MASS PENNY
868
MASSALIANS
or 3 P.M. In the IVIiddle Ages the nightly celebrations 1 were permitted on Christmas eve, on Easter eve, on St. Jolni Baptist's, principally in France, and Saturdays in Ember weeks, when ordinations were held ; and Easter and Pentecost on tlie hallowing of the candle. In 1483 archbishop Bourchier, from regard to his infirmity, re- ceived permission to celebrate in the afternoon. Belith says each day had its mass, commencing on Sunday; those of Holy Trinitj', Charity, Wisdom, the Holy Ghost, Angels, Holy Cross, and St. ]Mary, and that at Rome. In the province of Ravenna the mass of Easter eve was not said until after midnight. He adds that the Greek Church excommunicated all who failed to partake of the Eucharist for three Sundays. See Invitatory.
Literature. — The most noted writers on this subject are Bona, Gerbert, Gavanti, Binterim, Augusti, Be- sides these, see Bochart. Truite de saa-{fice de la Messe; Derodon, Le Tombeau de la Messe ; Du Moulin, Pra- tique des ceremonies de la Messe; Fechtius, Z'e orig. et superstitione Missai-um; Jaeger, Suppositio niissm sa- crijicio ; Killian, Tract, de sacrijicio missatico (Roman Cath.) ; Koslmg, Lithurg. Vorles. it. d. heil. Messe (2d ed.) ; Michaelis, Frohnleicknakni v. Messopfer ; Griiser, Die rom.-Kathol. Lit. (Halle, 1829) ; Hirscher, Missce genuina notio (Tlib. 1821) ; Mornay, De docti-ine de VEu- charistie quand et par quels degres la messe s'est introduite ii sa place ; Bauer, Priifung der Griinde ; Baur, Gegen- satz des Katholicismus n. Pi-otestantismus (Tub. 1836, 2d edit.) ; Baier, Symholik der rum.-Kathol. Kirclie (Leip- sic, 1854) ; Anderson, The Mass (Lond. 1851, 12mo); Ma- guire. One Hundred Defects of the Mass ; INIeager, Popish Mass celebrated by Heathen Priests ; Whitby, A bsurdity and Idolatry of the Mass ; Bible and Missal, ch. iv ; Bos- suet's Variations, vol. i; Siegel, Chistliche Alterthiimer (see Index in vol. iv, s. v. Messe) ; Riddle, Christian A n- iiquities; Walcott, Sac. Archceol. s. v.; Coleman, Christ. A ntiq. ; Willet, Synop. Pap. (ed. Gumming, Lond. 1852) ; Forbes, Coiisiderations, ii, 562 ; English Rev. x, 344 ; Ret- rospective Rev. xii, 70 ; Wesim. Rev. 18G6 (July), p. 95 ; Christian Ch. Rev. 1866 (April), p. 15 sq. ; Evangel. Qii. Rev. 1869 (.Jan.), p. 86 ; Christian Remembrancer, 1866 (Jan.), p. 63 ; New Englander, 1869, p. 525 ; Haag, Les Dogmas Chretiennes (see Index) ; Flagenbach, Hist, of Doctrines (see Index, vol. ii) ; Cramp, Text-Book oJ'Pope- }-y ; Blunt, Diet, of Hist, and Doctr. Theol. s. v. ; Eadie, Ecclesiast. Did, s. v. ; Aschbach, Kirchen-Lexikon, s. v. Messe.
Mass Penny, a conventional name for the offering made by a chief mourner at a funeral.
Mass Priests, mercenaries hired at a certain sum, who undertook an immoderate number of annals or tren- tals, and were unable to say them, and sold them to be offered by others. This abuse was forbidden in 1236 by archbishop Edmund's Constitutions (2). In 960 the mass priest was the secular, and the minister priest the conventual, and this is the earliest meaning of the term. ^Walcott, Sac. A rchceol. s. v.
Mas'sa (Heb. Massa', ii'<lS'0, a lifting up, as often ; Sept. M«(Tff»/), one of the sons of Ishmael (B.C. post 2061), who became the progenitor of an Arabian clan (Gen. XXV, 14 ; 1 Chron. i. 30). The tribe is usually, and not improbably, compared with the Masani (Mo- aavoi, Ptol. v, 19, 2), inhabiting the Arabian desert to- wards Babylonia, doubtless the same as the Mascei, a nomad tribe of Mesopotamia (Pliny, //. A', vi, 30). This would confirm Forster's theon,- that the twelve sons of Ishmael peopled the whole of the Arabian peninsula {Gengr. of A rabia, i, 284). As Dumah is named in con- nection with Scir (Isa. xxi, 11), there "is some founda- tion for the opinion that Massa was a kingdom of con- siderable size, possibly reigned over by king Lemuel (Prov. XXX, 1, X'^a^ij, " th& prophecy").. See Lkmuel. Hitzig arbitrarily locates Dumah in wady el-Kora, about fifty miles south-east of Aliabah, and then places Jlassa between it and IMouut Seir (Zcller's Jahrbuch, 1844, p. 288). See Dujlvii,
Massa Candida, the name given to 300 Chris- tians who, during the persecution of Valerian, and in the time of bishop Cyprian, were put to death by being burned in a lime-kUn. The name Massa, says Augus- tine, was given them " ob numeri multitudinem," and that of Candida "ob causae fulgorem." Baronius re- marks : " Dicti sunt hi Massa Candida, eo quod in for- nace calcaria martyrium consumarint." Vincentius Bel- lovacensis, on the other hand, designates the ]\[assa Candida as " locus apud Carthaginem, in quo sub Impe- ratoribus gentilibus et in Christianos sxvientibus fovea erat calce plena, in quam Christiani gentilium Diis sa- crificare renuentes pa3cipitabantur." Augustine also uses the expression, " Uticensis Massa Candida," which Baro- nius explains : " Uticaj proscipue agebatur horum solem- nitas, atque ca de causa S. Augustinus Massam candi- dam Uticensem dictam esse refert." Aurelius Pruden- tius Clemens refers to the Massa Candida in his hymn on St. C3'prian {Lib. Persisfei)hanon, Hymn xiii) in the following gloAV'ing description :
" Fama refert foveam campi in medio patere jnssara, Calce vaporifera Summos prope iiiargines refertam Saxa recocta vomunt ignem niveusque pulvis ardet, Urere tacta potens ; et mortifer ex odore flatus. Appositam memorant aram, fovea stetisse summa, Lege sub hac salis aut micam, jecur aut suis litarent Christicolsp, aut media? spoiite irruerent in ima fossce. Prosiluere alacres cursu rapido simul trecenti. Gurgite pulvereo mersos liquor aridus voravit, Prsecipitemque globum fundo tenus implicavit imo. Corpora candor habet, candor vehit ad superna meutes. Candida Massa dehinc did meruit per omne eseclum."