Bonniwell 1945 History of The Dominican Liturgy
Bonniwell 1945 History of The Dominican Liturgy
Bonniwell 1945 History of The Dominican Liturgy
A HISTORY OF THE
--
DOMINICAN LITURGY
1215- 1945
By
WILLIAM R. BONNIWELL, O.P.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THE
MOST REVEREND BARTHOLOMEW J. EUSTACE, S.T.D.
Bishop of Camden
SECOND EDITIQN
REVISED AND ENLARGED
NEW YORK
JOSEPH F. WAGNER, INC.
1
945
NUJU bstat:
JACOBUS M. EGAN, O.P., S.T.LR., S.T.D.
GULIELMUS A. HINNEBUSCH, O.P., PH.D. (OxoN.)
3lmprimi lifnttst:
T. S. McDERMOTT, O.P., S.T.LR.
Prior Provincialis
NiiJU bstat:
ARTHUR J. SCANLAN, S.T.D.
Censor Librorum
]mprimatur:
ffi MOST REV. FRANCIS J. SPELLMAN, D.D.
Archbishop of New York
NEw YoRK, APRIL 26, 1944
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
CoPYRIGHT, 1944, BY JoSEPH F. WAGNER, INc., NEw YoRK
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
INTRODUCTION
THE DoMINICAN ORDER was founded by Saint Dominic and
derives all its essential characteristics from him. Dominic's
genius was such that he communicated his own personality to
his institute, and to this day it indubitably bears his stamp. He
set the aim, the means, and the government. He founded his
Order for the defense of Christian truth and the salvation of
souls chiefly by means of preaching. For centuries the Consti-
tutions of the Order have stated this aim in their opening lines:
"Our Order was especially instituted from the beginning for
the work of preaching and the salvation of souls, and all our
endeavors must tend to this that we may be of help to the souls
of others." Under Dominic's guiding hand the essential means
were chosen for the attainment of this purpose. "The means
established by our most holy Patriarch for the achievement of
our end are, in addition to the three solemn vows of poverty,
chastity, and obedience, the regular life with monastic observ-
ances, the solemn recitation of the Divine Office, and the assid-
uous study of sacred truth." Thus, liturgy holds an essential
place in the Dominican scheme of things and cannot be ex-
cluded without placing the purpose of the Order in jeopardy.
The Constitutions embody a significant warning to this effect:
"Hence, among us these (means) cannot be taken away or
substantially changed." This admonition has been corrob-
orated frequently by the testimony of history. When the Do-
mmican life was strong and vigorous, the liturgy held an
honored place in Dominican priories; on the other hand, in
v
vi INTRODUCTION
those unfortunate periods of decline, which tend to mar the
history of a Religious Order, it is found that the liturgy had
fallen from its proud place.
In daily taking his place in choir the Dominican well under-.
stands that he is performing an act of praise and adoration of
the Creator, and that this divine service also has a human sig-
nificance. The friar by joining in the corporate worship of his
priory equips himself for a more noble fulfillment of the dual
aspect of his vocation. The liturgy is much more than a com-
memoration of things past. It is to-day and every day an ever-
present reenactment in our souls of the mysteries we celebrate.
By drinking deeply of the divine truths to-day, the friar will on
the morrow communicate to his hearers in the classroom, the
church, and the marketplace, the fruit of his prayers. The lit-
urgy is an effective instrument in the fulfillment of the Do-
minican vocation: Contemplare, et contemplata aliis tra_dere
(To contemplate and communicate the fruits of that contem-
plation to others). This daily, intimate participation in the
divine mysteries ensures that the Dominican friar who is faith-
ful to his high vocation will never be as "sounding brass and
tinkling cymbaL"
Hence the love, care, and pains taken by the Order during
seven centuries to safeguard its special rite. The Dominican
rite, it is true, has been subject to the vicissitudes of the times,
and unfortunately has suffered therefrom, but the never-ending
concern of the Order for its rite indicates that the place of the
liturgy as an essential instrument in the achievement of the
Dominican vocation was never forgotten.
Thus, in studying the rite of the Friars Preachers we are
penetrating to one of the roots that has nourished Dominican
activity during the weatherings of seven centuries. The fresh-
INTRODUCTION Vll
ness of the Order's life after this length of time is undoubtedly
due in great part to the service rendered it by its liturgy; for
in an Order so strongly devoted to intellectual pursuits the lit-
urgy has balanced the Dominican ideal and has prevented the
chilling blasts of stilted intellectualism from withering the
charity and zeal which must ever mainly constitute a life of
apostolic activity.
The Dominican rite is associated with the memory of some
of the Church's greatest sons. It was the rite of fifteen ca!l-
onized Saints * and more than three hundred Blesseds; and
two Doctors of the Church-Albert the Great and Thomas
Aquinas-have chanted the praises of the Almighty and of-
fered the Bloodless Sacrifice according to its norms. Then, too,
the rite long fulfilled the function of preserving the memory of
ancient Roman liturgical practices which the Roman Church
itself has since abandoned. Hence the importance of an ade-
quate understanding and appreciation of the Dominican rite.
To form a just estimate of any rite it is not enough to view
it as it exists to-day; it must be studied in its origins and his-
tory. Until now this has been impossible in regard to the
Dominican rite. In the first place, only three serious works
have been published on this rite: Cavalieri's in 1686, Cassitto's
in 1804, and Rousseau's in 1926. The first dealt solely with
the explanation of the Mass; the second was superficial and
unreliable; the third confined itself to the first half of the
thirteenth century. Rousseau's work, although a scholarly con-
tribution, left seven hundred years of history to be told. In
the second place, numerous scattered articles on the rite have
* Since these words were written, another Saint has been added to the
Dominican list-St. Margaret of Hungary.
Vlll INTRODUCTION
been written, but their disagreement on vital points tended to
confuse rather than aid the reader.
Father Bonniwell is a sure guide through the mazes of con-
flicting interpretations of various aspects of his subject, and he
has solved numerous vexing questions. Twenty years of ardu-
ous research went into the preparation of his book. In spite
of many serious difficulties, and often in the face of dishearten-
ing disappointments, he refused to be discouraged. He would
neither omit necessary stages of research nor allow himself to
be hurried by adverse criticism which pressed for an earlier
publication. This scholarly patience and intelligent labor have
produced abundant fruit. For the first time in the long history
of the Dominican Order, there is now available a complete
history of the Dominican rite. It is hardly of less importance
that this work is a splendid specimen of scholarship and learn-
ing. It is indeed a work that was well worth awaiting. In
rendering this service, Father Bonniwell has placed his fellow-
Dominicans and the Church at large in debt to him.
FEAST OF ST. MARK THE APOSTLE, 1944
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
IT rs a pleasant duty to acknowledge my obligations to all who
assisted me in gathering material for this book, including the
authorities and librarians of various archives and libraries in
which I worked. In particular, I thank Dr. Severin Grill, li-
brarian of the Carthusian monastery at Heiligenkreuz (Austria),
and Father Albert Colunga at Salamanca, Spain. The Domini-
can historians, Angelus Walz and M. H. Vicaire, kindly gave
me some helpful information. I deeply appreciate the courtesy
of Sir Sidney C. Cockerell of London, Mr. Walter Garrett of
Baltimore, and Mr. John Frederick Lewis of Philadelphia, in
granting me access to their private libraries. My researches in
London were made decidedly easier by reason of the constant
helpfulness of Mr. Francis Wormald, Assistant Keeper, Manu-
script Department of the British Museum. I owe a special debt
of gratitude to His Excellency, Most Reverend Bartholomew J.
Eustace, Bishop of Camden, for his encouragement and for his
valuable suggestions.
The manuscript was prepared for the publisher largely through
the kindness of various Fathers of the faculty of Providence
College; Father William A. Hinnebusch, a competent student
of Dominican medireval history, rendered great service by his
criticisms and by his help in correcting the proof-sheets. I am
grateful to Mr. Clement Wagner for undertaking the publica-
tion of the book at a very unfavorable time, and to his able
editor, Mr. Thomas J. Kennedy, for his patience and general
assistance, especially in preparing the Index.
Notwithstanding all this help, the work would hardly have
ix
X
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
been completed had it not been for the unflagging interest
manifested from its inception by the Very Reverend T. S.
McDermott, O.P., Provincial of St. Joseph's Province. Not
only was his sustained interest a great stimulus, but his unfail-
ing liberality made it possible to carry out an extensive program
of photostating and microfilming mediceval manuscripts.
Certain points in the book may need a word of explanation. I
have used the terms "liturgy," "rite," "use," etc., sometimes in
their strict sense but more often as synonyms. This was de-
sirable so as to avoid the constant use of the word "rite." Like-
wise, throughout the book, religious affiliations (e.g., O.P.,
O.S.B., etc.) have seldom been given, in order to save space and
frequent repetition. This information is supplied in the Index.
All references to the Anaiecta Ord. Prced. are first to the ordinal
year and then to the year of publication; in no case has the
confusing "volume" enumeration been used. Thus, IV ( 1896)
means the fourth year of the publication, 1896. The ordinal
year system has been used by the editors of the Anaiecta from
the' first issue to the last; the volume system has not.
To avoid confusion, I have uniformly referred to a Domini-
can conventus as a monastery, since this is the English word
commonly used to mean a religious house for men. This use
is justified by the Dominican breviary; moreover, the Augus-
tinians and Franciscans so designate their houses, although like
the Dominicans they are not monks but friars. Lastly, although
the subject of confraternities does not strictly belong to liturgy,
nevertheless because of their relationship I have occasionally
called attention to some facts not generally known.
As I did not accept all the suggestions offered me, the re-
sponsibility for the views expressed in this book and for any
errors it may contain is entirely mine.
W.R.B.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction. By the Most Reverend Bartholomew J. Eustace,
S.T.D. v
Author's Preface . 1x
CHAPTER
I. The Liturgies of the Western Church 1
II. Dominicans Founded as Canons Regular . 9
III. Beginning of Dominican Conventual Life . 18
IV. Dominican Liturgical Manuscripts Prior to Humbert 28
V. The Breviary-Antiphonary . 36
VI. The Adoption of the Uniform Liturgy 46
VII. The Date of the Uniform Office . 61
VIII. The Commission of the Four Friars 71
IX. The Correction of Humbert 83
X. The Dominican Calendar . 98
XI. The Mass according to Humbert 118
XII. The Divine Office according to Humbert 130
XIII. Compline and the Salve Procession . 148
XIV. The Sources of the Dominican Rite . 167
XV. The Influence of the Dominican Rite 193
XVI. The Church Formally Approves of the Dominican
Rite 210
XVII. The Liturgy in the Fourteenth Century 223
XVIII. The Close of the Middle Ages . 252
XIX. The Sixteenth Century: The Revision of Salamanca . 271
XI
Xll CONTENTS
CHAPTER
XX. The Sixteenth Century (Continued)
XXI. The Revision of Paolo Castrucci .
XXII. The Seventeenth Century .
XXIII. Antonin Cloche
XXIV. The Liturgy in the Last Century .
XXV. The Revision of Pius X . .
Appendix: The Latin Text of Humbert's Rubrics for High
PACE
291
305
326
342
356
366
Mass . . 375
Bibliography 391
Index 401
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
St. Dominic (Engraving from Dominican Breviary of
1699) . . . . . . . . . . . . Frontispiece
PAGE
The Dominican Missal of Paris (circa 1240) 31
The Breviary-Antiphonary of the Four Friars . 39
Type of Altar Used in Mediceval Chapels . 49
Humbert's Codex: The Table of Contents 87
Humbert's Codex: The Conventual Missal 119
The Deacon Using the Flabellum . . . 141
Dominican Missal Adapted for the Canons of the Holy Cross 163
A Mediceval Dominican Gradual (circa 1425) 221
The Dominican Missal of 1521 . 257
A Procession of Friars Preachers . 28 5
Title Page of Beccaria's Missal . 315
DEDICATED
TO
THE VERY REVEREND T. S. McDERMOTT, O.P.,
Provincial of tile St. Joseph Province
ABBREVIATIONS
Acta Cap. Gen. Acta Capitulorum Generalium Ordinis Prredica-
torum. Cf. MOPH
Acta SS.
AER
AFH
AFP
ALKM
AOP
BOP
CE
DACL
MOPH
PL
QF
SSOP
Acta Sanctorum Bollandiana
Martene, De antiquis Ecclesire ritibus
Archivum Franciscanum Historicum
Archivum Fratrum Prredicatorum
Archiv fiir Litteratur- und Kirchengeschichte des
MitteJaiters
AnaJecta Ordinis Prredicatorum
Bullarium Ordinis Prredicatorum
Catholic Encyclopedia
Dictionnaire d' archeoJogie chretienne et de Jiturgie
Monumenta Ordinis Fratrum Prredicatorum His-
torica
Patro1ogire Latinre Cursus Comp1etus ( Migne)
Que11en und Forschungen zur Geschichte des
Dominikanerordens in Deutschland
Quetif-Echard, Scriptores Ordinis Prredicatorum
CHAPTER ONE
THE LITURGIES OF THE WESTERN CHURCH
BEFORE taking up the history of the Dominican rite, it might be
well at the very outset to dispel certain misunderstandings on
this subject. To begin with, the liturgy of the Friars Preachers
does not constitute a rite separate and distinct from the Roman,
as the Ambrosian and Mozarabic are; for it is merely a Roman
rite of the thirteenth century. It is called Dominican, because
that is a short and convenient term to designate a medireval
Roman rite which was used principally but not exclusively by
the Order of St. Dominic. Hence, this liturgical use is as truly
a Roman rite as is the Liturgy now used almost universally in
the Latin Church.
In the Middle Ages, as we shall see, a rigid uniformity in the
smallest details of the ritual not only did not exist but was not
even dreamt of. Instead of the highly crystallized and sharply
defined ceremonial of the present day, the Roman Rite was
expressed in a number of variants. In Rome, the Papal Court
recited one office and the basilicas of the Eternal City used
another. But one variant was just as much Roman as the other.
There was no standard model with a number of variants of this
model; rather, the Roman Rite might have been said to consist
of a group of variants, identical in all essentials but differing
more or less in unessentials. Since unity in the ritual was neces-
sary for the unity of the Order, and since Rome itself presented
divergence in matters liturgical, the Dominicans were forced to
make a choice. When the Order became famous, the particular
1
2 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
form of the Roman Rite which they had adapted became known
by the inexact title of the Dominican rite.
Certain writers have referred to the rite adopted by the
Dominicans as one characterized by Gallicanisms. To the ears
of the average Catholic layman, who knows something of church
history but little concerning the history of the liturgy, the word
"Gallican" has a sinister meaning. Almost invariably, he will
conjure up recollections of the Gallican theological errors of the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and hence will look with
surprise, if not suspicion, upon a liturgy that is associated even
remotely with the very word Gallican.
Avoiding this error, others refer to the Gallicanized Domini-
can rite in such terms as to indicate that they believe the Do-
minicans alone have any Gallicanisms, and that the modern
Roman Rite has been preserved completely pure from the in-
fluences of the Gallican Liturgy. This belief also is based on
misconceptions, since many of the most touching prayers and
some of the most beautiful ceremonies in the Roman Rite of
to-day were taken directly from the Gallican Liturgy. Finally,
there are other persons who are under the impression that the
Roman Rite has been preserved without change from the days
of Constantine. They, too, are resentful of those religious who
would reject the ancient Roman Rite in all its purity in order
to adopt, in a spirit of singularity and ostentation, a different
ceremonial.
RoMAN MAss IN THE SEcom> CENTURY
These and similar mistakes will be cleared away if we preface
our study of the so-called Dominican rite with a brief survey of
the development of the Roman Rite prior to the thirteenth cen-
tury. Let us begin with St. Justin Martyr's description of how
LITURGIES OF WESTERN CHURCH 3
Mass was cekbrated at Rome about the middle of the second
century. Piecing together his writings, we obtain the following
outline:
( 1) The services began with the reading of lessons. "The
commentaries of the Apostles," says Justin, "or the writings of
the prophets are read as long as time permits."
( 2) There was a sermon by the bishop. "When the reader
has stopped," continues Justin, "the president [i.e., the cele-
brant] makes an exhortation about the memory of these admir-
able things in a speech."
( 3) Prayers followed: "Then we all stand up together and
send up prayers."
( 4) Next, the kiss of peace was given: "When we have fin-
ished the prayers, we greet each other with a kiss."
( 5) This was succeeded by the offertory: "Then bread and a
cup of wine are brought to the president."
( 6) The Eucharistic prayer, or prayer of thanksgiving, was
recited by the celebrant.
(7) Then the memory of Our Lord's passion was recalled by
the words of institution.
( 8) The congregation expressed its approval: "When he has
ended the prayers and thanksgiving, all the people cry out
saying: 'Amen.'"
(9) Lastly, Communion under both kinds was distributed.
