l form o f o u r b revia ry A n d so the b rev iary was at .

l ast p ubl ished with its tex t defin itively settl ed .

T he titl e o f my co p y ru n s th us
Bre vi arium R oman um a Paulo T ertio recena p romulgatum, ex sacra
p otissim u m Scri p tu ra et p robatis san c to r u m h is to ri is oo ns tans A b a uthore .

den uo recogn itum : et an ti p hon is, homeliis, p recib us, san ctorum com
memoration ib us, al us id gen us additamcn tis mul tifariam locup letatum
v ariisq ue modis immuta tum, ut in f ti o l u l ti u x licatur 1
p re a n e c u e n s e p .

T he brief of Paul I II , add ressed to the Roman p rin ters, is

dated J uly 3rd 1 5 36 .

Cardin al Q u1gn on ez sets forth, in the p reface to his breviary,

the p rin cip l es by which he has been g uided O n e sees a t on ce .

th at he is un der the ill usion that he has resto red the D iv in e

Offi ce to its p ristin e an d essen tial form ! His obj ect in th is
res tora tion ha s been to fu rth er the sp iritual advan tage o f the

c l ergy who are bou n d to the p rivate rec ita tio n of the offi ce, by

ren deri n
g t his w o rk o f p ray e r m o re m a n ag ea bl e a n d m o re

attractive for th em, so tha t a ca duea r u m r er u m ao ita tzoni bus

g
subi nde a voca ti , con tem l a tion i di vi na r u m assuesea n t
p H is

i n ten tion has al so been —a n d herein again his though t is n o l ess

l ofty—that the clergy s houl d fin d in the D ivin e O ffi ce an in
str umen t o f rel ig ious ed ucatio n They are ca ll ed, he says, n ot .

on ly to p ray b ut to teach an d it is meet th at th ey sh ou l d in

,

struct th emse lves by the d aily readin o f th H o ly S c rip tures

g e

trouve sur l eurs Regi stres la criti ue q u il s en firen t en 1 5 35 , et

’
q ui est sous le
q
ti tr e de N atae censur ar i ae Sacr ae Faeu l ta ti s i n sacr u m Q g
r evia r i urn .
Il s appuien t l eur cr i ti qu e sur des raisons qui on t quel q ue vraisemblan ce ; et en tre
autres choses i ls rema r uen t l a di fi er en ce de ce n ouveau Bré vi aire d av es ceux
'
’
q
q’ u i so n t en us a g e d an s to u te s l es au t res E g l i ses , et m em e d e c e l ui d e R o m e O n.

n y voit p p
oin t le eti t offi ce de l a V ierg e, l es A n tien n es, l es Re on s, l es p H
omé li es ,
l ordre et l e n ombre des Pseaumes, de la ma n iere q u on a de couturn e de l es l ire
’ '

dan s l Egl ise, n i meme l ordre de l ire l Ecri ture Sai n te dan s l ofii ce de Ma ti n ee
’ ’ ’ ’
.

h
T ou s ces c an gemen ts, disen t ces sages Maitres , son t con trai res 1 l a n ci en ne ’

p rati q ue de l Egl i se et a l a devotion des fi dé l es, en sorte ue c est un e gran de

’
q
’

té mé r i té a l A uteur de cc Bré viair e d avoir oté tou t cel a

’ ’
1 e n e v o u s r a or tepp
j p
in t l es a utres ra ison s q u il s a ou ten t our mon trer q ue la su ressi on de ce
’
pp
p
ivre etait absol umen t n écessair e, arce qu ila n y euren t curt memes aucu n é gard
’ ’
-

p
dans la suite Peu d an n ees a res on fi t en rance l usieurs edition s de cc meme
.
’
F p
Bré vi aire avec l eur a obation .

1P
a ri si i s . Apu Iolan dam h
Bon omme, viduam T hiel man n i Kerver
MD X XX IIIV ( fi n h
i s e d t i n ti n
g , F eb 6 th , . Bu t at th e sa m e t i m e w e fi n d
k
boo sellers re rin tin g
p e old breviary h p
T us, rin ted at Lyons by De
. arsy H
h
fi n is ed p rin ttn N ov a3rd,
. Br evi a ri um ad usu m S acm a nete R oma ne
col esie, m a n i Clum nor ma m a bsol u tissirna m : i n m
j h
'

u x t a O qu a n i i l e o r u q ue
hacien us vel a ddi ta vel m enda ta su n t omissum es t Sed et n uper ri nu adj eetunt
.

es t o ei um de N omi ne
fi f e r n . M D X V XX III .
THE BREVI A RY OF THE COU N CIL O F TRE N T 18 5

an d ecc esiastica l
l h istory The D ivin e Offi ce was so fash ioned
.

by the a n cien t Fathers as to p rovide p erfectly for th is doubl e

n eed But wh at has come to p ass by men s n eg l igen ce ? The
’
.

book s of H oly Scri p tu re are hard ly read in the offi ce at a l l ,

th eir p l ace i n it is red uced to a l most n oth in g an d th ey are t e ,

p l ac ed by m a tte r wh i c h ca n n ot b e c omp a r ed to th e m fo r util ity

o r fo r imp o rta n ce O f the p sal ms o f David in ten ded to be
.
,

s u n g c omp l etely th ro ug h in ev ery w eek on ly a fe w are ev er ,

use d wh ich few a re said con tin ually over an d over a l l th roug h
,

the yea r T he histories of sain ts wh ich a re in use are of n o

.

a utho rity a n d w ritten i n a ba rbaro us styl e

, T he o rde r of the .

offi ce is so comp l icated that as much time has sometimes to

be sp e n t in fin d in g the offi ce wh ich sho u ld be recited as i n recit

i n g it A n d th e refore in order to re medy th ese defects there
.
, ,

have bee n su p p r essed in the n ew offi ce versic l es cap itula an d , ,

res p o n ds th ere is n othin g l eft in the b rev ia ry b ut ( 1) p sa l ms ,

( )
2 a n tip h on s a n d ( 3) l es
,
so n s S u ch o f th e h y m. n s h a ve b e en

re ta in ed a s ap p ea red to ha ve most au th ority a n d imp ressiv e

n ess T he p sa l ms h av e been distrib uted in such a way th at

.

the en tire p sa l te r is rec ited every w eek but each ca n on ica l ,

hou r has but three p sal ms the l en gth of some bein g comp e n ,

sated fo r by the s ho rtn ess o f oth ers so th at a l l the o ffi c es are ,

of abo ut the sa me l en gth O n every day o f the year the les

.

so n s are thr ee in n u mber : the fi rst is fro m the O ld Tes ta men t ,

the seco n d from the N ew the th ird is the l eg en d o f the sain t

, ,

if it h a p p en s to be a sain t s day o r a h omily on the Gosp el for

’
,

the day if it ha s a p rop er Mass in the Missa l o r on ord in a ry

, ,

days a l esso n fro m the E p istl es or the A cts o f the A p ostl es 1

.

1
h
R ic ard Simon , p
2 48 : . Le dessein de c c Cardinal é tait rin ci alemen t p p
q u
’
o n l u t l
’
Ecr i ture s a in t s en dp
an t to u ts l
’
an n é e , e t l s P sau ti e r en tier c aque h
semai n e . I p p
l avait meme ré vu un e bon n e artie des ob ection s qu on l u i j ’

p h
fi t de uis : car il di t dan s son Prefac e qu il a retran c é exp res l es trai ts ou v ersets ,
’

p h
l es re on s et au tr es c oses sembl abl es que le c an t a i n trodu i te dan s l ofi ce h ’
.

I ’
p
l temo ngn e q u en com osan t son ouvrage i l a eu l us d é gard a l in struc tion et
p
’ ’

a l uti l it é de c eux u i rec i ten t l e Bré vi air e en p ar t1cul ier q u aux usages de ceux
’ ’

h
l s c an te n t p ub iqu emen t da n s l es egl ises p
Et our cc q ui est du etit ofii ce
. p
q
’ ’
p
la V ier ge, il av ous u i l n e l a oin t mis da n s son Bré vi air e, san s n éa n tmoi n s
avoir eu i n ten tion de d1mi n uer en rie n l s cu l ts q ui l ui est es ; p
arce q u il y rests
’

en core assez d en droits l on c el ebre sa memoirs, et 0 1 ) on l u i adresse des

’ ’

p ri eres j p
Mais il a oute en meme tem s un e chose q u i n e devai t p as l air e aux
. p
z el ez devots de l a V 1sr g e p
Et rofes to quorun darn p sal morum gravem p l erisq ue
rep eti tion em omitti , n on ta m mol esta m esse V irgi n i Ma tti c red i p ar est q uam

g ra tu m i l l u d — q u od cl er ic i ad i p s i us i l ii F es u JC h r i s ti di u rn u m cultum commodis

p
s ima e t ex e di ta ration s all i cian tu r A n d assuredl y on e ma y bel iev e t at h
p
the omission of the con ti n ual rs p eti t1on of c er tai n sal ms ( fel t by most as burden
some) wi l l n ot be so d istas tefu l to the V ir gin Mot er a s thi s will be agreea bl eh
h h
v i z t a t the c l er gy s ou l d be attrac ted to the dai ly wors i
. hp
of her 8 011 esus J
Christ, by a most con ven ien t and easy arran gemen t of that
1 86 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
T he reactionwh ich brought about forty years l ater the , ,

su p p ression o f the b rev ia ry o f Q u ign o n ez must n ot mak e us

u nj ust tow a rds the w o rk of 1 5 35 fu ll of origin al ity an d of ,

c ourage .Peop l e have been ap t to overlook the g uid in g in ten

tion o f the C a rdin al wh ich was to rev iv e in the cl erg y a rel ish
,

fo r p rayer A n d a bo ve al l they have fo rgotten that he l eft

.
, ,

the offi ce to be said in choir un touched an d th at in his in ts u , ,

tio n an d th at o f Pa ul I II the n ew b rev ia ry was to be ex c l u

, ,

sively rese rved for p rivate recitation We may then p ron oun ce .

a fu ll a n d free a cq uitta l o f the i n ten ti on s of the p ious C ard in al .

Bu t ho w is it p oss ibl e to be in d ulge n t toward s the tho ro ugh

up se ttin g o f the p sal te r the l ectio n a ry a n d the k a l en dar
, , ,

effected by him ? A fter th is how much o f the trad ition al offi ce

was l eft ? I t was h erea fter to b e the temp tation o f a ll the
Gall ican refo r me rs of the breviary a n d the te mp tation of B en e ,

d ict XIV h imse l f to rec ur in this matter to the in sp iration of

,

the wo rk o f Q uig n o n ez but here the an cien t offi ce j ustifies its

ow n l iv in g wo rk We see doubtl ess in the breviary of Q uig
.
, ,

n on ez the p sal ms ar ran ged in a n order wh ic h is p ractica l easy

, , ,

a n d a ttractiv e ; b ut why mak e the whol e th in g n ew ? N o

more ex p ositio n s or sermon s fro m the holy Fathers a p atris
tic homily was ba re ly a ll ow ed by way of th ird l esson on
festiv al s of the seaso n— an d ev en this is a con cess ion made in
the secon d ed itio n N o more distin ction s of d ign ity between
.

festival s : every d ay is to h ave the sa me degree of sol emn ity .

The offi ce fo r sain ts days is mark ed by n o other d ifferen ce

’

th an as regard s the in v itatory the hy mn the th ird l esson an d

, ,

the coll ect To mak e up for thi s there is H o ly Scrip ture

.
,

i n cl udi n g the most use ful an d imp orta n t b ook s of the O ld

Testa men t an d the whol e of the N ew w ith the ex cep tion of
, ,

the A p oca ly p se of wh ich on ly the fi rst few c ha p ters are to be

,

A n d th us the D ivin e Ofii ce becomes p rin cip a lly a read

'

rea d .

in g o f the B ibl e an d in a subsid iary deg ree a study of eccl esi

,

as tica l h istory A ll th is may be very in gen ious an d con ven ien t

.
,

but it is certain ly all q uite n ew an d the histo ria n may be p a r ,

don ed if he sh ares in the adverse j udg men t of the So rbon n e ,

wh en it says of Q u ig n on ez The au thor o f the n ew breviary

ha s p referred his p rivate j udg men t to the d ec rees o f the a n c ien t
F athers an d to the common an d time hon oured customs of
,
-

the Ch urc h
C a n i t be said th at C a rd in a l Q uign on ez has at l east show n
more sen se in ex p un gin g from the l esson s of the Sa netor a l e
”
wh atever was l ia bl e to p rov ok e con temp t o r ridicu l e desir ,
 18 8 HI STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
of the Chu rch was by mean s of th is ab ridged an d simp l ified
,

offi ce to reca ll to the d uty of rec itin g the can on ica l h ou rs the
,

l arge n umbe r of c lergy who had aba n don ed it T he Bl essed .

C an isi us w ith th is obj ec t p r op ag ated in German y the use of

, ,

the b revi a ry o f Q uign on ez But it is al so fair to rel ate that

l
.

wh at w as at fi rst a p rivil eg e g ra n ted to in dividua l s soon became

a w ide ly ex te n ded c usto m in I ta ly i n F ra n ce i n Germa n y , , , ,

a n d i n Sp a in T he a uth o r of the l ife o f S F ra n c is X avie r

. .

ca ll s the b revia ry of the Ca rdin a l of H o ly C ross the b reviary

of b u sy p eop l e b ut from b usy p eop l e it p as sed in to the
h an ds of ca n on s who are commo n ly regarded as bein g p eop l e
,

of l e isu re a n d in Sp ain it w as in trod uced in to the ch oirs of

,

severa l c athed ra l s : th us fro m p rivate rec itation it p assed in to

p ubl ic a n d so l em n ce l eb ra tion It w a s u n d er th es e c ircu m .

stan ces tha t the p eop l e o f Saragossa un abl e to recog n iz e the ,

offi ce o f Ten eo r a e on e Ma u n dy Th ursday an d n o do ubt thi n k ,

in g th at the ch ap ter had turn ed H ug uen ots made a n up roar ,

in the cathedra l itsel f a n d w en t n ear to mak in g a n a uto da fe

'

of the ca n on s an d th eir n ew brev iary

a
.

I n a memoran d u m d a ted Tren t A ug ust Ist 1 5 5 1 an d “

, , ,

ad d ressed to C ard in a l Ma rcell o C rescen z i the Legate of the ,

H oly See at the Coun cil J oh n of A rze a Sp an ish theol ogian , , ,

sub mitte d to the F athers o f th is C o un c il certa in rea son s wh ich

shou l d move the Ch u rch to rep ud iate the b rev iary of Q uig n on ez .

p
l eci as q uod in usu hoc tem ore habeatur) recita tion em mi n ime ten ean tur, sed
p
huj us n ov issimi l ection e , erin de ac si vetus l egissen t, sati sfecisse csn sean tur ;
dummodo s orum si n gu li sp ecialem su er hoc faculta tem a Se de A ostol ica oh p p
tin ueri n t : quam p er sol am si gna turam, abs ue al i a imp ensa , exp ediri man dabi
q
mus Q uibus v ero an ts huj usmodi br ev iari 1 recogn iti on em ea l sgen di facul tas
.

data est, eos vol umus ad n ovam fac ul ta tem obti n en dam min ime astr in gi ”
.

1 Sc ober h ( p
E x l a n a tio , 1 5) q up
o t es
. a l et ter fr om C a n i si u s t o S g n a t i u s . I
Loyol a, da ted December 2 8th, 1 5 60 I
A s s gn ati us died i n 1 5 5 6 , t ere i s cl ear ly
. . h
a n error i n the date h
But w at Can isius writes is n otew orthy :
. Comp l urss
ecclesias tici h h
omi n es n i il recitaru n t de oris can on i cis h
Eos en sum hoc n obis . p
cum p ersol vere curavi mus, ut recitan di morem a ddi scer en t, s t q u ia Breviari i n ovi
Roman i usus ma xi me p l acebat, imp etravi mus il l is q uod p eteban t, a Roman o
L egato Pon ti ficio .Itaq ue p ergun t q uotidi e i n recita ndis oris ca n on icis
”
See h .

Ca n isi i E is tu l a e, ed Braun sbergsr ( reiburg, 1 896

. F t 1 1 96 , an d t 111 . . p . . .

p .
7 0 . e fi n d t h e sa m e id ea i n a l et t er fr o m S r an c is a v ie r to S g.n aF
ti u s, X . I
O ctober aan d , 1 5 40 Epi stol a r mn L ibri V I
( I, ed Possin , Rome, 1 667 , . p .

p p
O us eti am esse t i m etrat i p rivil i um sex cler icis, arbi tratu n ostro com
mun icabil e , uten di Breviar io n ovo . g
a res usum ha beret n on n ull um ad facil ius
a ll ic ien dos quosdam ut n os in I
n di as seq u i vel l en t
1 H T urselli n i , D e Vi ta B F r an ci si i X a ver i i , v 1 5 ( Lyon s editi on ,
. . p
.

N up er n ovu m tern at um l ection um Brevi arium S C ru cis dics batur ) os

’
5 32 .

cup atorum homi n u m l evamen editum erat : ej usq ue usus r a n c i sco ro ter os F p p
cup ation es ab i n itio con cessus h
T he a ut or adds t at the sai n t n eve r avai led h
h h
imsel f of t is con cess ion .

J h
1 o n of A r
z e ,
i n R o sk o vany , t v 6 6
5 7
-
. . pp . .
THE BREVI A RY OF THE COU N CIL OF TRE N T 189

Th is memora n d um, which for a l on g time re main ed in ma n u

sc rip t, has in ou r own times been p rin ted an d p ubl is hed .
1

Father A reva l o, who had read the MS , p raises its co n c l usion s, .

b ut co n sider s th at it co n tain s mo re d ec l a ma tion than stron g

reaso n i n g : its to n e is, i n fact, somewh a t hea ted, b ut , fo r a ll

th at, its criticisms a re j ust . Joh n of A rze shows sou nd j udg

men t in estimatin g the resu l ts of the work o f C ardin a l Q u ig
n on ez Wh ile recogn iz in g the fact th at man y l egen ds of the
.

o ld b rev iaries req u ired refo rmation , he dep l ores the rej ection
of so man y o n groun ds far too sl igh t, the reten tio n o f others
wh ich were sca rcely, if at a l l, better foun ded, an d the attac hin g
of too much faith to the di cta of such a h istoria n as Pl ati n a .

He was righ t when he ex p ressed his desire to see the ferial offi ce
more freq ue n tly cel eb rated, out of l ove to the Psa l ter an d the
H oly Scrip tures, an d the Sun day offi ce made obl igato ry every
Sun day, in order to p reserve fidel ity to the institution of the
a n c ien t b rev ia ry (et i ta eansta bi t r a ti o veter i s br evi a ri i ), tho ugh he

does n ot te ll us how th is was to be recon ci l ed with wh at he a l so

desired , v iz that the k a l en dar of sain ts days was to be sec ure
’
.

from in terferen ce, a n d that every festiva l shoul d have its p rO p er

o fli ce . He is right in un dertak in g the defen ce of the resp on ds ,
v ers ic l es, a n d cap i tu la , an d i n sa yin g th at, if th ese d etai l s a re

p p
r o er t o a n O ffi c e wh ich is su n g i n c h o ir, a n d a re o n ly fu lly
in tell ig ibl e wh en this is born e in min d, o n e can n ot, for al l th a t,
a ll ow two offi ces, on e for the cho ir an d the oth er for p riva te

recitatio n , w ith o u t in trod ucin g in to an y ca n o n ica l offi ce a de

p l o ra b l e co n fu s io.n H e is rig h t in sa y i n g th a t th e o fl i ce w as

made to be su n g, bein g in its essen ce address ed to God, an d

n o mere ma tter o f study, an d tha t it is mix in g two d isti n ct

forms of rel igious ex ercise, an d con foun di n g two d istin ct aims,

to try an d tra n sform the recita tion o f the offi ce in to a B ibl e
read in g : eve n p utti n g aside the con sideration th at, if the mere

in struction o f the cl ergy is our obj ect, it is better to g ive them

some easy p ortion s of the B ibl e to read an d reflect up on — p ass

ages wh ich ha ve a direct ten den cy to edification an d the fo rma

tion of C hristi an character — than to th row op en the H o ly

Scrip tu res p romiscuously to the misun derstan din g or the l evity
of p e rso n s who might be ill p rep ared to p rofit by it, or devoid
of a righ t in ten tion to do so He is still more emp hatica lly
.

1 D e n ov
a Br evi a rio tall endo consu l ta ti o .D I yoan n es de A r s e p r esby ter
. . .

P a l la n ti n us pr of essi on theola s, i n Rosk ovan y, t v 635 7 20 A n oth er

g pp
. . . .

m h
sever e cri ti ci s , f10m an ot er h
an iard , a t eol ogian of e C oun cil of T ren t,
'

wil l be foun d 1n Soto, D e j usk ti a et j u r e, lib 1 quest 7 , art 1 , an d l ib x quest

. . . . . . .

4, a rt
.
4, q uoted b y B i um e r
.
, t.11 p 1
.
40 .
1 90 H I STORY O F T HE RO MA N BREVI A RY
rig ht when he en ters his p rotest on behal f of the rights of the
tr ad ition a l Or do p sa l l endi o f the Roman Chu rch the tr ad ition a l ,

d istri bution of the p sal ms amon g the various can on ica l ho urs ,

the trad ition a l a ll otmen t o f the l esso n s from di fferen t p a rts of

H oly Scrip ture to d ifferen t season s of the Ch ristia n year the ,

trad t o
i i n a l n u mber o f n oc tu rn s — in fac t on beha l f o f the whol e
,

of that l i turgica l order b ased on deep mystica l reaso n s a n d

, ,

co n stitu tin g a con sp icuous mon umen t (ba ud obscu r a ves ti ia

g )
of the most v e n era bl e an tiq uity .

These are j ud icious criticisms : an d if there are oth ers l ess

well foun ded or which p rove n oth in g by tryin g to p rove too
,

much ; if it is true that some consideration s of J oh n o f A rze

a re as F ather A reva l o con ten ded p ush ed too far i n the di rec
, ,

tion o f dec l amatory vehemen ce ; th ere a re p ages o f his memot

a n d u m wh ic h a re ch aracteriz ed by a si mp l e a n d l ive ly e l oq uen c e .

What he cries is it when o ur p eo p l e see the c lergy an d the

”
, ,

highest dign itaries o f the Ch urch so an x ious to in crease the

in come of th e ir ben efices that we are to th in k it we ll to shorten
,

the D iv in e Service fo r which those reven ues ar e the remun era

tion ? I s it in th is iron ag e a n age in l ove with the most
,

d angerous n ovel ties when the ecc l esiastica l ch an t is mock ed at

, ,

the can o n ica l hours p roscribed the ceremon ies of the Ch u rch
,

desp ised an d her l aw s treated as mere h u ma n in ven tion s an d

, ,

th at too al l over the wor l d in Germa n y in Switz erl an d i n

, , , , ,

E n g lan d ; when even a mon g ourse l ves who adh ere to the old ,

fa ith we see d isg ust for the usages of the Ch urch free ly ex
,

p r es se d a g,ro w i n g c o n te mp t fo r h o ly th in g s a mo re a n d mo re
,

w idesp read audacity in j udgin g each man for h imsel f o f dog, ,

mas an d ca n on s : is th is the ti me to g ive up our l iturgica l tradi

tio n s a n d to seem tac itly to a ll ow th a t o ur adversa ries are r ig h t
, ,

when o ur first d uty is to sta n d fi rm ?

I t n eeded some b o l d n ess o n the p a rt o f J oh n o f A rze to ex
p ress h im sel f i n su c h a n outs p ok e n man n e r H e d e fe n d s .

h imsel f in the first l in es of his memora n d um again st the im

, ,

u t t io o f w i h in g to con demn an yth in g wh ich has p roc eeded

p a n s

from the A p ostol ic See or wh ich has on ce been a p p roved by

,

its auth ority

l d p rofiteri libet n os n ec q uid p iam d amn are q uod a Sede A p os

tolica sit p rofectum aut ej us auctoritate al iq uan do comp robatum

n ec tan tam Sedem, q uod ab sit, in j us vocamus .

A n d y et w ith wh at v igour does he critic iz e the b reviary

w hich ha s p roceeded fro m the A p ostol ic See a n d on ce bee n
a p roved by its au th ority
p H e con j ures the Fa thers of the
19 2 HI STORY OF THE RO MA N BREV I A RY

da ta n us Gibet ti, C araffa had ex p ressed the d isgu st wh ich he

1
'
’

fel t for the recitation o f this ol d breviary : he comp l a in ed of

the b arbar ism of its styl e, a n d of havin g to rea d in it so ma ny
ssa es from a uth ors of do ub tful o rth od ox y such as O ri en,
p a g g
”
an d so man y l egen d s un w orthy of cred it I
n 1 5 2 9 (Ja n 2 15 0 . .

Pop e Clemen t VII wrote to C arafla in a brief, con gra tu l ating the
’

Thea tin es on h avin g for the honour of the worsh ip of God an d

ou r holy rel ig ion , con ceived the d esign of b ringin g the D ivin e
Offi ce, as used in the H oly R oman Ch urch, in to a form wh ich
ap p ea red to th em more suited to its p urp ose, a n d better cal

c u lated to secure the ed ific atio n a n d the d evoti on a l ik e of th ose

th at offi ciated a n d those tha t assisted at it F rom that time,

C arafla s idea d id n ot stop sho rt of p roc uring the adop tion by
'
’

the Roman Cu r i a o f the Th ea ti n e reform o f the b rev iary .

N ot o n ly, in fact, did the Theatines ask p ermission of P op e

Cl emen t VI I to recite the breviary as corrected by themsel ves,
a n d ob tain ed th a t p ermissio n for the sp ace of one yea r ; b ut

the Po p e all ow ed them to h op e th at, after mak in g th is ex p eri

men t, they woul d be in a p osition to p resen t th eir b revi ary to
the H o ly See, that it mig h t be ex amin ed , an d a decision
“

1
[Thsh i f officer of the Roman cha c y —
c e A B] n er . . .

T hi s letter i q uot d by Sil o Hi sto i cl eri o u m e l i m p s pri or

1
s e s, r c c r r ar u , ar

( R o m e p 95 Q uod e o R o
: m ae tu e tem p o
v r i s r v ia i um t ba tu r n r e r ere
—
, .
,

na lli eo n orinb u err

s ac men d i p l e u m dam atae ab Eccl ia memo i ae
s n n es r
aucto um h omilias ; in ce tae
r ul l iusq ue fidei r im hi sto ies ; p ra ep ost ae er
pa n ss r
Obs u a c ue admodum r b icas ; pra ter
r e rmom i co
u r i itatem p l b i mq us
e se nc nn e e a
q —
s n ,

p l er i q use l oci s d
1n icti o em q ua m u
g il la
nt n ota tq u s m i to ep is tol a
s ad G ibertu m er
C ar afa , q ui s t se stoma cho iia reci ta n di s afli ci affi rmat, ac dedecere sacrorum sive
p uri ta tem siv e m aj est ate m il l am offi c i oru m in el egan ti am, i n sutaq u e d a m m to r um
ca i tum n omin a, ac dubiam histori arum fidem
p
”
In re l , C arafi a received a
y . p
J
br1ef, dated un e 24 , 1 5 24, authoriz in him to correct the Roma n br evi for
his own con gregation G B T ufo, istor i a del l a R el igi one de P adri C
’
. . .

R eg ola ri ( Rome, 1 609 t 11 1 2 , q uoted by Baumer , t 11

. . p . 15 4 T is . . p . . h
bri ef of 1 5 2 4 was con fi rmed t at of 1 5 29 h .

1 See th
e text of th e bri in Sil os, l ac ci t Divin a offi cia, uibus n un c S . .

R oman s Eccl esia utitu r, ad c ertum modum, ut q uidem v obis vi etur , decen ti
orem, San ctor umq us Patrum ac Sacrorum Can on um statutis con ven i en tior ern
sxcogitatis q uem comp on sre desiders ti s, n obis s t Sedi A p ostolica e
, tea
ofler en dum, ut ex il l in s ins ection s, an
’

p
ubli co ec clesiarum usui traden us sit, p
decem ers sci mus p
T he Po e aut ori z ed the T eatin es to ma e trial of t eir h h k h
k
wor for sir own use, an d to erfect i t by the r ocess Of trial : p “
N os i gi tur . in p
te p raecip ue h ater ,iscop e, sp eran tes, st con fi den tes quod p ro tua doc tri n a,
'

p p
ruden ti a s t i etate n i il n isi ium st can on icum, lau p us st p rofessi on s vestra
dign um in hoc ages, a i ue a tu is sin es ; vobi s omn i us , et si n gulia vestrum
q
j g
dumtaxat, ut missas et l vma O fficia uxta modum n ovurn p er vos exco ta tum et
' '

h
comp on en dum, in c oro st in eccl esi1s vestris p er an n um dumtaxat a ta ras
sen ti um com utand um cel ebrat e et reci tare ad Dei l an dsm l ib ers s t icite
val eatis p h
T e Po e furt er di s en sed t em from reciti n g the ordi na ry Roman
p p h
O ffi ce, an d fr om sayi n g the O fi ce of Ou r Lady , even suc as s ou l d be arran ged h h
h
by t emsel ves On the w or of Caraffa, see Bi umer , t 11
. k 1 5 4 7 , an d the . . pp .
-

q uo ta ti on s he
giv es fro m T ufo .
 THE B REVI A RY OF TH E COU N CIL OF TRE N T 1 93

co me to wheth er it might n ot be well to bring it in to

as to
p u bl ic u se in th e c h ur ches
But at th is very momen t ( 1 5 2 9) C ardin al Q uign on ez on his
p a rt h a d se t to w ork n or is th ere an y roo m for doub ti n g th at he
,

woul d never h ave u n dertak en the reform of the breviary with

out the ap p rob ation of Cl emen t VII Th is see ms to afford .

so me g ro un d for accusin th P o o f h bl d i
g e p e c an g ea e n es s an n

con sta n cy Th is w as certa in ly n ot the case w ith Pau l IV

1
.
,

who ascen din g the p on ti fical th ron e in 1 5 5 5 ca rried th ith e r

, ,

the same views o n C ath ol ic reform wh ich he had h el d eve r

si n ce 1 5 24 an d resumed as his fix ed obj ect w hat ha d b ee n
,

w ith Cl emen t VI I n o more than a p assin g w ish the ap p rob a ,

tion for the whol e Ch urch of that Thea tin e b reviary wh ich ,
”
ha d bee n w a itin g five an d tw en ty years for its auth oriz a tion .

A s a p re l imin ary P aul IV desired to subj ect it to a fi n a l

,

revis ion : b ut we rea lly k n ow very l ittl e a b out the deta i l s of

his p l an F ather Sil os h imse l f k n ew n o more of them th a n

.

such as were men tion ed by the Th ea tin e J eremy I sa chin o ,

on e o f P a u l I v s in timates in a l etter dated 1 5 6 1 foun d by

’
, ,

S il os a mon g the arch ives of the con ven t of S Syl ves ter at .

R ome ’
. P a u l IV sup p ressed the homil ies of Origen an d
oth er auth ors n ot th oroughly orthod ox he w ish ed to in c l u de
in the l ection ary on ly such p assages of the h oly Fathers as
w ere irrep roach abl e n ot on ly as to doctrin e b ut as to styl e ;
a n d at n octu m s be n ediction s ch aracteriz ed by d evout gr av ity
, ,

i n stea d of so me silly an d absurd on es wh ich w ere i n use ;

”

he removed those n arratives of martyrdoms which w ere w ith

out a utho rity so as to a dmit on ly th o se of certa in an d un
,

1 See Sil os,

96 T h e bpr ev
. ia ry . as r e fo r m ed by th e T ea tinh es in 1 5 2 9 , a n d
h
tri ed by t em for a yea r, was soon aban don ed : Q u o d P a tr cs l u cu b rar en t, g r a v i
cum eorum sen su, domesti co in terim lare sin uq ue del ituit Carafae im rimis
. p
mol ests id acci dit, q ui p ro so, q uo in ci taba tur, z el o p erurgere n ihil omi n us o us p
n on desti ti t But, con vin ced of his i n abili ty to forw ard hts design , an d an n oy ed
at the success O f th e br eviary of Q u
‘ '

h
on ez , C ar afla avail ed i mself O f the excuse
h h
O f i ll - eal t to ob tain for imsel f a p h
e n sa ti on fro m r ec i ti n g an y o ffi ce w a t s o h
eve r : Praetextu uidem adversas val etu din is ac gr avis aevi , r e autem vera, ut
q
p
i n e ta atq ue in er ud1ta in so offi cio decli narst, exsrn p tion em a diurno eo en so p
m
exol ven do e agi tavi t ac mox obtin uit
”
Sil os, 97
. p . .

1
Sil os, 97 p
: Q
. uo u sq ue a dl ec tu s P o n t ife x C ar di n ali s T h ea tin us 1n 1d q uod

q p
satis din con si l ium votum ue ectore ges tav erat man u m i se ad mov re ac p sr fi c er
p e e
suo marte statuit m m d d
‘

Q u ocn ca ro sc r i p ta st a ti Q ui g n on ri c o
p s n 1art a ea 0 1 a n 1
,
p .

formul a, uae ol im cum Th1enaeo al i isq us P a tri bus excogl taverat ad exarn en
q
iter um ac an cem accurate revoca n do, tu m n ova ip semet ac secun das v el u ti curas
p
adj ic is n do, rem en e con fsci t, dueto ad cal cem ac l i mam o ere p ”
Paul I . V d1ed
h
A ugust 1 8 th, 1 5 5 9, before avin g ful l y carried ou t his l an pBaumer (t 11
. 1 5 8)
. . p .

h p
is of Op in ion t a t th e brevi ary ado ted by the gen eral C a ter of the T eati n es hp h
h
in 15 6 1 was t at revi sed by Paul I V .

1 Sil
os, 98 p . .
1 94 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY

q ues tio n a bl e h en ticity ; b e sup p ressed the un couth hymn s

a ut

(yk m nas a bsan as

) wh ic h ha d b ee n as s ig n e d to the fes tiv a l s of

the T r a n sfig u ration an d the H o ly Trin ity ; b e shorten ed the

ofli ce fo r S u n d ay p r ime wh ich he con sidered in ordin ately
,

l on g If we may j udge by th ese few p articu l ars we may say

.
,

tha t P au l IV u n derstood better th an Cl emen t VI I o r P au l II I

the con d ition s of a good reforma tio n o f the b revi a ry wh ic h ,

he eq ua lly w ith th e m fe l t to b e n eed ed v iz tha t such a t e

, ,
.

form ough t to be a re tu r n n ot to an i dea l a n tiq uity such as

,

d rea mt of, b ut to the a n c ie n t trad ition rep rese n ted

Q uig n on ez
by the ex istin g l itu rgy ; th at th ere w as n o n eed of chan ge in
the trad ition a l a rran ge men t o f the D iv in e O ffi ce as it stoo d i n
the o ld b rev ia ry of the R o ma n Cu r i a a ll th at w as n ece s

sa ry w as to p u rge th at b rev ia ry fr om errors o f h isto ry , fro m

l itera ry de fects, an d from the wearisome p rol ix ities which dis

cou raged the c l ergy fro m u si n g it w ith d ev otion P iu s V , in .

fact, a fterwa rd s w e l l ex p ressed the essen ce of the idea of

P a u l IV , wh en he w rote
T otam ration e m dicen di a c p sallen di horas can on icas ad p ris tin m
u
more m et insti tutum red gen d um suscep it
i l .

Th us l ast l iturgica l tradition (p n sti n us mas) foun d the

'

,
at ,

h ighest a uth or ity o f a l l a bl e to co mp reh e n d a n d w ill in g to

o t c t it A fo rtun ate re action took l a i n favo u r o f the

p r e .
p ce

o l d R oma n b rev ia ry a n d the C o u n c il o f T re n t fo un d the

,

q u es tio n b roug h t b e fo re it i n the e x cell en t ter ms i n wh ich it

was sta ted by P a u l IV .

I
t was in ev itabl e tha t the C ou n cil of Tren t sho u l d d ea l w ith
the q u estio n of the breviary : it wa s o n e of h
t ose p o in ts o n
wh ic h more syn ods th an o n e ca n nu mber had deman ded a re

form, d u ri n g the p reced in g fiv e an d tw en ty yea rs Th us, in .

1 5 2 2 , the sy n od of Sen s req uested the O rdi n aries to in sp ect

the b rev ia ries, a n d es p ecially the l egen ds o f the sa in ts, in o rder
to sup p ress w hatever th ey shoul d fi n d th ere wh ich was su p e r

fluous, o r un becomin g the d ig n ity o f the Ch urch Simil arly, .

the sy n od o f C ol ogn e i n 1 5 A t A ug sb u rg , in 1 5 4 8 , the

sch e me of eccl esias tica l re form, adop ted by Cha r l es V , e x
“

p r ess e d i ts e l f so mewha t to th is e ffec t :

“
The tra d itio n as to th e

method of ch an tin g an d p rayi n g, wh ich goes ba ck to the h o ly

Fathers, an d has been han ded do wn to us by S Gregory a n d .

o th er r u l ers o f the Chu rch , is n ot to b e ca ll ed in u st io n

q e .

1
I
n the bull Q uad a nobis 1
Rosk ovany, t . v . pp . 2 1 1 an d 22 2 .
 196 H I STORY OF TH E RO MA N BREVI A RY

Q uign on ez : t h ey took u p on their own accou n t the very

, ,

sa me n otion wh ich had been en terta in ed by the Cardin al o f

H oly C ross . The Fren ch con ten ted th emsel ves w ith vagu e
e x p res sion s : th ey de man d ed from the C oun cil the restoratio n
o f rites toform an d the sup p ression of sup erstitio n s
a p u r er .
‘

T he Sp an iards, show in g th emsel ves better acq uain ted w ith the
sta te of the q uestion th an eith er the German s or the F ren ch ,

made their req u est to the L egates, ex p ressin g th eir g rief at the
’

harm don e by the breviary of C a rdin a l Q uign onez , an d de

man din g the correc tion of the O ld Roman b reviary accord in g to
the p l a n of Pa u l IV T o th is en d they men tio n ed B e rn ardin o
.

Schotto, Cardin a l A rchbisho p of Tran i, the Th eati n e J eremy

Isachin o, a n d the p re l a te Sirl eto , as be in g q u a l ifi ed to in form the

C o un cil o f the state of the work commen ced by Pau l IV , whose

coun se ll ors th ey had b ee n in this a ffa i r 11
.

These ideas of the Sp an iards p revailed at the C ou n c il .

Their memoran d um was forw arded to Tren t by Pius Iv s ’

Secretary of Sta te, the C ar din al S Charl es B orromeo, on N ov .

e mber 7 th, 1 5 6 2 , i n terms which a ll owed it to b e c l ea r ly see n

th at the min d o f the Sp a n ish p rel a tes was o n the who l e th at

of the Pon tifica l C ou rt A d iscussion took p l ace on the p oin t
‘
.

1
Gran col as, 10 p . .

1 M mor
e p
an dum of the S an iards, drawn up by the Bis o of uesca (Osca) , h p H
h
V atican Ar c ives, Con ci l T riden t n o 108, fol 2 66 :
. Hoe a vobis, il l ustmi D D
. . . .

g g p
L egati , et a S Syn odo. n os E isco i re n i A ra on iae i nstan ter p eti mu s et p
obtestamur , ut, si rel ig ion em divin i cul tus m ecclesi is n ostri s con serva re cup i ti s
h
,

an c n ov ita tern p
rofan am Breviarii n ovel l i fur ti v o con fecti , s t i n gratiam i n erti um
ri vata au ctori tate con tra regula e eccl esiasti cas i n tr oducti cel errirn e ej ic i ati s , ut
p
1dip sum ofii ci um di camus omn es , et n on sin t in n obis sc i sma ta offi ci orum s t h
missali um U t autem hoc n egoti um ma tur iorem et commodiorem e ffectu m
.

sortiatur , Ecc l esi ae C atholicas credimus exp edire ut an ti q uum Brevia ri um

Roma n um q uod fel record P auli I V con sil io s t auctoritate coep tum est emen
. .

p j j
dari rep ur gati s aucis q ua e udici o e usdem Pon tifi cis p er ign oran tiam et temeri
.

tatem mul tis saecul i s sen sim irrep seran t, ad fi n em p roximum ord in e i n sti tuta

p er du ca tu r . Potest aute m r es D Hieremi a, q ui

tota cogn osc i ex rs vdo p
atre .

Ven etiis commoratur , q uo idem Pon ti fex, cum r evi mo D C ard T ran sn se, st cum . .

revl mo D P roton otario Sirl eto, et forte al iis q ui adhuc sun t sup erstites, in hoc
.

”
n egotio utebatur .

h
1 Sc mid
, 6 2pp
35 . T o t is in
-
q uiry. roba bl y rel a th
es the l et ter of I
sa chi n o p
q u o t ed a bov e ( p .

!1 h
Va tican A rc ives, Conci l Tr iden t n o 1 08 , fol 26 5 , i n the l etter from 8
. . . . .

h
C ar l es Borr omeo to the l egates : N on mi resta di dir al tro, as n on che haven do
N ostro Sign ore veduto un memorial s dsl vescovo d ses , ds l ual s sara un a
’
o
cO p ia q ui a l l egata, dove e gl i su p p li es in n ome di tutti li Pr e ati ds l R o
d A ragon ia, che si reformi l ofii c io vecc io come haveva comi n ciato Paul o
’ ’
h
di I
san ta memori a ; e n on si l asci che con dimi n ution s ds l cul to d ivi n o, as u s vadi n o
facen do, ogn i di n uove forms, si come dice esser sta to fatto n el l a sua Diocese ;
Sua Sa n teta vor eb be , che l e Sign ori e vestre ill ustri ssi me ci facessero so ra una p
p
ma tura con sideration s, e poi vi rove dessero assieme col C on c il io, secon doc e a h
p p
1010 et al i i Pa dr i a re es edi en te, ta n to p er sodisfar e a q uesti Prel ati , qua n to p er
ri formare in q uesta p arts q uello che sa ra di bisogn o, e as p er tal con to v aran n o far
THE B R E V I A RY O F T HE C O U NC I L OF TR EN T 1 97

of whether it migh t
w ell to recur to the q uestion o f the
n ot be
con cessio n of P au l IV all owin g the temp orary use of the ,

breviary of Q uign on ez : a decree to th at effect was p rep ared

at T ren t b ut we h ave n o i n fo rmation a s to the p r op osal bein g
,

foll owed u p 1
E ight mon ths l ater o n J un e 24th 1 56 3 the
.
, , ,

Legates in formed the Sovere ign Pon tifl th at the correction of

'

the b rev iary had been del egated to a C on ci l iary Commissio n ,

that of the I n dex The C ommission was comp osed of Leo .

n ar do M arin i B ishop of L an cian o a D omin ican ; M uz io

, ,

Cal in io B ishop of Z ara ; an d Egidio Foscarari B ishop of

, ,

M oden a a D omin ican ; to whom was added B ishop Thomas

,

Gol d wel l a Theatin e of En g l ish race the frien d of C a rdin a l

, ,

Pol e an d S Charl es B orromeo 11

In the same l etter
. the .
,

Legates begged the Pop e to be good en ough to p l ace in the

han ds of the Commission the MSS con tain in g the correction s .

made by Paul IV wh ich w ere in the p ossession of C a rd in a l ,

Schotto A rchb ishop O f T ran i who w as a l so a Theatin e

,
a
By ,
.

J uly 2 2 n d all the p ap ers con tain in g Paul I v s correction s were

’

in the h an ds of the Commiss ion ‘

But by this ti me it was too .

l ate for the C oun ci l itsel f to come to a decision on the changes

p pro o sed by P a u l IV .

O n Saturday December 4th 1 5 6 3 the C oun cil of Tren t ca me

, , ,

to a n en d without the C ommission havin g settl ed an yth in g

,

about the b reviary ex cep t that its re formation sh ou ld be re ,

mitted to the care of the H oly See itse l f to be p ursued an d ,

brought to comp l etion When at the last sittin g of the Coun .

,

cil the A rchbishop o f C atan ia rea d out the decrees wh ich

,

awa ited a p p rova l a n d ratification a mon g wh ich was that con ,

cern i n g the brev ia ry a l th ough a p rel ate ca ll ed atten tion to the

,

fact that these decrees had n ever been sub mitted to the various

chiamare il p efato vesco o d Osca e da lui i ten ders p iu distin tamen te il bisog o
r v
’
, n n ,

pot a no fo p iu facilmen te fa e la provisio s sop radetta del che sua Sa ti ta si

r n rse r n n
re mette a LO10 "
.

1In the Vatican Ar chives, Conci l T ri den t n o 60 fol L

494, th e eg a tes o n . . . , . ,

N ovember a3rd 1 5 62 an noun ce that th bey are sen din to the Cardin al Secretary of
i
, ,

S tate l a forms dsl Decreto che havemo p en sato i fare sop

“
pmra quel la practica
dsll ufiici o n uova, st n e desidsramo il suo parere 8 Charl es Borromeo repl ies
’
. .

( Dec an d, 1
.
5 )
62 that th e POp e l ea ves to the L e gates the ta sk of d ec idin g w he th er
such a dec e Op po tun e (Conci l Trid t o 08 fol
re 1s r
s . en . n . 1 , . Ifi nd n o furt her
trace of thi s p ojec ted dec ee r r .

Schmid p 625 1d p 629 an d Sil o p 44 7

m
1 1
, . . . .
, s, . .

Schmid, p 62 5 Ba umer , t n p 165 , men tion s a

1
. T he l atter, ou . .

letter , da ted August a4th, 1 5 62 , from Goldwell , Bis op of S Asa h s. an

’
h . p
n ouncin
g t a t at T h
ren t n oi c i fa ti ga mO assa i i n r e ara r l s coss p er la sess i ons p p
fu tura . p k
He 1s s ea n of the formula ti on of ca n on s again st abuses con n ected
h
wi t the missa l an d t e h
Solamen te faran n o al cun i can on i ci rca gli
abusi T he idea of an emen d ation s has been given up .
198 HI STO R Y O F T HE R O MA N BREV I A R Y

Commission s for disc ussion an d had n ever actually been de ,

l iberated up on by them the C oun cil adop ted the resol ution ,

wh ich remitted the reform of the breviary to the care of the

Pop e O n e certain ly can h ard ly imagin e a con cil iary as
1
.

se mb l y d isc ussin t h i fi n it d t i l o f t h o n t i tu tio n o f th e

g e n e e a s e c s

tex t o f the D ivin e Offi ce as it migh t do wi th the word in g o f a

,

can on : b u t it be in t d th t t h i d o f P iu IV w as i n
g g r an
, e a e ea s

a ccord with th at o f P a u l IV to remit the a ffair to the care of

,

the H oly See was simp ly to a p p rove the p rogr a mme of refor m
d by h P fl mm wh h h C il
'

p pr o os e t ese tw o o n t i s a p gr o ra e ic t
,
e o n c
ia ry C ommission had made their own a n d which the C o un ,

c i l by co n tin u in
, g t he d e l eg a tio n o f th e m att e r t o t h e b ish o p s

who were members of that C ommission ma de in the ir turn ,

the ir own O n e may say then th at the C oun c il o f Tre n t

.

ad op ted the v iews of P a ul IV an d th at the o l d R oma n b rev i ,

a ry so h arshly view ed by the F ren ch an d Ger ma n s so dis

, ,

ow n e d e ve n a t R ome i n the h ey day o f success of the b revia ry

of Q u ig n o n ez ca me o ut fro m th is decisive trial victorio us an d

,

co n secrate d .

Scarcely had the C oun c il come to a n e n d, wh en PO p e P ius

IV su mmon ed to Rome the th ree b ishop s ap p oin ted by it for
the correction o f the b reviary, Ma rin i Ca l i n io, an d Foscarari ,
1
.

O n e w ou l d l ik e to k n ow so meth in g more ab out the l a bours at

th is C o mmittee th a n mere ly the con c l usion s they a rrived a t ;
an d p e rh a s so me d a
p y m o r e w i ll b e k n o w n ,
if it s h o u l d tu rn
out th at the MSS recordin t h i o d in g s a re in e x is ten c e
g e r
.
p r c e e

so mewh ere o r othe r b u t t e e t th y a re n o t t o be fo u n d

; a p r s n e .

T he n a mes e ven of the members whom Piu s IV ad ded on his

ow n acco un t to the th ree de l e ates from th e C o un ci l are i m
'

g
p e r fec tly k n o w n ; the C a r d in a l A r c hb is h o p o f T r a n i, S c h o tto ,

who seems to h ave acted as P residen t o f the C ommission , at

a l l even ts fo r some time ; the modest, most erud ite , a n d most

T hien er , A cta A uthen tica , Con cil T riden t (A gram,

1
t 11 5 06
. Cf . . . p . . .

in Gran col as, p . j

1 1 , the Ob ection s made by A n ton io A g osti n o, Bis o of h p
Palam p of r essas est Opus esse, ad He pl declar ed t at for t at
ai n l y h h
earn re m, exq u i sita m an ti q ui ta ti s
p ro h
a ffai r t ere was n eeded a s eci al ly co np r
vin ciaru mq ue con suetudin um n oti tram, p l ete acq uai n tan ce bot w i t a h h
n ti q mty
sc i en tiam vero han c in Romans C ur ia h
an d wi t the customs of vari ous regi on s
min ime obvi am esse , q uae viris carea t in —a n ow]
k h h
e w ic wou l d n ot be met
hoc studiorum gen ere exerci tati s . h
wi t in th e oman C u ri a , w ich was h
p
l ack in in men ex eri en ced in t is i n d
'
”
h k
of stu se .

1
Bi u mer , t 11. . pp
. 1 64 an d 169- 7 4 .
 2 00 H I STOR Y OF TH E R OMA N B REV I ARY
mission g iven tob reviary of Q uign on ez an dfun der
use the ,

tak en the task of b rin g in g b ack the offi ce to its an cien t fo rm

d m m m h d i d w i h b i i hi
'

( p
a n s ti n u or e ) b u t as e e t out r n g g
n t s

work to its comp l etion the Coun cil of T ren t ex p ressed its de
,

sire to see the brev iary reformed in accordan ce w ith the idea

of that Pon ti fl ( ex ipsi us P aul i P ap ac ra tione r es ti tuer e cog i ta

'

r u n t)
. The Co un cil, again , in its tu rn de legated the ca re of
this reform to a C ommission , w hich n ow even tually comp l etes ,
u n der the Pon tificate of P i us V , the work of wh ich the i n itia

tive b el on gs to P au l IV A n d the Pop e adds :

. H avin g
ascertain e d that in the acc omp l ish men t of its w ork the con gre

g at io n has n o t de p a rte d fro m th e fo rm o f th e a n c ie n t b rev i a ries

o f the most n ota bl e ch urch es o f Rome, an d of th ose in o ur

l ibrary of the Vatica n ; an d th at, wh ile el imin atin g whatever

w as of foreign orig in o r of un certa in a uth ority, th ey have n ot
o mitted a n ythin g which is of the essen ce o f the an cien t D ivi n e

C flice, we have given our ap p rov a l to th eir work

‘
In o ther

words, the Roman con greg ation of the breviary had as the
obj ec t b efore th em, in accord an ce w ith the idea o f P a u l IV,

the res toration of the l itu rgi ca l tra dition , wh ich th ey were to
carry o ut by study in g the ofli ce in its an cien t man usc rip t

forms, an d by remov in g fro m it al l that was fore ign to those

for ms or that cou ld n ot fairly be j ustified r ematis i is qua e

a l i en a et i n cer ta err en t, de
p r p
o r i a s u m m a v ete r is fi
a ici i D ivi n i
” l
n ilri l omi tter e . Such at l east was the n otion o f Pi us V .

Leo n ardo Marin i en ters in to deta il as to the ap p l ication of

”
this l ead in g idea ex p ressed by the Pop e “
. The con g regation ,
he says, con vin ced th at the a n c ien t form of p rayer was good,
a n d that it had beco me d isl ik ed sim ly th ro u h the fact of
p g
certai n other oflices hav in
‘
g b ee n s up era d d ed t o it, ai m e d a t
restorin g the an cie n t order, a n d red ucin
g to j u st p p
ro o r ti o n s

the a d d iti on s w ith wh ich it had been b urden ed

”
.

Starti n g from this p rin cip l e, th ey main tain ed the traditio n a l

division of the ofli ces in to th ose of n in e l esson s a n d th ose of
three . Bu t, in order to give grea ter scop e to the recitation of
the p sa l ter, they enj o in ed for the oflice of si mp l e feasts the
‘

tw el ve p sa l ms of the feria l n octu rn , i n a ccorda n ce w ith the

a n cien t ru b ric . A n d, in order to g ive more scop e to the rea d
i n g of H oly Scrip ture as well, th ey ordain ed th at on e l esson
o ut of th re e, a n d thr ee o ut o f n in e, sh oul d at al l times be tak e n
from the b ook of the B ibl e then in co urse of read ing . They
felt ( an d the p oin t is ex ce ll en tly ex p ressed by Marin i) th at the
1
See the bull Q uad a n ob si
T HE B REVI A R Y O F 1T HE CO U N C I L O F TRE NT 20 1

ferial is the fun damen ta l on e : it was most 1 un becomin g

offi ce

th at th at oflice sh ou l d be the on e l east often said , esp ecially in

‘

Len t, when the can on s of the Church ordain , on the con trary,
th at it sh ou l d be the on ly on e used ; th ey were sen sibl e th at
the recitati on of the p sa l ter, w hich ough t to be p erformed in .
its en tirety every week, had been so c ut up in p ractice that
the p sa l ms o f the Common of sain ts, an d n one other, ca me over
a n d over, to the w earin ess of those w ho said the oflice ; an d
‘

that the readin g of H oly Sc rip ture cou l d n ot be dimin ish ed as

it w as, with out the ign oran ce of the clergy bein g in creased in
the sa me degree 1
The Sun day offi ce, w ith its eighteen p sa l ms,
.

was n o l on ger to be ousted by semi dou bl es ; whil e in A dven t -

a n d Len t it was even to h ave the p rec eden ce over doubl es .

Thus d id the congregation aim at restoring the ancien t order .

The p en iten tia l a n d grad ua l p sa l ms, which had b ecome

obl igatory o n a l l ferias in Len t, w ere in futu re on ly th en to be

rec ited as fo ll ow s—the r d u l p l m o n W ed n esd a y s t h e

g a a sa s ,

p e n iten ti a l o n F ri da y s T h e o fli c
.e o f th e d ea d , w h ic h h a d
been made obl igatory on every day observed as a feria or
simp l e feast, w as n ow on ly to b e recited on the first day of

ea ch mon th an d on ember days a n d v ig i l s, an d on ev e ry Mon

-

day in A dven t a n d Len t T he l ittl e oflice of ou r Lady, wh ich

.
‘

had b een obl igatory on every day when the ofiice was o f a
feria, a simp l e , or a semi doubl e, was n ow on ly to b e recited
-

on Sa tu rd ay s, ex c l ud in g ember Sa tu rd ays, vigi l s, a n d the who l e

of Len t T he n octurn s of the Su n day O fli ce, however l on g
1
.

th ey migh t be, w ere n ot to be touc hed, b ut the Su n day p rime

was rel ieved of the b urden of Psa l ms XX L XXV which used to -
.

p rec ede t h e ot he r p sa l m s a t th is o fl i
‘
ce , b u t wh ic h it w a s n o w
decided to distrib ute over the p ri me of the fi rst five ferias of the
week Th us d id the congregation en deavour to reduce to
.

j ust p rop o rtion s the addition s w ith wh ich the an cien t oflice ‘

had b een b urden ed

1 See the text of Mar in i, 22 4 p . .

1 Pi s V
u h
attac ed an in dul gen ce of a h
un dred days to the reci tation of the
O ffice of the dead, an d the same to the O fi ce of our La dy , al so of fi fty days to
the reci tati on of the p
en iten tia l p
sal ms , an d the same to the
P r eces f eria l es w ere n ow onl y to be said at l auds , rime an ves ers i n A d p p
ven t an d L en t, on ember -days an d vi gi l s The P r eces at terce, sext, non e an d
.

p
com l in e w ere reduced to the K y ri e an d tw o v ersicl es .

1
Gr an colas, C ommen t p
1 22 :
. .
“ P a ter , A ve s t C r edo, q uae ad fin em Com l e p
torii sun t, secreto rec itan tur, n eq ue ars ofi cii aun t p Sun t autem addita a Pio
.

V , iisq ue adhu c rscen tius est Sacr osan ctae, n eq ue p ri sc is Eccl esiae p reci b us 1s
J h
spon det : videtur en im i n so esu C r i sti D ivin itas ab Human itate sep arari , atq ue
esdem gl oria s cel si tudo Beatis at us Deo tr ibui
”
T he rayer Sacr asan ctae,
. p
h owever, a pp
ears i n our moder n tions of the breviary as avi n g been in tro h
20 2 HI STO R Y O F T HE R OMA N BRE V I A R Y

F rom these decl ara tion s on the p a rt of Marin i we see wh at

k in d o f sp irit a n imated the con g reg ation It is imp ossibl e to .

say wh eth e r th eir action fe ll sh ort o f wh a t Pa u l IV had p ro

p o s e d to h im se l f o r w e n t b ey o n d it : m o re p ro b a bly t h e l atte r .

But w hat is most w orthy of n otice is the ex ten t to wh ich the

imp rude n ces c ommitted by C a rd in al Q uig n on ez had made
th em, on th e ir p a rt, circ umsp ect, an d even timid, p ossessed ,

p e rh a p s e x cess iv e ly ,
w i th th e id ea of a bo l ish in
g n o th i n g P iu s .

