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Christ spoke in the Gospel" (Baudot, op. cit., 51). This custom became gradually universal, as is shown by the formuliT that accompany the tradition of the Gospel-book at the deacon's ordination (the eleventh century Visigothic "Liber ordinum" has the form: "Ecce evangelium Christi, accipe, ex quo annunties bonam gratiam fidei populo ", Baudot, p. 52). An ex- ception that lasted through the Middle Ages was that at Christmas the emperor, dressed in a rochet and stole, sang the midnight Gospel: "Exiit edictum a Ctesare Augusto" etc. (Mabillon, "Musaeum italicum", I, 256 sq.). Another mark of respect was that every- one stood to hear the Gospel, bareheaded, in the atti- tude of a servant receiving his master's orders (.\post. Const., II, 57, and Pope Anastasius I, 399-401, in the "Lib. Pontif."). Sozomenos (H. E., VII, 19) is in- dignant that the Patriarch of Alexandria sate ("a new and insolent practice"). The Grand Ma.sters of the Knights of St. John drew their swords while the Gos- pel was read. This custom seems still to be observed by some great noblemen in Poland. If any one has a stick in his hand he is to lay it down (Baudot, 116), but the bishop holds his crosier (see below). The Gospel was sung from the a m b o {ifipuv), a pulpit generally half- way down the church, from which it could be best heard by every one (Cabrol, Diet. d'arch^'ol. chret. et de litur- gie, Paris, 1907, s.v. " Ambon ", 1, 1330-47). Often there were two

ambos: one for ' ~ Original in the Schat;

the other lessons,

on the left (looking from the altar) ; the other, for the Gospel, on the right. From here the deacon faced south, as the "Ordo Rom. 11" says (Mabillon, Mu- saeum italic, II, 46), noting that the men generally gatherthere. Later, when the ambo had disappeared, the deacon turned to the north. Micrologus (De missa, ix) notices this and explains it as an imitation of the celebrant's position at the altar at low Mass — one of the ways in which that service has reacted on to high Mass. The Byzantine Church still commands the deacon to sing the Gospel from the ambo (e. g. Brightman, op. cit., 372), though with them, too, it has generally become only a theoretical place in the middle of the floor. The deacon first asked the blessing of the bishop (or celebrant) then went to the ambo with the book, in procession, accompanied by lights and in- cense. Germanus of Paris (d. 576) mentions this (Ep. 1, P. L., LXXII, 91; cf. Durandus, "Ration.", IV, 24). See the ceremonies in the "Ordo Rom. I", 11, and "Ordo Rom. II", which are almost exactly ours. Meanwhile the Gradual was sung (see Gr.\dual). The "Dominus vobiscum" at the beginning, the announce- ment of the Gospel ("Sequentia sancti Evangelii" etc.), and the answer, "Gloria tibi Domine", are also mentioned by the sixth-century Germanus (loc. cit.). At the end of the Gospel the people answered, " .\men ", or "DeoGratias", or "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini" (Durandus, "Rationale", IV, 24; Beleth, "Rationale", XXXIX; St. Benedict's Rule, XI). Our present answer, "Laus tibi Christe", seems to be a later one (Gihr, "Messopfer", 444). The elaborate care taken to decorate the book of the Gospels throughout the Middle Ages was also a sign of respect

for its contents ; St. Jerome speaks of this (Ep. xxii, 32). In a collection of manuscripts the Evangelia- ria nearl)' always stand out from the rest by their special sumptuousness. They are not uncommonly written in gold and silver letters on vellum stained purple — the extreme limit of medieval splendour. The bindings, too, are nearly alwajs adorned with special care. It is on Gospel books that one generally sees ivory carvings, metal-work, jewellery, enamel, sometimes relics. (For descriptions see Baudot, op. cit., 58-69.) The same tradition continues in the East. Allowing for doubtful modern taste in Greece, Russia, Syria, etc., the Er;o77Aioi' is still the handsom- est book, often the hand.somest object in a church. When it is not in use it generally displays the enamels of its cover on a desk outside the Iconostasis. To kiss the book was always from early times a sign of respect. This was done at one time not only by the celebrant and deacon, but by all the people present ("Ordo Rom. II ", 8). Honorius III (1216-27) forbade this; but the book is still kissed by any high prelates who may be present (Ca>rim. episc, I, 30; Gihr, op. cit., 445). For this and similar cere- monies see Bau- dot (op. cit., 110- 19). When the ambo disappeared in the West the sub-deacon held the book while the Gospel was sung by the dea- con. He also car- ried it first to lay it on the altar ( A m a I a r i u s of Metz: "De. Eccl. offic", P. L., CV, 1112; Durandus, loc. cit.). The dea- con made the sign of the cross first on the book and then on him- self — taking a blessing from the book (" Ordo Rom. I", 11, "ut sigilletur"; Durandus, loc. cit., etc.; Beleth, XXXIX). The meaning of all these marks of rever- ence is that the Gospel-book, which contains Christ's words, was taken as a sj-mbol of Christ himself. It was sometimes carried in the place of honour in vari- ous processions (Beissel, op. cit., 4); something of the same idea underlay the practice of putting it on a throne or altar in the middle of the synods (Baudot, 109-110. During provincial and general synods the Gospel is to be sung at each session. — Ccer. Episc. I, xx.xi, 16), and the superstitious abuses that afterwards developed, in which it was used for magic (ibid., 118; Catalani, "de codice S. Evangelii", III, see below). The Byzantine Church has developed the ceremony of carrying the Evangelion to the ambo into the elabor- ate rite of the "Little Entrance" (Fortescue, "Divine Liturgy of St. John Chry.sostom", London, 1908, 68- 74), and all the other Eastern Churches have simi- lar stately ceremonies at this point of the Liturgy (Brightman, op. cit., for each rite). Another special practice that may be noticed here is that at a papal high Mass the Gospel (and the Epistle too) is read in Latin and Greek. This is already noticed by the first Roman Ordo (40). At Constantinople the Patriarch, on Easter Day, reads the Gospel in Greek, and it is then read by other persons (o! i!i7ioi opx"/)"') in vari- ous languages ("Tj-pikon" for that day, ed, Athens, 1908, pp. 368, .372, Nilles, " Kal. man.'', II, 314-15). The same thing is done again at the Hesperinos. The little Synopsis (SiJvoi/'tj iepd) of Constantinople (1883) gives this Gospel of the Hesperinos (John, xx, 19-25)