1
This liturgy was obviously an Eastern type. But during the
next several centuries a great change took place. The earliest
extant Roman sacramentaries, the Leonine and the Gelasian,
show that the Mass at Rome was no longer of the Eastern type
but distinctively independent. The changes were numerous and
radical. Latin had supplanted Greek as the liturgical language;
1
Fortescue, The Mass, 25; Parsch, The Liturgy of the Mass, 28-32.
4 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
the introit had been added to the Mass; the number of lessons,
which in the Apostolic Constitutions were five, has been re-
stricted to two or three; the litany had disappeared; the kiss
of peace had been transferred from the beginning of the Mass
of the Faithful to a place after the Consecration. But the great-
est change had been one by which the Canon itself was made
different from the Anaphora of any Eastern liturgy and from the
Gallican Canon. The intercession (or prayers for the living and
the dead) was found neither in the preface (as in the Alex-
andrine liturgies) nor after the Consecration (as in the An-
tiochene liturgies), but scattered throughout the Canon.
2
Still further changes were introduced by St. Gregory the Great
(d. 604), the most important of which was to transfer the Pater
noster from after the Fraction to its present position. Nor did
the innovation,s and additions end with St. Gregory, as is com-
monly believed. About this time, perhaps a little earlier, a
powerful influence began to affect the Roman Rite. That influ-
ence, which was destined to grow stronger and stronger in the
succeeding centuries, was the Gallican Rite.
At a very early period, the Gallican family of liturgies had
spread through Northern Italy, Spain, and Northern Europe.
At the beginning of the fifth century, it had invaded even Um-
bria, which belonged to the Metropolitan Diocese of Rome. So
complete was the conquest of the Gallican Rite that practically
only two dioceses in the whole Western Church, Rome and
Carthage, remained loyal to the Roman use. Let us turn our
attention to the liturgy which almost eliminated the Roman
Rite.
Fortescue, "The Liturgy of the Mass," in CE, IX, 794,
LITURGIES OF WESTERN CHURCH 5
SoLEMN MAss OF THE GALLICAN LITURGY
From the letters falsely attributed to St. Germain of Paris,
and from several sacramentaries, there can be constructed a de-
scription of how a Solemn Mass of the Gallican Liturgy was
celebrated in the seventh or eighth century. The bread and
wine were prepared before the Mass. An antiphon was sung as
the celebrant entered. He read a brief exhortation to the con-
gregation, and, after the deacon had proclaimed silence, he
greeted the people with: Dominus sit semper vobiscum. Upon
their response, Et cum spiritu tuo, a collect was said.
Three canticles were then sung: the Trisagion, the Kyrie
eleison, and the Benedictus. There were three lessons from the
Scriptures-one from the Old Testament, another from the
Epistles, and the third from the Gospels. After the Epistle, the
canticle Benedicite omnia opera with a responsory was sung.
The Gospel was preceded by a procession to the ambo, during
which a candelabrum having seven lighted candles was carried
and a clerk sang the Trisagion. The same ceremony was ob-
served on the return from the ambo. After the Gospel and a
homily, the litany was chanted by the deacon. This ended, the
catechumens were dismissed.
The Mass of the Faithful began with the Great Entrance.
While the choir sang, the oblata were brought in with great
solemnity, the bread in a tower-shaped vessel and the wine al-
ready in the chalice. Water was now added to the wine and
the oblata were again covered with a veil. The singing of the
Laudes ended this ceremony.
After an invitatory addressed to the people, the celebrant
recited a prayer. The diptychs (or list of tl-.ose who were to be
remembered at the sacrifice) were now read and concluded with
6 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
a prayer. Then the kiss of peace was given, and this too was
followed by a prayer. The preface and the Sanctus were suc-
ceeded by a prayer which served to connect the Sanctus with
the account of the institution of the Eucharist.
The text of the Gallican Canon has not come down to us, but
there is reason for believing that it was quite short. The Conse-
cration was followed by a prayer called the post-secreta or the
post-mysterium. The Breaking of the Host was quite compli-
cated, and the particles, usually nine in number, were arranged
in the form of a cross. While this was being done, a clerk sang
an antiphon.
The introduction to the Pater noster was variable. The priest
and congregation recited the Lord's Prayer. Right after the
commixtio a blessing was given, and a short chant called the
Trecanum was sung during the distribution of Communion.
The Mass ended with a prayer of thanksgiving and a collect.
3
EvoLUTION OF THE GALLico-RoMAN RITE
Despite these pronounced variations, the Roman and Gallican
Masses presented numerous points of similarity, especially in
essentials. This might be expected, since one rite sprang from
the other, or both developed from a common source. Though
there is much doubt as to the origin of the Gallican Rite, there
is none as regards its final history. Used for centuries through-
out the greater part of the Western Church, the Gallican Rite
lacked a central authority sufficiently influential to regulate its
development. For this reason, there sprang up in the course of
centuries endless variations. The need of regulation and uni-
formity was at length universally recognized; but as this appeared
impossible, a determined effort was finally made to abolish the
8
Duchesne, Christian Worship, Its Orif{in and Evolution. 190-227.
LITURGIES OF WESTERN CHURCH 7
ancient but now decadent liturgy. The effort, however, was not
made by Rome. It was begun by Pepin the Short (d. 768),
whose royal decree did not meet with very great success. Hence,
when Charlemagne succeeded to the throne, he obtained from .
Pope Adrian I a Roman sacramentary, which he ordered the
clergy of his dominion to use. But his efforts were not attended
with any greater success than those of his father. Then some-
one, possibly Alcuin, took Adrian's sacramentary and made many
additions to it from Gallican sources. Other additions were
made which were adopted from the Gelasian sacramentary, a
sacramentary which already bore unmistakable evidence of Gal-
lican influence.
The compromise had the desired effect. The Gallico-Roman
sacramentary now made rapid progress on all sides: and so great
was its success that before long, except in Toledo and Milan,
the Gallican Liturgy ceased to exist. But the Gallico-Roman
Rite did not stop its triumphal course with the elimination of
its rival. It became so popular that by the eleventh century it
had swept down from the Alps and had conquered Rome itself,
and, driving out the old Roman Rite, it became the universal
liturgy of the Western Church. It is this Gallicanized Roman
Rite which the Latin Church uses at the present time. Just why
Rome should have given up her ancient liturgical service is un-
known; but it is certain that, as Duchesne observes, "the Roman
liturgy from at least the eleventh century is nothing more than
the Frankish liturgy, such as men like Alcuin, Helisacher and
Amalarius had made it."
4
But even the new Gallico-Roman Liturgy did not produce
complete uniformity in the divine services. Variants were nu-
merous, and as the centuries passed they tended to increase. In
Op. cit., 104.
8 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
view of the modern rigorousness of the Church in regulating all
matters liturgical, it seems almost incredible that Rome made
no effort to control these variations. In many places the clergy
and laity alike were attached to customs (perhaps centuries old)
which were lacking in the plain, austere Roman Rite. So, the
clergy did not hesitate to add these old customs, especially as
they displaced nothing and actually filled in and improved the
rite of Rome.
But there was a still more potent force at work, the devotional
spirit of the Church, which is forever seeking new ways of ex-
pression. In modern times, when every ceremony is rigidly
governed by meticulous rubrics, this spirit seeks more sponta-
neous outlets; hence the popularity of tridua, novenas, and
similar devotions. But in the Middle Ages, the Ages of Faith,
when the people had a deeper knowledge and a better under-
standing of the liturgy of the Church, their devotional spirit
logically sought to express itself in the liturgy. Thus, they
enriched the plain, unadorned Roman Rite with a wealth of
prayers and ceremonies that have made that rite a thing of sur-
passing beauty.
Because of this liturgical exuberance there sprang up such
variants as the rites of York, Sarum, Hereford, Rouen, Cou-
tances, Cologne, Paris, Metz, and many other Churches. But
guidance and control were lacking, and so, in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, inevitable abuses began to appear, to grow,
to multiply. The disorder was to continue uninterrupted until
it was finally ended by the determined efforts of a Dominican
Pope, Pius V. But that event was as yet in the far distant fu
ture when St. Dominic was inspired to found his Order.
CHAPTER TWO
DOMINICANS FOUNDED AS CANONS REGULAR
LITURGY is indispensable to the Church. Without it, she could
not carry on her divine mission in the manner ordained by
Christ; and in this sense the liturgy may be well said to be essen-
tial to the life of the Church. St. Dominic believed that his
Order would unite itself more thoroughly to the life of the
Church, if the liturgy were given a prominent and indispensable
place in the daily life of his friars. To secure it, he instituted
the Order as an Order of Canons Regular. Now, this was to
have an important and direct bearing, in the first half of the
thirteenth century, on the question of Dominican liturgical
observances. Because the Friars Preachers have been classified
for so many centuries as Mendicants, most people have lost sight
entirely of the fact that they were founded as Canons Regular.
As a matter of fact, they have far greater claims to the latter title
than to the former, for since 1475 they have ceased to be Mendi-
cants except in name, whereas they have never abandoned their
canonical duties. That the Dominicans were instituted and
commonly recognized as Canons Regular, mediceval documents
prove beyond the shadow of a doubt.
St. Dominic began his missionary labors among the people of
Languedoc in 1205, and in the course of the next ten years a
group of disciples gathered around him. Bishop Foulques of
Toulouse canonically established the band of missionaries in his
diocese (July, 1215). In October of the same year Dominic
obtained the approval of Innocent III for the community of
9
10 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Sisters he had established at Prouille. But his simultaneous
request for confirmation of the Rule of the First Order met with
delay; his idea of a Religious Order, though common enough
to-day, was then regarded as revolutionary. A month later ( 11
November) the Fourth Lateran Council met and forbade the
introduction of any new Rule of religious life. Innocent made
use of the law to insist that Dominic adopt one of the approved
Rules of the Church. The Saint and his companions at Prouille
decided on the Rule of St. Augustine. By that decision, con-
firmed later by papal authority, the Dominicans joined the great
family of Canons Regular of St. Augustine. To fulfill the
canonical obligations thus assumed, they obtained from Bishop
Foulques the Church of Saint-Romaine, which had no parish
attached to it; and here they began to live the life of Canons
Regular. It is worthy of note that in compiling their Constitu-
tions the Dominicans borrowed from another Order of Canons
Regular, the Premonstratensians, "whatever they found that was
austere, suitable, and prudent for the end they had in view."
1
Dominic now repaired to Rome for the third time. Innocent
had died; but his successor, Honorius III, by the Bull Reiigiosam
Vitam, 22 December, 1216, confirmed and established the new
Order as an Order of Canons Regular: "We decree that the
Order of Canons which is known to have been instituted in the
same church [Saint-Romaine] . . . shall be held inviolable for
all time to come." By this document the Order of Preachers
was declared to be an Order of Canons Regular. Numerous
documents of that period prove that this classification by the
Church was well known.
1
Humbertus de Romanis, De Vita Regulari, II, 3.
DOMINICANS AS CANONS REGULAR 11
FRIARS CALLED "CANONs" BY CoNSTITUTIONS
The Liber Consuetudinum, or the earliest Constitutions of
the Order, begins its prologue in the following manner: "Since
we are commanded by the Rule to have one heart and one mind
in God, it is just that we who live under one Rule ... should
be found uniform in our observance of canonical religious life."
2
In exactly the same way, word for word, did the Norbertine
Constitutions begin, and it was from them that St. Dominic
borrowed this sentence. The Premonstratensians used the
words, canonica religio, to describe their form of life, because
that phrase in religious Rules as well as in Roman documents
referred to only one thing-an Order of Canons.
Not once but repeatedly does the ancient Liber Consuetud-
inum declare the canonical nature of the Order. Chapter XIV
reminds the prior that he does not have the authority to receive
anyone to be a lay-brother, nor to receive anyone to be a canon,
unless he obtains the consent of the majority of the chapter. It
thus distinguishes between friars who are lay-brothers and friars
who are canons. It repeats this distinction a number of times in
Chapter XXXVII: lay-brothers are to arise at the same time as
the canons; they are to have the same number of garments as
the canons have; they are to fast and abstain whenever it is
prescribed in the Rule of the Canons; finally, a lay-brother may
not become a canon.
3
Certainly, there can be no question that
The text of the Liber Consuetudinum was first published by Denille,
"Die Constitutionen des Prediger-Ordens vom Jahre 1228," in ALKM, I,
165-227. It was published in AOP, IV (1896), 621-648, and recently
(1939) by Scheeben in QF, XXXVIII. Part of it also appeared in
Mandonnet's Saint Dominique, L'Idee, L'Homme et L'CEuvre, II, 284-
292.
ALKM, I, 202, 226-227.
12 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
the ancient Constitutions considered the Order to be an Order
of Canons.
Many writers bore witness to this status of the Dominicans.
Peter of Corbeil, Archbishop of Sens ( 1220-1222), referred to
"the Canons of the Order of Preachers." In 1224, Archbishop
Gerard I of e s a n ~ o n invited the Dominicans to his metropoli-
tan city, and in a solemn act drawn up to commemorate the
event he called the friars "the reverend Canons of the Order of
Preachers." The celebrated Cardinal Jacques de Vitry, himself
a Canon Regular, enumerated in a sermon the different branches
of the Canonical Order: "First, the Premonstratensians .... ;
seventh, the Order of Preachers." Stephen of Salanhac (d.
1290) described the true Dominican as "a canon by profession,
a monk in the austerity of his life, and an apostle by his office of
preacher." Similar testimony is furnished by other documents,
including English legal deeds of the thirteenth century.
4
Did not the Order, however, renounce its canonical status in
the middle of the thirteenth century? It is true that the chap-
ters of 1249, 1250, and 1251 sanctioned the substitution of the
word "cleric" for that of "canon." But this was not a re-
nunciation of its state; it was merely a preparation for the storm
which was gathering at the University of Paris. The secular
teachers of the University, jealous of the growing prestige of
the Mendicant teachers, argued that regulars had no right to
teach, that this belonged only to clerics-not to monks or
canons! It was the same argument that William of St. Amour
was to make in 1252. In preparation for the struggle they saw
coming, the friars wished to emphasize that Canons Regular
Cf. MOPH, XV, 132; T. Mamachi, Annales Ord. Prred., I (Rome,
1756), 462; AOP, V (1897), 286.
DOMINICANS AS CANONS REGULAR l3
were also clerics, and accordingly had the right to teach. Hence,
they began to use the term "cleric" in preference to "canon."
FRIARS TERMED "CANONs" IN PAPAL DocUMENTS
This did not constitute a surrender of their status of canons,
since such a change could not be made by the Order but only
by the Church herself. As regards its status, a Religious Order
is exactly what the Holy See declares it to be, and the Church's
declarations as regards the Dominican Order are unmistakable.
In the Bull of 22 December, 1216, Honorius III declared that
St. Dominic and his followers belonged to an Order of Canons;
in 1218, the same Pope addressed a Bull to the prior and re-
ligious who took care of Prouille, and in this document he re-
peated the terms of the Bull of confirmation: "We decree that
the Canonical Order, which according to God and to the Rule
of St. Augustine. . .. " On 18 January, 1221, he gave St.
Dominic a letter of recommendation addressed to all prelates:
"Inasmuch as our beloved son, Friar Dominic ... a canon of
the aforesaid Order. ... " This fact deserves special attention:
the Pope calls Dominic a canon, although the Saint two years
before had laid aside the rochet of the canons.
5
Innocent IV, Alexander IV, and Gregory X in various docu-
ments addressed to Dominican Sisters affirm that these religious
belong to an Order of Canons: "First of all, we decree that the
Canonical Order which according to God and to the Rule of St
Augustine and to the Institutions of the Friars Preachers .... "
6
The same terminology is found almost word for word in various
papal documents. Again, in 1356, Innocent VI informed the
BOP, I, 6, 11; Chronica Parvula Ord. Prred. (AOP, I, 1893, 396)
gives 1219 as the year the rochet was discarded.
BOP, I, 7, 408, 518; VII, 22, 25.
14
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Basilian monks of Armenia, who wished to become affiliated
with the Dominican Order, that to do so they must accept the
canonical life according to the Rule of St. Augustine and the
Constitutions of the Friars Preachers.
7
A perusal of this reply
clearly shows that the Pope regarded the Order of Preachers
as essentially an Order of Canons Regular.
It is unnecessary to pause longer on the subject. The Church
constituted the Dominicans as an Order of Canons; they remain
such until the Church decrees otherwise. Though for cen-
turies the Friars Preachers have ceased to be Mendicants, they
have never ceased to fulfill their duties as canons. If they have
preferred to use the title of Mendicants, it is partly because of
the historical memories connected with that name and partly
because of the privileges granted to the Mendicant Orders.
8
7
Op. cit., II, 246.