V shows himsel f mo re decided , when by his sovereign author

ity b e ren dered o p tion a l the recitation o n c e rtain d ay s of the
offi ce of o u r La dy, the oflice of the d ead, a n d the p e n iten tia l
‘

a n d g rad ua l p sa l ms— a n obl igation rel igiously ma i n tain ed by

the co n g reg ation , an d to th is d ay enj oin ed by the rub rics of the

b reviary 1
. H ere were in deed foreign el emen ts (a l iena ) as to
the re mov a l of wh ich n o h esita tion n eed h ave been fe l t .

T he c on greg ation man ifested the same scrup u l ous ten dern ess
as to the el i mi n atio n of su ch e l emen ts of the o ld b rev iary as

were of u n certain authority (i ncerta ) T he rep roach has been

made, writes Marin i, that some of the legen ds of the sain ts
”

in the ol d b reviary w e re ap ocryp h al , un edify in g , or w ritten i n

a b ad styl e T he co n gregation had dec ided to retain the more
.

auth en tic n arratives , p uttin g th em i n to a b etter l ite ra ry form,

th us secur in g both the ed ifica tio n an d the p l easu re of readers .

They fee l tha t many of the l ives of the sain ts in the ol d

b rev iary are ex cell en t, bein g tak en from auth ors ven erable for
1

their an tiq uity, or fro m the gen u in e acts of the ma rty rs, an d
to these p refere n ce ough t to b e given , whil e ca refully revi sin g
th e m fro m the p oi n t of v ie w o f h istorical accuracy as w ell as
”
o f correctn ess of l itera ry sty l e Th is task was en tru sted at
.

fi rst to Foscara ri, afterw ards to Poggian o, who b etween them

had a l l the l eg en ds of the Sa nctara l e to revise 8
H ere again .

the i n d icati on s furn ished by Marin i ten d to con fi rm our im

pp
duced or a roved by PO p e L eo X
T he P ater , A ve an d Credo before mattin s
.

p
an d rime , as wel l as after corn p li n e , a pp
ear i n R oman brevi ar ies of the begin n in g
h
of the si xteen t cen tury or the en d of the fi ft een t h
See Bri umer, t 11
. 20 1 2
’

. . pp .
-
.

h h h h
T ese ar e t en modern addition s of w ic a cr itical correction of the breviary
woul d deman d the su ression pp T he same vi ew may be ta en of the commemora
. k
p
tion s of the C ross , of the Bl essed V irgi n , of the A ostl es P eter an d Paul , an d p r o
p ac h h h
e, w ic , for all t ey are more an cien t i n da te , are n ot the l ess adven titious .

1 ee h
S t e b ul l Q u ad a n obi s
1 B
h
aumer , owever (t 11 . . p h h
bel iev es t at the istorical l esson s of the
.

h k
breviary of P ius V are eit er n ew , or ta en fr om Q ui gn on ez , an d t at t ose of h h
p
th e r evi ousl y e xi stin Roman breviary w er e for the most art sacrificed T isp . h
p h p
is a oin t t at dema n s a se arate detail ed i n q uiry T he in dication s furn is ed
. h
by Mar in i (see bel ow, 2 28) are of great val ue .

1
Cf Jul ii P ogian i , pi stol a e et or a tiones ( Rome,
. t 11 xl l u . . pp .
-
.
2 04 HI STOR Y O F THE R OM A N B R EV I A RY

ev e r sin ce 147 4— ame n ded

, however ,
i n a l l re an d re n dered

sp ects more h an dy to use, an d more p ol ished in styl e 1

.

Q g u i n o n ez ha d p r o n o un ced th e o l d r u b rics o b sc u re a n d in

vo l v e d : at the h ead of the n e w b rev ia ry was p l aced the

ex ce ll en t e x p o sitio n of the gen era l ru b rics of the oflice wh ich

‘

is sti ll to b e fou n d th ere —p artl y borrowed from the D i r ector i u m

D i vi n i Ofi ci i p ubl ish ed by Cicon iol an o ( Rome, 1 5 40) w ith the
a p p ro b ati o n o f P a u l Q gu i n o n ez h a d d e p l o red th e i n

ro ads ma de on the oflic e of the se ason by the S a nctar a l e the

‘

k a l en dar of fi x e d feas ts was n ow l igh ten ed by the remova l of

sev era l fes tiv a l s— th ose o f SS J oach im, Fra n cis of Pau l a, .

Bern ardin , A n thon y of Pa dua, A n n e, Louis of Toul ouse,

El iz abeth of H un gary, an d the P resen tation of our Lady s
.

Sev er al more w ere red uced to h av in g a memo ria l o n ly SS — .

E u p hemia Thec l a, U rsul a, Satum in us T he tota l n umbe r o f

,
.

se mi do u bl es was b roug h t dow n to th irty ; of do u bl es of a l l

-

c l asses, fi fty seven ; of memoria l s, th irty thr ee

-
Th us the -
.

o ffi ces of sain ts d ays, in cl u d in g octaves, n ow o n ly took a

’

l ittl e over 100 day s from the offi ce of the season .

T he v ersion used both as regards the p sa l ter an d the l esson s

fro m H oly Scrip ture was th at of the V u lg ate ‘
.

T he distrib utio n of H oly Scrip ture for the l esson s of the

first n octurn was made con for mably to the decree common ly
ca ll e d th a t of Gregory VII — in rea l ity, as regards its main out
l in es, it ag rees w ith the an cie n t distribution , the use of which
i n the e igh th cen tu ry w e h ave a l rea dy ve rified “
Every day .

had its l esson from Scri p ture , a n d these were ch osen , w ith
few e x cep tion s, from the p l a in est an d si mp lest p ages of the
B ible .

1
h
But t is assertion c ann ot be made wi t out reserve Baumer , t 11 h 2 15 . . . pp .

20 , gives in detail the correc tion s ma de in the S a n ctor a l e t ey are bot n umer h h
ous an d of an im ortan t n a ture p .

S h
1 c mi
d, p
6 37 ; Merca ti , Appun ti ,
.
5 p . .

1
h p
T i s festival was i m orted from th e East in the four teen t cen tury : s ee T il h
l emon t, H E t 1 . .
463
. . p
O n a un e l ettre de C harl es V eu l an 1 37 5 o u r 11
.
’
p
F
fairs cé l é br er en ra n ce, comme on avait commen ce de faire a Rome C e fut l s .

chan celier de C y re
q ui p p
ers uada aux Latins d i mi ter en cel a l es Grs cs
’
E ll e .

n estoi t p as au Bré vi ai re Romain avan t l a n

’ ’

1
Gran colas, 87 : p . p
Roman um sal teri um a P io V Romae abol itu m adhuc
p e rdur at i n Vati can a eccl esia , atq ue p ra eterea in Mediolan en si , st Ven eta S .

Mar ci , li cet n on n ul l o in ter se di scrimin e ; In n on n ullis ari ter T ol etan ae u rbis p

in H p p
is an ia ecclesi i s sal terium Roman um ca n itur
1
I h p
V i z saia for A dven t : Gen esis i n s ri n g ; the A c ts, the A p oeal yp ss , an d
.

h
the n on Paul in e Ep istl es in Pasc al ti de ; the Kin gs in summer ; Sa ien tial boo s
-
p k
J h h
in A ug ust ; Job, T obi t, udi t an d Est er in Se tember ; Maccab ees in Octobe r ; p
k ph
E e iel an d the Min or Pro ets in N ovember the Paul in e E istl es i n C ri stmas p h
z
ti e.
 TH E BREVI A RY OF TH E COU N CIL OF TRE N T 205

T he hon ary an d the resp on soral remained in tact th at

an ti p ,

is to say ( w ith the excep tion of a fe w detai l s) in accordan ce ,

w ith the tradition al tex t incl uding the p ortion s ta ken from ,

H oly Scrip ture .

The l ection ary for the seco n d n octurn of fix ed festival s

u n derwen t n otabl e chan ge s N ew l esso n s were g iven for the
1
.

festiva l s o f SS H il a ry Paul the H ermit J oh n Chrysosto m

.
, , ,

I gn atius M atth ias J osep h Soter an d Caius Cl etus an d Mar

, , , ,

ce l l i n us A th an asius Gre ory N az ia n ze n a n d B i l fo th

, g a s ; r e , ,

Visitation the octave of S Peter S Ma ry Magdal en e S Peter s

, .
,
.
,
.
’

Chain s the I n ven tion of S Step hen S D omin ic S M ary of

, .
,
.
, .
-

the Sn ow s the Tran sfiguration S Lauren ce the wh o l e of the

-
, , .
,

oc tave of the A ssu mp tion S B a rth ol omew S A ugustin e the , .

, .
,

behea d in g of S J oh n B ap tist the octave of the N ativ ity of .

,

our La dy SS Matthew J e rome F ran c is Simon an d J ude

, .
, , , ,

M artin an d D amasus , I n a bout a doz en ca ses add ition a l .

homil ies for the th ird n octurn were in troduced or the old re ,

p l ac e d by n e w— o n the fea sts o f S S A gn e s V i n c en t an d .

,

A n astasius I g n atius A gatha Martha Matthew Bern ard

, , , , , ,

A ugusti n e J erome N icol as Lucy etc But it is here we come

, , , ,
.

u p o n the weak p oin t in the reform of P ius V His l iturgists .

had n o hesitation i n sup p ressin g the l essons given in the b rev

iary of 1 5 5 0 for the festi va l o f S Marg aret as al so those fo r .
,

SS Th ecl a E ustace an d U rsu l a : b u t this was n ot sup p ressn

.
, ,

e n ough A n d w ith regard to n ew l esson s if we j udge by

.
,

th ose for S B arth ol omew the in ven tion of S Step hen an d S

.
,
.
, .

Mary of the Sn ows they admitted more than they oug ht

- - -
,
1
.

A n d how ma n y more l e sson s there were wh ich eithe r in their ,

orig in o r i n the form th ey ha d bee n made to assu me re ,

main ed u n doubtedly worthy of cen sure ! T he good in ts u

tion s of the l itu rg ists of P ius V ca n n ot be q uestion ed : the
on ly doub t is a s to wheth e r th eir w ork ha d been fu lly matu red

before p ubl ication an d as to th e ir critical abi l ity O n th is ,

.

1
!As r egards Baumer ( t 11
the sermons an d homil ies
204) tel l s us t at the . . p . h
k
wor of Paul I V was adap ted by the C ommiss ion wi t out an y essen tia l c an ge,
"
h h
an d he q uotes i n sup ort of t is from MS Va t L a t 647 1 , fol 80 h T he sel ec tion . . . . .

h
of t ese sermon s a n h
omi li es (exce t for some fal s e attri bution s of aut ors i ) p h hp
was made wit remar a bl e wisdom h k .

1
On the sources of the istorical lesson s of the b reviary , see De Smedt, In h
troductio g en er a l is a d historia ns eccl esias ticum cri tics tr ac ta n da m ( G en t, h
pp . 8
4 3 78 S-
o m e o
.f t h e i stori c al l ess o n s i n th e b revi a ryhof P ius V w ere ta en k
( w i t hm o di fi ca ti on s from the brevi ary of Q ui gn on ez , see Z accaria, Bi bl i otheca
)
ri tua l is ( Rome, 1 7 7 6 t 1 1 1 6- 1 8 . . p
T he l ist of suc l esson s is re rod uc ed . h p
by Baumer , t 11 1 8 1 2 , an
. . pp
fol lowed by in ter es ti n g observation s,
.
- 1 84 9 pp .
-
.

On pp 1 82 3 he gi ves al so a l i st O f the n ew l esson s

.
-
.
2 06 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A R Y
score B e ll armin e an d Baron ius on the on e h an d , an d Ben edict
X IV on the ot er, h a re n ot sp a ri n g of rep roac es agai n sth
the m
1
.

A n d y et, on the wh o le , great p rogress had been made .

This resp ectful an d timid treatmen t of the b reviary of the Curi a

was the best restoration of the a n cie n t R oma n O ffi ce wh ich was
p o s sibl e a t the time It p re served the tra d itio n a l Or do sd l
.
p
l en d i of the R oman Ch urch ; it p reserved the an ti p ho n ary a n d
resp on sora l o f the time o f Cha r l e mag n e ; it re stored the Ordo

ca n oms r eci ta ndi of the eig h th ce n tu ry i t re d uced the k a l e n dar

'

of fi x ed festival s to j uster p rop ortion s, a n d restored to its d ue

p l ace o f h o n ou r the ofii ce o f the sea so n If i t d id n o t ve n ture .

to sup p ress the hy mn a l , it i s b ecause n o o n e at th at ti me had

a n y idea of doin g s uch a th i n g , a n d in deed n o o n e ha s th o ug h t

o f doin g so s in ce .

Ca thol ic Christe n do m did full j ustice to the w ise a nd sincere

w ork of Pius V ’
A ll I ta ly, the wh ol e of Sp a in , i n c l udin g
.

—
Portuga l , an d F ran ce rathe r more ta rdily, datin g from 1 5 80 3

a n d th en ow i n g to the efforts of the J esuits— received w ith

esteem the n ew Roma n b rev iary

‘
If in the n in th cen tury, .

writes the Sorbon n ist Gran colas, the Roman breviary deserved
suc h g rea t p ra ise as to b e p refe rred to th ose o f a l l oth er

ch u rch es, i t sh on e w ith eve n gr ea te r l ustre afte r P op e P ius V

brough t it out a fresh ; an d it may be said th at, sin ce that time ,

a l l the sev e ra l ch urch es h ave a dop ted it, a t a l l even ts to th is

e x ten t, th a t those who h av e n ot rece iv ed it u n d er the titl e o f

th e R oman b rev ia ry h ave in corp o ra ted it a l most e n ti re in to

” 5
the ir ow n , adap tin g it to th eir ow n rite .

We may even say , w ith D om Gué ra n ger, that the success

of the b rev ia ry o f P ius V was ex cessive The H oly See con .

temp l ated the co n tin ued use of l itu rgie s w ith a p rescrip tio n of

1
p h h
See al so the re roac br oug t by Sigon io, i n his l etter to P aleotii , an ua ry 3rd,
”
J
1 5 7 5 , in regard to the accoun t of the fal se Don ation of Constan tin e, Baumer ,
t n 2 1 1.
g
. .

9 l osk ovan y , t v . . p
2 37 , an d Ba umer , t u
.
31 1 , re roduce a cri ticism by
. . p. p
h p
L in da n us, Bis o of R uremon de, w hi c is more s irited than w el l foun ded h p -
.

3
But see the b eauti ful P arisian edi ti on of the brevi ary of Pi us V ubli s ed by p h
Kerver, 1 5 7 4 , cum rivil egi o C arol i p IX F
ra n corum Regi s Chri sti an issimi .

A l so the B r evi a r i um R oma n um ex decr eto sacr osa ncti Conci tii T r iden ti n i r esti
tutum A rm: l es r u br iq ues tr a dui tes en F r a n ca is p a r 10 comma ndemm t u p ” :
d a R oy . J
P a ri s, ames Mettayer , 1 5 88 ( Bibl N at fol io B It is th e brevi ary
. . .

k n ow n as t at of h enry H III .

4
Rosk ovan y (t v . . pp
2 36 7 5 ) gi ves the .
-
p
ar ti cul ars of its succ essive rece tion p
p
by articular Coun ci l s , an d by various eat reli gious orders See al so th e sum .

h h
mary of t es e , wit the addi ti on of fres facts , in Baumer, t 11 2 2 1 33 . . pp .
-
.

Gran colas , pp
14 15 .
-
.
2 08 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY

I n i s i
pnr—
m g n th b ull
o i e Q u ad a n obi s —th at the
b rev ia ry shoul d n ever a t an y time b e ch a n ged eithe r in
who l e or in p a rt, a n d th at n o o n e shoul d add to it or tak e
”
a wa y from it a n ythin g wh a tsoev e r, Pop e P ius V en gag e d
h imsel f to somethin g which his successors w ere n ot disp osed
to o bse rve .

His immediate successor Pop e Gregory X II I ( 1 5 7 2 8 5 ) did ,

-

n ot con s ide r h imse l f bou n d by the terms o f the b u ll P ius V had .

n ot i n stitu ted a n
y o ffi ce i n co mm e mo ra ti o n o f the v i cto ry of

Lep an to ( 1 5 7 con te n tin g h imsel f w ith in sertin g in the R oma n

ma rty ro l ogy u n der O ctober 7 th the me n tion of ou r Lady
of Victory . Grego ry X III
was n ot satisfied w ith th is, a n d by
a d ec ree o f A ri l Ist, 1 5 7 3, he in stituted the feas t of the R o sary ,
p
fix e d it for the fi rst Su n day i n O cto be r of ea ch yea r , an d as
sig n ed to i t the ra n k of a
g re a ter d o u bl e I
t i s t ru e tha t th i s .

festiva l was on ly to be observed in chu rches w hich ha d a n

a l ta r o f the rosa ry : it w as n ot e x ten ded to the Ch u rch a t l a r e
g
an d did n ot become so u n til O ctober 3rd, 1 7 1 6 , u n de r Cl e men t

XI But, n on e the l ess, Gregory XI II fe l t h imsel f en titl ed to

.

in terfere w ith the b rev iary of I5 6 8 We see th is more p l ain ly .

when , in I5 84, he re esta bl ished , as a doubl e, the feast of

S A n n e, which Pius V had removed fro m the b revia ry, an d
.

in troduce d a memo ria l o f S J oach im, al l me n tion of who m .

had been su p p ressed by his p redecessor ‘

.

A fte r him, again , Six tus V ( I5 8 5 90) l aid his h an ds on the -

w ork of P ius V He t e establ ished, in I5 8 5, as a double, the

.
-

feast of the P rese n tation of ou r Lady, wh ich ha d bee n

a b o l ished by P ius V
’I
I n the sa me way he re establ ish ed the
.
-

festiva l s o f SS F ra n cis de Pa u l a a n d N icho l as of To l en ti n o

. .

T he n ex t year ( 1 5 8 6 ) he re establ ished the festiv a l of SS .

J a n uarius an d his comp an ion s, Peter Martyr, an d A n thon y of

n MSS
I fol 7 3 5 , i s a letter of C ardi n al Sirl eto s on
’
1
Va t O ttaban i
.
, . 2366 , .
-

the correction of the brevi ar y an d the missal , da ted Marc 1 3th, 1 5 7 9, but i t is h
p
sim l y a tr ac t on th e mar i n g of ton ic acc en ts k
Baumer, t 11 2 34 , refers to . . . p .

Va t L a t 6 1 7 1 , fol 1 5 8 , for a recor d of Sirl eto s in terven ti on in fa vour of the

’
. . .

festi val of S A n n e. I n con n ecti on wit

. h h
t i s matter we may men ti on the ofi ci al
editi on of the Roman mart r ol o
y i n 1 5 84 A t t at date Bell armin e was i n . h
of correc tion s bein g i n tr n eed i n to the brevi ary : see hi s l etter to Sal
J
meron , ul y 19th, 1 5 84 I t woul d seem t at the goodwi ll of old C ardin al Sirl eto h
he di ed O ct 7 th, 1 5 85 —had n ot been ga in ed for t is ste
.

. Bel la rmin e 8 l etter 18

’
h p .

q u oted b y B a um er , t 11 2 1 2 . . p . .

2
Ba umer, t 11 . . p
2 5 2 , q uotes from Va t L a t 6 17 1 , fol
. 100, a n ote w ic he
. . . h h
a ttributes to C ardin al Sirl eto, assen tin g to the restorati on of t is festi val h .
 THE BREVI A RY OF THE COU N C IL OF TRE N T 2 09

P adua al l sup p ressed by Pius V In 1 5 8 8 he bestowed on S

, . .

B on aven ture the titl e of Doctor an d raised his festiva l to the ,

ra n k o f a d o ubl e
1
.

T he p o n tificate of Cl emen t VII I ( 1 5 92 160 5 ) j ustified the -

mea su res tak e n by Grego ry XII I a n d Six tus V by goin g a ,

g oo d s te p f u rt h e r I n th e b. u ll A et e m u r I “
ll a
”
wh ic h se r v e s as ,

p re f a ce to th e S ix tin e e d it i o n o f th e V u l g a te S i x t u s V
had given the p ri n ters a p e rmission o r ra the r a comma n d , ,

wh ch was n ot w itho ut g rav e effects v iz a comman d to co r

i — .

rec t ,
i n accorda n ce w ith th is ed itio n in missa l s b rev ia ries , , ,

p sa l te r s ri tu a l
, s p o n tifi ca
,
l s c e re m o n ia l
, s a n d o th e r e c
, c l es ia s tic a l
book s all the p assages tak en from H oly Scrip tu re (j ux ta la ma
,

n ostr u m textu m ad ver bu m at ad l i ter a m cam

jg a n tu r ) W e a l l .

k n ow what sort of c riticism the Six ti n e ed ition o f the V u lgate

o f 1 5 89 a roused a n d how it bec a me n ecessa ry a t on ce to
,

un dertak e its revision ; h e n ce in 1 5 92 th e re a w

, pp ea rs
, a n e

e d ition of the V ul a te
g W h a t d is
. tu rb a n c es i n t h e t e x t o f th e

Roman O ffice does all th is imp ly ! We have got to about the

yea r 1600 : the b rev iary of 1 5 6 8 has n ow bee n th irty yea rs in
use . Wh at book wou l d n ot b e foun d to betray some flaws
un der such a n ordea l a s i t had to face ? Tex tual criticism ,

the k n owl edg e o f h istory l ite ra ry taste we re a ll o f them more

, ,

deve l op e d a n d more e x actin g than th ey had been th irty yea rs

be fore T he con greg ation of 1 5 6 8 had don e its work at a
.

time when circ umsp ection was p ec u l ia r ly n ecessa ry an d ,

when the immediate n eed of the momen t w as con serva tism :

a n ew co n g reg ation mig h t fee l a t l ib e rty to tak e a b o l de r

co urse T he creation by Six tus V in 1 5 88 of the p e rma n en t

.

C on g regation of R ites charged w ith the mission of reformin g,

a n d amen d in g the l itu rgica l b ook s as n eed req u ired w as a l ,

rea dy a ste i n th i d i rection

’I
p s .

T he in itia tive in the matter of the rev ision of the b rev ia ry

was tak e n by the H oly See : it wa s the act n ot of Cl emen t ,

VII I as has a l ways been bel ieved un til n ow b ut of Six tus V

, , ,

a n d coin cided in ti me w ith the c rea tion of the C on g regation o f

Rites In fact Six tus V in structed C ardin al Gesual do the

.
, ,

fi rs t p re fect of th a t con g regati on to ask th rough th e P a p a l , ,

N u n cios the a dvice n ot o n ly of the o rdin a ries of ch urches b ut

, , ,

o f the p rin cip a l l ea rn ed men o r l ea rn ed bod ies of E u rop e .

The formul ated design of the P op e w as to p roc u re the re

“

sto ra tion o f the b revia ry a n d the missa l as so on as p ossibl e , ,

Schober , p .
50 .
3
See the bull Immen se A cter ai Dci , a n . z an d, 15 88 .
J
14
2 10 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
to t heir origin al p urity I
n the V a l l icel l a n L ib ra ry a t R ome ,

mon g the p ap e rs of Ba ron i us d

'

a , a re p rese rve the A dnata tzauer

Cn tzca e received in rep ly from the theo l ogian s of Pol a n d,
' ’

Sa voy, P ortugal , Sp ai n, German y, N ap l es, Ven ice, the Sor

bon n e, the dean of the facu l ty of th eol ogy at Sal aman ca, an d
so fo rth, n ot omittin g Ciaccon io a n d Bel l a rmi n e
’I
.

The con su l tation thus O p en ed by Six tus V had n o immedi

ate resu l t, as the P op e died soon after (A ug 2 7 th, an d .

hi s th ree successors, U rb an VI I , Gregory X IV, a n d I n n ocen t

I X , w ere n ot sp ared to do more than j ust tak e th eir seat on
the A p ostol ic thron e, d urin g 1 5 90 an d 1 59 1 Neve rth e l ess, .

du rin g his p on tifi cate of six mon ths, Greg ory X IV foun d
time to resume the p roj ect for the revis ion of the b reviary :
he re n e wed to Cardin a l Gesua l do the mission w ith w hich
Six tus V had in vested him, an d a C ommission of con sul tators
was n omin ated, wh ich met on A p ri l 2 sth, 1 5 9 1, w i th Gesua l do
as p re siden t The A cta o f th is C ommission , u n fortun ate ly
.

in comp l ete, h ave recen tly b ee n foun d an d p ubl ished ’

.

T he desire of Gregory X IV was that there shoul d b e sup

1 h p
T is oin t has been made cl ear by Baumer, t 11 25 3-6 See hi s . . pp . .

q uo ta ti o n s fr om th e r e l ies of s om e ofpthe N un ci o s, in u l y , A u g us t, O c to b e r , J
1 5 88 . Ca rdin al Gesual do s circul ar l etter is da ted May 13th, 1 5 88 , but Baumer
’

2 5 5 ) has n ot been abl e to fi n d a co y of it In a letter of A ril 9th , 15 88,p

E p .

1 cu i us writes on hi s own accoun t : Il Breviario Roman o p er tia n os tra

e cosi ca tti vo che cen to e q uaran ta error i ho n ota to n ell e historic e ivi si trat
tan o Baumer , t 11 2 12. . p . .

’
A Bergel . ves a ca tal ogue of t em in
'

Die emen dation des R amischen h

Brevi ers un ter p s t C l e m en s V S ee th e Z c i t sch r fIII
i ft a r K a t ha l i sclu
Thml agi c ( n nsbruc , I k 293 4 p .
-
.

Baumer, t 11 p
p
. 2 63 9 .
. .the MS Va t L at 6097
-
ave, in my turn ,
. . . . Ih
con sul ted t is MS m 1904 h p
The fil e of ers bears the ti tl e (fol io B) : Super
.

K
.

n or n a tion B r evia ri i va ria O n the eir of the l eaf is written :

. Hun c
l i ll um ex fol iis vol an tibus habiti s est haeredi tate oan n is Ba tistas Ban din i J p
can on ici S P etri , et olim correctoria Bibl iot ecae Vati can as , et secretari i Con h
m
.

p
a ti on is su er reformati on e Breviari i sub Cl emen te V , coll egi e o, el ix III F
j
tel ori us, e usdem Bibliot eca e custos, an n o 162 8 h The A cts of e Com
mission of Gregory XI V begin on fol io 12 7 T ey ar e n o more t an a co y of . h h p
the ori in al , an d v ery im er fect
g p
A t the ead of t em we read : .
“
Ss D N h h . . .

Gregorms X I -
V emen dation em Brev Rom q ua m ystus V ej us praedecessor . . X
a ggr essus fu ers t, et morte p raeven tus absol ver e n eq uiverat, con tin uan dam esse
decrevit Cumq ue sciret uic tune n egotio p raefectum fui sse I
. h ll ustm et Rev!n
Cardin al em Gesualdum, iterum ej us rei curam omn em ei dem deman davi t, suae
u e i t en t i on is et v ol un ta tis esse decl aravi t, ut i n lection ibus sanctorum et alii s
q n

q u ib u sq u e r eb u s ea s o l u m mut e n tur q uae n ul lo a c to su stin er i p o ss u n t, e t

q uae p
satis ben e digests n oscun tur n on ul teri us laborandum ut amp liora et erfecuora
p
reddan tur , q uum i m ortu n se n ovi tates hoc
p raeserti m tem or e n ih1l ex edite p p p
n ul lamq ue p rorsus uti lita tem vel commodum Eccl esiae Dei aflerre p osse videan tur
'

p
A d eam rem q uum rimum del ecti fueran t eruditi al iquot viri , sacrarum rerum
eri ti , et eccl esiastici s ritibus in structi , ut totum Breviari um dil ig en ter exam
p
1n aren t, et
q ui d in s i n guli a reb us statuen dum vi deretur maturo udici o con j
sul eren t, q uorum haec sun t n omin a [ —
But the names are missin g, an d we have
2 12 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
as to t is h I have i n fact every where in dicated my
matter .
, ,

reason s for correc tin g o r l eav in g u n co rrected this or th at p ass

age of the b reviary ; a n d mo reover I w o u l d a tten d myse l f so ,

a s to be rea dy to g ive a n y n ecessary e x p l a n a tion s sho u l d an y ,

p o i n t s e e m o b s c u re o r a m b ig u o u s T he co rr ec ti o n s a pp r ov e d .

by these cen sors w oul d at on ce he sub mitted at l east as re —

g ar d e d t h e m o re i m p o rta n t m o d ifi ca ti o ns — to t h e C on re ation
g g
o f R ites a n d l astly your H ol in ess w ou l d b e a bl e to tak e cog
,

n iz an ce of th em a n d dec ide o n the whol e w ork as mig ht see m

,

g oo d to y o u rse l f A s r e g a rd s t h e b .es t p l a n fo r ca r r y i n g o u t
the correction s it has bee n suggested th at a sma ll v ol u me
,

sh oul d b e p ubl ish ed con ta in in g the n ew offi ces ap p roved by ,

Six tus V a n d the carr ectar zu m of the wh ol e b revia ry

'

A s far as the n ew offices are con cern ed some of which ( as ,

th ose for the Con cep tion the V isitatio n a n d the Presen tati on , ,

of our Lady) have n ot y et b ee n p rin ted there may be some goo d ,

in th is ; b u t as regards the carr ectan u m I a l togeth er d isa pp rove

’

of it I n fact th us to p ubl ish the carr cctan u m w o u l d be d is

’

.
,

cl osin g to a l l the w orl d i n c l ud in g the en emies of the Chu rch , ,

the n umerous a n d g rav e err o rs wh ich we h ave h ith erto tol er

ated in the b revi a ry : this wou l d b e a scan da l a n d a sl igh t up o n ,

the a utho rs o f the brevia ry n ot to men tion how irk some it ,

w oul d be to man y p erson s to mak e all these correction s in

their book s I t w ill be much b etter to p rin t a n en tire b reviary
.

correc ted a n d p urged fro m errors n ot obl igi n g a n yon e to b uy ,

i t forthw ith b ut on ly when n eed for i t arises

,
Th us the re .

l ig ious a n d the p oo r p riests w ill n ot be p ut to in con ven ie n ce ;

a n d wh i le few p eop l e w ou l d n otice these n ew correction s of a l l

the erro rs w hich rea lly hav e crep t in to the breviary in a few ,

years ther e w oul d be n on e b ut corrected b reviaries in circu l a

tio n . I f it is th us dec ided to p rin t a correc ted b reviary a th in g ,

which all well in structed p erson s k een ly desire an d imp atien tly
-

a w a it your H ol in ess mig h t ex p l a in in a b u ll p refix ed to it

, , ,

the reason s for th is n ew ed ition esp ecia lly th at its obj ec t

is to p ut a n en d to the temerity o f some who o n th eir ow n ,

a uthority h ave in serted i n b rev ia ries fa l se or u n certain matter

,

( a s i s e v id e n tly th e c as e w i th th e l ess ons fo r S A l ex is an d .

others) a n d th a t a dvan tage has b een tak en o f th is op p ortu n ity

,

to correct some oth er defects d ue to the carel essn ess o f p rin te rs

” 1
or o f oth e rs .

T he v iew s here e x p ressed by Ca rd in a l Es ton ias were full of

l
B g l pp 95 7
er e , Th itti g of th C ommi io
. 2 -
. t wh i ch th i
e s n epo t was e ss n a s r r
ea
r d w , th t of S pt mbe
as a th 5 92 e e r ro , 1 .
THE BREVI A RY OF THE CO U N C IL OF TRE N T 2 13

p ractica l co mmon sen se were to be corrected

. Sin ce errors ,

the best way was to co rrect them q uietly an d u n obtrusive ly

sin ce a n ew e dition w as to be p ubl ished it w as better n o t to ,

i mp ose al l at on ce its comp u l sory use

, ,
Bu t the re vis ion must .

su p p re ss in the b rev iary all th a t w as in defen sibl e : i t i s eq uiva

len t to sayi n g that a revision was imp era tive ‘

.

The sp ecia l con greg ation whose advice he ask ed for w as

forthwith n omin ated by Cl emen t VII I T he n a mes o f its .

me mbers are as foll ows J ohn B ap tist B an d in i C a n on of S , .

Pe ter s ; Mich ae l Ghi s leri a Th eatin e ; B a rth ol omew Gavan ti

’

, ,

a B arn ab ite ; L udov ico de T orres A rchb ish op of Mon real e ; ,

Cardin als A n ton ia n o Be ll armin e an d fin a lly Baron ius as Pre

, , ,

siden t
’I
I ts first mee tin g took p l ace on Se p te mber 1oth 1 5 92
.
,
.

We have n ot got the min utes of the p roceedin gs of the con

g gre atio n a n d w e ,
d o n ot k n o w e x ac tly the p er iod o v e r wh ic h
th eir l abours ex te n ded We fin d eviden ce of sittin gs hel d as
.

l ate as from March z l st 160 1 to Ju n e 1 2 th ,

The b u ll , ,
”
Q u u m i n E cc l es i a by wh ich Cl
,
e m e n t VIII p rom u l ga t e d th e

n ew edition of the b reviary bears date May l oth 16 0 2 , As , .

1
See, in the MS Va t L a t 6097 , fol 1 1 1 et sq the l etter wr itten to Cardin al
. . . .

Baron ius from N a l es , by p Ma rian us L iberius eli us, in 1 60 1 It b egin s

”
.

h
t us : Q uu m B re v ia riu m sac r arum p re cum se ri o tan e m em en dat i , et ad v e ter em

p rim a eva e E ccl esi a e fo rm am revocat i p ersen ti scerem, statu i , an te uam istic edi tio
maturescat, n ec accersitus q ui dem , bolam con ferre meam e may con cl ude
h
t at the correction of th e brevi ary, ec ided on by Clemen t V at the ver y be gi n III
n in g of hi s p on tifi cate, had b een sl umb eri n g, up to 1 60 1 T is N ea ol itan s att i
’
. h p
tude of mind is cur i ous, an d deserves n otice He wri tes .

Habemus sacrarum p recum bre T he brevi ary of sacred ~

rayer p
v iarium, n on q ual e Damasus, aut L eo, w i c we av e is n ot t at p ut fort by h h h h h
aut certe Gel asius edi der un t, sed q ual e D amas us, 01 L eo, or even Gel asius ,
San cti ssimi Gregor ius Se timus , I n p
but suc as was the best t eir ol i h h H
n ocen tius T erti us, et i n seq uen tes Pon n esses Gregory V I I , n n ocen t , I III
tifi ces rudi ill a nostrorum atrum aeta te, p an d the Pon ti ffs t at came after t em, h h
et l utul en to ac turbul en to tem or e ut p
were abl e to ave in tha t rude age of h
cumq ue h
abere p otuer un t J a m h oe. o u r fa t er s , an d i n t e ir tr ou b l ou s a n d h h
fi oren ti saccul o Cl emen s V 0 p t max III
turbul en t times . N ow, i n t is flour ish
. . h
uo virtu tum et l itterar um st udi a ca ut p
in g age, w en the study bot of vi rtu e h h
g iu p ressum toll ere in ci iun t, q u idn i a n d of l etters begin s to l ift u i ts ead ,
p h
r iscu m il l um p sa l l en di ri tum, ab ecto j
so l on g de ressed, why s ou d n ot Cl e p h
p 0c semibarbaro, resti tuat men t VI , 0p t max ca st away t at II . . h
semi barbarous r i te, an d restor e th e -

orig in al O r do psa l len d i P

3
Gavan ti , Preface to hi s T hesa u rus sacr or um r i tuum ( Rome,
3I n the MS Va t L a t 695 7 , fol 2 2 48
. . . Lec tion es recep tae ac resti tutae,
.
-

a summary of the p
roceedi n gs at si tti n gs betw een the above n amed dates T he -
.

p
commi ssion er s resen t were Baron i us A n ton i a n o, Bel l armi n e, T orres, an d Ba n
,

din i. Ih
ave al so con sul ted th e MSS Va t L a t 6096 6 100 . Su er reformati on e
. .
-
p
brevi ari i I
n 6096 , fol 88 9, .
g
-
I
foun d a ood gen eral su mmary of th e emen da
tion s fi nally recommen ded by the Commissi on to C l emen t V Ca ita p raeci III . p
p u a i n re u
p g r a tion e b reviar i i Ro m an i exam i n at a I t w il l b e fou n d i n fu l l fur t er h
on (p .
2 14 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
the fi rst sittin gs o f the Commission go back if n ot to A p ri l 2 sth , ,

1 5 9 1 at a l l even ts to Sep tember l oth 1 5 92 on e may reck on

, , ,

th at its l abours l asted ten years .

A t all even ts we k n ow fair ly w ell the gen eral n ature of these

l abours .

To b egi n w ith the con gregation was ag reed th at i n the tex t

,

of the b rev ia ry as few cha n ges as p ossibl e w ere to b e ma de

da ta est op er a a t qua m mi mma ma ta ti o fi er et C ard in a l A n
’

to n ia n o ha d p rop osed to correct the fa l se q u a n tities w hich occu r

in the hymn s : b ut th e co n grega tion more w isely wh il e re , ,

cogn iz in g the fact th a t the hy mn s are fu ll of erro rs of p rosody ,

d id n ot con sen t to a l ter a n ythi n g beyon d th ose errors wh ich

see med to be d ue to ca rel ess cop y in g or whi ch cou l d be cor ,

rected by the me re chan gi n g of a sin g l e l etter or a si n g l e syll abl e ,

esp ecially in the hy mn s of P rude n ti us a n d A mb rose wh o m ,

w e may n ot sup p ose to have comp osed them in co rrectly

T he q uestion was raised if it wo ul d n ot be w ell to shorten the
Sun day offi ce an d the n ew offi ces for doubl es : b ut the
,

con cl u sio n a rrived a t w as that n oth in g w as to be a b ridged

n zlzzl br eaza n du m A s to the l ection ary the an tip h on ary

’ ’ ’

, ,

a n d the resp on sora l th eir a im w as to ch an ge n oth in g b ut th at

,

which cou l d n ot b e retain ed w ithout sca n dal ea sala muta re

mus qua e si ne af erm ane tal er a r z n on p ater a n t They removed
’ '

s ome h omil ies an d sermon s from the l ection a ry a n d rep l aced

th em by oth ers : thus on A ugust 1 sth they took aw ay a n a p o , ,

c ry p ha l se rmon attrib uted to S A th an as ius to mak e way for .

,

o n e by S J ohn D a mascen e ; on N ovember Ist th ey restored the

.

1 Ber
g el , pT wo ymn s were added : the For te»
. 297 . h : ai r i l i pector e, written
by Cardi n al A n ton ian o for the Common of oly H
omen , an d the P a ter super ni W
l umi ni s, written by C ardin al Bel larmi n e for the festival of 8 Mary Magdal en e . .

I n hi s autobiogra B e ll ar m i h t e l l s u s t a t he h a d ac q u ire d h re m ar a bl e k
p
y , n e
fac il ity in writin g atin verses, in al l metres
Ex tan to n umero carmin um n i il h
O ut of so great n umber of oems p
super at, n isi carmen Sap p hicum com n ot in g survives, exce t the h y m n t o p h
p ositum Fl oren tiae de S iritu Sah eto p
the ol y S ir i t, in Sa H
i cs, w ic p pph h h I
S
( p i r i tu s celsis domi n a tor astri s) w r ote at l orenc e, a n d th e y m n fo r F
S h .

et h y m n u s de 8 M ar i a M a
.
g d al e na
q u i M ar y M ag d al en e , w i c h a s fo u n d a h h
p o s it u s es t i n br e viario, q ui y m n u s lace h
i n th e brevi ar
y p T hi s ym n was . h
comp ositus fu it T uscul i, et a C l emen te wri tten a t rasean , an d referr ed by F p
V III an tep ositus hymn o q uem de ea r e C lemen t V to the ymn on the same III h
p
scri sit Cardin al is A n ton i an us , et uter eu ect wri tten by Cardi n al A n ton i an o
'

q ue n o s tr um q u as i ex tem o re s cr i si t , Ap n b o t po f u s w rote im o m p tu h
, an d m
et ma gis q uam ut in breviario on i more for amusemen t t an wi t an y p h h
de et
"
. i dea of w at we wrote bein g p ut i n the
”
h
brevi ar y .

D i e S el bst biagr aphi e des Ca rd Bel la rmi u, ed Dol l in ger an d Reusc , Bon n ,
-
. . h
1 88 7 p 26
’ B
. .

ergel ,
 2 16 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY

Mox Hisp an iam ad usse, et ibi al iq uos ad fidem con vertisse Ecclesiar um ,

ill ins p rov in c iae traditio est ; ex q uorum n umero sep tem p ostea Ep i scop i a

Beato Petr o ordin ati in Hisp an iam p rimi directi sun t .

from w hich U rb an VI II had to re move the w o rds a b out Ec

zl l zus p r ov i n ci a e tr a di ti o, a s a c o n cess ion to the
' '

cl erza r u rn
'

u rg en t p rotests o f the c l e rgy of S p a in In the b rev ia ry o f .

Pius V, the iden tity of D en is (D ion ysius the A reop agite) ,

B ishop of A then s, an d D en is, B ish op of P aris, was assumed
B ell armin e w ished them to be distin g u ished, mak in g the
l atter a b ishop of the time o f D ecius, as he is regarded by
Greg o ry of To urs a n d Su l p icius Severus ; b ut Ba ron ius ha d
the accou n t given in the b rev iary of P ius V reta in ed B a ro
l
.

n iu s co rrected the l eg en ds of the ear ly P op es b ut on ly to the

e x ten t o f g iv in g g rea te r p rec ision to the da tes o f th e ir res p ec

tive p on tifica tes, a matte r wh ich sti ll remain s so u n ce rtai n .

A n d how man y detail s q ua e r zn e afi n r zane tal er a r z nan

' '
“
'

p ate r a n t w e r e n e v e rth e l es s r e ta i n ed ! B e ll a rm in e d id n o t a d
mit the auth en ticity of the F a l se D ecreta l s, an d everyon e k n o ws
ho w the se are wo rk ed in to th e l egen ds of an c ien t P op es in the
brev iary : y et Baron ius refused a l l correction on th is p oin t .

A gain , Ba ron ius h imsel f recog n iz ed the a p ocryp ha l characte r

”
of certa in acts of A p ostl es, suc h as the A cts of S Tho mas, .

y e t h e a pp e a l s to t h e i r a ut h o r i ty ,
l i ce t a d n u m er e n tu r i n ter

ap acryp lza ,
”
as he say s
2
He admitted the corrup t ch aracter of
.

ce rta in acts of marty rs : A cta 3 D ona ti dep r a va ta esse n ul l a .

du bzta tza est

”
a n d ag a in , sp eak in g of S Kath erin e , M ul ta q us
' ' '

Izzr tar za I za bet q ua e ver zta tz r ep ug na n t A n d y et he d id n ot

’ ' ' '

n the MS Va t L a t 6 24 2 , which con sists of pap ers bea r in

I 1
o th eform
. . .
g n e r
III
made by Cl emen t V , an d eman atin g , at al l even ts in part, from Ban din i w e ,

fin d on fol 2 0 4 some D u bia i n lection i bus B revi a r i i from which we w ill on l y

.
-
,

q u o te th e tw o f ol l ow i n g : D i e 9 O ctobri s, di ci tu r D ion y si us A r e0 p P ar isi or um .

ep iscop u s fui sse q uod val de dubi um es t, ut fa cil e p ossem osten dere si O p us esset
,

Die 2 5 Jul i i, J acobus dici tur i n ispan ia evan gelium p raedi casse H A t id val de .

dubi um est : n am n ul lus p robatu s autor ej us rei testi s fortas se p roferetur N arrat .

I
id n idem sidorus, i n l ibro de SS Patribus utriu sq ue T estamen ti ( si tamcn .

I si or us ej us l i bri auc tor est) verum i n ea narrati on s mu l ta a bsurda et fal sa con

,

ti n en tur Den iq ue n uoc [ I

i e P op e n n ocen t , see Ja fi é , 31 1]
. . . I I ’

ertis verbi s afii rmat n ull um A p ostolorum in is pan ia p raedicasse H

In the same w ay the autobiography of Bel l armin e i n forms us tha t Baron ius
9
,

con sidered as a ocry p

wi t ph a l , an d hj
u stice , the en cycl ical l etter of th e riests of p
h
A c aia con cern in g the ma rtyrdom of 8 A n d rew : but he yi el ded to the re ress o . p
ta tion s of Bel la rm in e, who (q uite mi sta en l y) con sidered it au th en ti c : k A C ard .

Baron io dissen sit in q u adam con grega ti on s su er Reformation s brev de assi on e

p p .

S A n dr eas, an esset vere scri ta a P resbyter ia A c aias

. p N egabat Baron i us ; sed h .

q u u m a u di ss e t sen ten ti am N [Be l l a rm in i ] et ra ti o

.n es ej u s , u b l i ce di xi t se am is p
‘

p
isse cau sam, et l acere sibi sen ten tiam N mag is q ua m sua m Sel bst bi a
. .
-

g r ap hi c, 46 p . .
THE BREVI A RY OF THE COU N CIL O F TRE N T 2 17

th in k that an ythin g furth er was n ecessar y in their case beyon d

e men dation s .

In the en d the m dra wn by

Ba ro n ius a n d
’

,
carr ectar zu up

a dop ted by th is Cl emen tin e con gregation a mo u n ted to n o mo re

tha n so me un i mp orta n t modification s l

,
ve r y small even in com
p a r ison w ith the p re mises set forth by Baron ius in his p ro
g ra mme . But, such as it was , i t establ ished a p o in t o f gr eat

i mporta n ce ( imp l ic itly recogn ized by Cl emen t VII I by his n ot

rep ro duc in g , in his b ull p refix ed to the n ew ed itio n of the

brev iary , the strictly p roh ibitive te rms of the bu ll Quad a nobis
o f P ius V) , that is to say , t/za t t/ze tex t o f th e R om a n br e v i a ry i s

sometlzzng susce b m d m d f h b h
'
'

p ti l e of a en en t A n i s uc e t e ca
. se ,

it must be because it in cl udes, in its time hon oured an d u n -

ch a n g in g str ucture, ce rta in el eme n ts merely temp ora ry a n d

p ro vis io n a l , th e c h a ra c te r o f w h ic h th e p g
r o ress o f tim e h a s

reveal ed or has sti ll to revea l .

A n other matter in wh ich Cl e men t VI I I revi sed the work of

P ius V was the in trod uction of n ew festival s in to the Roman
brev iary, or the re establ ish men t of so me wh ich had formerly
-

a p l ace i n it : such as SS R omua l d ( F eb ruary 7 th) , Sta n isl as .

M
( y a 7 th ) , L u c i u s ,
P o p (
e M ar c h 4 )
t h ,
K a t h e ri n e o f Sie n n a A
( p r i l
3 o th ), J o h n G ua l b e r t ( J u ly 12 th ), a n d E u se b i u s ( D ec e m b er 1 6 th ) .

He a l so ra ised in ran k some festival s wh ich ha d been l ow ered

“
by Pius V T he I n ven tion of the C ross became a doubl e o f the
.

seco n d c l ass th e festival s o f the T ra n sfig u ration , the E x a l ta

tion o f the C ross, S Mary o f the Sn ow s, the V isitation , Pres
.
- - -

en ta tion , a n d C on cep tion o f ou r La dy, the A p p a rition o f S .

Michae l, S Peter s Chair ( both at Rome an d a t A n tioch), S

.
'
.

P ete r s Ch ain s, the con version of S Pa ul , S J oh n b efore the

’
. .

Latin Gate, a n d S B arn ab as, w ere raised to the ran k of g reater

.

doubl es : so me simp l e feasts w ere raised to semi doubl es— SS -

.

T imothy, Polycarp , N ereus a n d A chill es, Gregory the w on der

work er Th us, wh il e in 1 5 6 8 the obj ect in v iew was to re
.

d uce the Sa nctaral e, so as to restore to the offi ce of the seaso n

its d ue p redomin an ce in use an d in d ig n ity ; i n 1 602 3
the
ten den cy w as to g ive the Sa n ctara l e the p re p on dera n ce And .

1
T he corrections op osed by Baron ius are reserved in the MSS , Q 33 an d p
E
. .

G 83 of the Vallicel n L ibrary

. T he correcti ons of Bel lar min e ar e in MS G
. . .

90 of the same l ibrary Ber gel , .

36 2 et sq q pp . .

h h
O n the ot er an d, the festi va l of th e sti gmata of S ran cis was sup p ressed ; . F
but n ot for l on g : Paul V ma de aste to restore it h .

1
c h
S ober , 5 7 Bp r evi a ri um R oma n um ex decr eta Sacr osa ncti Con ci l u T r i
. .

den ti n i r esti tutum, P i i V P an t Max j assu edi tum, et C l emen ti s VI

. IIa uctor i ta te
.

recog n i tum Rome, 1 602

. .
2 18 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
the mp l e th us set by Cl emen t VII I w as destin ed
ex a to b e
foll owed more a n d more by his successors .

Sin ce the b egin n in g of the six teen th cen tury un der Leo X , ,

Cl emen t VII Pau l IV Pius V an d Cl emen t VII I we h ave

, , , ,

n ow seen fi ve reforms of the o l d b revi ary of the Roman Cur i a

w e have to a dd a six th th at of U rban VI I I ,

.

This a l so l ik e the others was p rovok ed by the comp l ain ts

, ,

of severa l p ious an d l ea rn ed p e rso n s who rep resen ted th at th e ,

Roman breviary sti ll con tain ed fau l ty el emen ts

P ior um doctorumq ue virorum j udicia et v ota conq ueren ti um in eo con
tin eri n on p a uca, q uae sive a n i tore in stitution is excidissen t, sive in choata
p oti n s q ua m p erfec ta foren t ab a l i is , certe a n ob is sup rem a m m an um
imp on i desideraren t 1 .

U rban VI I I in resp on se to these

a p p oin ted a con gregation

req u ests
it
.It w as p resided ov er by C a rdin al Louis Gaetan i,
a n d comp osed o f n in e con su l tators, severa l of wh om w ere

famous : Tere n ce A lciati , a J esuit, who p rep ared the H istory

o f the C ou n cil of T re n t, p ubl ish ed after his death by C ardin a l
P a ll avicin i H il arion Ran cati, a C istercian , the curator of the
Sessorian Lib rary ; L uke Wadd in g, a F ra n ciscan , a n d the
hi storian of his O rder ; an d B arth ol omew Gavan ti, a B arn abite,
the b est l iturgist of his time T he othe r five w ere : T eg rimi, .

B ish op of A ssisi, secreta ry of the C on gregation of Rites ;

Scacch i, an A ugustin ia n , th e Pon tifica l sacrist ; 1
Rica rdi,
master of the Sacred Pa l ace ; V u l p on i , an O ratorian ; an d
Lan ucci, a p re l a te of the S igna tura ‘
.

T he con su l ta tors hel d sittin gs v e ry reg ul arly every fort

n igh t, from J u ly 1 2 th, 16 2 9, to D ecember 1 1 th, 1 6 31 Th eir .

p ro c ee d i n g s a re k n ow n to u s fro m th e A cta o f the con g g

re atio n ,

1 Bul l D i vi n am p sal modi a m

A cm in Con gr ation e su er emen dation e p
I
1
Va tica n B a r beri n i, xx 11 2
V
.

Brevi arii de ma n dato Semi Dn i N ri U rban i Pap ae or di n ate , scr ip ts e t sub II

p
scr i ta p er me T egrimum T egri mium Ep isc0 p um A ssisien sem, Secr eta ri um rae p
fa tae Con gr egati on is, ab eodem Ss m o sp ecialiter dep uta tum,
"
etc av e . I h
h p h
con sul ted an ot er co y of t ese same A cta in MS Va t L a t 6098 A t the ead . . . . h
of th e A cta w e read : Di e ul ii XII
J , 162 9, abita fuit rima Con gregatio su er h p p
emen dation s Brevi ari i , i n Palatio il l ml Car di nalis C aetan i , i n n a i n ter fu erun t
idem ill mm Caetan us ; R P D ortun atu s Scacch us S smi
. . . F N Sacri sta .

N icol aus Ricardi M Sacri al atii ; Lan ucci us sign referen d ; acobus Vul n ius, J
n
. . .

Con gr Oratori i ; Bart

. h
avan tus, Bamabi ta ; P etruccius S J
. l oco ren ti i .
’

Al ciati in firmi , S J ; . . H
il arion , A bba s S Cruci s in Hieru salem ; L ucius Vuaad .

i n gu s O M A l cia ti was resen t at the succeedi sittin gs

p
. . .

1 B
ii umer men tion s, in t e MS 8 3, 2 of the B i l iatheca A n g el ica at Rome ,
. .

A cta i n S Cong r eg R i t pr o cor r ection s Ma r ty r alag ii ct Brevia ri i R oma ni , cum

. . .

a dnota tion i bus M F or tun a ti S cacchi

—
. .

1
p
[A de artmen t of the Roman C an cery A B ] h . . .
2 20 H I STO RY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY

p ri n cip e l
o f reta in in g eve n con troverted facts, p rovi ded that,
hav in g the sup p ort of so me on e g rav e a uth or, th ey migh t be

deemed to p ossess so me p robab il ity .

Q uae con troversa eran t, j ta m en grav i

alicu uss a uctoris testi mon io su f
ful ts dum aliq ua m haberen t p rob abil itatem, re ten ta sun t eo modo q uo
eraur ; q uu m fal sita tis argui n on p ossin t, q ua mvis fortasse al tera sen ten tia
sit a p l ur ib us recep ta.
1

P rob ab il ism wh ich d id n ot defen d the casuists again st the

,

da n ger o f l ax mo ra l doctrin e led the con sul tators o f U rb an ,

VI I I in to reg rettabl e dec ision s Their correction s o f the his .

torica l l es son s o f the b reviary are few in n u mb er a b out a ,

doz en a l togeth er an d re l ate for the most p a rt to mere edi

,

to ria l de ta il s : 1
b ut two o f th em c a ll for n otice In the .

l esson s for P op e F ab ian (Ja n 20th) they sup p ressed the foll ow .
,

in g sen ten ce

E0 P on tifice in A frica excitata est haeresis a N ovato, con ten den te

ap ostatas p oen iten tes ab Ecclesia recip ien dos n on esse .

These w ords in sp ired by the L iber P an tifica l zis might well

, ,

h ave been reta in ed In the l esson s for S J ames the Greater .

’

J ly Cl m b y h d m d S J m
’

( u 2 th
5 ) the e e n ti n e re v ia r a e n tio n e a es s .

j o urn ey in to Sp ain as a tradition origi n a lly p ecul iar to the

Sp a n ish Churches a
T he con sul tators of U rb an VI I I w ith
.
,

l ess discretion w rote In H isp a n za m p rafectus i bi a l iquos ad

'

By in sp ira tion sti ll l ess h ap p y, S E ustace, who had

an .

been red uced to a commemoration, w as n ow raised to a semi

dou bl e, a n d ha d assign ed to him three l esson s, wh ich we still
con tin ue to rea d The sel ection of l esso n s for the re in tro
.
-

duced festiva l of S J oachim sh ows a se n se of criticism easily .

en oug h sati sfi ed .

A t the sa me time n ew sain ts made their ap p earan ce in the

breviary, an d, to b egin w ith , th ere w as a p romotion of k in gs
an d q uee n s : SS H en ry , Step hen of H un ga ry , Hermen g il d, a n d
.

“
El iz ab eth of Portugal .

1
Gavan ti , T hesaur sac . . r i t. t. 11. p .
75 .

1
See a ful l accoun t of t hese correctio ns in Baumer , t . 11. pp . 298 -30 1 .
1
See above, 2 15 p . .

‘
Baumer , t . 11. p
men tion s, in the Val licel lan L ibrary MS G 7 6 fol
.
30 1 , , . .
, .

14 1 5 1 , a memoran dum sen t from Spain p l eadi n g i n favour of S J ames s havi n g

’
-
.
,

come i n to tha t coun try : t rel ied amon g oth er a rgumen ts on c er tain letters
I
“
, ,

in H ebrew dated A D 35 01 36, an d written by J ews of Spai n or of J erusa lem,

, . .

of w hich th t a sla tio was p eserv

e r n n r ed at T ol edo
11
Sch obe p 63 ; Baumer t 11 p
r, .
, . . . 2 83.
THE BREVIA RY OF THE COU N C IL OF TRE N T 22 1

Ex cep t for these in n ovation s U rban V IIIs reform woul d ,

’

h ave l eft n o other record tha n th at of a typ ograp hica l revision ,

if a l on gside of the l iturgists whose w ork we have j ust con

,

sidered th ere had n ot bee n sittin g a n other Commission to

, ,

whom U rban VI II had en trusted the reform wh ich p erh ap s he

had most a t heart I t w as co mp osed o f four J esuits F athe rs
.
,

Strada Gall ucci Sarbiewsk i an d Petrucci who u n der the

, , , ,

p e rs o n a l d irec t io n o f th e P op e— h im se l f a p oe t— w e re th e w o r k
men resp on sibl e for the correction of the hy mn a l U rban V III .
,

l ik e al l the Barberin i of the seven teen th cen tury was a ma n of ,

l iterary tastes an d has p ut his n ame to a vol ume of Latin

,

verse
l
I
. n the b rev iary were inserted th ree comp osition s of

his the hy mn s for SS Martin a Hermen gil d an d El iz abeth of

, .
, ,

Portuga l somewhat formally schol astic

,
2
We k n ow a l so .
,

than k s to a l etter fro m Strada to the Po p e that the l atter ,

l aboured p erson a lly at the re han dl in g of the an ci en t hymn s of -

the brev iary 8

.

U rban VII I thought to give satisfaction to the taste of his

time by correctin g the p rosody—if p rosod y it c an be ca ll ed
of the ec c l es iasti ca l hy mn s I n the same way the B arberi n i .

a n d ma n y others restored the a n tiq ue sta tues attach in g to them ,

n ew l imbs whic h are a g rea ter d isfig ure men t to th em th a n a l l

the mutil ation s in fl icted on th em by the rude ha n d of time !

