The first part of the
Eucharistic prayers (Anaphora or Canon) in all rites, now separated
from the rest by the singing of the "Sanctus". HISTORY. -- According to
the idea of thanksgiving which, after the example of the Last Supper
(Matthew 26:27; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:17, 19; 1 Corinthians 11:24). forms
a fundamental element of the Eucharistic service, all liturgies begin
the Anaphora, the consecration-prayer, by thanking God for His
benefits. Almost every account we have of the early liturgy mentions
this (Didache ix, 2-3; x, 2-4; xiv, 1; Justin "I Apol." LXV, iii, 5;
LXVII, v). Clement of Rome quotes a long example of such a
thanksgiving-prayer (1 Corinthians 60-61). So prominent was this idea
that it has supplied the usual name for the whole service (Eucharist,
eucharistia). The thanksgiving-prayer enumerated the benefits for which
we thank God, beginning generally with the creation, continuing through
the orders of nature and grace, mentioning much of Old Testament
history, and so coming to the culminating benefit of Christ's
Incarnation, His Life and Passion, in which the story of the Last
Supper brings us naturally to the words of institution. In most of the
earliest liturgies this enumeration is of considerable length (e.g.
Apost. Const., VIII; XII, iv-xxxix; Alexandria, see Brightman, infra,
125-33; Antioch, ibid., 50-2). It is invariably preceded by an
invitation to the people: "Lift up your hearts", and then: "Let us give
thanks to the Lord", or some such formula. The people having answered:
"It is right and just", the celebrant continues, taking up their word:
"It is truly right and just first of all to praise [or to thank] thee";
and so the thanksgiving begins.
Such is the scheme
everywhere. It is also universal that at some moment before the recital
of the words of institution there should be a mention of the angels
who, as Isaias said, praise God and say: "Holy, holy holy" etc., and
the celebrant stops to allow the people to take up the angels' words
(so already Clem., "I Cor." xxxiv, 6-7, and all liturgies). He then
continues his thanksgiving-prayer. But the effect of this interruption
is to cut off the part before it from the rest. In the Eastern rites
the separation is less marked; the whole prayer is still counted as one
thing -- the Anaphora. In the West the Sanctus has cut the old Canon
completely in two; the part before it, once counted part of the Canon
(see CANON OF THE MASS), is now, since about the seventh century (Ord.
Rom., I, 16), considered a separate prayer, the Preface. The
dislocation of the rest of the Canon which no longer continues the note
of thanksgiving but has part of its Intercession (Te igitur)
immediately after the Sanctus, and its silent recital, whereas the
Preface is sung aloud, have still more accentuated this separation.
Nevertheless, historically the Preface belongs to the Canon; it is the
first part of the Eucharistic prayer, the only part that has kept
clearly the idea of giving thanks. The name Præfatio" (from præfari)
means introduction, preface (in the usual sense) to the Canon. In the
Leonine and Gelasian books this part of the Canon has no special title.
It is recognised by its first words: "Vere dignum" (Leonine) or the
initials "V.D." (Gelasian). In the Gregorian Sacramentary it is already
considered a separate prayer and is headed "Præfatio". Walafrid Strabo
calls it "præfatio actionis" )"actio" for Canon; "De eccl. rerum exord.
et increm." in P.L., CXIV, 948). Sicardus of Cremona says it is
"sequentis canonis prælocutio et præparatio" (Mitrale in P.L., CCXIII,
122). Durandus writes a whole chapter about the Preface (De div. off.,
IV, xxxiii). He explains its name as meaning that it "precedes the
principal sacrifice".
The first Roman Prefaces
extant are those in the Leonine Sacramentary. They already show the two
characteristic qualities that distinguish the RomanPreface from the
corresponding part of other rites, its shortness and changeableness.
The old thanksgiving (before the Sanctus) contained a long enumeration
of God's benefits, as in Clement of Rome and the Apostolic
Constitutions. It is so still in the Eastern rites. At Rome, before the
Leonine book was written, this enumeration was ruthlessly curtailed.
Nothing is left of it but a most general allusion: "always and
everywhere to thank thee". But the mention of the angels which
introduces the Sanctus had to remain. This, comparatively detailed,
still gives the Roman Preface the character of a prayer chiefly about
the angels and makes it all seem to lead up to the Sanctus, as the
medieval commentators notice (e.g. Durandus, ibid.). The corresponding
prayer in Apost. Const. (VIII) contains two references to the angels,
one at the beginning where they occur as the first creatures (VIII,
viii), the other at the end of the commemoration of Old Testament
history (originally written in connection with Isaias's place in it)
where they introduce the Sanctus (XII, xxvii). It seems probable, that
at Rome with the omission of the historical allusions these two
references were merged into one. The "Et ideo" then would refer to the
omitted list of favours in the Old Testament (at present it has no
special point). So we should have one more connection between the Roman
Rite and the Apost. Const.
