First and Second Corporals

What we mean by the “First” and “Second” Corporals can be easily explained in this picture. The First Corporal is the cloth upon which the Chalice and Paten sit; the Second Corporal [sometimes called the “Sindon Veil”] is that which cover over them. Sometimes in the much later period [ 16^th and 17^th centuries], the Second Corporal in parts of Europe became a stiff board with a cloth cover [often referred to as a ‘pall’]. The rubrics one sees in later books about the Deacon lifting up the pall off a Chalice, etc., corresponds to the older rubrics in older books about the Deacon uncovering the Chalice [for example, the Second Corporal / Pall is removed at the very end of the Canon of the Mass by the Deacon, in order for the “Per Ipsum”].

However, in the way that the 7^th century Ordo Romanus Primus envisions things, the First and Second Corporal are not separate objects, but, rather, one large piece of cloth, upon which the Chalice and Paten set, and which also is large enough to fold over the Gifts.

Patarene Persecution of Ambrosian Rite

The late 11^th Century Milanese historian, Arnulf, speaks of the terrors and blasphemies unleased by the Patarenes in Milan. The Patarenes were led by a man named Erlembald, who is recognized as a “saint” in the Vatican today. After having taken control of the city, and seeking to enforce the Hildebrandian Reforms, Erlembald, who despised the Ambrosian Rite and married clergy, began to embark on additional blasphemies in service to Hildebrand in Rome:

“In Milan, Erlembald was favoring him with all his might, laboring day and night with gifts given as well as promised. In the meantime, he persecuted every assembly of [Archbishop] Godfried with fire and the sword, leaving nothing untried insofar as he was able, especially since he would in no way give way to royal power or to the will of his peers and many others, content and confident in his fidelity to Rome alone. For this reason, he also burst forth in order to blaspheme the bishops of the Ambrosian Consecration, asserting that they had been excommunicated by the Pope, and reproved each of their Offices. Whence it happened that on the Holy Saturday of Pentecost [i.e. Vigil of Pentecost] he forbade Baptism to occur within the city.

“Later, the Sacred Chrism, which one of these Bishops sent to the Metropolitan Church for the Mystery of the Lord’s Supper (as was customary when the Bishop was away), was poured out onto the ground and in front of all the people Erlembald trampled it in his shoes, producing his own in the midst of the crowd, though from what his Chrism was made or whence it came was not known. And so since the prerogative of that authentic Saturday passed down by the Fathers had been postponed, Erlembald had his own baptism celebrated on the sixth day at dawn, although Scripture forbids the boundaries which the Fathers have set to be transgressed. As a result, it happened that the Easter joy did not know its bath and many catechumens lacked the grace of baptism for a long time after. A great number of the people were involved in this error, in part because of their simple eyes, in part because they were seduced by money, and partially because of the impunity with which the wicked deed had been achieved. For from the very beginning whoever was wicked attached himself to Erlembald’s company, whoever dear and innocent stayed away from him. Therefore, the number and strength of the Paterini in the country districts, towns, and in certain cities of the Duke himself increased to such an extent that they seemed to be the lords of all their fellow citizens.”

[Book IV, Chapter 6, Arnulf of Milan’s “Book of Recent Deeds”]

After rampaging through the country side, killing and maiming, even having the Patarenes kill the Archbishop of Milan who opposed them, Erlembald, like his fellow Patarene, Ariald, was killed in fighting. Thus, the Vatican later recognize them as “martyrs” and “saints”, in the same spirit as they recognized Josaphat Kuntsevych, i.e., as a murderer masquerading as a “martyr”.

The Church of Liege makes a last stand against the Hildebrandians before being conquered:

 

“We hold to our Bishop, Archbishop, Provincial and Regional Synods from Ancient Tradition; and whatever has been defined there from the holy writings, is not referred to Rome unless it regards more serious affairs concerning which an authority is not found in the holy writings. But we reject in every way those legates heading out from the side of the Bishop of Rome and rushing here and there filling their pockets, just as the African Councils in the times of Zosimus, Celestine, and Boniface have shown. For – that we may recognize them from their fruits – not the correction of morals, nor the emendation of life, but rather the killing of men and the depredation of churches are the result of their actions. Therefore, because we cling to the Ancient Rule and are not carried away by every doctrinal breeze, behold, this is why we are called ‘excommunicates’.”