That th ese J esuits outran their commission an d un der p retex t , ,

of restorin g the l a n uage o f the hy mn s in acco rda n ce w ith the

g
ru l es of metre an d oo d m m d fo m d t h w o k o f C h i
g g ra a r e r e e r s r s ,

tia n an tiq u ity is a th in g n ow u n iv ersa lly ack n owledged

,
H ere .

is on e ex amp l e We p rin t in ita l ics the few words of the

.

origi n al re r ed in t h re is d s io n
p se v e v e v er

Maf Barbe in i P o m t ( Rom

1
. r , Fathe Matthias Sa biewsk i wa
s a a e, r r s
a l so po t a d hi co t mmr i
a e , n comp
s d him to H o ce ! C Somme vog l
n e ar es ar e ra . r e ,

Bi b l iothé q d l C om g i d jfi
ue
p e a ( P i a t
n ev 1 p 62 9 e
‘
sus ar s, . 1. . .

T hese a e the 0pe

1
r g s tan as of tw o o f t h
n 1n
es e hym s z n

Marti cel b i pl audit omi i n ae e r s n n ,

Cives Romul ei laudits gl orias ,

p
Insign em meri ns dici te vir gi n em,
h
C risti di cite martyrem .

Regali sol io fortis I

beriae
Hermen egil de ubar, gloria j martyrum,
h
C risti n os amor almis
i coetibus in scrit .

1S
h is documen t ful! p 3
ee t
'

in ,
‘
I Da iel T h
n nrus by 01
, ( H al l s
esau 0111 0 , 1 84 1 ) will be fou n d the text of

the Rom hym al of U ba V 11 pa all el

an n r n , r w it h the an ci en t text : al so in
Hy stm dc T empo" dc Sa nctis ( Sol esmes,
'

et
222 H I STO RY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
G
O R I IN A L T s x r
'
. R s r oa mnn T nx r
'
.

Con ditor al ms siderum, C reator a l me szdem m,

'

A ets rn a Lux creden tium A etern a Lux creden ti u m

C hriste, R edemp tor omn ium, Jesu, R edemp tor omn i u m

E xaud i p reces sup p l icum . In ten ds votis supp l icu m .

Q i
ui con dol ensn teri tu Q uid ae mon is n e fraud ib us

Morti s p erire saecul um, P eriret orb is, imp etu

Sal vasti mun dum lan guidum, A moris T ui, l an guid i
D on an s rei s remedium . Mun di medel a factus es .

V ergen te mun di vesp ers, Commun e q ui mun di n efas

U ti Sp on sus de thal amo, U t exp iare s ad Crucem,
E gressus hon estissima E V irgi n ia sacra rio
V irgin ia matris cl ausul a . In tacta p rodis V ictima .

C uj us forti p oten tiae Cuj us p ot

g l
estor
asias,

Gen u curvan tur omn ia, N omen q ue q uump rimum sons t,

Cael esti a, terrestria, E t cael ites s t in feri
N utu fa teutur subd ita . T remen te curvan tur gen u .

T s dep recamur, H agie, Te dep reca mu r, ul timae

J
V en ture udex saeculi, Magn um di ei Judicem,
Con serva n os in temp ore A rmis sup ern as gratiae
H osti s a telo p erfidi . D efen ds n os ab hostib us .

A t the p resen t time, al l the worl d ag rees i n regretti n g this

modern ization of the an cien t hymn s U rban VI II an d his .

v ersifi ers sta rted from a w ro n g p rin cip l e, thro ug h ign o ra n ce of

the rul es of rhyt hmic p oetry, a k in d of p oetry q uite mis

un derstood in an age wh en p eop l e i n a l l simp l icity be liev ed
the hy mn s of S Th omas A q uin as to h ave b een comp osed
.

Etrusco rhythmo It w ou l d be cruel to insist furth er on

such a mistak e .

1
h
T is h
rase occurs in the in troduction refixed to the Hy n n i Br roi a m p
R oma ni , s D N U r ba n i VI
. . . IIj ussu , at S R C appr oba tion , emend a ti . . .

et edi ti ( Rome, 1 629 pp

T he a roba tion of the Con gregati on of R ites is dated
h
Marc 17 th, 1629 at er Sommervogel
. h t v1 633, q uotes a severe criti . . p .

h
ciam of the an cien t ymn s coll ected by F h
at er Broti er from t r ee l etters, written to h
F hat er L abbe from Rome by at er Cavall i, a F h
ran ci scan : ave seen at er F Ih F h
J eremy Petrucc i, who wrote thel hymn s i n the n ew Roma n br eviary, a roved by pp
III p h
U rban V , who un is es wit excommun ication a n , who rin t the ol d on es h p
d p
.

I h h h h
f you ave the n ew ymn s, w i c hav e been ri n te se arately , you wi ll see p
h
t at on the l ast p
e the corrector says that he has correc ted as man y as 95 2
h
fal se q uan titi es , an t at a n yone who cares to mak e a t oroug examin ation h h
f aci l e mi l l s er r or cs d ep r ehcn dct Bu t U rban V s ea s. m or e res e ct ful l y of III p k p
h
t ese an ci en t ymns h For a rea son ed out cri tici sm of t i s unhapp y correction
.
-
h
h
of the ymn al by U rban V , see U III h
C eval ier , P oési e l i turg i q ue tr a di tiont
.

T ourn ai , p
xl ix l xi : al so D Bouix, D e ur e li turg ico,
.
-
. .
31 9 The
'

p . .

ren c htran sl a tor of Baumer , t 11 293, w ear . . p

the desi re ex ressed by the
. p
C ommi ssi on on the Gregorian c an t, oin ted by Pi us h
, for a return to
the X
an ci en t text of the ymns, h h
whic wo l c facil ita te the ro er execution of the a
pp p p
Gregoria n melodies ”
.
224 H I STORY O F THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
Gia ottan ta 0 n ovan ta an n i son o
’
1 o meio si celebrava 0 di n ove , 0
di tre letti on i D i n ove q uan do l ulfi cio era dop p io 0 semidop p io
.
’
.

D i tre q uan do l ufli cio era di festa se mp lice 0 feria

’
.
Q u a n to a l l
’

ofii cio dop p io, se midop p io e feri a l e, n ien te si variava da q uell o si usa
hoggi di, q uan to all e feste se mp lici vi era q ual che difleren tia I m
'

p e ro c c h e q u es ts s i c e l e b r a va n o c o l n o tt u m o d e ll a f e r ia e t r e l e t tio n i
del facen do in tutto il restan te l ofii cio del 8 come hoggidi si
’ 1°

costu ma con ta l ordin e, se dima n e fosse occorso un san to sem l ice

p
b oggi al cap itol o del V esp ro si p igliava del 8 e tutto il restan te del l 1° ’

u fii c io fin al matutin o, come hog idi si fa A l m tu t i n o i d ice v

g . a s a

l in vitatorio st himn o del

’
11 n ottu rn o della feria secon do sta dis
trib ui to n el p salterio, tre lettion i con tre resp onsorii del Poi l s
laudi st tutte l hore in cluden do Solamen te N ona, si faceva come b oggi
’

si costuma Da n on a in la n on si faceva p iu del 8 semp lice, ma

.
”

dicevan o i p sal mi del V esp ero feria li, et se n el giorn o seguen te d al tra
’

festa semp l ice, si p igliava dal cap itolo con 1 ordin e p redetto, se n on
’

vi era festa si segui ta va l ufli cio ferial e Q f m l i i f

’
u e
. st s e s t e s e p c se o s
sero occorse in giomo imp edito da q ual che festa d op p ia o se mi d0 ie
pp ,
n on si tran sferivan o come b oggi si a , ma si faceva di 1 010 la com
memorattion e a! p ri mo V esp ero et al matutin o L ofii cio della
.
’

Madon na 5 1diceva semp re, eccetto che n ell e feste d0pp ie st in al cun e
L ofii cio de morti si diceva semp re n ell e feste semp lici e
’ ’
ottave .

n elle ferie N e! temp o della q uaresima facen dosi di con tin uo de feria,
.

eccetto che n on fosse stata festa dop p ia s semido p ia, ottra all ofii cio
’

p
della Madon n a e dell i morti, vi si aggi un gevan o i sette p salmi con ls
leta n ie e i graduali .
’
f
N ell o fi cio feriale p oi 1 tutte l hore 1n fin e vi si
’

diceva n o l e p reci feria l i col Miserere come b oggi an co si s ec cetto

n el tem o Pas ual e L f t d i m i d o i si ce lebravan o
p q e
. es e o pp ’ e e se pp e

con n ove p sal mi s n ove l ettion i, come s s detto, s t essen do i mp edite

da q ua l che festa maggiore si tran sferivan o n el p giom o vacan te di °

simil festa, e tra di l oro n on vi era al tra difi eren tia se n on che n ell e
'

,
semidop p ie si diceva l offi cio del la Madon n a, n on si d up p licavan o l s
’

an t , si facevan o l e commemorattion i al V espero, s t matutin o, et a

°

p ri m a e t co m p i eta si d i ce van o l e p re c i c on su e t e , l s q u a li c o s e a n c o
haggi si osservan o .

Hor p erchs l ufii cio delle feste semp l ici e feria l e all hora era trop p o
'

l M i m rti, e n el
'
i d
’
i i fii
’

g r a v ato d c e n d o s c o n 1 o fii c o d e la a d onn a 1 o c o s o
feria le le p reci, e n ella q uaresima l s altre coss p redette, p er volerlo
sgravars , e far che l ofli cio fosse p i11 toll erab ile, fu in trodotto il mod o
’ ‘

c he al p resen ts si osse rva, cioé che le feste semp l ici q ua li eran o di tre
lettioni fossero di n ove lettion i, st si facesse d i 1010 s ome delle feste
se midop ie, et essen do i mp edite d al tra festa dop p ia si transferissero
’

p
n el p °
g i o m o v acan te , ta l ch e n on si f
a ce sse p i 11 d i
‘
l o ro c o mm e m o

E t in q uesto modo si vien e 1 schifars d ue coss : l un o a

’
rattion e .

schifare l offi cio de morti q ual si diceva n elle feste se mp l ici, ma n on

’ ’

n ell e feste semido m l m i l l l ffi i d ll

’

pp ,ie ri a n e n d o so o c o e n q u e e o c o e a

Madon na : 1 al tra che tran sferen do tutte ls feste semp l ici si vien e ad
’
T HE BREVI A RY OF THE COU N C IL OF TRE N T 22 5

occup ar tutt i I
i giorn i feriali , et si fugge la gravezza del la feria, et cosi
si osserva h ggidi
o .

Ma si s visto alla giornata che q uesto modo che al p resen ts si os

serva i n trod otto come si vede solamen te p er fuggi re 1 a gravezza dell
’

offi ci o ha cau sa to maggiori in con ven ien ti di q uelli di p rima . I mp e

rocché q uesto tran sferir de San ti us ap p orta gran con fusion s n ella
’

C hiesa, tran sferen dosi diversamen te in diverse chiese e cel ebran dosi
in n u medesimo gi orn o in un a medesi ma citta m d iversi l uoghi et da
“
diverse p erson s diversi S , s t in oltre si transferiscouo molte volte
q u a t tro e c i n q u e m es i l o u tan o : c oss c h e 1 o g n i p ’
e rs o na r e l ig io sa da
g ran fastidi o . P o i p e rc hé c o n q u es to tr a n s fe ri r d e S 11
s i o c c u p a n o
tutte ls ferie, n e nasce q uest a l tro in con ven ien te che rarissime vol ts
’

n ell an n o si s l ofii cio de feria, e q uel che

’ ’
é p gg
e io n e ll a q u a re s im a

ogni giomo si a de 8
“
essen do cio in terditto p er i sacri ca n on i p er
esservi I i olfi cii p rop rii, si come an co si osserva n el missal e . Et da
u ts n e n asce an cora, che n on si legge se n on o h i i m o d lla
q e s
p c ss e
scrittura, haven dosi p ero a leggere in ciascun temp o secon do la d is

tribution s di Gelasi o, e si mi l men te il p sal terio, q uale n el Breviario é

stato comparti to da leggersi p er tu tta 1 a sen timan a, con q uesto mod o
mai si legge se n on ra rissimo, e q uel li del commun e de S son o tutto ’ 11

1 di in bocca delli huomin i con tedio e fastidio d ogn iun o

’ ’
. E q uesto
ha causat o gran d ign oran tia n ei clerici, p ercioché n on ha [ n ] p ra tti ca
’

a l cu na n é de p sal mi, n é dell a scrittura E quan do p ur un giorn o

’
.

occorre far de feria s in garbuglian o, n s san n o don de comin cia rs ,

’

ri man en do pero grave come an ticamen te di tan ti al tri olfi tii e p reci

c he mai fin iscon o, s t 1 1 p sal terio q ual bisogn ava che an ticamen te i

V escovi sap essero tutto a men ts, come scrive S Gregorio, se doreva n o .

p r om o versi hora a
p e ns si v e d e .

Si che p er p rovedere al li sudetti disordin i st in con ven ien ti che dal

p re s e n ts us o n e r i u s c i s c o n o . Il sac r osa n to C o n cil io T riden tin o
p e r

l i richiami che in diversi temp i da diverse ban ds sop ra cio son nati,
in sp irato da Sp i ri to 8 deli bero p rovids rci con dep utare alcun i p relati
1°

sop a la correttion e di simil disordi n i, et [ n on ] haven do

p o s s u to m an

darlo, essecuttion e p er 1 esp edittion e del Con cilio questo n egotio, lo

'

ha rime- so 1 N
1ro
Sig , i ! q ua l subi to con voca to in R oma alcun i Pre
"

lati che sop ra di cio da l Con cilio eran o stati dep utati, accio deliber
assero quel tan to che b isogn ava . Iq uali haven do ben discusso il
n egocio et matura men te con si dera to, 1 0 hann o ridotto 1 p erfs tti on e
seguita n do e ten en do I in frascritto ordin e
’
.

Si é considerato che i! modo an tico in se era buon o, ma p er 1 ag

’

g iu n ta d
’
a l c un i o fii c ii a gg i un ti era di v en ta to n o j o so : p e ro s i é a tt es o
a ridur l ofii ci o al l an tico e moderar ls coss che sin alI hora come al
’ ’

p resen ts a
gg ra v an o l ’
o lfi c io .

é
Si visto che l ofii cio dell e feste semp l ici era ben ordinato, p oiché
.
’

si deve p ur far difleren tia da feste sem l i ci 1 i l

'

p p n so e n n e . N e lle f e st e
solen ni ap p resso I i an tichi si faceva o l s viiigie in diverse parti dela
n
n otte, le q uali si son con servate i n i t o tt u i l i i di
q u e re n rn q u a s s
2 26 H I STO RY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
tin guon o n e le l feste di n ove lettion i, e di q ui era che app remo I i p iu
an tichi Ioffi cio si faceva di p ochissimi san ti, q ua li eran o p iu sol en n i
’

che bevevan o I s vigilie, si come ap p are in alcun i an tichissimi Breviarii,

s t di q uesto p ads 1 1c In di e r esurr ectranrlr, sr j esl um est n ovem

' '

. .

l ectiones, p eroche in q uelli temp i si faceva semp re di feria, et iI

ma rtirol ogio sup p liva aI Ii al tri $ , si come an co alcun i ofli cii mona
11

chali osservan o . Ma essen do p oi n el calen d aggion ti molti altri S , ° 11

n ven ien te far vi q ual che di fi ersn tia dall i a ltri p iu sol en ni,
'

p a re v a fo sse c o
facen doli col n otturn o della feria p er n on in terromp ere iIcorso del
p s a l te rio, e n el resto tutto l o cio fosse del
’
m n on I i d an d o p e ro a
diflers n tia del dop p io e semidop p io se n on il p rimo V esp e10 E
'

u t o m o d o s i tr o v a o ss er v a to i n tutti i Brevia rii vecchi , et an cora

q e s

osservan o alcun e p rovin cie e religion i . Ps ro pa ren do raggion svole

alii sudetti Sig
" 1 dep utati, ban vol uto restituire l offi cio delle feste
’

semp lici col n ottur n o della fe ria come p n on varian do in al tro dall
‘ ’

an ti co, se n on che dop p o la terza lstrion e si I assa 1 1 3 resp onsorio, et

°

si dice il T e Deu m Et q uesto si s fatto p er far difi eren tia dal la festa
'

alla feria et p er n on variare daI Iuso comun e che si dice 11 Glor ia in

’

ex cel szs a ogn i 8 n el la messa, et an co fare di 1 010 la commemoration s

'
1°

essen do imp edite d al tra festa maggiore, p er far difi eren za tra quests
'
’

all e altre feste p iu sol en n i I s q ua l i si uan sferiscon o, s t p er evitars la

'

con fusion s c he di s p ra si s detto, s t p er n on imp edir l o cio ferial e,

o
’
m
come al p rese n ts si fa . E p erché q uesto o eio di feste semp l ici m
ap p resso I i an tichi era trop p o grave p er I i altri olfi ci i ag ion ti, si s
g
pg i l i a t o es p ed i e n t e d i l ev ar l ’
o ffi c i o d e m o r t i, il q u a l n o n 5 1 di es o g n i
g i orn o , t a n to n e ll e f es t e se m p l i c i, c o m e n e ll e fe r i e , m a so l o a l c u n i
g i or n i, c io é o g pn i °
d i d el m e ss , e n e lli g i o rn i c h e s i fa l
’
o l fi c i o d e lla
vigil ia s dei q ua ttro temp i come di sotto si dira , e n s I l
’
A d v e n t o e

q u ar es i m a o gn i L u n e d i, e c os i s i v ie n e a s g ra v a r e an c o I
a f e r i a ,
Ia q u a l e
si s sgravata an co dalle p rec i, q ual i n on si dicon o se n on n el l A dven to
’

e q uaresima e n ell e vigilie e q uattro T emp i, n on 1 tutte l hore, come

’

hora si fa, ms 111 V esp ero solo, st I le laudi . I n ol tre l s ferie del la

q u a res i m a si son sgravate in pa rts a l tr e c o s s , f ace n d o c h e i se tt e

sa l mi e graduali n on si dicon o ogn i giom o, ma di sp en san doli p er la

setti man a . IIMercordi I i gradua li, I i sette sal mi iIV en erd i, ta l chs
cosi n on si I eva s fi atto q uel c he fin q ua si s usato, ma si son moderate
’

tal men te che vien e ad esser l eggi ero il dir del l offi cio senza che
’

alcun o si p ossa richiamare .

L ofli cio del le feste d0p p ie e semidop p ie si é lessato come semp re,
’

et h ora si écostuma to .

Q u e ! ch e o l t r e a l s o p ra d e t t o o r di n e si s f a tt o é q u es t o . P erc h é si
vede in effetto che p er la mol tip l icattion e d i feste si o ccup an o mol ti

g i o r n i n e 1 q ua l i n o n s i le gg e d e ll a s cr i tt u r a , p e ro é p ar s o a li i s u d e tti
Sig ds p utati fa r c he ogn i giom o, 0 Si facci l officio del 8 0 della
f1 ”
’

feria, se mp re si l eggi q ua lche coss della scrittura di q uel l ibro che

corre . Et in q uesto si tien e q uest ordin e ’
.
Q u a n d o s i f a l ’
o ffi c i o di
n ove le ttion i, ls
p ri m e t re del
p
°
n o tt u rn o s ia n o d e l l a s c rit tu ra ;
 2 28 H I STO RY O F THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
man o D omin i Sabaoth, alcun e son o de san ti, tra al cun e di
’
ottave

q u es t s o t t a v e s i s l ’
o f fi ti o d e ll e D o m e n ic h e o cc o rr e n t i a l m o d o d e l l ’

ottava, tra alcun e al tre si fa dell e feste in fra q uell e occurren ti ; ci é

p a rs o d ar q u a I c h e o r d in e g e n e ra l s d e ll e o tt a v e , i l q u a l e é q u e s t o ,

che q uan do il giomo ds ll ottava é d opp io, I i giom o in fra ottava sian o
’

se mid0p p ii , e cosi si faran n o di n ove l ettioni et della Domen i co in fra .

Iottava si fara al modo dell otta va eccetto oration s l homel ia e

’ ’ ’

i cap itol i . Delli S che trs q uella occorren o n on si farra se n on son

11

dopp ii, st in q uesto modo si celebramn n o tutte I s ottava del Sig " 1

cioe q uel l o di N ata l e, Ep ip han ia , A scension e e C orp o di C hristo .

Q u e ll e d e l l e P as q u e h an n 0 i l s u o o r d i na r io . N e ll
’
a l tr e o tt a v e c h e i l
g l o m o d e l l
’
o t t a v a é se m id o pp io . in f r a l
'
o tt a v a s i fa r a a ! m o d o d e l
se mp l ice, e dell i S semp li ci s r V ergin e occurren ti si fart s l ofi cio
11 ’

a! mod o dell ottava, del la D omen ica in fra q uella si farra s l mod o
’

con sueto con comme moration s del l ottava

’
.

Perché da i modem i son stats aggion te al cun e otta ve sen za n eces

sits ls q ua l i i mp edisc on o l ofli cio c urren ts , p ero si é l eva to l ottava
’ ’

a ll a C on cep tion s del la Madon na q uale imp edisce l ofli cio d el l A dven to,
’ ’

e l ottava del la V isitati on e q uale imp edisce l otta va di S Pietro e s

’ ’
. .

Paol o che an tica men te si faceva, e si son lessate al la Madon n a d ell

'

A ssu mp tion s e della N ativita in settembre .

Perchean co si vede in mol te p rovin cie e R egn i che il sabbato é in

ven eration e della Madon n a h a r 1 essers q uesto breviario
g r a n p e r v e

comun e, accio l s al tre u s tion i d i cio n on p igli n o ad mi ra tion s, si s

p r es o p e r es p e di e n te c h e o g n i v o l ts c h e il sa bb a t o n o n é i m p e d i to
ds alcuna festa si facci l o eio della Madon na , eccetto 1
’
m a q uaresima

s n el l e ferie d e q uattr o T emp i e delle V igil ie, s t p erché n on s in ter

’ ’

ro mp i Iordin e del p sal terio si é ordinato si faccia s I modo della festa

’

semp l ice col n otturn o della feria .

Perché si op p on e an co al Breviario vecchio tra l altre cose che

’

dan fastidio, che n elle leggen de de S si l eggon o molte cose apo 11

chrip he, et di alcun e leggen de si l egge p ochissimo e ni en te di q uell o

a ps rtien e a lla vita del et an co scon cia men te e con p arole che
p
u l fi d I m i m l i i d
'

p i to st o p o s s o n o ta v o ta o e n e r e s en t se p c , n o n s e r v an o
n e il decoro n e 1 hon esta C hristin a, p ero 30p m di cio si s fatto
’

p iu e

p i u v o l ts d a l l i sudetti Sig "1 D ep u t a ti d is cu ss i o n s e fi n a l m e n te s i s

m
,

risol uto che miglior modo n on si p oteva ten ere che 03 ds

tutte l s historie de S I ti
s coss p iu authen tiche, si facci un a comp ila
tion s, e d i ciasc un san to in brevita et con un sti le mediocre che
b abbia del l eccl esiastico, tocca r ls coss p iu importan ti che faccin o
’

ad edi fication e s t sodisfatti oue di q uell i che ls leggeran n o . Ne a

q u es to o b s t a , c h e n o n si u si n o l s p a r o l e i s te sse d e i 10 1 s c r i t o r i, p ri m a

p e r ch e a c c i o s ia n o p iu c o p io s e , s o n p r e s s d s p iu s c r i tt o ri e d a p i u
luoghi, p oi p erché alcun e son state scritte da 1010 m mol te carts che
.

é difii cile usan do I s 1 01 par le restrin gerie in compen d io (an chor che
o
q u an d o s i s o n o b e vu t e scr it t e s u c c in t a m en t e d e A u to ri a u th e n t ic i,

c ome d i S . Hieron imo n el l ibro dell i scrittori ecclesias tici si son

T HE BREV I A R Y OF THE CO UN C I L O F TR EN T 2 29

I
s sas te
) . Ma se ben e q uesto n on s p ossuto semp re servare, n on
si

p e r q u es to res ts ch e q u a n d o i l b r e v ia r io sa r ra a pp ro ba te d a N 1o
S ig
re

n on habbis d havere i rita, che se b abbin o dal I i l r s utori

’

p u a u t o o .

P resup p on en dosi che q uell o ss rra a p p roba to da S S , sis stato p rims “ .

con sid erato s o d u to i i u u t h ti c i h S i t to p o ss i b il e

p re s a a r p s en c e s s a ,

n on si haven do a dar re ols in to ! P E t t t o i u n el l i

g q u e s a a p a .a n p
Breviarii an tichi n on si s mai usata quests diligen tia d i n omin are I i
s utori, essen do in diversi Brevia rii dive rsi l e en dsrii et eran o app resso
g
Ii an tichi gesta ma r tir u m scritti ds lli Prothon otarii, q uali an davan o
attom o sen za authors , 8 1 come S Gregorio p ar lan do in una homelia.

di S Felicita dice haverlo p reso dalI

. i suoi gesti n on n ominan do a utore,
cosi p arimen te si dira hab bis fa tto Paps P io, q uan do hsvra ap p roba to
-

e man dato fu ors i l Breviario, come fecero Pap a Cl emen te e Paol o n el

Breviario di 8 Croce, e q uelle vite son o giudicate I
“ a migl ior coss
che sis in
q u el B revia rio, e
p u re c o m p i la te d a I e tte ra ti d i q u e t e m
p o ,

del le q ual i vite I '1

i sop radetti Sig dep u tati havevan o p en sato ds l p rin
si p io di servir sen e, ma p erché gl i occorse dop p o l on gs consideration s,
che an co q uel l e si si p otevan o migliorare gli p iacq ue q uests risolu
tion e che si scrivessero n el modo detto sup p l en do a molti difi etti , che
'

si n el la verita delIhi storia, si n el modo di scriverle I s 5 1trovavan o

’
.

I Iche tan to p iacq ue a q uei Sig che dissero n on osserci coss della
" 1

q u a l e p iu si so d is fs cess e r o, e t M o n s d i M . o d e na d i p p
r o r ia m an o n e
scrisse sei 0 se tte con mirab il con ten to, e
p oi st a n d o m a l e m i fe ce

p ro m e tte r e di es se rs in s i e m e c o n m G i u l.io P o gg ia n o e c o n d u rre a

fi n e q uests vite n el modo comin ciato Ne! che sp ero habbis essers
.

con 1 aiuto di D io coss che fara che si I audi I a ma tura del i beration s
’

di q uei sign ori .

Et in tutto q u el lo si s fatto si é bevuto risp etto n on si muti coss

alcu na dell i l ib ri del l e Ch iese et 1 1 modo e facil issimo .

Occorren o delle altre cose tte che n el con testo del Breviario son
sta te corrette delle q uali hora n on mi esten do a ren ders raggion e

p a r e n d o m i h av e r t o cc o i s c o se p i u p ri n c i p a l i q u a n to s p e tta a ll
’
o rd i n e
di tutto il Breviario : q uelle n el scorrere del Breviario si p otra nn o
un s l tra volts dire etc 1
’
.

EX C URSUS D .

P RO SP EC T US I I
O F T HE REV S O N O F C L EMEN T V III .
‘

Cu r m
-
PREC IPUA 11: “ 1111104 1 10111; sarm s n n 110 114 111 m a nu m ,

UAE S ° °
D m
1
N C u ms 111 1 V I
°
IIPRO PO N U N TU R mus rumero ac
-
Q ,

cs n suas s sus m ssa .

I
n p rimis lection es de vita m q uae p l urimis erro
et gestis san ctoru ,

ribus refertae sun t, ad historias verits tem red ucun tur m m i im

q ua n e ,

fieri p otest mutation s, reten ti s etiam iis q uae p roba bilia sun t et fal
sita tis o mnin o coargu i n on p ossun t . A c de b
omn i us sin gil iatim red
ditur ra tio ut mos se uetur
, q .

1T
he documen t en ds here abr up tl y. a8 1
111 . Vati c Lat 6096 , fol 88-9
. . . .
2 30 H I ST O RY OF T HE ROM A N BREVI A R Y

2 . I
n meran dis R oman orum Pon tificu m an n is, in q uo scrip tores
nu

in ter se valde dissen ti u n t p iacet recip ien dum esse comp utum ab
,

II !1110
D ca rdin als Baron io in A n na l E ccl observatu m q ui magn o
“ . .
,

studio as diligen tia ex p roba tis s uctoribus ab s o ded uctus est In .

ordin ation ibu s vero, L ibrum p on tifi calem in scrip tum Da mssi n omin e ,

c um al iu n de q uidq ua m certi us haberi n on p ossit .

3 . F ests s oru m sa n ct oru m , q ui p o st e m en da ti on e m P 11 V b rev iario

R oman o addi ti fuerun t, videl icet R omualdi, Fran cisc i de Paula P etr i ,

martyris, Sta n islai ep iscop i A n ton ii de Padua st N icolai de T olen tin o,

,

sub olfi cio semidup lici celeb rari deb ere omn in o videtur id q uod s ,

p l u ri mi s v i ris p l is s t in reb us ecc les ias ti cis ex er ci tatis su mm op ers

exp eti tur s t maxi me s German is s t Pol on is catholicis, ap ud q uos

,

solemn itas diei domi n ici in magn s ven eration s ha betur, et s egre p a
tiun tu r ut ill ins offi cium sasp e omitten d um sit ob al icuius san cti fes
tu m q ui in ter maiores n on censeatur
, P raeterea in con gruum videtur
.

u t in sign iores martyres ac mul ti Su mmi Pon tifices habes n t olfi ci u m

semidup l ex, vel etiam simp lex, s t p lures ex recen tiori bus, q ui in
aliq u ib us p rovin ci is p a rum cogn iti sun t, cel eb ren tur c um olfi cio

dup lici .

4 . Horum san ctorum lection es in breviorem formam redactas sun t ,

q u a e o b s u p er fl uu m v e rb o r u m cir c u itu m o m n i bu s disp li c e bs n t .

5 . Le c tio n es ex s e rm on ib u s e t h o m il iis SS .P atru m , c u m ip so ru m

auctorum libris et mss et mel ioris n otae imp ressis diligen ter colI
. a tae

su n t, s t in 1 15 tan tum l ocis mutats e, qui omn in o corrup ti eran t, q ui

q u i d em e t si n o n p a u c i si n t ,p a rv a ta m en s pp a re bit v a rie tas c u, m
p l er u m q ue u n iu s v e rb i , in te rd u m e tia m syll ab ae m u t a tio n s res t itu
an tur .

6 .Lection es ex Patri bus coll ectae, ut commun ibus san ctoru m ad

dersn tur, in 11110 q uoq ue commun i sep tem dis rum olfi cio assign a tae
p 10 iis ecc l esii s, q u a e fes tu m p pro rii p a tr o n i c u m o c ta v a c ele b ra r e
consueverun t, n ec b eben t l ection es p rOp rias de ei us vita et
un de cogun tur eas q uae in dis festi p osita e sun t saep e rep etere ; extra
Breviarium eden tur seorsum, n e Breviarii vol u men excresca t p otis
simu m vero, q uia in Brevia rio R oman o es tan tu m s p n un tu r, q uae
po
ab omn ibu s n ecessario ds ben t, has autem maiori p arti eccl esiarum

deservire n on p ossun t, cum p lures dedics tae si n t in hon ore m ill orum
san ctorum, q uibus in un iversali ecclesia tribu itu r octava ; p l ures
u
q qo u e h a b es n t l ec t io n es p p
r o ria s p r o o m n i bu s o ct a v a s di e b u s

multae n on habes n t con suetud in em celebran di octavam p rop rii pa

tron i, cum ex regul is Breviarij ad hoc n on ob lige n tur . T um etiam,
u ia hac addition s remediu m n on sdhibetur un iverso in commodo,
q
q u o d u r ge re v id eb a tu r , c u m p l u res f e s tiv i tat es r e m an ea n t s in e l e c ti o
n ibus p ro oc tavis, in iis scil icet eccl esiis, in
q u ib u s p rin ci p a lis t it u l u s
est festum san ctissimae T rin itati s, san ctae C rucis, Con cep tion is, Prae

sen tation is, A nn un tiation is, V isits tion is et P urification is Bes tae Ma
ris e, item san cti Mic haelis ar chan s li, T ransfigu ra tion is Domin i etc
g .

7 P r
.o p o situ m fu it q uo d in r u br i cs d s o ct s v is a pp o n e n d a es s e t
 2 32 HI STORY O F THE ROM A N BREVI A RY

o
p p
r ri u s rep e riri p omet, retin en d us vi detur, q ua mvis de auctors , seu

p oti us collectors
(
ua m totu s ex ver bis Cyp rian i st C h rysostomi com

i i m ven erabil is Bedse esse

p e c tu s e s t) n o n c on s te t q u fu er t ; e t c u
n on credatur (cui ta men in mul tis mss tribuitur, et in ter eius Op era .

excusus ha betur) q uis ei us temp ore festum hoc n on du m in stitutum

fu ers t in un iversa li eccl esia, p laceret ut sub n omin e beati Od on is
ab batis C l un iacen sis I egeretur, cui s d scrip tus est in an ti q uo lectio
n ario mss san ctae Mariae ad Martyres
. .

14 . Domin us cardin al is Baron ius exp oscit ut festu m san ctorum

N erei s t A c hill ei rep onatur cu m officio semidup lici, iisq ue adiu n gatur
san cta Domiti lla vi rgo s t martyr, q uam ip si ad Christu m con verterun t,

ds cuius vita et martyr io, q uod con tigit sex di es an te, s ddatur lecti o,
q u ae e ri t s e x ts. E 1 i n k al e n da r i o le g en d u m e ri t s i c : S a n c t o r u m
N ers i, A chill ei, Domiti l lae virgin is, atq ue Pan cratii ms rtyrum .

15 . De lection s san ctae Petron illas iterum dubitatum fuit, an mag is

exp ediat il la m omitters st eius l oco l egere u n am de commun i vir

g in u m , si c u t i fa c t u m v i d em u s in s an c to G e o r io
g , M ar g a ri ta , e t a lii s,

u o rum acts sun t in certa et dubis E t h o id m d m i d t

q . c e c ens e n u v e u r

de l ection ibus san ctae Catharinas .

16 . Die 5 j an uarii add ita est commemoratio san cti T el esp hori pu p a e
et ma rtyr is, q uae rep eritur in q u ib usdam an tiq u is b reviariis .

I7 Psal mi et lection es de Scrip ture ad n ovissimam bibliorum edi

.

tion em redactas sun t .

18 . P ostremo, rubricas gen era les, atq ue i l lae etiam q uae p rop r us
locis adhiben tur, diligen ter examinatae sun t, st q uas in vicem con
traria s s e i n ter se p ugn an tes sn i madverti mus, q uoad fieri p otuit
con cil iare studu imus, obscuras et ambiguas p la n ius exp l ics rs, imp er
l eete s s c mutila s supp l ers , sup erfi uas resecsre, servato ta men eodem
ord in e, i mmo n ulla p en i tus in re irn muts to .

1 9 V idetur n ecessario s p p on en dum S

.
“11
D N breve, in q uo huius
111 1

emen dati on is ratio ali q ua reddatur, n e homin es ali ud n ovu m brevi

ariu m esse susp i can tes, scan dal i an sa m s cci is n t E t o ss e t in h a n c
p .
p
vel similem formam con cip i .

Licet Pius V fel icis recordation is, reformato a se Breviario R oman o,

p e r s u a m c o n st itu t i o n em p ro hi b ue r i t n e a l i q u id in s o m u t s re t u r , s u t
s dderetur , vel min ueretur, multorum tamen sive yp ograp horum, si ve
t
al iorum audacia ac temerits s usq ues deo p rocessi t, ut n ulla is m te

p e r ia n tu r B re via r ia , q u a e a p r i m a i lls e d it io n s i n p l ur i m is n o n d is

crs p en t . N am s t lection es de n ovo additae fuerun t ; mul tas un usq uis

u u o b it r a t u m u ta vi t ; p sal mi et alii sa crsrum scri turs rum loci
q e s a r p
a bsq ue d el ectu ad vul gats m edi tion em redacti sun t ; irn mo in aliq uibus
o

Breviariis p sits est q uaedam p salterii versio q uae n ec cu m vu lgata,

o ,

n ec cu m an tiq ua R omans con sen tit . R ub ricas gen eral es et p arti cu lat es
su b p raetextu maioris sxp lics tion is i mmuts tae, p l ur s dilii cul tates
e
con tradi ction esq ue p ari un t N os huic malo, q uod magis magis us in
.

q
dies s ugescit, occurrers n ecessariu m iudics n tes, Brevia rium i p sum
recogn osci man davimus, et cum p rims ills p raefa ti Pii V edition s
 T HE BREVI A RY OF TH E C OU N CIL OF T RE N T 2 33

colls tu m, restitutis us dep ravata eran t, dil igen ti ssi e immimi

q uae
fecimus in n ostrs typ ograp ia Vaticana, districtius p raecip ien tes n e
m
i i m i m
h im m d d l d h
q u s n p o s te ru q u d q u s In s o u t are , s ut a ers v e et ra er e

p ar e s u m s t, se d in teg ru m ip su m a c p r o r su s in c o rr up tu m , s ic u t m od o
edi tur, a b omn ibus retin es tur .

Q u od u t fs cil ius e xe q u a tu r ac fi d e li u s ser v et u r,

m a n da m u s o rdi n
sn I s et in q uisitori b us l ocoru m, u bi dei n cep s Breviaria excuden tur, ut
il ls cu m hac n ostra edition s di ligen ter con ferri euren t, et n isi cu m
es omn in o con cords re re ererin t, I
p ice n t ia m p ub lics n d i et di stra h en d i
n on con ceda n t, sed ills s Ieri facian t, etc .

EXCU RSUS E .

L ETT ER F RO M FAT H ER ST RA DA T o U RBAN V III .

1

BEAT I MO PA
SSI DRE .

Gia che p iaéc iu to a ll a S a n tit a V os tr a far m i p a rts I f al cun i hin n i,

dalla sua al tretan to dotta, che san ta man o ridotti in miglior forms , s
comman dsr mi che 30p m di essi ls n e dis il mio rere, cosi Iobe
’

p a
i
d sc L m odame o m s p arso n ecessario, s con si n gu lar gratis
i i
’
o . a cc o n t
aggi ustate H0 n on dimen o q ualche difli cul ta in tr e 0 q uattro coss,
.

che q ui a lla S V rap p resen to, con q ue ll hu mil ts, che si deve al l
’ ’
. .

al tissimo suo ss p er e .

Q ua dcu rn q ue o i nc li s s up e r te r r a m str i n xe ri s L a S '

V h
. a s cco mo . .

data Q uadcumq ue vi ncul is I mmi r emnxen s N on so se q uel I mmi

‘ ’

chiars men te risp on de a q ue l sup er tar r a m ci oe tra gl huomin i s t

’
-

in q uesto moudo Pero io, p er n on mi p a rtir molto ds l l an ti co,

’

haveva p en sato dire—in l oco di

.

Q d i i
’

u a c u rn q u e o n cl s s u p e r ter r a in s tn n x er i s ,

i [ i i ro
Q u a dc u rn q u e o n cl i s t e n a e stfi n x er rs .

N el l bin n o
'

E t p ri ncipa l s! un i ta s etc .

I
n S V muta . cosi

l a m sol r ecedi t igneus '

Tu q p er en n is un ita s etc .

Iodoco Cl ictoueo n el suo El ucids tori o degl hin n i fa gran mis

’

teri sop ra q uel p r zna joa l i is un ita s, dicen do trs Ial tre cose : Dicitur
’

un i tas p ri nci a l s! ,
p q u ia om n is un ita tis in re b us h u m an i s es t p r in c i
p iu m et fo n s, a q ua q uid q uid in m u n ds es t un u m , su a m ha b e t u n i
ta tem . I ta D eus 1p ss dicitur prin cipal is veritas, p in cip s i s bon itas, i '

i
virtu s etc E veramen te, come I
. n S V sa megli o di tutti, la parola
. .

ri nci a l s! si trova ts l hora a b i i i i i m

p p pp r es s o uo n scr tto r n se n t e n to
sirn il e 1 q uesto, come p r i n cip a l “ Ma iesta s etc Si che p oten do pas .

I the Vi ctor Emman uel Library

1 n
at Rom , San O nofrio Coll ection , 5 07 ( for
e t-

merly fol . 1- 3.
234 HI ST O RY OF T HE ROMA N BREVI A R Y

massime p er riveren za di S Gregorio, di cui e Ibin n o, I

a S V
’
sars, . . .

d i ra se e ben e n on lo mutare
j u cs .

N el l istesso bi n n o
’

Te nastr a supp l ex gl or ia
P er cu ncta la nder saeculo
la S V . . moda
acco

0 j an is ut te supp l ices
La udemus i n ter cael i tes .

Se ben e si p otrebbe in ten ders p er supp l ant gl or ia , gl ar i/ica tia, I a us,

p r aecan i um uad a su
q pp l icib u s d a tu r , a l l u d en do si p er
p are re d i C li c
toueo aIversetto Glor ia P a tr i , ct E l ia etc , n on dimen o ls con si .

deration s s t emen da tion s della S V mi p are che p revaglin o . . Se .

p u re n o n si g i ud icasse b e n e p s 1 n o n a ll on tan ars i m olto da l l

’
an tic o ,
—
,

i
d cos
r i in cambio di
Te n ostr a su pp l ex gl or ia

P er cun eta la uden t saecula .

N ell b in n o Fer V I ad V esp P l asma tor nomin is D eus, I s S V

’
. . . . .

muta cosi : D eus cr ea tor sider u m Descriven dosi in q uesto bin no .

della feria sesta ls coss create da D io n el sesto giomo, il che 5 os

’

serva n egl hin n i del V esp ero degl al tri iom i, n on p a re, che si p os a
’ ’

g
s

0 I asciar Ihuomo, p rin cip a l op ra di q uel giomo, o p arlar delle stell e

’

cr ests n el q u arto giomo, come 5 1 dice n el l b in n o della fe ria q uarts ,

’

L una e min i str as or dinem, Vagasq ue cur sus sider um Pero p er n on fa r .

molta mutation s dirrei P lasma tor a nomin is D eus .

N ell o stesso hin n o N abis dedisti suoiciens dal la S V in ca mbio d i . .

subden s dedi sti nomi n i , n el che rap p resen to al la S V se I

s p aresse p iu . .

N el Ib in n o della B V
’
. .

Memen to sa l utis a uctor ,

Q uad n ostr i q uon da m cor

p or is ,

N a scendo for ma m sump ser i r,

I
a S . V . muta cosi

N ostri q uad a r tus carp ort! ,

Sacr a ta a b a l s o Vi rgin s! .

Q uests strofe é daI

p l b in n o del Natale, Chr iste r edemp tor ans
ress
’

ni u m, bin n o di S A mbrosio, p s 1 riveren za del quale I

. o mutarei
ms n co che fusse
p ossibil e A m e uen iua.in men ts n u m od o tal e :

Sal utis a uctor a sp ire,

N ostr i q uad al i rn corp or is,
 CHA PTER VI .

J
T HE PRO ECT S O F BEN ED CT x1v I .

DO M GU ERAN GER, in the second vo l u me of his I nsti tutions

L i turg i ques, has w ritten the h istory of the Gall ican reforms of
the R oman b rev iary, an d stated the case again st th em ; an d
it w ou l d be d iffi cu l t in deed to do eith er w ith greater sp irit .

A n d our read ers w ill have suffi cien tly p erceived ( fro m the very
begin n in g of our book on wards) the direction in which our p er
so n a l p referen ces run , to fee l su re tha t we con sider th at history

as comp l etely sup p ortin g our j udg men t, an d that case as bein g

l eg itimately an d fully p roved But it w ill be far from bein g

—
.

usel ess foll owi n g Dom Gué ran ger as con cise ly as p ossibl e
to g ive some acco un t of th ese Ga ll ica n attemp ts to substi tute
for the R oma n b reviary of P ius V , Cl emen t VI I I an d U rban
VII I , somethin g which ca lled itsel f a better reformed breviary .

For in these attemp ts we fi n d on the on e h an d criticisms, an d

o n the oth er h a n d fa n tastic n otion s, wh ich between them are

q u a l ifi ed to s h o w us i n what res p ec ts the wo rk o f P i u s V a n d

his successors was in co mp l ete, an d in what resp ects it was
ll
ex ce en t .
1

I have already told how the R oman breviary of S P ius V .

was received i n F ran ce an d esp ec ially at Paris ,

In 164 3 the .

A rchb ishop of Paris J oh n F ra n cis de Goudy had the Parisian

, ,

b reviary of 1 5 84 revised in order to ren der it as fu lly con ,

formed as p ossibl e to the Ro man breviary : a good p roof that

the Roman b reviary was at tha t time con sidered i n F ra n ce as
tha t which if n ot of obl igation was at a ll even ts the model to
, ,

be fo llowed It is o n ly when the reig n of Louis XIV is w e ll

.

o n its way th at con curren tly w ith the d isp utes abou t the re
,

g a l e
’
, the fi rst p roj ects o f l iturg ica l refor m mak e th ei r a pp ear

1 With th wo k of Dom Gué an g m y be joi d th mo o p h of Ma c l

e r r er a ne e n a r e ,

L i orrs l i tu rgi q ues da D ioci se dc L a ng r es ( Paris, an d at hy Coll ett e,

Histoi r e du Br évi a i r e de R ouen ( Rouen , For the German book e, an d cc
er i al ly the two famous breviari es of Col og e an d Mun ster ( r 7 84 ) , see
n
s sum . t 11 p p 338 7 1
. .A lso for the breviary of Pistoj a
. see 33 6 -8 pp . .

1
[T h e ri gh t c l ai med by the K i n g of ranc e i n reg ar to the r eF
v en u es ct
vacan t sees, etc A B .
— . .
 T HE PROJECTS OF BE N E D ICT x 1v 2 37

an ce, jp ro ectsin which on e ca n n ot hel p see in g the in ten tion of

w ithdrawin g the Gall ican Ch urch fro m the R oma n O bedien ce,
a n d assertin g her in dep en den ce, b ut in whic h at the sa me time

it would be w ron g n ot to recogn iz e the ex istence of th ose

scrup l es wh ich the p rogress o f soun d cr iti cism, ap p l ied to sacred

stud ies, n ecessa ri ly evok ed in the min ds of the c l ergy Wha t .

Baron ius a n d Be ll armin e had been at R ome i n 1 600, erudite

men such as Thomassin , Ma bil lon , an d man y others were to
the clergy of F ra n ce about 16 8 2 A n d such , in all history ,
.

wheth er on e l ikes it or n ot, is the part always p layed by con

sp ic u ous an d d istin g u is hed men .

A t Paris, un der the in fluen ce of the two ideas all uded to

above, the work o f revisin g the Roman o Par isian brev iary had -

been goin g on sin ce 167 0 It was begun by comman d of the

.

A rchbishop H ardo uin de Pé ré fix e (d an d co mp leted

un der A rchbishop F ra n c is de Harlay in De Harlay
an d his theo log ian s had for th eir aim the re mova l fro m the

b reviary of whatever was sup erfl uous, or unsuitable to the

“

dign ity of the Ch urch , a n d the ex p ul sion of whatever sup ersti

tious ma tter ha d been in troduced, so as to l eave in it n oth in g
b ut wha t was accordan t with the dign ity of the Ch urch an d the
teach in g of an cien t times the ta k in g away o f certain
homil ies fal sely attrib uted to the Fathers, of erron eous or
u n certa in p a rtic ulars in the l egen ds o f the sain ts : in a word,

o f everyth in g n ot in accorda n ce w ith p iety De Harlay

here rep eated al most the exact words of the bull Qua d a
of S P ius V, b ut he gave them a p a rticul a r ton e of
”
n obis .

mean ing w ell ex p ressed by T illemon t : E verything shoul d

be ban ished fro m the D iv in e O ffice which is n ot ba sed up on
so me a utho rity eith er absol utely certain 0 1 at al l ev en ts

s uffi cien tly wel l sup p orted ; so that it may be read w ith reaso n

abl e resp ect a n d p iety , an d may n ot giv e an y occasion for

heretics to mock at our devotion s

1B
reoia ri un1 P a r isi en se I II r t R ev in Christa P atri s DD F ra nci sci dc
. . .

Har l ay , D ei r t Sanc ta s Sedis Apostol ica e gr a tia P a risi ensi s A r chiepiscop i ,

usdem Ecc l esi a e Capi tul i consensu ed i tum. Paris , 1 680 I
'

ac Vener a bi l is n 1 .

an edi ti on of e Roman breviary transl ated in to ren c F

was surrep titiously h
p ubh sh ed at P ari s : i t w as con dem n ed by D e H ar lay i n erso n See L i b p
rar y of .

S Gen evi eve, MS 1 307 , fol 2 3 : Sen ten ce ren due en l ofli cis l ité de Par is
’
. . .

p ortan t co n da mna t io n du Bré viaire Romain en lan gue ran c o i se ( A

p rilF r oth,

an d on fol O rdonnance de Ms! I A rchevesq ue de Pan s ( May

’
27.

23
Guéran ger , t 11
1
37
p . . . .

1 T ill
em0n t, Histmr r ecctési a sti ue t v p 188 . He i s p ki n g of
z
. . . s ea
the fabul ous acts of 8 Geor ge, an . the assag e be p '

ns h
t us : O n e may t h en
h h
con cl ude t at it is n ot wit out good reason t at the h breviary . an d oth ers
2 38 H I STO RY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
The b reviary of M de Harlay ap p eared in 16 80 I n it the
. .

tex t o f a great n umber of resp on d s an d an tip hon s was cha n ged ,

ou r rev ise rs desiri n g that n on e of th ese shoul d be ta k en from

an y thin g e l se than H oly Scrip tu re More than forty l egen ds .

of sa in ts we re removed as bein g of n o a uth ority, an d rep l aced

by p assages from ho mi l ies of the H oly Fathers O thers, aga in , .

were re touched : S Den is ( i s D ion ysius the A reo pa gi te)

-
. . .

was n o l on ger asse rted to hav e been the firs t B ishop of P ari s ;
S Mary Magda l en e was n ot eal led the sister of Marth a ; it was
.

n ot sa id th a t S Laza rus was a b ish op ; the re l ation of the as

.

s ump tion of our La dy by S J ohn D amascen e was cut out I t . .

may certain ly b e said that the Parisian l iturgists of 1 6 80 had

n o can on ical a uth o rity th us to re c ast the te x t of a brev ia ry -

p ubl i sh ed a n d p ri v i l eged by the H o ly See

1
Th ey w ere a l so .

w ithout that sp ecial in struction which woul d have led th em to

study the l iturgy i n its o rigi n a l so urces i n stead o f treatin g i t

o n a p r i or i p rin cip l es But they had on their side so l id his

.

torica l erudition , an d a j udicious sen se of 1the d uties an d

l iberties of soun d criticism A n d if an ybody had imp ugn ed .

as too s wee p in g the ma x im q uoted above fro m T il l emon t, th ey

might have rep l ied : A much more con side ra bl e se rvice is

ren dered to the ca use of truth an d the Ch urch , by omittin g fr om

her o ffi ces th in gs n ot a l together certain , than by a ll owin g

th ose wh ich are fa l se to ap p ea r amon g the true : for the resu l t
of the l a tter course is, th at the sma ll est fa l seh ood wh ich a

reader d etects in a p assage mak es hi m d oub t the re st, h ow ev er

true, an d he is n o l on ger disp osed to fee l certa in o f an yth in g ,

havin g on ce been deceived by some l ie These are n ot the
words of T il lemon t, sti ll l ess of La un oy, but of Cardin a l
“
Baron ius .

What comp romised the reform of De Harlay was, th at it

was be l ieved that a step migh t be adva n ced y et furth er, an d
the p rogramme of P ius V aba n don ed in favour o f th at of
Q g
11
u i n on ez .

whi c hh ave been wel l corrected, are con ten t wit k eep i n g the fea st of S Georg e, h .

h h
wi t out ven tur in g to p ut an yt in g about his l ife in to the Divin e O fi ce, fr om
h h h h
w ic everyt in g s oul d be ban is ed w ic is n ot b ased, etc
”
h h h .

1 Y et Baumer t 11
, . . p
331 , ta es a milder vi ew :
.
“
I k ”
t ca n n ot be den ied, he
say s, h
t at De B arl ay was wi t in his rig ts h h
1
Baron i us, A n n a les, t 111 444 . . p . .

1I t is curi ous to n ote the existen ce of the same ten den cy at Rome on the art p
of Car din al T omasi h
T er e exists, in fa ct, a l ittl e wor of hi s, en ti tl ed D e
. k
i a te ecclesi asticor unr ofi cior um Brevi a r io extr a chor um, wri tten i n 1 7 06 , an d
p r v
p ri n ted firs t w it h
omission s, by Bian c in i , afterwards entire, in 1 7 5 4 , by Vez z osi , h
T homasi i oper a omn ia , t V 11 62 68 . . pp
T his boo was, if we may bel ieve .
-
. k
h
Bian c in i (see n ote on p
68 of Vez z osi ), a l an for the reform of the ofi ce to be
. p
24 0 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
F oin ard did n o more than tak e up an idea p ut forwa rd by
Gran colas in his Tra i te, an d afterwa rds devel op ed by him in
‘

his Commen ta i r e Gran colas an d Foin a rd ag reed in p rop osin g

.

( )
I to g i ve t h e S u n d ay of fi ce s u c h p ri v i l e g e th a t i t w o u l d n o

l on ger give way to an ythin g b ut a feast of ou r Lord ( 2) to

g iv e s u c h p r iv i l eg e to t he seas o n o f L e n t , t h a t th e fe ri a l o ffi ce

in that season shoul d n ot g ive way to an y feast whatever, n ot

even to the A n n un c ia tio n , wh ich wo u ld itse l f be sup erseded by

it ; ( 3) to sho rten the ferial ofii ce for, as soo n as the ferial

offi ce becomes n o l on ger than that of festiv al s, everyon e w ill

p re fe r i t, si n c e it i s m o re v a rie d a n d m o r e m o v i n g t o t h e so u l
tha n the offi ce of the sain ts ; l
( )
4 to arra n g e fes t iv a l s i n fi v e

cl asses : a sup erior cl ass for the festival s of ou r Lord, in to

wh ich n o feast o f the Bl essed Virgi n or of the sain ts is to be

a d mitted a secon d class (sol en nel l es mi neu r es) for Corp us
Chn sti , the A ss ump tion , 5 J oh n Bap tist, SS P eter an d Paul,
'

. .

a n d the p a tron sa in t of a ch urch ; a c l ass of doubl es for

ap ostl es, of se mi dou bl es fo r doc tors, an d of simp l es for

-

martyrs ; con fessors on ly cl aiming a memorial, ex cep t that

their fu ll o ffi ce is to be ce l eb rated in th eir ow n d ioceses, if
th ey w ere b ishop s, i n the ch urches of their o wn O rder, if they
were rel igious, an d in the local ities where they won their
sa in tly ren ow n , in the case of al l oth e r sai n ts ; ( 5 ) to ad mit

i n to the l essons o f the Sa n ctar a l e n on e b ut well ap p roved hi s -

tories 11
. Lik e De Harlay, Gran colas an d Foin ard w ished to
have on ly such leg en d s as were in disp utably a uth en tic, in
wh ich they we re q uite righ t Nor were they w ron g in de .

man ding a retu rn to the offi ce of the season , wh ich had then
fallen in to a n ex cessive desuetude, even as it has aga in in the
p r ese n t d a y . B u t s u c h a re t urn ,
i n t h e i r h a n d s ,
i n v o l v e d tu m
in g the Sa nctara l e up side dow n the d ifficul ty was n o n ew on e,
an d th eir sol uti on of it was de void o f auth ority .

There was foun d a n A rchbishop of Paris, Charl es de Vin ti

mill s, to ca rry out the p roj ect of Gra n colas an d Foin a rd, an d
8

1
Cf Gran col as, Commen t
. 199 :
. p O ffi ci um Festorum Simp l ici um, q ual e
.

Romae fi t, un icum est q uod uxta t i tum in brevi ari is n ostris habeamus
j Q uare .

n un uam ma ori
q j gs udi o a fi m sol eo, q uam q uu m p er a n n i curri cul um Fes ts h uj us
modr occurrun t ; et mi ll ies concep tis votis exop tavi , ut al iq ua n do otissima Fes p
p h
torum dup l ici um sr semidup l icium ars i n an c cl assem redi geretur A tq ue hoc .

p oti ssim um fere est ca u t p

, q uod P on ti fici Breviari um Roman um emen da t i cu i p
en ti p rop on en dum esset
1
G uér an ger , t 11 . . p
2 36
. .

1
Wh j
it him we may oi n the men tion of the Arc bi s o of Rouen h hp the
h p
Bis o of O rl ean s an d the Arc bis op of L yon sh h By 1 791 the
Roman breviary ha d been aban don ed in n in ety -on e dioceses of ran ce F .
 THE PROJECT S OF BE N E D ICT XIV 24 1

even to go a step fu rther He en trusted the d raw in g up of

.

the n ew Paris b reviary to F ather V ig ier, an O rato ri an , sus

p e c ted o f J a n se n is m , a n d , a s h i s ass is ta n t s, t o tw o m a s ter s o f

the co ll ege of B ea uvais, F ran cis Mé sen guy an d Cha rl es C ofli n ,
both of them ap p ellan ts again st the b ull Umjgen i tus ”
T he '
.

b reviary of M de V in timille was p ubl ished in 1 7 36 , an d was

.

desti n ed to remain in use dow n to our o wn times l

.