8
We find down through the centuries numerous customs testifying to
the canonical nature of the Order. To mention but a few: the learned
Father Frederico Di Poggio, O.P., the last librarian of the Monastery of
S. Romano at Lucca, found in its archives a sacristan's inventory of the
year 1264. In it, among many interesting items, we read that the sacristy
had 34 albs and 37 camisias. Di Poggio shows that the meaning of camis-
ias here is rochets, and he adds: "Since the rochet was the dress proper to
Canons Regular, we have from this inventory certain evidence that the
Order of Preachers was and is an Order of Canons Regular. . . . But since
it is regarded as well assured that St. Dominic laid aside the rochet both
in the house and outside, what is the meaning of so unusual a number of
rochets in this inventory, unless we hold more accurately with Echard that
the holy Patriarch and the first Fathers of the Order used the rochet in
choir? We can find both evidence and remembrance [of the Canonical
status] in this, that even now [i.e., the middle of the 18th century], when
Dominican priors prepare to incense the altar during vespers, they put
on the rochet; and likewise at Milan, in our ancient Monastery of
Sant' Eustorgio, in the procession of Corpus Christi, all the Fathers wear
the rochet under the dalmatics, chasubles, and copes. This notation, then,
of the rochets in our sacristy clearly informs us that our first Fathers did not
entirely lay aside the rochet" (Baluze, Misceiianea, IV, 601, note).
The master-general, Hyacinth Cormier (d. 1916), writes: "The Ca-
nonical character which our Order had from the very beginning was not
abolished but rather perfected by its Apostolic mission, as we read in the
office of the holy Patriarch: 'To the canon he superadded the apostle' ... ;
from this the liturgists conclude that we have the right to wear the rochet
DOMINICANS AS CANONS REGULAR 15
WHY ST. DoMINic WANTED AN ORDER OF CANONS
Why did St. Dominic wish his friars to be Canons Regular?
This would mean that the public official service of the altar-
attendance at the community High Mass and the long choral
fulfillment of the entire Divine Office-would become part of
their daily religious life. He was founding his Order specifically
for preaching and the salvation of souls; and "neither of these
ends," says Humbert, "can be attained without study."
9
Domi-
nic laid the greatest emphasis on the importance of study, and
he knew well that serious study would demand a considerable
portion of time being set aside every day for that purpose. Yet,
in apparent contradiction to his plan to make every sacrifice for
the sake of study, he obligates his friars to the lengthy duties of
the choir.
The answer to this union of apparently conflicting duties
must be sought, not in the fact that the Saint himself had been
a Canon Regular, but rather in his deep knowledge of human
nature and the spiritual life. Having been an earnest student
of the canon under the priestly alb. During the conclave in which Alex-
ander VIII was elected ( 1689), one of the conclavists . . . observed that
the Dominican Cardinal, Thomas Philip Howard, ... when about to say
Mass, placed the rochet under his alb; while another Dominican, Cardinal
Orsini (afterwards Benedict XIII), preferred the ordinary surplice or cotta.
However, the masters-general for a long time wore the rochet as a dis-
tinctive sign of their position; Father Jande! allowed this custom to fall
into disuse." Cormier gives as the reason for this action of Jande! that
the Blessed Virgin had not included the rochet in the habit she gave to
the Order (Cormier, Quinze Entretiens sur Ja Liturgie Dominicaine, 201-
202).
For a discussion of the subject, see, in addition to the sources already
mentioned: [Pere Jacob], Memoires sur Ja canonicite de l'Institut de S.
Dominique (Italian trans., Difesa del canonicato de' FF. Predicatori, Ve-
nezia, 1758); Denifle, "Die Constitutionen des Prediger-Ordens vom Jahre
1228," in ALKM, I, 169 ff.; Mandonnet, "Les Chanoines-Precheurs de
Bologne d'apres Jacques de Vitry," in Archives de la Societe d'Histoire du
Canton de Fribourg, VIII (1903), 19 ff.; Mortier, Histoire, I, 31 ff.
De Vita Reg., II, 41.
16 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
himself, he knew that intense study tends to become a purely
intellectual labor, a cold abstract speculation. This truth has
been admirably developed by Pere Bernadot
10
who emphasizes
the fact that the danger of intellectualism menaces every real
student, for only too frequently does study hinder fervor of
heart and render prayer barren. If we view the question of
learning from a supernatural standpoint, of what utility is study
if it is not animated by charity? Now, the liturgy reestablishes
the equilibrium between the intellectual and the affective life.
Far from being a hindrance, the liturgy strengthens study and
renders it fruitful. In those assemblies near the altar the sou]
assimilates the fruit of its labor; and truth, descending from the
mind to the heart, inflames it with zeal. Hence, it was to safe-
guard the personal sanctification of his followers that St. Domi-
nic wished them to be Canons Regular.U
There was another important reason for his choice. Study
was to be only a means to an end, and that end was preaching
The Saint keenly realized that for the preaching of his friars to
be fruitful it must needs be sustained and vivified by prayer. He
distrusted relying on only the private prayer of the individual
preacher, for such prayer might weaken and even cease; he pre-
ferred to place his chief reliance on the solemn official praye1
of the community daily assembled before the altar of God.
Himself a man of intense prayer and an ardent lover of the
liturgy, St. Dominic knew that his Order must flourish so long
as there ascended to God night and day the unending solemn
supplication of the liturgy-that official prayer of Christ's
10
"La place de Ia Iiturgie dans Ia spiritualite dominicaine," in La Vie
Spirituelle (aout, 1921), 385-395. This truly golden treatise was repub
lished by Bernadot under the title: La SpirituaJite dominicaine.
11
Galbraith (Constitution of the Dominican Order, 7) mars a splendid
book by the curious assertion that St. Dominic was not primarily interested
in the souls of his followers!
DOMINICANS AS CANONS REGULAR 17
Church-to draw down divine blessings upon the teaching and
preaching of his friars.
12
With Dominic, this was no mere abstract reasoning; his whole
priestly life was a perfect example of profound appreciation and
fervent love of the holy liturgy. Ordained priest, he soon sought
still greater opportunities for participating in the solemn liturgi-
cal functions of the Church. It was this desire which motivated
his joining the Canons Regular of St. Augustine at Osma. Even
when he exchanged the quiet life of the cloister for that of
apostolic journeys, he endeavored every day when possible to
celebrate a Solemn or High Mass in preference to a Low Mass;
and so great was his devotion while officiating at the altar that
tears coursed down his cheeks. Thoroughly permeated with
the liturgical spirit, he would often, even while travelling, burst
into song, singing with his whole heart the liturgical hymns of
the Divine Office. Though it was his invariable custom to
spend most of the night in prayer, he was most faithful in at-
tending choir, assisting at the midnight office as well as at the
office of the day. Eyewitnesses tell us that in his zeal he would
often pass from one side of the choir to another, urging the
friars by word and example to greater devotion: "Fortiter,
fratres, fortiter." When his last illness overtook him, though
death was but a few days distant, he insisted upon attending
the midnight office with his brethrenP
St. Dominic left his friars many heirlooms, not the least of
which were these two: his own flawless example of love of the
sacred liturgy, and the institution of his Order as an Order of
Canons Regular.
,.. Mortier, La Liturgie Dominicaine, I, 9-10.
13
All these statements were made by the various witnesses during the
process of the canonization of St. Dominic. Cf. Acta Canonizationis S.
Dominici, in MOPH, XVI, 124, 125, 127, 128, 137, 140, 149, 156, 162,
163, 165.
CHAPTER THREE
BEGINNING OF DOMINICAN
CONVENTUAL LIFE
OBSCURITY seems to be inseparable from the study of liturgical
origins. One would expect this with regard to the great liturgies
dating back to the earliest centuries, it being inevitable that in
the course of so long a time countless liturgical documents
should have been lost. One hardly looks for such a scarcity of
documents in rites which developed in the Middle Ages. Yet,
surprising as it may seem, from the Order's first forty years of
existence there have survived extremely few liturgical manu-
scripts. This is indeed remarkable. During the same period of
years, many books were written by the brethren which have
come down to us through the centuries; of the large number of
identical manuscripts-missals and breviaries-used for some
thirty or forty years by the Order for Mass and Divine Office,
there are extant only three documents: a breviary used by St.
Dominic, a missal, and a combination breviary-antiphonary.
That is all. When we reflect that even the Acts of the first
thirteen general chapters had disappeared before the end of
the thirteenth century, the suspicion grows that all these docu-
ments were deliberately destroyed by those in authority.
1
The
reasons for so regrettable a course of action will suggest them-
selves as we trace the early history of the Dominican rite.
Not only are we hampered by a dearth of liturgical books, but
even the historians and authors of that period seem to have
1
AOP, V (1897), 27.
18
DOMINICAN CONVENTUAL LIFE 19
entered into a conspiracy of silence regarding the history of the
rite, so that we have only the scantiest material with which to
reconstruct the first two-score years of Dominican liturgical his-
tory. It is in vain that we search through the writings of Peter
Ferrandi, Jordan of Saxony, Gerard de Fracheto, Thomas of
Cantimpre, Stephen of Salanhac, Vincent of Beauvais, Bernard
Gui, and others. Their silence is as complete as that of men
who wrote expressly on the Mass-Albert the Great, Thomas
Aquinas, Hugh of Saint-Cher, Nicholas of Trivet, etc. Even
Humbert of Romans,
2
who played so leading a part in the
crystallization of the Dominican rite, when forced by the very
nature of his treatise to speak of the subject, gives us only a
meager account of its history and of the changes effected by
himself. His reticence may well have been due to the distur-
bance which the question had caused the Order for over a
quarter of a century. Possibly the master-general felt that, the
less said about the past, the better it would be for the peace and
harmony of the Order.
Humbert's account is to be found in his commentary on the
following passage of the Dominican Constitutions:
2
As Humbert's name will frequently recur, a sketch of his life may be
of interest. He was born at Romans, near Valence, France, in either 1193
or 1194. He made his studies at the University of Paris, and it was here
that he came into contact with the Dominicans. He entered the Order
in 1224. He was elected provincial of the Roman province in 1240, and
while in the Eternal City enjoyed so high a reputation for learning and
sanctity that upon the death of Gregory IX some of the Cardinals voted for
him to be the next Pope. In 1244 he succeeded the illustrious Hugh of
Saint-Cher as the provincial of the province of France. At the general
chapter of Buda, 1254, he was chosen master-general of the Order, a posi-
tion which he filled with rare ability during a most tempestuous period
of the Order's existence. He died at Valence, 14 July, 1277. He wrote
a number of works, among which his Exposition of the Rule of St. Augus-
tine was highly prized during the Middle Ages. Cf. SSOP, I, 141-148.
20 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
"We confirm the entire office,' diurnal as we11 as nocturnal, as
corrected and arranged by the Venerable Father Humbert, master
of our Order; and we ordain that it is to be uniformly observed
by a11; and it is unlawful for anyone henceforth to introduce any
innovation." '
FouR STAGES IN DEvELOPMENT OF THE LITURGY
Commenting on the ordinance, Humbert observes: "From
the beginning of the O r d e ~ there was much diversity in the
office. Hence, there was compiled one office for the sake of
having everywhere uniformity. In the course of time, four
friars from four provinces were entrusted with the task of ar-
ranging the office in a better form. They accomplished this
work, and it was confirmed [by several chapters]. But because
there still were some corrections to be made, master-general
Humbert was commissioned to make another revision, which
revision was later approved by three chapters. It is to this
[last] office the Constitutions refer in the foregoing text."
5
This brief narrative indicates four periods in the development
of the liturgy: ( l) the period of great diversity; ( 2) the uniform
liturgy; ( 3) the liturgy of the Four Friars; and ( 4) the revision
of Humbert.
There was another period which Humbert omits either be-
Humbert uses the word office to signify the Divine Office, and also
the entire liturgical service, especially the Mass. "The office contained
in the antiphonary," he says, "is called nocturnal office, because the greater
part of it is recited at night. . . . What is in the gradual and missal is
called the diurnal office" (De Vita Reg., II, 149). The word also often
means-especially in Dominican documents-the introit of the Mass.
Op. cit., II, 152.
Humbert adds this last sentence because the primitive Constitutions
(the Liber Consuetudinum) contain a similar ordinance: "We confirm
the entire office, diurnal as well as nocturnal; and we desire it to be ob-
served uniformly by all; wherefore, it shall be unlawful for anyone to
introduce innovations in the future." Lib. Consuet., c. 37, in ALKM, I,
227.
DOMINICAN CONVENTUAL LIFE 21
cause of its obviousness or because it lasted so short a time.
"The period of great diversity" could not have begun until
after the dispersion of the friars. In the same year that Foulques
canonically established the Order in his diocese, a wealthy citi-
zen of Toulouse, Peter Seila, joined the Order and donated to
the friars a dwelling which became their first home, "and there
they began to follow the practices of religious."
6
Among the
foremost practices of religious life there were then as now the
community Mass and the choral recitation of the office. That
these were an integral part of the religious life of this first Do-
minican community cannot be questioned. Since conventual life
required uniformity in the external acts of religious observance,
it was imperative that all should recite office and celebrate Mass
according to the same rubrics. We must conclude, then, that
for the two and a half years during which the brethren lived a
community life at Toulouse, they had one and the same liturgy
which was uniformly observed by all.
What was this liturgy? To answer the question, scholars in
the last half-century have searched through an untold number
of medireval manuscripts, but they have searched in vain. There
is no thirteenth-century manuscript known which makes even
the slightest allusion to the rite of the first friars. Only one
Dominican liturgical book of that time is known still to exist,
the breviary of St. Dominic, which, however, is of little help in
solving the problem, as it is not certain that Dominic used this
breviary at Toulouse. In all likelihood the first Dominicans
made use of the Roman Rite as they found it observed in the
Diocese of Toulouse. It is not likely they imported a usage
foreign to the diocese which saw their origin. And with this
probability we must be content.
Chronica et Chronicorum Excerpta O.P., in MOPH, VII, 2.
22 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
THE BEGINNING OF GREAT DIVERSITY
The uniform conventual life at Toulouse came to a close on
15 August, 1217, when Dominic scattered his little band over
Europe. Two of the friars were to remain at Toulouse, while
two others were assigned to take care of the Sisters at Prouille.
Four of the brethren set out for Spain, and seven went to Paris.
Dominic himself, accompanied by Stephen of Metz, departed
for Rome. The Order, now split up into small groups in dif-
ferent countries, had for some time little intercommunication.
It did not yet possess a complete organization, and no legislative
assemblies would be held for several years. Humbert indicates
it was at this time that liturgical variety began to exist in the
Order, for, in speaking of his revision, he says: "This revision of
mine was made by the authority of three general chapters and
not by the authority of any one individual, whether master-
general, prior, or anyone else, as was the custom in the begin-
ning."
7
Apparently, then, from the beginning of the inter-
national life of the Order local superiors made changes in the
liturgy. It was doubtless a matter of expediency as well as neces-
sity. It would have been thoroughly in keeping with the pru-
dence of St. Dominie to have instructed his brethren on their
departure from Toulouse that in their new homes they should
adapt themselves to local conditions so as to avoid as far as
possible arousing local prejudices.
This policy of expediency was probably the direct and princi-
pal cause of the "great diversity" of liturgical customs in the
Order. Yet, it was unavoidable. Not only was the Order in its
infancy, but as yet it had few friends. Embodying as it did a
number of new ideas, it was bound to be received in many
De Vita Reg., II, 153.
DOMINICAN CONVENTUAL LIFE 23
places with suspicion and reserve; and as success began to crown
its efforts, with jealousy and hostility. Until the Order grew
strong, it was prudent to avoid friction as far as this was pos-
sible. Nor is this mere supposition. That this was the policy
of the Order in its early days is frankly admitted by Humbert
of Romans in his Exposition of the Constitutions, where he ad-
duces a number of reasons for the toleration of diverse customs,
even in the liturgy. He insists that it is more expedient to ~ o
form in certain things with those among whom the friars n.'ay
be living than it is to preserve uniformity in all things. He givt
as a specific example: "In some places the brethren give a bless-
ing at the end of Mass, because it is the custom in those parts;
while elsewhere the blessing is not given. And likewise in many
other things, it is a question of expediency."
8
Everything, then, points to this date (of the departure of the
friars from Toulouse) as the beginning of the great diversity in
liturgical observances. The consequences of superiors' intro-
ducing changes in the ritual in order to comply with local cus-
toms, may easily be imagined. Though the Roman Rite was
quite universally observed throughout the Latin Patriarchate
(with the exception of Milan, Toledo, and Braga), it was every-
where influenced by local customs. Even at Rome itself, ac-
cording to Abelard, there was not complete uniformity. A simi-
lar charge was made several centuries later by the distinguished
liturgist, Ralph of Tongres. With the friars scattered over
Europe and each group adopting different customs, the result
must have been disconcerting, as in four and a half years the
Order had spread over the greater part of the continent and had
increased from seventeen members to considerably more than
one thousand. Obviously, the more the Order grew, the worse
De Vita Reg., II, 6-7.