The other special note of
our Preface is its changeableness. Here, too, the East is immovable,
the West changes with the calendar. The Preface was originally as much
part of the variable Proper as the Collect. The Leonine book supplies
Prefaces all through for the special Masses; it has 267. The Gelasian
has 54; the Gregorian has 10 and more than 100 in its appendix. In
these varied Prefaces allusions to the feast, the season, and so on,
take the place of the old list of Divine favours.
The preface after the
ekphonesis of the Secret (Per omnia sæcula sæculorum -- here as always
merely a warning) begins with a little dialogue of which the versicles
or equivalent forms are found at this place in every liturgy. First
"Dominus vobiscum with its answer. The Eastern rites, too, have a
blessing at this point. "Sursum corda" is one of the oldest known
liturgical formulas (St. Cyprian quotes it and its answer, "De Orat.
Dom.", xxxi, in "P.L.", IV, 539; Apost. Const.: Ano ton noun). It is an
invitation to the people eminently suitable just before the Eucharistic
prayer begins. Brightman (infra, 556) quotes as its source Lamentations
3:41. Equally old and universal is the people's answer: "Habemus
[corda] ad Dominum" a Greek construction: Echomen pros ton kyrion,
meaning: "we have them [have placed them] before the Lord". Then
follows the invitation to give thanks, which very early included the
technical idea of "making the Eucharist": "Gratias agamus Domino Deo
nostro". So with verbal variations in all rites. The Jewish form of
grace before meals contains the same form: "Let us give thanks to
Adonai our God" (in the Mishna, "Berachoth", 6). The people answer with
an expression that again must come from the earliest age: "Dignum et
iustum est". This, too, is universal (Apost. Const.: Axion kai
dikaion). Its reduplication suggests a Hebrew parallelism. The
celebrant takes up their word and begins the preface always: "Vere
dignum et iustum est" (Apost. Const.: Axion hos alythos kai dikaion).
The beginning of the Roman Preface is approached among the others most
nearly by Alexandria. Our present common Preface represents the
simplest type, with no allusions; all the old list of benefits is
represented by the words "per Christum Dominum nostrum" only. This is
thePreface given in the Canon of the Gelasian book (ed. Wilson, p.
234). Most of the others are formed by an intercalation after these
words. But there are three types ofPreface distinguished by their
endings. The first and commonest introduces the angels thus: "per quem
maiestatem tuam laudant angeli"; the second (e.g. for Christmas,
Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Apostles) begins that clause: "et ideo cum
angelis"; the third and rarest (now only the Whit-Sunday Preface) has:
"Quapropter . . . sed et supernæ virtutes". The Trinity Preface ("quam
laudant angeli") is a variant of the first form. All end with the word:
"dicentes" (which in the first and second form refers to us, in the
third form to the angels), and the people (choir) continue the
sentence: "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus", etc.
There are many prayers for
other occasions (chiefly blessings and consecrations) formed on the
model of the Preface, with the "Sursum corda" dialogue, beginning "Vere
dignum" etc. From their form one would call them Prefaces, though not
Eucharistic ones. Such are the ordination prayers, two at the
consecration of a church, the blessing of the font, of palms (but this
was once a Mass Preface), part of the præconium paschale. They are
imitations of the Eucharistic Preface, apparently because its solemn
form (perhaps its chant) made it seem suitable for other specially
solemn occasions too. The Leonine, Gelasian, and Gregorian
Sacramentaries have our ordination prayers, but not yet cast into this
Preface form. But through the Middle Ages the Preface form was very
popular, and a great number of blessings are composed in it. This is
only one more case of the common medieval practice of modelling new
prayers and services on others already well-known and popular (compare
the hymns written in imitation of older ones, etc.).
II. THE PREFACE IN OTHER RITES
The name "Præfatio" is
peculiar to Rome and to Milan, which has borrowed it from Rome. In no
other rite is there a special name; it is simply the opening clauses of
the Anaphora. In the Syrian-Byzantine-Armenian group, though this part
of the Eucharistic prayer is still longer than the Roman Preface and
has kept some list of benefits for which we thank God, it is
comparatively short. The Byzantine Liturgy of St. Basil has a fairly
long form. As usual, there is a much shorter form in that of St.