T he n ew breviary gave to the Su n day office the p rerogative

of e x c l udin th b f y k i d o f f t x ti
g e o se r v a n ce o e v e r n e as ,
e ce p n g
th ose to wh ich the Ch urch has assig n ed the h ighest d egree
of so l e mn ity I n the secon d p l ace, a p rerogative of the sa me

so rt was gran ted to Len t, it bein g th ough t rig h t to restore

“

the an cien t custom of the Church wh ich did n ot con sider that
the j oyous sol emn ity of fea sts accorded we l l w ith fastin g a n d
the sa l utary sad n es s of p en iten ce the observan ce therefore
was forb idden in Len t of a l l feasts , ex cep t those o n wh ich
a bsti n e n ce from se rvi l e w ork was enj oin ed In the th ird p l ace,

the p sa l ms of the feria w ere to b e recited on al l feasts of or

b l w the ran k of Lesser Doubl e Fourthly an d this was
e o — .

the most n ota bl e in n ovation , a n d as it w ere a direct retu rn

to the meth od o f Q uig n on ez the p sal ter was d istributed
a new, on the
p l a n o f as s ig n i n gp p ro e r p sa l m s,
n o t o n ly t o ea c h
day O f the w eek, b ut to each of the ca n on ical hours o f each day ,
d iv idin g such as were tho ugh t too l on g, with the resu l t that 1

the e n ti re p sa l ter w ou l d al most a lw ays be rec ited in the course

of each week .

T he office of the season bein g th us restored to d ue d ign ity,

the n ex t th in g n eeded was the l ig h ten in g of the k a l en d ar In .

the fi rst p l ace, a who l e series of festiva l s w ere sup p ressed al to

g e th e r : S P. e te r s Ch a ir
’
a t A n tio c h ; t h e o ct a v e d ay s o f 5 .

Step hen , S J oh n E va n gel ist, the H oly I n n ocen ts, S J oh n

. .

B ap tist, SS Peter an d Paul , an d the Con cep tion of our Lady

.

the feasts of SS V ita l is, D omiti ll a, A l ex is, Marg aret, P ra x ed is ,

.

Cal l ix tus, Fel icitas, etc Some oth er festivals were reduced to
.

havin g a memori al on ly : SS George, Martin the Pop e, Sy l .

vester, etc .

1
Brevi a r ium P a risi ense I l l r t Rev i n Chr ista P atr is D D Ca rol i Gas a ri
f
-
. . .

Gui l l rl mi de Vi n timil l e, r Comi ti bus Massil i ae D u L uc, P a r isi en si s A rchiepzscopi

a uctor i ta te, ac Ven er a bi l is e usdem Eccl esia e Capi tu l i cons ensu edi tum
j .

Paris, 1 7 36 . T he Parisia n brevi ary wa s abol is ed by ordin an ce of Cardin al h

h h p
Guibert, Arc bis o of Paris, 1 N ov 1 87 3 . .

1
[F or in s ta n cep
, sa l m L XX VII i s divided in to six . arts , a n d serv es for tw o p
n octu rn s of W edn esday ; p
sal ms 0111 -c v 1 are eac reck on ed as t ree sal ms,
. . h h p
etc I h h
t s oul d be remembered t at the examfle of t us dividin g l on g sa lms had h p
been set by S Ben edict —A
.

. .
24 2 H I STORY O F TH E RO MA N BREVI A RY
T he ,
hy mn a l
i n d e fe ren ce to t he ta s te o f th e t i me , w a s n o t
s u p resse d, b u t re w ritten
p F r o m th e b
-
re v i a ry o f M d.e Har .

lay w ere tak en over the hymn s of the two De San teu ls a n d o f
so me others, in c l ud in N i h l T m d ly
g c o a s o u e u x ( g re at .

susp ected o f J an sen ism Man y n ew hymn s were furn ished by .

Cofli n (d R ector of the U n iversity of Paris, a man n o

.

l ess susp ected But we shoul d be gu il ty of inj ustice if we did

.

n ot freely ack n owl edge th at mo re th an on e of these Par is hy mn s

are of sin gu l a r bea uty

1
.

T he l ection ary, as far as the l ege n ds of the sa in ts are c on

cern ed, ha d the merit of bei n g mark ed w ith the sea l o f the
’I
n ew criticis m, as D om Gu é ra nger so mewhat acid ly re ma rk s
”
.

T he tex t of the an tip hon ary an d the resp on sora l was en tirely
fu rn ished by H oly Scrip ture, in more tha n on e p l ace ap p l ied
of set p urp o se in a J an se n ist an d a p p e ll a n t
“ ”
sen se , to q uote

D om Gué ran ger on ce more 3

To show the Ga ll ican ism o f .

the w o rk , a s in g l e ex a mp l e may suffi ce : o n the fea st of S .

Peter s Chair, the in v itatory Tu as p astor omu m, p r i n cep s

’
'

Ap ostolom m was rep l aced by Cap u t M aris E ccl esi a e D omi n u m

brev ia ry of M de V in timil le p rovok ed some v ehemen t

T he .

p ro tests wh ic h m
,a y b e fo u n d i n d eta i l in Gué ra n g er Wh a t .

is l ess gen era lly k n ow n is th at the H o ly See in te rven ed in the

matter : in J u ly 1 7 36 the Paris b rev iary w as o rdered to be ,

su bmitted to the ex a min ation o f the con re ation of the H oly

g g
O ffi ce .
‘
5

h
T he ymn s of C laude de San te ul ( 162 8
1
on e of the teac ers at the Semin h
ary of S M . h
l oir e, an d t ose of his bro t er ean Ba ti ste de San teul ( 1630 h J
C an on of S actor s at Pa ri s, wer e written for the eviary of De Harlay, a n d
’
.

p h h
assed t en ce in to t at of M de V in timi ll e See Moreri , t xx
.

p 14 7 ; al so U
. . . . .

h
C evali er , Hy mnes ct p r ose: i n é di tes do C l a ude S a n tcul ( Pari s, x p . .

h
C la ude on l y con tr ibuted s ix ymn s to the brevi ary of De Har l ay , the rest of the
n ew on es w ere his br ot er s
’
h
As to C ar l es Go n ( 167 6
. h m
l ea vi n g an sen ism J
ou t of th e q ues tion , see the n otice of him i n Moreri , t 111 79 3 Th e o t er
. . p . . h
h
aut ors of th e n ew hyrn ns were N icol as T oumeux, saac abert, Guil laume de la I H
Brun etiere, etc .

‘
Gué ran ger , t 11 2 82
. . p . .

”M . p
267 . L
[ et m e tes ti fy to th e m ar vel l ous n ow l ed g e of S c r i t u re k
a n d p
the exq uisitel y i n gen i ous combi nation of texts w ic give t o t ese G a l l i ca h h
n re h
sp on soral s an i n exhausti ble c arm h
T he sub ect is on e t a t wel l deser ves com j h
—
.

p ete n t tr eatm e n t in a m on og a r h A B] p . .

T he musical n otation was en trusted to Abbé Le beuf see his T mi té ca r to

chan t ecclési a sti quc (P aris, 50 :
“
p
Je n ai pas tou ours eu l in ten tion de
’
.
’
j
don n er du n euf T ous ceux q ui avaien t travaill é avan t moi a de semblab l es
ouvra ge s, s il s n avaien t compil e, avaien t du moin s essayé de
’ '

”
arodier : j ai eu
’
p
l in ten tion de faire tan tOt l un , tan tOt l autre
’ ’ ’
.

h p h
T is oi n t, an d the w ol e en sui n g p rocess of n egotiation between V ersai l l es
a n d Rome, has been brought to li mean s, Ea rn the corresp on den ce
fi
t by 111
h
with Rome in the Arc ives of the in ister or oreign Affa irs T he documen tsF .
2 44 H I S TOR Y O F T HE ROMAN BREVI A RY
what he had don e wh ich deman ded con d emn atio n or w ith
d rawal es p ecially sin ce he ha d corrected, by the in se rtion o f
fresh l eaves in the co p ies of the b revia ry, everyth in g th a t

mig h t p ossibly give o ffe n ce ”

He rep resen ted a l so wh at a .

serio us thin g it wou l d b e to see the C ou rt o f R o me p roceed to

tak e so me o p e n step s w hic h the rig hts of the Ch urch an d

Ep iscop ate of F ran ce coul d n ot tol erate, an d the ex citemen t,

”

so con tra ry to re l ig io n an d soun d doctri n e, wh ich w ou l d b e

a roused by such a step Th is dip lomatic fen cin g, on the p art

o f the min isters of Louis XV , ill co n cea l ed the e mb a r rass men t
fel t by his Court, where the on ly thin g sough t fo r was how to
g iv e w ay w ith o u t c o mp ro m isi n g th e c red it o f the A rchbisho
p .

T he utmost that c an b e con sen ted to, is th at the rema rk s on

the b revia ry made at Rome sh a ll b e tra n smitted to us w ith
the g rea test secrecy, an d th at we con sid er them i n co nj u n ctio n
w ith Mon sieur de P aris ” 1
.

But th ese n eg oti ation s p rod uced their effect, for, by the en d
of D ecember, 1 7 36 , the P aris b rev iary was p rovisio n a lly d is

ch arged from tria l by the C o u rt of Rome

2
I t is true, C ard in a l .

de Fleury had u n dertaken th at M de V in timil le shou l d i n tro .

d uce in to hi s brev iary the correction s desired by the H o ly

See 11
. N or was th is u n dertak i n g forgotten at Rome : for s ix
years after, in 1 7 4 3, we fin d Ben edict XIV reca ll ing the fact
1 . h
L ett er from M de C auvel in , Mi nister for oreign A flairs , to the Du e of S F '

k .

A i n an , O ctober a3rd, 1 7 36 ubl ish ed in the tr ea ti se abov e men tion ed

g
-
.

L etter fi om M de C au
'
. h k
in to the Du e of S Ai gn an , Jan 8th , 1 7 37 : .
“
I t is .

h h
fortu n ate t a t you ave been abl e to reven t w a t i t was r o osed to do p h p p
h
s ould h
ave had a double reason for comfl a in t ; fi rst, of w a t had been don e. h
secon dly, of the fur tive ma nn er in whic the affa ir w a s con ducted h Th e .

h
Kin g sees wit sa tisfaction the atten tion w ic you ha ve bestow ed on an affai r h h
h h p
in w ic he feel s the dee er i n ter est because it con cern s the ea ce of the C urc
p h h
a n d the good of reli gi on His Maj w ty is so con vin ced of t i s t at he aut ori z es
. h h h
y o u a fr e s ,
i h
n case the n ecessi t
y s o u ld a r i se , t ohs p e a o n the s ub ec t i n k
the j
s tr on g est an d most decided terms He ha s the reater rig t to dema n d t a t n o
.
g h h
more sha l l be sai d about i t, sin ce he is quite will i n g, as you ave already said at h
k p
Rome, to ta e measures to di s ose M the Ar chb i shOp of P a ri s to mak e suc . h
h
chan es as mig t be fou n d n ecessary
”
( S e e th e a bo ve na m ed tr ea ti se )
L
-
. .

1 e tter from the A bbe C ertai n to M de C a uvel i n , Marc . h

a8th, 1 7 37 : h
h h h p
Al t oug for a good w il e ast th e con eg ation has en tertain ed the idea of
etti n g M the A rc bis o
. h hp
to p ut n ew eu sti tuted l ea ves i n his brevi ary , a s I
av e ha d the h
on our to a pp
ri se you more t an on ce, h
o e , n eve rt eless , t a t Ihp h h
h h
w e s al l succeed at l eas t in arran gin g t at t is step s al l be reserved for his suc h h
cessor to ta e kT hi s woul d, at al l even ts, be a
. ea t gai n , a n d on e mi g t call i t h
wi n n in g th e day hp
Per a s we may do even etter t an this, bu t
. dare n ot h I
p romise i t
”
.
( S ee trea ti se ) .

1 B n ed t X I V was el ected P O pe on A ugust 1 6th , 1 7 40 I

n the mea n time
e ic .

the a ffai r of the Pari s brevi ary rema i n ed dorman t at Rome, but it w as n ot cl osed . I
read in a l etter from the A bbé C ertai n to M A mel ot, i n 1 7 39 ( C or r . dc R ome, t . .

77 2 , fo l . C ardi n al F i rrao ( S ecr e ta ry o f S ta te to C l em e n t X I I ) , is

al ways cryin g out a gain st our brevi ary, but he is non e the l ess on our si de .
 T HE PROJECT S O F BE N E D I CT x 1v 24 5

that Cl emen t XII had req u ired of M the A rchb ishop th at .

he sho u l d issue an order for the ca ll in g in of th is b rev iary, in

order to correct certain an tip hon s a n d resp o n ds, an d to
s u p p ress the hy mn s of M C offi n the a p p ell an t . But, as a
matter of fact, the A rchbishop did n ot even tually consen t to
do an y th in g o f the sort When the first edition was sol d out,
.

a n d the i ssue o f a n ew on e w as b ein g talk ed of, the N un cio

ex p ressed to C a r di n a l Fl e u ry a desire th at th is n ew ed ition

sh ou l d be corrected i n accord a n ce w i th the remark s that had

been se n t fro m R ome N everthel ess, Be n edict XIV in

str ucted the N u n c io n ot to in sist on the issu e of the man da te
“

for call in g in the brev iary , as he d id n ot w ish that th is

deman d shou ld p rej ud ice its correction by d iscouragi n g the
A rchbishop But he charged hi m to han d to M V ig ier .

both the docu men t con tain ing the co rrection s wh ich Clemen t
XI I had deman ded, an d th at in wh ich were in dicated all the
”
p o in ts req u iri n g co rrec tio n , ev e n th ose o f l ea st i mp orta n ce,

witho ut tell in g him tha t these were the utteran ces of the H oly
See bu t simp ly gi vin g him the docu men ts in q uestio n as the
,

work o f a zea l ous p erson , which might con tribu te somethin g

v al uabl e towa rds a good n ew ed ition of th is b reviary
1
I t
was n ow the begi n n in g of 1 7 4 3 But the forbearan ce o f the .

Sovereig n Po n tiff ava il ed n oth i n g , an d the secon d ed ition of

the b rev ia ry o f M de V in timil le ca me out u n cha n ged
. .

T he reason why the H oly See did n o t in sist on obtai n in g

fro m M de V in timille the w ithdrawal o f his b rev iary was, that,
.

tak in g q u ite a d iffere n t v iew o f matters fro m tha t o f his p re

By t hus cryin g to gai n cr edi t wit

out he seek s the Z el an ti , but for all h
h p h
t at, a t the recise momen t w en it wil l be necessary to decide i n the Con gress
'

O f the H
ol y O ffi ce, for or a a st the breviary , he wil l be foun d fi na lly to la ce
p
h imsel f on the side O f rts de n ders , a n d ex ress a fa voura bl e i n ion of it p
’
Op .

1B
en edict X I J
V to T en ci n , an u ary 1 8th, 1 7 43 ( Corr dc R ome, t 7 91 , fol . . .

Ih ave ha d th e O rtun ity of in s ecti n g th e un ubli s ed corres on den ce of

p p h p
Ben edi ct X I V wi p
Card in al T en cm, reserved in the arc ives O f the Min ister h
for F oreign k
A ffairs a t P ari s , ma r ed Cor r dc R oms , t 7 89 an d .
q a ve Ih
dra wn u p an d ubl is ed an I p h
n vm ta i r e des k ttr es i n édi tes du P ap s mdi t X IV
a s C a r di na l do T m ci n
( P i Pi d 8 a d ve al so w Ih
n a sk etch O f
g h
ar s, ca r , 1 n a e
h
t is curious seri es of l ett er s 1n the R a ms da C l erg é f ra ai s, b ar c 1 5 th , 1 89 5 .

C f Hi stor isches 7 0 hr buch, 1903, pp E d k C m d

f
.
5 1 7 at s qq e
. eec es en , a. s o
. n
m e do Bandi t X IV (P aris, p
has ubl is ed t ese letters O f Ben edict X V h h
Ben edic t X I
mh
1 8th, 1 7 43 ( Heeck esen , t 1 2 s) p
’
V to T en cin , J S . . .

al so the l etters dated eb ruary 22 a F Marc r st ( 35 , a n d A p ril 19th (p

. h p . .

I p
n thi s l ast l etter the Po e tel ls us t at the a fi a ir of the ari s Breviary dr a
'

an d t at h the Kin g also is desi rous O f avin g some ar t i n t at a fi ai r h p h ‘

A n i 26 1h ( p
he w ri tes : h
We ave received your Emin en ce 8 l etter O f the’

g
.

8 1 i n stan t an d al on g wi t
. i t the h
a er con tain in g a pp
ro ec t for a n ew p j
Brevi ary
”
A n , on May 10th (
. I p
f any corr ection s are made in the Paris
.

Breviary, it wil be due to hi s Ma esty s zeal

’
j See al so l etter of May 1 7 th ( p .
2 46 H I STORY O F T HE RO MA N BREVI A RY
decesso r Cl e men t X II Ben edict XIV was th in k in g o f un der
,

tak in g in his turn a refo rm o f the R o ma n b rev iary Cardin al .

Fl eury as ea rly as Feb 14th 17 4 1 had wel comed this idea as

, .
, , ,

on e th at might so lve w ith out an y ho stil ities

,
the q uestio n o f ,

the brev iary of the A rchbishop o f Paris Cardin al Ten cin ,

who was th e n cha rg e d afi a zr es at R o me en co u raged Fleu ry

’

‘ ’ ’
,

an d the P o p e in th is u n de rta k in g to the utmost o f his p ow er .

O n J uly l t 1 7 4 1 he wrote to Fl eu ry :
, ,
The Po p e has a p
p o in te d a c o n g g
re at io n c o m p o se d o f p re l a tes a n d re l ig io u s to ,

tak e i n h an d the re formation o f the Ro man brev ia ry A n d on

A ugust 2 5 th : the Po p e has adop ted ex cell e n t p rin cip l es in
“

reg a rd to the reformatio n of the R o man b revia ry fo r in stan ce ,

as to n ot ad mittin g an
y d o u b tfu l l e g e n d I t is tr u e h e a dd s ,

i mmed iately after th is : But w ill th is p roj ec t be carried o ut ?

I sho ul d n ot l ik e to say He has n o idea o f resistin g or o f
.

be in g on his guard ag ain st those who surroun d him

Th us the refo rms attemp ted in Fran ce in 16 80 an d 17 36
a n d I do n ot p ro p ose to s eak o f a n y others tha n those two
p
p ro vo k e d at R o m e th e de s ig n o f a n e w a n d m o r e t h o ro u g h re

v ision o f the R o ma n b rev ia ry .

T he p a p ers con tain in g the p roceedin g s o f the co n g regation

a p p oin ted by B e n e d ic t XI V fo r the re fo rmatio n o f the R o ma n

breviary lo n g remain ed un p ubl ished an d forgotten T he first .

to ca ll atten tio n to them w a s Mgr de R osk ov an y ; he fou n d .

th e m in 1 8 56 , i n the Corsin i L ibrary at R ome, where th ey had

been p reserved sin ce the time o f B en ed ict XIV They con .

stitute a v o l umin ous fi le o f p a p ers bearin g the titl e

A cta et scrip ts autogr ap h s in sacra con gregation s p a rti cul ari a Ben edicto
XI V dep utata p ro reforma tion s Breviar ii R oman i an n o 1 7 4 1, in tres tomos
d istr ib uta e t ap p en dicem ’
.

Mgr . de R osk ov a n y on ly p ubl ished the h istorical su mma ry

o f the l abo u rs of th is con g reg a tio n , ed ited a n d p refix ed to the

w hol e fi l e o f p ap e rs by Lou is Va l en ti, the sec reta ry ; of the

rest o f the coll ectio n he has g iven n oth in g b ut ce rta in ch osen

p o rtio n s
3
b ut th e re h a v e s i n ce b e e n p u bl is h ed the most
imp orta n t of the d oc u men ts l eft o n on e side by Mgr de .

R osk ovan y ‘
.

1
See Ben edict X I F h
V to l eury , Marc 4 th, 1 7 4 1 (Cor r de R ome, t 7 87 , fO l 8) . . .

F J
T en ci n to l eury , uly a rst, 1 7 4 1 ( t 7 85 , fol an d th e same to the same,
. .

A u ust asth, 1 7 4 1 ( t 7 85 , fO l
g
. .

Bibl Corsin i , MSS 36 1 , 362 , 36 3

. .
1 R osk ovan
y , t.v . .

1
h
See the A bb e C ai ll ot, in A na l ecta j ur is pon tifi ci i , t xxrv . .
 248 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
an d U rban VI I I . These l atter
have bestowed in fi n ite care an d
so l icitu d e o n the restoration of the D ivin e O ffi ce to ag ree me n t

with an cien t custom, orda in in g th at n o feature of the a n c ien t

ofli ce Sho u l d b e ab a n do n ed , b u t tha t wh a t had been su p p ressed

sho u l d b e resto red, a n d wh at had bee n corru p ted , reformed .

Pop e Ben ed ict XIV , n ow g loriously reig n in g, has the sa me

z ea l for the w orsh i
p o f G o d a s h is p re d ec ess o rs ; a n d , m o v ed
by the comp l ain ts addressed to him by several p erson s of con
side ra tion , who ex ressed th emse l ves a s i ed t o th
p g r ev see e

Roman brevia ry in more th an o n e resp ect dep raved from its

a n c ie n t p u rity , a n d fa ll e n fro m its p ristin e g l ory, b ein g a l so

h imse l f more sen sibl e of these blots than an yon e el se, a n d more
des iro us to see th em removed, he resol ved, from the very b e
g in n in g o f h is P o n t i fica te , to se t hi s ha n d to th e re fo rm a n d
correction of the b rev iary, en tru stin g to certain p erso ns re

n own ed for th eir k n owl ed e of eccl es iastical a n ti uities the task

g q
”
of ca rry in g o u t his desire O ften , con tin ues Va l en ti, d id “
.

B en ed ict XIV con descen d to con verse with me on th is subj ect,

a n d to ask me wha t I th oug h t a bout this imp orta n t p roj ec t .

F in a lly be reso lv ed to select severa l l earn ed p rel ates an d theo

l og ia n s, w ho b ei n g associated togeth er in a con gregatio n ,
might con su l t w ith o n e an oth er on this matter T he p rel ates .

were — Ph il ip Mary Mon ti, secreta ry of the Prop ag an da ; N ic

o l as A n ton ell i, sec reta ry o f the Sacred C o ll ege a n d D omin ic

Giorgi, on e of the Pop e s chap l ain s T he theo log ian s w ere

’
.

Th omas Serg io, a Con sultator of the I nq uisition ; Fran cis Ba l

din i, o f the O rder of the Somaschi, a Consul tator of the Con
1

g g
r e a ti on o f R ites ; A n to n y A n d re w G a ll i ,
C a n o n R e g u l a r o f
S J oh n La tera n ; an d A n ton y Mary A z z ogu idi, of the Con
.

ve n tua l Min o rites

”
By the Pop e s des ire, Val en ti acted as
’
.

secreta r y
.
11

[Foun ded by S J erome A emil ian about 15 33 at Somasco between Mil an

1
.
, ,

Bergamo as C l erk s Regul ar T h ey wer e afterwards un ited to the Th eatin es

g
an , . .

BJ ‘

Mon ti (d an academic prelate ha d j ust ubl ish ed his E log i a Ca r di n

1
.
p ,

a l i um pin a ta doctri n a at r ebus E l esia i l i m

, p r o cc g,es tis l us tr A n ton
elli ( d . a m a n of o p
n derous eruditi on : w e ow e to him a con sci en ti ous
edi tio p r i nceps O f a Gree commen tary on the P salms k w ic he bel ieved h h
to be by S A t an asius, an d whi c
. h Mign e has r e roduced I hn 1 7 5 6 he al so p .

p u bl is ed a h Vatus Missa l s R oma n um a sf a ti on ibus ct n otis i l l ustr a tmu

fi
.

Gi orgi ( d .a sa va n t of the sc ool Of h

urator i , was at t is time ublis in g h p h
k
hi s gr ea t w or , Do l i tu rg i a R oma ni P on tifia s i n sol en n i cel cbr a tiom Mi ssa ra m
’

( 73
1 1 B al di n i (d an an ti q ua ry,
. ubl is ed i n 1 7 43 an esteemed cdp h
ition O f V aill an t s N umi sma ta I
’
mper a tor um R oma n or um A z s o di 11 1 7 7 0)
'

. .

h p
imsel f in the un ubl ish ed wor s O f S A n t on y Of P as , w k h
in
ter ested l ife.

e w r ote .

1
Rosk ovany, pp
5 33 7 ; A na l ccta , pp 5 07 8
.
-
.
-
.
 T HE PROJECT S OF BE N E D ICT XI
V 24 9

T he memb ers of the con gregatio n , Val en ti assures us, w ere

p re tt y w e ll un a n imous in rec og n iz in g the y
for a re
n ecessit

fo rm of the R o man brev iary , a s a matter of p rin cip l e : the

fi rst p oin t to be settl ed was therefore the n ature of th at re
fo rm .

Pop e B en edict XI V had received two memoran da on the

s ubj ec t of the b rev iary, on e in F ren ch , the oth er in I ta l ia n .

T he F ren c h auth or ex p ressed his regret at fi n din g in the te x t

o f the breviary more th a n on e hi storica l assertion wh ich ha d

esc a p ed the vig i l an ce of former correctors, b u t wh ose erron

c ou s ch aracter had sin ce been e x p osed by the p rog ress of

critica l l earn in reg rd th di t ib ut io n o f th l t

g; a s a s e s r e p sa e r,

th ere w ere so me p sal ms wh ich were in cessan tly rep eated, an d

other s which were n ever recited at a ll , wh il e al l the l ong est

p sa l m s w e re h ea p ed to ge th er in the S u n da y a n d f er ia l o fli c es

a mo n g the an ti hon s there w ere too man y wh ic h p resen ted n o

p
mea n in g to the min d of the reader, or which had n o co heren ce
w ith the office in wh ich they occurred too man y of the n ew
fes tiva l s of sa in ts w ere made doubl es, wh il e those of an cien t
a n d n otabl e sa in ts were on ly se mi d oubl es or simp l es ; the -

freq uen cy o f do ubl e feasts h in dered the use of the Sun day
O fli ce , wh ic h w as devoted to hon ourin g the mysteries o f the
l ife of our Lord H en ce it was, in the op in ion of th is F ren ch
.

a utho r, tha t so man y Ord in a ries ha d aba n don ed the use of the

Roman b rev iary, a n d adop ted breviaries of their ow n , to the

inj u ry an d con fusion o f the l itu rgy The time ha d come fo r
.

g iv i n g to the R o m an b r ev i a r y a n ew fo rm , wh ic h w o u l d
re med y these de fects an d g uard again st th ese d an gers
1
.

O n the other h a n d, the I tal ian memora n du m did n ot ask

for a re castin g, b ut merely an ex p urgati on o f the Roma n
-

b rev iary It p o in ted out that this breviary co mp rised certa in

.

e sse n tia l el emen ts, wh ich cou l d n ot be modified w ithout de

stroy in g the R o man rite its el f— such as the n umber, orde r , an d

a r ra ng emen t o f the can on ica l hours, the n octu rn s, p sa l ms,

an tip hon s, l esson s a n d co ll ects .These w ere essen tial el emen ts
which must n ot be touched But the k al en dar, the wordin g
.

o f the an tip ho n s an d resp on ds, the tex t o f the l esson s, were

“
a l l of th em e l e men ts ca a bl e o f, a n d de man d in g, co rrection
p .

h
T he text of t is memoran d um ha s been pr eserved for us by Val en ti , an d
1

forms the secon d O f the il l ustrativ e documen ts atta c ed to his n arrativ e—Mon s
h
m tum 11
documen t—Mon umen
.

1
h I
T is tal ian memoran dum i s Val en ti
’
s th i d ill ust ativ
r r e
tum 111.
2 50 H I STORY O F T HE RO MA N BREVI A RY
Both memoran da w ere ha n ded over by B en edict XIV to the
1
con greg ation .

Th ei r fi rst meetin g took p l ace at the house of V a len ti ,

J uly 14 th 1 7 4 1 an d from the fi rst it w as eviden t that the con

, ,

s ul ta tors w ere h ard ly more in ag r eeme n t w ith o n e a n oth e r

th a n we re the two memo ra n da T he o n e p a rty w ish ed to .

beg in d iscussin g the distrib ution of the p sal ms : they p ra ised

the p l a n o f d istrib ution adop ted of l ate in some of th e ch urch es
o f F ran ce a n d th e ir custo m o f rec itin g the fe ria l p sa l ms in the
,

offi ce o f sa in ts d ays— a sma ll n u mb e r of suc h festiva l s ex cep te d

’

-
so as to secu re the reci tation o f the en ti re p sa l ter eve ry w eek .

But the rest whose op in ion even tua lly p rev a il ed urged th at
, ,

the Ro ma n Ch u rch ha d a lw ays been a n d had a righ t to be , ,

ten acio us of he r own trad itio n s that it is w e ll to d istru st

n ove l ties ; th a t the R o ma n distrib u tion of th e p sa l ms w as

an cien t an d n ot to be l igh tly a ba n don e d ; th at the q u estion

,

before them was n ot the re castin g b ut simp ly the correction -

,

o f the b rev ia ry ; a n d th at rese rvi n g the p sa l ter fo r fu tu re d is

,

c ussion th e i r b est p l an was to beg in w ith the k a l en d ar

, Thi s .

p pro os it i o n w as u n a n i m o us ly a g ree d to
2
.

It bein g g ra n ted that th eir task was on e of simp l e correc

tion the g rea t p o in t w as to ascerta in wh at had been the l ea d
,

i n g idea in the reform of the b revia ry un der P ius V a n d to act ,

in acco rdan ce w ith it Val en ti l aid be fore the con gregation a

.

”
docume n t foun d by him w hich ex p ressed in a l ucid ma n n e r ,

wh at the idea of P ius V had bee n In the six teen th cen tury .
,

the feria l offi ce had ap p e n ded to it the recitation of the l ittl e

ofli ce o f ou r La dy an d th e offi ce of the d ea d ; a n d in Len t in ,

a dd ition the p e n iten tia l a n d g rad ual p sa l ms acco mp a n ied by

, ,

l ita n ies ; an d fu rthe r at every ca n on ical hour an d at every

,

sea so n the p r eces f m al es

, T o escap e fro m the over whel min g
.

p r o l ix it y o f s uc h a fe r i a l o fl i ce a s th is p p
e o l e w er e l ed to as ,

sig n to simp l e feasts the ch a rac ter of se mi dou bl es a n d d ou bl es -

,

th at is to say to gi ve th em a n o ffi ce of n in e l esson s an d the

,

rig h t of tra n sferen ce to va ca n t d ays a s o ccasio n de man ded

sin ce a n offi ce o f n in e l esson s was n ot sad dl ed w ith a n y add i

tio n al ofli ce b eyon d th at of o ur La dy T he res ul t w as th a t .

,

the feri al offi ce ceased to be recited in Le n t in con traven tion ,

o f the o l d can o n l aw th a t ha rd ly a n y l esson s from H oly

1
Rosk ovan y , 538 ;p A na
. h ct a , 5 09 p
. .

’
Rosk ovan y , 540 ;p A na l
. cc ta , 5 1 0 p . .

3I t is hi s Mon umen tam v See the accou n t of it , pp

. . 199- 200 , an d the docu
men t itself i n full . 2 23 2 2 9 pp .
-
.
2 52 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
figu ration was of l ate
date, bein g un k n ow n to the Grego ria n
sac ramen ta ry, but it had been un iversa lly a ccep ted, by Greek s
1

an d La tin s a l ik e , a n d it w as retain ed T he same dec ision w as .

come to in reg ard to the festiv a l of the H o ly T rin ity, o n the

c on ditio n th at its an tip h on s a n d res on d s sh ou l d be ca refu lly

p
re v ised Co rp us Ch risti was retain ed w ithout discussion T he
. .

festiva l s of the I n ve n tion a n d E x a l tation of the H oly C ro ss

g a v e ri se to l ive ly de ba tes : s o m e w is h ed to re m o ve th e I n

v en tion from the k a l en dar a l tog eth e r ; oth ers a d vocated the

un io n of the tw o festiva l s in to on e, o n Se p tember 14 th

'
oth ers
ag a in w ere for ma in ta in in g b o th of th e m as th ey w e re At .

on e mome n t it real ly seeme d as if the fes tiva l o n May 3rd wou l d

b e con de mn ed to d isap p ea r ; b ut fi n a lly it w as reso l ved to
ma k e n o ch an ge T he feast of the H o ly N ame of J esus, how
.

ev e r, fou n d n o favou r w ith the con re ation : it w as mode rn ,

2
g g
a n d its sup p ressio n was ag reed on T he d isc ussio n of the .

above p oin ts was co n c l uded on N ov embe r 2 15 t,

O n the same d ay the co n sid eration of the feasts of the

Bl essed V irgin was begun The P uri fication , A n n un ciation , .

A ssump tio n , an d N ativity of our Lady, bein g a n cien t a n d un i

ve rsal ly observed fes tiva l s, w ere a ccep ted w ith out d iscuss ion .

T he con g regation d id, it is tru e, debate wheth er it w oul d n ot

b e w e ll to substitute fo r the word A ssump tion the more
“

an cien t titl e of P a usa tio, D or mi tio, or T r a nr i tus Re p ose , ”

”
Fa ll in g asl eep , i n o rde r that the Ch urch mig h t
n ot a p p ea r, by this sol emn l iturg ica l use o f the term A ssump
“

”
tion , to el evate i n to an artic l e of the fai th the p ious be l ief o f
the en tra n ce i n to H eaven of the Bl essed V irg in in bod y as
”
w e ll as in soul 1
b ut the titl e A ssump tion w as un a n i mously
“

reta in ed Were octaves to b e assign ed to the A ssump tion an d

N ativi ty of ou r Lady ? The q uestion was a n swe red i n the
affi rmative, reserv in g the q ues tion o f wh at deg ree of d ig n ity

h h
ha s n ot in g to do wit the ci rcumcision : i t is urel y a C ristmas O flice, all about p h
the birt h
of our Savi our, wi t some an ti h
on s an d res on ds in ph
on ou r O f our p h
h
L a dy , the station being on t is day at the Pan th eon S a n cto Ma ri a ad Ma r —
ty r es .

1A
t Rome , as h
we ave seen ( p O
its bservance dates on l y from 145 7
. .

h
1 T is festival ha d been con ceded to th e Min orites b
y C l em en t V ( 5 3
1 2 III
I
O n N ov 29th , 1 7 2 1 , nn ocen t
. XIII
had exten ded i t to the u n i vers al C u rc a n d h h
app oi n ted the secon d Sun day after E i p ph
a n y for i ts b serva n ce O
Ben edi ct X I V, .

Oper a ( Rome , t x D s f ss tis , 65 p

[But in En gl and it had been bserved O
ev er si n ce 1 45 7 on A ug 7 th , as a greater doubl e —A B ]
. . . .

. . .

8 R
osk ovan y , p
5 45 A na l ecta ,
.
5 19 p . .

1
h h
T is debate was p erhap s an ec o O f the con troversy raised in ran c e by F
J
C l aude oly 1669) an d Laun oy T he advocates of the term P a nsoti a de
h p
rived, n o dou t , t eir in s iration from T i ll emon t, H E t 1 47 6 7 ( ed . . . . pp
.
-
.
 T HE PROJECTS OF BE N ED ICT XI
V 253

was to be g iven to th ese oc ta ves The feasts of the V isitatio n .

a n d C on ce p tio n o f the Bl essed V ir in w ere al so un a n imo us ly

g
reta i n e d Those of the c on sultato rs who w ere op p osed to the
.

doctrin e of the I mma cul a te C on cep tion w ished to do a w ay w ith

the octave of the l atter festiva l while those who we re afraid
th at such a su p p ression w ou ld h ave been p re ud ic ij
a l to the
a uth o rity doctrin e i n q uestion , stood out for the octave :
of the
an d the c on g regation be in tty u lly d i id e d o n th e
g p r e eq a v

p o in t,
i t w as re so l v e d t o re f e r i t t o B e n ed ic t XIV f o r h is d e

cisio n .T he feast of the P resen ta tion o f ou r Lady had been

e l imin ated by P ius V, a n d restored by Six tus V the con g re
g a t io n ,
fe e l i n g th e d iffi c u l ty o f d e te rm in i n g e x a ct ly w h a t
mystery of red emp tion is hon ou red by the observan ce o f th is
festiv al , resol v ed on ad op tin g the course tak en by P ius V 1
.

But they subseq uen tly reversed th is decision O n the oth e r .

han d, the festiva l s of the H oly N ame of Mary , the Rosa ry,
o ur Lady of Mercy, our Lady of Moun t C arme l , the Sev en

Do l ours , the D esp ons a ti o B etrotha l the P atron age of ou r

Lady, the Tra n sl ati on of the H o ly H ouse of Loretto, an d the
Exp ecta ti o P a rty : ou r Lady s E x p ec ta tio n of the H o ly
’

B irth foun d but l uk ewarm d efen ders in the con greg atio n 11
.

I t w as fel t to b e a p ity th at th ese festi va l s sh oul d i n terfere

with the d ue recitation of the Sun day offi ce : h av in g a l ready
s u p p ressed the feast of the H oly N a me of J es us, th at of the

H o ly N a me of Mary coul d n ot we ll be main tain ed ; the

Rosary stood or fell w ith the l atter festival , b oth hav in g the
sa me r a ison d étr e, viz to tha n k God fo r v ic tories ga in ed ove r
’
.

the T urk s ; the festiva l s of our La dy of Mercy an d of Moun t

C armel were on ly of in terest to two p articul ar rel igious orders, 3

1 H er e again , in order to un der stan d the roceedin gs Of the con gregati on , see
T il l emon t, H E t 1 5
4 3 ,. an d B .en ed ic
. t .V ,pD c
.
f os ti s, 4 9 9 5 1 0 X p .
-
.

1
p
T he S an i s festival O f the h H
ol y N ame O f Mar y ( 15 1 3 wa s exten ded to the
h h
w ol e C urc by n n ocen t h , N ov 25 th , I 1 683, I XI
n memory Of the defeat Of the .

k
T ur s before V ien n a on Se t 12th, 1 683 ( Ben ed X I V, p . The Rosary, . p .

h
esta bl is ed by Gr ory X I II , A p
ri l 1st, 1 5 7 3, as a commemorati on Of the vi ct Of
th
L ep an to on Oct 7 , 1 5 7 1 , was exten ded to the w ol e C urc by C l emen t
.
, h h h XI
3rd, 17 16 ( Ben ed X I V, p 5 26 8) T h e feast O f our L ady of Mer cy dates from
XI p
-
. .

the time O f n n ocen t I our L ad of Moun t C armel , an d the Seven

1III
1 69 1 ,

Dol ours, from Ben edi ct

7 24 ) ( B X IV
( 7 7 T h e d
p 5
32 3
en e , p 4 , 4 , . .

h
Betrot al , the Patr on age, the 1 tron of the ol y ouse, the Ex ecta H H p
ti on , al l date from Ben edict ( B en e d X IV p 433 5 XIII
2 8 5 5 3 R ec en t
2
, , , , .

researc h h h p
has s own t at the Ex ec tation ( Dec 1 81 ) ori gi n al l y too , In S ain , the . k p
p l ace O f the A n n un ciation , w ic ha d been h h
bserved in early times in t at O h
cou n try on t at da te h
T is substi tution too . h
l ace as ear l as the seven t
y kp h
c en tu ry T he festi val O f the Ex ectati on was in troduced in to En gl an d by
. p
S A n sel m (d
. Baumer, t 11
. 62 . . p
. .

1
Th
[ e O rder of our La d y of M er cy fo un d e d in 1 2 1 8 fo r th e re d em ti on of p
—
,
,

p
ca tives, an d the Carmel ites A B] . . .
2 54 H ISTORY O F T HE R OMA N BREVI A RY
n ot to the e n tire Ch u rch
T he Seven D ol o u rs had the sp ecial
.

d isadvan tage of oustin g the feria l offi ce on the F rid ay in Pas

sion Week A s fo r the B etro th a l an d Patron age of o ur Lady,
.

an d the T ran s l atio n o f the H o use o f Lo retto, w ith out imp ug n

in g the gra ve motives w ith w hich these festival s had been in

stituted, the con g reg atio n fe l t tha t, sin ce Ch ristia n a n tiq u ity

had n ot seen an y n ecessity for es ta bl ish in g them, th ey w ere

w ithin th eir rights in decidin g n ot to retain them The feast .

o f the E x p ectation of o ur Lady fo u n d n o defen der

l
.

O n Ma rch 9th, 1 7 4 2 , d iscussion took p l ace o n the feasts of the

H oly A n gel s The festiva l of the dedica tion of S Michae l on
11
. .

Se p te mb er 2 9th was u n a n i mo usly retain ed With l ik e un an i .

mity they su p p ressed the festiva l o f the A p p arition of S .

Mich ael o n Moun t Garga n us ( May 8th) as on e in wh ich on ly the

d iocese of Sip o n to had a n y con cern T he feast of the Guard ia n .

A n gel s was modern , datin g o n ly fro m Pau l V 3

a n d d id it n o t

see m a su p erfl uo u s ad d itio n to tha t o f S Micha el ? I t was .

n everth e l ess reta in ed .

A fter the an ge l s, the festival s of the sa in ts were disc ussed .

T he feast o f the Macca bees was too an cien t to be d istu rbed .

But such was n ot the case w ith those o f SS J oach im, A n n e, .

a n d J ose p h U n iversal devotion had, however , adop ted these

‘
.

th ree festiva l s w ith too g rea t p iety to al l ow o f th eir bein g sup

p re ssed ; it w as th ere fo re reso l ved to u n ite the m e m o ry o f S S .

J oachim an d A n n e in on e festival : b ut a fter all they soon de

cided o n aba n don i n g th is reso l utio n , an d l ea vi n th i n gs as th ey
g
were T he Nativity an d Behead in g o f S J oh n Bap tist were he
. .

yo n d debate ; so was al so the festiva l of the H o ly I n n ocen ts, but

it wa s tho ug ht tha t its oc ta ve mig ht p e rha p s w ith ad van tage be
1 Rosk ova n y , 4 1 8 ; A n p
a l c
. ct a , 5 5
1 p . .

1
In a Roman br ev ia r
y r i n t ed a t V en ice p b y u n ta , 1 54 ,1 I fi n J
d o n fo l d 1 . .

“
In fes to S Gabriel is
.
q u o d O ffi c i u m es t a pp ro b a t u m a S D N L eo n e X , . . .

15 15 , V III I
dus N ov in castell o Viterbii in camera sus e res iden ti ae
.

1S
p
e t a7 th, 1608
. . p
He in sti tuted it as o tion al , to b e cel ebrated a d libi turn
O n the fi rst day after Michael ma s n ot in der ed an h ffi ce O f n in e l essons O
U rban VI II
l eft it O tiona l in 16 32 p I t wa s exten ed to the w ol e C urc by
. h h h
X p
C l emen t , Se t t 3rh, 1 67 0 . .

1 Th
e festiva l O f S J
oac im, esta blis ed by Greg h h
XV , Marc 20 th, 162 3, was h
iiii
.

raised to the ran k

O f a greater double b y C l emen t , Oc tob er 3rd, 1 7 3
8 T at . h
of 8 A n n e was i n troduced as a sim l e feast in the ti me of Sixt us I
. p V ( 14 7 1
see Sc ober , h 32 p T h e. fe s t iv .a l w as an r esse d b
y P iu s p
V r es to r ed w i t th e h
XIII
,

ran k O f doubl e by Gregory ( 15 7 2 15 an d a n d -

t o th e ran O f g rea ter k
doubl e by C l emen t X I I [I n En gl an d i t was O
bserved from 1 383 a s a sim l e O f p
the fi rst cl ass —A B ] S
.

ose . . . J ph
, fi rst in trod uced a s a si m l e feast i n the ti me O f p
Sixtus I V , see Sc obe r, h p
201 , became a doubl e un der
. nn ocen t V 8
( 4 4
1 I III
an d a doubl e of the secon d class under C lemen t , N o v e m b e r 2 9th X
. 1 67 0 .

It r ec e ived from Cl emen t , XI F

ebruary 3rd , 1 7 14 , its ro er Ofii ce, w ic p p is a h h
master iece p .
2 56 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
main tain The w o rk d id n ot get o n : Giorg i had gon e to
.

C aste] Gan dol fo to rest awh il e ; Gall i to B ol og n a, to atten d

the gen era l Ch ap te r of his O rder ; it w as imp ossibl e to g et a
meeti n g together B en ed ict XIV n everthe l ess u rged matters
.

o n , a n d V a l e n ti red o ubl ed his efforts I n conj u n ction w ith .

A zzogu idi, he ag reed to draw u p a sketch of a k a l en da r to be

sub mitted to the con g reg a tion , sho w in g the festiva l s a l ready

accep ted a n d th ose wh ic h ha d the b es t ch an ce of b ein g so

,

eve n tua lly A s soon as th is sk etch w as d raw n up , V a l en ti was

.

g o i n g to S h ow i t t o G io rg ,i fo r,
as he sa i d ,
i f G i o rg i a pp ro v e d
of it, th ere was good h op e th at a ll the oth er con su l tato rs
woul d fo ll ow suit But in the mea n whi l e Mon ti, who was .

p res id e n t o f t h e co n g g
r e a ti o n ,
a n d a t wh o s e h o u se th ey w e r e

n ow h o l d in g th eir mee ti n gs, had had g e n era l r u l es d raw n

u p by a l ea rn ed man , in acco rdan ce w ith w h ich it woul d be

p p
ro e r to j u dg e wh ic h sa i n ts w e r e to h a v e o f
fi c es as s ig n e d to

the m, a n d wh at ra n k the O ffi ce o f each ough t to h ave Wh at

were these rul es ? Va l en ti does n ot tell us The on ly th in g .

we k n ow is th at Va l en ti, A zzoguid i, B al din i an d Gall i were

un an imous in rej ectin g them
1
But ho w w as Mon ti l ik e ly to
.

tak e this o p p osition

1

A t l ast the con greg ation met, on J uly 1 5 th, 1 7 4 2 Va l en ti .

had succee ded in a rran gin g th at Mon ti sh oul d say n o mo re

a b out his l l h h l
”
“
g e n e ra r u es ,
an d t a t A z z og u id i s o u d p u t as id e

his k al en dar, wh il e he h imse l f p rop osed to retai n on ly those

ma . p s
Rosk ovan y . p p 5 5 5 ; A na l -
1
1I
n B ri ef s B snsdicts X I V a n den Can on F r P eggi i n Bolog n a, ubl is ed . . p h
by FX F
Kra us ( reibu rg, 1 884) , Ifin d an in ter estin g assage rel ati n g to Mon ti
. . p
(p . T h e P o e w ri tes p
Gl i eruditi in materie eccl esiastic e
1‘
h Men
l earn ed i n matters eccl esias
son o di tre s ecie Al cun i p
an n o una . h
tical are O f three in ds : some ave a k h
buon a guardarobba , l ettura con tin ua, g oo d s toc o f k n ow l ed ge, ar e k
always
ed O
tti ma memoria dell e cose l ette : e rea di n g, an d ave an excell en t memory h
q ues ti n on sol o so n o buOn p er l a con v er for w at t ey ave read ; an d t ese are h h h h
saz i on e , ma n ell e occorren z e osson o p
not on ly good for c on versa ti on , but on
sommin istrare buone n oti z ie Ma se occasion may furn is some useful i n
. h
nO p
assan o
p i u ol tre, riescon o i n atto formation But if t ey n o t ere ,
. h h
p rati co il p i u dell e vol te n on sol o i n t ey gen erall y r ove i n pract i h matters p
util i ma p
er n iciosi E del n umero di n ot on l y usel ess but ev en mi sc ievous
. h .

q ues ti ( si a d e tto in co n fi denz a) si deb A m o n g t ese (be i t said i n con fi dence h )

p
bO n ri orrei i due Cardin al i Passi on ei , must be rec on ed Cardin a ls Passi on er k
e Mon ti an d Mon te
” ”
. .

Wh
at fol l ow s, i n p
raise O f Muratori , woul d be wort q uo ti n g as an ex am l e h p
h
of the c armin g an d sagacious in dlin ess of Ben edict X I kV ; but ave c on Ih
h h
ten ted mysel f wi t givin g w at rela tes to Mon ti , as t rowi n g l i g t on the em h h
p
barrassmen t caused to Val en ti, a la i n ractical ma n , by the ern ic ious eru di tion p p
Of hi s resi den t Mon ti is a man who has read a great deal , b ut wi t out an y
. h
met h wr ote, in 17 43, the A bbé de Can il l ac, our auditor at the R ota ( Cor r do .

R oms, t 7 92 , fol . .
 T HE PROJECT S OF BE N E D ICT XI
V 2 57

festivals of wh ich the Jesuit Guyet said th at they w ere cel e

b ra ted th roughout the whol e Chu rch 1
F ather Guy et s w ork
’
.

w as a ccordin gly read, a n d the con g reg ation foun d n o fau l t

w ith it, b ut con side red th at it w oul d be better w orth wh il e to
devote th eir n e x t few sittin gs to discussin g the mse l ves the case
of each severa l sain t But fi rst they ag ree d on retain in g ( I) a l l
.

the sain ts wh ose n ames occ ur in the ca n on of the Mass ; ( 2)

a l l those whose fe asts a re men tion ed in the a n cie n t sac ra me n t

a ries a n d k a l en da rs of the R o man Ch u rch ; ( 3) a l l the sa in ts of

whom we p ossess the A cta si ncer a , or an eul ogium p ron ou n ced

on them by on e of the F a thers, p rovi ded th e ir cul tus in the
Church is an ci en t ; (4) those sain ted Pop es on ly of whom the
cul tus is an cien t ( 5) the D o cto rs o f th e Ch u rc h ; ( )
6 the sa i n ts

who a re foun ders o f rel igious orde rs ( 7 ) some sa in ts rep resen t

in g each of the n ation s of Ch ri ste n do m ( 8) n o sain ts n o t i n
c l uded in on e o f the a bove c l asses, u n l ess the dev otio n o f the

u n ive rsa l Ch u rch, o r so me oth er most urge n t (u rg en ti v si ma )

”
reason , shou l d i n d uce the m to dec id e othe rw ise .

It w o u l d be a l on g a n d tedious b usin ess to e n umerate o n e

by on e the ap p l ication s made by the con g regation to p articu l ar
cases of the meth od th us reso l ved u p on It w ill suffi ce to re
.

co rd, w ith V al e n ti, the z ea l w ith whi ch A zz og u idi a n d the

other con sul tators a p l ied th e mse l ves to the co ll atio n o f a n cien t
p
sac ramen ta ries an d k a l e n da rs, so as to for m an op in ion reg u

l ated by these authorities, to the submission of such o p in ion

to gen e ra l d iscussion , an d to the obtain in g of a n u n a n i mo us
ag reemen t fo r each reso l ution o f the con g reg ation A ug ust .

a n d Se p tembe r w ere sp e n t on th is w o rk in Octobe r n oth in g

b ut the summin g up of resul ts remain ed to be do n e, an d th is
task w as en trusted, n ot to A z zog uidi, whose hea l th a t th is time
w as sufferin g from ove rstra in , b ut to Gall i, w ho gave u p to it
his autumn v acation ’
.

Val en ti has p reserved for us the ex p urgated k al en dar of

th is con g reg ation of the b reviary The n u mbe r o f e x p ul sion s
.

decreed by it w as ve ry ex ten sive I n addition to the fea sts,

.

a l re ady me n tion ed, of the H oly N a me o f J e sus, the H oly N a me

of M a ry, the B etrothal , the Ex ecta tion , the Seve n D ol ou rs , the

p
Patron age of the Bl essed Virg in , our Lady of Mercy, the Rosa ry,
the T ra n sl ation of the H ouse of Loretto, the C ommemoration
1
C Guyet, H oor tolag ia , si ve ds fcstis
.
p p r o ri is locor mn ct E ccl esi a rs m ( Ven ice ,
I7 2 9)
113xtract from the
1
.

Preface to the Ca l en da ri xns r efor ma txm . See Rosk ovan y ,

p .
5 86 .

1
R011k ovan y, §p 5 5 8 ; A na l ccta ,
. p
.
5 23
.

I7
2 58 H I STORY O F T HE ROMA N BREVI A RY
of S Paul , an d the A p p a rition o f S Michael, the con g regation
. .

had e rased from the ka le n da r the n ames of the Pop es Te l es

p h o ru s,
Hy g i n us,
A n ice tus, So te r ,
M a rc ell in us,
El e u th er iu s,

Sil ve rius, J oh n , Leo I I , P ius, A n ac l etus, Zep hy ri n us, Evaristus,

Pon tian us, an d Gregory VII ; o f SS Can ute, R aymo n d of
1
.

P en n afort Casimir, V in cen t Ferrier, U ba ld us, A n ton in us,

,

B ern ardin , F el ix de C an tal ice, J oh n de Sa hag un , Lo uis Gon

z aga, Liborius, Ray mon d N on natus, La ure n ce Giustin ian i,
Wen cesl as, Fran cis Borgia, A n d rew ( P A vell in o, J ohn of the
C ross : al so of SS Sabas, Peter Chrysologus, Peter of A l ex
.

a n d ria, E useb ius of V ercellae, H il a rio n , V en a n tiu s, B on iface ,

E rasmus, A l ex is, Ch risto p her, Pa n tal eo, Roman us, Cassia n,

Hyac in th, Jan uarius, E ustace, P lacid us, D en is, R u sticus a n d
El eutherius, V ital is an d A g ricol a, T ryp ho, R es p icius an d
N y mp ha, D iego, H ip p ol yt us an d Sy mp horian us Gil es, the ,

Seve n H o ly B roth ers, Modestus an d C rescen tia, N abor a n d

Fel ix , Faustin us an d J ovita, Cyp rian an d J ustin a : of the femal e
sa in ts E me ren tia n a, Mar ti n a, D oro th ea, Sch ol astica, Petron ill a,

R u fin a an d Secun da, Sy mp ho rosa, M arga ret, Ch ristin a, Hed

w iga, U rsu la , Kathe rin e, B ibian a, B arbara, Ma rgaret of Corton a,
Mary Magdalen e de Pazz i, J ul ian a de Fa lcon eri, Rose of
’ ’

V iterbo, Gertrude, a n d El iza beth of H un gary T o these must .

be added the in ven ti on o f the body o f S Step hen , a n d the .

imp re ssion o f the stigmata of S F ran cis 2

. .

O n D ecemb er 7 th, 1 7 4 2 , the con g regation had a t l ast d rawn

up its k al en d ar of feasts to be main tain ed But it was as yet .

n oth in g more th an a cata l ogue , a n d severa l u tio n re uired

q es s q
se ttl in g be fo re it co u l d tak e the form of a re a l l iturg ical
k a l en dar I
.n the fi rst p l ace, i n accordan ce w ith the l e ad in g

1
pp
T he su ression of the feast of S Gre ory V I
g. Iwas v ery sign ifican t The .

O ffi ce for i t had been con ceded to the Ben ed1ctin e O rder an d to atri arc al basil p h
icas O f Rome by Clemen t XI
, in 1 7 1 9, an d exten ded to the un iversal C urc by h h
Ben edic t XIII , in 1 7 28. h
T he istor ical l esson con tain ed a sen ten ce i n w ic h h
was recorded th e resistan ce made by the Po e to the Em eror p en ry I V , the p H
h h
same w ic we stil l read t ere : h ‘1
Co n tra en rici H I p
m eratoria imp i os con atus, "

e tc . p F h
T he arl iamen ts of ran ce saw in t ese words an imp eac men t of the h
l iberti es of the Gal l ican C urc h h a n d the Kin g s Ma esty
’
C ardi nal l eury j F
—
.

h h
a n n u ll ed t eir decrees, but t ey h ad the su pp
ort Of certa in b is p o Ca I us, O f
p
A uxerre ; Colbert of Mon t el l ier ; C oisl in of Metz Ben edict .
(Ju 3rst, XIII
p p g h
1 7 29) had to con demn the e isco al c ar es of t ese b is o s an d the h ic ts O f h p
th e Par l iamen ts . T he Parl iamen t of Par is F
ebruary a3rd , 17 30) c on demn ed the
con d emn a tion pron oun ced b y the P O p e l h
ere w as a simil ar disturban ce in the
k p h
in gdom O f N a l es, an d an ot er i n A ustr ia See Bi umer , t 11
.
303 1 4, 322 3 . . pp .
- -
.

T he con r egatron Of Ben edict X I

g h h
V t oug t to eva de al l t ese d ifli cul ti es by h
su p p ress rn g the festival of Gre or V I
g y I .

1
C a l en d ref or m Rosk ovan y,
. . pp
6 12 4 :
. Catal ogue fe storum seu O fli ciorum
-

q u ae v i sa sun t omitten da
2 60 HI STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
con g reg a tion houl d they go on at on ce to study the tex t of
1
s

the offi c e a n d revise the homil ies l eg en ds hymn s res p on ds

, , , , ,

etc.
,
of the offi ces wh ich w ere reta in ed It ap p eared w ise r to
s ub mit to B en ed ict XIV the w ork al ready d on e ; fo r th is con

stituted the b ase on wh ich a l l the res t of their reform must be

buil t an d th eir l abou r w oul d be l ost if the Sovereign Pon tifi

'

did n ot ap p rove or p oss ibly disap p roved of the ir method an d

, , ,

th eir first resol ution s A ccordin gly by the un a n imous a dvice

.
,

o f the con sul ta to rs V al en ti l ai d the n ew k a l en da r be fo re B en e

,

dict XIV 11
.

The Po p e Val en ti assures us received it w ith grea t k in dn ess

, , ,

a n d sai d he w oul d ex a min e it I n fact he k e p t i t w ith him .

,

for severa l mon ths w h ich is n ot surp risin g when w e con sider
,

how fu lly he was occ up ied w ith the man y other ca res l aid up on
him by his A p ostol ic charge a n d his n atu ral desi re to weig h ,

most th ough tfully a matter so l ik ely to ca use diffi cul ty as the

re d uctio n of the S a nctor al e I n a l etter ad d res sed to C ard in a l
.

