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 PASCHAL

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PASCHAL

Buburbicirian churchos of Homo, although the men- tion of this fait is only founil in tlie second edition of the "Liber rontiticalis". Mgr Duelicsne urges that this institution has left no trace in the earliest purely Roman Ordines, such as the Einsiedcln Ordo and that of Saint-Amand; but these speak of two faculm (torches) which were carried to the font before the pope and were plunged into the water as is now done with the paschal candle. The question of size or num- ber does not seem to be very vital. The earliest coun- cil which speaks upon the subject, viz., the Fourth of Toledo (\. D. 63.3, cap. ix), seems to couple together the blessing of the lucerna and ccreus as of equal im- portance and seems also to connect them both sym- bolically with some sacramentiim, i. e. mystery of bap- tismal illumination and with the Resurrection of Christ. And undoubtedly the paschal candle must have de- rived its origin from the splendours of the celebration of Easter Eve in the early Christian centuries. As pointed out in the article Holy Week, our present morning service on Holy Saturday can be shown to represent by anticipation a service which in primitive times took place late in the evening, and which cul- minated in the blessing of the font and the baptism of the catechumens, followed immediately by Mass shortly after midnight on Easter morning. Already in the time of Constantine we are told by Eusebius (De Vita Constantini, IV, xxii) that the emperor "trans- formed the night of the sacred vigil into the brilliancy of day, by lighting throughout the whole city pillars of wax (xr/poC Klovas), while burning lamps illuminated everj' part, so that this mystic vigil was rendered brighter than the brightest daylight". Other Fathers, like St. Gregory Nazianzus and St. Gregory of Nyssa, also give vivid descriptions of the illumination of the Easter vigil, p'urther, it is certain, from evidence that stretches back as far as TertuUian and Justin Martyr, that upon this Easter eve the catechumens were baptized and that this ceremony of baptism was spoken of as (puTi<r/ios, i. e., illumination. Indeed, it seems highly probable that this is already referred to in Heb., x, 22, where the words "being illuminated" seem to be used in the sense of being baptized (cf. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Cat. i, n. 15). Whether con- sciously designed for that purpose or not, the paschal candle tiT^ified Je.sus Christ, "the true light which en- lighteneth every man that cometh into this world", surrounded by His illuminated, i. e. newly baptized disciples, each holding a smaller light. In the virgin wax a later symbolism recognized the most pure flesh which Christ derived from His blessed Mother, in the wick the human soul of Christ, and in the flame the divinity of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Moreover, the five grains of incense set cross-wise in the candle recalled the sacred wounds retained in Christ's glorified body, and the lighting of the candle with new fire itself served as a lively image of the resurrection.

Of the practice of medieval and later times regard- ing the paschal candle much might be said. We learn on the authority of Bede, speaking of the year 701, that it was usual in Rome to inscribe the date and other particulars of the calendar either upon the can- dle itself or on a parchment affixed to it. Further, in many Italian biisilicas the paschal candlestick was a marble construction which was a permanent adjunct of the ambo or pulpit. Several of these still survive, as in San Lorenzo fuori della mura at Rome. Naturally the medieval t<Tidency was to glorify the paschal can- dle by making it bigger and bigger. At Durham we are told of a magnificent erection with dragons and ehielrl.s and seven branches, which wiissobig that it had to stanci in the centre of the choir. The Sarum Pro- cessional of l.'jl? directs that the pa-schal candle, no doubt that of Salisbury cathedral, is to be thirly-six feet in height, while we learn from Machyn's diaryt hat in 1.5.5H, under Queen Mary, three hundred weight of

wax was used for the paschal candle of Westminster Abbey. In England these great candles, after they had been used for the last time in blessing the font on Whitsun Eve, were generally melted down and made into tapers to be used gratuitously at the funerals of the poor (see Wilkins, "Concilia", I, 571, and II, 298). At Rome the Agnus Deis (q. v.) were made out of the remains of the paschal candles, and Mgr Duchesne seems to regard these consecrated discs of wax as likely to be even older than the paschal candle itself. Berli^re in Messager des Fidiles (Maredsoua. 1888), 107 sqq.; MuHLBAUER. Geschichte und Bedeutung der Wachstichter bei den hirch. Funktionen, 184 sqq.; Morin in Revue BhiHxctine (Mared- sous. Jan., 1891. and Sept., 1892); Idem in Rassegna Gregoriana, II (Rome. 1903), 193-194; Mercati in Studi e Tesli, No. XII (Rome, 1904), 24-43, where is also printed an Hispano-Visigothio formula of the Pra-conium Paschate belonging to the seventh cen- tur>". Cabrol, Le Livre de la Priire Antique (Paris, 1902) ; Thcrs- TON in The Month (London), April, 1896; Idem. Levt and Haly Week (London, 1904); MartI:ne, De antiquis ecclesia: rilibus, IV, xxiv.

Herbert Thurston.

Paschal Controversy. See Easter Contro- versy.

Paschal Cycle. See Calendar, Christian;

Easter.

Paschal Lamb. See Lamb.

Paschal Precept. See Commandments op the Church.

Paschal Tide. — I. Liturgical Aspect. The fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are called by the older liturgists "Quinquagesima paschalis" or "Quin. lajtitia"". The octave of Easter which closes after Saturday has its own peculiar Office (see Eas- ter). Since this octave is part and complement of the Easter Solemnity, Paschal Tide in the liturgical books commences with the First Vespers of Low Sun- day and ends before the First Vespers of Trinity Sun- day. On Easter Sunday the .Vrmenian Church keeps the Commemoration of .\11 the Faithful Departed and on Saturday of Easter Week the Decollation of St. John. The Greek Church on Friday of Easter Week celebrates the feast of Our Lady, the Living Fountain (shrine at Constantinople).

The Sundays from Easter to Ascension Day, besides being called the First, Second (etc.) Sunday after Easter, have their own peculiar titles. The first is the "Dominica in albis", or Low .Sunday (see Low Sunday). In the Dioceses of Portugal and Brazil (al.so in the province of St. Louis, Mo.) on the Monday after Lo%v Sunday is celebrated the feast of the Joys or Exultation of Mary at the Resurrection of her Son (double of the second class). The Russians, on Tues- day of this week, go in procession to the cemeteries and place Easter eggs on the graves (Maltzew, "Fas- ten- und Blumen- Triodion" (Beriin, 1899), 791]. In the Latin Church the second Sunday is called from its Gospel the Sunday of the Good Shepherd and from the Introit " Misericordias Domini"; in many dioceses (Seville, Capuchins) it is called the feast of Our Lady, Mother of the Good Shepherd (d. 2nd cl.) ; at Jerusalem and in the churches of the Franciscans it is called the feast of the Holy Sepulchre of Christ; in the Greek Church it is called Wi- Mvpokpuv (Sunday of the women who brought ointments to the sepulchre of Christ) ; the Armenians celebrate on this Sunday the dedication of the first Christian church on Mount Sion. The third Sunday is called from the Introit "Jubilate" and the Latin Church has assigned to it the feiist of the Patronage of St. Joseph (d. 2nd cl.); the Greeks call it the Sunday of the Paralytic, from its Gospel. The Oriental Churches on Wednesday after the third Sunday celebrate with a very solemn Office and an octave the MeaoireprtKoaT-fi, the com- pletion of the first half of Paschal Tide; it is the feast of the manifestation of the Messiah, the victoiy of Christ and the Church over Judaism ["Zeitschnft