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order and main substance of the liturgy of Milan were derived from Rome, when the Christian church was first planted in the north of Italy.

It seems that the church of Milan adopted most of the improvements and additions gradually made in the Roman liturgy up to the time of Gregory. During the same period several peculiarities of small moment were probably introduced by the bishops of Milan also. In the time of Gregory, the church of Milan did not adopt the chief alteration made by him, which alteration in fact we know was objected to by other churches, as, for instance, by the Sicilians. From that time (if not previously) the liturgy of Milan began to be considered a peculiar rite; and as the Romans gave their sacramentary the names of Gelasius and Gregory, so the Milanese gave theirs the name of Ambrose; who, in fact, may have composed some parts of it. After the time of Gregory, the Milan liturgy doubtless received several additions, such as the oblation after the offertory, the ablution of hands, the Nicene creed, and latterly the second oblation in the canon. The church of Milan has, however, preserved many most ancient rites, not only in the liturgy, but in various parts of the ritual and offices. The ancient Italic version of the Psalter, used in the west before the time of Jerome, is still retained in use by this church. The same version is also found in all the Prophets, Epistles, and Gospels read in the Milan liturgy".

No one has yet attempted to furnish an authentic edition of the ancient sacramentary of Milan from

not ordained by the bishops of Rome, nor under their jurisdiction.

u Bona, Rer. Lit. lib. i. c. x. p. 67.

a collation of MSS.; but the documents which have been published establish satisfactorily the order of the variable prayers, and the text of the canon, which is all we need in examining the liturgy.

Joseph Vicecomes, doctor of theology at Milan, attempted to trace back the Ambrosian or Milan liturgy to the apostolic age. He ascribes its origin to St. Barnabas, who, he says, first preached the Gospel at Milan'; but this theory is altogether destitute of proof. He observes also, most incorrectly, that the liturgy of Milan scarcely agrees in any respect with those of other nations, or with the Roman". Bona makes some observations on the liturgy of Milan, but does not attempt to explain its original derivation. What I have said in this section may perhaps tend in some degree to the elucidation of the liturgy of Milan, which has not yet (as far as I know) been attempted. Before I conclude, I must notice the liturgy of the church of Aquileia, which was the principal church in the provinces of Venetia and Istria in the north of Italy, but in early times was subject to the archbishop of Milan. This church and others adjoining, as Forum Julii, had formerly peculiar rites, which were supplanted by the modern Roman about A. D. 1596. There are MSS. of this liturgy of various ages in existence; one is of the eleventh century, and apparently is the same as the ancient Roman liturgy.

De Miss Ritibus, lib. i. p. 171. c. xi. xii. Milan, 1615.

w" Nec fere quicquam in eo reperies, quod cum aliarum gentium ordinibus nedum cum Romano conveniat." Cap. xii.

* Rer. Lit. lib. i. c. 10.

y For further information on this subject, see Zaccaria Biblioth. Ritualis, tom. i. p. 65,

&c.

In fact, it seems that the same liturgy prevailed throughout the whole of Italy and Sicily during the primitive ages. There is no record of any material difference between the rites of these churches.

SECTION VIII

LITURGY OF AFRICA,

I now enter on the consideration of the rites used by the churches of Africa, the civil diocese of which comprised the provinces of Africa Proconsularis, Byzacium, Numidia, Tripolis, and the two Mauritanias. These churches, once conspicuous in the Christian world, adorned with the piety and learning of illustrious Fathers, and ruled by nearly five hundred bishops, have long ceased to exist. Weakened by unhappy schisms, they were unable to bear up against the tide of Mahommedan infidelity, which in the seventh and eighth centuries threatened to overwhelm the world. No monument of the African liturgy remains: we must be content, therefore, to seek for its relics amongst the writings of those Fathers who lived in Africa.

In perusing many works relating to the primitive liturgy and offices of the Roman church, it has appeared to me, that the most valuable allusions to Roman customs are almost always found in the writings of African Fathers; and it is remarkable that they profess in those places to describe the rites of their own churches, and not those of the Roman. I have thence been inclined to conjecture that the African rites were generally the same as the Roman; and in fact there is no sort of difficulty in supposing that Christianity and religious rites came from Rome to Africa. The geographical position of Africa, separated by deserts from Egypt and the East, renders it more probable that Christianity

a Bingham, book ix. c. 2. §. 5.

should have come from the apostolical church of Rome than from any other quarter. Spain and Gaul were probably not converted to Christianity before Africa, therefore it is not likely that they sent missionaries to that country.

The Roman liturgy differed from those of Antioch, Cæsarea, Constantinople, Alexandria, and all the East, and from those of Gaul and Spain in the West, in directing the kiss of peace to be given after the consecration was finished. The only liturgy now remaining which agrees in this respect with the Roman, is that of Milan, which was evidently derived originally from it. The ancient African also agreed with the Roman from the earliest period, in placing the kiss of peace after consecration, as we learn from Tertullian and Augustine. This similarity in so remarkable a point, renders it highly probable that we may find further signs of conformity between these two liturgies; and if it should appear that all the accounts we have of the African liturgy, harmonize with the opinion that it was originally the same as the Roman, we may fairly conclude that such an opinion is correct.

Augustine says, that about his time the custom of singing anthems from the book of Psalms before the liturgy began at Carthaged. We find that Co

b" Habita oratione cum fratribus, subtrahunt osculum pacis quod est signaculum orationis. Quale sacrificium est a quo sine pace receditur." Lib. de Orat. c. xiv. p. 134, 135. ed. Rigalt. Paris. 1664.

c" Ecce ubi est peracta sanctificatio dicimus orationem Dominicam quam accepistis et

reddidistis. Post ipsam dicitur
Pax vobiscum, et osculant se
Christiani in osculo sancto."
August. Serm. 227. in die
Paschæ, p. 974. tom. v. oper.
Benedict.

d" Hilarius quidam-nescio unde adversus Dei ministros, ut fieri assolet irritatus, morem qui tunc esse apud Car

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