 [1103 AD, Letter of the Church of Liege against Paschal II]

St. Aethelwold's Prayer

 

The “Chronicle of Abingdon” preserves some old material, most notably, a Prayer composed by St. Aethelwold of Winchester [+984], for the protection fo Abingdom Abbey, before going to Winchester in 963. It is as follows:

“O Eternal God, before Whose Sight the Angels are present, and through Whose Command all things are governed, do Thou protect, O Lord, I beseech Thee, this place which was built in Thy Name and of Blessed Mary, and through the Virtue of Thy Name may the force of enemies nad the shadow of phantoms and the assaults of winds, the bolt of lighting, the damaging clap of thunder, the disaster of tempests and every blast of storms – may these all pass us by. Moreover, O Lord, I beseech Thee that fire not consume this house, nor a spiteful man destroy it through arrogance; but, rather, O Merciful God, protect and govern it; and may it grow fat in the manifold abundance of its fruits, so that all those dwelling in it may hymn Thee in voice and heart, and may magnify Thy Name in sweet harmony; and may Thy Blessing descend upon them and upon this place and remain there forever. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, God, through all the ages of ages. Amen.”

How St. Germanus of Paris Miraculously Survived

 “Blessed Germanus, Bishop of Paris, a native of the territory of Autun, was born of well bred and respected parents, his father Eleutherius and also his mother Eusebia. Since she had conceived him in her womb within a short space of time after another [child], his mother, moved by womanly shame, wanted to kill the infant before birth; and since she did not harm him after taking a potion to throw out an abortion, she would lie on her belly to suffocate by her weight he whom she could not harm by poison. Mother was in battle with child, but the infant was resisting from the womb; there was a fight between woman and her insides. The matron was being struck but the infant was not being harmed; the bundle was struggling so that the mother would not be come a parricide. So it happened that protected he emerged safe and sound and rendered his mother innocent. Here was a prophecy of the future, to have performed a miracle before he even reached birth.”

[Chapter 1, the “Life” of St. Germaus of Paris (+576), written by St. Venantius (+609)]

St. Theophylact of Ochrid's Treatise On the Latin Question

 

St. Theophylact was Archbishop of Ochrid, from about 1088 until his repose in 1108.  As Archbishop of Ochrid, he occupied the position as head of an Autocephalous Church; the Bulgarian Patriarchate had previously been forcibly [and uncanonically] abolished by the Eastern Roman authorities years earlier; however, the Bulgarian Church maintained independence still with its own independent Archbishopric.  

Some writers have noted the hostility that Greek speaking civil and clerical authorities had show to the usage of Slavonic, with, possibly, even attempts to suppress Church Slavonic in favour of the Greek language: 

""The Greeks [i.e. Eastern Romans] adopted a policy of cultural assimilation in Bulgaria. John of Debar [last Bulgarian Patriarch of the First Bulgarian Empire] died in 1037 and after that the Archbishop of Ohrid was always a Greek. As an agent of the Emperor he had to implement the policy by introducing such changes as the use of Greek in the Bulgarian Church. The Greeks also destroyed Slavonic books, but there is little documentation to show the success of this policy. The survival of a number of Old Church Slavonic manuscripts, allegedly copied in the eleventh century by the Bulgarian and Macedonian scribes, suggests that the Archbishops also condoned the use of such texts. The best evidence that the Primate of Ohrid did not attempt to stifle Slavonic tradition is provided by Theophylact [+1109]. For a Greek who allegedly abhorred living in Bulgaria, it is remarkable that he wrote a biography of St. Clement of Ohride which he based on a Slavonic life of the saint. In it he also praised the work of SS. Cyril and Methodius."

[pages 265, The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 4, C.1024-c.1198, Part 2]

Cadalus of Parma's Support for Slavonic Liturgical Usage

 

Anti-Hildebrandian counter-Pope Honorius II [i.e. Cadalus of Parma] (+1072) supported the usage of Slavonic in liturgical services:

 "Incidentally, the particular ecclesiastical political climate in the eleventh century allowed the Slavonic rite to flourish in the Kvarner region. In the 1060s, the schism between the 'legitimate' [i.e. Hildebrandian--ed] 'reform'-minded Pope Alexander II and the 'Anti'-Pope Honorius II, who found support in Northern Italy, brought unexpected benefits to the Glagolites. Seeking the support of the Dalmatian Dioceses, Honorius granted the Kvarner islands Krk, Osor, and Rab the right to use Slavonic. The dioceses of lower southern Dalmatia (Zada, Split, and Trogir) remained loyal to Alexander and therefore did not enjoy this privilege. (Klaie 1965)" [page 46]

 It would interesting to further study the issue of the opposition to the Hildebrandian Reforms and their position on local customs. As the Anti-Hildebrandians [Old Western] party opposed the basics of the so-called "Reform" [as exemplified in the crazed "Dictatus Papae"], they more represented, at least in part, an anti-centralizing tendency, and a less internationalist understanding of ecclesiology.