Ten c in J un e 7 th 1 7 4 3 that is to say at the p rec ise momen t

, , ,

when Valen ti had j ust l aid before him the n ew k al en da r we ,

see in wh a t terms B en ed ict X IV states the meth od on wh ich ,

in his op in ion the Roman b rev iary ought to be refo rmed

,
T he .

imp o rta n ce of th is l etter w ill be eviden t to all o ur read ers

We have received your Emin en ce s l etter of May 20th in ’
,

which you men tion the p roj ect of a n ew Roman brevi ary .

We h ave rema rk ed w ith the utmost p l easu re the hop es

w h ich your E min en ce suggests to us th at if we were to p u t ,

fo rth suc h a n e w b revia ry it migh t be received i n Fran ce a t

, ,

a l l even ts i n the d iocese s wh ere the Roma n brevia ry is at p re

se n t i n use The foll ow in g is the gen eral p l an wh ich we have

p p
r o o sed t o fo ll ow i n the co m p ositi o n o f th is b rev ia ry G riti .

c ism h avi n g become so ex acti n g an d the fa cts wh ich our good ,

fo refath ers rega rd ed as in d ub ita bl e bein g n ow ca ll ed in q ues

tion we see n o oth er way of defen d in g ourse l ves again st such
,

c riticism th a n by comp i l in g a b reviary i n whi ch ev erythin g

s houl d be d ra w n from H oly Scrip tu re wh ich as y ou r E min en ce , ,

is a w a re con ta in s p l en ty of matter on the subj ect of the

,

myste ries cel ebrated in the feasts of the Ch urch as w ell as ,

a b ou t the H oly A p ostl es a n d the Bl esse d V irgin Whatev er .

the Scrip tu re s the mse l ves mig ht n ot fu rn ish w ou l d be su p p l ied

T he revision of the a l en dar was fi n is ed

1 k men se A ril is, 1743. says h p
h
Val en ti , wi t out men ti on in g the day Of the mon t h .

1 R0sk ovan
y , 5 62 ;p A na l.ccta , 2
5 5 T he al e n dar , an dpan e
.x p osi tion of. k
p p h h
the ri n ci l es on w ic it was fr amed, are gi ven by R osk ovan y, 5 83 6 14 pp .
- .
 T HE PROJECTS O F BE NED I CT XI
V 26 1

from the u n iversa w ri tin gs of the most an cien t

lly accep ted

F athe rs A s for the oth er sa in ts wh ich have n ow a p l ace in

.

the b rev iary a simp l e commemoration of them w o u l d be

,

dee med suffi cien t A l l th at ca n be sa id again st th is is that

.
,

such a n inn ov ation woul d de roga te fro m the cul tus h ith e rto

re n de red to th ese sai n ts ; a n d true it is th at the cutti n g ou t o f

their l egen ds w i ll mak e some p eop l e cry out who l oo k u p on ,

the th in gs re l ated in th em as so certain th at th ey wou l d be ,

rea dy to go to the stak e in sup p ort of th eir truth But such .

criticism as th is a p p ears to us as of fa r l ess w eig h t th a n th a t

in wh ich it is made a rep roach to us that we ca use to be read

i n the n a me of the Ch urc h th in gs w hich ar e a p ocry p ha l or
o f dou b tfu l veracity B esides w ith whatever care an d abil ity
.
,

the n ew brev iary is draw n u p so me such c riticism w oul d be ,

”1
in evita bl e .

We see here a mark ed divergen ce between the views of

B en edict XIV an d his con sultators The Pop e aims at the .

p rod uc tio n o f a n ew b re via ry wh i l e th ey are ,m e re ly a t w o rk

o n the re formation of tha t a l ready ex istin g Ben edict X IV .

has in v iew a b reviary in wh ich eve ryth in g is to be dra w n from

H oly Scrip ture : to l ay dow n such a rul e is eq uiva len t to
sw eep in g a w ay the whol e structu re o f the ex istin g brev iary ,

a n d to accep t p rec ise ly the p ri n cip l e a dop ted by the Ga ll ica n

l iturgists The Pop e sp eak s o f a hop e that such a breviary

.

will be received In Fran ce i n the dioceses where the Roman

“
,

brevia ry 1s n ow in use Does he mea n that the n ew brevi

a ries such as th a t of M de V in timille are to be l eft in p osses
,
.
,

sion a n d n ot i n terfered with ? Ben edict XIV woul d retain in

the Sa nctoral e the mysteries of our Lord an d the festiva l s O f ,

the A p ostl es an d of the Bl essed V irgin : b ut all the other

sain ts days wo u l d n o l on er have ri h t to a n yth in g bey on d a
’

g g
mere commemoration an d thereby there w oul d be an en tire
,

sup p ressio n of the l egen ds o f the sa in ts O f the o rder o f the .

p sa l m od y he sa ys n oth i n g d o u b tl ess co n
, si deri n g th a t t he re

storation of the offi ce of the season wou l d sa tisfy an y w ish es

formed w ith regard to th at subj ect Such are the main l in es .

of the sch eme co n cei ve d on his ow n p art by B en ed ict XIV ,

in to the k n owledge o f wh ich we are admitted by this l etter o f

J un e 7 th 1 7 4 3
. .

A fter readi n g th is l etter of B en edict XIV it is easier to ,

un derstan d wh at Va l en ti mean s when con tin uin g his n a rrative , , ,

he te ll s us that a certa in p erson who m he does n ot n ame ( n ot ,

Co r do Rona t 7 92 fol 2
1
r . , Heeck esen t 1 p 6 1
.
, . 1. , . . . .
26 2 HI STOR Y OF THE RO MA N BREV I A R Y

imp robably it was the Po p e h imse l f) , e x p ressed the o p in ion

th at i t w ou l d be better to retain al l the festiva l s of the Sa nc
tar al e of the Roma n b rev iary, but to red uce them a ll to the
ra n k o f simp l e feasts, so a s n ot to i n ter fere w ith the fe ri a l

ofii ce .
—
Val en ti as he te ll s us h imse l f w ith al l the artl essn ess
befittin g a dip l omat— took care to l ay th is op in ion before
B en ed ict XI V, who w ished to k n o w why the con sultators had
n ot adop ted it They rep l ied in writin g th at it had seemed
.

to th em n ecessary to e l imin ate ce rta in festiva l s of sain ts , an d

th at, w ith reg a rd to th i s p roj ect, i t was on e wh ich c l ash ed w ith
the immemoria l custom o f the Ch urch , an d wou l d in v ol ve a
th o usa n d d iffi cul ti es Th is rep ly, so bl un tly sta ted , an d at
l
.

the sa me ti me so comp lete ly we ll fou n ded , in d ica ted a fun da -

men tal d iverge n ce between th e vie w s oi Ben ed ict XIV an d

his co n sulta tors .

I
n the mean time the Po p e was bein g p re ssed to mak e h is

decision N ow it was Cardin al Ten c in n ow it was C rescen z i ,

.

the P op e s N u n tio at Pari s , who had bee n su mmon ed to Rome

’

to receive the ca rd in al s hat ; n ow i t was Va l en ti hi mse l f,

’ 1

who ass iduously reca ll ed to the min d o f his H ol i n ess the in

te rests of the wo rk th at had bee n beg un , an d wh ich B en ed ic t
XIV a l on e coul d brin g to a successful issue A t l ast the Pop e .

yiel ded— whatever might be the thoughts he p rivately en ter

ta n ed
i — a n d ap p oi n ted a con g reg atio n of ca rd in a l s to ex ami n e

the k a l e n d a r p resen ted to hi m by the con sul tato rs I t con .

sisted o f th e ir E min en ces C a rdi n a l s Ge n til i, Sil v io , V al e n ti, Mo n ti,

Tamb urin i, an d Vez z osi Louis Val en ti was to act as secre .

tary to th is con g rega tio n al so 1

.

1 R osk ov any , 5 6 p
2 ;. A n a l ec t a , 5 5
2 T h e re o p
rt O
. f t e ir co ns.u l ta t io n i p
s h
g i v en by R o s k o v an y , 6 1 4 1 9 pp .
-
.

1
h
Crescen z i was n ot in g more than an ec o of Cardinal s l eury a n d T en ci n h F .

He wa s made a car din al a t the Con sistory of Se tember 9th, 1 7 43 See Ben e p .

dict X I J
V to T en ci n , an uary 3rd, 1 7 44 ( Heeck esen , t 1 on the sub ect . . p . j
of the n ew R oman Brev iary, of w ic , as we tol d your Emin en ce , we h h ave h
formed the design He wri tes t us : h
We ave n ot aban don ed our idea, an d do h
n ot mean to aba n don it Bu t i t is a vast en ter rise ! T ere are on l y twen ty
. p h
h
four our s in the day , an d, t ou h
we are on ly seven h ours i n bed. w e assur e h
y o u r E m in en c e t a t, h ex c e t h a l a n h 0 up
r for d in n er , an d about an
- -
o u r
’
s c on h
ver sation l in the even in g, al l the rest of th e day i s ta en u p wi t readi n g, or k h
w ritin g, or gi vin g audien ce A breviary is a wor to do by on e s sel f, an d n ot by
.
'
k -

h p h
mean s of ot ers , es ecial ly as t er e is ere n o len ty of good wor men at such h p k
a taslt . W
ere God to gr an t us p
ea ce a n d q uiet , we s oul d be abl e to carry out h
h
t is cl es i gn
”
.

1
Rosk ovan y , 553p A. n a l o c ta , 5 26 Ba um e r , t p
. 11 37 3 m.en ti on s C oda . . p .
,

x1v i n the L ibra ry O f S

. Paul s wi t out the
’
. h W
al l s, w ic con tain s the a ers O f h h p p
C ardinal T amb uri n i e was a Ben ed ictin on the busin ess Of th e breviary
)
h e
.

Ben edict X I V said o T ambur in i : T is Isti n guished man has a lwa l ive d
'

h ere wi t h h
h is brot er Ben edi ctin es i n the mon astery of St Cal ixtus, w ere he .
 2 64 H I STORY OF T HE ROMA N BREVI A RY
The con sul ta tors met on March 19th, to d isc uss the q uestion o f
the d istrib utio n of the p sa l ter Ma n y of the churches of F ran ce .

ha d, wi thi n the l ast few yea rs, adop ted a n ew meth od of distri
b ution , n ot in a ll cases the same, an d th is in n ovation had i ts
p a r tis a ns i n I ta ly A s soo n as th e re p o r.t w as s p rea d th a t th e

c on g re ation was d isc u ssin g this u t i o io u o j ec ts f o

g q es n ,
v a r s p r r a

d istrib ution o f thi s k in d w ere sen t in to Va l en ti, al l of them

c l ai min g to mak e the rec itation o f the a l ter si er an d b e tt e r
p s ea

o rd ered The con su l tators, h ow ever , w ere un an imous in adher

.

i n g to their forme r dec ision of J u ly 14th, 1 7 4 1, a n d affi rmed on ce

more tha t the R oman d istrib ution of the p sa l ter was the an cien t
on e, a n d must n ot be a ba n d on ed T o give more w eigh t to their
—
.

o p in ion based on the testimon y of A malarius an d Gregory

—
VI I they had recou rse to the man uscrip t treas ures of the
Roman l ib ra ries A n ton ell i sea rched the a rchives of the
.

Lateran ; Giorgi, the l ibra ry of the Vatica n ; O rl an di, that of

the V al licel l a n ; Giul i, th ose of the Col l eg i o R oma n o a n d the
Sac red P en iten ti a ry ; a n d so fo rth By A p ri l 2 9th, th ese re .

searches w ere com l ete d , a n d a m ly con fi rmed the op in ion of

p p
the con g regation a n d Ga ll i , su mmin g u p the resu l ts in a

treatise, sup p orted the con c l usion th at n on e of the schemes of

d istribution a l ready in troduced in F ran ce or p rop osed el se
where w ere w orthy of bein g p referred to the ancien t Roman
dis trib utio n of the p sal ter 1
When read to the con sul tators, .

Ga ll i s treatise was un iversally ap p roved A t the same sitti n g

’
.

th ey decided that l esser dou bl es, fa ll in g on a Su n day, sh ou l d

b e tran sferred : on the q uestion wheth er se mi d oubl es, un der ,
-

si mil ar c irc umstan ces, sh ou l d be tra n s ferred or red uced to a

memoria l on ly, the votes w e re eq ua lly d iv ided 11
.

There was n eed of d isp atch The rep ort sp read, n o on e .

— —
k n ow s how so Valen ti assures us that Ben edict XIV rea lly
cared v ery l ittl e a bo ut the correctio n of the b rev iary, th a t in

deed he rath er d isl ik ed it, an d a ll ow ed the con sul tators to

occ up y th emse l ves w ith it, n ot so much beca use he wishe d it

c arried to comp l e tion as i n ord er n ot to O o th o o

pp se se p e rs n s

w ho deman ded it N oth in g coul d h ave l ess fo un dation than

.

hel d i our p ese ce ; an d fu the w e shal l con fer on the subj ect with M the
n r n r r, .

A chbishop of Bou ges ( the F

r ch A mb assa do ) wh
r he ar ives the more so as
ren r en r ,

h may b abl e to b i g with him om

e e bl Doctor Of the Sorbon e (Corr do
r n s e a e n .

R om t 7 96 fol
e. . H eck esen t 1 p 125
, . e , . . . .

1T hi di statio D r non imm t do v te i p l nodi s ri t

sser n, is by u an e r sa r a e, n
V al e ti mo g hi il l ustra tiv docume ts as Mon m o tu
n a n s xxrr Pub ich ed i
e n , n nr . n
A l t j ri s po tifi i i Se ies xxvrr ( 887
na sc a u n pp 292 3 1
c , r . 1 .
-
0 .

1Rosk o a y p 5 65 ; A na l t p 5 2 8
v n , . sc a , . .
 T HE PR O JE CTS OF BE NE D I CT XI
V 26 5

h be more con trary to the Pop e s real min d 1

’
t is re p ort, or

a n d he c ha rged V a l en ti to tell the con sulta tors that far from

fee l in g u n favourably tow ards their work , he was in terested in

it an d sup p orted it, an d that the day woul d soon c ome when
the con gregation shou ld meet in his p resen ce Soon after , in
.

fact, b e ap p oin ted an ad dition a l con sul ta tor , N ico l as Le rca ri,
who ha d j ust co me b ack from Fra n ce, where he had fu l fill ed
a n imp ortan t mission , a n d had b een mad e secreta ry of the P ro

p g
a an d a ; a n d a fte r rea d in g th e i r l as t re p o r t , h e in v i te d t h e

j oin t con gregation of card in al s an d con sulta tors to hold a

meetin g in h is p resen ce, o n Sep tember 2 9th, 17 44 .

B en ed ict XIV, w ith tha t erud ition an d grace which cha r

acte ri zed his el oq uen ce, sp ok e to th em of the n ecessity for a

re for m, an d the meth od th at ou h t to be ado ted i n it Th a t

g p .

n ecessity, he sa w , p roceed ed fro m the sa me ca uses which had

o f O ld sw ayed the min ds of the Fath ers of the C ou n ci l of

Tren t : viz the con fusion th at had come a bout in the recitation
.

o f the p sa l ter, the p rese n ce of fa l se o r doubtfu l stories in the

l egen ds of the sain ts, an d the wan t of p urity an d el egan ce in

the l an guage emp l oyed in D ivin e w orsh ip A s to the method
.

to b e foll o w ed , b e, w ith the ca rdin a l s, ap p roved the resol ution

of the c on su l ta tors n ot to in terfe re w ith the trad ition a l d istri

b ution o f the p sa l ms ; for his ow n p art, he des ir ed that the

tex t of the V u l gate i n the p sa l ter shou l d be l e ft un touch ed ;
he a p p roved of the reten tion o f the various ra n k s of feasts
doubl es of the first c l ass, doubl es of the secon d cl ass, e tc He .

made n o obj ectio n to the eight rul es formul ated by the con
s ulta tors as to the re form of the k al en d a r, b ut he w ou l d add a

n in th . Fo r, in fact, so me of the sa in ts in the k a l en da r had

been ca n on ized before the time of A l ex an der III( 1 1 5 9
by the consensus of the un iversa l Church ; othe r, sin ce A l ex
an de r I II by R m fl w h
'

, the d e c ree o f the o a n P o n t i ,

a n d it th e

so l e mn ce remo n y wh ich we common ly ca ll can on iz ation ;

oth ers again , sin ce the time of the sa id Po e, w ith ou t tha t

p
so l e mn cere mon y, by the mere res c ri ti o n iss ue d by th e
p p ,

Roman Pon ti fl to the C athol ic worl d, of a Mass a n d an offi ce

'

in their hon our . I t was n ot we ll to con foun d these three

c l asses of Sain ts, b u t wh a t w as
p p
r o e r fo r ea c h o f th e m sh o u l d
be carefu lly determin e d . In con c l usion , be e n co urag ed the

con su l ta tors to besto w hen ceforth a l l th e ir en erg ies on the ex

a min a tion , correction , im rove me n t, o r eve n the re l acin by

p p g
fresh matter, of the seve ra l p a rts of the b rev iary to sh are the
1 Rosk ovany , p
.
5 66 ; A na l ecta , p .
5 9.
2
266 H I ST O RY OF T HE R O MA N BREV I A R Y
l abour betw een th em b ut to discuss each p oin t in common , ,

a n d fi n a lly to l ay b efore him a l l th eir reso l ution s Val en ti .

set dow n i n w ritin g the d iscou rse o f the Sovereig n Pon tiff a n d ,

on O ctob er 2 n d the rep o rt of it a fter bein g l a id before the P op e ,

a n d a p p roved by him w as d istri b uted to the ca rd in a l s an d

,
l
con sul ta tors .

Th is discourse is cal cul ated to cause us some surp rise after ,

the Pop e s l etter to C ardin a l T en c in of J u n e 7 th 1 7 4 3 in wh ich

’

, , ,

he certa in ly ma n ifested n o in ten tion of touch in g the tradition a l

d istrib uti on of the p sal ter b ut d id ex p ress his desire to red uce ,

a l l festiva l s ex cep t th ose o f our Lo rd the A p ostl es a n d the

, , ,

Bl essed Virgin to a simp l e commemoration sup erp osed on the

,

offi ce of the se ason a n d to b rin g it to p ass that w ith the

, ,

cep tio n o f some p assages from the F a th ers the brev ia ry sh ou l d

—
,

co n ta in n o th i n g b ut wh at w as tak en from H o ly Scrip ture n ot

a n y such th in g as a l eg en d 1 Had B en ed ict XIV cha n ged his

min d ? O r was he n ow k eep ing back his rea l sen timen ts ? I t is

more p robable that the Pop e had aban don ed his former n otion .

A fte r the autu mn vaca tio n the con sultators ag ain took up the
work Meetin gs were hel d on N ovember 2 7 th an d Decembe r
.

3 o t h ; to d is c u ss th e o ffi c e o f th e se as o n L e rca ri A n t o ne ll i a n d .
,

Gio rg i mad e a study of the homil ies l esson s an d cap i tul a ,

Se rg io B al d in i Gi u l i an d V a le n ti of the a n tip hon s resp on ds

, , , , , ,

hymn s a n d versicl es The ex amin ati on of the l ection ary re

.

sul te d in on ly a sma ll n umb e r of re ma rk s ; tha t of the a n ti

p h o n s res
, p o n d s e tc s u gg, e st e
. d m
, e r ely a few d o ub ts ; a n d ev en

as to th ese the reso l ution s tak e n w e re n ot main ta in ed

,
The .

offi ce of the season w as in sho rt outside the Sp h ere of d iscu s , ,

sio n . O n e con sul tator p rop o sed to su bsti tute for the s hort
l esson at p rime the readin g of some ca n on of a Coun cil —a n
idea borrow e d from the b reviary of M de V in timil l e But . .
,

w ith in tw en ty four hours B en edict XIV havin g received in

-
, ,

fo rmation of th is fro m V a le n ti remin ded the co n sul tators that , ,

in his V iew the q uestion be fore them was the reform a n d n ot

,

the recastin g of the b revia ry 11

It is therefo re certain th at the.

Pop e had n o l on ger an y though t of p uttin g forth a n ew R oman

b rev iary .

O n J an ua ry 16 th 1 7 4 5 they un dertook the P rop er of sa in ts

, ,

on J uly 2 n d they w ere stil l w ork in g at it Vale n ti ex p l ain s the .

p l a n o n wh ic h t he co n su l ta to rs s h ar e d the w ork be tw een t h em ,

w ith what con scien tious care th ey ap p l ied th emse l ves to it an d ,

Ro k o an y pp 5 67 8 ; A
1
s v l t p 5 9 , .
-
na cc a , . 2 .

Ro k o a y p 5 69 ; A
1
s l t p 53
v n , . n a cc a , . 0.
2 68 HI STOR Y O F T HE ROMA N BRE V I A R Y

was even w ill in g to see the m in dividually in order to con firm ,

th e m in th is determin atio n ass u rin g the m of the desire he ,

fel t to see the re form co mp leted an d how grea tly that desire ,

was i n crease d by the l etters wh ich he received from Fran ce es ,

p ec ia l ly fro m C a rd in a l T e n c i n an d by the h op e wh ic h th ese ,

g a v e h i m o f se e i n g t he re fo rm u n de r tak en a t R o m e fu lly s e ,

cep ted i n th at co un try

1
.

A ccord in gly the meeti n gs o f the con gregatio n were resumed

,

on J un e 2 2 n d 1 7 46 a n d u p to A ugust 1 2 th th ey met every

, ,

week at Va len ti s house By th at time they had fini shed the

’
.

revision of the P ro er of sa in ts for the fi rst six mon ths of the

p
yea r O n Sep tember l oth Val en ti was abl e to p resen t to the
.
,

Pop e the res u l t of these la bours of the congregatio n : it was

both a descrip tion an d a j ustifi cation of the correction s which
they p rop osed e n titl ed Sp eci men Brevia n z r efi rr ma ti : P a r s
,

ky mna l is ct p a rs um “
T he Pop e was fi ll ed w ith j oy a n d
.
,

begg ed Val en ti to comp l ete so good a work by ca usin g the ,

con g reg a tio n to stu dy the ofli ces of the oth er s ix mon ths .

For th is th ey waited un til after the autu mn vacation b ut fro m ,

D ece mber 2 n d 1 7 46 to March l oth 1 7 47 they met every

, , , ,

week O n that date the work was comp leted by the p resen tation
.

of th eir re p ort on the offices for the C ommon o f sa in ts by Ler

ca ri A n to n e ll i a n d Giorg i
, , The work of the con g regation .
,

after occup yi n g n ot l ess th an six yea rs was a t l ast fin is hed ,

.

Valen ti drew up the second p art of his Sp eci men Br evia r i i

re f or m a ti a n d ,sen t i t i n to th e P o p e
8
B en e d ic t X IV h a d n ow .

i n his h an ds the p roj ect of reform both as reg arded the k a l en dar
a n d the office : he w ish ed to have l eis ure both to l ook ov er it

h imsel f a n d to discuss it an d a n yon e might well trust the

, ,

sagacity o f his min d, the force of his gen ius, an d the ex te n t o f

his erudition .
‘

Val en ti con cl uded his rep ort w ith th ese words : We n ow

a w a it w ith con fiden ce the decision of the Sov e reign P on tiff

I t was a bout Easter 1 7 4 7 , .

We have n ow given a summary of the history a s rel ated by ,

Va l e n ti o f the l abours of the con greg ation ap p oin ted for the
,

refo rm o f the b reviary We have en umerated always follow

.
,

i n g V a l en ti the various sup p ression s a n d red ucti on s in ra n k

,

ag reed on in re a rd to festiva l s
g It re m ai n s fo r u s i n o rder to .
,

g iv e a c o m p l ete id ea o f the w ork to i n dica te a l s o as b riefly as , ,

1 Rosk ovan y , p
5 7 2 ; A na l ecta , 5 32
. p . .
1
A n a l ecta , pp 6 33 . sqq .
1
b
i id . pp
889 sqq .
1
Rosk ova n y ,. p .
5 75 A n a l ecta , p 635
. .
 T HE PROJECT S OF BE N ED ICT XI
V 26 9

p o bl e the correction s p rop osed by the congreg ation

ss i ,
in the
actual tex t o f the offices wh ich th ey retain ed .

The correction s in tr od uced in the Prop er of the season w ere

few in n u mber, a n d on ly affected the l ection ary The p assage .

from S Grego ry, in the th ird n oc turn of the fi rst Su n day in

.

A dven t, in which he sees in the ca l a mities o f his own time the

si g n s wh ich h era l ded the e n d of the w orl d, w as rep l aced by

an other p iece of the sa me h o mily, in wh ich the sa in t simp ly

e x p resses the j oy wh ich the fa ith fu l oug h t to fee l at the a p

p r oac h o f th a t en d ,
reg a rded as th e bl esse d co m i n g o f Ch ri st .

T he c urta il ed an d u n p l easin g ex tract from S J erome , wh ich .

serves for the l esso n s o f the secon d Sun day, w as rep l aced by a

very b ea uti fu l p assage of S Fulg en tius, fu ll of theo logi cal i n

.

O n C hristmas Ev e, S J erome s ho mily, d isfig u red

’
stru ctio n . .

by its rude p l ain n ess of diction , gave p l ace to a del icately ex

r essed meditation fro m S J oh n Chrysostom on the sa me tex t
p .

— Cu m esset desp onsata Ma ter j esu T he homily for the day

a fter A sh Wed n esday, tak e n fro m S A ugustin e, an d d ifii cu l t .

o f co mp reh en sio n , was r ep l aced by a n oth er fro m the sa me

a uth or, o n a simp l er su bj ect a n d in a c l ea rer styl e F or the .

homily on E mber Wedn esday in Len t, taken from S A mbrose, .

wa s substituted a p assag e fro m S J oh n Ch rysostom, p l a in er .

a n d more a p p rop riate O n the F riday o f the sa me w eek , for S

. .

A ug ustin e s dev e l o p men t o f the symbo l ism of the n u mber fo rty,

’

was substitu ted an other p assag e fro m the same F ath er, more
on o u r l evel F o r the F rid ay after mid Len t Sun day, in stea d
.
-

of the homily o f S A ugu stin e on Laz arus wh ich a ffirms the

.

ide n tity o f Mary his sis ter with Mary Magdal en e, a p assage fro m
l

S F ulgen tius was p rop ose d, in wh ich the q uestion as to Ma ry is

.

n ot ra ised, an d co n ta in i n g th ese b ea utifu l a n d strik i n g words

J l acrymas fud it
esus Plorab at, sed n on utiq ue p l orab at, ut Judaei
.

p uta b an t, q uia Lazar um sa tis ama bat Sed id eo p lorab at q

. uia ite r um c um
ad huj us v itae mise rias revocabat
1
.

h j
O n t is sub ect the con grega ti on ex resses i ts
1
p
in ion as follows : Op In cel e
“

b errima q uaesti on e, q uam b ic atti n gere n on est n ecesse, vi sum es t congregation i

.

n on esse receden dum a ve ter i tr adi ti on e Roman a e Eccl esiae A na l ecta , 908 p
A s a matter of fact , th e b el ief had al ways been en ter tain ed at Rome—in accord
. .

h
a n ce wi t the un iversa l L atin traditi on —
O f th e iden ti ty O f Mary of Bet an y bot h h
h
wit Mary Magdal en e an d th e a n on mous en iten t at N ai n
y p In ran ce, I n th e . F ’

seven teen t h
cen tury , the p osi te in ionOp
w as gOp
en era ll y h el d : see B ossu et, Su r

L es T r ois Ma del ei ne:

1 “
J
esus w ep t Y et surel He gr ieved n ot, as the ews t oug t , because
. J h h
He l oved L a z arus so dearly, bu t ause He was recal l in g him to the miseries of
h p
t is resen t li fe
”
.
270 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
O n Wed n esd ay In Passion week , a b etter sel ectio n was made
fro m S A ug ustin e s homily, mak in g it beg in a t Hi ems er a t, an d
’
.

su p p ress in g the usel ess in troductory p assag e a bo ut the E n ca en i a

wh ich serves as the fi rst l esson O n the Thu rsday, sup p ressin g .

the p assage fro m S Gregory in wh ich Ma ry of B etha n y a n d

.
,

Ma ry Magda l e n e are id en tified, a n other p assage from the same

homily was substituted, in wh ich Mary is n ot men tion ed O n .

Th ursday in Easter week there is the same iden tifi cation of the
two Maries, in a homily of S Greg o ry s ; it was rep l aced by on e
’
.

from S A ugustin e
. O n T uesd ay in the octave of A scen sion
.

a sermo n of S Ma x imus, in wh ich our Lord is co mp ared to the

.

eagl e, gave p l ace to o n e o f S Bem ard s, w ith o ut the reaso n fo r

’
.

the correction bein g ap p aren t Lastly, on the twel fth Sun da y

.

a fter Pen tecost, in stea d o f the h omily from B ed e, mere ly

g e n era l in i ts s ubj ect ,

w as g iv e n o n e from S A m b r ose , o n t he .

p ar a bl e o f th e G oo d S a m a ri ta n , the a c tua l s u bj ec t o f th e

Gosp el for the day These are the amen dmen ts in trod uced
.

by the con gregation in to the l ection a ry of the P rop er of the

1
sea so n .

T he offi ce of the P rop er o f sa in ts un derwen t gr aver mod ifi

catio ns Let us tak e fi rst the a n ti p ho n ary a n d resp o n so ra l
. .

The an tip hon s an d res p on ds for S A n d rew s D ay , bein g

’
.

borrowed from the ap ocryp hal acts of that A p ostle, were for
that reason su p p ressed T he a n tip hon s w ere re p l aced by n ew
.

o n es, tak e n fro m the N ew T esta men t ; the resp on ds were to

be th ose o f the C ommon of A p ostl es The office o f S . .

Thomas the A p ostl e was en riched w ith p rop er a n tip hon s,

in stead of hav i n g on ly those of the Co mmon , as in the
b reviary at p resen t ; an d th ese n ew a n tip hon s were taken from
the Go sp e l o f S J oh n .
— “
a d maj or em S A p ostol i cel ebr ita tem .

The first a n tip ho n at l a n ds o n S J oh n Eva n ge l ist s D ay was

’
.

rep l aced by a n ew on e, more in a cco rda n ce, it was sa id , w ith

the tex t of the Go sp e l O n H o ly I n n ocen ts D ay , in stead of

’
.

the an tip hon s o f the C o mmo n o f martyrs, n ew p ro p er a n ti

p h o n s w e re g i ve n ,
t ak en fro m I sa ia h a n d th e A p oca ly p se .

I n stead of the a n tip hon of the C o mmon of Sov ere ign Pon tiffs,
a t M ag n ficat i n Secon d Vesp e rs o f the o flice of S P
‘ ’

i ete r s .

Chair at Rome, th at of the First Vesp ers Tu es p astor oviu m — -

—was rep eated . N o ch a n ge was mad e in the a n tip ho n s a n d

res o n ds
p o f C a n d l e m as , e x ce p t t h a t t h e p a ssag e S en a

P uer u m p or ta ba t, u sed for the a n tip h o n to M ag mfi ca t at fi rst

vesp e rs an d for the ei h th resp on d a t ma ttin s— bein g tak en
g
1
A n a l ecta , pp . 634 42, 890
-
.
27 2 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
men Th P ’
.
( 4) o se i n th e seco n d n oc tu rn o f S et er s .

Cha in s : for what they rel ate (viz the story of the chain s) is .

” 1
con tested by a l most all c ritics The con gregation q uote T il .

l emon t an d B aill et Rep laced by a sermo n o f S J ohn Chry . .

so sto m s in l esso n s v a n d V L wh il e l esso n I v is a carefu l ex p osi

’
.
, .

tion of the cl aim to a uth en ticity of the cha i n s p reserved

in the basilica o f S Peter s aa Vi ncu la o n the Esq u il in e ’
( 5)
’
. .

Th ose in the secon d n octurn of the feast of S Ma ry of the .

Sn ows R ep laced by a sermon of S Bem ard s which has ’

. .

"
n oth in g to do with the l eg e n d o f the L iberia n basil ica 6
( ) .

Those in the secon d n octu rn of S Ba rtholo mew because .

,

n oth in g certa in ca n b e a fli rmed about th is A p ostl e beyon d

'

what we are told in the Go sp el Not to sp eak of othe r .

critics see T il le mon t

,
Rep l aced by a se rmon of B ede s ’

o n the Tw e l ve A p ostl es
‘
(7 ) T h e fo u rth a n d fi fth l
. ess o n s

for S Matth ew . because of the un certain ty o f the thin gs

,
“
therein re l ated about the A p ostl es R ep l aced by p assages .

from S Joh n Ch rysostom an d S Ep ip ha n i us

. . .

O n a ll the festiva l s th at fo ll ow the histo rica l l esso n s were ,

“
s u p p ressed o r rep l aced by th ose of the Co mmon o f sa in ts
,
.

SS N icol as ( S usp ectae ad modu m fi dez) Lu cy ( Cer ta o et er

'

p l ora tae fia e i n on su n t); M'

a ri u s M a rth a a n d A u di fa x ( P l u m ,

A n a l ecta ,
1
p 909 : Q u u m n o
.n n is i ex ap oc ryp his d esum p ta ertistim en t c o m
mun iter eruditr
1
i bid 9 13 .
Q p
uae .i n Br ev iar io
. e xta n t isto r i am ex ib en t q uae c r iti ci s h h
pen e O
mn ibus n on roba p
1
O the Liberian l egen d the con gregati on ex resses Itsel f as fol lows (A nalecta , p
P 9 15 ;
Lection es secun di n octurn i , q uae “
I
t oug t t at the l esson s
t is h h h
hac di e u sq ue modo r ecitatae su n t, im h h it erto read on t is day in the secon d h
mutan das sa n e esse exi stimatur De . n octur n h
s oul d ce rtain ly be h
c an ged .

ea so lemn i ta ts ,
q ua e ha c di e cel ebra Baron ius, in the R oma n Ma r ty r ology ,
tur, ej usq ue in sti tu tion is causa , aben
y h
sa s t at an ci en t records a n d MS S h .

tur, a it Es t on ias i n Ma r ty r olog i o exi st r el atin g to th e solemn festi val

R oma n o, vetera mon umen ts et MSS bserved on t is day , an d the cause of . O h
Huj usmodi autem mon umen ts et MS S its in stitu tion But an y suc records
. . h
n ec u n q uam vi dimus, n ec fortasse un an d MSS we av e n ever seen , a n d I n . h
q ua m vi deb im u s M i ran dum p ro fec
. t o al l p robabil ity are n ev er l i el y to see k .

est, ai t Bai l l et, n on adhuc tan ti mira Marvel l ous in deed is it, says Baill et,
c uli et tam mirabi l i s histori ae auctorem th at the aut ori ty for so grea t a mir acl e h
p
in n otuisse ; in su er quod tam n ovum an d so won derful 2 story s ou ld n ever h
tamq ue stup en dum p rodi gi um s atio y e t a v e b ee n p
ro d uc ed ; s t ill m or e so h p
a n n oru m fere mil l e et a p l i us r
sep u l tum si l en tio j ac ueri t, n ec usq uam
of un do t
ma t so sp
tr a n ge an d stu en
digy s oul d ave lai n buried In sil en ce
d o us h
a p ro
h h
p
in ven i ri otuer it, p raeter q u am i n Bre
p for about a t ousan d years or more, an d h
v i ari o et i n C ata l o o Petr i de N atal ib u s,
g t a t i t s o u l d b e im i b l e t o h
fi n d a h m
l ib 7 , es p 2 1
. . . trace of i t an yw ere, exce t i n the h p
breviary, an d In the catalogue of Peter
de N a tal ibus, boo 7 , c a ter 2 1 k hp .

1
A a lec a ,
n t 920 p l‘
.i l’
ri d 9 26
.
1
i b id . 6p4 4 qq
s .
, 8 9 2. sqq . pp . . .
 T HE PROJECT S O F BE N ED I C T X I
V 27 3

il l is fi T m d m m m
’ ’ ’

l l ifi
’ '

l l l
’

o z za
e ont t z u s q u a e cz z u es t co p a rta r e)
Peter N olasco ( Ei as g esta , quae zbz na r ra n tu r , n unq ua m i n ex
' '

a mm add ucta ra n t ; A ath a b

) g ( A e t a [j ]
e u s a r ec en t i o ri u s i n te r

ap ocryp lza a ccem en tu r ; Bl aise

) (Q i i
’

u a e n q w v ta n a r r a n t u r

i n ep ta ra n t et ma l e consu ta , a : T T ib urtius, Va l e
ria n , a n d Ma x imus D m S C
' '

(
'

e sa p t a ex a ct z s ae a l za e , ex p u n

w d C i P i d b Cl P
'

) N l l l fi )d
'

g a ; a u s, o p e ( u u s v e a z a e e z e t u s ,
o p e

( I nce r ta ); A l e x an d e r ,
E v e n t iu s , a n d T h eo d u l u s ( N i k i ! t e r t i
meadow ) ; J uven a l (A eta m m bus p l a za p r on u n tza t Ttl l emon
' ' '

tzas) ; Gordia n an d E p imach us (I ncer ta , mu l ti s dg a ti bus

'

fi i c u l t
si ve con tr overszzir sub ); U b M m i t
'

j e cta r a n ( o na en t a f a l s a v e l j t er

a dmodu m du bza e) Basil ides, Cyt in us, N abor an d N az ari us (A cta

'

ra i n p l u ri bus) ; P rocessus an d Ma rtin ia n (A r ta

'

sp u n a at fa L

n on esse a utben tzca p r oba t Prax edis (A cta p a m m

'

n ul l a a e dig rta ) n tia n a, A b don a n d Sen n en

'

fi d
’
szn cer a P u e
-

( A ct a ca r m p ta f a b u l o s a ) C y r ia c u s , L a rg u s a n d S m a r a g
d us (A cta dep r a va ta ) H ip p o lytus (Ex a ctzs S La u r en tzz
' ' '

»
.

ar ti: cor r up ti T imothy (D e qua max i ma e, at sp zms una zgue

1
'
' '
'
.

a r m m m p ta e, l i tes ap ud m ti cor a m A dria n an d Gorgon ius,

’ ’

t)
P rotus an d Hy acin th (A cta ap ocryp lza esse con ten durtt Ti l l e
mon ti as at Ba zl l etus) N icomede, a co mp an ion of SS N ereus
'

an d A ch ill es ( Fidez va l de dubza e ; C a ll ix tu s (I a a m

' '

) nc e r t t q u a e

N ew P rop er l esson s rep laced the sup p ressed historica l

l essons of the foll ow in g : SS D amasus Sylvester H il a ry F el ix .
, , ,

of N o l a Pau l the H ermit Marce ll us A n thon y

,
F abian J ohn , , , ,

Ch rysostom Pius V Peter C elestin e Fel ix the Pop e Peter

, , , ,

a n d Marce ll in us P rimus a n d Fel icia n Marga ret of Scotl an d

, , ,

Marcus a n d Marcel lian us Gervase an d P rotase Pau l in us of , ,

N ol a El iz abeth o f P ortuga l J ohn Gua l bert A p oll in aris

,
2
Na , ,

z a ri n s a n d Cel sus Po es V ictor an d I n n ocen t

p M a rth a P op
, es , ,

Step hen an d Six tus T ib urtius Susan n a Perp etua a n d Fel icitas , , , ,

C l ara Ph il ip Ben iti Step hen of H un gary the Forty Marty rs

, , , ,

p
N ot St Paul s disci le, but a Roman martyr, commemorated on A ug 2 2 nd
'

m
. . .

Th e rop er an ti p h
on s a n d res on ds of the o ce for t i s festival , tho p b it h
wa s the wor of rban V I kI Iin erson . were al so to be su ressed, an the p pp
festival reduced to the ran of a sim le k p .

"l he con re ati on re la ced the l e en d of S A oll inaris b a an e

a ‘

g g g p y gy r ic . p p
sermon by S Peter C hrysol ogus , w it out an y
. h
istorica l referen ce , an d ustifi ed h j
the correction as foll ows : De S A in are ni il asserere cer tius possumus . h
q u am q uod l e
g i m u s in h o c ser m o n e S etr i C h r ys ol ogi A b hoc di ss en nu n t A . ct a , .

q u a e S A
po ll
. m a r em i n i so M ar ty ri i ac tu o b iis se nparran t S ed A c ta ist a , ta .

metsi an ti qua, in ter sin cera tamen n on retuli t Ruin artius, et i n ter olata esse p
J
fa tetur oan n es P in ias A ddi t T il l emon ti us mul ta in ill is con ti n eri uae ip sis
.

detra han t auctori ta tem Hin c sermon em iatu m l egen dum exhiben t revi aria
.

L ugdun ense et Parisien se A na l ecta, 909 p . .

18
27 4 HI STOR Y O F T HE R O MA N BREVI A R Y
N creus an d A chill e s, the E x a l tation of H o ly C ross, C orn el ius
a n d Cyp rian , J a n u ari us, Ma urice, R emig ius, the D edica tion of

S J oh n Latera n , Gregory the Won der work er, J ohn de Math a ,

.
-

Caecil ia , Cl emen t, Chry sogon us, an d Po lycarp .

B esides these l egen ds, a certain n umber of ap ocryp hal

homilies an d sermons were sup p ressed in the P rop er of sain ts .

T he p reten ded sermon of S A ugustin e, in the secon d n octu rn .

o f the H o ly I n n ocen ts, was re p l aced by a sermon of S Ber .

n ar d s, in order that a l l un certain or susp ected matter may

“ ’

b e ban ished fro m our b rev iary For a n oth er p reten ded
sermon of S A ugustin e , i n the secon d n octurn of Can d l emas,
.

was substituted an other sermon of S B ern ard s For a third

’
. .

a p oc ry p ha l ser mon o f S A ug ustin e, in the secon d n octurn of .

St P eter s Ch a ir at R ome, was substituted 3 frag men t of S

’
. .

Cyp rian s D e u mta ta E ccl m ae In the secon d n octurn of the

’ '
’
.

V isitation of o ur Lady , a sermon of S Bem ard s took the ’

.

p l a ce o f a n a p oc ry p ha l se r mon o f S J o h n Ch rys osto m ’

In l ik e . .

ma n n er, in the third n oct urn of the office of S J ohn Gualbert, a .

h omily of S J ohn Chrysostom was p ut in the p l ace of the three

.

lesson s wh ich a re n ow in the breviary, an d which are there at

tributed to S J ero me, al tho ug h o n ly the fir st is his, the other
.

two bein g tak en from an ap ocry p hal sermon of S A ugustin e s

’ ’
. .

1
A nal scta , 649 p .

’
i bi d 9 0 i ll i substi tuen dus sermo S Bern ardi, etsi isto utan
p .
4 . .

tur eti am i n eod em festo Breviari a L ugdun en se ct P ari sien se

"
.

1’
i bi d 90 7
. p . h p
T is ar t of the rev ision by Ben edi ct XI V s con sul ta tors
’

w
.

is very in com ete Dom Morin , who has l atterl y ma de a study of the same
.

subj ec t, n otes a total n umber of fi fty a ocry al homil ies or ser mon s in the p ph
Roman breviary of to day It is tr ue the greater ar t of t ese ar e of recen t in
-
. p h
troduc ti on Dom Morin wri tes
.
“
In th e es ter art of th e ofi ces added to the p
breviary in recen t times, it does n ot seem t as muc car e has been ta en [ as h k
former! to sel ec t n on e but aut en tic assages to serve as sermon s or omilies h p h .

h p
T us, or exam le. in s ite of all the various recasti n gs to w ic it has been h h
j
sub ected at w e ph
s ort i n terval s of ti me, th e o es of the mmacu late Con ce ti on , m I p
of suc h p
im ortan ce from a dogmati c oin t of v iew , gives as the fi rst an d secon d p
l esson s of the sec on d n octurn a p as sa e from the n otori ous Cog i tis m , whi ch
cl ai ms the n ame of S J
er ome , the at t en ti ci ty of w ic
. was al ready ca ll ed i n ri h h
q u e s ti on b
y th e m ore ac u t e m i n de d i n th e n i n t cen tur y
-
, a n d w i c all cri ti cs h h h
s in c e the ti me of Baron ius h
av e wi th out exce ti on rej ected as man ifestl y ap ocry p
hal R evue Béné dicti ne, 1 89 1 , p 2 70 80 See the same subj ect an dl ed by h
£
-
. . .

i n met , t 11 .
45 2 60. pp T h e 0 cc of the mmaculate Conce ti on , com osed
.
-
. I p p
after th e defi n ition of th e dogma i n 1 85 4 , w as the wor of at er Passagli a, S J k F h
m
. .

I t was in use from 1 85 5 to 1 863, w en it was rep l aced A ugust 2

7 ) y b th eh res en t p
ofi ce , w i c h h
Baumer ( t 11 4 )
1 1 be li ev es t o. av e . p
en deri ved fr om a sk etc
. h h
k
datin g b ac to the time of Gavan ti We may say wit out esitation t at he ia . h h h
dicates the n eed for a sev ere correcti on of the l esson s of t is festival an d its 00 h
tav e N ot on ly is the sermon of S j erome in the secon d n octurn on December 8th
. .

p
a ocry ph h
al . b ut the omily of S E i han i s e in the t ird n octurn on December 1 th . pp h
is eq uall y so : w hil e those of S German us ( December 8th ), S Sa p hr on ius
cember 1 4th) , an d S T ha rasius ( December 1 2 th) are all un doubtedl y c aracteri z ed
.
.

( .

h
by the worst ossibl e r etoric p h .
276 H I S TOR Y O F T HE ROM AN BREVI A RY
so methin g more t han a mere in the offi ce o f the
co rrection

seaso n , V a l e n ti a n d the Po p e at o n ce re min d th em that it is a

th in g wh ich th ey h ave the mse l v es a bj ured :

“
p p
r o ter ea q uad
Br ema r i z r gfor ma tzo rzbz esset i n vatis , n on zn n ova tzo says the
' ' ’ ' ' ' '

Sove reign Pon tiff l

.

In fact, beyon d five o r six un imp orta n t modification s in the

l ection ary, the O ffi ce of the season comes forth in tact from the
rev is ion o f the R oman l itu rgi sts The str ucture an d the tex t
.

o f th is, wh ich is the rea l R oma n O ffi ce, are beyon d an d a bov e

in terferen ce, a n d th ese R o man l iturgi sts h ave the adva n tage
over the Ga ll ica n s, in be in g, from the fi rst, co n v in ced of th is,

an d of be in g in flex ibl e in u p h o l d in g it .

n s o —
I t e ec n d p l ace an d on th is p o in t th ey deserve o ur
h
t r i —
h ghes p a se their method of w ork did n ot ru n coun ter to
i
th at o f the C oun ci l of Tre n t a n d S P ius V, b ut was in co n .

formity w ith the sp irit of the Coun ci l a n d the P op e to wh om

w e owe the p reservation of the brev iary un der the p rocess O f
reform I.t was because the d istribu tion of the p sa l ter had been
main tain ed, a n d the offi ce O f the season stamp ed w ith his
a uthority by Pi us V, th at the y h e l d to th em so fi rmly A nd .

if, on the oth er han d, they w ere more than bol d in their h an d
l in g of the reform of the k a l en dar an d the Sa n ctoral e, it was
because they w ere con v in ced, an d that, too, on the w ord of
the l iturg ists of P ius V, th at it was the in te n t o f the C oun ci l
an d the P op e to re d uce the status of the Sa nctor a l e in ord e r

to ra ise th at o f the Temp or al e, an d to p ro mote the more co n

sta n t use of the Sun day a n d feria l offices as comp a red w ith

the O ffice of sai n ts days T he a p ri or i l itu rgi ca l meth od, wh ich

’
.

is the vice of a ll the Ga ll ican reforms of the b revi a ry, is a bse n t

in the w ork of ou r R oma n l iturgists : M de V in timil le ca rried .

o ut the p roj ects of Gra n col as a n d F o in a rd : the idea in the

min d of B en edict XIV is to tak e up the w ork of Pius V .

A ccordin gly, our l iturg ists tak e up that work , in l ig hten n

the k a l e n dar of fix ed festiva l s, wh ich had so l arge ly in crease d
sin ce I5 6 8, both i n n u mbe r a n d i n ra n k o f d ign ity : some feasts

th ey had to sup p ress, oth ers to reduce to a l owe r sta tus H ere .

it is that their difficu l ties beg in N O doubt, the Ch urc h has

.

in stitute d certain feasts, or ra ised them in ra n k , fo r reason s

wh ich l ose their weight w ith the l ap se of ti me : for in stan ce,
who coul d de n y that the a moun t o f devotion to the sa n ctua ry
o f S Michae l on Moun t Gar a n us wh ich e x ists tod ay wo u l d
.
g
n ever b e l ook ed u p o n as suffi ci en t groun d for p l acin g the

A n a l ccta , p .
5 30 .
 T HE PROJECT S O F BE N E D I CT X I
V 27 7

festival of May 8th in the k a len dar of U n iversa l Ch urch

the .

There hen amon g

a re, t , a n cien t festiva l s so me w hic h n o l on ge r
,

e x cite an y p e rcep tibl e d eg ree of devotion on the p art of the

faith ful an d their d imin u tion in ra n k or even their remova l

, , ,

wou l d ca use n o con siderable O ffen ce or grief A n d yet to .

,

han dl e such matters aright what de l icacy of p ercep tion is re

,

q u i re d I Wh a t d a n gers a n d d ifficu l tie s su rrou n d th e ir d ec ision

O n what sol id p rin cip l es must th at decision b e fo un ded I D id

the con g regation of B en ed ict XIV p ossess th at d eg ree of tact ?
A n d had they the righ t criteria to guide them in their deci
s ion s ? It is suffi cien t to read the p reface of their re fo rmed
k a l en dar an d the d iscourse addressed to them by B en edict
,

X IV in 17 44 to be con vin ced that such solid criteria were

l
,

l ack in g to them They retain in the k a l en da r those sain ts

.

whose festival s are an cien t where does an tiq uity en d ? Th ey

retain th ose who a re dea r to the d ev otion of the U n ive rsa l

Chu rch or on behal f of whom some sp ecial reason can be

,

u rg ed what sain t is there who coul d n ot be made to fit in to

on e or oth er of these tw o catego ries ? A n d as to tact : the
l ist of sain ts el imin ated from the k alen dar in cl udes some of
t e most ven e rabl e an d best b el oved
h — SS Lo uis Gon zaga .
,

Fran cis Borgia J ohn of the C ross El iz abeth of H u ga y n ot

,
n
,
r —
to men tio n Greg o ry VII an d a h ost of oth e rs mo re cl ear to
, ,

u n iversa l devotion th a n ma n y a n a me whose so l e c l a im to re

ten tion in the k a l en dar is its a n tiq u ity H ere wa s the ch ie f

—
.

d iffi cul ty a n d it is on e wh ich w ill a lways e x ist the sel ecti on

,

O f sa in ts to b e retai n ed in the k a l e n der a n d the degree of ,

ra n k to b e assi n ed to each o f th ose reta in ed E ve rybo dy

g .

was se n sibl e th at the diffi cu l ty ex isted ; the thin g was to re ,

sol ve it : a n d it seems to me th a t o n th is rock the con greg a

ti on str uck .

I
f we have ht to sp eak w ith some severity of the
the rig

k al en dar p rop osed by the con gregatio n it is on ly j ust to ac ,

k n owl edge the scrup ulous ca re which it bestow ed on p urg in g

the tex t o f the b revia ry from all e rrors T he l ection a ry t e .

q u ire d c o rr ecti o n : it r eq u ires it sti ll O u r R o m an l it

.u rg is ts

w ere well up in a ll the scien ce of their time they de rived it

from T il lemon t B aill et R uin art Tomasi an d B en ed ict XIV
, , , ,

s —
h m el most of al l from Tillemon t an d B aillet en l ighten ed a n d
i f ,

scru p ul ous c ri tics They p ushed their severity in fact too fa r

.
, , ,

much further tha n the l iturg ists of U rban VII I they rej ected
3
I al l ude to the reservation s made by th e Pope as to p i ciples formul ated
r n by
the con sul tators.
27 8 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N B REVI A RY
an ythin g that was so much as con troverted ; th ey were n u
w ill in g that the tex t of the brevia ry shoul d be in the l east de
g ree o e n to
p q u es t io n a n d th us , a l o n g w it h t,
h e c h a ff n ot a ,

l ittle good grain was th row n out A t the p resen t time there .
,

w ou l d be so me room fo r correcting their corrections an d for ,

p o in t i n g o u t th a t i f th e y ,
w e re r ig h t i n e l i m i n a t in g fr om th e

b reviary every trace of forged decreta l s ap ocry p ha l A cts of ,

A p ostles an d u n foun ded l eg en ds o f sain ts y et for all th at in

, , , ,
“

the most co rrup t h istories there is gen e ra lly some truth at the
”
bottom as Til lemon t says somewhere w ith g reat reason ; an d
, ,

mo re than th at l egen ds which are e n ti re ly un true O ften hav e

,

a va l ue of some so rt O f thei r ow n ; a l l th a t is n ecessa ry is th a t

the rea de r shoul d b e forew a rn ed as to th eir n atu re an d tak e ,

the m at th eir true v al ue

1
More in du lgen t because more ex
.
,

i n d m o o n ti iri t w o u l d be man ifested by

p e r e c e a ,
re c s e rv a v e s p
our l itu rg ists o f to d ay i n the ed itin g of the h istorica l p ortion s

o f the l ectio n a ry tha n the con g reg ation of B e n ed ict XIV w e re

w ill in g to show ; a n d our B oll an dists woul d mak e a better

co rrection of the b revia ry w ith out th row in g overb oa rd so much .

So again w ith l ess attach men t to the p ri n cip le so dea r to the

,

Ga ll ican l iturg ists in accordan ce w ith wh ich the a n tip hon s an d

—
,

resp on ds shou l d be ex c l usive ly deriv ed from H oly Scrip ture a

p rin c ip l e to wh ic h o u r R o m a n l it u r g is t s fe l t th e m se l v es m o re

th an o n ce comp e ll ed to be un faith ful — we on the con tra ry , ,

feel n o rep ugn a n ce to sin g in g the an tip h on s an d resp on ds of

SS Lucy A gn es C aecil ia Clemen t an d Lauren ce those com
.
, , , , ,

p o s i ti o n s s o d ee p ly s ta m p e d w i th th e a u th o ri ty o f R o m an

l itu rgi ca l tradition A n d we shoul d n ot be sorry to bel ieve

.

th at the con g reg atio n ev en tua lly sha red this feel in g sin ce in ,

the en d they reta in ed in the C ommo n of sain ts ce rtain an ti

, ,

p h o n s a n d res p on d s wh ich fa r from b ein , g ta k e n fr o m H o ly

Scrip ture were j ust as much as the resp on ds of S A n dre w
, , .
,

borrowed from acts more or l ess h istorical or even from ap oc ,

ry p hal w ritin gs : as is the case w ith the resp o n d Lu p erp etua

[ut ebzt sa n ctis Ta ir at a etem ztas temp ora »: of the mmon

' '

co of
martyrs the Q uem w dz, quam a ma w of the co mmon of
’ ' ‘

,
or

Widows .

O ur r eade rs w ill see fro m th ese critic is ms how fa r we a re

h h
T he C urc does n ot solemn ly affi rm the trut of the istorical sta temen ts
1
h h
con tai n ed i n her l itur gical boo s, suc k h
as the b rev iary an d the mar tyr ol ogy .

h
T is is fr eel y recogn ised by Bouix (D c ur c l i tu rg i co, 4th edi t Paris, 1 886 ,
'

. pp .

5 6 w h o ow eveh
r ha d n ot made a s tu y of ist orical criticism, an d to say the h
h
tru t , had n o great n owl edge of it k Ben edict X I V is mor e cautious
. D c fcr ti s, .

p 47 3
 2 80 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
w ill devise with your E min en ce what ca n b e don e to that
” 1
en d .

A few days l ater he w rites : We d o n ot l ose sig ht of the

n otion o f a n ew Roman b revia ry, b u t we w ill ca n d id ly avow

to your E min en ce that we sti ll fear th e op p osition whi ch thi s

g r ea t p roj ec t i s s u r e t o e n c o u n te r on th e p a rt o f m an y p ersons

here, besides wha t it w ill meet with in the coun tries beyon d
the A l p s Man y p eop l e are whisp erin g to on e a n other here
.

th at n othin g w ill b e don e in th e matter of the b revi ary of the

'

A rchbis hop of P aris, on the p retex t of aw aitin g the ap p ea r

an ce o f ou rs ; an d th at when we h av e w ork ed hard at the

l atter, the Fren ch bishop s w ill be the fi rst to criticiz e it It .

is all by way of sayi n g someth in g smart, b ut it a n n oys us al l

the sa me
” 3
.

A n d ag ain : “
The p roj ect of a n ew Roman b revia ry is ex
cel l en t, a n d the ex ecution of it n ot at al l imp ossibl e ; b ut b e

fore un dertak in g it, much del iberation is n ecessa ry The state .

of the w orl d n ow adays is su ch, th at if the Pop e d oes a n yth in g ,

th ose wh om it h ap p en s to p l ease are on his side , an d those who
don t l ik e it go aga in st him a n d as it is imp ossibl e for the sa me
’

th in g to p l ea se everybody, mish ap s a n d reb u ffs are su re to be

his sha re from on e side or the oth er Well d isp osed p e rson s .
-

u rg e the Po p e to do th is or th at, an d whe n he has don e it, e ven

if they do n ot chan ge th eir min ds, they at a l l even ts te ll hi m
th at th ey can n ot g ive 'him a n y assistan ce We have seen w ith .

ou r ow n eyes Cl eme n t XI b ite his n ai l s mo re th an on ce, wh e n ,

a fter h av in bl i h d t h b u ll h w h o w L o u i
gp u s e e e s a s

XIV n ever k ep t the p romise he had made, of causin g the bu ll

to be accep ted th roughout his k in gdom an d how M A mel ot , .

said to his v ery fa ce that the Kin h d th b t d i o it io i

g a e es sp s n s n
the wor l d, b u t cou l d n ot do a ll he woul d w ish A n d we have .

e x p e ri en ced the sa m e k i n d O f th in g ou rse l ves .

