Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 6.djvu/740

 GOSPEL

662

OOSPEL

in Greek (with two poetic versions, hexameter and iambic), Slavonic, Bulgarian, Albanian, Latin, Ital- ian, French, English, Arabic, Turkish, and Armenian (all in Greek characters, pp. (334-73). The same cus- tom is observed in Russia (Prince Max of Saxony, " Praelectiones de liturgiis orientalibus", Freiburg im Br., 1908, I, 116-17), where the Gospel of the Liturgy (John, i) is read in Slavonic, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

IV. Present Ceremony of the Gospel. — Except for the disappearance of the anibo, the rules of the Rubrics in the Missal (Rubr. gen.,X, 6; Ritus eel., VI, 5) are still almost exactly those we have seen ob- served in the Roman Rite since the seventh or eighth centuries. After the Epistle the deacon puts the Gospel book in the middle of the altar (while the celebrant reads his Gospel from the Missal). Liturgical editors publish books containing the Epistles and Gospels, otherwise a second Missal is used (the subdeacon has already chanted the Epistle from the same book). Tlie celebrant then puts incense into the thurible and blesses it as usual. The subdeacon goes down and waits below, before the middle of the altar. The deacon kneeling by the celebrant just behind him at his right says the "Munda cor meum". Then, rising and taking the book, he kneels with it before the cele- brant (turning towards the north) and says "Jube domne benedicere". Juhe with an infinitive is a com- mon late Latin way of expressing a polite imperative (Ducange-Maigne d'Arnis, "Lexicon manuale", ed. Migne, Paris, 1890, s. v., col. 1235). Domnus is a medieval form instead of dominus, which got to be looked upon as a Divine title (so in Greek, Kvp and KiJ/ais for Kiipios). The celebrant blesses him with the form in the Missal (Dominus sit in corde tuo . . . ) and the sign of the cross; he kisses the celebrant's hand laid on the Missal. The celebrant goes to the Epistle side, where he waits; he turns roimd towards the deacon when the Gospel begins. The deacon, holding the book lifted up with both hands, comes down to the subdeacon 's side; they make the usual reverence to the altar, and the procession starts. The thurifer goes first with incense, then two acolytes, then the deacon and subdeacon side by side, the deacon on the right. We have seen the antiquity of lights and in- cense at the Gospel. All this time, of course, the Gradual is being sung. The procession arrives at the place that represents the old ambo. It is still to the right of the altar (north side), but now inside the sanctuary, so that, except in very large churches, there is hardly any way to go; often the old procession to the ambo (the Latin "little entrance") is represented only b}' an awkward turning round. Arrived at the place, the deacon and subdeacon face each other, the subdeacon receives the book and holds it up open be- fore him. Originally the subdeacon (two are required by the "Ordo Rom. I", II, one as thurifer) accom- panied the deacon up into the ambo, helped him find his place in the book, and then stood back behind him by the steps. At Milan, where the ambo is still used, this is still done.

In the Roman Rite the subdeacon himself takes the place of the desk of the ambo. But the " Ca>rimoniale Episcoporum" still allows the use of "legilia vel am- bones" if there be any in the church. In that case the subdeacon is to stand behind the desk or at the dea- con's right and to turn over the pages if necessary (II, viii, 45). There is a difficulty about the way they stand. The " Ritus celebrandi" says that the deacon is to stand "contra altare versus populum" (VI, 5). This must mean looking down the church. On the other hand the "Ca>rim. Episcoporum" (II, viii, 44) says that the subdeacon stands "vertens renes non quideiii altari, sed versus ipsam partem dexteram quae pro aquilone figuratur". This means the way in which they always stand now; namely, the deacon looks north or slightly north-east (supposing the church to

be properly orientated) ; the book is in the same di- rection as the Missal for the Gospel at low Ma.ss. The acolytes stand on cither side of tlie .sulideacon, the tluu'ifer at the ileacon's right. The deacon, jiinctis ?nanihiis, sings "Dominus vobiscum" (answered by the choir as usual), then, making the sign of the cross with the right thumb on the book (the cross marked at these words in the Missal is put there to show the place) and signing himself on forehead, lips, and breast, he sings "Sequentia [or Initium] sancti Evan- gelii secundum N ..." It appears that segue/i/i'n is a neuter plural (Gihr, op. cit., 438, n. 3). While the choir answers, "Gloria tibi Domine", he incenses the book three times, in the middle, to its right, and left, bowing before and after. He gives the tluuible back and sings the text of the Gospel straight through. He bows at the Holy Name, if it occur, and sometimes (on the Epiphany, at the tliird Christmas Mass, etc.) genu- flects (towards the book). The tones for the Gospel are given at the end of the new (Vatican) Missal. The normal one is a recitative on do falling to la four sylla- bles before the end of each phra.se, with the cadence si, la, si, si-do for questions, and a scandicus la, si (quilisma), do before the end. Two others, more or- namented, are now added ad lihituni. The celebrant, standing at the Epistle side, looking towards the deacon, hears the Gospel and bows or genuflects with him, but towards the altar. When the Gospel is over the subdeacon brings him the book to kiss, he sa3's: "Per evangelica dicta", and he is incensed by the deacon. The Mass then continues. We have noted that the only other persons now allowed to kiss the book are the ordinary, if he be present, and other prel- ates above him in rank (Cier. Episcop., I, xxx, 1, 3). A bishop celebrating in his own diocese reads his Gospel sitting on his throne, and hears it standing there, holding his crosier with both hands (Car. Epis- cop., II, viii, 41, 46). In this case no one else is ever to kiss the book (ibid., I, xxix, 9).

In low Mass the ceremonies for the Gospel arc, as usual, merel}' an abridgment and simplifying of those for high Mass. When the celebrant has finished read- ing the Gradual he says the "Munda cor meum", etc., in the middle of the altar (he says, "Jube Domine benedicere", because he is addressing God). Mean- while the server brings the Missal to the north side (this is only an imitation of the deacon's place at high Mass). With the book turned slightly towards the people, the priest reads the Gospel with the same cere- monies (except, of course, for the incense) and kisses it at the end.

V. The Last Gospel. — The Gospel read at the end of Mass is a late development. Originally (till aboutthe twelfth centurj') the service ended with the words that still imply that, " Ite missa est". The prayer " Placeat tibi", the blessing, and the last Gospel are all private devotions that have been gradually absorbed by the liturgical service. The beginning of St. John's Gospel (I, 1-14) was much used as an object of special devotion throughout the Middle Ages. It was sometimes read at children's baptism or at extreme unction (Benedict XIV, "De SS. MLssse sacrif. ", II, xxiv, 8). There are curious cases of its use for various superstitious prac- tices, written on amulets and charms. It then began to be recited by priests as part of their prayers after Mass. A trace of this is still left in the "Ca-rimoniale Episcoporum", which directs that a bishop at the end of his Mass shall begin the last Gospel at the altar and continue it (by heart) as he goes away to take off the vestments. It will also be noted that it is still not printed in the Ordinary of the Mass, though of course the rubric about it is there, and it will be found in the third Christmas Mass. By the thirteenth century it was sometimes said at the altar. But Durandus still supposes the Mass to be finished by the " Ite missa est " (Rationale, IV, ,'>7); he adds the "Placeat" and bless- ing as a sort of supplement, and then goes on at once to