1870 Russian Holy Synod Decision on the Epiclesis inclusion in the Roman Canon

Although not followed by all Western Orthodox today, the original decision of the 1870 Holy Governing Synod decision in Moscow was that an explicit Epiclesis was to be inserted between "Supplices Te rogamus Omnipotens Deus" and "Jube haec perferri". Of course, we all have an Epiclesis, but, later scruples were somewhat against inserting it in an already existing prayer in the Canon, as opposed to it being an additional prayer [like an additional Memento], as it now stands [for example, immediately before "Unde et memores" or immediately before "Supplices Te.." like I am familiar with].

However, let me explain that the original decision of the Holy Governing Synod, with Dr. Overbeck's consultation, was not based upon some faulty reasoning, nor was it as bad as some imagine. 

Of Virgin Births and Vultures

Parthenogenesis in Condors?  The vulture in some medieval symbolism was used to signify the Most Holy Virgin Mary.  A Condor is a type of Vulture. 

 If confirmed, this actually bolsters an argument used by the early Church writers.  For example, Origen, in his 3rd century work "Against Celsus" [Celsus was a pagan critic of Christianity] defends the veracity of the Virginal Conception of Our Lord, and he cites the examples of Vultures.    

St. Paul's Outside the Wall's in the 16th Century

  The 19th century architect and archaeologist H. W. Brewer's sketch showing many features of the 4th century Theodosian Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls as it existed even up until the 16th century. Like at Old St. Peter's the confessio, sanctuary, and Altar was surrounded by not just low balustrades, but by magnificent columns with a transenna, with various sacred images [I believe it may have also had an inner 'gate'-screen of sorts, as was found in Old St. Peter's].

Sometime after in the later 16th century the old 4th century columns were taken down, as well as the transenna, and other features, to conform to the new RC notions of 'opening up' the sanctuary. As soon as the church had its open freedom to build as it desired, it was always directed in this direction; and it was only with the greatest difficult and much resistance that these ideas of distinction were broken down in the minds of peoples. When one hears the word 'chancel' today, it has come to be largely divorced from it's originally meaning of either a lattice work screen, or something similar.

[Sketch by the architect and archaeology H W Brewer; when the sketch says 'Time of St. Ignatius', they are referring to the RC saint Ignatius of Loyola, which would place this as depicting the basilica in the 16th century.]

Old St. Peter's Basilica

 The old Constantinian basilica of St. Peter's in Rome

Prayer to the Mother of God from 9th Century Winchester Prayer Book

 "For thou, after God, art the right way for the erring, the life of the dying, the hope of those in danger, the haven of the storm-tossed, rest for the toiling, a spring for the thirsty, the consolation of the sad, the mediatress between God and man, the most blessed Virgin and the most fruitful Mother and safest support of Christians, guardian and mainstay of those who have recourse to thee, readiest and soundest defence of Christians. For I know and I truly know that in thee is the true medicine of the infirm, the recovery of the despairing, O deliverer of men, Most Blessed Mother of my Lord, most pious consoler of the afflicted and most prompt support of the failing, who alone wast made the door of Life, alone swept away the dangers of life, alone suckled the Price of life. In thee is our refuge, in thee our consolation, thou art the restoration of our life. Receive, I implore, my prayer and offer it to the Lord my God, because thy prayer is more powerful than every prayer, thy prayer is more acceptable than every prayer, thy request is more pleasing that all sacrifice." [Prayer to the Mother of God from Anglo-Saxon Winchester Prayer Book]