Th us sp ok e B en edict XIV in 1 7 4 3, when the con sul ta tors,

as we may sa , we re still on ly be i n n i n th i l i m i
y g g e r p re n ar y
stud ies Wh en those stud ies a re at l ast fin ished, an d Va l en ti
.

has p ut in to the h an ds of the P op e the reso l ution s fi n a lly

a rr i ved at by the con re ati on
g g
— an d w e h av e see n wh a t co n
fiden ce Va l en ti had i n the ex cell en ce of the resul ts achieved
1 Lett
er of Ben edict X I p
V to T en cin , A ril a6 th, 17 43 . C or r do R om .
, t 79 1 ,
.

fol . 2 15 . Heeck esen , t 1

. .
49p . .

i bi d May 3rd, 1 743 Cor r dc R ome, t 7 7 1 , fol Heeck esen ,

g
. . . . . 2 27 . t
. 1
p
.

. 1.
’ i bi d . F ebruary sth, 1 7 43. Cor r . de R ome, t 7 91 , fol 5 2
. . . Heeck esen , t I
p
. .

. 1
3 .
 THE PROJE CT S OF BE N E D ICT X IV 28 1

a fter th ose l on g an d l aborious —

discussion s the ton e of the
Sovereign Pon tifi ch an ges al l at on ce : his d isap p oin tme n t is
'

un mistak abl e , b ut his d eter min ation is un sh ak en The work of .

the co n gregati on is to hi s min d a fail ure, b ut he forms the

p l a n o f r ecasti n g it h i mse l f In fac t,
. i n I 8
74 , he w r ites as

foll ows
“
When rep ri n ti n g here, by the req uest an d at the cost of
the Kin g of Portugal , the Roman martyrol ogy, we have se ized
the op p ortun ity to mak e cer tain addition s to it, as you r E m
in en ce w ill see by the p reface, which we e n cl ose Woul d to .

God we had foll ow ed the sa me p lan in regard to the correction

of the Roman b reviary, an d had work ed at it by ourse lves !
I t w oul d have been comp l eted lon g ago But we sta rted by .

a p p o in ti n g a con greg ation , who have fi n ished by g iv in g i n

th eir con c l usion s to us in a state so con fused , so obscure, an d

so co n tradicto ry , th at it is a greater l a bour to correct the m

than to correct the b reviary Nevertheless, if God gran ts us

.

l ife an d heal th, we shall n ot fail even n ow to con struct our n ew

” 1
ed ition of the corrected b reviary .

N 0 on e, as B ened ict XIV l oved to say , who thin k s he k n ow s

how to do a th in g hi mse l f (f a r e mta cosa da se) , can easil y mak e
u p his mi n d to l et oth ers do it A n d if he will in g ly l e ft to
.

o th ers matters of ceremon ial a n d p ol itics, he fe l t he cou l d

han dl e by himsel f thin gs relatin g to p ositive theol ogy an d

”
can on la w .T he Pop e, said C ardin al Ten cin , too cava l ierly ,
has a n itchin g desire to mak e book s an d decrees
”
I
n rea l ity, .

he was a l ea rn ed man who k n ew n o other recreation or con so

l ation , in the midst of his thorn y charge, than to get in to his
l ibrary an d resume his dear old studies With what care be .

touched an d reto uched the n ew ed ition s of his treatises o n

C an on ization an d on D iocesan Syn ods l I t may be a l so that
he ha d n o great con fiden ce in the cap acity of his Roman coll a
“
borators , on an y subj ect A t a l l ev en ts, he p ut the revision
.

of the brev iary on the l ist of his p erson al un dertak in gs In .

1 LetterBen edict XI
of V to T en cin , A ugust 7th , 1 7 8 Cor r dc R om , t 96 ,
4 .
7 . .

fol 2 5 4 : C imbarcammo a d utare un a C on gr egatron e, che fi n al men te c a ha

.
’

dati i suoi sen timen ti tan to e ta n to imb lia ti , e ta n to di sson i fra di l oro,
che si vuol e p i u fa ti ca a correger e q uelli , ch e il rev iario Se ddio ci dara v ita
. I
e san ita, non man cheremo d i fare an cora la n uova ediz ion e del Breviario coretto
F
Letter of T en cin to l eury , Oc tober 20th, 17 4 1 Cor r dc R ome, t 7 86 , fol
. . . .

1 17 . Heeck esen , t 1 . . p
42 1 . .

3
Ben edict X I V to T en ci n , A ugust 1st, 17 43 T he w ole misc ief has been h h
c a used by the p on ti fi cate of Ben edi ct , w h XIII
o had n ot the least idea of gover n
i n , an d b
g y t a t h
of Cl emen t , who XII p
assed his l ife in tal kin g I
t is the oxe n .

h h h
from that stabl e wi t w ic we ave to l oug h ”
p h .
28 2 H I STO RY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
Sep tember, 1 7 4 8, A s to the Roman b rev iary , we
he wrote :
have tak en u p that matter ourselves But to comp l ete it we .

must have more time to devote to it than we h ave at p resen t,

being in truth n ot so much besieged with work as overwhel med
”1
w ith it .

In I7 5 5 he had n ot giv en u p thin k in g of it : Two tasks , he

w rote, remain for us to accomp l ish : on e rel atin g to the Sac
“

ra men ts, the ad min istration of wh ich in the Eastern Ch urc h

deman ds n ew rul es or n ew ex p l an atio n s the other , an hon es t

correction of our b rev iary — f a tra é u n onesta cor r es zon e del
’ '

nostr o Br ema r zo We are n ot afraid of th is work , havin g o ur

’ ’

storehouse a l ready fu ll of ma teria l s—N ot n on r eam i a mo I

.

-
a

fa tzca , a vendz g i d £1 mag az sr no p i eno dc He had

' ' ’
'

in min d eith er the studies made by his con sul tators, or his own
”
researches on the s ubj ect But, he ad ds w ith sad n ess,.

so me ti me wou l d be n eed ed , an d on e ca n n ot easily fin d it

“

o r if p erch an ce on e does fi n d it, the w eigh t o f yea rs an d i n fi r

”
mitiss mak es itsel f fe l t .

O n F ebruary 1 8 th, 1 7 5 6 , he writes again : I “

f God gran ts us
l ife a n d hea l th, we sha ll write a l ittl e work wh ich will con ta in
a ll th a t co n cern s the ma tter a n d form of the Sacra men ts i n the

Eastern Chu rch We have rev ived here the study of Greek
.

affairs, b ut w ith out d isp en sin g oursel v es from work in g at th em

—
in p erso n sen z a arsen ta r a da l fa tzca r e p ersona l men te A h,
’ '

why a re we at such an advan ced age, made a p rison er by the

”
g ou t, an d s o p re occu p ie d w ith th e g rave affa i rs o f the Wes t l
Thus in 1 7 5 5 he still has thoughts of accomp l ish ing the
correction of the b revia ry , of doin g it hi mse l f, an d after he has

se ttl ed the q uestion of the Greek ritu al In 1 7 5 6 the l a tter is .

in a fair way to b e settl ed before lo n g : the turn of the brevi ary

wi ll come at l ast, an d the Pop e wil l give us that om ta corr es
zone del Br evza n o, for wh ich he has a ll the materia l s in h an d
' ' ’

1L
etter of Ben edi ct X I V to T en ci n , Sep tember asth, 17 48 Corr do R osa , t . . .

7 9 6 fo l 2 7 : R i s ett o a l B e vi arpi o ab biamo i i

p l ia t l a ma ter ia M a p e r
g
, .
4 r , r a .

p
r idur la a ca o , vi vorrebbe p i u tem o da im egercr p q
uell o che as hi , essen do
'

veramen te n on che ci rcon dati ma O ressi pp

e fati c e In an ot er l etter to h h
the same, A u gust 6th, 1 7 49 Co n de Rome, t 80 5 , fol 1 1 2
. . N oi i n v idi amo la
. .

sorte di al cun i n ostri Predecessori che n ul l a vedevan o, n ull a l e ggevano, e n ull a

L a loro vita era tu tta in teriors , ma N oi, che n on l abbiamo mai at
’
scriv evan o .

ticata , saressim0 mol ta imbaraz z ati se n el l ul tima n ostra eta la dov essi mo ab rac
’

c iare h
An ot er l etter to the same, Se tember r yth, 17 49, i bid fol 131 Ris to . .

al la Con gr ega z ion e dell

’
n dice, se I I
d 0 ci dat av ita, iamo di stabil irvi a cun e
’

r ol e sen z a l e ual i ci p
are di fficil e il man te n ere il l ui credito, e la iusti zi a
g
p
d a con dan n a ell e O er e degl A utori Ca ttoli ci , p mticolar men te viv en n
’

L etter of Ben edict X I V to Peggi , A ugu st 1 3th , 1 7 5 5 , Bri efs, 1 15 p

. .

3 Let
ter to the same, F
ebruary 18th , 17 5 6 , i bid 12 1 . p . .
 C H A PTER VI
l .

T HE DEGREE O F 191 1 .

FROM which we have n ow reac hed in this h istory

the p oin t
we can d iscern c l ear ly the con tra st between the two p l an s
th a t of the R oman B revia ry of P ius V an d th at of the P arisian
B rev ia ry of 17 36—an d between the two the fail ure of the
,

e fi o rts for con ci l iation mad e so p ersisten tly from 1 7 4 1 to 17 5 8

'

by Benedict X IV .

T he whol e in te n tion of P ius V was that of weed in g ou t

what was adven titious an d of doubtful authori ty a n d of t e ,

ta in in g al l th at was gen uin e a n d an cien t — [r emover s ea qua e

]
dc p r op r a su mma veter is ofi i ciz di vim
a l i en a
—
et i ncer ta ra n t,
i
m7zi l omi tter e th is max i m in sp i res the whole reform of 1 56 8 .

Pius V aimed at restorin g to th eir r igh tful p l ace of honou r

the O ffi ce of the season , the S un d ay office, an d the feria l offi ce .

He ma in ta in ed ( w ith some sl igh t re arran gemen t) the tradi

ti onal order of recitin g the p sal ter i n the common of the
He en deavoured to cut down the k al en dar of Saints
’
season .

da ys, to red uc e in n umber or i n degree of ran k the festiva l s

which usurp ed the p l ace of the office of the season He re .

v ised the l ection ary, w ith a view to l ea vin g, in the h istorica l

or p atristic l esson s, n oth in g but what was in his op in ion g rave ,

authen tic, an d true .

U n fortun ately, the reduction of the Sa n ctoral e effected by

Pius V l asted b ut for a momen t : festival s of n in e l esson s, after
his time , were mul tip l ied a fresh, to the p rej udice both of the
S un day an d feria l offi ce : an d the eq u il ibrium wh ich he had
restored was a l most immediately destr oyed
‘
.

P 1acen za , I
l P . n Consti tuti on s» :
“
D i vi na Afi a tu commen tari m ( Rome
g iv es a c om a ra ti ve ta bl e of the n u m b er a n d r an k of festival s om i tti n g
h
t ose of our Lord w ch are in cl uded i n the p p
ro er of the season ) , ta en from
var ious edi tion s of the brev iary p h
ubl is ed at Rome :

1568

Doubl es of the 1st class

an d
Gr ea ter doubl es
Lesser doubl es
Semi doubl es
-
 THE D ECREE OF 19 1 1 28 5

Th is fai l ure of the Roman re form of 1 5 6 8 — a fai l u re wh ich

1—
R oman s were the ve ry fi rst to dep l ore ex p l a i n s whi l e it ,

does n ot j ustify the i n itia tive tak en at Paris in

, The
Parisian l iturg ists eq ua lly w ith P i us V ai m at restorin g to
, ,

hon our the office o f the seaso n the Sun day offi ce a n d the , ,

feria l offi ce With a view to red ucin g the Sa n etora l e they

.
,

adop t a n ew c lass ification of festi va l s

”
I
n the n ex t p l ace .
,

they a p p ly themselves to g ivin g p rivi l ege to the Sun day O ffi ce ‘

,
“
an d a l so to the fe ria l of
fi ce The p ri me n ovel ty of the Parisian
.

b revia ry is the distri b ution of the p sa l ter The p sal mody at .

mattin s con sists un iformly of n in e p sa l ms “

But whi le in .
,

the feria l offi ce tha t of simp le feasts an d of se mi doubl es th ese

, ,
-
,

n in e p sa l ms are a ll sa id i n on e n octurn an d a re fo llo wed by ,

th ree l e sson s in the Sun day offi ce they are d ivided between
,

the th ree n octu r n s an d are accomp an ied by n in e l essons On .

festiva l s of the ran k o f D oubl es an d un der the p sal ms are ,

a lw ays th ose of the feria The p sal ter is d istri b uted in such
.

I n cl udin g thedays within octaves on w ich the ofi ce of the octave is said, h

k
on e gets a total of 130 days ep t as festival s i n 1 5 68 ; 186 , in 167 6 ; 2 1 7 , in 1 7 38 ;
2 37 , i n 1 846 ; 266, i n 1 91 1
—
.

l
Piacen z a , p
18 , q uotes in addition to P Gregory , the immedi ate XIII
successor of Pius V —the li turgists C avan ti an d
.

ercati ; but, above al l , Caval ieri,

p
a con tem orary of Ben edi ct X I V , who com l ain s wit muc warmt of the p h h h
f est o r u m p r ur ig o w i c h as h h
se i z ed al i e on th e sec u l ar k
an d regular cl ergy ; causin g
h
t em to p ut aside the ferial ofi ce, an d cel ebra te every day festival s of sain ts :
n ot so muc h h
i n order to s ow devoti on to the sai n ts. as to ave a s orter ofi ce h h
to reci te .

’ h k h
It in it wort while, in view of the resen t im ortan ce of the sub ec t, to p p j
recur to the descri tion given a bove, p pp
240 24 2 , an d to giv e some furt er detail s
.
-
h .

Greater A n n ual F
easts (Easter P en tecost, C ri stmas, Dedi cation of the
, h
h h p F
C urc of the lace , Lesser A n n ual easts ( E , han y , Ascen sion , C or us C r isti ,
) ipi p h
p
Assum tion , A l l Sarn ts, feast of the Patr on an l d
Sai n t of the lace) , Greater
Solemn F easts ( C an dl emas, Lady Da A n n iversa ry of the De cation of the di
h h p
C urc of the l ace ) , Lesser Sol emn cas ts ( Tri n ity Sun day, C ircumcision of
our Lord , feast of the Secon d Patron Sain t of the lace) , Greater Doubl es , p
Lesser Doub l es , Semi doubl es, irn p l es -
.

‘T
he fi rst Sunday of A dven t an d of Len t, Passion Sun day , Pal m Sun da
p
an d Low Sun da are n ot su er sed ed b an y feast, even A nn ua l the secon d, t ir h
an d fourt Sun h f A
d d f l d d b A nn ua l F
x
o t o t ar o easts ;
e
y s n an e n a n e y
p
v e y
S tuagesi ma, Sexagesrma. an d Quin q uagesima ( y yb A n n ua l a n d Gr ea ter
So F
easts T he remain in g Sun days of the year (domi n i co: communes are
.

p
su erseded by Gr ea ter D ou bl es, an d by festi val s of our Lo rd an d of our of
k
the ran of L esser D ou bl e but su er sede al l ot er L esser D ou bl es p h
m
.
,

T he o ce of Ash W
edn esd ay , an d of all the days of oly ee , is n ot H W k
p h
su erseded , w atever festi v al occurs T he feri as of Adven t, from December the
.

1 6 th to the 2 3rd, an d t ose of Len t from Ash h W

edn esday to Pal m Sunday, hav e
p
the same rivil ege of an n g festival s as
'

ave the domi n i ca eormn s nes h The .

feri as of A dven t up to ber the 1 5 th i n cl usive , j anuary the 4th, Rogation

F
Monday an d T uesday, riday in the Oc tav e of A scen sion , an d Ember Days,
p
ar e su erseded by festivals of the ran of semi double an d u w ardsk -
p .

W h p
it the exce ti on of the Octaves of Easter an d Pen tecost, w ic ave but h hh
h p
t ree sal ms , as in the Roma n offices .
 2 86 H I ST ORY OF T HE ROMA N BREVI A RY
wise that the Sun da y an d each feria has its own p sa l mody, l

both for mattin s an d lauds, ves p ers, the l ittle hours a n d com
p l in e I
. t i s th u s co n t r iv ed th a t t h e p sa l te r i s re c it e d i n its

en tirety each w eek , whi l e the p sa l ms of an y g reat l en gth a re

cut u p in to D zvzlrzbn es, ea c h of which coun ts for a p sa l m .

d
T he Parisian k al en ar of I7 36 IS l ighten ed of a great n umber
of ol d sa in ts d ays, some of th em bein g sup p ressed, others re
’ 2

duced to a mere commemoration T o mak e up for th is, a

.

n umber of festiva l s of F ren ch sain ts were in trod uced T he .

g en e ra l r es u l t is , th a t t h e P a ris ia n k a l en d ar m u l t i p l ies c o m
memoration s, si mp les, an d semi doubl es, in comp arison w ith -

d oubl es ; red uces the n umber of doubl es, whether grea te r or

l esser ; a n d th us p rovides for the hab itual recitation of the
“
p sa l m s o f th e fe ri a o c c u r r en t Th i s i.n n o v a t io n ( v i z the n e w .

d istrib ution of the p sa l ter) was accomp a n ied i n the P ar isian

brev iary by an al most comp l ete recasti n g of the an tip h on s,
ver ses , an d resp on ds ( a —m a d u n d e r ta k in g l a n d by a re -

v ision , di rected in th is case by a more j ud icio us c riticism, of

the histori ca l a n d p atr istic l esso n s .

The success of the Parisia n b revia ry of 1 7 36 was a ll the

g r e a te r , b e ca u se p p
e o l e in g e n e ra l re m a i n e d i g n o ra n t o f th e

direction issued by Clemen t X I I in regard to it They were .

eq ua lly ig n ora n t of the w ish es en terta in ed by B en edict X IV ,

h p
w ich must be added the salms assign ed to festival s of the ro er of
1 To p p
the season , of the p rO p er of Sai n ts a n d of the common of Sai n ts .

’
p p pp
8 8 Hygrn us, o e , Marcel l us, o e , Marius ci soc Emer en tian a, T imot y,
. . h
h
A gn es secun do, Dorot y, T iburti us et soe , A n icetus, o e ; Soter, p O p e et soc
. pp .

h
V ital is, A p a rition of S Mic a el , Gordian an d E imac us, N ereus an d A c il l es ,
. p h h
Bon iface, uden tian a , U rban ,
p e ; El eut eriu s, h o e pp J h
o n, o e elix, p p F
p p
0 e P etr on il l a , P r im u s a n d c ra F
n u s, B as i l id es et s oc , Vi t us
. e t s o e , M ari na .

an d Marcel l ian us, Sil v erius, p O p e ; Leo I I , po e P ius, p 0p e ; N abor an d el ix, F

A n acletus, p O p e ; Al exis, Symp borosa, Praxe is, P an tal eon , N azarius et soc d .

F el ix, p
e et soe , A bdon an d Sen n en , 8 Mary of the Sn ows, Dona tus, Cyr iac et
. .

soe . an us, T iburtin a an d Susan na , A ga i tus, p F

el ix a n d A dauctus , the twel ve
h
Bret ren , Protu s an d ac i n H
th u s Co rn e l iu s o
p e ; E u e m ia eph
t s o c L i n us
g
y , , , .

ap
e ; p J
Cy rian an d ustin a ; Marcus, p 0p e , ( rxtus o ; C h r san t h u s an d
g p e y
arra , Evari stus , pp
o e ; the F
our Crown ed Martyrs , Th ore , T ryp ho et soc .

-
k
Men nas, Gregory the won der wor er, Dedication of the basil icas of 8 Peter an d .

8 Paul , Pon ti an us, o e ;

. pp F
el ici tas, Bibiana, Barbara , Sabas, Melc iades, o e h p p .

h h
The festival of S Peter s C ai r at A n tioc was un ited wi t t a t of hi s C air at
.
’
h h h
h
Rome : the feast of 8 Mic ael became al so t at of All A n gels h O n the ot er h
—
. .

h an d the festival of S Den i s was made i n to tw o

. O ct the 3rd, S Di onysius
. .

p
the A r eo a gi te, Oc t th e 9th, S Den i s, fi rst Bisho of Paris
. . p .

’ The Parisian brevi ar was twice i

y ss u e d rn a re v i se d f o rm , on ce in 1 8 22 , by

C ardi n al T all eyrand Peri gord, an d agai n i n 1 836 , by Mrs de Q uel en ( Sc ober , h
pp 7 7
. In t h e e d i tio n o f 1 83 6 , a cen tu ry a f ter t h e ed i ti o p r i nce s fi n d 111
k
the a len dar 7 6 sain ts w ho h
ave onl y a commemorati on , 48 festi val s of the ran k
p
of sim l es, 7 5 semi doubl es, 28 l esser doubl es , 2 6 grea er doubl es
-

t Omi tti n g .

h
the commemoration s, we have t us 1 7 7 sain ts days w i c ado t the
’
h h p y M
of the feria occurren t .
2 88 H I STORY OF TH E ROM A N BREVI A RY
t hat of the p rov in ce of C ambrai subj ect to the reten tion of the
,

p p
r o e r o f S a in ts o f t h e th ree d i o cese s o f C a m b ra i A rm s an ,
d ,
”
Sain t O mer a n d the au th or of the A vis who te ll s us o f thi s
,
“
, ,

a dd s : There had been suggested to M de Choiseul for the .

p r o v i n c e o f C a m b r a i a d i st ri b u ti o n o f th e p sa l m s wh i ch w ou l d
p o ss i bly b e p re fe ra bl e t o t h a t o f P a r i s as b e i n g
,
l ess a r b it rar y ,

an d d ifleri n g l ess from tha t used in the churches w hich fol l ow

'

the R oman use

”
( ib i d .
p . Th u s o n e w o u
, l d se t i n o rd er

a p sa l ter a p rop er of the season

, a n d a common O f Sai n ts
, ,

wh ich woul d serve eq ua lly for all d ioceses With this woul d .

be j oin ed a p rop er of Sain ts wh ich might serve a t l ea st for the

—
,

whole of on e p rovin ce con tain in g a l on g with the Sain ts of ,

the p rov in ce an d those p rop er to each d iocese in it such fes

, ,

tiva l s a s are ce l ebrated th rough out the who l e Ch urch suc h

a s the feasts of our Lord ou r Lady the H oly A p ostl es a n d

, , ,

the p r in cip a l Mar ty rs Pon tifls Doctors an d other Sai n ts who

'

, , ,

are everywhere h on our O ur author is n everth el ess of

op in ion tha t n o b revi a ry w o ul d better l en d itsel f to such a

u n ifi ca tion th a n the R oma n for it woul d be beyon d a ll doub t

,

most advan tageous for the whol e Ch urch of God to have b ut

on e an d the same brev ia ry a n d such has l on g bee n the desi re
,
”
o f the Sove reig n Pon ti fls This ap p eal on behal f of l iturgica l
'

un ity is at such a d ate

,
v ery re mark abl e an d so is the ,

p r es tig e o f wh i c h w e fi n d th e R o m a n b re v ia r y s t i ll p o sse s s ed .

O ur author writes : The R oman p sal ter is a mon g the best

arra n ged : an d tha t more p a rticu l a rly for th is reason th at in i t ,

the distrib ution O f the p sa l ms bein g simp l er is n ot so ar bi

, ,

trary . I ts p rop er of the season has served as a mode l for th e

best breviaries . T he l iturg ist of 1 7 7 5 whom we a re q uoti n g
is q uite aware th at difli cu lties are raised Th us : Comp lain t
’

is made that the legen ds [ of the Roman b revi ary] someti mes
”
con ta i n sta temen ts wh ic h are far from bein g certain : the t e

l
p y t o th i s i s t h
, a t th e l eg en d s p e rta i n to th e p p
ro e r o f S a i n ts ,

th at by hy p oth esis the p rop er w oul d be d raw n up p rovin ce

, ,

by p rov ince an d that each p rovin ce woul d mak e in the legen ds

,
”
of its own p rop er such re forms as seemed fittin g A gain “
.
,

he con ti n ues , comp l ain t i s made th at in the R oman ofli ce

the sa me p sa l ms are rep eated freq uen tly whi le there a re othe rs ,

which are on ly said very rarely so that it hard ly ever hap p ens ,

th at the whol e p sa l ter i s r ecited in the cou rse of on e w eek .

Bu t a rub ric or two w ou l d sufli ce to remove this diffi cul ty .

T he Roman use a ll ows of the sayin g of the feri a l p sal ms in

the ma ttins of si mp l e feasts : it woul d on ly be n ecessary to
 THE D ECREE OF 19 1 1 2 89

e x ten d th is to se mi doubles
wh ich woul d then on ly have on e
-
,

n octurn an d th ree l esson s By this arran gemen t mattin s of .

,

twel ve p sa l ms with th ree l essons wou l d be n o more b urden

so me th a n th ose of n in e p sa l ms with n in e l esson s a n d n in e re

sp on ds The ferial p sal ms an d can ticl es o f lauds wh ich

.
, ,

as it is are n ever sa id on festiva l s mi h t be recited n ot on ly

, g , ,

on simp l es a n d se mi doubl es b ut on doubles both greater an d -

, ,

l esser ; one woul d on l y make ex cep tion in favou r of doubl es

O f the fi rst or secon d c l ass wh ich a lon e wou l d reta in the ,

p s a l m s an d th e c a n t ic l e o f S u n d a y T h e sa m e co u r se m ig h t .

b e ta k en as regards vesp ers T he p sal ms would th us b e far .

more var ied a n d the recitati on of the en tire p sa l ter in the

,

co urse of a week wou l d fre uen tly be effected w ithout hav i n

q g ,
” 1
to ch an ge the d istrib uti on of the p sa l ms .

These remark s testify that however great the success in ,

Fran ce of the Parisian b reviary of 17 36 an d however n umer ,

ous the brev iari es of p articu l ar dioceses imitated from it the ,

Roman b reviary was n ot forgotten There were those who .

recited it : an d the di fferen ces betw een the var ious d iocesan

brev iaries in sp ired regret for that un ity wh ich the use of the
R oman offi ce co uld a l on e on e day restore p rovided that cer ,

ta in p ra ctica l amen dmen ts in it were carried out .

But whil e in Fra n ce in 1 7 7 5 we d etect th is symp tom o f a , ,

return to the R oman use l iturg ica l an archy had won the
ill
,

day in German y A s ea rly as 1 7 4 8 Treves p rovided itsel f

.
,

w ith a b reviary i mita ted from th at of Paris : it was due to

the coadj utor B ishop of Treves J N de H on theim Febron i us , . .
,

hi mse l f ’
I t was on ly su p p ressed in 1 8 8 8
. C ol ogn e in its turn .

p r o v ide d its e l f w i th a b re v i ar y o f i ts o w n in 1 7 8 0 a n d M ii ns t e r , ,

Ibi d pp 64 65 Th autho adds

l . .
, . Com lai t i made of the l o g
e r n s n
psal mody of th fi st octu n o S d ys i whi tw l e p alms ha to b
m
e r n r n un a , n ev s ve e
sa id with th ee a ti pho s r He p n n
”
to dist i b t th .
gh te n ps lm of r r u e e ei e a s
the th ee octu r i to set of ix
n rns n e th ee s ti pho s i s ach octu n r an n n e n r .

We h
’ how er to r co d th publ icati on i 7 87 of th efo m d b
ave, ev , e r e , n 1 , e r r e rev
ia y of the B
r di cti of then e Co g g tio of S M u which
n es e en w n t re a n . a r, ev en
f th e th
ur rth Pa i ia an See i Baume t 1 pp 34 3 how m h was m d
e r s n. n r, . 1. . 2- , uc a e
a t Col og e en a s l t
n e, as 1 82
v of thi M a e i t b e i y o the sco 1, of th e s aur s r v ar , n re
x
e ce l l e ce of its co t t
n S hobe 74
n en s. [ I h g i somc e a cco t o fr,th i . ave ven un s
c ur iou b s i r ti cl o Tn Mo ti B vi ry i
a n ar e P x n No 5 n as c re a n
“
a ,
”
. 1

( M a c hr o m i fo m t i on k i dl y su
n pp l ie d t
ro m e b
a y D om B a il l t ofn th e e
Be edicti e of Solesm s —A B ]
, ,

n n s e . . .

Baum t 11 p 35 9 ot s th t bo 1 802 to 8 6 u d th F en ch B shop

0

er , . . .
, n e a rn 1 1 , n er e r r

C M uay th P is b e ia y of 7 36 was adopt d by th C h pter of T

. ah , e ar r v r 1 e e a reves .
I do ot b li e th t N o 39 of th A ticl O ga i u (A p il 8th 8 2
n e ev a . e
“
r es r n es
”
r , 1 0
th e h l l b but o
er s a l itu gy e d on e catechi m fo
ne l the C tholic C h
r an s r a urc es
of F ra ce —has n fer ce to a b i y but m
re en l y to th ce emo ie of publ icrev ar , er e e r n s
wo hi w h t e Baum may y
rs a ev r We fi d th sam er o i D om G isa .
g n e e err r n n r an er ,
A bbi Sol m s f o
e es oi bé tdi ti [Dom D l att ] ( Pa is
e , r an rn ne t 1 p 263
n c n e e r , . . . .

I9
2 90 H I STORY O F T HE ROM AN BREVI A RY
in 17 84 . T he two b reviaries were even tuall y sup p ressed , the
fi rst i n 1 88 7 , the secon d in These imitatio n s of the
Parisian l iturgy were the p rel ude in Ge r man y to the cryin g down
of al l div in e serv ice in Latin to wh ich the c l ergy became dis
d b i d h i fl f G m A fl l am d
’

p o s e ,
e n g u n e r t e n u en ce o er an u ng an

o f J ose p h ism
’
O n al l sides, but esp ecia lly in Wurtemb urg
.

an d B ad en , on e h ears o f the ab an don men t of the recitati on of

the d ivin e ofli ce by eccl esiastics, to such an ex ten t ev en that

'

a de man d is made up o n P ius VI I from Ge rman y to gran t the

German c l ergy a gen eral disp en sation from recitin g an y breviary

whatever Pius VI I refused the req uest : b ut it was q uickly
.
’

foun d that the Ge rman s w ere p rep a red to do w ithout an y re

g u l ar d is p e n sa t io n H ere i s a q u esti on p ut. by t he g o v e rn m e n t
of W ur temb urg , in 1 8 1 1 , at the ex a min ati on s for the fi ll in g u p
o f p aroch ia l ben efices : Woul d it n ot, in th ese days, be advis
“

abl e that the b ish op s sh oul d re l ease from the obl igatio n of re

c iti n g the c an on ica l hours the cl ergy who are un der thei r ru l e :

an d what wou l d it be best to enj oin in stea d of the brev ia ry, on

the c l ergy , for whom p ray er is an obl igation ?

”
I n fac t, the

ecc l es iastics o f B aden an d Wurtemb urg n o l o n ger rec ited the

brev iary There is reason to bel ieve th at th is l ax ity sp read

.

much more w idely than th is, wh en we see the B ishop s of Prussia ,

the vall ey of the Rh in e, B avaria, B ohemia, H un gary an d

A ustri a, in the p eriod p reced in g the up heava l o f 1 84 8, p ress in g
th is duty up o n ecc l esiastics, an d thei r ap p ea l s fin ding an ec ho
in the en cycl ica l of P ius I X of N ove mber 9th ,

1
Baumer , t 11 . 8
33 4 6 . In 1pp
83 6 ,.th e A r c b i
-
s o p o f
. C o l o g n e , C l em A u g h h . .

Droste de V i scherun g, on his own aut ority , reduced mattins (exce t duri n g the h p
l ast three da ys of oly ee H W k
to on e n octurn of t ree sal ms an d t ree l esson s h p h .

Baumer , t 11 .
345
. p C S
. ber, .
73 p . .

"So named fr om the mp eror ose : the movemen t was al so J ph II

n ow n as k
F ebronia n i sm
Baumer , t 11 .
387 . p . .

‘
h
Sc ober , 7 6 p C o
.m a r e the . v i ew s e x re sse d bpy a m i n is te r o f B a de n . p
h
men ti on ed by Sc ober , Zoe ci t (after Stols ) T is min ister com l ai n s that. in h p
—
. . .

k
the semin ary, cl er s are p
racti sed in the reci tation of the breviary
“
mon s '
k
y ers
” —h h h
w ic s oul d fi n d n o l ace t ere ’
p
Cf G Goyau , L A l l evn agn e r e h . . .

igi ense l e Ca thol i ci snu , 1 800 48 ( Paris, t I p 2 8

p 4
- -
. . . .

'B
i umer, t 11 p .
369 I n 1 792 , the ex C armehte Bereser ,
. . . rofessor of -
p
p h
divin ity at Strasburg , ubl is ed at A n burg s D en i se/res B rev ier , not i n ten de d
3
for use by eccl esi astics, but styl i n g itse t a boo for the edifi cation of al l g ood f k
h
C ri stian s ”
I .t w as n evert el ess ado ted by ma n y h
r iests, an d even b p some p
h p
bis o s, to serve as a brev iary an d in referen ce to on e in Latin p pp . .

9 B i um er t 11 p 3 6 2 9 A boo o f li i i ti o b t i L a tin kh d k p
p
4 -
.
, . . e
. n s ra n-
, u . n , a
11
p h -
J
ubl is ed by “e ex esui t Stattler , L i ber psa l moru m Chri s ti an a s, sen
R el igi o C hr i sti a n a , i n exerci ti n rn pr ecmn sub f om a psa l mor um reduci c A ugs
bur g , h
Sc ober, i bi d Bi umer, 369 7 0 , n otices an attem t stil more
. pp .
-
p (
extravagan t , an a bri dg rnen t of the Roman breviary, Brevi a ri um Reme xam pro
 2 92 H I STORY O F T HE RO M A N BREVI A RY

T ime as it p assed work ed i n favour of Rome The sp i rit

, , .

of Ga l lican ism in F ra n ce was n ot able to survi ve the fall o f the

l eg itimist mon archy which stood al on e in main tain in g it whi le , , ,

on the oth er side roman ti cism h el p ed to a l ien ate p op u lar p re

,

fere n ce from the forms wh ich had been con secrated by the
favour of the a n cien r e gi me H ow ev er stran g e a n d un e x p e cted .

such a thin g may a p p ea r the P ari sian b rev ia ry of 17 36 a n d , ,

the othe r b rev iarie s o f the same ty p e foun d th emse l ves fro m , ,

1 8 30 on wards op p osed by roman tici sm as well a s by u l tr a

,

mon tan ism .

The fi rst Fren ch B ish op to decree the return to the Roman

rite was Mg r Parisis B ishop of Lan gres by a n ordin an ce
.
, ,

dated O ctober 1 sth I8 T he B en edi ctin e biogra p her of Dom

,

Gué ran ger who in order to ex a l t the A bbot of Sol esmes in

, , ,

sin uates th at Rome in her discouragemen t seemed to have

” 2
g i ve n u p t h e i dea o f l i tu rg i c a l u n i ty te ll s u s that th i s act o n ,

the p art of Mg r Parisis q ui te cap a bl e of e x p l an ation by local

.
,

circumsta n ces of a p racti ca l c haracter see med a bo l d step : ,

“
the best of his coll eag ues [ in the ep iscop a te] more ti mid than
he felt disq uieted an d ask ed themse l ves how R ome was l ikely
, ,

to v iew th is action of a si n g l e b ish op who ven tu red to imp ose ,

on his diocese the l itu rgy of S P ius V Stran ge words ! A .

v ery l ittl e more an d we sh ou l d be given to un de rsta n d that it

,

was fortun ate that the A bbot of Sol esmes was there to give ,

cou rag e to the b est b ishop s (ti mid men ) a n d even to the P op e ,

h imse l f l It is an ex aggeration suc h as may al so be foun d ,

h ere a n d th ere in the work of Dom Gué ran ger h imse l f which ,

is of a mi l itan t typ e : a fact wh ich ex p l ain s why the a uthor o f

the I nsti tu tion s l ztu rg igu es more often a l a rmed or w oun ded hi s
'

con temp o raries than evok ed th eir symp a thy Let us be more
‘
.

l L . Ma rcel , Les l i vres l i turgi ques da di od se de L angr es P

( ris,
a pp .

2 5 39
3 Del atte , t 1 2 63 . . p . .

3I bi d 26 4
. Ip
n real ity the del imitation of di oceses
. . rescri bed b y the C M p
car do t of 1 80 1 had the effect, i n the case of some n ewl y formed or n ewl y arran ge d
dioce s es, of causin g an in extricabl e l itur cal con fusion The diocese of
’

h
had to dea l w it five differ en t li turgi es Marcel , p .

‘
See ( i bi d 26 7 ) the j u
. p en t
. assed by the bis o of L e Man s , Mgr p h p .

Bouv ier , on the fi rst vol ume 0 the I n sti tuti ons extraordin a ry talen ts .

p
Bu t always the same reten sion s, the same sel f sufficren cy , an d t at s iri t of -
h p
p p h h
resum tion t at c aracteriz es the Men na i si en (disc i l e of La Men nai s)
p He .

k p
a ttac s our customs, im ugn s the met od of i n str uctron in our semin ar ies ; he h
al ter s facts, misstate s, exaggerates , for the
p ur ose of attai n i n g hi s ob ect, vi a j .

p
to b rin g in to disre ute the w ol e body 0f the e i sco ate
”
h
A t Rome al so, p p p .

p
Sol esmes was sus ected of bein g a focus of Mennaisia n ism (i bi d . p .
 T HE DEC REE O F 19 1 1 293

j ust : the Institutions hturg iques had the in comp arable merit of
’
'

being abl e to recall p eop le s min ds to l iturgical an tiq uity the’

—
—
Roman l iturgica l tradition an d of p rese n tin g a l iterary history
of it i mmature n o doubt b ut at that time q uite a n ove l ty ;
, , ,

an d moreover of gi vin g for the fi rst ti me a genera l view of

th ose Fren ch l iturgies of the l ast two cen turi es wh ich had
seduced our fo refath ers i mb ued w ith the sp i rit of c l assicism
, ,

an d l ess sen sibl e tha n we are of the h istoric val ue of th in g s .

I t is imp ossibl e to be too g rate fu l to the A bbot of Sol esmes

for hav in g made so l arge a con trib ution to the rev iva l of
Ch ristian art wh ich we owe to the C athol ics of the R oman tic
schoo l — to Mon ta l embert a bove a l l .

The fi rst vo l ume of the I nsti tutions a p p eared in 1 840 the ,

secon d i n 1 84 2 Cardin al Lambruschin i Secretary of State to ,

Gregory XVI had accep ted the ded ication of the work
,
l
I t .

is the secon d vo l ume wh ich con tain s the history of l iturgy in

the seven teen th a n d eigh teen th cen turies : an d in it the A bbot
”
of Sol esmes sp eak s w ith much wa rmth of h eresy an d of
revo l utio n as bein g the cau ses to whi ch we owe b reviaries

such a s th at of M de V in ti mil le wh ich he w oul d l ik e to ch ar

.
,

ac teriz e as S a ta n ic the term a p p l ied by J ose p h de Maistre to

,

the Fre n ch Revol ution A few p hra ses w ill sufli ce to gi ve

’

a n idea of the ma nn er in wh ich Dom Gué ran ge r e x p resses

h imsel f in regard to the Gall ican l iturgis ts H ere are men who
w ish to p ersuade the C ath ol ic Ch urch in on e of her g reatest ,

an d most i ll ustrious p rovin ces tha t she la ck s a l iturgy suited ,

to her wa n ts an d that she has n ot so good a k n owl edge of

,

th at wh ich rel ates to p rayer as have certain doctors of the

“
Sorbon n e . These p resump tuous me n set themsel ves to
d raw out a n ew p l an for the ofli ces of p rayer—n ew as regards
the mate ria l s of whi ch i t i s to be comp osed n ew both as to its ,

g e n e ra l l i n e s an d p ar ti c u l a r fea tu re s W e w i ll b e
. ho l d t o

say that wh e n the Ch urc h es O f F ra n ce h ave return ed to the

,

p a th of u n it y o f un
,
iv ers a l it y o f a ut h or ity a s r e g a rd s l it u r ,

g ica l m a t t e rs i t w i ll b e har d t o a cc o u n t fo r t he m o t iv e s

wh ich coul d have b rought a bout such a revol ution within the
bosom of a Ch ristia n n ation But wh en fu lly in formed as
.
,

to what actua lly happ en ed the faith fu l p e rceive that n o con ,

1 Gueran p p
had assed art of the year 1 837 a t Rome, i n order to obta in the
p pp
Pa al a ro tion of hi s con rega tion of Ben edictin es
g H i s wis had been to . h
n ame t em h T he Con gregatron of Sai n t Maur, b ut Rome forbade him to revive
"

h
t is ti tl e, on the groun d t at the old h
Maurists, before t eir exti n ction , had
”
h
h
equal l y lost all soun dn ess bot of l earn in g an d of fa it (i b i d h . p .

p
Com are the l etter of Ben edict X I V q uoted above, 26 3 n ote 1 p . .
294 HI STORY O F T HE ROM A N BREV I A RY

stra i n t w h ateve r was e mp l oyed to p rod uce so stra n ge a resu t l

— tha t on y the con trar ,
on a ll sides the recastin g of the
l iturgy on a p lan which was n ovel an d a l together of mere hu man
device was voted (P) as it were by accl a mation an d tha t
,
—
this w ork was en tru sted to the h an ds of h eretics the n they -

w ill won der at the mercy of God shown towa rds the Church
of F ra n ce O n e p erce ives the ex aggeration an d th at a ,

p o l e m ic ca rr ied on in th is ma n n er ov ersh oo ts i ts mark for i f ,

i n fact the step tak en at Par is in I7 36 a moun ted to a heresy

, ,

how is i t that Rome as l ate a s 1 840 had n ot den oun ced it ? , ,

A n d i f on the other han d th ere was a gul f betwee n the

, ,

l iturg ical reforms carried out in so man y d ioceses of Fran ce

a n d German y an d that un de rta k en by the B ishop of P istoia
—
, ,

a n d fo rthw h con em ed is n ot the con foun din g of the two

i t d n

togeth e r wh ich the A bbot o f So lesmes l abours to effect a n

, ,
’
act of in ustice j ?
T he cause ch amp ion ed by Dom Gué ran ge r was too w ell
foun ded on trad ition to be l iabl e to be comp romised by his
u n measured str ictu res, b ut th ere w ere rej oin ders O f th ese
‘
.

the most con siderabl e was th at of the A rchb ishop of Tou l ouse,
Mgr d A stros : L ég l ise de Fr a n ce i nj ustemen t fletn e da ns u n
’ '
’
‘
.

ou vrag e ay a n t p ou r ti tr e, In sti tu ti on s l i tu rgi u es

q ( 4 3)
1 8 It
is n oth in g to the p oin t to say that this p a mp hlet was rea lly
written by his V icar Ge n era l it was sign ed by the A rchbishop
( w h o d i ed a ca rd in a l i n an d h e w a s the p re l a te wh o w as

the most resp ected of a l l the F ren ch ep iscop ate as a Con fesso r
for the Faith i n the evil days of the F i rst E mp ire, an d, l ater ,
o n acc ou n t of the cen sure p ron ou n ced by him on the p ro

p o si tio n s
“
d e M d e L a men n a i s e t d e ses
. d i sc ip l es
”

I n the ey es o f the c l ergy of Fra n ce, said D om P itra,

“
Mgr .

l
In sti tu ti on s l i turgi ques
( ) pp 2 25 7 ; q u
,o t ed t
. by D
11. l a 2 n d ed ition
tte , .
- e
t. p 36 . 0 .

I ’
c t i p g of th I ti t ti o s (t 11 p 637 ; q oted by D l tte
p k howe of th t to l i t gical u ty an d p
a a er a n a e e ns u n . . . u ea , .

3 ) Dom G é
10 u ran er s ea s, ve r , e re urn ur nr
ti o n as of o t l d
a s r 0 d cl cti to atio
ear n e i w h ichan pl ace might
even e e c res r n, n a
b fo d fo
e un om poi t bo ow d wi th t
r s te d mod n s ti o f om the l t
rr e a s e an era n r a er
d evel opm t of F h l itu gy : o th t ce t i f at
en s ren c w hi h a e ha ppy (
r s a r a n e u res c r e ven
i f th e er b t f w of th m) bo ow d f om th t p a t of th mod n wo k w hi h
ar e u e e , rr e r a r e er r c
w as ot soil d by the h
n d ofe t i might ot l tog th an s p ish ; d sec ar es , n a e er er an
th t th two l t
a e t i to whi h i d d i t w
as ot j
cen ur es , t to ifi th whol c n ee as n us sacr ce e e
l i ti l t di ti
ecc es as mi ght
ca th l ss ot b
ra ti ly d p i
on , d of th ho ou
n ev er e e n e en re e r ve e n r
of h i o t i b t d om thi g to th
av n c n r a i g
u e d es ge o w i d
n e e lo p m t
e un ce s n an ver- r n v en
o f th C h ofi ces of p y
urc T hu e e
'
ted th l it gy 0 our C h ur h s
ra er . s r n era ur
e s
g , e c e
wo ld b th d l igh t of t h
u e el e gy d th Joy of th f ith ful
e e c r , an e e a .
”

S ’ F B gi Hi toi d l o t o
ee . er er ,i d l f
s o r m l i
ret g qie a c n r ver se c
e e a re s ur ue n
F r an ce co esan d M c l op i t pp 9 3 0
n, an ar e , . c . . 2 1- 2 .

M B ill é . ft wa d Bi hop of L co ( D l tt
a s, a er t p
r s s u n e a e, . 1. .
296 HI STOR Y O F T HE R OMA N B RE V I A RY

in deed, vote fo r such a course : but it resp ec tfully ex p ressed

its desire th at R ome shoul d tak e in han d such a correction of
the Roma n breviary a s wou l d facil itate its adop tion The .

b ishop s o f the p rovin ce w rote to the Pop e as follows : We “

ap p laud the ten den cy everyw here man i fested towards the

adop tion of the Roman l iturgy If ob stacl es h ith erto in sur

.

moun tabl e p reve n t us from j oin in g in it, we are agreed in

resol v in g to e n deavour to remove th em if p ossibl e But .

we w i ll ven ture to p oin t out to your H ol in ess that the de

fen ders of the n ew l iturgies woul d forfeit al l p l ausibl e motive,
i f, in accordan ce with the in ten tion to wh ich ex p ression has
been man y times given by the H oly See, a n ew revision of
the R oman b revi ary were to be un dertak en We are of op in ion
.

th at the return to a common l iturgy woul d th en become much

more easy, an d might be much soon er eflected ”1 '

U n der the ci rcumstan ces in wh ich the return to the Roman

l iturgy was carried out in F ran ce, would it have been op
’

p o rtun e fo r the H o ly See to p ro mise a re vi sion o r a correc tion

of the breviary ? Such does n ot seem to have been the con

clusion arri ved at in the coun sels of the H oly See Fathe r .

Schober, wri tin g in 1892 , has some vague k n owl edg e of a

C ommission n omin ated by P ius IX in 1860, for the amen d
men t of the missal an d the b reviary , wh ich decided , so far as
the l atter was con cern ed, that th ere was n o n eed for its re

Scho ber, usually so p recise, does n ot tell us from what source

b e derived his in formation : it may have been mere hearsay .

A s far back as 18 5 4 , in fact, the A rchbishop of Paris, Mgr .

Sibour, bein g at R ome on the occasion of the p roc l amation of

the dogma of the I mmac ulate Con cep tion , e x p res sed to Pius I X
his w i sh that the Roman b reviary migh t be amen ded, in order
th at it migh t be the more easi ly adop ted at Paris P ius IX .

rep l ied, that such a reform o f the brev iary he had greatly at
heart, an d that, without havin g waited for any in vitation , he
1 Bergier, p 1 68
. .

3 Del atte t 1
(
. . w ho i n ot er h p
assag es s oh
w s im sehl f cri ti cal as to the
p k p
osi tion ta en up y the coun cil of the rovi n ce of Pari s, ex resses regret, I n his
own name as well as i n t at of Dom h h
era n ger , at t is return havi n g been
h
con diti on al : t ey woul d ave h p
referred a l i tu rgy, n ot p
urely Roman , but Ro
ma i ne- Francoi se ”
. h
Dom Del atte oes so far as to say t at the movemen t of
k
return was a in d of revol ution : n ce set in motion , the l iturgi cal revol uti on
h h
did n ot atten d, an y more t an a great ma n y ot er revol uti on s, to wise coun sel s
h p h h
to t at s ir i t of moderation a n d discretion w ic , accordin g to him [ Gue
ta h h h
er] , oug t to ave directed t i s return towards an tiq ui ty
"
.

h p
Sc ober , 7
. 8 .
 T HE D EC REE O F 19 1 1 297

had, on ly a few days before th is in terview, given orders for the

MS records of the Commission ap p oin ted by Be n ed ict XIV for
.

the reform of the R o man b reviary to be l aid before hi m

”
.

A C ommission havin g been n omin ated by P ius IX to study

the work ca rried out by B en edict X IV w ith a view to the re
form of the b reviary, the A bbot of Sol esmes took p art in it .

Ben edict X IV had al ready discarded the idea of recastin g

the brev iary — ( this a sse rtio n i s n ot a cc u rat e ) O n receiv in g

the rep or t made to him by the Commission which he had ap

”
p o i n ted , P i us I X to o k th e sa m e c o u r se as B e n ed ict X IV
a n d Dom Gué ran er s b iogra p h er adds :
g
’
W e th in k th at we

are in a p osition to affi rm that the sa me p roj ect when rev iv ed

later on d urin g the p on tificate of Pius I X , did n ot meet w ith

a n y greater favour Th is l ast asse rtion is n ot ca lcula ted to
insp ire muc h con fiden ce in the tr ustworth in ess of those wh ich
p r ec e d e it a n d wh ich are u n s u pp o rte d by a n y d o c u m en ta ry
Th is fact remain s—that Rome deferred the con
,

a uthori ty .

sidera tion of an y k in d of rev ision of the brev iary .

Th is th en was the state of affairs when the Vatican coun ci l

was o p en ed Father Sch ober has searched amon g the wh ol e
.

mass of p rop osition s sub mitted to the C oun cil , for those re
latin g to the R oman breviary, an d he has foun d as many as
six of th e m .T he B ish op o f V icen za , Farin a, asked for the
days, wh en an y
’
sup p ression o f the tran sferen ce o f sain ts

festiva l is ousted by the occu rren ce of on e of h igh er ran k , an d

the su bstitution of mere commemorati on o f the in feri or festiva l .

A ll l iturgists, we might say, were agreed in desirin g th is , an d

the H o ly See has n ow at l ast so decreed Father R icca, .

Gen era l of the Fr iars M in ims, w ished for a fan tastic reform :
v iz. that, th roughout the whol e Ch urc h at al l even ts the —
—
whol e of the La tin Church the offi ce should be the same
for al l the c lergy, regu l ars i n cl uded, an d that al l p rivi l eges to
the con trary sh oul d be rev ok ed ; the p rop er of an y d iocese,
or o f an y re l igious order, was n ot to a ll o w to the Sain ts p ecu l iar
to itsel f a n yth i n g more than the n in th l esson at mattin s, a n d
a commemoration The B ishop of Pistoia , in the n ame of
.

certai n bish op s of cen tral I ta ly, ask ed fo r a rev ision of the

breviary which should correct statemen ts con demn ed by

h istorica l c ritic ism ; for more ap p rop riate p atristic homil ies on
certain festival s ; an d, above al l , for such a redistr ibution of

1 Del atte
, t
.p 1 19 11 . . . Piacen z a , p.
5, k n ows of n ot hi n g beyon d the C om
mission ppoi t d i 185 6
a n e n , but he does n ot tell us th e source of hi s in formation .

’ Del a
tt t 1 p
e, . 25
1 . . 1 .
298 HI ST O R Y OF T HE R OM A N BRE VI A RY

l
the p sa te r as s ou d secure its h l
ein g recited in its i n teg ri t b y
a t east se ve ra times in eac
l ea r, l
ereas , as t in gs ere, h y wh h w
most of the p sa ms came i n for t eir turn of recitation ver
l y h
se l do m a n d some it mi ht be sa id Tw l e arc h
, g n
, e v e r e v , .

bishop s or bishop s of C an ada ask ed th at as far as shoul d be ,

foun d p rac tica bl e the wh ol e p sa l ter sh o u l d be recited every

,

week ; an d th at the offi ce shoul d be made shorter on those

days wh en c uré s a n d con fessors are deta in ed for a l on ger ti me
over the w ork of their p astoral min i stration s such as the eves ,

of the g rea t festival s a n d the Satu rdays a n d Sun day s o f A d ,

ven t an d Len t There was al so a req uest on the p art of so me

.

Ger man bishop s : they d id n ot ask for an y shorten in g of the

offi ce on day s wh en the cl ergy a re sp ecially b usy over p astora l

min istration s ; for in Germa n y sa id they p eop le are aware , ,

th at mora l th eol ogy p rov ides fo r such cases an d th at cl ergy ,

th us over burden ed can b e disp en sed in who l e or i n p a rt

-
, ,

But these German

” l
fro m the rec itation of the b reviary .

b ishop s remarked that the R oman brev iary con tain s state
men ts con trary to true h istory or to soun d ex egesis an d th ey ,

ask ed tha t a l l such p assages sh ou l d be care fully rev ised Lastl y .

,

w e h ave the desires ex p re ssed by so me o f the b ishop s o f

F ran ce They declare th at a reform of the breviary is op
.

p o rtu n e ( )
I a s to so m e o f i ts l e s so n s wh ic h h av e n o t b e e n

suffi cien tly p urged fro m a p oc ry p h a l historic a l statemen ts ;

( )
2 a s to its hy m n s wh ic h a re in so m e i n
, st a n c es w ri tt en i n

a styl e wh ich is ob sc ure or eve n ba rbarous ; ( 3) as to the d is

tribution of the p sa l ms wh ich shou l d p rov ide for g reater ,

va riety ; (4 ) as to the tran sferen ce of Sain ts d a ys wh ich are

’
,

too freq uen t a n d sometimes in vol ve the removal o f festiva l s

,

to a d ate too far d istan t ; ( 5 ) as to the se l ecti on of sa in ts

h on oured with the observan ce of a festiva l too man y of whom ,

are p rop er to R ome an d ve ry l ittl e k n o w n e l sewh ere ; ( 6 ) as

,

to the l en gth of the offi ces wh ich in man y cases esp ecia lly on , ,

Sun days an d ferias seems to be in ordin ate a n d i ll suited to , ,

the p resen t con dition o f the secu l ar cl e rgy who are n ot so ,

n umerous as i n for mer ti mes an d conseq uen tly more basy

’l
.
,

1
Baum t u p 4 5
er , . . . 0 .

Sch ob e pp 7 8 8 ; Baum
r, t 11 pp 4 08 S hober q uotes th text of
er , 0 c e
5
- -
. . . . .

th esep o t l t f om Ma ti
s u a a O m i m o i l i V ti
r r i qu
n : d do t i
n u t c nc a a can ae a c r na l. c
di i pl i » p ti
sc nes : t do um to m
er nen ol l ti o ed ( P
c d bo en r pp c 6 5 oc , . a a er rn , . 1 ,
178 88
, 1 9 , 951 9
0, Bau m
1 q uo t,es t
20 h m f o
. m t h C o l l ti
ero T i t e r e ec en n s, .

vn . T he foll ow i g i th t xt of the d m d of the F

n s e ch bishOp s :
e O pp o tune
e an re n r
refo m r t b i i m: p
ar e ur rev ar utim q o d l e ti o b histo iis p o yp hi
raeser u a c n es, a r a cr s
n on ; q uoad al iq uos hymn os, sti l o obscur o et prop e barbsro
satis exp ur gatas
comp ositos ; q uoad p sal morum distributi on em, q uae mag is variat i dcheret q uoad
°
 300 H I STO RY O F THE R O M A N B R EV I A R Y

efforts for un iti n g w ith the Ch urch the n ation s se p arated fro m
her . In
1
1 8 88, he gave the feast o f the rosa ry a p ro p er
offi ce, with hy mn s ta k en from the D omi n ica n b rev ia ry a n d

w ritten by the Domin ican R icchin i, a con temp orary an d frien d

of B en ed ict XI V
’
I n 1 8 8 1 , he had rev ised the l esson s in the
.

secon d n octurn of the offi ce of S Th omas A q uin as This . .

was an ech o of the en cyc l ica l s dea r to Leo XI I I , a n d their

l iturgica l can on ization ‘
His decree of J uly 2 8th, 1 8 82 , is in .

some degree a resp on se to a w ish e x p ressed at the Vatican

coun ci l, sin ce it orda i n s that h en ceforth festival s o f the ran k

of semi doubl e or l esse r doubl e sha ll n o l on ger be transferr ed

-

( L eo XI I I m a k e s a n e x ce p tion i n fav our of th e feasts o f

doctors on ly) wh en ousted from their own day by the occur

re n ce of a festiv a l of h i h er ran k , o r a p riv i l eged Sun day or
g
feria ‘
But th is sup p ression of the tran sferen ce o f festiva l s
.

has n ot for its obj ect the settin g free of the domin ica l or fe ria l
offi ce, b ut to sec ure r oom for n ew festival s o f sain ts Le o .

