RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Pericope
of doctrine. While these objections were founded upon considerations of usefulness, difficulty, or limitations in the pericopes, the rationalistic party objected on account of the contents of the readings; they regarded them as the legacy of the darkest Middle Ages, of which only few were considered as worthy while the rest fostered superstition or offended good taste or committed some other offense. To this the defense was weak and practically yielded the case (C. Harms, Pastoraltheologie, lecture 6, Kiel, 1830).
These conclusions rested upon personal experiences, practical and doctrinal considerations, and subjective impressions. Little attention was paid
to the question of origins; even Mos-
14. His- heim was satisfied with the most gen-
torical eral results. Ernst Ranke was the first
Conclusions, to approach the subject from this side
(Das kirchliche Perikopensystem aus den altesten Urkunden der romischen Liturgie, Berlin, 1847), and reached the conclusion that, apart from some lections for the chief festivals, a great part of the pericopes were set for purposes, days, feasts, and actions which have fallen into disuse or even into oblivion, that they belonged to a church year which coincided only in part with our own. Then came to consciousness what might have been learned from Luther, that from the old pericopes only fragments had been retained for the Lutheran service. Schleiermacher (Praktische Theologie, p. 137, Berlin, 1850) followed this up by asserting that no special wisdom underlay the system. But this opposition had for long no results, it did not reach the congregations in its effects. Moreover, the lections, especially the Gospels, had become established as an essential part of the cultus, were more than what Herder called " a calendar." They had become a sort of Bible for laymen, containing a great store of necessary and priceless truths made living through the serial preaching upon them. The very sparsity of instruction in the schools aided to render the hold of the system upon the people abiding. The Ulm church order of 1747 directed the use of the Gospel for sermonic basis on Sundays and other celebrations, and ordered the reading of the epistle, proclaiming the utility for the congregation of instruction depending from certain known recurring texts, and asserting that in them was afforded opportunity sufficient for the true teacher. The development in Germany was somewhat as follows. In Brunswick-Liineburg in 1765 in the village churches preaching was permitted alternately on epistle and Gospel; in Hanover, 1769, the
old pericopes in revised form together
15- German with Biblical lectures upon short in-
Revisions. structive selections from the canonical
books became the order. Since 1876 four new series, for the afternoon service, have been introduced. The Baden-Durlach order of 1793 favors free choice of texts, but does not approve entire abandonment of the pericopes, while advancing a plan for newly selected texts from the Old Testament, epistle, and Gospel ; the church year is abandoned. Since 1881 there have been in Baden two series of Gospels and two of epistles, the first in each being a revision of the old pericopes. In
Weimar three new series were introduced, the old Gospel remained as reading selection, the fourth year witnessed the use of the old pericope system of epistle and Gospel. In Nassau the system of Heydenreich is recommended, the third and fourth series containing dogmatic texts for teaching. In Saxony in 1810 a new series of texts came into use; since 1890 there has been a fourfold series of pericopes, the first and second the old pericopes revised; there are two series of lections in place of the old epistle and Gospel when these are used as sermonic basis. In Wurttemberg in 1830 and 1894 a second and third series of pericopes covering each a year were introduced. Bavaria has permitted the use of the series compiled by Thomasius, and the course of readings covers four years. In the Bavarian Palatinate there is a four-year course; Gospel, freely chosen texts, epistle, and a new series of pericopes furnish the textual basis. In Prussia, for the older provinces, for epistle and Gospel first come the old pericopes, then a new series, including selections from the Old Testament; in the Rhine province the old system alternates with a new series, with a year upon the Old Testament for the minor services. In 1897 in Mecklenburg-Schwerin selections from the four Gospels practically displaced the old Gospel for reading, which is retained for preaching texts. The efforts of the German Evangelical Church Conference (1896) through its commission were directed toward a revision of the old pericopes, selection of a series of readings from the Old Testament for the church year, the fixing of a series setting forth the sufferings and death of Jesus, the setting up of a second series of epistles and Gospels parallel to the old system. The results have not led to a general acceptance, and the matter is still in flux, conditions in different parts changing the situation with reference to adoption of the new series.
The course of the development of the sermon has been away from treatment of whole books of Scripture— indeed, the intrusion of festivals always hindered this. The necessities of the congregation led to the insertion of other selections, and this was the beginning of pericopes. Strictly serial 16. Theory preaching would be in fact abrogation of the of church festivals. Even for the pe-
Pericope. riods when special observances do not occur all books of Scripture are not wholly suitable; there must be selection of books in any case. Then, where the custom obtains of preaching not on any one book in series but on individual selections, shall the preacher have the choice or be restricted to pericopes? Existence of a series of pericopes does not protect the congregation from arbitrariness or other vagaries of the preacher; if so disposed, he will treat pericopes as he would his own selections. Determining factors here are the relation of the preacher to the congregation, of the latter to the denomination, of this to the Church at large, of the last to Scripture, and of Scripture to the truths of salvation. What is to be brought out in worship is the distinctive character of Christianity, then of the denomination. With this would fit well a prescribed recurring order of pericopes, chosen with fitness for this purpose.
Pericope Perowne