Prayer for Protection of Soul at Death

"O Only-Begotten Son of God, Who Art Ever to me an Impregnable Protection, my Guard that never sleeps, my Defence that never fails: O Christ, Who in Heaven Art the Stay of the Angels, be now and for ever my Propitiator with the Father. O Mediator between God and man, I beseech Thee, through Thy Passion and the Redemption of Thy Life-Giving Cross, that when Thou shalt please to call me from this world, Thou wilt send the Angels of Peace to guard my soul and conduct it to the place of rest, and enable it to pass unscathed through the ranks of the rulers and powers of darkness. And, O Jesus Christ my Lord, may all who in that hour pray and plead for me find the ears of Thy Mercy open to their cries." [8th Century Royal Mercian Prayer Book; Prayer 14 of the Series of 23 Prayers]

https://www.bl.uk/eblj/2004articles/pdf/article1.pdf

http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Royal_MS_2_A_XX

Pope Sylvester II Against Papal Error

 "I boldly affirm that if the Bishop of Rome shall have offended against his brother, and after often admonition shall have refused to hear the Church, that Roman Pontiff, by the command of God, is to be regarded as an heathen man and a publican."---Pope Sylvester II ( 946 – 12 May 1003)

Old Papal Profession Required Condemnation of Pope Honorius

Patrologia Latina, Volume 105, fol. 52, Liber Diurnus, Excerpt from the Profession of Faith required upon the Consecration of a new Bishop of Old Rome, used from the late 7th century until sometime in the 11th century:

"Auctores vero novi haeretici dogmatis Sergium, Pyrrhum, Paulum, et Petrum Constantinopolitanae, una cum Honorio, qui pravis eorum assertionibus, fomentum impendit."

"Also the authors of the new heretical dogmas: Sergius, Pyrrhus, Paul, and Peter of Constantinople, together with Honorius, who paid incentive to their depraved assertions."
https://books.google.com/books?id=sH_YAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Additionally, Pope St. Leo II (+683), in a letter to the Emperor states:

"Anathematizamus--nec non et Honorium, qui hanc apostolicam ecclesiam non apostolicae traditionis doctrina lustravit, sed profana proditione immaculatam subvertere conatus est."

"We anathematize also even Honorius, who did not purify this Apostolic Church with the Doctrine of the Apostolic Tradition, but by wicked betrayal sought to subvert the Immaculate [Faith]." (Letter to Emperor Constantine IV, Patrologia Latina Volume 96, fol. 408)
https://books.google.com/books?id=Ij18R__FCysC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Archbishop Jaenberht Against Uncanonical Roman Encroachment

 

The 785 Synod of Caelchythe in England is sometime called the "Legatine Synod" because legates of Pope St. Adrian were called to preside [specifically Bishop Gregory of Ostia, and another Bishop, Theophylact]. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Jaenberht, and other Bishops, were, of course, present.

One issue that arose was what happened if the Church of Old Rome were to grant privileges to churches or sees which ran contrary to the Canons? The Fathers of Caelchythe stated the following in Canon 8:

"That ancient privileges conferred on churches by the holy Roman see be preserved. BUT if any have been granted contrary to the canonical institutes, in compliance with wicked men, LET THEM BE CANCELLED."
https://books.google.com/books?id=pdQGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA270&dq=That+ancient+privileges+conferred+on+churches+by+the+holy+Roman&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipo7XTuvjWAhVBbiYKHRrOC0wQ6AEIMTAC#v=onepage&q=That%20ancient%20privileges%20conferred%20on%20churches%20by%20the%20holy%20Roman&f=false

Dr. Overbeck on the Quoting of Fathers Without Context

 "Unfortunately it is impossible to the vast majority of Christians to control the testimony taken from the Fathers; and even the few who understand Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Armenian (the four chief languages in which the Fathers have written their works) have neither the time nor a mind to read through the voluminous works of the Fathers. Therefore it has become the fashion to consult some patristic supply-stores, collected by busy linguistic ants with little circumspection but with a strong denominational bias. These are the sources of the apparent stupendous learning of the bulk of theologians, who conscientiously propagate the mistakes and misprints of their text-books without taking the trouble of verifying the passages or of finding out their spuriousness or their interpolations. Again, the quotations of a Father is scarcely correctly understood if the Father himself, his place in history, his friends and foes, his studies and associations, his struggles and defeats or victories, his temptations and occasional falls, his religious life, his passions and virtues, and particularly the origin and drift of the work from which the quotation is taken are unknown to us." (Dr. J. J. Overbeck, from "A Plain View of the Claims of the Orthodox Catholic Church.")

