Ritu, the seasons of the Hindus, which are six in number — two summers, two springs, and two winters. Their names are Sisar, the season of dew; J/imanI, of cold; IV/.s-ay/h/, of bloom ; 6'MV(n(/, of heat ; \'a)'sa, of rain; and Sarat, of thaw.
Ritual (from rifus, a ceremony) has been defined as "the external body of words and action by which wor- ship is expressed and exhibited before God and man;" also "the book containing the particular ordinances of
RITUAL
RITUALISM
any single Church." The necessity of ritual, whether of a more or less elaborate kind, may be supported (I) on historical f/rounds. Its traces may be found in all ages; and every form of relii;ion, true or false — Chris- tianity, Mohammedanism, Buddhism, and tlie different forms of idolatry — has had a ritual of its own. (2) On internal grounds. From the twofokl constitution of man as body and spirit. As long as the b()d_v is an essential element of man, so long, it is urged, will ritual be a necessary feature in his worship. Olijection is made that the Jewish system of external observances, and, by inference, all worship of a similar kind, was abolished by our Lord when he said, "(Jod is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John iv, 24) ; and that all attempts to re- introduce a system of ritual are a violation of the genius and intention of the Founder of Christianity. This was the basis of the teaching of George Fox (A.D. 1647). But it appears, from Christ's own conduct in the insti- tution of baptism and the Lord's supper, and those re- corded acts of worsliip (Luke xviii, 13; xxi, 2, 3; xxii, 4) which secured his sanction or approval, that the real object of liis animadversion was a permanent external worship from which the heart and affections were ab- sent. The special objects of Cliristian ritual are (1) to impart the historic truths of religion. By the various festivals (e. g. Easter, Whit-Sunday) of the Church and their attendant ceremonies. Christians have their at- tention drawn to the divine origin of their religion. (2) A constant witness to moral and doctrinal truth. Thus baptism shows the corruption of human nature and the necessity of purity, and is a symbol of the in- ward "washing of regeneration." Mosheim {Eccles. Hist. [Amer. ed.] i, 84) states that Christ only "estab- lished two rites, which it is not lawful either to change or abrogate, viz. baptism and the Lord's supper," and infers from this that "ceremonies are not essential to the religion of Christ, and that the whole business of them is left by him to the discretion and free choice of Christians." In the 2d century ceremonies were much increased, for which Mosheim (i, 132) assigns the fol- lowing reasons: (1) To conciliate the Jews and pagans; (2) to rebut the charge of atheism made against the Christians, because they had not the external parapher- nalia of religion ; (3) imitation of language in the New Test., such as terms borrowed from the Jewish laws. The bishops were first innocently called hi</h -priests, the presbyters priVs^s, etc. These titles were abused by those to whom they were given, who claimed that they had the same rank and dignity, and possessed the same rights and privileges, with those who bore them under the Jewish dispensation. Hence the splendid garments, and many other things. (4) Among the Greeks and other people of the East nothing was considered more sacred than the Mysteries. This circumstance led the Christians, in order to impart dignity to their religion, to claim similar mysteries. Without discussing the gen- eral subject further, we present the rituals of the vari- ous prominent Christian churches.
1. Church of Rome. — The ceremonial of the offices of the Roman Church administered by bishops is contained in the books entitled Pontificate and Cercmoniale Episco- porum.. The priestly offices are detailed in the Ritual. In its present form it dates from the Council of Trent, which directed a revision of all the different rituals then extant. An authoritative edition was published by Paul V in 1614, which has been frequently reprinted, and of which a revision was issued liy Benedict XIV. Besides the Roman Ritual, there are manj^ diocesan rituals, some of which are of much historical interest. The most approved commentary on the Roman Ritual is that of Barrufaldo (Florence, 1847, 2 vols.). See Breviary; Missal; Ritualk Romaxum.
2. English Church. — Originally each bishop had the power to form his own liturgy, and to regulate its at- tendant ritual, provided that the essential features of Christian worship were retained, and that nothing com-
manded in Scrijitnre or derived from apostolic times was omitted. St. Basil (A.I). 329-379) composed a lit- urgy for the Church of Ciesarea, whieli received the sanction of its bishop, Eusebius (Greg. Naz. (h-at. 20). As a consequence, great variety existed, with a tendency to increase. Two early l)Ul unsuccessful attempts were made to introduce a uniformity of worship throughout England. Tiic Council of Cloveshoe (A.D. 747) recom- mended the ado|)tion of the Roman liturgy to all the English dioceses, but ils recommendation was never more than partiall}' carried out. In 1(IS5 St. Osmund compiled the Sarum Breviary and Missal, wliich ob- tained a wide circulation, but wore never universally accepted to the exclusion of those previously existing. It was, in a great measure, to remedy the inconven- iences resulting from this variety tliat the First Book of Common Prayer, compiled by a committee of Convo- cation (first appointed in A.D. 1542), was issued in tlie second 3'ear of king Edward VI (A.D. 1.549). This book, after receiving various a<lditions and alterations in A.D. 1552, 1560, 1604, and 1662, is still the guide of the English Church in all matters connected with the per- formance of divine service and ritual. See Common Prayer, Book of.