XI I I says so ex p ressly : q uo in utroq ue k alen dario, tum

“

un iversa l i tu m c l eri R oma n i, habea n tur sedes l ib erae ad n ova

ofli cia
Leo XI I I an d his l itu rg ists, at the head of wh om was
Ca rdin al Ba rtolin i, were so l ittl e p rep ossessed in favour o f
the fe ria l offi ce th at, by a decree o f J u l y sth, 1 88 3, the Pop e
con ceded votive offices for each da
y o f th e w eek — for M on day,

o f the H oly A n el s ; T uesday , o f the H o ly A p ostles ; Wed

g
n esday, of St J ose h ; Th ursday, o f the Bl essed Sacramen t ;
p .

Friday, of the Passion ; Saturday , of the I mmaculate Con

cep tion — offi ces w ith the ran k of semi doubl es, with n i n e -

lesson s, to be substituted by an yon e ad l ibitum for the ofli ce

o f the feri a occurren t, when ever the ofli ce is of the fe ria, b u t

n ot on A sh W edn esd ay, the ferias of P assion tide , or th ose o f -

A dven t from December 17 th to 24 th T he con cession of th ese .

1 I
n the decree N u l l o
m men tion ed bel ow , Leo informs
u m tom are, XIII
P ius IX
, in respon se to the w i s express ed by some b isho s at the Vati ca n
p
C oun cil , had i n 1 87 4 n omin ated a C ommi ssion of the Con gregati on of Ri tes wi th
a view to con sider in
g kale da of Sa n ts who had l aboured
the in ser ti on in the n r i
to the edifi atio of th C hu ch u i e sal o had been th A postl es of pa tic ul a
ati o s—
c n e r n v r , r e r r
n n SS Bo if ce J usti n Cy il a d M thodius Cy i l of Al exan d i a Cy il
. n a , , r n e ,
r r , r
of J erusal em an d A u ti of Can t bu y
, T h Commis io cc pted S
s ne er r . e s n a e
face a a doubl e a
, s S J usti as a s mi double a d def rred th co si d
, n . n e -
, n e e n
of th e others .

Baum t 1 p 4 17 er , 1. . .

[See the E cyclical A tm i P m of A ug 4th 1 87 9 A D ]

.

’ ’

n e a s, , .
-
.

See th decree N l l o m g m m p0"

. .

ted by Schob er pp 80 8 2
'

e u a na , n , .
-
.

5 Fo th wholr umbe of the sain ts

e days i t oduced so p ofusel y by
e n r n r r
Leo XIII see Bi nmer t 11 pp 4 1 3 18
, , . . .
-
.
 THE D ECREE OF 19 1 1 30 1

votive ofli ces

‘
ca me in ver y
in op p ortun e ly, en co uragi n g the
a l rea dy ex istin g p rej ud ice aga in st the fe ria l ofli ce , a n d in crea s

in g the wear in ess in regard to matters l iturg ica l ex p erien ced

1

by the common run of eccl esiastics .

A l l of us have rec ited these votive offi ces , fo r l ack of

the l eisure n eeded for the recitation o f the feria l offi ce, b ut I
k n ow of some p relates as much over worked as an y man in -

the w or l d , w ho have n ever avai l ed th emsel ves o f th is in dul t .

The sai n tly Ca rdi n al R ich ard, A rchb ish op of Paris, a man
p o s sess ed o f a s o u n d se n se o f l i tu rg y , t o l d m e o ne d a y t h a t
such w as the case with hi m
3
.

The dec ision of Leo X II I in 1 8 8 5 , to p ubl ish a n Edztzb

'

typ i ca of the R o man b revia ry, was scarcely more h ap p y .

T he Vatican ed ition o f 16 32 was, up to th is ti me, the l ast

ed i tio n officia lly u bl is hed by the H oly See, wh ic h p r i n ters
p
were un der obl igation to foll ow fa ith fully when rep rin tin g the
breviary But sin ce 16 32 man y n ew offi ces, man y n ew rubrics
.

had been added By a decree of A p ri l 2 6th, 18 34 , R oman

.

p r i n te r s w e re r eq u ire d to su b m i t th e i r n ew ed itio n s to th e
re v i sion of the C on re a tion of R ites , an d th us the R oman
g g
ed ition s were made the a uth en tic ed ition s In 1 8 8 5 , C ard in a l
.

B artol in i caused this p rivi l ege to be attach ed to the edition

p u bl i sh ed a t R a tis b on by P u s t e t : is s u ed u n d e r t h e c o n tr o l
of the C ong re atio n of R i tes , it was to be con sidered a s givin
g g
an auth oritative version of the r ub rics an d as p resen tin g de

fin ite ly the V ul gate of the offices T o Fustet s ed ition

“ ” ’
.

was p refi x ed the fo ll ow in g state men t : H aec Breviari i R oman i

ed i tio, accu rate revisa, et ad n orma m n ovarum rub r icar um

p l a n e re d ac ta , p
r o fu tu ri s ed it i o n ib u s u ti t y p ica h a b e n d a e s t .

E x secreta ria hac d ie 1 3 A p ri l is, 1 8 8 5 Lau ren tius

.

”
Sal vati , S R C Secreta rius
. . . . Father George Sch ober, a
Redemp torist of R atisbon , has, in his E sp la nad e m tzea , set
’ '

forth w ith ex treme accuracy every p arti cul ar ( p un ctuation ih

c l uded i n wh ich thi s Edztzo ty ica , as settl ed by the C on gre a
)
' '

p g
tion o f R ites, d iffers from p recedin g ed ition s I t w o u l d h ave
.

been a good op p ortun ity for ca rryin g out, n ot mere ly a re

v isio n of the
g ra mm ar a n d o r t h o g pr a hy o f th e b re v iary , b ut

[A ced i a , acc id i e, to q uote th

"
e la te Bis o Pa g e t of O xford hp
A B ] — . .

Pi acenz a, p
2 2 , recor ds the o in ion of Cardi nal P arooehi, a member of the
.
p
h
Con r ation of Rites, w ho con si der ed t ese votive ofi ces en tirel y con trary to
the rgéi tion an d desire of th e C urc
'

h h
He mai n tai n ed t at t ey were on ly
. h h
con ceded because a correction of the rubri cs of the br evi ary was at han d ; he
h
sai d t is in 1 883 .

h
Sc ober, pp88 , 89
. .
30 2 HI STOR Y OF T HE RO MA N BREVI A R Y

a c ritica l its tex t ; but the con gregation were n ot

correction of
commission ed to mak e such a correction , a n d had to con fin e

th e mse lve s to the co rrection s set forth in the d ecree of J uly

z ud , 1 88 3, wh ich th ey accor d in gly did
l
.

There foll owed ( Dec 1 1th , . A ddi ti oner et Va ria tzbner,

”
p u bl is h ed by th e C o n g g
r e ati o n o f R ite s ,
wh ic h t og e th er w it h
the n ew offi ces i n troduced sin ce 1 88 5 , p roved th at Fustet s
’

ed iti on w a s on ly p rovi sion ally the E di ti o typ i ca .

Mea n wh ile the great Pop e, though growin g old, work ed

assiduously at the task s deman ded by the con dition s o f his

ti me A s l on g ago as 1 88 8, when p ubl ish in g n ew regu l ations

.

for the Vatica n l ib rary , he said, in ex p l ain in g th eir obj ect

we were esp ecia lly an x ious to in trod uce such a refo rm as
might con duce to the hon our of the Ch urch , an d p romote the
p g
ro r e ss o f t ru e s c ie n c e W e w e re
. a w a re wh a t a p a s sio n th e

men of our time h ave for h istorica l resea rch ”

A n d even in .

1 8 8 3, i n a me morable l etter to the Ca rd in al s P itra, d i Luca ,

an d He rz en rothe r, o n the study of hi story, Le o XIII , whe n

men tion in g the fa ct that he ha d th rown op en the Vatican

a r ch ives , sp ok e of the d u ty a n d the a d van tage of goin g b ack

to the or igin a l so urces of in fo r mation , an d o f stu dyin g

“

a uth en tic h istorica l doc umen ts w ith a ca l m eye, an d a min d

free from p rej ud ice

I n 190 2 , the l ast yea r of his g l orio us p o n tificate, at ab out

the same time as his in stitution of the Commzlmbn e p on ti/iota

p g
e r l i r tua i bi bl ic i ,
'
L e o XI I I a tta c h e d t o th e C o n g g
re a t io n o f
Rites a Commi mone rton eo l iturg ica , whose mission wa s to
’ ’

p p
r o o s e su c h c ri t ic a l c orre c t io n s as w er e re q u ire d i n th e

b reviary He p l aced on th is C ommission h istorian s, the n

.

resid en t at R o me, who en j oyed the con fiden ce of al l E urop e,

such as Mgr D uchesn e , an d Fa th er Ehr l e, S J Mgr D uch esn e

‘
. . . .

See Sc ober,
l
h
1 89 ( l egen d of P0p e Marc ell us, 2 19 ( Po e Silveri us) , p p
p p
. .

p 22 8 ( Po e Pius
. p 1 34 ( Po e Sy l vester ) ,
.
p p
24 3 (the Ma rtyrs P rotus an d
.

H i ) h p p
( o es C l etus an d Marcel hn us
P T is last correcti on has h
L
y ac n t u s , 206 . .

h
most c aracter about it ; for down to t is time the revi h on the fai t of an h
a hal coun cil of S in uessa, had accused Po e Marc p
n us of sacri fi cin g to
'

i 013 Some cor recti on was made in the l esson s for the fea st of S Sylvester
. .
,

p
but the l egen d of the ba ti sm of C on sta n ti n e was retai n ed, merel y addin g : uti
vetus Eccl esi ae Roman ae refert tra di tio
”
Bi s mer imsel f ( t 11. con h . . p .

h h
siders t at t is w as too smal l a correcti on But C ardin al Bartolin i s cri ticism
.
’

h
was of a c aracter n ot too exactin g, as we may gat er from suc h
istor ical work s hh
as w ere p
ubli s ed by him h
h
”
“The text of t ese i s i ven in Bi umer t 11 6 1 83
g 4
-

;
. . .
,

F
See Paul abre, i n Le Vati can , l es popes, a pp
7 36 43
? ci vi l i sa ti on (Pari s, .

h h F h F
A n d wi t t em a t er Roberti , ri ar Min im ; Mgr Mercati , w ose wor s on . h k
p atri sti c an d l i turgical cr itic ism (on ly too few i n n umber) ave been so ighl y h h
3 4
0 H I STOR Y OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
casion , sin ce it was feasibl e to re e stabl ish the c orrect
n ot

cha n t in un ive rsa l use w ith out p uttin g forth a n offi cia l ed ition

of it, P ius X attach ed to the Con gregati on of R ites a Commis

si one p er l a musica e i l ca n to sacr a, at the h ead of wh ich he

p l ace d D o m P o t hi er , w it h a v ie w to r e fo rm i n g an d p u bl is h
in g th e c h urc h b oo k s o f p l a i n ch an t
-
.
-T he C o mm iss io n fi r s t
took in h an d the p lai n chan t o f the M ass - Th ey soon dis
.

covered that i t w oul d n ot be p ossible to get very far u n l ess

some c orrection of the missa l an d the b rev iary w ere made .

Such a thin g was sti ll on ly bei n g sp oken of as p ossibl e when ,

on D ecember z l st, 1 9 1 1, the Osser va tor e R oma n o p ubl ished ,
un ex p ected ly, the B u ll D i vi na afl a tu, p romul gati n g a reform
of the b rev iary .

T he old p roverb, th at a l l roads l ead to R ome, was here

ve rified . By ways, some of them direct, others cir cuitous, the
idea of a correction of the Roman b reviary travell ed on an d on
a n d, at the very mome n t whe n to some amon g u s i t see med

to be comp lete ly out of favour, it secured the su p p ort of P op e

Pius X I flatter my sel f that I p redicted it, when, in the
.

C on cl usion ofthe th ird ed ition of this H istory of the Roman

”
B reviary , I w rote : The weak p oin t a bo ut the work of the
R oman correctors of the six tee n th an d seven teen th cen turies
was th eir wa n t of acq uain tan ce w ith the an cien t an d p ure ly
Roman offi ce, which h in dered them from dra w in g the tex t of
the divin e ofii ce from its tr ue source . A n d so the re form of
the R oman b revia ry wou l d con sist in a restoration ,
p r ud e n t a n d w e ll th ou g h t o u t , o f t
-
he a n c ie n t t en or a n d sp i ri t
of the Roman offi ce, th rough a more an d more rigorous an d

acc u ra te i n vestiga tion of i ts sources, an d rememberin g a lwa ys

th at such a restoration is an idea l , to wh ich o n ly an ap p rox i

mation is p racticable ‘
T he restoration to its a n cien t p urity
.

of the Gregor ian ch an t, wh ich we see goin g on at th is momen t,

is j ust such an ex amp l e as may well con firm us in our asp ir
”
a tion s . T he restoration of the Gregorian chan t has in deed
brought on the correction of the divin e office H istorian s on .

the on e han d, restorers of the p l ain ch an t on the oth er, we -

h ave foun d oursel ves all agreed in assertin g the p rimacy, as

on e may say , of the offi ce of the season I t is l ik e the main
.

body of the Ch urch, p ri mitive in date, in comp arabl e as regards

p m
I
I
1 Gros el lier
p 11 a d o
: e i té t a mettre en l u ie e l es ci p ui
g
, 4 .
y n n r e r n es q
on t
p
'
p
reside a l a com ositi on de l ofli ce, e t l es regl es tr a dition n e s de l a se
p
dacti on l i turgi q ue, our exami n er en q uoi l es n ouveaux textes ou t p u s en écarter ,
’

et mon trer en q uoi un e revision p

ourrai t etre util e
”
.
 THE D EC R EE OF 19 1 1 3 5
0

the beauty of its l in es an d the p urity of its material s : the

,

main body of a basi l ica in wh ich the Sa n ctor al e ho l ds the

,

p l a ce o f side c h ap e l s ad ven t
,i tious d is o
p p
r ,
or tion ate an d mu l ,

ti p lied to such a degree as to obscu re the origin a l p l an an d

destroy its o rder Th is con cep tion in accorda n ce with which
.
,

the Sa n ctor al e is h istorica lly subordin ate to the Tempor al e is ,

the l eadin g idea in my H istory of the Roma n B reviary

But how was the ofii ce of the season to be restored to its
p l ace of h on o ur w it h ou t sac rifi c i n g th e cu l tus wh i ch h a d b ec om e

the in herita n ce of the sain ts ? P ius V had reduced, in n um

ber, an d in their resp ec tive ran k , the festival s of the S a n ctor al e
Ben edict X IV s l iturgists p ro p osed a still more rad ica l red uc
’

tion : but, in the Ch urch , the ten de n cy to mul tip ly the festiva l s
of sain ts wi ll always be foun d to e x ert more o w e r n d to
p , a
co mman d more sy m athy, than an l f d i th e m
p y p an s or r e u c n g .

H owever, the most distin guished l iturgists have at all even ts

a lway s den oun ced the ab use of the tr a n s er en ce o f feasts :
f
an d the dec ree of Leo XIII in 1 88 2 j ustified th ese l iturg ists

by forbiddin g the tran sferen ce of semi d ou bl es an d lesser -

doubles, an d red ucin g such festiva ls, i n case o f the occurren ce

of a sup erior festiva l , to a sim le co mmemoration D om
p .

Grosp el lier, in 190 2 , th ought it des irabl e that thi s p rohibition

sh ould be ex ten ded to the festiv a l s of doctors, wh ich have be

come more n umerous than th ey w ere, an d wh ich , in the decree

of Leo XI I I , reta in ed their ri h t to be tra ns ferred D om

g .

Grosp el l ier al so p ro p osed that the same p roh ibi tion shou l d be
ex ten ded to
g r ea t er d ou bl es : th e r ig h t o f tran s fer e nce , h e

writes, w ou l d then be the p ecu l iar p rivi l ege of doubles of the

fi rst an d secon d cl ass : an d besides thi s, it woul d be better sti ll
if s uch feasts were transferred— n o t to the fi rst vacan t day ,
ic i —
wh h s sometimes very far dista n t but to the first day n ot
occup ied by a festival of e ua l o r h i her ra n k
q g
” 1
. T h e sa m e

l iturgist observes that certain modern festival s, wherein are

cel eb rated th is or th at mystery of the l ife of ou r Saviour or the

Bl essed Virgin , are but useless rep etiti on s of wha t is con tain ed
in the o ffi ce of the season , the tr ue sign ifican ce of which has
li ttl e by l ittle been l ost sight o f : Thus, for exam e, the
doubl e Mystery o f the V irgin ity an d of the Matern ity of Mary
m
is ex p ressed in a man n er most b e a utifu lly p oetica l , an d full of

Gr ospell ier, p h h p
T he Bul l D i vi na afl a tn real iz ed t is wis ex ressed
”
?
. 60
.

Dom Grosp ell ier . pp

He also desired the su ression of p p
er e tual tran sferen ce
h h
i e the assign in g to a festival of a day ot er than t at i n di cated for it in the
. .

Marty rology .
306 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREV I A RY
the s ymbol ism dear to the Christia n e p och when it was
w ritten , in the ofli ce of the octave of Christmas, that is to say
o f the festiva l which we n ow ca ll the C ircumc ision of our Lo rd .

I n the feas ts for the Sun day s in O ctober , con ceded to man y

dioceses, we fin d similar rep etition s ‘

It w ou l d be easy to .

mul tip ly ex amp l es of the same k in d ” 3

But the sup p ression of .

tran s feren ces an d o f dup l ica te feasts wou l d n ot go very far to

wards reducin g the n umber of festiva l s of sain ts ; an d Dom
Grosp el l ier suggests that the most eflicacious mean s of com
‘

p r essin g the S a n ctor al e with i n m o re m o derate l i mi ts w o u l d be

to red uce to the ran k o f s i mp l e feasts the g reater n u mber of

th ose wh ich are n ow semi d o ubl es a n d lesser doubles -

Let us ex a mi n e more at l arge th ese p rop osition s of Dom

Grosp el l ier : they form an an tici p atory commen tary on the
reform of 1 9 1 1 wh ich th ey fo reshadowed, even if they d id n ot

ins p ire—an d did in deed, as I conj ecture, directly insp ir e I .

wi ll q uote a few p assages from this l earn ed an d discern ing

F ren ch l iturgist
T he backbon e of the divin e ofli ce (thus he w rites, be it
remembered, in 190 2) is to be foun d in the p sal ter Its dis .

tr ibution in the b reviary in dica tes cl ear ly the in ten ti on of the

Church, from very early times, that it sh oul d be recited in its
en ti rety durin g the wee k A n d if H oly Ch urch has thus
‘
.

trea ted the book of P sal ms , it is because it p erceives in it an

in exhausti bl e min e of devotion for her c l ergy Nothin g, in .

fact, can be more varied than the sev era l p ieces of which it is
comp osed ; n oth in g can corres p on d better to the ever varyi n g -

n eeds of the sou l , or is more sui ted to n ourish therein true an d

sol id p iety H en ce it is from the p sal ter that the Church has
.

borrowed the greater n umber of the l iturgica l forms which are

sun g , whether in the divin e ofii ce or in the mass .

1T hese O ctober f asts a e suppressed by the Bull D i vi na afl ah which

e r r,

o dain s th at the l esse Su da s are ot to b e i truded upon by festival s even ( i

n n n
r
y r

the a k of g eater doubl

r n r W th the exceptio of the feasts of our L or d
e, i n .

1
Grosp ell ier p 9 T h same is the case with certai festi va l s of sa in
, . . e n

two feas ts of S P eter s C ha ir th is a d that feast devoted to th e H oly A n gel s

’
.
, n ,

ht be un ited .

G osp l l ier p 8
r e He adds in a ote : I
, . . t woul d eviden tly in that case be n

come eces a y ot to all ow th e sayi g of Mass of R q uiem on all sim l e feasts

n s r n
p n e
T he Bull Di vi a q flf t takes the course he e in dicated after hav g
n a n q ua si r ,
in

sim l i fi é the doubl es an d semi doubl es - .

T h is asserti o is t ue of the R om n Ch u ch ; it woul d ot be true to histo y

r n r n r
ti o furth e a d give to Dom G os el li er s oposi tion
’
to xte d th ge eral i
T he rec tati on 0pth e whol e
e n e n za n
p r, n r r

a p ecise ess wh ich I do

r n ot thi k i t pos esses n n s . i
psal ter o ce i e y week is a custom attested for the first time by the Rul e of
n n ver

S Ben ed ict
. .
30 8 H I STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
the sa p id it y , the u n ction , the h an cien t devotion al
variet y , of t ese
work s con stitute th em very j ewel s amon g l iturgical tex ts Th eir .

restoration to
p p
r o er u se w ou l d b e l i k e t h at o f t h e p sa l te,
r m o st ,

ben efi cia l an d most p rofita ble : we desire it w ith our wh ol e

heart 1
.

“
T he best mea n s of securin g a ll th ese adva n tages w ou l d
be as I have a l ready sai d to reduce to the ran k o f simp le feasts
, ,

most of the p resen t semi doubl es an d l esser d oubl es an d -

,

th ereby to secure as freq ue n t a recitation as p ossibl e o f the

ofli ce of the Sun day a n d the feri a l p sa l ms B tu t h e n — it is n o .

use den yin g the fact—it is p recise ly to a la rge ex ten t w ith the , ,

obj ec t o f a voidin g th is Sun day ofi i ce a n d th ese p sa l ms of the

ferias tha t d oubl e feasts a n d votive offi ces of the ran k of semi
,

do ubl e s h ave been mu l tip l ied

, N o doub t the Su n day ofli ce.
,

an d th a t of certain fe ria s esp ecia lly of Th ursday a n d Sa tu rday

, ,

are of a l e n gth p er cep tibly t r th a n th a t of a fea st of

g rea e

n i n e l esson s : wh il e at the sa me time it is j ust on Satur day

, ,

a n d on Sun day th at at ce rta in season s the additi on a l time that

, ,

has to be sp en t in p astoral min istration s l eaves a p riest the

fe west sp are momen ts It woul d therefore p l ain ly be desira bl e
.
,

i n o rder to attain most efiica ciously the res ul t a imed at to ta k e ,

suitabl e accoun t o f th ese t wo con sideration s w ith a view to ,

somewh at sh orten i n th S d y ffi d t b i g t h o
g e u n a o c e a n o r n s e ,

of the ferias to a g rea ter eq ua l ity in reg ard to l en gth .

“
St P ius V h imsel f su pp ortin g his j udgmen t on the evi
.
,
”
den ce furn ished by Ch ristian an tiq uity effected simil a r reforms ,

i n the b reviary Th us he sup p ressed al most en tire ly the o bl iga

.

tion o f re citin g the offi ces of our La dy an d of the D ead an d ,

the p en iten tial an d g radua l p sa l ms wh ich w ere at th at ti me ,

freq uen tly obl igatory but wh ich had n ot been sup erp osed on
,

the p rin cip a l offi ce more th an th ree or fou r cen tu ries befo re
his time : a n d i n the sa me way he reduced the n umber o f the
S uflr ag i a sa nctor um wh ich had b een mu l tip l ied d urin g some
,

p re vio u s cen tur ie s Th e

. S u n da y o ffi c e fo r p ri m e al s o wh i ch , ,

h
October, an d t ose for the ferias of almost the en tire yea r, were l ost to the cl ergy
of Rome . h
T he same was the case wit twen ty ei g t Su n da y masses ( more t an -
h h
hal f the whol e n umber ) , an d wi t h
a l l the fer ial masses i n Le n t an d of th e Ember
p h
days , wi t the exce ti on of As h edn esday , oly W ee , an d the Ember da s H W k -

of Wh W k
itsun ee : at al l ev en ts, al l t at h
riests saw of t em con sisted of p e h
p
coll ects an d the os els [ ote by Dom Grosp el lier ]
N
g p
. .

1
h T is t ernar i s rofoun dl y us t j
The more of t ese an cien t devoti on al h
text s—Is eak es eci all y of the res on ds of the season —that can be rescu ed from
.

p p p
obl ivion an d restored to common use in the br eviary, the more grati tude we shall
h
owe to t os e who are restori n g the Gregori an c an t h .

1 Th
e referen ce i s to the l itur
gy o f the ti me of A ntal ar ius .
 TH E D ECREE OF 19 1 1 3 9
0

had up to his time been un duly l on g was rel ieved of the five ,

p sa l m s , 2 1 to 2 5 wh i c h in orde
,
r to r eta i n th e,
m i n t h e w eekly
rec itati on of the p sal ter were d istri b uted ove r the five succeed
,

in g ferias A t the p resen t time some red uction s an d abbrev ia

.
,

tion s made in the sa me sp i rit w ou l d re move a ll obj ections to

the use of the Sun day an d feri al offi ces .

Six p sal ms migh t be removed fro m Sun day mattin s wh ich ,

n ow in c l u de 1 8 ; they wou l d th us h ave n o more than 1 2 l ik e ,

the fe rias O f th ese six p sa l ms ( 3 6 9 10 1 3

. the first , , , , ,

w oul d be p ut at Sun day l auds i n the p l ace o f Ps X CIX

, , . .
,

bi t wh ich has a l rea dy its p l ace in its d ue order at Satu r

j u l a n ,

d ay mattin s ; the oth er five w oul d al so fin d p l ace at l auds ,

on five ferias in the p l ace of P s L M iserer e wh ich w oul d be

, . .
, ,

reserved for F ri day on ly Then a s to the can ticles at l auds

.
, ,

Ca n temus D omi n o ( E x xv ) would be p ut on Tuesday in the . .

p l ace o f E g o d i e i ( I sa ia h A u di t e ca el i ( D e u t x xx n ) . .

woul d take the p lace of Exsul tavi t ( 1 R eg II ) on Wedn esday . . .

T he l atter wou ld come on Thur sday in stea d of Ca n temus

D omi n o an d l astly Eg o azlr i woul d come on Saturday in stead
,
’

as it does a l rea dy on E aster Eve By th is

l
of A n di to cacl i , .

mean s w ith out the loss of a n y p sa l m or ca n tic l e the p sa l mod y

, ,

for Sun day woul d be shorte n ed by seven col u mn s o f the

b revia ry an d that for the several ferias w ou ld be p ercep tibly
,

eq ua l ized in l en gt h .

“
But th is is n ot a l l W ith the same object in view it
.
,

would be well to sup p ress the Suf rag ia S a n ctor um al together ,

as bein g a n addition to the offi ce rel ativ e ly re cen t or p erh a p s

11
,

rath er to d istri bute th e m ove r the six ferias of the w eek ex ,

c l udi n g th e m from rec itation on Su n da Th is w ou l d a l so

y .

h ave the adva n tage of givin g to the devotion s at the p ri n cip a l

h ours of p rayer a certain cha racter of comp leten ess wh ich
, ,

wou l d faci l itate the sup p ression of the recen tly con ceded votive
offi ces ,
8
a s it w oul d cer tai n ly be righ t to do i f most semi ,

doubl es an d l esser dou bl es we re reduced to the ran k of simp l e

fe asts for these votive ofii ces in troduced in to the l iturg ical
,

week a p ri n cip l e absol ute ly n ovel .

“
I t migh t be p oss ibl e a l so to sup p ress the P a ter A ve a n d
-
, ,

Cr edo at the beg in n in g of the severa l offi ces an d the an tip hon ,

1
T h ese p mutation s
er p lm of an d can ti cl es
would n atural ly n ecessitate
sa s
certa i n h
c an ges i n an n s, r ti p ho
an ti on ta en from an y sal m or ca n ticl e
fo the ph k p
must of course a s a an al
wy
e sa me cco mp[N ote by Dom Grosp elli er ]
y th . .

1
h
T is suggestion ha s been carri ed out by Pi us , who has r educed the X
Sn r ag i a to on e on ly D e omn i bus sa n cti s — .

pp
A su ression decreed by P i us X .
310 H I STORY OF T HE ROM A N BREV I
A RY

of our Lady most of them an d to rec ite it on ly

at the en d of ,

a fter comp l in e
l
The former are a very recen t addition an d
.

moreover n othin g forms a better begi n n in g for an ofiice th an

the versicl es D omi ne l a bia mea ap er ies an d D eus i n a aj utor i rcm
'

, ,

mea m i n ten de T he con c l udin g an tip hon of ou r Lady

.
,
wh ich
da tes from the th ir teen th cen tury, was on ly at first sa id at the
en d of comp l in e .

O th er su p p ression s be p ossibl e , which wou l dwoul d a l so

n ot in an y way a l ter the con stitution of the ofli ce : such as

the P a ter at n octurn s ; the p sal m i n the P r eces at l auds an d

vesp ers , sin ce it is a l ready recited e l sewhere ; an d even the

l on g P r eces at l auds migh t be rep laced by the form p rovided

for the l ittl e hours, leavin g the l on ger form to be use d at
”
v esp ers on ly .

“
I
n order to l ess freq uen t omission of some of
secure the
the p sal ms at p ri me it w ou l d be better to p refix to the p sa l m
,

Bea ti i mma cula ti every day even on festival s the sp ecial p sa l m , ,

ap p oin ted for the Sun day an d for each feri a ; the D eus i n

n omi ne Tn o Ps L III w l d b d f S d y h
( ) ou e.rese rve or
. atu r a as t at ,

day has n ow n o sp ecia l p sal m With the same obj ect on .

,

sa in ts days when the a n tip h on s at l a uds a n d v esp ers a re n ot

’

tak en fro s —
m the p al ms an d this is what is gen era lly the case
—it woul d be des irabl e to rep lace the p sa l ms an d ca n ticles o f
Sun day by those of the feria occurren t "
I
n th is case again the .
,

course recommen ded wou l d be a retu rn to more an cien t p ractice .

It wou l d al so be ea sy to p reserve the resp on ds of the

season wh ich at p rese n t are n ot recited
,
For th is p urp ose it .

wou l d sufiice to ordain th at every l esson of the Scri p ture oc

curre n t a n d every homily of the season shoul d in va riably be
, ,

foll owed by the resp on d o f the season bel on gin g to it an d n ot ,

by that of the feast Th is again would mean a return to

‘
.

the c ustom o f old times when th is con n ex ion betwee n a lesson ,

an d its r es p on d was con sidered a matter of n ecessity .

“
In the n e x t p l ace it wo ul d be better to rep l ace Te D eum
,

on simp l e fea sts by a th ird resp on d an d by a n in th resp on d ,

on fea sts of ni n e l esson s of n o e x cep ti on a l sol emn ity

5
It may .

1 Th ese two suggestio s have ot bee adopted ; an d un doubtedly very man y

n n n , ,

of us g
re r e t t ha t suc h is the ca s e.
1 Pius X has ow upp essed th p sal m i th e at lan ds an d vesp e s d
n s r
p c e n r e es r , an
ha s given to th e pr a w a d much simp l er l arm wh ich f l fi ls the desire of
eces ne n , u
Dom G o el l i er
r s .

1 P iu s has dap ted th is cou se

a r .

1
T hi su ggestion has ot been carried out a fact r gr tted by man y l itu gists
s n , e e r .

1 A other good suggesti o

n ot as yet adap ted n n .
 312 H I STORY OF TH E RO MA N B REVI A RY

q u e n t ly of ex erci sin g a d isturbin g in fluen ce on p iety F urth er .

,

th is op era tion by brin g in g b ack the mo re freq uen t recita tion

,

of the Sun day an d feria l offi ces b rin g s in to p ro min en ce the ,

n ec ess ity for sh orten in g th ese offi ces sin ce they h ave b een ,

disc ard ed for n o other reason th an be cause of their in ordin ate

len gth D om Grosp ellier therefore p rop oses some degree o f
.

reh a n d l in
g w ith a v ie w t o,
r e l ie v i n g t h e c o n g e st io n ( i f o n e m a y
so ca ll it) of the offi ce of the Sun day an d the ferias : Sun da y
mattin s wh ich n ow in cl ude eighteen p sa l ms are to have on ly
, ,

twe lv e an d the six p sa l ms th us disp l aced a re to b e distrib uted

,

ov er the lan ds of Sun day s an d week days St P i us V shorten ed -

. .

the Sun day offi ce for p ri me by a simil a r op eration When we .

read over a tten tive ly the

p g
a es q u o t e d a b o v e f ro m D o m G ros

p e l l ie r w e p e
,r ce iv e t h at t h i s re h a n d l i n g o f th e S u n d a y m att i n s

is the on ly on e wh ich he ven tures to p rop o se in regard to the

n octu rn al offi ce ; he does n ot touch the flan k ! matti n s whi c h ,

in h s p rop osa l retai n their twel ve p sa l ms as be fore A n d we .

c an n ot h e l i h wh h l k i h i
p see n g t a t ( e t e r w e i e t o r n o t) t er e s a

de man d for some bol der reform of the Su n day an d feria l office
than th is D om Grosp e l l ier is q uite aware of it ; an d so
.
,

ti midly p uttin g it forward as a reform

, recommen ded by a
ce rta i n n umber of l itu r ists n d al tem a
”
g h e sk e t c h e s a s a sec o ,

tive p recisely the re form adop ted n in e years a fter by P ius X

the gen eral reduction of the p sa l ms at ma ttin s to n i n e —for
, ,

S u n d ays an d ferias as well as for sain ts days — the p sa l ms

’

th us re moved from the matti n s distr ibuted over the lesser h ou rs

of the ferias—the l on l m u t u i t o di v i io n “ D o m
g p s a s c p n s .

Grosp el lier does n o more th an in dicate the ma in l in es of the

rad ica l re form as th us con ceive d by him : as to the l iturgists

who h ave recommen ded it he d oe s n ot tell us who they are ,

1
,

b ut how can we fai l to re cogn i ze the authors of the Parisian

b reviary of 17 36 ?
Lastl y we may men tion that Dom Grosp ell ier was n ot a l on e
,

in sk etch in g a re form of the b reviary The B en edictin es o n .

,

their side were deb atin g wh eth er the momen t had n ot come
,

for deman din g a revision of the mon astic b reviary as give n

H co fi e h im l f to yi g i a ot ( p 5
1
O e m y s what ra di
)
e n n s se sa n , n n e . 1 n a ee
cal form both a to the
re s,
g m t o fs th p sa t arran d o f f
e t i len w er e er an es va s e re
comm ded by th V
en C di al T omasi e Ih
en . ar oti ced bo
n ( p 3 8 ot 3) av e n a ve . 2 , n e
the i w of C di al T om i
v e s W m y call th f t th t he p opo d th
ar n as . e a re e ac a r se e
actu l a i tatio of th
rec ti p sal t e y w k : Ps l mi um ti i emp
n e en re er v er ee a c ca n c s s er
dem dice t
ri p o t di po i ti t p f ias h bdomada ta t mmodo c l eb
n ur r u s s sun er er e e, n u e es
rim di bu N at l i Ep ip h i
is e s, P h
a a,tc x ti i ib x
asc ae, e tiq o mo s, n u us e an u
an ae,
q ., e ec re
p op ii p s l mi itab tu
r r a Cf A rec l t i i un r
”
o tifi i 1887
. . 888 pp 5 2
na ec a ur s n ci ,
-
1 , . 1

5 17
 TH E D ECREE OF 19 1 1 3 3
1

t em
h by P a ul V ( 160 5 In 1 907 the Sup eriors of the ,

Ben edictin e C ongregation assembl ed at R ome in the C ollege

,

of St A n sel m we re ap p roach ed by the B e n ed ictin es of F ran ce

.
,

wi th a p rop osition touch in g the reform of the mon astic b rev

ia ry . I n su p p ort of the p rop osition th ere wa s distr ib uted a

p a m p hl et by the A bbot o f S i l os D o m G uep in e n ti,tl ed : D e ,

r a tion e Br evia ri i R oma n i monasti ci ej usque emenda tione arm

men ta r i a m ( 190 8) a cop y of wh ich I h ave before me . Do m
Guep in had esp ecia lly tak en his i ns p iration from the l abours of
the C ommiss ion of B en ed ict X IV : Eorum vestigiis i n sist
en tes, n on eq uide m in ten di mus B reviariu m ren ova re q uoad

p sa l te ri u m et o
’
tfi c iu m d e t e m p o r e B
. re vi a ri u m a P i o V t e
”
dactum ut O p u s ad mirab ile habetur . D om Guep in commen ts
”
adversely on the in disc reet mul tip l ication of sain ts days
’
.

T he greater n u mber of such festiva l s he w ou l d w ish to se e

reduced to the ran k of simp l e feasts , or eve n to a mer e com

memora tion : I n de fieret u t freq uen tius recita retu r Psa l terium
feria l e matutin um etiamq ue vesp ertin um ( p . T he wo rk
o f D om Guep in , as of the consu l tators of B en ed ict X IV ,

foll ow s the l in e of a reform of the k al en da r of sain ts days,

’

w ith a view to the restoration to common use of the Su n day

a n d ferial offices . He writes festivita tes k al
en dario surrep se r un t : q uae, q uu m o mn es ferme t i tum dup licem

p rae se fe r a n t,
h e bd o m a d a r i a m P sa l te r ii rec i ta tio n e m a b es ti s
simo B en edicto in dicta m imp ossibil em reddun t, n on sin e
mag n o mon achorum detrimen to, q uorum an imabus similem
p e r d ies v ic tu m , i ter a ta m d ic o e o ru n d e m p sa l m o r u m , l ec ti on u m ,

hy mn oru m, resp on sorioru m rep etition em, fas tid ium p are re n e
cesse est, q uum in teri m e x q uisita p u lmen ta p ra e se habes n t,

q u a e ,
T a n ta li s u pp l ic i o ren ov a to , a b a rc h i t r ic l i n io de g u st a re
"
vetan tu r
(p . O n e se e s h er e t h e s a m e l in e o f t h o u g h t a s

that foll owed by most recen t l iturg ists .

The B ull D ivi no afla ta , p romul gatin g the reform decreed

by P ius X , bears date N ovember Ist, 19 1 1 .

O f the l abours which p receded an d p rep ared for th is reform

we k n ow, so far, very l ittl e The Con gregation of R ites bein g
.

min ded to b rin g out a n ew issue of the Edi ti o typ ica , w ith the
in sertion o f some n ew ru brics, the Pop e in d ica ted to them that
he was rather in favour of un dertak in g that th o rough refo rma
tion of the b revia ry wh ich was so much req uired A n d, after .
3 4
1 H I STORY OF THE R O MA N BREVI A RY
ma ture re flection he decided o n n omin atin g a C ommiss ion to
,

study the q uestio n , an d tak e a cco un t of the various req ues ts

sub mitted to the H o ly See in c on n ex io n w ith it, duri n g the

l ast h un dred years T he C o mmission dr ew u p a sche me o f

.

reform wi th reg ard to the distrib ution of the p sal ter, an d this

sch e me the Pop e sub mi tted to the C a rd in a l s of the Con g reg a

ti on of R ites , who, a fter exa min ation , ap p roved it The Co m .

mission then set to work di l igen tly on the el abora tion of the
sche me th us a p p roved : th ey arra n ged the d istrib ution of the

p sa l te r ,
a n d d re w u p th e n e c es s a r y r u b rics F in a lly th ey o
. b
ta in ed for th eir work the sup re me a p p robation of P ius X
1
N0 .

date is g iven : we are si mp ly in formed of the n ames of the

members of the C ommission T he p residen t was Mgr L a
. .

Fon ta in e , Secretary of the Con gregation of R ites ; with h im

were Mgr Scip ion e T ecchi, Con sultator of the same C on grega
.

tion ; Mgr Bressan , the Pop e s p rivate secretary ; Mgr Piacen za ,

’
. .

Ofi ci al e of the C on greg ation of R ites ; Mgr A ristide Gasp a rr i , .

aj u ta n te di studi o of the sa me C on gregati on ; Fath er Brugn an i ,

o f the M in orites of the Leon in e U n ion ; Father F ouck , a

J esuit ; M d Isen gard, a Lazarist, Con sultator of the C on

.
’

g gre a ti o n o f R i tes ,
an d M B re h a u t,
l.i tu rg ic a l d irec tor o f th e

Pustet p ress Mgr Gasp arri acted as secretary We are a l so

. .
’
.

assured that P ius X took the greatest p erson a l in terest in the

work of the C ommission wh ich he had n omin ated : of th is the

p res e n c e o f M g r B re s sa n
. at i t s s i tt i n g s i s a n i n d ica t io n L as tl y , .

we are assured, an d that most emp hatically, that the p resen t

reform of the p sa l te r is b ut the forer un n er of a furth e r comp l e

men ta ry reform, of wh ich Mgr Piacen za thus sk etches the .

p gro ra m m e : ( )
1 to d ete r min e the c riteria wh ich are to decid e

wha t festiv a l s are to be observed throughout the whol e Ch urc h ,

a n d wh at shou l d be their severa l deg re es of d ign ity ; ( 2) to

amen d the h istorical l esson s i n accordan ce w ith the l aw s of

“

true criticism to rev ise the sermon s an d h omil ies o f

1Piacen z a, 6 p . . id 26 1
. p .

1 Dorn Gros ell i er

p ( 34) ha s w e p
l l .sa i d :
“
I
t i s , i n m y o in i o n , to fo rm an p
erron eous idea of the breviar y to req uire in it the sci en ti fic strictn ess of a col l ec
ti on of cri tical h
agi ogra y C er tai nph l e . n ds av e b ecom e th e ihn e ri ta n ce o f h
h
C hri stian tradition , n ot by virtu e of t eir istorical certitude, but b ecause of th eir
p p
ex ressi on of l ivel y an d ferven t iety in r egard to the sain ts t ey ave in uen c ed . h h fl
p
the way of thi n k i n , feeli n g an d rayin g, on the art of our forefat ers , an d t ey
p h h
come to u s c ar h h p h h
wit a s iritual l ife w ic i s i n deed sometimes c a rac terised
’

h
ai m l ici ty , bu t often ful l of p
ower , an d almost al ways abl e to touc the ear t
b ese en ds t erefore bel on to the istor of the C urc ust in t e same h h
yh
.

g , h , g y h h hj h
w ay as l egen da ry l ays an d ba l lads bel on to the i story of n ati on s hI
t woul d be .

h k
somet in g l i e va n da li sm to ban is t em h h h
toget er from the boo of ublic ray er , k p p
p
even a s i t would b e v an dali sm to break the ai n ted wi n dows of ca thedrals or tear
 316 HI STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY

the sain ts have b een bstituted

fo r th ose of the Sun da y or
su

the ferias un de fere factum es t ut de domi n icis d ieb us d eq u e

feri is ofli cia sileren t, ideoq ue n on p auci n eg l egeren tur p sa l mi

'

A gainst th is state of th i n gs comp l ain ts h ave been made again

a n d ag ain , on the p art of p ruden t an d p ious p e rson s ; sa yi n g

that the re wa s n ow l ack i n g to p rayer that variety which is so

desirabl e , so hel p fu l to the in firmity of h u man n atu re whe n
it en deavou rs to p ray worth i ly , atten tively a n d devoutly .

B ishop s from various p arts of the worl d, esp ecia lly at the
Vatican coun ci l , have ex p ressed to the H oly See their de
sire ut q uoad p osse t rev oca retu r con suetudo vetus recita n d i

p e r h e bd o m a da m to t u m p sa l ter i u m ,
ita ta m e n u t c l er o ,
i n

sacri min isterii v in ea ob immin u tum o p e rarioru m n umer u m j am

i l b o ran ti, n on maj us i mp on eretur on us P i u s X

g r a v n s a

tell s us th at th is desi re, n a me ly, for the rec ita tion of the
whole p sa l ter every week , was a l so his, when he was yet i n
mi nor i on s He has th erefore decided to grati fy it, two con
.

d ition s bein g ob served : first, that the cul tus of the sa in ts i s

n ot to b e in an y way l essen ed , ca uto tamen ne

q u i cq u a m d e S a n cto ru m cu l tu dec e d er e t se co n d ly , t h a t th e

offi ce wh ich has to be recited is n ot to be ma de heavier, b ut,

on the con tra ry , l igh ten ed, n eve molesti us D ivin i

”
ofli cii on us cl eric is, immo temp era tius evadere t T he P op e .

has n omin ated a Commission wh ich has work ed out nova m

p sa l te r i i d i p
s osi ti on em , an d th i s a r r a n ge m en t of th e p sa l te r h a s

been ex amined by the C ard in al s of the C on gregation of R ites,

an d a p p roved by the Pop e as ag reein g p erfectly with his own

utp ote cum men te N ostra ad modu m con gruen te m

“
design
N ew rub rics have been framed , wh ich es p ec ially p rov ide fo r
the more freq uen t use of the lesson s fro m the Scri p ture occu r
re n t ut in rec ita n do D iv in o ofli cio l ection ib us statutis sacra e

Scrip turae cum resp on soriis de te mp ore occurren tib us debitu s 1

1 T he reader
wil l re member th at such wa s the desire exp ressed by the el eve n
F h bish op
ren c h s, wi t Mgr Darboy a t thei r h ead a t the V a ti can C oun cil it was
. , ,

the C a adi n h p who dem d d the ecitatio of th whole p l t e e y

an bis o s an e r n e sa er v r

w eek a d a sh orter om
, n c fo th s k of cu e d co f s o s w ho were ove
e r e a e r s an n e s r r
work d u th ev es of eat festi l A al ogous obse a tio m b
oe
g e s r y eva e . n an rv n a r
m k d
ar e th i dul t 0 1 J ul y 5 th 1 883 wh ich co
in e n eded th oti e ofi ces
, , nc e v v

Comp tum q uipp est coa ct t t

er sl ti o um
e i e h a d l i t auge i on s
, r a a ran a n ser , u ev er r u
ofli ci ori um feri l ium q d immi to h odi cl er i um o auc tisq ue ali is ej u
o a , u , nu e n er , s
bus mi im co xi tim tu
'

o n en , n e n v en i re e s a r
1
Th estituti o to th
e r l o of th Sc i p tu occ u
n e t of th i res po d
ess n s e r re rren e r n s
of th seaso
e s m i these wo d to he p romi ed
n ee s n th cas of th offi c r s of s in e e e es
w hich a ow to tak p lmody of th fer ia Litu gist wi l l
m
sai ts d y
’

—
n a s th re n e e sa e . r s
re r
g e t th t t h Co mm i a
ssio has o
et c ar ied o ut th is res ti tnti o ao n m
to r u n
desi ed
r Pi ce a pp 39 4 gi es th ea so
. a nz , for the acti o of the
.
-
1, v ssi on er ns n i .
 T HE D ECREE OF 19 1 1 3 7
1

h o n or fr i
eq u n t ore usu res ti tueretur
e — a n d wh ich a l so
p re

sc r i be h the very a ci n t masses M issae a n tiqui ssi ma e

t a t n e —
for the Sun days an d ferias, in Len t esp ecially, are to be re
stored to the ir p rop er ran k of d ig n ity From J an uary 1st, .

19 1 3, the p re se n t arra n gemen t of the P sa l ter wi ll be w ith

dra w n , an d the n ew arran gemen t wil l become obl igatory for
a l l c l ergy an d re l igious bo dies who are boun d to the recita tion

of the R oman breviary set forth by P ius V, Cl emen t VII I ,

U rba n VI II , an d Leo X I I I 1
From th is obl igation n ot even
.

the Ca rd in al arch p riests of p a triarcha l basi l icas are ex cep ted .

A n earl ier use of the n ew p sa l ter is p ermitted to an y i n dividua l

p r ies t w h o so d esi re s , a n d t o c h ap te r s,
i f a m aj or i ty o f th e

members con sen t Then foll ow the usua l con cl udin g cl auses
. .

A t the same time with the B u ll D i vi na afl a tu, there was

p u bl i sh e d a t t he V a tica n p res s th e o f
fi c ia l (M ) i ca e d i ti on o f th e

n ew p sal ter The title run s : P sa l ter iu m Br evia r i i R oma n i

.

cu m Or di na r i o D ivi n i o i ci i , j ussu S S D N P ii P P
fi . X n o
. w . . .

ordi ne p er hebdoma da m disp osi tu m et edi ta m Then follows the .

B ull D i vina afl a tu, then the R ubri ca e i n reci ta tione D i vi n i

D i vi na fi
a a tu I
n the ordi n ar y Roman b reviary ,
the
l ms in ter min gl ed with the Ordi na r i u m D i mn i ofi cii ;
'

p sa are

the n ew edition se p arates th ese two e l emen ts ’

Thus we have .

first the Or di na r i u m D i vi ni ofi ci i j ur ta r i tum R oma n u m p er

sol vend i , i e the e l emen ts other than the p sa l ms wh ich com
. .

o se th e structure of the can on ica l hou rs, an d th en th e

p
P sal ter i u m Br evia r i i R oma ni p er omn es et si ngu lar bebdoma da e
dies dzsf ositu m
'

T he first in n ovation wh ich we fi n d in th is p sal ter con sists in

its assign in g n i ne p sal ms to the matti n s of a l l ofli ces alik e z ‘

an arran ge men t borrowed from the P arisian b revi ary of 1 7 36 .

Thus we are to h ave n o more Sun day mattin s of eighteen

h p
T is cl ause reserves th e enem tion of the br eviaries n ot su ressed b y
1 pp
Pius V , breviar ies w ic have in de h h b een rotected by the p
ol y See, suc as H h
p
the resen t B r ev i ari u m Monas ti ci sm, a pp
roved by Paul V in 16 12 , for the Ben e
dietin e order .

1
C Callewaert in L a riforma du Br es i ai re, son espri t, “ s r escrip ti ons
g
.

non s ense ( Bruges, p p hj

60, raises wit ustice the form in whie the rubrics
.

are worded an d set out i n ri n t : p

La reci tation [ dc l ofi ce1d a pres le n ouveau
’ ’

psauti er est d un e fac ili té , d un e ré gular ité , q ui é ton n e ceux-l ameme q ui sen t m e
’ ’

aversion q uasi insti n ctive ur l aridi té des textes rubricaires

’

1 h
T is sep arati on alrea y occur s i n the Parisian br eviary of 17 36, whi c h g ves
i
he P sa l tcri um disposi tnm per hebdomadam, an d t en the O rdi namum h
g
rst
t
m
u

n ot a .

The on ly exce tion is in the

‘
p case of the Paschal and Pen tecostal mattin s,
h
w ich retain their thr ee salms p .
31 8 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI ARY

p sa l ms ,
no more feria l mattin s of twel ve p sa l ms n oth in g b ut ,

mattin s of n ine p sa l ms Sun days ferias or sa in ts days

’
.
, , ,

Secon d in n ovation : the l on g p sa l ms are cut up in to di v i

sion es , each coun ti n g as a p sa l m Th is arran gemen t al so is
.

borrowed from the Parisian b rev iary of 17 36 , wh ich foun ded

its action on a Coun ci l of N arbon n e of 6 89 But somethi n g .

o f the sa me k i n d we fi n d a l ready sa n ction ed by the R u le o f

St Ben edict, an d a l so p ractised in the A mb rosia n rite

. .

Th ird in n ovation : the p sal ms wh ich are n o l on ger emp loy ed

in the mattin s of Sun day an d the ferias a re d istrib uted ove r
l auds an d the l esser hours throughout the week , al l these
offi ces, i n c l ud in g comp li n e , hav in g h en ceforwa rd their ow n

p sa l ms, v a ryi n g for each d ay Th is a rran ge m en t

.
, aga in , is
foun d i n the Parisian b reviary of 1 7 36 .

O f these th ree i n n ovation s con sists the n ew distrib uti on o f

the p sal ter, wh ich forms the ch ief item in the reform of P ius X .

I t w ill be re me mbered that the consul tators of B en ed ict X IV

rej ected ev ery p rop osition i n vol v in
g th e m o d i fica t ion o f t h e

tradition a l R oman a rran gemen t of the p sa l ter, in sp ite of the

earn est ap p ea ls of wh ich C ardin a l Tamb urin i made h imself

the mouth p iece They did n ot thin k that the establish ed

.

order coul d be sacrificed, with ou t such rash in n ova tion a s

woul d be dan gerous They ap p ea led to the similar decision
.

arrived at by the con sul tators of Cl emen t VI II

1
But the .

1 T he memorandum of the consul tatore of Ben edict XI V , D e non imms tu do

acteri sa l modi ae r i tu, a peared in the A nal ecta j u r i s ontifi ci i , series XX I
VI
( 1 887 zp 29 0 -
30 1 .T ep c o n s u l ta to rs inf or m u s t a t ht e t
q u es ti o n w as rai s e d a t
the time 0 the reform of C l emen t V III C ongr egatio habita sub Cl emen te V III
di e 10 N ovembris, 1 5 92 I p
n eo si q ui dem rop osi to dubi o con si mili —A n o ci um
fi
,

—
.

domi n i ca l e si t reddendum a l i qua nt o br evi us i fuit resolutum : N on esse i mmu

tan dum vel abbrevian dum, ex ra tioni bus a Gre gorio VI Iadductis in Cap In di e dc .

consecr a t , dist 5 T he cons ul tators con cl ude from the tent of Gr egor V I I : Is
. .
y
p
i gitur q ui n un c in Eccl esia Roman a vi get di vi n ae salmodise ritns vetusti mima a n ti
uita te utitur, a q u a sin e al iqua n ovi tatis n ota ac sin e culo recedi vi x p ossi t
'

hey en umera te the various an cien t testi mon ies to Roman arran gemen t of
p h
the sal ter, t ey dwell on the witn ess born e to it by A malarius . h
T ey ar e aware
h
t at in F
r an ce, towards th e en d of the seven teen t h
cen tury n ova rimam p
p r odi i t p sal m o ru m di str i b u ti o b-
u t t h
e y ca ll a tte n ti on to th e li tu r g ica l an a rc y h
h
t a t has r esul te d Ja m i n G al l i s u n de ci m di v ersa b re v ia r i a n n m era n tu r , n o v i q ue
p p
in dies p rodeun t breviar iorum ros ectus, n ova cudun tur systemata T en . h
p h
after a descri tion of t is an arc y, t ey con ti n ue : h h Gavere igitur oportet n e in
eosdem scop ul os i n cidamus .Vetus p salmorum distributio omni um est o tima ; p
h p
an c rae ceteris commen darun t veteres, Amalar ius, Ru tu s, Strabo, Ra dul p hus ,
ali iq ue ; h
an c comman dan t recen tiores, et ipsi met all orum docti ssimi they

q u o te G r an co l as ) . P e r ic ul u m er g o i mm in e t si a b h ac re ce ss e r i m u s
k h
ma e the most of the fact t at un der Sixtus V the most learn ed men of ran ce, F
p h
Polan d, Savoy, S ain , Bo emia, an d Ven ice were in terrogated at n emo i n
ven tus es t q u i veterem p
sal teri i distr ibution em i mmutan dam cens eret
”
Their
.

Opin ions an d the l etters of the n un cios who tran smi tted them are cu nut :
“
in
32 0 H I STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVI A RY
in cases of occurren ce, ta ke p recede n ce of sa in ts
’
days of the
ran k of doubl e an d un der
g re ater .
1

T he tra n sferen ce o f festiva l s, so unan imous ly comp l ai n ed of

by l itu rgists , is n ow restricted to fea sts of the ran k of double
of the fi rst or secon d c l ass : an d th ese are on ly to b e tran s

ferred to the fi rst day n ot occup ied by a doubl e of the fi rst or

seco n d c l ass Feasts of an y l ower ran k , in cl udin g those of
.

doc tors of the Ch urch, are n o l on ger to be tran sferred : if a

sup er ior festiva l or a Sun da y oc curs, th ey have mere ly a com

memora tion .

I c an n otdo more th an in dicate the main l in es of the reform

of the rub rics, an d must re fer the reade r to the tex t of the
ru b rics th emse lves for deta i l s : b ut th es e mai n l in es it is n eces

sary to se t forth c l early .

First, sa in ts days of the ran k of double ( greater or lesser)

’

a n d se mi double , are n ot red uced to the ran k of si mp l e feasts,

-

b ut a re comb in ed w ith the feria l offi ce in the same way as simp le

feasts ( if th ere were an y left l ) have hi therto been in the
b reviary ’
.

Secon dly, the D omi n i oae mi n or es sup ersede festi va l s of sa in ts

even of the ran k of grea ter doubl e : wh ereas , un ti l n ow, such

festival s, even of n o higher ran k th an l esser doubl e, took p re

“
ceden ce of th ese lesser Sun days .

O n e may reck on ap p rox imate ly th at the Or do hen ceforth

w i ll comp rise 1 5 0 offi ces of the S a n ctora l e un chan ged ; 1 50
comb in i n g the Temp or a l e a n d the Sa nctoral e an d six ty en

tit e ly of the Temp or a l e .

Such is the scheme of the refo rm of P ius X , as regards the

g en e ra l s tru c tu re o f the d iv i n e offi ce Let u s n o tice so m e in .

1 p
By a s eci al arran gemen t (R u br i cs , Tit i v Piu s . saves from eu
. X
ti n ction the festival of the H
ol y N ame of Mary w ic had b een set down for h h
the Sun day in the Octav e of her N ativi ty, w it the ra n h
of greater double) by k
h h p
fixi n g i t en cefort on Se tember 1 2 th , the an n iversary of the vi ctory of oh n J
Sobi es i k See above,
. p
2 5 3, an d Pi acen z a,
.
79 O n thpe ot er. an d , S.un day h h
h k
feasts wit the ran of grea ter doubl e (suc as the Pur ity an d the Matern i ty ot h
h
the Bl essed V i r gin ) , or of l esser double (suc as th e Commemorati on of al l the
p ’

h
Su reme Pon ti fis) are s ut out, an d are desti n ed to disa ear Piacen za, pp pp . .

7 8 an d 1 1 8 I
n e
. P ar i s br ev i a ry of 1 7 36 , l esser or c omm o n
”
S u n da ys too k
p receden ce of l esser dou bl es, but n ot of grea ter doubl es ; in deed, the g av e w a y
h
evsn to l esser doubl es, if t ese w ere feas ts of our Lord or our Lady Kubr Gen . .