From the Book of Cerne

 From the Book of Cerne [i.e. the personal prayer book of Bishop Aedeluald, in the early 9th century]

The Holy Prayer
O Lord God of Virtues, Possessor of Heaven and Earth, Master and Creator. O King of kings, and Lord of lords, Thou Who Art Exalted above all nations and Thy Glory above the Heavens; I commend my soul into the Hand of Thy Power, that Thou mightest guard it in days, nights, hours, and moments! O Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim! Intercede ye for me that I might be worthy to have eternal life! I beseech that I may come through words, through thoughts, through deed, O Lord Jesus Christ, hear Thou me, and have mercy on me, Thou Who Reignest unto the ages of ages. Amen.
https://books.google.com/books?id=rfU_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA139#v=onepage&q&f=false

St. Michael Frees a Soul from a Demon

 

The Holy Archangel Michael freeing a departed soul from the grasp of a demon. From f.104v of the Prayer Book of Archbishop Arnulf of Milan [+1018].

Angel Carries St. Ambrose to Heaven

 

An Angel carries St. Ambrose to Heaven.

[from the circa 840 AD Altar antependium in Milan]

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

 

O Holy Michael, Archangel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, thou who dost come unto the aid of the people of God! Assist me a sinner in the presence of the Highest Judge, that He may give me the forgiveness of my sins on account of His Great Mercy, and of His Great Loving-Kindnesses. Do thou hear me, O Holy Michael, calling upon thee, and help me, adoring the Majesty of God, and do thou cause to cease my weeping; by thy graces and intercessions make me pure from all my sins. Furthermore I beg thee, the bright and beautiful servant of the Highest Divinity, that on the last day thou mayest kindly receive my soul unto thy most holy bosom, and mayest thou lead it unto the place of refreshment, light, and peace; where the souls of the saints, with rejoicing and ineffable glory, look for the Future Judgment and the Joy of the Blessed Resurrection. Amen.

[MS. Arundel 155, fol. 188, "Eadui Psalter", circa 1012 AD; cf. Nunnaminster Winchester Prayerbook 8th / 9th Century]

St. John Maximovitch with French Orthodox Clergy

 

St. John Maximovitch sometime after the consecration of Bishop Jean-Nectaire in 1966, and St. John's repose on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), 1966. Presumably on a visit to France before St. John's return to the United States. In 1966 St. John Maximovitch and Bishop Theophil (ionescu) consecrated Bishop Jean-Nectaire [the Western Rite Orthodox Bishop shown in the photo].  St. John made a visit to France one last time before his repose; presumably, this is one of the last photos of his concelebration with the clergy in France.

Gregorian Chant in Old High German

 

An example from the late 9th or early 10th century, where they actually began to put Old High German to Gregorian Chant. While not the same as a full blown Old High German Divine Office or Mass, it does show you that this was not so closed a question as many of us [myself included] had originally thought:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of6uBetvjB4

Processions with Sacred Images in 10th Century Monastery of Cluny, France

 

The late 10^th century “Liber Tramitis”, describing the liturgical ordo of the great French monastery of Cluny speaks about the carrying of an icon of Our Lady holding Our Lord on the Feast of Purification [Hypapante]. They speak of a ‘tabula’, which is a flat board, on which, in this case, is painted Our Lady holding Our Lord. After the candles have been blessed before Mass, it says: 

The Cantor begins the Antiphon, 'A light for the revelation,' then he proceeds to say others when they gather, namely, "Hail, full of grace,' 'Do Thou adorn Thine Incense,' 'And he received.'  Also they [i.e. the monks] ought to receive the tabula to carry from the oratory, on which is depicted the image of Our Lord and His Mother.  For just as they venerate thus they are to return in order into the cloister, just as we explain thus [there follows an order of procession]..." [page 24] 

Likewise, in describing another processional, it states that on the Feast of the Apostles, the Procession is similar to that of the Nativity, except the special tabulam "wherein is affixed the image of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Mother" is not carried in procession on the FEasts of the Apostles. [page 87]   

However, on the Feast of the Assumption [Dormition] four senior monks in sacred orders carry minor relics and also they "accept the tabulam with the image of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Mother." [page 100]  

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Consuetudines_monasticae/mAg9AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

There certainly was liturgical usage for sacred images, specifically what we would clearly identify as flat-panel iconography [i.e. 'tabulam' means 'board', on which is depicted the Lord and His Mother], including veneration, in the Pre-Schism West.  Cluny was perhaps the largest and most prominent monastery in all of France, if not Western Europe in the 10th and early 11th centuries. 

 

Usage of Incense as described in the "Lost Work" of Amalarius of Metz

 

Amalarius of Metz, was a Bishop and liturgical commentator on the various Western Orthodoxritual ordines; he lived in the late 700s and mid 800s, reposing around 850. Dumbarton Oaks has published an English translation of his most well-know work in two volumes; however, here we are concerned with the "Lost Work" of Amalarius.