24 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
the situation became. If this condition still existed when the
representatives from all the various provinces of Europe as-
sembled for the first general chapter in 1220, the disorder must
have been forcibly and unpleasantly impressed upon the capitu
lars.
LITURGICAL UNIFORMITY IN THE OLDER ORDERS
The older Orders had encountered a similar problem, for
they too realized the need of liturgical uniformity. Though the
monks took a vow of stability to remain in the house in which
they were professed and normally did little visiting of other
monasteries, St. Benedict devoted a dozen chapters of his Rule
to the subject of the Divine Office in order to secure uniformity.
9
The ordinances of the first chapter of the Carthusians com-
manded that the Divine Office was to be celebrated in all thei1
houses with exactly the same rite, and that all their customs per-
taining to the religious life were to be uniform.
10
Similarly, the
Cistercians had legislated that all their customs, chant, and litur-
gical books were to be the same as those of the "New Monastery"
( Citeaux), "so that in our acts there may be found no discord,
but that we may live in charity under one Rule and with cus-
toms that are alike."
11
The Premonstratensians likewise, in the
prologue of their Rule, insisted upon uniformity in the particular
observances of Canons Regular; and in the Fourth Distinction
of their Rule it was required that in their various abbeys there
must be uniformity in regard to the missals, graduals, antipho-
naries, psalters, calendars, etc.
12
0
Regula S. Benedicti, VIII-XVIII, in Sejalon, Nomasticon Gist., 18-24.
10
Statuta Antiqua Ordinis Carthusiani, in PL., CLIII, 1126 ff.
11
Carta Charitatis in Sejalon, op. cit., 69. The first sixty-nine distinc-
tions of the Cistercian Rule were devoted exclusively to the ecclesiastical
office.
12
Primaria Instituta Can. Praemonstratensium, in AER, III, Appendix,
Dist. IV, cap. X et XI.
DOMINICAN CONVENTUAL LIFE 25
Now, the Dominican idea represented something new in re-
ligious life. Unlike the older Orders, the Dominican houses
were to be closely united with one another. Although the Or-
der was to be international, yet it was to be strongly centralized.
Many of its students were to be sent to foreign countries to
study; there would be much travelling between the various
houses and even between the various provinces; and annually,
representatives from all over Europe would assemble at Paris
or Bologna for a legislative congress that might last a whole
week. Certainly, if liturgical uniformity was regarded not only
as important but even necessary in those Orders between whose
houses there was limited intercourse, how imperative it would
be in an Order like that of the Dominicans! This reason ap-
pears the more cogent when we reflect that the Friars Preachers
deliberately chose to become Canons Regular, or religious who
would be bound to the choral recitation of the office, to the
solemn Conventual Mass, and in general to the formal fulfill-
ment of liturgical functions. That such an Order would have
allowed liturgical chaos to reign unchecked for over a quarter of
a century, is incredible.
ST. DoMINic's KEEN INTEREST IN THE LITURGY
It may be safely assumed that no one realized more keenly
than St. Dominic the menace of liturgical confusion, and that
no one desired more earnestly complete harmony in ritual ob-
servances. Throughout his entire priestly life the Saint mani-
fested the deepest interest in the liturgy. It is unlikely that a
man of Dominic's rare intelligence and foresight should have
ignored in his own Order the liturgy to which he was so devoted,
or that he should have been blind to the patent fact that grave
disorder in the liturgy would threaten the peace and unity which
26 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
his own Constitutions so strongly inculcate: "Since, by the pre-
cept of the Rule, we are commanded to have one heart and one
mind in God, it is fitting that we who live under one Rule ...
be found in uniform in the observances of the Canonical life"
(i.e., in the observances of Canons Regular). This sentence St.
Dominic himself borrowed from the Norbertine Constitutions.
But could the Saint have remedied these conditions? The
problem was undoubtedly a difficult one. The longer it was
allowed to go unsolved, the greater danger did it present to the
unity of the Order; and the longer local customs were permitted
to flourish, the more difficult would be their eradication. One
has only to read the liturgical history of Christendom to see how
deeply attached the clergy and laity become to their liturgical
customs, and with what tenacity they cling to them. In the
Dominican Order we shall witness this exemplified in the ef-
forts of the master-general, John of Wildeshausen, to introduce,
not a new rite, but a revised version of the old Dominican rite.
Although John had the support of five general chapters of the
Order, he met with determined resistance over a long period of
years, and it took the autocratic determination of his successor,
Humbert of Romans, to conquer finally all opposition.
It was, therefore, of the highest importance to deal with this
dangerous problem as quickly and as peacefully as possible. The
power to do so was in Dominic's hands. Father Ventura, who
received the habit from St. Dominic, testified at the process of
canonization that, after the Pope, Dominic possessed the fullest
authority over the whole Order;
13
it was a plenitude of power
such as none of his successors ever enjoyed. Moreover, as
13
MOPH, XVI, 124: "Et tunc temporis ipse beatus frater Dominicus
habebat plenam potestatem et dispositionem et ordinationem et correc-
tionem totius ordinis fratrum predicatorum post dominum papam."
DOMINICAN CONVENTUAL LIFE 27
Founder of the Order he was the object of profound veneration
on the part of all his followers. To them his wishes were law.
Dominic and Dominic alone could have introduced the unified
liturgy without stirring up a tempest.
Did he have the time to deal with this problem? A new Or-
der (and especially one growing as rapidly as his) unquestionably
presented many pressing problems that clamored for immediate
attention. How could the Saint find the time to investigate the
various forms of the Roman Rite with a view of selecting the
one most suitable for the special needs of the Friars Preachers?
The objection is easily answered. Dominic's extensive travels
in Spain, Gaul, and Italy, as well as his many friendships with
members of other Orders (particularly with Carthusians, Cis-
tercians, and Premonstratensians, in whose houses he often
stayed), gave him an excellent and first-hand knowledge of the
principal rites of the day. By the spring of 1219, he had be-
come acquainted with practically all the leading variations of
the Roman Rite. In addition, it must be remembered that be-
tween the dispersal of the friars in August, 1217, and the death
of the Saint four whole years had elapsed. In that length of
time a decision could have been reached and the work of adapt-
ing some suitable rite begun, if not finished. The breviary of
St. Dominic reveals that the original text had been subjected
to a large number of alterations. These clearly indicate a pro-
jected revision. Even if the adaptation had not been finished
at the time of his death, the whole Order would have regarded
it as Dominic's work and would have received it as such from
his successor, Jordan of Saxony. With the adoption of this
work, the period of "great diversity in the office" came to a
close, and the second period, that of the uniform office, began.
CHAPTER FOUR \
DOMINICAN LITURGICAL MANUSCRIPTS
PRIOR TO HUMBERT
BEFORE taking up the subject of the uniform liturgy, it will be
of no little assistance to us if we first pause to examine those
liturgical documents which were indubitably written before
Humbert's revision. Only three are known to exist: the brevi-
ary of St. Dominic, a missal in the Bibliotheque Nationale,
Paris, and a breviary-antiphonary in the Dominican archives at
Rome.
The first document, the breviary of St. Dominic, possesses
more of a sentimental than a practical value for the history of
the rite. The book is quite small in size, made of parchment,
and is bound in leather. The style of the script, which is com-
posed of small Gothic letters, points to a Gallican origin. It is
DOt in very good condition. Many pages have been torn from
the volume, possibly by pious vandals who wanted a relic of St.
Dominic. The text of the pages that remain contains numerous
erasures, additions, and modifications. Who was the unknown
liturgist? In all probability, St. Dominic himself. In any event,
this breviary was given as a souvenir of St. Dominic to Blessed
Diana d'Andalo at Bologna on 8 November, 1222. The donor
was none other than the immediate successor of the Saint,
Blessed Jordan of Saxony. Venerable Bartholomew, Archbishop
of Braga (1514-1590), testified to having seen it in the convent
of the nuns at Bologna while he was on his way to the Council
28
MANUSCRIPTS PRIOR TO HUMBERT 29
of Trent. When the convent was suppressed by Napoleon, the
nuns sent the book for safekeeping to the Dominican nuns of
the convent of SS. Dominic and Sixtus in Rome, where it has
been preserved to the present day.
1
THE ANCIENT DoMINICAN MissAL OF PARIS
Of far greater value to the liturgist is a missal in the Bib-
liotheque Nationale (MS. lat. 8884). This manuscript com-
prises 336 leaves (or 672 pages) of parchment. In size, it is
approximately 140 by 10 inches. Despite the size of the book,
the complete absence of plain-chant shows that the missal was
intended solely for the saying of Low Mass. This book is of the
highest interest because it had been formerly a Dominican mis-
sal; later, it was adapted to the use of the Church of Paris and
was evidently used, as several notations state, in the Chapel of
St. Louis of Marseilles. To the original calendar, there were
added in the fourteenth century many of the feasts of the
Church of Paris; the Masses of these feasts are found in the
Sanctorale, in the margin or at the bottom of the pages. Of
special interest are the feasts of St. Dominic: his Translation, 24
May, duplex; his principal feast, 5 August, totum duplex; and
his octave, 12 August, semiduplex. His principal feast is entered
in the calendar in these words: Beati Dominici patris nostri.
Tatum duplex. All these entries are in red ink. In the calen-
dar, the following gradation of the various feasts is given: a
memory (or commemoration), three lessons, semiduplex, du-
plex, nine lessons, and totum duplex. There are very few feasts
with the rank of totum duplex.
While the missal furnishes us with some rubrics scattered
here and there throughout the text, we are left in almost total
1
Laporte, Precis historique, 335; Rousseau, De ecclesiastico officio, 12.
30 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
ignorance as to how the ceremonies of the Mass were carried
out. We are forced to be content with an examination of the
text.
THE "ORDO MISSAE"
The Ordo missre (fol. l26v) begins with the vesting of the
priest. The prayer used while putting on the amice differs only
a little from that used to-day; the remaining prayers however,
while common enough in many dioceses during the Middle
Ages, show some interesting differences from our present for-
mulas.
For the alb: "Clothe me, 0 Lord, with the robe of salvation
and the tunic of justice, and ever surround me with the garment
of joy; through Christ, etc."
For the cincture: "With the girdle of faith and the virtue of
chastity gird, 0 Lord, the loins of my heart and body, and ex-
tinguish in them the desire of lust that there may remain in them
alike the unfailing continuance of complete chastity."
For the maniple: "Place, 0 Lord, a maniple in my hands that
every stain of heart and body may be wiped away so that I may
deserve to serve Thee, Omnipotent Lord, without defilement."
For the stole: "I beseech Thee, 0 Lord, restore to me the stole
of delight which I lost by the transgression of the first parent; and
because I draw near with this sign of honor (though unworthily)
to Thy holy ministry, grant that with it I may merit to rejoice
forever."
For the chasuble: "Let Thy mercy, 0 Lord, lighten upon us, as
our trust is in Thee, for Thy yoke is sweet and Thy burden light.
Grant, I beseech, that I may so bear it as to gain Thy grace."
2
The Latin text of the foregoing prayers is as follows ( fol. 127r) :
"[Ad amictum]. Oratio: Pone Domine galeam salutis iii capite meo
ad expugnandas et superandas diabolicas frandes. Per.
"Ad albam: Indue me Domine, vestimento salutis et tunica justitire
et indumento laetitire, circumda me semper. Per.
"Ad cingulum: Prrecinge me Domine cingulo fidei et virtute casti-
tatis Jumbos cordis mei et corporis, et extingue in eis humorem
libidinis, ut jugiter maneat in eis tenor totius castitatis. Per.
THE DoMINICAN MISSAL OF PARIS (circa 1240)
(Bibl. Nat., MS. lat. 8884)
31
32 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Immediately after this last prayer and without any reference
whatever to the first part of the Mass, we are abruptly taken to
the offertory. The priest washed his hands before offering up
the chalice (and presumably the host with the chalice), for the
rubric reads: "After saying the offertory and washing the hands,
let the priest take the chalice and say:
" 'Receive, 0 Holy Trinity, this oblation or this host [sic]
which Thy servant offers to Thee, and grant that it may appear
exceedingly sublime in Thy sight.'
"Let him then place the chalice on the altar, [and] bowed, let
him say: 'In a humble spirit, etc.'"
The latter prayer is identical with that of to-day.
Without any further rubric is given in a slightly different
form the Suscipe sancta Trinitas, said after the Lavabo in the
Roman Mass of to-day. Nor does any rubric introduce the
Orate fratres, which reads:
"Pray, brethren, for me a most miserable sinner, and I [will
pray] for you to our Lord God that my sacrifice and yours alike
may be pleasing in the sight of the Lord."
8
The prefaces come next. They are eleven in number: Na-
tivity, Epiphany, Lent (this was said until Holy Thursday),
Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity, Exaltation and Finding of
"Ad manipulum: Da michi Domine manipulum in manibus meis
ad extergendas sordes cordis et corporis mei ut tibi Domino omnipotenti
sine pollutione merear servire. Per.
"Ad stolam: Obsecro, Domine, redde michi stolam jocunditatis
quam perdidi in prrevaricatione primi parentis et quia cum hoc oma
menta quamvis indignus accedo ad tuum sanctum ministerium, prresta
ut cum eo Iretari merear in perpetuum. Per Dominum.
"Ad casulam: Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos quemad
modum speravimus in te. Jugum enim tuum suave et honus tuum
Ieve. Prresta, qureso, ut sic illud deportare valeam qualiter consequi
passim tuam gratiam. Per."
8
The prayer is incomplete in the text; the missing words, sit acceptum
sacrificium, are written in the margin.
MANUSCRIPTS PRIOR TO HUMBERT 33
the Holy Cross, Blessed Virgin (except for the Purification when
the preface of the Nativity of Our Lord was used), Apostles, and
the common preface. The text of all these is the same as that
of to-day; there are only a few variations, and these are of a
trivial nature.
4
THE CANON OF THE MASS
The Canon of the Mass has some variations. In the Te igitur,
the three signs of the cross are placed somewhat differently from
to-day: h<Ec do ffi na, h<Ec mune ffi ra,
5
h<Ec sancta ffi sacrificia.
We next meet the usual mention of the king: et rege nostro.
The word apostolic<E was omitted in the text but is supplied in
the margin. The Memento Domine is the same as to-day ex-
cept that it inserts after the omnium circumstantium the phrase:
atque omnium fideiium christianorum. There are several other
slight variations in some of the remaining prayers. The three
signs of the cross in the prayer Uncle et memores differ:
Ho ffi stiam puram, Ho ffi stiam sanctam, Ho ffi stiam immacu-
latam. Likewise the crosses of Per Ipsum: Per ip ffi sum, et
cum ipso, et in ip ffi so est tibi Deo Pa ffi tri omnipotenti, in
unitate Spiritus Sancti. Both in the cum ipso and the Spiritus
Sancti, the crosses were omitted from the text and supplied later.
The same holds true of the crosses for the Pax Domini: Pa ffi x
domini sit sem ffi per vobiscum, the third cross being omitted.
The Agnus Dei is the same as that used to-day. H<Ec sacro-
sancta commixtio is the same as in the present Dominican mis-
sal except that it omits the rather unnecessary words: promeren-
dam atque. The Domine Jesu Christe differs only in a few
words. It reads:
Curiously enough, the common preface is given twice.
Through an error, the scribe wrote: hie muneral
34 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
"0 Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who according
to the will of the Father through the cooperation of the Holy
Ghost hast by Thy death given life to the world, deliver me by
this Thy sacred Body and Blood from all iniquities and from all
evils; and make me ever obey Thy commandments and let me not
be separated from Thee forever. Who with the same Father, in
the unity of the same Holy Ghost, livest and reignest God,
throughout all the ages of ages. Amen."
The last three prayers, Corpus et sanguis Domini, Quod ore
sumpsimus, and Placeat tibi, are the same as in the modern
Dominican missal, except for the termination of the last prayer.
In the present missal, the Placeat tibi ends: Per ClJiistum
Dominum nostrum. Amen. In the manuscript-missal, it ends:
Qui vivis et regnas per omnia srecula sreculorum. Amen.
Throughout the entire manuscript we note that the introit
is called officium, and that the Sundays after Pentecost are
counted from Trinity Sunday, post festum sancte Trinitatis.
What is the date of this missal? Eliminating all additions to
the original missal, we find that the latest feast in the Sanctoraie
is that of the Translation of St. Dominic. Now, Dominic's
tomb was opened in May, 1233; and, because of the number of
miracles that took place, Dominic was canonized the following
year ( 3 July). As no member of the Order had as yet been
canonized, we may be certain that the Dominicans lost no time
in placing both feasts of Dominic in their calendar. On the
other hand, the chapter of 1243 ruled that two feasts were to
have the rite of nine lessons, those of Elizabeth of Thuringia
and the Eleven Thousand Virgins. The feast of Elizabeth is not
Domine J esu Christe Filii (sic) Dei vivi qui ex voluntate Patris . . .
