ORDO COMMUNIS.

p. of

LO

By the power of our Lord Jesus Christ we are beginning to write the Book of the Order of the Anaphora of Mar Jacob, Brother of our Lord.

First. The priest praising. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: and may mercy and grace be poured forth on us who are weak and sinful in both worlds, for ever and ever. Amen.

The prayer of the beginning. Make us worthy, O Lord God, merciful and loving towards man, with knowledge, and reverence, and beauty of spiritual order to stand before Thee, purely and holily, and to minister unto Thee as the Lord and Maker, to whom is due adoration from all: Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost.

MS.

1

Proœmium. Let us pray, all of us: let us ask mercy and grace from the Lord. O merciful Lord, have 2 mercy upon us and help us. May we be made worthy to send up glory, and thanksgiving, and honour, and praise, and exaltation good that doth not cease, continually, in all moments and times, to Him who hath

k It will be observed that the Sedras are always preceded by a short introduction, or prooemium. The word sedra literally signifies order or series. This Sedra (with its Proœmium) is wanting in both forms of the Ordo Communis given by Renaudot, in Dr. Mill's MS., and in the Extracts from the Liturgy published by the Church Missionary Society. It is probably of a comparatively recent date. B. contained it, but the first leaf of that MS. is missing.

magnified the memory of His mother and of all His saints in His goodness, and pardoneth the faithful dead in His grace: to whom belongeth glory, and honour, and adoration in this time of this divine perfect eucharist, and in all feasts, and times, and hours, and moments, and all the days of our life, now and in all moments for ever and ever.

Sedra. May all who from the beginning have pleased Thee make supplication unto Thee with us, and for us, and because of us;-holy fathers and patriarchs; they who served in the priestly office of the ministry of the law to wit, the prophets who declared Thy revelation ; 3 the apostles who preached Thy gospel; the martyrs who were killed for love of Thee; the confessors who confessed Thy divinity; the doctors who held the truth; the priests who served Thy altars; the deacons who did Thy will; the upright' who laboured in Thy vineyard; the monks, and cœnobites, and religious, and stylitim; they who clung to Thy divine words and life-giving commandments, and renounced kindred and family, and took up their cross and followed Thee. With these, and before these, and after these, she who is the glory of the whole earth, and named the second heavens, the Virgin immaculate, the holy Mother of

1

, prosperous, skilful, perhaps diligent. Castell gives rectus fuit as the meaning of the root.

m

A, Styliti, probably a religious order.

"Guards or

watchers," according to Catanar Jacob. Cf. p. 71 of the MS.

n

252 SO POSAO. Cf. "Per orationes.... matris

amictæ justitia, cœli secundi, Virginis immaculatæ," &c.-Renaudot, Lit. Or. Coll., ii. 25. The words occur in the Seal, in O2. (Cf. p. 75 of the MS.)

God, Mary. By her prayers and [those] of all the saints, do Thou avert and make to pass away and turn from us all strokes and rods of wrath, which have been 4 brought upon us because of our sins; and lead us quietly in tranquillity and in peace all the days of our life; and heal the sick, O my Lord, by Thy power; and enlarge the afflicted in Thy mercy; and make rest and good remembrance to all who lie asleep in Thy hope in the belief of the truth; so that we and they may send up unto Thee glory and thanksgiving, and to Thy Father, and to Thy Holy Spirit, now and in all moments for ever.

He says the Psalm at full length. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy goodness; and according to the abundance of Thy mercies blot out my sins. Wash me copiously from Mine iniquity: and cleanse me from my sins. For I confess my faults: and my sins are before me at all times. Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done wickedness before Thee: that Thou mayest be justified in Thy word, and mayest conquer in Thy judgments. For I was conceived in 5 iniquity and in sins did my mother conceive me. But Thou takest pleasure in truth: and teachest me the hidden things of Thy wisdom. Sprinkle me with Thy hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: (and) I shall be whiter than snow. joy and Thy gladness: and my bones that are laid low shall rejoice. Turn away Thy face from my sins and

:

wash me with it, Fill me with Thy

is doubtless an error, either for, he says,' or and he says,' which B. has.

blot out all my misdeeds. Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew Thy firm Spirit within me. And cast me not away from before Thee: and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. But restore to me Thy joy and Thy salvation and let Thy glorious Spirit sustain me. That I may teach the wicked Thy way: and sinners may be converted unto Thee. Deliver me from blood, O my God, God of my salvation: and my tongue shall glorify Thy righteousness. O Lord, open my lips for 6 me and my mouth shall sing Thy glory. For Thou hast no pleasure in sacrifices and art not appeased by whole burnt-offerings. The sacrifices of God are a lowly spirit a contrite heart, O God, Thou dost not despise. Be favourable in Thy pleasure unto Sion: and build the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt Thou be pleased with sacrifices of truth and with whole burnt-offerings: and then shall they offer bulls upon Thy altar. And to Thee belongeth glory, O God P.

:

When he goes up to the altar. I will come unto the altar of God: and unto God who maketh my youth joyful.

And he kneels down and says, To Thy house, O God, have I come up: and I kneel before Thy throne, O heavenly King. Pardon me all that I have sinned against Thee.

P Here Renaudot's translation has the following clause: "Sacerdos petit remissionem et dicit. Benedic Domine remissioni, seu absolutioni." B. contains a similar clause between the Sedra and the Psalm; thus : ".... and to Thy Holy Spirit. He adds. May we receive of God pardon of offences (debts) and remission of sins in both worlds, for ever and ever, Amen. And he asks pardon of the presbyters and deacons. And he says the Psalm, &c."

And he kisses the horn of the altar and says, Bind, O Lord, our feasts in chains even to the horns of 7 Thy altar.

And when he lights the wax taper on the south side1: In Thy light have we seen [or, do we see] light, O Jesus, full of light, Who art the true Light that enlighteneth all creatures: enlighten us with Thy glorious light, the splendour of the heavenly Father3.

And lighting that of the north he says", O sacred and holy One, Who dwellest in the abodes of light, keep away from us evil passions and hateful thoughts: grant us with purity of heart to work the works of right

eousness.

(C.) And he takes in his two hands the Seal which has on p. 8. been prepared in the paten, and says t, He was led as

a Here, 'knocks,' is probably an error for, 'kisses,' which is B.'s reading. So elsewhere, e.g.,

at p.

45.

They are lighted by the deacon or lay-assistant.

▪ Or, O Beam of the heavenly Father.

The order of the letters A, B, C, D, E, shews the order of this portion of the service as it stands in my MSS. I have ventured on this transposition in accordance with Catanar Jacob's express instructions, and with the arrangement in Dr. Mill's MS., the Church Missionary Society's "Extracts," and Renaudot's Translation. But the disagreement of MSS. in respect of this part of the service is very remarkable. In the first place, the preparation and oblation of the elements, which is here described, does not always form a part of the "first service." Indeed it is doubtful whether it ever does so. See Introductory Notice, pp. 131, 132, where this part of the question is more fully discussed. Secondly, its own particular arrangement differs in different MSS., and although the variation may be less in practice than it appears to be, judging from the MSS., (for the rubrics may be in some instances memoranda, as it were, introduced as an afterthought, and so