(c) Persons. — The apostles naturally took the lead in conducting public worship when they were present. It would appear that, at Troas, St. Paul conducted the Lord's Supper, himself breaking the bread (Ac 20"). This is the only passage in the NT in which the distribution of the elements by any person, other than our Lord Himself, is mentioned. Elsewhere, the references to the Lord's Supper, in apostolic times, simply tell us of the Christians partaking of it together. The NT references to the functions of Church officers are confined to administration, discipline, and teach- ing ; they are silent in regard to worship. From the fact that the bishops took the lead in the worship of the sub-apostolic age, we may conclude that the elders in the Jewish Churches, and the bishops in the Greek Churches of NT times, had some pre-eminence in the conduct of worship. But from the example of Corinth — the one Church con- cerning the internal life of which we have any fulness of information — it is apjiarent that this was not always the case ; for 1 Cor. shows that there it was open to any member of the assembly to ofl'er prayer or give utterance to a hymn of praise or a message of exhortation, even women praying and prophesying. If there were any who were more especially looked to for these offices they were the prophets (1 Co 14-^), not the bishops, ana the Didachi makes it certain that these were difl'erent persons. That, too, is apparent from Eph 4", where the bishops must be looked for among the ' pastors ' rather than among the ' prophets.'
(d) Method. — The proceedings of the best-known Church — that at Connth — suggest that there was no settled order for the coniluct of public worship in the apostolic Churches. It would not be safe to treat this one Church as typical of all other Churches, especially as St. Paiu has occasion to rebuke its irregularities. Still, in doing so, he lays down no rides beyond that of mutual defer- ence (1 Co 14**); nor is anything appro.aching a rubric, except that of the Lord's Supper, to bo found in the NT, or in any primitive Church writ- ing, earlier than the Didnchi. It is probable that, throu;.;hout the apostolic age, the worship of the Church was always centred in the I^ord's Supper, combined with the Agapd. St. Paul gives direc- tions for the conduct of the Lord's Supper on the authority of Christ, from whom the particulars
WOKSILU' I^' XT
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concerning the institution of the ordinance had come down to hiiu (1 Co ll"-^*). The rest of the service seems to have been left to the impulses of individual members as they felt moved by the Spirit (McGillert, Apostolic Age, p. 520 ir.). If, however, the Christians met twice in the day, it LB probable that the morning assembly was for prayer and praise, and tlie evening meeting for the Agap^, the arrangement we lind in Hithynia in the reign of Trajan (c. 112 A.U.). Pliny writes, ' It was their habit on a fixed day to assemble before dayliglit and sing by turns a hymn to Christ as a god.' lie adds that they ' buund themselves with an oath . . . not to commit tlieft,' etc., and says, further, ' After this was done, tlieir custom was to depart, and meet together again to take food,' etc. (£/). X. 96). The following functions would certainly be found in the primitive Cliri.stian worship : (1) Prayer (1 Co 14"- "). (2) Praise, either by individual utterance (v.*'), or in hymns sung in common. The example of their Lord would en- courage the early Christians to employ the Jewish Psalter, wliich appears to have been always used in the Church (Mt 26*'). Then we have fraj,'- ments of Christian hymns scattered over the NT {e.g. Ac 4'^-*', perhaps Eph 1'", 5", 1 Ti 3'"), especially those of the Apocalypse (4'-" 5'- '"• '"• " ~u 1117 1210-12 i5».4 i9i.V7)_ xhe Canticles in St. Luke — the Magnificat (l**-"), the Bcnedictiis (vv. •*■"), the Glurin in ExcelHs (2'*), and the Nunc Dimittis {2'^'^')— though possibly of pre-Christian origin, were probably found by the evangelist in use in the woiship of tlie Churches, together with more specially Christian hymns. The passajj;e from Pliny's letter, cited above, .shows tliat in Bithynia, early in the 2nd cent., the singing was antiplional (cannenque . . . diccre sccum viiissim). See HvMN. (3) Lessons. St. Paul's frecjuent allu- sions to the OT, even in letters to Greek Churches, presuppose a knowledge of the LXX among his readers. This would be read in Christian worship after the analogy of the synagogue, tliough per- haps the Law would be omitted and preference would be given to Messianic prophecies. Possibly, login of Jesus were also read and facts of His life recited. St. Paul expected his Eiiistles to be read in the meetings of the Churches (1 Th o". Col 4'"), but only the OT was treated as Scrijiture. (4) Prophecy. The insjiired utterance, so named, came from any member of the Church who felt the afflatus of the Spirit (1 Co 14'), though it was especially expected from those who were recognized as prophets (v.-^). The Thessalonians were warned not to check this gift or despise the exercise of it (1 Th 5""). IJut tiiey were to use tlieir own intelli- gence, accepting the good and rejiicting what did not approve itself to their judgment (v."). (."5) Other gifts — tongues, exorcism, etc. (6) Contribu- tions. The Corinthians were to put by, on the Drst daj- of each week, their contribution towards the fund for the poor of Jeru.salem (1 Co 16'). St. Paul's language implies, not that they were to bring it to the a-ssembly every week, but that they should make up an amount at home by weekly instalments. The gifts for the Agape, however, would be brought every week, and the apostle re quires them to bo divided among the brethren. Out of this subseiiuently grew the communion collections, which were sent to the jioor, the sick, and confessors in prison (Justin Martyr, 1 Apul. 65-67).