Chrysostom. The Armenian form is the shortest and mentions only the
Incarnation. But in the Egyptian group of liturgies the whole
Intercession prayer is included in what we should call the Preface, so
that this part is very long. This is the most conspicuous
characteristic of the Alexandrine type. The prayer begins in the usual
way with a list of favours (creation of the world and of man, the
Prophets, Christ). Then abruptly the Intercession begins ("And we pray
and entreat thee . . ."); joined to it are the memory of the saints and
the diptychs of the dead, and then equally abruptly, the thanksgiving
is resumed and introduces the Sanctus (Brightman, 125-132). It is clear
that this represents a later amalgamation; the two quite different
prayers are joined awkwardly, so that the seams are still obvious. In
all Eastern rites the Preface, or rather what corresponds to it, is
said silently after the first dialogue, ending with an ekphonesis to
introduce the Sanctus (the Alexandrine Liturgy has another ekphonesis
in its Intercession). This accounts for its being less important an
element of the service than in the West.
The Gallican Rite had a
great number of Prefaces for feasts and seasons. Even more than in the
old Roman Liturgy this prayer was part of the Proper, like the Collects
and Lessons. But it was not called a Preface. Its heading in the
Gallican books was "Contestatio" or "Immolatio"; the Mozarabic title is
"Inlatio". These names really apply to the whole Eucharistic prayer and
correspond to our name Canon (Inlatio -- Anaphora). But as later parts
had special names ("Vere Sanctus", "Post sanctus", "Post pridie",
etc.), these general titles were eventually understood as meaning
specially the part before the Sanctus. Now the Mozarabic "Inlatio" may
be taken as equivalent to the Roman "Præfatio". The Ambrosian Rite has
adopted the Roman name. Both Mozarabic and Ambrosian Rites keep the
Gallican peculiarity of a vast number of Prefaces printed each as part
of the Proper.
III. PRESENT USE
The Roman Missal now
contains eleven Prefaces. Ten are in the Gregorian Sacramentary, one
(of the Blessed Virgin) was added under Urban II (1088-99). The pope
himself is reported to have composed this Preface and to have sung it
first at the Synod of Guastalla in 1094. The Prefaces form a medium
between the unchanging Ordinary and the variable Proper of the Mass.
They vary so little that they are printed in the Ordinary first with
their solemn chants, then with the ferial chants, and lastly without
notes for Low Mass. The appendix of the new (Vatican) Missal gives a
third "more solemn" chant for each, merely a more ornate form of the
solemn chant, to be used ad libitum. Otherwise the solemn chant is to
be used for semi-doubles and all days above that, the simple chant for
simples, ferias, and requiems. The Preface is chosen according to the
usual rule for all proper parts of the Mass. If the feast has one, that
is used; otherwise one takes that of the octave or season. All days
that do not fall under one of these classes have the common Preface,
except that Sundays that have no special Preface have that of the Holy
Trinity (so the decree of Clement XIII, 3 Jan., 1759). Requiems have
the common Preface, as also votive Masses, unless these latter come
under a category that has a proper one (e.g., of the Blessed Virgin,
the Holy Ghost, etc.). Votive Masses of the Blessed Sacrament, like
Corpus Christi, have the Christmas Preface. There are other extensions
of use (the Preface of the Holy Cross for the Sacred Heart, etc.), all
of which are noted in the Propers of the Missal and in the Calendar.
At High Mass after the last
Secret the celebrant at the middle of the altar, resting his hands on
it, sings: "Per omnia sæcula sæculorum" etc.; the choir answers each
versicle. He lifts up the hands at "Sursum corda"; at "Gratias agamus"
he joins them, and at "Deo nostro" looks up and then bows. At "Vere
dignum" he lifts the hands again and so sings thePreface through. After
"dicentes" he joins them and bowing says the Sanctus in a low voice,
while the choir sings it. The deacon and subdeacon stand in line behind
him all the time, bow with him at the words "Deo nostro", and come to
either side to say the Sanctus with him. At Low Mass all is said, the
server answering the dialogue at the beginning.
Publication information
Written by Adrian Fortescue. Transcribed by Tony de Melo.
The Catholic Encyclopedia,
Volume XII. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil
Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John
Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Bibliography
BRIGHTMAN, "Eastern
Liturgies" (Oxford, 1896); FELTOE, "Sacramentarium Leonianum"
(Cambridge, 1896); WILSON, "The Gelasian Sacramentary" (Oxford, 1894);
"Sacramentum Gregorianum" and "Ordines Romani" in "P.L"., LXXVIII;
GIHR, "Das heilige Messopfer" (Freiburg im Br., 1897), pp. 513-524;
RIETSCHEL, "Lehrbuch der Liturgik", I (Berlin, 1900) 378-380; LE
VAVASSEUR, "Manuel de Liturgie," I (Paris, 1910), 297-298; 467-468.