Iibera me per hoc sacrum corpus et sanguinem tuum a cunctis iniquitatibus
et ab universis malis et fac me tuis semper obedire mandatis et non sinas
me in perpetuum a Te separari. Qui vivis et regnas cum eadem Patre in
unitate ejusdem Spiritus Sancti Deus. Per omnia srecula sreculorum. Amen."
MANUSCRIPTS PRIOR TO HUMBERT 35
in the original missal, while that of the Eleven Thousand Vir-
gins is a memory or commemoration. Apparently then the
manuscript-missal was written between 1234 and 1243.7
A study of the missal, its Sanctorale, text, and what few ru-
brics we find there, indicates quite clearly two facts: (I) the
missal had been beyond any possibility of doubt a Dominican
book; and ( 2) the rite followed therein was not entirely that of
the Church of Paris but bore a close resemblance to it. The
importance of this fact will be seen in due time.
The third and last manuscript prior to Humbert's revision, the
breviary-antiphonary, is of so much importance that it merits
a separate chapter.
7
Cf. Leroquais, Les sacramentaires et Ies missels manuscrits des bibli-
otheques pubiiques de France, II, 106.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE BREVIAR Y-ANTIPHONAR \
PRESERVED in the archives of the Dominican Order at Rome is
a manuscript which bears the simple title: A Breviary Manu-
script of the 13th Century. The title is not quite correct, for
the book is not only a breviary but also a complete antiphonary.
All who have examined it are in agreement that it is a Domini-
can office-book compiled before Humbert's revision. They also
agree on another important point: that this manuscript is not
the original one but a late copy of the original. We herewith
present the results of Rousseau's careful study of the document.
The manuscript-volume is small, being only 3 0 inches by 5
inches in size, and consisting (if we include leaves added at a
later date) of 582 leaves of very thin parchment. The writing
is small but excellently done in neat Gothic letters; the text is
illuminated with minute, exquisite pictures. Both the illumina-
tion and the style of writing indicate a Parisian origin in the first
half of the thirteenth century.
As already stated, the manuscript is not only a breviary but
also an antiphonary, giving the entire plain-chant with the text
of the Divine Office. Invitatories, hymns, antiphons, responds
-in a word, all except the psalms and orationes-are provided
with musical notation accurately and neatly written.
1
Rousseau
conjectures, from intrinsic evidence, that this volume was meant
1
This is not true of the leaves added at a later date; these have very
little plain-chant.
36
THE BREVIARY-ANTIPHONARY 37
to be used as an examplar for copying the psalter, antiphonary,
and hymnal,2
To the breviary is prefixed a calendar, but much of its value
is lost by reason of the many additions and changes made by
later hands .. For this reason, it often disagrees with the text in
the body of the breviary; the calendar may give one rank to a
certain feast while the Proper of the Saints assigns it another.
Feasts are graded in the following manner: three lessons, sim-
plex, semiduplex, duplex, and totum duplex.
In the psalter, the psalms are arranged in the same order as in
the Vulgate, but without any title or number.
3
The psalms are
not interrupted by antiphons or versicles; these are placed on
the bottom margin, or added afterwards, or merely indicated in
a brief way. The canticles after the psalms are arranged in a way
slightly different from that now prevailing. In the litany of
the Saints (which ends this part of the manuscript), not only is
the name of St. Dominic mentioned twice, but that of St.
Augustine as well.
THE OFFICE OF THE SEASON (Officium de Tempore)
This part of the manuscript is preceded by some general ru-
brics, which were added at a later period. It is only from the
body of the text that we can safely, though imperfectly, deduce
the nature of the older rubrics.
A textual comparison of the Proprium de Tempore as found
in this manuscript with that of the splendid edition of the
breviary published under master-general Cormier in 1909 re-
veals the astonishing fact that, except for the lessons, the two
texts are almost identical. An example will serve to illustrate
2
De ecclesiastico officio, 2 5.
Except the first four which have the general title: Psalm us David.
38 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
the surprising likeness. Let us take the office for the second
Sunday after Epiphany, or, as the Dominicans call it, the first
Sunday after the octave of Epiphany. In the first vespers we
find that the psalms, antiphons, capitulum, respond, hymn, versi-
cle and its response, Magnificat antiphon, and prayer are exactly
the same, word for word. As regards compline, the manuscript
does not mention the Fratres, sobrii estote, nor the Confiteor;
but this was not necessary as these were already prescribed by
the ancient Liber Consuetudinum.
4
Again we have an office
that corresponds verbatim with the compline of Cormier's brevi-
ary. One slight difference is to be noticed: in the procession
after compline, the choice was given of singing the Ave Regina
or the Salve Regina.
Matins.-:--Here again, with the exception of the lessons, we
find complete conformity with Cormier's breviary in invitatory,
hymn, psalms, and antiphons. There were eighteen psalms, of
which twelve were in the first nocturn. In the first nocturn, the
Gloria Patri followed every fourth psalm. In the third nocturn,
we find a response given for the ninth lesson even though the
Te Deum followed, a custom continued to the present day in
the Order.
Lauds.-The office of lauds was preceded by a versicle and
response, the same as those used to-day for the period outside
of Lent and Advent: y. Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus.
W Et super crelos gloria ejus. In lauds (for the first Sunday
after Epiphany) we meet two notable differences: only the first
of the five superpsalm antiphons is the same as in Cormier's
breviary, and there is a rubric stating that "these antiphons of
lauds are to be sung only on this Sunday. On other Sundays ...
only the first antiphon will be sung." However, the capitulum,
'Liber Consuetudinum, De collacione et compietorio, in ALKM, I,
199-200.
39
40 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
hymn, versicles, Benedictus antiphon, and prayer do not differ.
Prime.-Except for the period from Septuagesima to Easter,
the psalms for prime were invariable, both for the office de Tem-
pore and for that of the Saints. They consisted, as in Cormier,
0f Deus in nomine tuo and of the first two sections of the long
psalm 118, Beati immacuiati. From Septuagesima to Easter,
nine psalms, each two followed by a Gloria, were recited. There
was only one antiphon. These are the same psalms as those
given in Cormier for the Sundays from Septuagesima until
Palm Sunday. The rest of prime-superpsalm antiphon, capi-
tulum, response, confession and prayer-agrees with Cormier.
Pretiosa.-The only difference between the pretiosa of the
breviary-antiphonary and that of to-day is that the reading from
the Gospel or from the Constitutions (not from the Rule of St.
Augustine as at present) continued until the officiant gave the
signal to stop. Those absent from the office recited the prologue
to the Rule of St. Augustine in place of the reading from the
Gospel or the Constitutions.
Remaining Little Hours.-In the remaining little hours, the
rest of psalm 118 was used, both on feasts of the Temporaie and
on those of the Sanctorale. Hymns, antiphons, capitula, rt>
sponds, and prayers are the same as in Cormier's breviary.
Second Vespers.-The office of second vespers of this Sundav
is identical throughout with that found in Cormier's breviary.
THE FERIAL OFFICE (feria secunda p.o.E.)
The erial office consisted of one nocturn having twelve
psalms. Each pair of psalms terminated with a Gloria Patri and
an antiphon. After the sixth antiphon, a versicle and responst>
were said. Then three lessons were followed by three responds
With the exception of these lessons, all are the same as in tht>
Cormier edition.
THE BREVIARY-ANTIPHONARY 41
fhe versicle before lauds (Fiat misericordia) is the same as to-
day. The office of lauds is identical in every part with Cormier.
After the Benedictus antiphon, were said the preces, just as they
are said to-day in the Dominican office.
The little hours were said in exactly the same way, even to the
manner of saying preces after each of the hours. Vespers and
compline likewise offer no difference.
During paschal time, matins consisted of one nocturn of three
psalms, three lessons, and three responsories. At compline, the
psalm Qui habitat was omitted. The alleluia was added to all
invitatories, responsories, antiphons, and versicles; in the Mass,
to the introits, offertories, and communions.
The Dominicans, rejecting the rule of the Roman Curia of
using every day the first three psalms assigned for matins of
Sunday throughout the year, chose rather to follow the custom
of the basilicas of Rome, which varied the nocturnal psalms on
each day of the octave of Easter. This custom was continued
in the Order to modern times.
THE HYMNAL
After the Officium de Tempore came the hymnal or collection
of all the various hymns which occurred during the year. Each
hymn was indicated in its proper place by the first words; but
here the entire hymn was given together with its plain-chant. If
the hymn happened to be from the Common, it was given ac-
cording to the different tones for the various grades of feasts.
THE PROPER OF SAINTS
Prefixed to the Proper of Saints are four leaves of rubrics.
They are of small value to us, as they were added at a later
period. In the Proper, the rank of a feast is seldom given. The
manuscript for the most part merely indicates whether the feast
42 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
is of three or of nine lessons. According to Humbert: "When-
ever a feast has not its own lessons, these are to be taken from
the Common. . . . As for octaves, the previous lessons are
repeated on the octave day and as often as may be necessary
within the octave."
In the private recitation of the office de Tempore, longer or
shorter lessons could be said at will; we find a similar privilege
granted for the Proper of the Saints. Thus, a rubric informs us
that "the lessons for the Common of the Saints are purposely
long in order that they who so desire may read them in their
entirety, while they who do not desire long lessons may divide
one lesson into two or even three lessons. Thus, by reading
now one set of lessons and now another, they may avoid the
weariness which might arise from repetition." The same rubric
reveals the reason for this privilege; in the small breviaries the
only lessons given for feasts are those of the Common.
As a specimen of the office from the Proper of Saints, Rous-
seau gives that of St. Dominic.
5
Comparing the entire office
from first to second vespers inclusive with that of Cormier's
breviary, the following differences become apparent: in first
vespers the capitulum and its respond;
6
in matins, the response
to the ninth lesson;
7
in lauds, the fifth antiphon and the capi-
tulum; in the little hours, the capitula of terce, sext, none, and,
of course, the antiphon of none; in second vespers, the capi-
tulum.
Apart from the lessons, then, only ten differences are to be
De ecclesiastico officio, 36 ff.
The capitulum used in this manuscript is Dilectus Deo instead of
Quasi stella. Its respond is: Granum excussum, which is now the response
to the sixth lesson. Humbert's prototype also has, as the respond to the
capitulum, Granum excussum.. .
1
No lessons are indicated save the homily of St. Augustine on the
text, Vos estis sal teme.
THE BREVIARY-ANTIPHONARY 43
found; they are not really so great as the number might suggest.
Since the capitulum of first vespers, lauds, terce, and second
vespers, is always one and the same, four of the above differences
are due solely to the use of Dilectus Deo instead of Quasi stella.
And as the fifth antiphon of lauds is used also as the antiphon
of none, we have two more differences due to one variation. In
everything else, the office of the manuscript and that of Cormi-
er's revision are identical.
COMMON OF SAINTS
The final section of the manuscript is devoted to the Com-
mon of Saints and miscellaneous subjects. The Common of
Saints, outside of paschal time, proceeds in exactly the same
way as in Cormier's breviary. A feast of three lessons, unless
impeded by a greater feast, began with the capitulum of first
vespers. At matins were said an invitatory, hymn, nine psalms
of the feast, and one superpsalm antiphon. There was a special
antiphon for feasts of three lessons. But during paschal time,
the psalms, versicle, and responsories were said according to the
order of the ferial. In lauds, there was one antiphon from the
feast; the psalms were the usual Sunday psalms, Dominus
regnavit, etc. In the little hours, everything was the same as on
feasts of nine lessons. With little hours, the feast ended.
The office of nine lessons, if it did not have complete first
vespers, began with the superpsalm antiphon or the capitulum.
In either case, its arrangement was the same as that found in
Cormier's breviary. Thus, on totum duplex feasts, first vespers
had the five Laudate psalms. The Magnificat and Benedictus
antiphons were recited in full both before and after each of
these canticles. Matins consisted of three nocturns; each noc-
turn of three psalms, three antiphons, a versicle and response,
44 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
three lessons and three responsories. The Te Deum was said,
as now, after the ninth responsory. Accordingly, we have great
conformity between this venerable manuscript and Cormier's
breviary as regards the arrangement of the office in the Common
of Saints.
But the conformity is lessened when we compare the words
of each text, in which we find many differences. This is espe-
cially true of the Common of an Evangelist, which varies greatly
from that of to-day. The Common of a Martyr Pontiff, in first
\<espers, gave three Magnificat antiphons, of which the present
antiphon was one. The same Common gave also a special invi-
tatory for a Martyr Pontiff whose feast had the rank of nine
lessons. In the Common of Many Martyrs, feasts of nine les-
sons had an invitatory different from the present one. There
are similar differences in the remainder of the Common of
Saints.
The last section of the manuscript is something of a jumble.
It contains antiphons for making memories of the Blessed Virgin
in Sabbato throughout the whole year; general rubrics describing
the feasts of the liturgical year; the usual blessings for the lessons
of matins, as well as those special to feasts of the Blessed Virgin;
the office of the Blessed Virgin; the Salve Regina for the proces-
sion after compline, with the alternative antiphon Ave Regina;
lessons for the daily office of the Blessed Virgin; lessons for the
office of the dead;
8
plain-chant according to the different tones
for the psalm Venite exultemus; and finally, plain-chant for the
Genealogy of Christ according to Matthew. The remaining
pages of the manuscript are of lesser interest, as they were writ-
ten at a much later date.
8
The rest of the office is not given here, as it is found in full in the
Feast of All Souls.
THE BREVIARY-ANTIPHONARY 45
So much for its contents. It is obvious that we have here a
document of high importance, for there can be no question but
that it represents an early Dominican liturgy. All copying of
the older liturgical books stopped when Humbert began his revi-
sion. The cost of writing the breviary-antiphonary must havf
been considerable, for it is obviously the work of professional
scribes and illuminators; it is not the work of amateur friar-
copyists. No superior would have ordered so expensive a work
to be done once Humbert began his revision, for the new edition
might be so drastic as to render all the older books useless. It
is certain, then, that this work is pre-Humbertian. Just how
much earlier it was, will come up later for consideration.
These three manuscripts are all we have of the earlier rites of
the Friars Preachers. Of these, only the missal of the Biblio-
theque Nationale and the breviary-antiphonary of Rome will be
of value to us in reconstructing the liturgical history of this
period.
9
9
For the sake of completeness, a word should be said here concerning
another thirteenth-century manuscript. In 1899, Dam Paul Cagin, O.S.B.,
published in the Revue des Bibliotheques (juin-juillet-aout, IX, 163-200)
an article entitled: "Un manuscrit liturgique des freres Precheurs anterieur
aux reglements d'Humbert de Romans." In this article, the Benedictine
scholar asserted that a manuscript-Liber ChoraJis-offered for sale by
Ludwig Rosenthal (Cat. 120, no. 182) was a Dominican liturgical docu
ment written about 1232, and that it showed the first efforts of the Order
to achieve uniformity.
The Analecta Bollandiana (XIX, 1900, 70 ff) attacked this statement
and declared that the Liber Choralis more likely represented an effort to
adapt the Dominican rite to some Religious Order. The Liber Choralis
became the centre of a controversy. Laporte and Rousseau reject Cagin's
hypothesis and support the contention of the Bollandist.
The manuscript was offered for sale to master-general Friihwirth for the
very modest sum of five thousand gold marks, and then to his successor for
the same amount. Both rejected the offer. Cf. Laporte, Precis historique,
336-338; Rousseau, De ecclesiastico officio, 59; "Dominicains et Teu
toniques, Conflit d'attribution du 'Liber Choralis,'" in Revue des Bib-
liotbeques, XVIII (juillet-septembre, 1908).
CHAPTER SIX
THE ADOPTION OF THE UNIFORM LITURGY
THE nature of the uniform liturgy, the date of its adoption, and
what success it enjoyed, are the most controverted subjects in
the entire history of the Dominican rite. As Humbert did not
answer these questions explicitly, there are almost as many an-
swers to them as there are writers on the subject. The earliest
writers tell us little or nothing. Since they are only a few and
their observations very brief, we herewith quote them.
Henry of Hervorden (d. 1375), when mentioning Humbert's
death, remarks: "He corrected and arranged in a more acceptable
form the Divine Office of the Friars Preachers according to the
Gallican Rite. This arrangement was later confirmed by Martin
IV [sic] ."
1
Louis of Valladolid (d. circa 143 5) briefly says: "He arranged
the entire office of the Dominicans and obtained its confirma-
tion from Pope Clement IV."
2
Albert Castellani, in the early part of the sixteenth century,
states: "In the year of our Lord 1263 [!], Humbert, the model
of our Order and the Father of our Liturgy, arranged the whole
office which the Order now uses; this arrangement was after-
\vards approved of and confirmed by Clement IV."
3
1
Liber de rebus memorabilioribus, 209.
Cronica Ludovici de Valleoleto, 37.