53 i1
Cf Ku br Gen 5 7 7 , of the Paris breviary of 1 7 36 :
. . . In sol emn ibus scil ice t
p
et su ra, dicun tur psalmi p
rop ri i, vel si desi n t, suma n tur de Domin ica I n dup li .

c il us et i n fra, p salmi sun t sem er de fer ia

”
p h
T is rubri c refers to the n octur na l
fi
.

0 ‘ cc .

1C
f R .u br G en 6
3 3 , . o f th e .P aris b re v ia ry : D
[ o m in icas co mm un es] cedun t
omn ibus dup l icibus [ et] dup l ci bus mi o bus D
i n ri 11
et B M , n ecn on di ei octavae . .

cuj usl ibet festi, etc caetera vero du li cia mi n ors excl udun t
. p ”
.
 T HE D ECR EE O F 19 1 1 32 1

terestin g correctio ns in regard to matters of detai l :

( ) I
1
n

o rder to l ighten the office an d al so to establ ish an ex act con

,

formity between the office a n d the mass the Suf r ag ia S a n c ,

tor um on the days on wh ic h th ey are sti ll p rescri bed are

, ,

reduced to o ne on ly— D e omn ibus Sa n ctis— w i th the coll ect ,

A cu nctis 1
.
( )
2 T h e Q u i cu n qu e vu l t is re t a in e d i n th e S u n d a y
offi ce for p rime un der the o l d titl e of Sy mbol u m A tlra na
,

si a n u m b ut it is n ow on ly to be sa id on Trin ity Sun day an d ,

on the Sun days after E p i p han y an d after Pen teco st when the
offi ce is of the Su n day : even th en it is to be omitted if an y ,

festiva l is th at day commemorated wh en the S uf r ag iu m an d

1
1
,

P reces a re in l ike man n er to be omitted ( 3) Th e in d u l t o f .

J uly 5 th 1 88 3 con cedin g the use of the votive offi ces is ab ro

, , ,

g a te d ,
a n d th e se o ffi ces s u pp res se d 8
( 4) T h e ru b r ic s .a r e a l so
a b roga ted wh ich p rescri bed the recita tion in ch o ir of the l ittl e

office o f our La dy the O fiice of the dead an d the g radual an d

, ,

p e n i ten tia l p sa l ms 5) O n . wee k d a y s in L e n t e m b e r d a y s , ,

the roga tion days an d vi gi l s i f a doubl e feast occu rs th ere

, , ,

may be l i bi tum, in p riv ate masses, the mass of the

sa i d ad
“
festiva l or of the feria ( )
6 T h e an n ive rsary of the ded ica tion
.

of the basi l ica o f S J o hn La teran is raised to the ran k of a

.

do ubl e of the secon d cl ass, as is a l so the titu l ar feas t o f that

basil ica , the T ran sfiguration of our Sav iour ( 7 ) The ofli ce .

of the dead is ma de comp l ete for all the ca n o n ica l h ours, an d

on N ovember an d i s to be recited to the ex cl usion o f the ofii ce

of the octave of A ll Sai n ts .

1 Con si derin
g the late a n d on Ro
n -
man S u
.
fi ori gi n of t ese
r a g i a (see a h
bove,
’

h
1 46 , 1 47 ) t eir tota l sup ressi on woul d h
av e been acce ted w it out re ret p h
Y g .

p
b e n ew sal ter has revi h
an d s orten ed the P r eces , su ressin g the sa lm pp p
h h h
w ic was in terp olated in t em, an d in troducin g versicl es O n be al f of the PO h
an d the Bis o h p . C all ewaert, 23, i s of Op
in ion t at the n ew vers ion of h e
h
P reces bri n gs t em n ear er to air rimitive sta te p .

h
1 T is h k h
bei n g so, man y l iturgi sts will t in t at the Qu icun q uc vul t (why p er
p et u ate th e O l d e rro r of i ts attri buti on to S A t a n asi us m ig. thas w el l a ve been h h
r eserved for rec i tati on on T rin ity Sun da y on ly, as a mon umen t of a state of t in gs h
as regards li tur h h p
w ic is ast an d gon e (see abov e, p 1 45 ,
p A s to th e .

t state the usation of the ori gin of the ui cun q uc vul t si n ce Dom
or in s latest res ear
’
es , se e at er L e ay ,F h
“
La j
te et l e li eu d ori gin e da
’

Symbol e de Sai n t A t an ase h (Bu l l d anc li tt Chr tt

’
. . . .

1 Piacen z a
, p 97 :
. N emo, saerae an ti q ui tatis cul tor , huj usmodi abrogationem
votivorum ofi ci orum p l en issime n on la udabi t
1 Pi
acen z a, p h
10 5 , tell s us t a t some of the con sul tators
. r o osed t at on p p h
h
suc occasi ons the mass of the feria s oul d be made h
bl ig atory : bu t the Com O
miss ion resolved on l eavin g it ad li bi tum, an d he adds : I n p oste rum vero,
mul ta festa de Quadragesima amovebun tur, ut freq uen ti us o cium ferial e in m
dicto ven eran do tem ore dica tur p
322 H I STORY OF THE ROMA N BREVI A RY
I
t is too ea r ly to ven ture on an ap p reciation of the m
refor

of Pius X such as we have given of that of P ius V or of U rban

VIII It i s on ly righ t to awa it its comp l etion sin ce we h ave
.
,

as yet on ly its i n choation to wa it un ti l it has stood the test of

some years of use whereas it dates b ut from yesterday
,
A gain .
,

the p oin t of vie w from which i n this h istory we shou l d regard

, ,

the reform of P ius X wou l d be con fin ed to the mere ly hi storica l :

the R oman b reviary is an an cien t thi n g which w e h istorian s ,

a re in cli n ed to reg ard even too ex cl usive ly a s an an cien t thin g ,

an d wh ic h we desire to see p reserved as such dreadin g an y te ,

storation of it which is n ot in sp ired by a d isc retion most ca re

fully observan t of an cien t documen ts The p roj ects of Be n edict

.

XIV made us tremble even though B en ed ict XIV h imse l f de

,

cl ared q uadBr evia rii r ef or ma ti o si bi esset in votis, n on i n n ova tio .

We ap p l auded i n its p rin cip les the criticism by Dom Gué ran ger
O f the Ga ll ican modern ism whi ch gave us the Parisian b reviary

of 1 7 36 A n d from al l th is it is eviden t that ou r aversion to

chan ge woul d ten d to ex c l ude from our v iew man y p ractica l
con sideration s wh ich be l on g to the p resen t time .

In fact, j ust as in p utti n g forth the Brevia ri u m R oma n u m

secu nd u m com etudi n em R oma na e Cu r ia e, I n n ocen t I I 1 adap ted
"

the can on ica l offi ce to the wan ts of the cl ergy of the C uria in
the th irteen th cen tu ry, P ius X n ow ada p ts the Brevi a r i u m
R oman u m to the wan ts of the p arochia l c l ergy of the twen ti eth
cen tury . T he p resen t reform of the b reviary lighten s, i n fact,
n otably , the on us diei for p r iests who are, i n man y cases, o n l y
too fu lly occup ied in the man ifol d an d ever in creasin g l a bours -

O f min iste ri n g to so ul s A n d this rel ief is esp ecial ly p er

.

cep tib l e on the days wh en the w ork of that h o ly min istry is

g en er a lly th e m ost e x ac ti n g, s u ch as Su n da y s, a n d t h e eves

of great festiva l s From the p ractica l p oin t of view,

.

esp ecia lly in the case of the p aroch ial c l ergy, the design of
” I
Pius X has been fu lly realized M Callewaert, whom I q uote
. .

with p l easure, sin ce he is a l iturgist with a j ust an d th oroughly

well in formed ap p reciation of the subj ec t, here in dica tes
-

clea r ly the ch aracter of this re form ( wh ich he is n ot a fra id to

describe as ra dica l, an d even as much more radical than

”

had been sup p osed in its del iberate en deavour to mee t the
p rac ti ca l r eq uire m en ts of th e p rese n t day i n r eg a r d t o l i tu rgy
Besides bein g p ractical an d radical , the reform of P ius X
has a l so a mystical asp ect T he reformed ofli ce i mp resses
.

1
Call ewaert, p .
35 .
3 4
2 H I S TOR Y O F T HE R O MA N BREVI A RY

a n d so me at vesp ers a s we ll , prop er p sal ms se lected so as to

accord w ith the cha racte r of the festiva l ; most of th em have

p pro er res p o n ds ,
a n t ip h o n s , an d t h e o th er e l em en ts o f th e

offi ce wh ic h are suscep ti bl e of var iation : the Sup reme Pon ti fl

'

con sidered w ith reason th at it was n ot n ecessary to brin g

everyth in g to on e l ev e l , or to do aw ay w ith th ese sp ecia l

p i ec es of l it u rg y , wh i c h w i ll hav e a l l th e m o re c ha rm by b e

comin g l ess common A n d even where, amon g the festiva l s of

1
.

l ower ran k than these, an y are foun d which have their own p rop er
an ti p h on s at mattin s, l auds an d ves p e rs, th ey a re a ll owed to

retain them, al on g w ith the p sa l ms to wh ich th ey are assigned .

Th us, on the whol e, the admirable collection of resp on ds an d

an ti p hon s of the season an d of the S a n ctom l e is p reser ved .

A ha p p y return to l iturgica l an tiq uity p resen ts itse l f in the

re viva l of the an cien t masses of the station , on the fe rias o f
”

Len t, the embe r season s, rogati on days, an d vigil s T he te .

form, by restrain in g the p rivil ege of tran sferen ce of festiv al s,

aims at setti n g free more days for the recitation of the feri al

offi ce : b ut I doub t wh eth er th is des ign w ill have an y very great

effect at on ce, so greatly en cu mbe red w ith sain ts d ays is the
’

Roman k al en dar , an d the d iocesan k alen dars even more so .

H owever , the design is at al l even ts in dicated .

In future the feri al offi ce w i ll hol d the record for brevity

in stead of the sain ts day offi ce of n in e l esson s as it w i ll be

’
—
shorte r tha n the l atter by the six l esson s o f the secon d an d

th ird n octu rn s , wh i l e i n other resp ects the two offi ces are
about eq ua l as regards len gth . Simp le feasts an d commemor
ation s of festi val s w i ll on ce more come in to fa vou r : an d i n

deed they con stitute a p ruden t as we ll as an cien t ex p ression

of devotion to the sain ts .

There is a more cl early marked an d n ot l ess hap p y return

to l itu rgical an tiq uity in the restoration of the offi ce of Sun day
to its p rop er d ign i ty . The grea ter Sun days, wh ich so rare ly
ha d th eir comp l ete offi ce, w i ll have it h en ce forth , ex cep t in the
case of the co n curren ce of a do ubl e of the fi rst or secon d c las s

th ey wi ll n o lon ger b e cut off short . The lesser Sun days wi ll

n o l on ger be di s p l aced by doubl es : the offi ce D e D omi n ica wi ll

be recited, n ot on l y on the Sun days of A dven t an d from Se p t

uage smia to the en d of Len t ( greater Sun days) , b ut on most
of the Sun d ays p ost Epip lza n ia m an d p ost P entemsten Litur
’
.

Call ewaert, p 26
. .

I h
n t i s year , 19 12 , in the O r do of Pari s, we cel ebrate the ofi ce of Sunday tw ice
h
on ly on a l esser S un day : wit the new rubrics, we shoul d do so eig teen ti mesh .
 THE D ECREE OF 19 1 1 3 5
2

g i sts w ill un an i mously j

re oice at th is retu rn to the Sun day an d

feria l offi ces .

There remain the sain ts day ofli ces of the ran k of greater ’

an d l esser dou ble an d semi doubl e n ow to be treated in the

,
-
,

sa me way as sim l e feasts ex ce t th at th ey reta in th eir n i n e

p p ,

l esson s . Former reforms of the breviary gen erally made

whol esa l e sacrifices of festival s of sa in ts or at al l even ts re ,

duced them to the ran k of simp l e feasts Pius X has n ot chosen .

to adop t thi s course N ot on e sain t s day has been sup p ressed

’
.
,

n ot on e l owered i n ra n k Moreover whatever p arts of the

offi ce an y festiva l p osses ses as p rop er to itsel f—an tip hon s
.
,

—
,

p sa l ms l
, esso n s res p on ds a re, p rese rve d in ta ct 1
Bu t e v ery .

festival which has n o p rop er an tip h on s or p sal ms bor rows the

an ti p hon s an d p sa l ms of the fer ia occurren t The combin ation .

wh ich has been ado p ted p reserves from the Sa nctor a l e h itherto
i n use ev eryth in g b ut the p sa l mody In th is l iturgists w i ll see .

a p artia l b ut ha p p y v ictory of the feria l ofii ce over that of the

, ,

The distrib ution of the p sal ter is then the on e truly in n o

vatin g p art of the re forms of P ius X It has come as a surp rise .

to l itu rgists who were aw are of the p ron oun ced op in io n s of

the con sul ta tors of B en ed ict XIV on th is p oin t, an d sha red ’

th eir scrup l es : a l iturgical tradition tru ly Roman , a n d of more

th an a thousan d yea rs stan din g , is n ow to be aban don ed But
’
.

to th is we may rep ly : a b i n itio n on f ui t si c : for the distribu tion

of the p sa l ter over the various hours of the Roman ofii ce wh ich
has h itherto been in use, an d is con te mp ora n eous with the
foun dation of the basil ican mon asteries of Rome, imp l ies a
Roman office even th en al ready co mp letely formed : an d the
p sa l mod y o f the v i g i l s for the c l e rg y i n th e six th cen tu ry woul d
sure ly be arra n ged w ith g reater freedom, in accordan ce w ith

the l atitude wh ich St B en ed ict assumes as ex istin g in regard

.

to what he even then ca ll s the distribution of the p sa l ms

If Rome had p ossessed, in the six th or even in the seven th
cen tury , a distribution of the p sa l ms for the vig i l s wh ich was

u n iform an d , as i t were, automatic, the R oman offi ce wou l d n ot

have assign ed p rop er p sa l ms to certai n offi ces of the season , such

as the l ast th ree days of H oly Week , or E aster, Pen tecost, an d

Christmas an d so in l ike man n er to certain festiva ls of sain ts

,
4
.

1 C al l ewaert , p
54 . . See above, 2 5 0, 264 ’ pp . .

See above, p
77 , n
. ote a, an d Baumer , t r 35 9 . . p . .

T he
'

k
n ci p l e in vo ed as ancien t (pr ovi si on a t an ti qui tus) by the Bul l
D i vi n a p
ts , of recitin g the en tire sal ter on ce i n eac week , i s al so a mon astic h
32 6 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BR EV I A RY
Let us n ot h en
b ute to the distrib ution of the p sal ter
t attri

in use at Rome for the last thousan d years a v al ue whi ch it

does n ot p ossess : that d istri bution i s n ot p ri miti ve it is n ot ,

essen ti al it is ve ry i mp erfect , A n d what R ome has n ow don e .

is we ll with in the l i berty wh ich S Ben ed ict acco rds when he

—
.

sa y s sp eak in g of the distri buti on p rescri bed by hi m in his

r ul e : ut si cui forte ha ec dis trib utio p sal morum d isp l icuerit ,

ordi n et si mel ius a l iter j udicaverit

, d um o mn i modis adten ,

datu r ut omn i hebdomada p sal terium ex in tegro n umero CL

p sa morum p sal latur
l
A n d let us remark that the p sa l ter of Pius X has n ot really
sac rificed the distri b ution i n use from the ti me o f C har l emagn e ,

main tain ed by S Pi us V an d en ergetica lly defen ded by the .

,

con sul tators of Ben edict XIV Cardin a l Q uign on ez did en .

tirely do away w ith it : for him ( whether at n on e or vesp ers

or the sin g l e n octu rn of matti n s) th ere must b e at each hou r
th ree p sal ms ch ose n i n such sort that the shortn ess of so me
,

sh ou l d ba la n ce the greater l en gth of others a n d the p sal mo dy ,

of ea ch day wo rk out as about eq u a lly l on g The I5 0 p sa l ms .

bein g thus distrib uted over the fifty six hours o f the w eek the -
,

p sa l ms c o m e in on e a fte r the o th e r a n yh o w si mp ly g rou p ed ,

accord in g to the ir le n gth A t n octurn s I n ote th is succession ; .

I, I
. X .
, xv n, xxx . xxxrv .
, c m ,
xxxv1 , X LI
IL , ca .
,
v n .
,

Lxxu .
,
Lxxxv ,
m .A n d etc
a t V es p.e rs : c 1x , c x , . . cq ,

LXX V I .
, CXV .
, CXL I I
L , XXX IL , X L , CX II , XXXI L , LXXX III . .
, CX L ,
CE .

TheParis brev iary of I7 36 eq ually does away with the old

Roman distribution The Mysteries i e the festiva l s of ou r ”
.
, . .

Lord an d a l so the festiva l s of the Bl ess ed V irg in have their

, ,

p p
r o e r p sa l m s b u t a l l oth e r fes tiv a l,
s m a k e us e o f th e p sa l ms

of the feria These a re so distributed that a l l the I5 0 p sa l ms

.

a r e rec ited in the course of the w ee k Each day an d in each .

,

day each of the hours has its o wn p sa l ms T he l on g p sa l ms,

.

a re cut in to section s T he p sa l mody of Sun day an d fe rial .

mattin s al ik e con sists o f n in e p sa l ms formin g on e n octurn or ,

th ree accord in g to the ra n k of the festiva l on w hich they are

,

bein g used I fan cy I hea r my readers cry out : Why th at

.
,
”
is p rec isely the arran gemen t of the p sa l te r of P ius X l
I gran t it you— b ut let us mak e a somewhat cl oser ex ami n a
tion Y ou w ill fi n d that the Parisian l itu rgists have aimed a t
.

g r ou i
p g n t he p sa l m s on ea ch d a y o f th e w ee k ro un d,
so m e ,

p i ipl a d the ea liest wit s to it which i p oduced comes f om the ul e of

r nc e, n r ne s s r r r
St Benedict
. S e bo e p 7 7 .ote 2 e a v , .
, n .
 32 8 H I S TOR Y O F T HE R O MA N BREV I
A RY

p er fec tion i n the brev iary ,

esp ecia lly when we con sider how
l ittle variet y there is i n the matter con ta in ed in th is p sa l m,
an d the mon oton ou s ch aracter of its l itera ry form I n deed, .

on e migh t go so far as to say that the p sa l mody o f th ese fe r ia l

l esser hours has n ever before been p rop erly dea l t with in the
R oman offi ce , an d that Pius X has h ere had n ot so much to
reform as to create ; he ha s g iven th ese l esser h ours thei r o wn

p sa l m o d y ,
wh e rea s h i th er to th e y ha v e h a d to b e co n ten t w i t h
mak in g use of the p sa l mody be l on gi n g to Sun day .

T o sum up , can on e say that the n ew distrib ution of the

p sa l ter h a s m o der n i se d th e R o m an b r e v ia ry ? O n e th i n g i s

ce rta in — the Roman brev iary , as r egards its p sa l mody, has

n ow got rid o f a con sidera bl e l ack of symmetry We ha ve
.

had , i n fact, in the R oman office for Sun days a n d ferias, a

most un eq ua l d istribution o f the p sa l ms ; b ut now we sh a l l
h ave 2 35 p sa l ms (or p ortion s of p sal ms) of fa irly eq ual len gth,
d istrib uted over the various hou rs of the domin i ca l an d fer ia l
office dur in g the week , so as to a ll ow thirty three fo r ea ch da y , -
1

n i n e a t matti n s, fi ve each at l a u ds an d v esp ers, three at ea c h

o f the l es se r hours an d at comp l in e A n d co mp l in e ha s alwa y s

.

been the crown in g in stan ce of l ack of symmetry, w ith its fo u r

p s a l m s, o n e o f wh ich w a s s h o rn o f n i n e te e n o f its v erses !
The R oman office, the n , l acked symmetry ; b ut th is w as
a featu re wh ich b e l on ged to the h istory of its formation , an d

he l ped to in dicate its character as a mon umen t of an tiq ui ty ,

i n con trast wi th the sy mme tr ically arr an g ed ofli ces wh ich w e
fin d in the brev iaries of Card in a l Q uign on ez or M V in timil le . .

T he remark is j ust : b ut we may set off a gai n st it the fa ct,

th at by the reca stin g o f the p sa l ter we rega in the recitation of
it in its en tirety : “
We are n o l on ger comp ell ed, than ks be to
God , to d iv ide the p sa l ms i n to two categories : some w i th
wh ich we a re so famil ia r that we a re in dan ger o f recitin g
them as a matter o f mere routin e, an d others to w hich we a re
a l most co mp l ete stran ger s, si n ce we so rare ly come acro ss

them in our p erh ap s h urried rec itation of O ffi ces whi ch w e

can n ot h e l p th i n k in u n d u ly
g
But there is y et more to say in favour of the n ew distr ib u
tion o f the p sa l te r I t ha s been ca rried out w ith due care fo r
.

the p rese rv ation o f the cha racter p rop er to each hou r O ut .

o f the wh ol e b ody o f p sa l ms, those h ave been ch osen wh ich

h h
T irty t ree from the sal ter itself, in
1 -
p addi tion p
to the Scri ture can ti cl e
h h h p
w ic goes wi t the salmody at l auds .

C al l ewaert, 27 p . .
 THE D ECREE OF 19 1 1 3 9
2

ap p eared most su ita bl e mp l in e

to the h
c aracter of a uds an d co l ,

an d the se l ection see ms ex ceedi n g ly hap p y For mattins

” 1
.

an d the l esser hours the p sa l ms have bee n a ll otted ma in ly

accordi n g to th ei r n umerica l order et h re an d th e re cer t ai n

y e , ,

in fractions of tha t order seem to have been made with a v iew

to break in g the mon oton y whi ch threaten ed the p sal mody of
t hese l esse r hours C ertain thoughts are associated with
.
’

p a r t i c u l a r d ay s o f th e w ee k wh i c h h av e p e
,
r h a p s d ete rm in ed
the choice of this or tha t p sa l m th us the p sa l m D omi n us r eg i t
me was p ro bably c hosen of ol d for the p l ace w hich it w ill
con tin ue to occu p y in the Thursd ay p ri me beca use it ca ll s ,

up the th ough t of the Bl essed Sacra men t ; a n d the p sa l m

D eus D eus M a ss for Friday beca use o f its ap p l ica tion to our
, ,

Sav iour s p rayer on the C ross ; an d the sa me may very l ik e ly

’

be the case w ith man y oth er p sa l ms I thin k th is remark

ve ry j ust an d wel l worth the trou bl e of fo ll ow i n g up : our use
,

of the offi ce for festiva l s has accustomed u s to gi ve to i ts

p sa l m od y t h e co l ou r s o to sp ea ,k o f th e fes t i v a l ;
, it re ma i n s
for us to give to the feri a l p sa l mody its col our a l so n ot so ,

obv ious an d more subtile ; to the p erc ep tion of th is in her

,

n ew p sal te r w e are n ow in vited by the Ch urch .

T he re form of P ius X is boun d to in cur the rep roach of

bein g in debted in its in n ovation s to the Parisian brev iary of
, ,

I7 36 . I t is imp ossibl e to di sc l ai m th is in debtedn ess ; an d ,

if we may be p er mitted to ex p ress our mi n d free ly we regret ,

the in debtedn ess But of th is borrow in g from Paris ev en a

.

R oma i n de R ome migh t well say : the Parisian breviary d id

n ot dese rve rep roach on a ccoun t of its distrib ution of the

p sa l te r c o n si de re d i n i tse l f ; R om e th e fra m er an d
,
so v ere ig n

ru l er of her ow n l iturgy has n ever fel t h erse l f p recl uded from

,

borrowin g from the Tra n sal p in e uses an ything ex cellen t wh ich

th ey migh t hap p en to p osse ss ; an d n ow havin g to revi se her ,

distrib uti on o f the p sa l ter she has without rep ug n an ce de , , ,

‘ M
1'
M . 53a? p
The ofi ces of rayer at the l esser hours wi ll n ow form an exp res
sion of a commun ic ation betw een the soul an d i ts God w ic i s ful l of trust. ei t h h '

p ressed in exquisi te terms ; sometimes its sorrows or its fears, sometimes i ts j oy

h
an d con fiden ce, w i l e it cel ebr ates the oodn ss of God, His usti ce, His mercie s
.

g e j
an d again , h
umblin g itsel f before Him, resi gn i n g i ts own wi ll , or as i n g His k
p ard on ; or exp ressi n i ts ha in ess in bein g ermi tted to serve Him, an d t e p
n sa d its vows of fi el ity to im
’ I
P 49
‘
Piacen z a, 25 p M Boudin hon , Ri m dii sl u g 6 ran ; a ir , 15 j anv 1912 ,
. . .
I .

p .1 38 : T out n é tait don c pas a bl firn er dan s ls Brév iaire de Vi n ti mill e, et l a

'

pal e obj ecti on qu on

'
p
ouvait l ui fair e, a savoir l e défaut de com eten ce de p
'
auton té
'

q ui l
'
é ta blissai t , a di sp aru auj ourd ’
ui h .
330 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVI A RY
cided on adop tin
g h em a sc
e o f d is tr ib u t io n wh ic h h a d b e e n

made tri a l of for more th an a cen tury an d wh ich she con ,

sidered to be the best .

For a l l th ese reason s a n d with out mea n in g to say tha t the

,

p res e n t re fo r m l ea v e s r oo m fo r n o r eg r e t n o c ri ti ci s
,
m n o ,

p o ssi bl e a m en d m en t w e h a
,
i l i t w it h j y
o f o r wh a t i t h a s p r e

se rved wha t it ha s restored an d what it p romises ; w e ha i l i t

, ,

as histori an s who are a wa re of the e x treme d ifficu l ty o f the

,

p ro bl e m th at had to b e so l v e d a n d as l,
it u r g i sts w h o l i k e th e
,

ol d Prov ost o f T on g res fe l t th at it was on ly from R ome tha t

,

a re form of the R o ma n b revi ary cou l d be ho ed for

“
p d an ce

do Ur oe v en i a t id quad er i t mag is p erfecta »:

N O TE .

The followin g documen t, latel y i ssued by the Con gregation of R ites

with a view to the revi sion of the hi storical les son s in the p rop er of diocese s
an d of religi ous order s, in dicates p rogr ess in the work of comp letin g the
reform of the b revi ar y, though the men tion of thirty years at l east sh ows
tha t the p rogress con temp la ted is far from rap id .

I h e et R me D omin e, uti Frater .

Q uum San ctissimo Domin o N ostro Pio Pap a c X magna e curac sit, u t
b reviarii R oman i reformatio ad u n guem p erfi cia tur ; O p erae p retium crit,
etiam lection e s h istoricas cuiq ue dioecesi p rop rias ad trutin am re vocare .

Q ua m ob r e m gr a tis s i m um S um m o P on t i fi c i fece r it A m p l i tu d o T u a ,
si p ro
virili curab it, ut in is ta dioecesi T ib i commissa , vi ri p eriti eligan tur q ui,
con latis con si lii s, histor icas lection es q uas sup ra dixi di ligen ter examin en t,
ca sq ue cum v etustis codi cib us, si p raesto si n t, aut c um p robata tradition e
con feran t . Q
uod si rep ererin t eas historias con tr a fi dem cod icum et sol idas
tr adition is in aliam formam a n ativa d egen era sse, omn i op e adla boren t u t
v era n arratio restituatur .

O mn i a v ero maturius exp en den da sun t, n e q uid desii ex ea d ili gen tia
q u a e c oll ocan d a e s t in re p eri en d is co di c ib us , in e or u m v a r ii s l ec t i o n ib u s

con fer en d is, et in vera tr ad ition e observan da . N ec p rofecto op us est

fes ti na tion e ; p utamus en im sp atium ad min us trigin ta ann orum n eces
sarium, u t b reviarii reformatio feliciter ab sol vatur .

I n terea , q u um op us in ista di oec esi p erfectum fuerit, A mp l itud o T ua,

ut ill ud ad han c Sacror um R i tuum Con greg ation em mittatur, p ro sua

i t t t t i t t m t i uid l t io ib u h ist o r i i s a d d it u m ve l
p e a e sa a g e : a a en ,
u s
q i n e c n s e

d emp tu m aut muta tum fuerit, rati on es q uae ad id imp ul erun t b revi sed
l ucida oration e afferan tur .

D um haec, de sp ecia li man dato Summi Pon tificis, A mp litudin i T uae

sig n ifi co, di uturn am ex an imo fel ici ta tem adp recor .

Romae, di e 1 5 Ma ii, 19 12 .

A mp l i tudin i T uae u ti Frater addictissimus .

FR S C A R
. . D
MA R T IN ELL I, P m ef ectus
. .

U
P ET R S LA FO N T A IN E, E p isc Charystien , Sem ta n us
.
’

N O T A —Hisce simil es l iterae missae sun t ad P raep osi tos gen erales
.

O rdin um seu C ongregation um Religi osorum, q uoad Prop ria O fli ciorum ips is
con cessa .
 332 H I STORY O F T HE R O MA N BREVI A RY
readin g, he rep eats l
the ast words over agai n , an d adds But T hou,
O Lord , have mercy up on us, an d al l resp on d A men
”
So both
at n octurn s an d the eve n in g read in g, an d when ever he reads the

D ivin e law, such is the custom that he always, when he is to begin

readin g, ask s a blessin g, sayin g Sir, bid a blessin g A n d when he
has fi n ished readi ng they resp on d Tha nk s be to God, an d the
reader, comin d n from the p ul p it, h b b bl d
’
g ow g oes to t e a ot s ta e an

receives his bl essin g, that he also may eat an d dri n k A n d when .

the b rethren rise from the tabl e they say slowly A ll T hy work s p raise
h
T ee, O L o r — P s C X L I.V v erse i o— with Glor i a P a tr i , an d si n g
.

in g A l leluya at the en d A n d if they have a more abun dan t rep ast,

.

so that some remain s over, the p rior , or he to whom this offi ce is

committed, sa ys the p rayer May Christ the Son of God multi p ly to
His servan ts the fragmen ts that remain , an d may He b l ess them an d
ma k e them to aboun d, Who is bl essed for ever A n d when all have
”
resp on ded A men , they go in to the oratory to p ray to God an d give
than k s, an d there, when these p rayers are en ded, they say He hath
i
d p e ed b
s rs a r o a — P s c x i v.erse 9— an d so fi n ish the grace a fter mea t
. .

A n d for the even in g mea l , when they have en tered the refectory,
let them say without delay T he p oor shall eat — Ps xxi verse 2 6 . .

— with Glor i a P a i r-i , an d sin gin g A llel uya at the en d T hen the .

sen ior brother says the p ra yer, so that all may hea r, an d resp on d
” ”
A men , viz the p rayer T hese T hy gifts, 0 Lord, or some other,
.
“

accordin g to the seas on T hen sittin g down i n their seats they p ro

.

oecd i n the same way as at the morn in g meal .

An d if it hap p en that n ight comes on whi l e they are at sup p er, an d

it is n ecessary to k in dl e a light, the brother who bri n gs in the l ight,
as soon as he en ters, an d is n ea r to the sen iors, says, in such a voice

tha t all may hear, T he light of Christ, an d al l resp on d T han k s be

“ ” “

”
to God T hen , bowing, he says Sir, b id a blessing, an d the
“

sen i or brother sa ys, I n the na me of the Lor d be it, an d they

r esp on d
“
A men , an d so he sets the li ght in its p lace, so that a ll i n
the house may see .

A n d if he has been ordered to p our out win e for the brethr en to

9

drin k , the servin g brother goes to the sideboard an d tap s with hi s

fin ger on the cup , an d all resp on d Than ks be to God T hen he
sign s it with the sign of the C ross, an d all res on d
p
“
A m e n , an d so
they drin k with a bl essin g .

1
h h
An ot er ol d custom t ere is of sayin g, w en l ig t i s br oug ht in, h
God h '

h h
sen ds us the l ig t of eaven , p k h
an d the arson li es t is very wel l : n ei t er is he h
afra id of ra i sin g or rayi n g to God a t al l times, but i s ra t er glad of catc in g h h
p p
Op ortun i ti es to do t em p h
L ig t i s a gr eat bl essi n g , an d as gr eat as food, for
h h h k h h h k h
w ic we give t an s ; an d t ose t at t in t is su erstitious , n ei t er n ow su er p h k p
h
stirion n or t emsel ves . h h
A s for t ose that a re as amed to use t is form as b ein g h
h
ol d, an d obs olete , an d n ot in the fas ion , he refor ms an d teac es t em, tha t at h h
p h p h h
ba ti sm t ey rofessed n ot to be as amed of C rist s C ross , or for an y s ame to
’
h
h h h
l eave t at w ic i s good h
He that is as amed in smal l t in gs, will extend his h
usil la n imity to grea ter —George
.

p . H
erbert, A P ri est to the Temp le, cha xxxv ) p. .

[ L it er al l y to mix, th e w in e bei n
g commo n l y m ixed w i t w a ter ] h
 A PPE N D I X 333

A n d if the Lord has given them fruit, the sen ior brother says the
p y
ra er
“
M a y the A l m ig yh t G od bl es s t h ese H is f ru its ,
”
an d al l re
sp on d A men A n d so is it don e at every course .

A n d when refection is en ded, an d the signa l given for risin g from

tabl e, the brother who is serving his week in the k itchen , an d who,
when the brethren tak e refection , al ways waits with the other ser vi ng
brothers at the tab le of the sen iors or brethren , on their risin g from
tab le goes down on his k n ees towards the East, an d ask s them to
p y
ra for h i m , sa i
y g
n S ir s, p y
ra fo r m e ,
”
an d th e se n i o r b roth er sa ys

T he Lord save us, etc . T hen that b rother risin g up , says slowl y
T han k s be to God, an d forth wi th all the brethren begin sin gin g
”

Than k s be al ways to T hee, O Lord, an d when th is i s fi n ished the

”

p rior wi th t he b re th re n sa y s sl ow l y
“
T he m e rc i fu l an d g rac i ou s
Lord — . .
—
Ps cx verses 4 an d s with Glor ia P a i r i , an d addin g -

All eluya : or else Who giveth food to all Flesh, an d 0 give ”

than k s un to the God of Heaven , for He is gracious, an d His mercy

en d ureth for ever — Ps cxxxv verses 2 5 an d z 6 an d the p riest
. .
—
says the p rayer, viz . T hou hast fi lled us, 0 Lord, an d at the

A men , an d so they go to p rayer, an d p ray as it

”
en d all resp on d
has been already written .

The brother who en ters on his week s service in the k itchen on

’

the Sun day, en ters on an d leaves tha t service accord in g to that which
is written in the R ul e of S Ben edict . A s soon as mattin s are
.

fin ished in the oratory, the brother who is en din g his wee k of service
ask s the brethren to p ray for him, sayin g Sirs, p ray for me And
they p ray, the sen ior brother sayin g Save thy servan t,
“
an d that
broth er resp on ds , an d says with al l the brethren Blessed art T hou,
Lord God, an d havin g rep ea ted this thrice an d received the
blessin g of the superior, he quits his service A n d forthwith he who .

is en terin g on his week says 0 God, mak e sp eed, etc

“
an d rep eats
i
.

this p rayer thrice al on g with al l the b ethren , an d so, havin g received

'

the blessin g, he en ters on the servi ce of hi s brethren So al so i n the .

churc h of Bl essed P ete r the A p ostle, the p riest who serves his week ,
or the sacrista n s who atten d to the lightin g an d deck in g of the
m
church, gi ve over th eir o ces to their fell ows at the third hour on
the Saturday, an d so q uit their service an d go to their own houses,
an d those others, both the p riest an d his fel lows, serve un ti l the n ext

Saturday, an d then do lik ewise, an d thus, in al l that p erta in s to His

service, God is served decen tl y an d i n order .

N O T E O N T HE SA L V E REG N A I (
see p . 1 7 2 , n ote

This h
which became p op ular in the twel fih cen tury
an tip on ,
th rough the in fluen ce of S Bernard, was at that p eri od k n own as
.

the A rm y/i m a do P odi o ( y

P u eh V e la y)
-
I
t see m
-
s to have been
.

comp osed by A ymar, Bishop of Puy, who died in 1 0 98 See E . .

Vacan dard, Les origin es, l ittéraire, musica l s, et liturgiq ue, du Sa lve
”
R egi na, in the R ou te dir clergf f r a nfa zk , t Lxxr pp 1 37 5
-1 1
. . . .
336 H I STORY OF THE RO MA N BREVIAR Y
25 6, 260-8 , 27 5 -84, 2 86-7 , 29 1 , Circumci sion of our Lord, festival of,
297 . 300 . 305 . 313. 318. 322 . 32 5 . 25 1 , 306 .

326 . Cl emen t V , Po e, 166 p .

Ben edi ctin es, 289, note 2 , 31 2 . VI, Pop e , 1 67 , n o“ 3 .

Bm dsc ti o D ei , 7 2 , s o“ 3, 132 . VI I , Po p e , 1 7 7 9 , 1 8 1 -
3 , 19 1-
4 , 2 1 8 -
.

Bernard, A bbot, 15 4 . V III

. Po e . p
209. a n . 2 1 7 9.
-

8 x35 . 1 36 333 note 236 . 247 . 25 9. 27 5 . 317 . 31 8

Bem old of Con stan ce, 1 27 , 130 , 135 , XI , Pop e , 2 08 , 280 .

n ote 1 . XI I . P096 . 245 . 2 46 . 28 1 . no“ 3.

h h
Bet le em, 27 .

Bl essed V irgin , F estivals of, 109 . C loveshoo, C oun cil of, 6 4, trots 1 .

Bol lan dists, 27 8 . Cl un y . 133 5 . 1 47 .

-

h
Cofi n , C arl es, 24 1 , 242, 245
Col lusion . 7 4. 7 5
.

II
Bon iface , Po e, 45 p . .

I p
V , Po e, 109, 1 13 . Cologn e Breviary , 236 , note 1 , 289 .

h p
Bouvier , Bis o , 292 , n ote 4 . Syn od os, 194
'

Braga , C ou n cil of, 24, 139 Commemoration s, 1 45 7 , 195 -

m
. .

Breviary, mean in g of the word, 15 6, Commi ssi ons stori cO -

urgi ca , 302 , 30 3 -
.

IS7 - Common of 1 11 .

of the Curi e , described, 165 - 7 3. p

Com l in e. 327 . 328
Brugn an i , 314, 319, n ot: 1 . i d
descr be , ? ”
Concep tion of B V M , 1 35 , 168, 187 ,. . .

C ”0“ I 2 5 3. 27 41 “0“ 3. 295 ~

;
.
.

Con gregati on of Ri tes, 209, 2 1 1 , 2 12 ,

C u arius , S , 24 , 7 1 , not: 3
. .
30 1 . 30 3 . 313. 31 4. 316 . 330 note
Caj etan of T hien o, 191 Con version of S Pa ul , 2 5 5 , 267
l
. . .

Ca in io, Muz io, 197 , 198 , 199, not: 1 . Corbey,

Cal l ewaert, C 317 , note 2 , 322 , 328 ,
. p
Cor us C risti, h
3 9
2 , n ot: 2 . Corsi n i , Cardin al , 2 47 .

Camal dolites, Cranmer , 191, ac ts 1 .

Can ad a, Bis op of, 298h . Crescen z i , Cardin al , 1 88 .

Can dl emas, 2 7 0 , 27 4 . N un tio, 262 .

Can i si us, Cu rio. 1 2 2 . r ss. 1 5 7 -9. 163. I7 S. 1 82 .

C an on iz ation s, 26 5 1 93 1 32 2
om
. '

p
C a itul ar es , 85 . 149
C aracciol o, 19 1 .

An ton io, 199 . D .

4°
W
9

Cassia n , 5 , 26, 27 . M 33 5 9 45 1 70
1
°
°

C assiodorus, 2 8 . D Astros , A rchbi s o , 294, 295

’ .

h p .

C astro, Gas er de, 183 p . Deaconries of Rome, 31 , 5 7 .

Cata l en us , 45 , 5 4 . F
Decreta l s, al se, 2 1 6 .

h h p
C ata n ia , A rc bis o of, 197 . Del atte, Dom, 296 , ri ots 2 .

Cel estin e. PO p e. 35 Den is, S ,

m
.

es of Rome, 31, 48, 5 7 6 1 , - 106 Deusdedi t, P e , 4o

107 . Dion ysi us of exaudria, 8 .

Gen eina, 12 1, 140 . D i vi s a m sa l modiam, Bull ,

C ertai n , A bbe, 243, note 2 , 244 . not: Di vi na a ,
Bul l , 304 , 305 , s ets 1,

3 .
313. 31 7 . 32 5 . 30“ 4 ~

”
C hair , S Peter s, 25 5 , 25 9, 27 0
.
'
. Doubl e O fi ce, 100 , 10 1 .

h
C arl emagn e, 6 5 , 6 7 , 82 , 206 , 326 h
Duc esn e . M r 302, 303, ri ots 2.
g
. .

h
C arl es Borromeo, S , 196 , 197 , 203 . . Dun stan , S 5 , ri ots 5 .

p
V , Em eror , 1 8 1 , 182 , 194 . Duran dus ,
h
C auv elin , M de , 244 , notes 1 an d 2
. . .

h
C oiseul , A rc bishop , 287h . E .

h
C ri stmas, B9 .

C hrodegan g , S 5 1 , 64 , 65 . Easter Day , 96 .

h
C rysostom, S , 1 2, 1 5 , 2 1 . . Eve, 95 .

C iaccon i o, 2 10 . p
Ves ers, 97 , 167 , n ot: 1 .

C icon iolano, 204 . Easton , Adam, 169, s ol s 4 .

 I N D EX 337

Edi tio ty Breviary 301 , 31 3

a of Gran colas. 206 . 239. 27 6 . 31 8. n ote
fi
.

M hbishop , 44, iso . 1.

F h
l e, at er , 302 . Gratian , 37 .

h
El izabet of Sc ona u, 131 h . Gregory N az ian z en , S , 8, 1 36 . .

p
l is, 144 .
s S " 39 1
“"
6 1: 144 9 194 1 25 1 0 39 “
El s n , A bbot, 135
i . II
, P o e, 5 0, 5 2 p .

E i p ph an y, 90 . III p
, Po e, 4 3, 5 0 , 5 1 , 5 3, 6 1 , ri ots 1 ,
Erasmus, 1 7 7 I
V , P O p e, 68 .

h
Et eria, Pil gri m, 15 , ac ts 3 . VI I. P ep e. 99. 1 26 30. 204. 247 . 2 5 8 .
-

Eusebius , 1 87 .

Exal tation of oly Cross, 109, H 2 5 2. IX P p , o e, 120 , 162 .

Bap u ta ti o Fo r tiss, 25 3, 25 4 . XI Pop , e. 16 3, n ote 2.

XIII Pop , e, 20 8, 209 .

XIV , Po pe , 2 10 , 2 1 1 .
XV I, PO 293 .

F arin a , Bis op , 297 h . Gr egori an C t. 303. 30+

Fa et, Bis o , 295 h p . Sacra men tary, 44 .

ebroui us ,
”
2 89 . Grosp ell i er, Dom, 303, ri ots 1 , 304 , ri ots
Fel ix, Po e, 5 7 p . 1 , 305 - 1 2 .

Ferdi nan d , Em eror , 195I p . Guardia n A n gels, 25 4 .

Feri al ofi ce, 1 7 0, 240, 300 , 307 , acts 1 , p

Gue i n , Dom, 31 3 .

8 1
3 . 3 3. 324
0 Gu é r an ger, 1 2 6 , 2 06 , 207 , 236 , 2 42 ,
Ferreri , 1 7 8 8 1 — . 292 7 -

Fl av ian , Bis o 21 h p Guyet, 2 5 7 .

l eury , Cardi n al, 245 , 246

.

F .

Foin ard, 2 39, 2 40, 2 7 6 .

Fon te A vell an o, 147 9 -

.

Foscarari, 197 , 198, 199, note 1, 202 . I

Hadrian , POp e, 46 , note 1, 5 2, 10 1 .

F h
ran c i , 1 99 . Harl ay , Fran cis de, 2 37 2 38, 240 , 2 42 , .

Fran ciscan s, 75 , n ote 5, 1 2 0 160-

3 Hayto, Bi ShO P. 146
H b t
.
,

1 65 . er er , George , 332 , ri ots 1 .

F ren c h Bi s hops , 2 98 , 316 , a cts 1 . H em r as, 9 .

“11217 , Po p es 49 °

G S I i
? ppoi ! i
' ? .

1 i s, 0p e, 3 , nots 1.
2
Gaeta n i , C ardinal , 2 1 8 . S .
, 5 8, 2 15 .

Gal l a 5 0
, . H W k9
oly ee , 2.
Gal l i, 2 48 , 2 5 6 , 2 5 7 , 264 . H t A bbot 64
on ora us. t , , se s 2.
Gal l ican C urc , 2 2 3, h h 2 36 , 2 37 , 243, H o i P p 49
on r us, o e, .

24 4, 2 80 , 292 , 293. H mi d P p 37
or s as , o e, .

Ga l l icol i , 29 1 . H m i t
u 77 8an s s , 1 - 1.
G al l ucci, 22 1 . H ym 36 45 65 94
ns , 1 -
, 1 , 1 , 2 14, 22 1 , 2 22 ,
Gargan us, Moun t, 2 15 , 25 4, 27 6 . 242 .
Gavan ti , 2 1 3, Hyp atius, S 28 .
Gelasian Sacramen tar y , 149 .

Gelasius . P 090. 37 . 45
Gen til i, 26 2

m
.

G er m an B ish mg' S
Ig n atius , S .
, 20.
Gesuald0, C 2 10 . Loyola, S , 188 , sets 1 , 191 . .

Ghisl er i , 2 1 3 . 1ni msasa A stsr n i D si , Bull , 209, s ets

Giberti , 192 . 2.
Giorgi , 248 , 2 5 6 , 264, 266 , 2 68 . I n n ocen t 1, Po p e, 5 9, 247 .
Giul i , 26 3, 264, 2 66 . 11, Po pe , 1 22 .
G lor ia P a tr i , 4 . III , 1 22 , 1 49, 1 5 8-60, 163, 322 .

Goldwell , T oma s, 197 h . V III P p , o e, 25 4 , ac ts 4 .

J h F
Goudy, o n ra n cis de, 236 . IX Pop , e , 2 10 .
Peter de, 207 . Ins ti tu ti ons l i turgi q uss , 236, 292 - 5 .
Good riday, 93F . I n v en ti on of H oly Cross, 109, 2 5 2.
Got s,h I n vi tatory, 76 .

Gradual , 7 9 . I
sachi n 0 , 193, 196 .
338 HI STORY OF TH E ROMA N BREVI A RY

I si dor e,S 20 . L ibsr Gr ad ua l is, 44, 46,

I
vo of Chartres, 1 27 . P on tifi ca l “ : 35 1 37 1 481 491 5 31 5 4 1
57
J . Rs: m a l ts , 46 .

L i bri cata m a l ss , 15 6 .

J ames the G eate S 2 1 5 2 16 22 r r, 0 L is 0a., 134, 1 66

m
.
, , , . .

J a s ism 24 1 242 243 acts 2 29

n en , , , , , 1. L itt e 0 m of the B V M , 14 7 9 , 1 7 0, . . .

l m
er o 8 6 199, m ots 1 , 20 1 , 2 5 0, 308, 32 1
e 32
3 . 4 5 . 4 7 . 7°
-
. . .

' erusalem sem ces at 1 5 19 , ,

-
. Lombards,
H H
‘

esui ts , 206 . L oretto , ol y ouse of, 25 3, 25 4 .

oac him, S .
, 2 08, 2 5 4 , 2 99. Lo rrain e, C ardi nal of, 195 .

j h
o n of A rze , 1 88- 9 1 . Lottin , 28 7 .

of A vran c es, 132 , ri ots , h 133, ac ts 3, Louis XI V, 2 36 , 2 80 .

1 35 . M i ss, 1 5 2 , n ote 3 . xvi 244

h
C an ter, 5 6 . Low Su n day, 98 .

the Deacon , 4 1 43, 46 -

. L ucsma ri rm , 6 32 .

of P arma, 162 , 1 7 1 . h
Lut er , 1 81 .

I. P e. 45 Lyon s, 97 , ri ots 1, 139, ri ots 5 .

III o e, 60
XXII s
.
,

, op e, 166 .

Mabill on 237 , .

f Liege, 1 66 , ri ots 5 . Maistre J osep h de 293

, , .

Em eror, 23 p . Maldona tus 187 n ote : , ,

Em eror, 1 42 p . Marcel lin us Pope 302 ri ots , , ,

1.
ustus, S , 59 . . Marcion 8 , .

Marin i 197 203

,
-
.

Mari n ian us Bishop, 39 , .

Martin ! Pep e 45 . .

Xy ris sk i m 73 ofSen si n s 17 3. 1 7 4
a
.

é5
,

31157 0l
Mary Magdalen e, S 269, 2 70 .
Masso 1 99 , .

Laeta . 32 . 33 Mattia s described 7 5 83 ,

- .

L ambrusc hin i , Cardi n al , 293 Maun dy T huraday 93 , .

Lamen nais, 292 , acts 4, 294 . Maurian us 45 5 4 , , .

Lan ucci, 2 18 . Melan ia S 32 acts 3 5 8

, .
, , , .

Laodicaea , Coun cil of, 25 9 . Memoria ls 145 a cts 4 , , .

La tera n Basilica , 30, 4 1 , 49, 5 0, 12 1 , Meres ti Mgr 302 n ote 4 303 ri ots 2
, .
, , , , .

3 15 . 2 5 5 . 32 1 Mésen guy 24 1 ,
.

La uds, 32 7 . Metz 5 1 64 65 15 1
, , , , .

Can ti cl es at, 309, 323, ac ts 2 . Mi a ol og us 1 27 130 1 34, ri ots: 2, 5

, , , ,

146 »147 °
La un oy, 2 38 . Mombri z o 1 87 , .

Lectionary , 39, 133, 167 , 168, 186 , 1 8 7 , Monasti cism at Rome 47 49 5 2 , , ,

-
.

204, 2 05 , 2 1 1 , 2 1 4 - 6, 2 19, 220 , 2 69 Monaz on tes 1 1 , .

302 , n ote330 nots

1 , . Mon i ca S 14 ri ots 3, 1 37
, .
, , .

Legen ds, 2 7 7 , 2 7 8, 31 4 ri ots 3 . Mon tal ember t 293 , .

Len t, 9 1 . Mon ti » 3 5 6 26 21 36 3 : °

L” : S » Pop e»45 1 48, 5 4 ° Mun ster reviary 236 ri ots 1 289 , , , .

II
, P Op e, 40 .

III Pop 49 5
, e, , 1 .

IV P p 64
, t O e, , ri o s 2 .
X P 77 90 8 1 21 N ame ( f esus, 2 5 2 J
i
-
. .
, ,

XIII os 99 3 3 305 . 317 e’ 2 -

0 of k t o 2 5 3
C
’ .

Leon in e Sacramen tar y, 47 , 5 9 . N arbon n e, oun cil of, 318 .

p
Le an to, 208, 25 3 . p
N e os , Bis o , 8 hp .

Lercari , 26 5 , 266 , 26 8 . N ey l a, Diego, 1 83 .

h
Lesser ours described, 84 . h p
N icetas, Bis o , 17 , acts 1 , 1 9, acts 3,
Li bor Di nn er, 38 . 20 , ri ots 5 , 83, sets 3 .
340 HI STORY OF THE ROM A N BREVIA RY
Ricci, 29 1 . Sun day o mez , 20 1 , 240, 24 1 , 308, 3 9,
1
h h h
Ric ard , A rc bi s op . 301 .
324
Rodu , 15 3 Vi gil , Origin of, 1 3 -
.

Roman tic i sm, 292 . h

Symmac us , Con sul , 5 0 .

h
Rome, C urc es at, 30
F
h
Rosary , estival of, 208, 25 3, 300
.

.
m h
Sym ac us. Po e. 4s
Syn esi us, 1 36 .
p .

Rosk ovan y , 246 .

Rouen , 64 , 6 5 .

Rubrics, 1 7 2, 317 , not: 2 .

Ruin art, 277 . T amburi n i , Cardi n al , 262 , 263, 27 5 , 31 8 .

Te D eu m, 83, 310 .

T egr imi, 2 18 .

T en cin , Cardi n al , 246 , 260-3, 266 ,

Sabin ian , POp e, 48 . 268, 27 9, 28 1 .

Sadol eto, 1 7 7 , 1 8 1 .

Sal imben e, 160 , n ot: 1 . T ertul li an , 9, 1 0, 13 .

Sm tomh of Rome, 5 7 , 6 1 , 62, 102 -9, T er tu ll ian ists , 5 8 .

1 33. 202 . 2 17 . 220. 25 8 . 2 5 9. 284 h

T eatin es , 19 1 , 192 .

San n az ar, 17 7 . T heodemar , A bbot , 7 8 .

San teul , de, 24 2 . h

T eodore, Arc bi s o , 1 5 0 h hp .

Sara ossa, 188

g . h
Ar c dea con , 68 .

Sarbi ewski, 2 2 1 . of Mop su estia, 20 .

Sa tum in us. S , 9 . h
T eodosius, 2 1 .

h
Sca cc i , 2 18 . h
T omas A quin as , S , 166 , . 168, not: 3,
Schober , 296 , 297 , 30 1 . 22 3 2, 00.
Schotto, Card in al , 1 96 8 -
. T h omassi n , 2 37 , 2 47 .
Scol a Con forms , 4 1 3, 5 6 -
. T ill emon t. 2 37 . 2 38 27 3. 27 7 . 27 8
p
Scri tur e. O rder of read in g , 7 8 . T i tl es at Rome,
Sedul ius, 14 2 . T ol edo, Counc il of, 24, 1 39 .

sen a, Syn od 0 6 194 . Tomasi , Car din al , 120, 12 1 , n ot: 1 , 2 38,

Sep tuagesima , 90 . ”0“ 3 2 7 7 0 °

p
Se ul veda, 1 83 . Torres, L udovico de , 2 1 3 .

T oum eux, 242 .

Sergi us 1, Po e, 40 p . Tours , 26 , 1 38 .

Seven Dol ours , 25 3, 25 4 . F

T ran sferen ce of esti val s, 167 , n ot: 3,
Sibour A rc bis o , 296h h p . 2 98. 3 5 . 320
0
Sicu t n ot, 7 0 , not: 1 . T ran sfi guratron , 1 35 , 169, n ot: 2 , 194 ,
p
Sidon ius A ollin ari s, 5 9 . 25 1 , 32 1 .

Sil os, 192 , n ote 2 , 3, 193 . T ren t, Coun cil of, 188 , 19 1 , 194 8 , -
200,
Silveri us, Pop e, 60 . 2 65 , 2 7 6 .

Si l vi a P ru gr i n a tio, 1 5 , note 3 . T reves Breviary , 289 .

Sil vio, Car din al , 26 2 . Coun cil of. 1 5 7 .

Simon , Richar d , 183, note 3, 185 , n ote Tr iduum, 92 .

1 , 187 , not: 1 . Trin ity Sun da y, 1 34, 1 66, 194, 25 2 .

Sirleto, 196 , 199, 203 .

Sixtus I p
l l , Po e, 48, 89 . U .

l V , Pop e, 25 4 , n ot: 4 .

p
V , Po e 20 8 10, 2 5 3
.
-
. U dalr ic, 133, 147 . not: 2 .

Sn ows, S Mary of the, 187 , 255 , 27 2

.
- - . Un ig m i tur , Bul l 239, 280 .
, .

Sol esmes, 292 , not: 4 . U rba n IV , Po e, 166 p .

Sorbonn e, 183, 186 , 264 , s o“, 293 . VI I P0p e, 2 10

, .

"
Station Days, 9 . Vl l l , 1 80 , 2 1 1 , 2 15 , 2 16 , 2 18, 2 20
ph
Ste en H
ardin g , 1 5 7 , not: 1 .
3 3
. 2 6 . 2 4 8. 2 5 9. 2 7 3. n ot: 2 . 2 7 7.
of L i ege, 1 34 , 1 66, n ot: 3 .
3 7.
1 32 2
II p , Po e, 5 0 .

III , P o p 5
e, 1 , 7 6 , n o te 2 .

IV , Po e, 5 1p .

Strada, 22 1 V al en ti , Cardi n al , 247 , not: 2, 262

m
. .

Sa e Sm tom n . 1 45 7 . 308. 309. Louis , 246 5 0, 2 5 6 , 2 5 7 , 260-2,

-
264

3 2 1 . 8. 276 . 279
 I
N D EX

Val en tin e, Gn ostic, 8 . V otiv e ofi ces, 300 , 32 1 .

Val en ti n ian , 1 36 . V ul gate, Sixtin e editi on of, 209.

V atican i Basili ca , 31 , 4 1, 48, 49, 5 3, 62 , Vul p on i, 2 1 8 .

25 5
.

Coun c il , 297 300 -

.

L ibrary, 302 .

F
Ven an ti us ortun atus, 142 . W ddi g L k
a n , u e, 2 1 8.
V ersion s of Psal ter, 7 0 , 165 , 204 . W l A bb t 68
a a, o , .

p
V es ers, described, 70 . W l f i d St b
a a r ra o , 1 44.
of Ea ster , 97 , 1 67 , n ote 1 . Wu t mb g 9
r e ur , 2 0.
Vez zosi , 262 .

Victor V iten sis , 40 .

V g er .
eg 24 5
Vi gi l servi ce at Rome, 122 5 -
. X avi er . S. F ran ci s, 188, 191.
V igi la n ti us, 33 .

h h p
Vin timil l e, A rc bi s o , 2 40-2, 244 ,
2 45 . 26 1 . 2 66 . 2 7 9. 293. 328
Vi rbon us, 5 4 . Z p
Pa s , 5 1 , 81 .

of 169, note 4 . Z en o, ish0p , 1 3 .

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