'These thoughts, though found in these books themselves, did not lind expression till a later age.' * ' Clement of Rome has the idea of Christ as "the high-priest of our otierings," but the iileas of the heavenly Priesthood of our Lord, and the " Lamb standing as slain " of the Apocalypse, found only very isolated expression in liturgical prayers before the 4tli century. Iren;eush;is the " heavenly altar ' (iv. 18. 6) and 'Origen dwells on the High Priesthood of Christ (de Oratione, 10), but the Eucharist ol pre-Nicene times moved rather in a simpler circle of ideas. It is in Cyril of Jerusalem, Chrysostom, and (in the West) Ambrose that we lind these ideas developed. The earlier ideas seem deiived not from the Temple and its a.ssociations but from the primitive idea of the " thankoll'ering"(c.5r. fi^x"- puTT-riaa.% of the Institution and the fixapisria of Ignatius, Clement, and the Ditlarhe), together with the thought of the One Body of St. I'aul ; cf. again the Didache prayers. The " thankotlering" idea was expandeci into the glorious eucharistic prayer found in its largest and fullest range in the liturgy of the Apostolic Con.ititutions. The idea of the One Body explains the emphasis and concentrati' k of thought in the pre-Nicene prayers on "com- munion," as opposed to worship of the Lamb stand- ing as slain, whicli is the feature of the Greek liturgy from the time of Cyril of Jerusalem. And this "hieratic" element in Christian liturgy is much more marked in Greek-speaking lands tlian in the West.'
This somewhat lengthy quotation seems neces- sary to shinv how the ideas in the Epistle to the Hebrew? and the Apocalypse were eventually ex- panded. The immetliate llur^lo.se of the Epistle to the Hebrews was on another line. When the blow fell and the Temple at, .Jerusalem was destroyed, the mind of the Jewish Christian Church was pre- pared tor the catastrophe. In the meantime, de- velopment had taken place in the worsliip both of Jewish and of Gentile Christians in the hou.se- churches to which their assemblies were of neces- sity confined.
We can distinguish two lines of development : (i.) meetings for etiilication ; (ii.) for the Supper of the Lord, the breaking of bread, in which, at lirst, the Eucharist was combined with the Agape or 'Love Feast' (Jude'-; cf. also 2 P 2"). But, as Srawley i)oints out, ' the use of the term Agape, and the distinction between the Agape and the Eucharist, as applied to the conditions described in Acts and 1 Corinthians, are possibly anachron- isms. As yet there was no sharp distinction be-
* J. H. Srawley, Tht Early History of the Liturgy, p. 240 ff.
698
WORSHIP
WORSHIP
tween the two parts of the meal, sucli as took place when the specially eucharistic features assumed a more tIevelopeJ Utur^ital form.'*
Limlsay has tlescribed in a graphic way the nieetiiiji for eiHIication in one of the Gentile cliurches foundeti by St. Paul.
* The brethren fill the body of the hall, the women eitting lopether, in all probability on the one side, and the men on the other; Iwhind tbeni are the inqnirers ; and behind them, clnsterinsr round the door, unbelievers, whom curiosity or some other motive has attracted, and who are welcomed to this nieetint; " for the Word."
' The service, and probably each part of the senice, bepran with the benediction: "Grace be to you and peace from Cod our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ," which was followed by an iiivoc;ition of Jesus and the confession that lie is Lord. One of the brethren began to pray ; then another and another ; one betran the Lord's Prayer, and all joined ; each prayer was followed by a hearty and fervent "Amen." Then a hymn was sunfir ; then another and another, for several of the brethren have composed or selected liymns at home which they wish to be sunt: by the congregation. . . .
'After the hynms came reading from the Old Testament Scriptures,! and readings or recitations concerning the life and death, the sayings and deeds of Jesus. Then c^me the "in- struction " — sober words for edification, based on what had been read, and coming either from the gift of "wisdom," or from that intuitive power of seeing into the heart of spiritual things which the apostle calls "knowledge." Then came the moment of greatest expectancy. It was the time for the prophets, men who believed themselves and were believed by their brethren to be specially taught by the Holy Spirit, to take part. They started forward, the gifted men, so eager to impart what had been given them, that sometimes two or more rose at once and spoke together; J and sometimes when one was speaking the message came to another, and he leapt to his feet.§ increasing the emotion and taking from the edification. When the pro- phets were silent, first one, then another, and sometimes two at once, began strange ejaculatory prayers, in sentences so rugged and disjointed that the audience for the most part could not understand, and had to wait till some of their number, who could follow the strange utterances, were ready to translate them into intelligible language. II Then followed the benedic- tion : "The Grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all"; the "kiss of peace" ; and the congregation dispersed. Sometimes during the meeting, at some part of the services, but oftenest when the prophets were speaking, there was a stir at the back of the room, and a heathen, who had been listening in careless curiosity or in barely concealed scorn, suddenly felt the sinful secrets of his own heart revealed to him, and pushing for\vard fell down at the feet of the speaker and made his confession, wliile the assembly raised the doxology : " Blessed be God, the Father of the Lord Jesus, for evermore. Amen." ' ^