Chronicon Magistrorum Generalium, published at the end of the
Dominican Constitutions, beginning with the 1566 edition (omitted from
the 1872 and subsequent editions). The chronicle was originally written
by James of Soest; we attribute the foregoing quotation (p. 30 of the 1690
edition) to Castellani, because he revised the chronicle. Cf. Potthast,
Introduction to Liber de rebus memorabilioribus, xx.
46
ADOPTION OF THE UNIFORM LITURGY 47
Sebastian de Olmeda (d. 1561) is more detailed: "With the
greatest discrimination, Humbert effected an arrangement of the
breviary [sic] that was pleasing, pregnant, and brief. It is true
that four friars from four provinces ... united to adapt accord-
ing to the Roman Rite the breviary of our Order (an Order
assiduously devoted to teaching and preaching); but it was Hum-
bert's revision and arrangement that was finally received with
welcome by the whole Order."
4
Excepting Humbert's account, this constitutes the sum total
of information which the earlier historians of the Order give us.
Not only is their information extremely meager, but some of it
is not exact. Henry of Hervorden is misleading in his remark
about the Gallican Rite and wrong in saying that it was Martin
IV who confirmed the Dominican rite; Louis of Valladolid is
incorrect in saying that Humbert obtained its confirmation from
Clement IV; Castellani errs in his date; Sebastian de Olmeda is
inexact in speaking of the breviary alone, and he is not accurate
in saying that the whole Order welcomed the new book. It is
to be noted that not one of these writers says anything for or
against the existence of an early uniform rite; they are silent on
that subject. This example of restricting their account to Hum-
bert and of keeping silence as regards the uniform liturgy is
followed by a number of modern writers, such as Grancolas,
Gueranger, Baumer, etc.
5
Another "non-committal" group imi-
tates Sebastian de Olmeda by beginning their too brief remarks
with the Four Friars and by ignoring what happened before
them. To this group belong Quetif-Echard, Barge, Wagner,
Chronica Ordinis Prredicatorum, 42.
Grancolas, Commentarius Historicus in Roman urn Breviarium,
44; Gueranger, Institutions Liturgiques, I, 338-339; Baumer, Histoire du
Breviaire, II, 65-66.
48 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Lindberg, and Malin.
6
The silence of these two groups does not
mean necessarily that they believed that prior to Humbert, or
prior to the Four Friars, there was no unified liturgy; it merely
indicates that, as the previous period was obscure, they did not
care to discuss uncertainties.
On the other hand, most of those who have attempted to
throw light on this obscure subject are hopelessly at variance.
Any classification of these authors is difficult and unsatisfactory
because of the number of divergent views they express, and
because, intentionally or otherwise, many of these writers are
very vague in their statements. However, if differences of opin-
ion on secondary points be ignored, most of these writers may
be classified as holding one of three theories: ( 1) before 1244
no attempt had been made to secure uniformity; ( 2) there had
been attempts, but they were ineffectual; and ( 3) a uniform
rite had been adopted and was in use before 1244.
First Theory: Tl1e Four Friars were the first to attempt the
realization of liturgical uniformity throughout the Order.
This theory has been stated in quite general terms so as to
include aU who hold similar ideas, for its adherents do not ex-
press themselves in the same way. Thus, some openly declare
that up to the time of the liturgy of the Four Friars the Order
everywhere followed local rites. Other writers are not so expli-
cit. They declare, or sometimes merely leave it to be inferred,
that liturgical confusion led to the commission of the Four
Friars. This may seem at first glance to be the same thing; for
if local rites were everywhere practised in the Order, there must
SSOP, I, 143 ff; Barge, "Le Chant Liturgique," in L'Annee Domini-
caine (janvier, 1908), 29-30. Wagner, Einfiihrung in die Gregorianischen
Melodien, II, 468 ff; Lindberg, Die Schwedischen Missalien des Mittelalters,
381 ff; Malin, Der Heiligenkalender Finnlands, 199 ff.
TYPE OF ALTAR USED IN MEDIVAL CHAPELS
49
50
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
necessarily have followed great confusion. But confusion in
matters liturgical does not of necessity prove that the friars were
everywhere following local customs, a fact to which we shall
later return.
In the former class, we have the compiler of the chronicles of
the famous Dominican monastery at Cologne, that of the Holy
Cross. In these annals, he mentions the commission given to
the Four Friars to harmonize the office (pro officio concor
dando); whereupon he adds: "Hence, it is evident that up to
this time the friars made use of the liturgical customs of the
places where they were living."
7
Berthier goes more into detail. "In the beginning," he ob-
serves, "the Order had only the liturgy of the different countries
where the brethren were established. But soon these variations
caused great inconvenience to religious who had not made a vow
of stability to one monastery, but who on the contrary by reason
of their apostolic journeys had to go frequently from one monas-
tery to another or from one diocese to another. It was impera-
tive to lay plans for securing uniformity .... Accordingly, the
chapter of 1244 ordained that the definitors of the following
chapter should bring with them all the rubrics and plain-chant
of the entire breviary, gradual, and missal, for the purpose of
harmonizing the ecclesiastical office. All these documents were
in fact brought to the following chapter, which without delay
appointed a commission of four friars .... "
8
Chapotin, Jacquin,
Guillemin, and others, express themselves in similar terms.
9
7
Chronica Conventus S. Crucis Coloniensis, in AOP, II (1894), 585.
This author is listed among modern writers, as these so-called chronicles
are based on an eighteenth-century work. Cf. Mortier, Histoire, III, 60.
"Le B. Humbert de Romans," in Annee Dominicaine, juillet, 299 ff.
Chapotin, Histoire des Dominicains de prov. de France, 387 ff; Jacquin,
The Friar Preacher, Yesterday and To-Day, 45-48; Guillemin, Missel
Dominicain Quotidien (1924), 9*-10*.
ADOPTION OF THE UNIFORM LITURGY 51
But others, who may be classified as adhering to this theory,
do not go quite so far as to state the cause of the liturgical con-
fusion; they content themselves merely with mentioning or
implying that there was confusion. Thus, Masetti affirms that
St. Dominic indeed desired that his friars should use one form
of liturgical prayer, but at that time in nearly every Church there
were individual forms of the liturgy. "Hence," he continues,
"I am of the opinion that the liturgical customs in our Order
conformed to those of the different nations and Churches, the
Italians using the Italian rite, the Spaniards the Spanish, and
so on." But this was very inconvenient especially as regards the
breviary. "Therefore," adds Masetti, "the fathers took up the
question on instituting one rite and one breviary in 1245, al-
though in truth mention of this is found in the previous c h p ~
ter."
10
Meijer assents to this opinion.U
Dr. Altaner expresses his views in these terms: "The great
confusion in the field of liturgy in the Dominican Order, which,
according to its Founder's intention, laid less stress on the choir
service than did the older Orders, was found to be unbearable,
and it was desired by the authorities of the Order that this
condition be remedied by a completely uniform liturgy. The
first official reference to this fight on liturgical chaos is found
in the decision of the general chapter of 1244, in which the
definitors were instructed to bring to the chapter of the follow-
ing year omnes rubricas et notulas breviarii. The very next year
a commission of four members, a representative for each one of
the most important provinces of the Order-France, England,
Lombardy, and Germany-was appointed."
12
10
Masetti, Monumenta et Antiquitates, I, 65 ff.
u Dominicaansche Studien, 55 ff.
12
Der hl. Dominikus, 108 ff.
52 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Dr. Heintke subscribes to the interpretation of Dr. Altaner.
fhe famous Oratorian liturgist, Lebrun, the Dominican Danzas,
and Scheeben are somewhat vague, but seem to hold this first
theoryP
Second Theory: Efforts to attain liturgical uniformity had been
made before the Four Friars, but they were ineffectual.
Father Hyacinth Cormier, master-general (1904-1916), held
this opinion. He declared that the inconveniences arising from
the practice of following local rites were grave and manifest;
hence, there were many protests, and, after many projects, the
chapter of 1245 confided the redaction of a liturgical code to
the Four Friars.
14
The year before Cormier published his book, Ignatius Smith
wrote in the Catholic Encyclopedia as follows: "The first indica-
tion of an effort to regulate liturgical conditions was manifested
by Jordan of Saxony, the successor of St. Dominic. In the Con-
stitutions ( 1228) ascribed to him are found several rubrics for
the recitation of the office. These insist more on the attention
with which the office should be said than on the qualifications
of the liturgical books. However, it is said that Jordan took
some steps in the latter direction and compiled one office for
universal use. Though this is doubtful, it is certain that his
efforts were of little practical value, for the chapters of Bologna
( 1240) and Paris ( 1241) allowed each convent to conform with
the local rites. The first systematic attempt at reform was made
under the direction of John the Teuton, the fourth master-general
of the Order. At his suggestion the chapter of Bologna ( 1244)
13
Heintke, Humbert von Ro!Jians, 71 ff; Lebrun, Explication ... de
Ia Messe, IV, 290-291; Danzas, Etudes sur les temps primitifs, III, 45-47;
Scheeben, Jordan der Sachse, 77.
14
Cormier, Quinze Entretiens, 139 ff.
ADOPTION OF THE UNIFORM LITURGY 53
asked the delegates to bring to the next chapter (Cologne, 1245)
their special rubrics for the recitation of the office, their missals,
graduals, and antiphonaries, pro concordando officio. To bring
some kind of order out of chaos a commission was appointed
consisting of four members. . . ." 15
In similar terms, M. D. Constant epitomizes this period, and
Archdale King and the "nun of Carisbrooke," whom King ap-
pears to have used as his principal source, hold the same opin-
ion.16 Finally, there should probably be included in this group
the Dominican Cavalieri, although his language is obscure and
his dates are hopelessly wrongP
Third Theory: The period ot great diversity did not continue
to the time ot the Four Friars: it was ended before then by
the adoption ot one uniform rite.
As is the case with the first two groups, the members of the
third group likewise agree upon one salient fact but differ upon
its various phases.
According to Cassito, when the inconveniences arising from
local variations became apparent, "it was planned to choose a
rite which should be adopted by all. The Dominican Order
began in France at Toulouse. This is why there was adopted
for use the rite of the Church of Paris, the capital of France ....
In 1248 [sic!] ... there was assigned a place where very learned
friars from four nations, Spanish, French, Italian and German,
might assemble for the purpose of bringing back the ecclesi-
astical office to one standard; since already there were found
10
Smith, "Dominican Rite," in CE, XIII, 74-76.
'" Constant, "La Liturgie Dominicaine," in Annuaire Pontifical Catho
Jique (Chardavoine), Annee XXXV (1932), 19 ff; King, Notes on the
Catholic Liturgies, 85 ff; Nun of Carisbrooke, Dominican Mass Book, 6 ff.
17
Cavalieri, Statera Sacra, 27 ff.
54 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
variations which seem to have originated from the desire of the
friars to adapt themselves to the places where they lived."
18
Therefore, according to this author, a uniform rite was adopted
and used, and it was only after variations began to creep into the
unified office that the Four Friars were assembled.
The next proponent of this theory is a man who deserves the
greatest praise for his liturgical labors in the Order, Father Vin-
cent Laporte (d. 1924). For him, the period of "great variety"
began upon the departure from Toulouse; "the Order did not
as yet have its own missal, breviary, or choir-books. . . . In all
probability (the contrary would seem incredible), while St.
Dominic was yet alive the work of unification mentioned by
Humbert was undertaken. . . . But this uniformity, such as it
was, did not succeed in pleasing everybody. . . . That is why
the general chapter of 1244 ordered the definitors of the follow-
ing chapter to bring with them the rubrics and plain-chant of
the nocturnal and diurnal office, etc."
19
Mortier, who follows Laporte closely, also believes that St.
Dominic began the work of unification, but was prevented by
his early death from completing the work. "It remained," he
continues, "for Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the immediate suc-
cessor of St. Dominic, to give to the Dominican liturgy its first
uniformity, as he gave to the Dominican Constitutions their
first official text. The two go together. . . . Indeed, it is de-
clared at the end of Jordan's edition of the Constitutions: 'We
confirm the entire office, diurnal as well as nocturnal; and we
ordain that it be observed uniformly by all; wherefore, it shall
be unlawful for anyone to introduce innovations in the future.'
This text belongs without doubt to a general chapter whose acts
18
Cassito, Liturgia Dornenicana, I, 15.
"'Laporte, "Precis historique," in AOP, XXVI (1918), 338 ff.
ADOPTION OF THE UNIFORM LITURGY 55
have been lost. An exact date cannot be ascribed to it, but it
belongs to Jordan who governed the Order until February, 1237.
Under Jordan, then, the Order possessed a uniform liturgy, at
least in the beginning. . . . However, in liturgy as in observance,
it is impossible to please everyone, ... complaints were made,
... so at the chapter of 1244 the definitors ... were ordered
to bring with them [their liturgical books] . . . . It was not a
suppression of the primitive unified office; but, as errors had
been made and unauthorized modifications added, a revision was
necessary."
20
The interpretation of Mortier's is held substan-
tially by Bruno Walkley.
21
One of the few critical works published on the early Domini-
can rite was written by Louis Rousseau. He too believes that
the work of unifying the office was begun in St. Dominic's day,
but that it is not probable it was finished during the lifetime of
the Saint. "Documents prove," he says, "that the ecclesiastical
office was finished under Jordan of Saxony, the successor of
St. Dominic." He then quotes the enactment which, according
to Mortier, belonged to a chapter whose acts have been lost;
but he places the date of that ordinance as probably before 1228
and certainly before 1233.
22
Solch and E. Colunga agree that a
uniform rite was established before the time of the Four Friars,
but are inclined to regard it as rather imperfect. Both Mothon
and Walz agree in general with Rousseau, but disagree with him
as regards the date. Lavocat also thinks that the work of unifi-
cation probably began during the lifetime of St. Dominic, and
that it was finished before 1239. Finally, we have Mandonnet
20
La Liturgie Dorninicaine, I, 14 ff.
21
Dominican Missal, xv ff.
22
De ecclesiastico officio, l3 ff.
56
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
who asserts that the first attempt to secure uniformity was cer-
tainly made before 1235.
23
THIRD THEORY DEMONSTRATED TO BE CoRRECT
So much for the many various and conflicting statements
concerning the early history of the rite. We have quoted the
various writers in order to bring out how completely at odds
have been all who have touched on this period of Dominican
history. A majority give no proofs whatsoever for their asser-
tions; they apparently took without critical examination the
assertions of earlier writers. Of the few who did serious research
work, some have advanced arguments which are not sound,
others have been refuted by evidence which was later unearthed.
It is our present task to examine the various contradictory con-
clusions, to weigh the different arguments which have been
brought forward, and to learn, if possible, what actually did take
place during the period in question.
It will be noticed that the greatest authority of all, Humbert
of Romans, was not placed in any of the foregoing three clas-
sifications; this was done out of fairness to all disputants. But
now it is necessary to turn to him for enlightenment. Humbert
declared: "From the beginning, there was much diversity in the
office. Hence, there was compiled one office for the sake of
having uniformity everywhere. However, in the course of time,
four friars from four provinces were entrusted with the task of
arranging the office in a better form."
23
Saleh, Hugo von St. Cber, 48; Idem, "Die Liturgie des Domini
kanerordens," in Liturgisclie Zeitsclirift, III, 10 ( 1930/31), 306 ff; E.
Colunga, "La Liturgia Dominicana," in La Ciencia Tomista, XIV (1916),
318 ff; Mothon, in AOP, V (1897), 38 note; Walz, Compendium His-
torire, 100 ff; Lavocat, "La Liturgie Dominicaine," in Liturgia, 860 ff; Man-
donnet, Saint Dominique, I, 222 ff. Verwilst appears to be of this opinion,
but he is extremely brief (De Dominikaanscbe Mis., 6, note).
ADOPTION OF THE UNIFORM LITURGY 57
In this passage, Humbert plainly states that the great diversity
was followed by the compilation of a uniform office; and that it
was only some time later, "in the course of time," that the Four
Friars received their commission. Their commission was not to
draw up a new office but to arrange the old one in a better form.
Unquestionably, the words of Humbert would have been taken
in their obvious sense by all writers (and especially by those
holding the second theory), were it not for a certain act of legis-
lation passed by the chapters of 1240, 1241, and 1242. The act
has been referred to by Smith, Constant, King, and others as a
permission accorded "to the friars to say the office according to
the practice of whatever place they might be." Or, as another
writer puts it, it was a permission which "allowed each convent
to conform to local rites." If the chapters in question granted
any such permission, then it would indicate that the unified
office had failed to function, and that the first really effectual
steps towards uniformity were those of the Four Friars. But did
the chapters give that permission?
In the Acts of the chapter of 1240, we read the following
statement:
Item. Predicatores et eciam aiii fratres itinerantes. sint con-
tempti [sic} officio iiiorum ad quos aiiquando deciinant. resi-
duum amoveatur!'