Amalarius is probably most famous [and controversial in his own lifetime] for his heavy allegorical interpretations of all rites and customs. However, for our purposes, it is not the allegorical interpretation that is of interest, but, the fact that he records the actual rites and customs, with good detail.

The Henry Bradshaw Society, most well-known for publishing early Western liturgical texts, has recently published the text, "A Lost Work by Amalarius of Metz: Interpolations in Salisbury, Cathedral Library, MS 154", as Volume 2 of their Subsidia series. It is from this we shall be taken excerpts.

Earliest Fragment from Anglo-Saxon Liturgical Book

 Some of the earliest fragments preserved from Anglo-Saxon liturgical books are contained in BNF LAt. 9488.

These are preserved in manuscripts from Echternach circa 700 AD; the Anglo-Saxon St. Wilibrord founded the Abbey in the late 698, and brought with him the liturgical books from England. So, there were either used by St. Wilibrord himself in celebrating Mass, or by some of his priests who were also monks.

The existing fragments conform to what is commonly called the "Old Gelasian" type Sacramentary [such as the Gellone text of 750 AD which is fully complete]. The text did not come from the Abbey, but are in an Insular handwriting style of the late 600s / early 700s.

They contain things like variable Prefaces, Secrets, Benedictiones, etc. The same type of variable order you see in the late Italian Leonine Sacramentary circa 650 [though, it can possibly be dated to the 500s].

Destruction of Ancient Spanish Churches by Muslims

 

What happened to all those many old Spanish churches built before the Islamic invasion of Iberia in 711, and even those built afterwards? Well, most of them were destroyed by Muhammad I of Cordoba upon becoming the Muslim ruler in 852. St. Eulogius of Cordoba (+859) explains:

"Though the prince's (Muhammad I's) fierce conspiracy against God's Flock was growing and he was afflicting Christians everywhere and with greater frequency even so not everyone was rushing to his rite [i.e. Islam] as part of a more widespread collapse as he thought they would. So he ordered churches of more recent construction to be destroyed, and commanded that whatever stood out in the way of new adornments on the old churches---that is, anything that had been added to the basic structure of the old churches during the time of the Arabs--be dismantled. Seizing this opportunity, the satraps of hell undermined the roofs of temples that had, in fact, been erected in the time of peace by the zeal and industry of our fathers, [thus destroying some] nearly three hundred years after their foundation."
[Chapter 3, Book III, Memorial Sanctorum, by St. Eulogius of Cordoba]

Bishop Ecclesius of Ravenna

 From the early 6th century apse mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna; beside the Angel is shown Bishop Ecclesius of Ravenna (+532). He is shown holding a small church with an Angel helping.

In terms of episcopal vestments the mosaic provides pictorial confirmation of the written records at the time. Bishop Ecclesius' vestments are also easily recognizable; he is wearing the old-style full conical chasuble with a simple pallium / omophor over it; if you look at bottom, where his chasuble ends, you can see the pontifical dalmatic showing, and then below that the two ends of the priestly stole are visible, and then the white alb.

St. Columba of Cordoba on Slander and Idle Tales

 The Holy Virgin-Martyr Columba of Cordoba (+853) on why she never listened to slander and idle tales:

"I know the wiles of the demons and I know the insolence of men, who sometimes attack with the scorn of their maledictions someone whom God Omnipotent regards as being approved by most worthy merits. Many things approved and sanctified by Divine Consideration are condemned by human judgment. Frequently men transgress against Divine Meaning with their own opinions when they are ignorant of the merits by virtue of which someone stands in His Presence. They praise him as worthy or they defame him as reprehensible, as if they have knowledge of hidden things; certainly they would judge themselves to be innocent if they were to turn their attention to themselves. If they considered the size and type of burden to which any given person may be subject or what may have been destined for the one accused, by no means would they so culpably argue about things they do not know. Some do these things so that the Divine Censure that was formerly brought against us may be truly confirmed, the One that says: 'Attend, and hearken; no man speaketh what is good, there is none that doth penance for his sin, saying: What have I done?' [Jer. 86] They who, ignoring the beam of their own sin, remain anxious about other peoples' motes, [Matt. 7:3] accept as true and by no means unbelievable that which they have gathered from the most trivial whisper."
[From the "Life" of St. Columba of Cordoba, as recorded by the Holy Martyr Eulgoius of Cordoba (+857), in "Memoriale Sanctorum", Book III, Chapter 10, section 5]

Letter of the German Bishops Against Hildebrand ['Gregory VII']

 

Letter of the Bishops to Gregory VII., Jan. 24, 1076.