Translated literally, just as it stands, it would read of course:
"Likewise. Preachers and also other travelling friars. Let them
be content with the office of those with whom they may at any
time be sojourning. Let the rest be removed." This passage
has been repeatedly quoted as a proof that the chapters were
passing a new law whereby the friars would henceforth be per-
mitted to conform to local customs.
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 14.
58 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Such an interpretation is erroneous. In the first place, the
capitulars of 1240 were not proposing a new law except in the
sense that they were abolishing an old privilege; and, in the
second place, they were not granting for the first time permission
to travellers to use local rites, for that permission was already in
the Dominican Constitutions. The wrong interpretation of
these writers arose from a twofold source: they evidently did not
know that the Constitutions already accorded permission to
travellers to make use of local rites in fulfilling their obligation;
and, secondly, they either overlooked or did not understand the
meaning of the phrase: residuum amoveatur.
What, then, is the meaning of this phrase? The ordinance in
question occurs near the beginning of the Acts of 1240. A pe-
rusal of what precedes this particular enactment reveals that the
friars were approving proposed changes in the Constitutions.
Hence, if the sentence were completed, it would read: "We
approve likewise the proposed Constitution: 'Let preachers and
also other travelling friars, etc.' " What is the significance of
the concluding phrase: "Let the rest be removed"? In the rriost
ancient compilation of the Constitutions, there is a section en-
titled: De itinerantibus fratribus.
25
It reads as follows: "Let
preachers or travellers while on the road say the office the best
they may, and let them be content with the office of any
churches which they may be visiting; likewise, let those friars
who may be performing any duties whatever with bishops, pre-
lates, or other dignitaries [be content with the office] according
to the rite of those with whom they may be living."
The foregoing passage deals with two different groups of friars,
both of them living outside the monastery. TI1e first group
comprises the friars who are travelling, whether they are preach-
" ALKM, I, 224.
ADOPTION OF THE UNIFORM LITURGY 59
ers or not; the second group embraces the Dominicans who are
"borrowed" by bishops and other dignitaries as their theologians,
canonists, confessors, etc.; these friars generally lived in the same
house as the bishop or cardinal. The intent of the legislators
of 1240 now becomes clear: they desired that there should be
removed from the Liber Consuetudinum, not the part they ac-
tually quote, as so many writers have mistakenli thought (for
this was quoted merely to show where the place was in the
Constitutions), but what follows that quotation: "Let the rest
be removed." In other words, the chapter of 1240 proposed
(and the two next chapters passed the law) that henceforth
friars who were domiciled with any prelates may no longer con-
form to the local rite practised by their host. Therefore, this
repeal, instead of proving that the Order did not then have an
office of its own, proves just the opposite. Travellers who were
obliged to journey on foot and to carry all their baggage on their
shoulders, could lighten their burden if they did not have to
carry with them a heavy manuscript-breviary. But there was no
such excuse for Dominicans who were residing, perhaps for
years, with prelates.
It is no argument against the existence of a unified liturgy that
travellers were still permitted to say the office prout sciunt et
possunt; because even when the Order indisputably possessed an
excellent liturgy (namely, after the revision of Humbert), travel-
lers were permitted to say the office prout sciunt et possunt,
and this permission remained in the Dominican Constitutions,
though it is true for a long time as a dead letter, until the pres-
ent edition.
26
""It was found in the "Second Distinction," Chapter XIII, n. 993.
The present Constitutions were first published in a provisional form
in 1926; when they received their "confirmation" or third approval of the
general chapter, they were published in their final form in 1932.
60 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Therefore, the action of the chapters of 1240, 1241, and 1242
together with additional evidence that will be presented in the
next chapter, establishes the existence of a uniform liturgy prior
to the time of the Four Friars. Thus, an intelligent meaning i>
restored to the words of Humbert: that on account of the diver
sity in the office "there was compiled one office for the sake of
having everywhere uniformity. However, in the course of time
four friars were entrusted with the task of arranging it in a better
form." It now remains to consider just what Humbert meant
by his phrase "in the course of time." In other words, when
was the unified office "arranged in a better form"?
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE DATE OF THE UNIFORM OFFICE
THERE can be no reasonable doubt concerning the fact that at
one time in the early years of the Order a uniform office was in
existence. There is, however, much obscurity as to the length
of time it was in force; for, while all the best authorities agree
that it was in use in 1245, they disagree as to the date of its
adoption.
Mothon holds that it was adopted certainly after 1228, and
very probably before 1240. Walz cautiously observes: "Whether
this unification goes back to St. Dominic himself or to Blessed
Jordan is not known with certainty." Beyond this statement he
does not commit himself. Laporte and Mortier both agree that
it was adopted during the period when Jordan of Saxony was,
master-general. As the last chapter held during his term of of-
fice was in 1236, that would place the time between 1221 and
1236. Mandonnet is even more specific. He avers that it was
assuredly before 1235, and in all likelihood before 1230. Rous-
seau maintains that it was certainly adopted before 1233, and
probably before 1228.
1
Laporte, Mortier, and Rousseau express
their belief that St. Dominic himself began the work of unifi-
cation.
There do not exist, so far as is known, any manuscripts which
would definitely settle the question. A painstaking search of
many documents has yielded, however, a number of indications
1
The references to these writers are the same as those given in the
preceding chapter, except the one to Laporte ( op. cit., 335).
61
62 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
which, cumulatively considered, are of help in moving back the
date to the time of Jordan of Saxony. We shall begin with
what is absolutely certain.
The uniform liturgy was in existence in 1243. This is proved
by the fact that on l3 February of the following year Innocent
IV granted the Teutonic Knights permission to adopt the Do-
minican rite.
2
This military Order, already a half of a century
old, had hitherto followed the rite of the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, the same rite as was used by the Carmelites. That
these Knights should have voluntarily surrendered their own rite
and requested permission to adopt that of the Friars Preachers
shows that the Dominicans at that time possessed a distinctive
rite of their own, and that the Knights regarded it as the best
variant of the Latin rites for their own Order.
Earlier proof of the existence of the uniform rite is given by
the chapter of 1240 and the two next chapters, forbidding the
friars who were attached to ecclesiastical dignitaries to conform
to the liturgical customs of the prelates' household, while at the
same time travellers actually on the road were permitted to say
office as best they could. This argument was discussed in the
last chapter.
THE "MosT GENERAL" CHAPTER OF 1236
But evidence points back to an even earlier date. In 1236
there was held at Paris a "most general" chapter. Such a chap-
ter is the most extraordinary legislative assembly in the Order;
it is so extraordinary that only two such assemblies were held
during the Middle Ages. A "most general" chapter was the
equivalent of three successive general chapters; hence, by one
2
Tabula Ordinis Tlleutonici, 357, no. 471. When Humbert com-
pleted his revision, the Knights obtained permission to adopt the corrected
office (27 February, 1257). Cf. op. cit., 378, no. 536.
DATE OF THE UNIFORM OFFICE 63
enactment it could incorporate any law in the Constitutions. In
other words, the laws passed by a "most general" chapter did
not need the approval of the two succeeding general chapters m
order to become part of the Constitutions.
3
It is also worth
noting that the Acts of the chapter of 1236, unlike those of the
preceding chapters, have come down to us quite complete.
Now, this special legislative assembly of the Order debated
the question whether the friars should stand or sit during the
recitation of psalm ll6, Laudate Dominum, a psalm which con-
sists of only two short verses.
4
It must be recalled that at the
time of this chapter the Dominican Order rejoiced in the mem-
bership of many of the most brilliant men in all Europe-Albert
the Great, Raymond of Penafort, Hugh of Saint-Cher, Jordan of
Saxony, Iohn of Vercelli, Peter of Tarantaise (later Innocent
V), Conrad of Germany, Vincent of Beauvais, Roland of Cre-
mona, and a host of others famous for their learning, their abil-
ity, and their sanctity. It is most improbable that such an
extraordinary congress as a "most general" chapter, held at a
3
The legislative processes in the Dominican Order at that period may
be briefly described. If the capitular Fathers wanted a law to take effect
at once, they used the words: "We command," "We wish," "We forbid,"
or some similar phrase. But the ordinance made. by one general chapter
could be set aside by any other general chapter. If it was desirable that
the law should become part of the Constitutions and therefore permanent,
three distinct steps were necessary. In one general chapter the proposal
was introduced by the words: "We begin this constitution." This first
step was called the inchoation ( inchoatio) . If the next chapter was in
favor of it, the chapter would declare: "We approve this constitution.
And this [proposal] has two chapters" (i.e., it has the sanction of two
chapters). This was called the approbation , ( approbatio) . If the third
successive chapter was likewise favorable," it enacted: "We confirm this
constitution. And this has three chapters.'' This confirmation (con-
firmatio) made the proposal a permanc;nt law. If the second or third
successive chapter ignored the proposal, it failed to become a law. Only
by the approval of three successive chapters did proposed legislation ac-
quire constitutional force.
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 8.
64 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
time when the intellectual standard of the Order was so remark-
ably high, would gravely discuss a trivial point of the liturgy if
the Order did not then possess a uniform rite. If the Order had
an excellent liturgy, the desire for absolute uniformity even in
minutire is understandable. But if, on the other hand, there
existed throughout the Order the "liturgical chaos" which some
writers have pictured, then the action of the chapter in debating
whether to stand or sit during a two-verse psalm would be an
unparalleled exhibition of "straining out a gnat and swallowing
a camel."
THE DoMINICAN SISTERS IN MILAN
The next indication of the existence of a uniform Dominican
liturgy at this time is an event which occurred at Milan in 1235.
To understand the significance of it, it is necessary to bear in
mind how jealously that archdiocese preserved from early times
its own peculiar liturgy known as the Ambrosian Rite. Every
attempt to abolish it was strenuously and at times violently re-
sisted. Charlemagne tried in vain to do away with it; and
several centuries later, Pope Nicholas II, despite all the papal
authority, had hardly any better success. Even the stout-hearted
Hildebrand (St. Gregory VII) made no headway against it;
while in 1440, the first steps of the Papal Legate, Cardinal
Branda di Castiglione, to abolish that rite led to a tumult dur-
ing which the infuriated people surrounded the house of the
Legate and threatened to burn it to the ground.
Not only were the people of Milan always strongly attached
to their own rite, but they were hostile to any attempts at intro-
ducing into their metropolitan city any rival rites. When one
governor of Milan who preferred the Roman Rite obtained per-
mission from the Pope to have the Roman Mass said in any
DATE OF THE UNIFORM OFFICE 65
church in the city he might be attending, St. Charles Borromeo,
then Archbishop of Milan, thwarted his desires.
5
Even to the
present day, no priest is permitted to say Mass according to the
Roman Rite in the cathedral.
Yet, despite the almost fanatical attachment to the Ambrosian
Rite as manifested by the clergy and people alike, a community
of Dominican Sisters of the convent of Santa Maria delle Vetteri
had the hardihood to petition the Holy See, some time before
1235, for permission to abandon the Ambrosian breviary.
6
And
to the amazement of the Milanese, Pope Gregory IX, on 23
April, 1235, granted their petition. It seems to have been the
first time that any religious of that city had exchanged the
Ambrosian for the Roman Rite.
7
Evidently only the strongest reasons could have impelled the
nuns to take such an unheard-of step, one that seemed almost
certain to draw upon them the indignation of the Milanese on
whom they depended for their support. Fortunately Gregory IX
tells us the reason: "We have been humbly petitioned in your
behalf . . . to allow you to celebrate office according to the way
the other Sisters of your Order celebrate it."
8
The "other Sis-
ters" were not Milanese, for the other Dominican nuns in that
city also had to conform to the Ambrosian Rite. The Pope was
obviously referring to the Dominicans outside of the Archdiocese
of Milan. Now, the nuns of the Second Order have consistently
used the same office as that which the friars used, and if "liturgi-
cal chaos" reigned in the Order, Gregory would hardly have
risked raising a furious tempest by granting so novel a privilege
Gueranger, Institutions Liturgiques, I, 197 ff; Jenner, "Ambrosian
Liturgy and Rite," in CE, I, 395.
Mazzuccheili, Osservazioni intorno al saggio storico-critico sopra il
Rito Ambrosiano, 135 ff.
Op. cit., 145.
Regesta Romanorum Pontificum, in AOP, VIII (1900), 498, no. 474.
66 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
to an obscure community of Sisters. If, however, the Domini-
can Order had a uniform, standard rite, Gregory would have
well appreciated the longing of the nuns to be in complete
harmony, not only in the Rule but also in the liturgy, with the
rest of their Order.
Nor does the fact militate against this conclusion that the
Dominican friars of Milan still used the Ambrosian Office, or
that the Sisters asked only for the change in the breviary. The
Fathers in celebrating Mass were performing a public act, and
even their chanting of the office was done in a public manner.
But with the nuns it was different. Their recitation of the office
was done in the privacy of their convent chapel; it was not the
public act that choral recitation in a public church was with
the friars. While there would have been unquestionably fierce
antagonism to any attempt to practise publicly any other rite,
the nuns evidently hoped that the private observance of a dif-
ferent rite would go unnoticed. But despite this opening wedge
of Gregory IX, it was not until seventy-four years later ( 1309)
that another Milanese convent, that of Santa Maria desuper
muro, was able also to get permission to celebrate the Divine
Office according to the Dominican rite.
9
EviDENCE BEFORE 1235 NoT DECISIVE
Is there any other documentary evidence of a Dominican rite
earlier than 1235? The question cannot be answered with cer-
tainty. In a Life of St. Raymond of Peiiafort, the third master-
general of the Order, believed by some to have been written by
Nicholas Eymeric, it is stated that St. Raymond advised the
Mercedarians to adopt the Dominican office and breviary. If
this were true, and Mortier's date for the founding of the Mer-
Mazzucchelli, op. cit., 145.
DATE OF THE UNIFORM OFFICE 67
cedarians ( 1223) be correct, then it would hint at the existence
of a Dominican rite just a few years after Dominic's death. But
the fact that the Life in question was not written until almost
a century after the founding of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy
brings into question its trustworthiness.
10
There is only one other document which may be speaking of
a Dominican rite earlier than 1235. In Chapter Six, reference
was made to the liturgical ordinance found at the end of Jordan's
edition of the Constitutions: "We confirm the entire office,
nocturnal and diurnal, and we ordain that it be uniformly ob-
served; wherefore, it shall be unlawful for anyone to introduce
innovations in the future." Rousseau draws the following argu-
ment from this enactment and from the place in which it is
found. While, indeed, the date of the unified office cannot be
discovered from the wording of the ordinance, it is deduced with
probability from the place in the codex where these words are
found. He believes that the enactment was made before 1228;
for the "most general" chapters of 1228 and 1236 both changed
many things in our Constitutions, and these changes, as the
codex of Rodez states, were inserted in the text; they were not
merely added as appendixes. But the liturgical ordinance was
left just where it was found. Rousseau therefore maintains, and
most writers agree with him, that the very irregularity of the
place in which the ordinance is found is a proof of its great an-
tiquity.11
This argument is not without substantiation. We learn from
witnesses at the Process of the canonization of St. Dominic that
10
It is certain that by the end of the first quarter of the fourteenth
century, the Mercedarians were following the Dominican rite. It may be
questioned, though, whether they had embraced it in the thirteenth cen-
tury. The arguments of E. Galindo (San Raimundo de Peiiafort, Rome,
1919, 523-529), attempting to prove the contrary, are debatable.
11
De ecclesiastico officio, 13-14.
68 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
the Saint often caused to be written in his Constitutions some
new point of legislation. Id fecit scribi in sua Regula and simi
lar phrases are often encountered in these depositions. Evel)
time a new law was decided upon, the Book of Constitutions
was not re-written; the new legislation was merely inserted in
the text, if there was available space; if not, then it was written
down somewhere else. Obviously this soon led to an irregular
disposition of subjects. When the capitulars of the "most gen
eral" chapter of 1228 prepared to edit a new version of the
Constitutions, they did not rearrange the subjects in a systematic
manner, because they regarded the Liber Consuetudinum as
practically the work of St. Dominic.12 It was too sacred to med-
dle with; as Dominic had written it, so was it to remain. Hence_
the capitulars contented themselves with inserting in the text
the various laws passed since the death of their Founder. Do
minican legislation was not to be placed in a strictly logical orde1
until the revision of the celebrated canonist, St. Raymond of
Penafort. If the chapter of 1228 had found the liturgical ordi
nance at the end of the Constitutions, they would have left it
there.
While Rousseau's argument, therefore, is not devoid of merit,
it is beset with difficulties. The original Liber Consuetudinum
is lost, and as far as is known, there is extant only one copy of it.