We, Siegfried archbishop of Mainz, Udo of Treves, William of Utrecht, Herrman of Metz, Henry of Laudun, Ricbert of Verdun, Bibo of Touts, Hozemann of Spires, Burkhard of Halberstadt, Werner of Strasburg, Burkhard of Basel, Otto of Constance, Adalbero of Wurzburg, Rodbert of Bamberg, Otto of Ratisbon, Ellinard of Frising, Odalric Of Eichstadt, Frederick of Munster, Eilbert of Minden, Hezil of Hildesheim, Benno of Osnabruck, Eppo of Naples. Imadus of Paderborn, Tiedo of Brandenburg, Burkhard of Ijausanne, Bruno of Verona: to brother Hildebrand.

Bishop Ulrich of Imola's "Apology (Defense) of the Married Clergy)

 

Apology of the married clergy

a real letter from XI century

by Ulrich, Bishop of Imola

________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND THE LETTER

We know very few things concerning the author of this letter-apology. Ulrich was bishop of Imola (near Ravenna, Italy) from 1053 to 1074, year of his death. In AD 1059 the bishop wrote this letter to Pope Nicholas II, in order to defend his married clergy from the new pro-celibate reforms in the breast of the Roman Church. The epistle's style is redundant and rethoric, typical of some Patristics. In the letter many public people are called to remembrance but without their name, perhaps to not scandalize the Pope, or maybe for they were already well known to the corrispondent.

ULRICH - BY GOD'S GRACE BISHOP OF IMOLA

TO HIS HOLYNESS NICHOLAS THE SECOND, POPE OF OLD ROME

Me, Ulrich, bishop by name, son in love but servant in fear, to the guardian of the Roman See.

As I Had found no sense of the measure, oh father and lord, in your decrees on the continence of clerics, which had recently come to me, fear and sadness troubled me a single feeling. Fear, since it is written: "the opinion of those who command, both right and wrong, must be respected" (St. Gregory the Great, Homily in Evang., II 26,6). In fact, I was worried for those who find it difficult to stick to the Scriptures, because they, who barely obey a just prescription, once they have transgressed the unjust - an oppressive, indeed intolerable disposition of their pastor - would no longer feel bound from the commandments. I was sad and in pain as I thought how much the members needed their head, invalidated by such a large body. What is more serious, what is more worthy of the compassion of the whole Church than you, bishop of the highest See, which is called to herd everyone, you have lost the sense of moderation (1)? And not just from this you have deviated, when you wanted to force the clerics to abandon the marriage with a certain violence, while you should have only exhorted them. Is it not, in the judgment of all the masters of the faith, violence that compels us to obey arbitrary decisions, taken against the gospel rule and the teaching of the Holy Spirit? Since there are plenty of examples of the Old and New Testaments in favor of moderation, you know, after all, and I beg your paternity of not bothering to have anyone mentioned in these pages.

Inventor Rutili and Mild Punishments

 

From St. Prudentius of Tarragona's (+413) hymn "Inventor Rutili"

"And the guilty spirits too, in their crowds often have holiday from punishment in hell, on the night on which the Holy God returned to the world of men from the waters of Acheron, not like the morning star when it rises from ocean and first tinges the darkness with its shining torch, but a greater than the sun, restoring new day to a world saddened by the Cross of its Lord. Hell's force abates, it punishments are mild, and the people of the dead, set free from the fires, rejoices in the relaxation of its imprisonment, nor do the sulphurous rivers boil as hot as they are wont."
https://archive.org/details/prudentiuswithen01pruduoft/page/46/mode/2up

In other medieval texts, such as the "Voyage of St. Brendan" (+900AD), the idea is expressed that on the night of Holy Saturday evening (which would be the beginning of Pascha), the souls in punishment in lower Hades are given some relief, if only temporarily.

We sing this Hymn, "Inventor Rutili" on Holy Saturday night, but, in all, or most, versions of the rite I have seen, these sections were omitted from the chant in the medieval period, and only certain ones sung. The entirety of the Hymn is rather long, especially with the refrain stanzas of "Inventor Rutili".

Baptismal Prayers in Ancient Sacramentaries

 

After someone is Baptized by Triple Immersion in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, the Priest proceeds to anoint the newly baptized on the top [crown] of the head with Holy Chrism, saying:

“God Almighty, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath regenerate thee by water and the Holy Ghost, and Who hath granted thee remission of all thy sins, it is He that anointeth thee with the Chrism of salvation in the Same His Son Our Lord Jesus Christ, unto life everlasting. Amen.”

In the 5th century treatise “De Sacramentis”, traditionally attributed to St. Ambrose [though, nowadays, attributed to the mysterious figure known as “Ambrosiaster”], the following is said likewise:

“Therefore thou didst dip, thou camest to the priest. What did he say to thee? ‘God the Father Almighty,’ he saith, ‘Who hath regenerated thee by water and the Holy Ghost, and hath forgiven thee they sins, Himself anoint thee unto eternal life.’ See whereunto thou art anointed; ‘unto eternal life,’ he said. Do not set this life before that life. For example, if any foe arise, if he wishes to take away thy faith, if he threatens death to make some one transgress, see what thou choosest. Do not choose that wherein thou wast not anointed, but choose that wherein thou was anointed, so as to prefer eternal life to temporal life, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.” [De Sacramentis, Chapter 7, sec. 24]

Reading through the “De Mysteriis” of St. Ambrose, and the “De Sacramentis” of Ambrosiaster, we can see that the texts and prayers of our ancient Baptismal rite are relatively unchanged.

Georgian Variant of Liturgy of St. Peter

 

A Latin version of the 10th / 11th century Georgian version of the Canon of the Mass [among other things]; such as it was adapted for Georgian usage:

There are some noticeable differences in wording in the Canon.  The Liturgy of St. Peter was an adaptation of the Western Roman Mass to an Eastern liturgical format; St. Euthymius of the Holy Mountain states that the Liturgies of St. James was once used in Greece, but, he also gives a mention of the Liturgy of St. Peter:

"The Liturgy of St. James is indeed the true one which was first used in Greece and also in our churches.  When St. Basil and blessed John Chrysostom composed liturgies, people chose them because they were short and thus forgot St. James.  Now all celebrate the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom and the Liturgy of St. Basil during the Great Lent, but all those who wish to celebrate the Liturgies of St. James and St. Peter are completely right to do so." 

You can find a translation of the Greek variant here. 

Filioque in St. Isidore of Seville's "Etymologiae"

 http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/isidore/7.shtml

One interesting argument used by von Zoernikav, is that, in many manuscripts of St. Isidore of Seville's "Etymologiae", in Book VII, Ch. 3, "De Spiritu Sancto", there is an incongruence at the very beginning.

The text in many printed editions states:

"Spiritus Sanctus ideo praedicatur Deus, quia ex Patre Filioque Procedit, et Substantiam Eius habet."

http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/isidore/7.shtml

However, in much later manuscripts and texts, scribes attempt to replace "eius" with "eorum". The reason is obvious, the text as above literally states:

"And so the Holy Ghost is proclaimed God, for from the Father 'and Son' He Proceeds, and He has His Substance,"

Von Zoernikav's argument is that the original text simply read: "Spiritus Sanctus ideo praedicatur Deus, quia ex Patre Procedit, et Substantiam Eius Habet."

Later text try to say "eorum" or "et substantiam eorum habet", that is, "and He has Their Substance."

"Eius" is genitive singular, while "eorum" is genitive plural. We have seen things like this before; an interpolation enters the manuscript, and this corruption does not fit with the rest of the text. We see something similar in "Inter Personarum" in St. Isidore's "Liber Differentiis", where it is clear from earlier and late mansucripts that the "Filioque" was interpolated into the texts.

Of course, one would have to have access to the absolute earliest manuscripts, which can be an issue with the Etymologies.

11th Century Mainz Manuscript Credo without Filioque

One of the important areas of study in Church History that many have taken an interest in [myself included] is that involving early Latin liturgical manuscript, particularly of the first 1000 or so years.  One area of study is the exact text of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Symbol of Faith [or "Mass Creed" as the Old English would have called it].  For example, how and when did the infamous "Filioque" interpolation find itself into it?  

One can also find an un-interpolated Credo in the 8th Century Salaberga Psalter; however, thanks to the article "Confessing the Faith in Anglo-Saxon England," by Miranda Wilcox, published by the University of Illinois Press, contained in the Journal of English and Germanic Philology, Vol. 113, No. 3 (July 2014), pp. 308-341, I was able to access an easily available listing of Latin manuscripts of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of Anglo-Saxon provenance [i.e. they were either made in England, or by English scribes].