It is in the Codex Ruthenensis Miscellaneus, which had been
preserved in the Dominican monastery at Rodez, France. It is
to be regretted that this copy is so wretched. Its unknown
12
"Although these primitive Constitutions underwent some modifica
tions at the chapter of 1228, they are in their substance those which St
Dominic prepared at Prouille with his disciples in the spring of 1216, and
which he developed later in the chapters of 1220 and 1221" (Balrne
Lelaidier, Cartulaire de S. Dominique, II, 22). That the Liber Con-
suetudinum may be justly regarded as the work of St. Dominic is also the
opinion of Mandonnet and Galbraith.
DATE OF THE UNIFORM OFFICE 69
scribe may have used an older copy that was in its turn extremely
defective; again, he may have been extremely careless in his
copying or a man of great ignorance. The document abounds
with obvious errors: words are misspelled; punctuation is very
bad; and although the manuscript professes to give the Consti-
tutions of the chapter of 1228, it contains some laws (but not
all) passed by subsequent chapters up to 1241. Until the con-
tents of this document are removed from the realm of dispute,
any appeal to the liturgical ordinance with which it closes must
remain a dubious argumentP Rousseau's citation of the chap-
ter of 1233 permitting novices to purchase breviaries is also in-
conclusive; the breviaries in question might have been those of
local rites.
With the exception of Humbert's Exposition of the Consti-
tutions, there are no known contemporaneous documents which
make indisputable references to a Dominican rite prior to those
we have quoted. But we cannot reason from this silence that
therefore the unified rite did not exist before 1235. It must be
borne in mind that of the first twelve general chapters, 1220-
1232, covering the most important legislative period of the Or-
der, the Acts (or minutes) have completely disappeared. The
sum total of our knowledge of the laws of any specified chapters
during that time is this: voluntary poverty was adopted in 1220;
the Order was divided into eight provinces in 1221; and four
more provinces were added in 1228. Yet, it was during those
years that the superb framework of the Constitutions was built,
which was to serve the Order so well for seven centuries.
"' See the excellent study of Mandonnet and Vicaire of this text of
Rodez, Saint Dominique, l'idee, l'homme, et l'oeuvre, II, 203 ff. It was
Pere Vicaire who kindly pointed out to us the flaw in Rousseau's argument.
70 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Hence, the silence of that period proves nothing, especially since
so many documents are known to have perished.
It merely leads us back to the conclusion reached in Chapter
Three, that Dominic himself introduced the uniform rite or at
least was so associated with its preparation that, when intro-
duced under Jordan, it was still regarded as the Founder's work.
If this supposition be true, then the period of "great variety"
lasted only a few years-not for over a quarter of a century as
some writers would have us believe. And while our conclusion
lacks absolute proof, it is certainly more reasonable than the
conclusion of those who maintain that an Order which frankly
directed its appeal to men of the highest intellectual calibre,
which was the first Order formally to dedicate itself to the
study of philosophy and theology, and which was established as
an Order of Canons, should for over a quarter of a century have
tolerated daily confusion in a matter of such supreme impor-
tance as the liturgical worship of God.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE COMMISSION OF THE FOUR FRIARS
IT IS most likely that during the generalate of Blessed Jordan
of Saxony the Friars Preachers possessed their own rite. It must
not be supposed that this meant a uniformity such as exists to-
day. In dealing with this era, we must divest ourselves of our
modern idea of rigid exactness even in the smallest details. Such
a standard does not appear to have existed in the Middle Ages,
arid those times would have looked with amazement upon some
of the meticulous rubrics which centuries later were to appear
in the Roman ceremonial. It was not even considered desirable
to prescribe minutely every action of the ministers as is done to-
day. Even as late as the sixteenth century, so famous a theolo-
gian as Dominic Soto invoked the principle: "The ordinarium
cannot explain all [the ceremonies] down to the smallest de-
tail."
1
Hence it is that in the manuscripts of the period with
which we are dealing, either there are no rubrics whatever, or
only the principal actions of the ministers are very briefly de-
scribed, the details being left to tradition. As Dr. Rock ex-
presses it in his erudite work, The Church of Our Fathers:
"Many ceremonies were handed down from one age and coun-
try to another; and because they had been so widely received,
and become so thoroughly known, it was deemed needless to
burden an already large and heavy volume with a rubric of
them."
2
1
Commentariorum in Quartum Sententiarum, t. I, Ds. 13, q. 2, art. 5.
The entire article 5 is most instructive. Vol. I, 321, note.
71
72
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
With such a broad concept of uniformity and with a system
whereby most of the rubrics were handed down orally, it is dif-
ficult to see how variations could well be avoided over any pro-
longed period of time. But there was another and even more
fertile source of danger: the policy of expediency described by
Humbert of Romans. Humbert declared it "is more expedient,
as regards some customs, to conform to the people among whom
the friars dwell than it is to preserve uniformity in all things."
3
These words were written at the later part of his life, when the
Order was not only in possession of a complete liturgy but also
firmly established. If then in his later days expediency out-
weighed uniformity, a fortiori it would do so when the Order
was as yet in its infancy, struggling for recognition and often en-
countering on the part of the hierarchy bitter opposition. Un-
der such conditions, it would not have been advisable for the
friars to antagonize a bishop who might insist on his own special
rubrics for certain functions. Again, it might be the people
themselves who would be stubbornly attached to some local
liturgical practice; since the friars depended on the people for
their daily bread, it would not have been always prudent to at-
tempt to supplant such a custom by a different rite. A flagrant
example of the display of expediency was that of the Dominicans
at Milan, who were following the Ambrosian Rite. But in this
particular case the friars had no choice in the matter.
Still another factor which militated, though to a lesser de-
gree, against complete uniformity in the liturgy was corruption
of the text. In a period when books had to be copied by hand,
errors easily crept in. One cannot examine many medireval
manuscripts without encountering the mistakes made from time
to time by the negligence or inadvertence of scribes. During
De Vita Reg., II, 6-7.
COMMISSION OF THE FOUR FRIARS 73
the years the uniform liturgy was in existence, a large number of
books were copied; it would have been a miracle of carefulness,
if a number of errors had not been made in their transcription,
especially when they were not copied from one original exemplar
but were copies of copies.
But whatever the cause or causes, in the course of time some
variations had crept into the Dominican rite. It is equally cer-
tain that, despite what the situation might have been in this or
that particular place, the differences were not as a general rule of
a very grave nature. That they did exist is evident from the Bull
of Clement IV, in which the Pope says that the revision of
Humbert was undertaken on account of the various customs
existing in difference provinces.
4
But just how serious were
these differences?
That they amounted to chaos, as Altaner, Heintke, and some
others assert, is hardly credible. Dr. Altaner declares: "The
great confusion in the field of liturgy in the Dominican Order,
which according to its Founder's intention laid less stress on the
service of the choir than did the older Orders, was found to be
unbearable; and it was desired by the authorities of the Order
that this state be replaced by one of rigid uniformity. The first
official reference to this war on liturgical chaos is found in the
decision of the general chapter of 1244 .... "
5
Dr. Heintke ex-
presses himself in similar terms: "There was a real need of
putting an end to the chaotic confusion which had prevailed in
the field of liturgy within the Dominican Order."
6
BOP, I, 486. Der hi. Dominikus, 109.
Humbert von Romans, 71.
74
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
EARLY DoMINICAN RITE NoT "CHAOTic"
Such sweeping assertions are arbitrary and unfounded. There
was neither "chaos" nor anything approaching "chaotic con-
fusion." They who make such statements are directly contra-
dicting the testimony of Humbert himself; for he plainly tells
us that the Four Friars were given the task of arranging the
liturgy in a better form (ut melius ordinarent). He informs us
that at one time there had been great differences (magna
varietas), and because of this condition one uniform office was
compiled; later on, the Four Friars were commissioned to ar-
range that office in better form. If the "great differences" neces-
sitated the immense labor of compiling an entire ecclesiastical
office, surely "liturgical chaos" would require at least as much.
Instead, as we learn from Humbert, the purpose of the Four
Friars was, not to compile an entire office, but merely to revise
an office already in use. The obvious meaning of Humbert's
words is substantiated by a papal document of 1244.
At the beginning of Chapter Seven, it was narrated how the
Teutonic Order gave up the rite of the Holy Sepulchre in order
to adopt that of the Friars Preachers. Papal permission for the
change of rites was granted on l3 February, 1244. It will be
noticed that this was before the Dominican chapter of 1244
(which ordered the revision of our liturgy) had even assembled.
7
It is preposterous to imagine that the Teutonic Knights gave up
their own well-defined liturgy which they had been using so
long, in exchange for a liturgy that was in such "great confusion"
as to constitute "liturgical chaos." It is even more absurd to
think that the Church would give her solemn sanction to such
a procedure. Nor can the argument be brushed aside by the
7
The general chapter was always held at Pentecost of every year.
COMMISSION OF THE FOUR FRIARS 75
objection that the rite of the Holy Sepulchre was very com-
plicated, and that the Knights desired a simpler rite.
8
The
Knights had all the numerous rites of the entire Latin Church
to choose from; they were under no compulsion whatever to
select the "liturgical chaos" of the Dominicans. Since they did
select the Dominican rite in preference to all the others, then
that rite-despite any disfigurements it might have suffered from
the local customs of this or that place-must have appeared to
be superior to the rest.
It is evident, then, that any variations which were found in
the Dominican liturgy in the year 1244 could not have been of
a serious nature. If they were not serious, why was a revision or-
dered? We believe that it was brought about by influences out-
side of the Order.
The Latin Church, during the first half of the thirteenth cen-
tury, witnessed a liturgical movement of the highest importance.
Ecclesiastics had been struggling for some time to devise a really
practical form of the portable office-book, or breviary, as it is
now called. "The influence of the Curia," says Batiffol, "on
this movement of transformation was great and decisive."
9
"The Roman Curia, which until then had celebrated the same
offices as those of the Roman Basilicas, notably of that of .the
Lateran, which was the cathedral church of Rome, ... separated
itself from these at the beginning of the twelfth century, and
fixed its own office for the breviary .... The same thing hap-
pened in the case of the missal."
10
The reason for such a
change was that it was extremely difficult for the Roman Court,
moving from place to place, to use the cumbersome monastic
8
Mortier, Histoire, I, 320.
Batiffol, History of the Roman Breviary, 157.
cabrol, The Mass of the Western Rites, 183-184.
76 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
office; something much simpler was needed. Under Innocent
III (d. 1215), an ordinarium was drawn up simplifying the
office. "In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi ordained that the Francis-
cans should henceforth adopt the Roman office; for hitherto
they had simply followed the office of whatever province they
had chanced to find themselves in .... But the liturgy they
adopted ... was neither that of the Lateran nor of the Roman
Basilicas, but actually that of the Roman Curia .... "
11
The
Franciscans simplified the office still further, so that "the modi-
fications introduced constituted really a second edition of the
breviary of the Church."
12
The Franciscan edition was ap-
proved by Gregory IX (7 June, 1241), who, "from 1240, had
thought of imposing it on the Universal Church."
13
DoMINICANS FEAR Loss OF THEIR RITE
During the next several years, Franciscan missionaries carried
the new office to all parts of Europe. Its simplicity, compared
with the old office hitherto used by the clergy, appealed strongly
to all, especially to those who recited office privately. While
the new office was being everywhere discussed, comparisons
with other breviaries (including the Dominican) were inevi-
table. Fiery members of the two rival Mendicant Orders now
had another subject for heated arguments: which Order had
the better breviary? These disputes, which constantly raged on
any and every subject between certain members of both Orders,
were really productive of much mutual good. In the present
instance, they served to focus attention on the imperfections of
the Dominican rite. Stung by well-founded criticism and
alarmed by the report that the Pope was planning to abolish the
u Loc. cit.
22
Batiffol, op. cit., 161. ""Cabrol, op. cit., 184.
COMMISSION OF THE FOUR FRIARS 77
old Roman office and impose everywhere the new Franciscan
office, the Dominicans thought that the best way to avoid this
would be to improve their old office to such an extent that it
would rival or even surpass the newcomer. No time was to be
lost. When the ~ n e r l chapter assembled at Bologna in 1244,
it was ordered that not only the breviaries but also the graduals
and missals should be brought from. every province to the fol-
lowing general chapter in order that all differences might be
eliminated and the whole ecclesiastical office rendered uni-
form.14
In 1245, the chapter was held at Cologne. The plans of the
preceding chapter were put in execution. An international
committee was appointed. How the members of that commit-
tee were selected, history does not tell nor has any writer ever
satisfactorily explained. At the time, the Order was divided into
twelve provinces. The first, in rank and honor, was that of
Spain, the birthplace of St. Dominic; next came Provence (in
Southern France), the birthplace of the Order; then followed
Northern France, Lombardy (embracing Northern Italy), Rome
or Tuscany (including Southern Italy), Hungary, England, Ger-
many, Poland, Dacia or Scandinavia, Greece, and the Holy
Land. The Acts of the chapters, according to the Bordeaux
codex, mention first on the liturgical commission the Province
of France; but the equally reliable Florentine codex gives that
honor to the Province of Provence. Both codices agree, how-
ever, as to the other three, though they give them in different
order: they were England, Lombardy, and Germany.
15
It seems
strange that Spain, the foremost province, as well as the im-
portant Roman province, should have been passed by in this
14
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 29. '"Acta Cap. Gen., I, 33.
78 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
appointment. Curiously enough, Cavalieri does state that the
four nations were Spain, France, Italy, and Germany; but he
does not cite his authority for this unique declaration.
16
Dr.
Altaner asserts that the members were taken from "the most im-
portant provinces of the Order," but if the statement is meant
in an exclusive sense, it is very much open to question.
History has not preserved for us the names of these four re-
ligious who were destined to labor long and hard for the per-
fection of the Dominican liturgy. Some believe that Humbert
was a member of the commissionP Though very probable, it
is not certain that he was one of the original four; however, the
chapter of 1246, as we shall see, entrusted part of the work to
him.
Each of the friars was to obtain from his provincial the books
of the entire liturgical service of his province, and he was to
bring them with him to the Dominican house at Angers. This
was the monastery of Beata Maria de Recooperta, which had
been founded about 1220; and although the general chapter
refers to it as a domus, it seems to have been raised to the
dignity of a priory in 1244.
18
The Four Friars were to report
here not later than the feast of St. Remigius or Remi (I Octo-
ber) of that year; and the absence of one or two of the mem-
bers was not to prevent the others from beginning their work.
The chapter explicitly stated what the scope of the work was to
be: they were to correct and harmonize the entire liturgical
service, text, rubrics, and plain-chant. Any omissions they
might discover, they were empowered to supply. Finally, the
16
Statera Sacra, 30.
17
Danzas, Mothon, Cormier, Altaner, Cabral and Heintke.
18
De Conventibus ac Provinciis Ord. Prred in Galliis, in AOP, I
(1893), 204.
COMMISSION OF THE FOUR FRIARS 79
work was to be accomplished "with the least possible ex-
pense."
19
REviSION OF THE FoUR FRIARS Is APPROVED
So comprehensive an undertaking could not of course be
finished within a year, or rather within the eight months which
intervened between l October and the following Pentecost.
What \he Four Friars did accomplish in that space of time,
they submitted to the chapter assembled at Paris in 1246. The
capitulars found the work thus far done to be satisfactory, and
accordingly they decreed: "We begin this constitution: The
whole arrangement of the ecclesiastical office made by the Four
Friars of the four provinces, or yet to be made during the en-
suing year, is to be observed by all [the friars] throughout the
entire Order."
20
The same chapter also decreed that, if the
liturgical commission could not agree, the matter in dispute was
to be laid before the master-general, who would decide the ques-
tion. Another important step towards the perfection of the
liturgy was taken when the chapter entrusted to Humbert of
Romans, now provincial of France, the preparation of the
lectionary. It even enacted an inchoation to the effecrffiat the
book be "universally received throughout the whole Order."
21
This action, directing Humbert to arrange the lectionary and in
the same breath approving the proposed arrangement in ad-
vance, requires explanation.
Laporte's interpretation has been accepted by Mortier, Rous-
seau, and, with a slight modification, by Heintke. The provin-
,_. Acta Cap. Gen., I, 33.
20
Ibid., 35-36.
21
Ibid., 36. Mandonnet is of the opinion that the Order did not yet
have a lectionary (Saint Dominique, I, 223). He does not give his reason.
The mere fact that it was not mentioned till now proves nothing; the
Order indubitably had a martyrology, though thus far the general chapters
did not mention it.
80 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
cial chapter of 1244 of the Roman province directed two re-
ligious, Peter the lector and the Subprior of Santa Sabina, to
undertake a complete revision of the liturgical books of that pro-
vince. The lectionary, however, was entrusted to a special com-
mittee, consisting of Friar Ambrose and Friar Humbert de
Panzano. According to Heintke, Humbert de Panzano was
none other than Humbert "de Romanis," who was mistakenly
called "de Panzano:' by the scribe. According to the same
author, Humbert was then ex-provincial of the Roman province.
But Scheeben calls attention to the fact that, when the Roman
provincial chapter of 1244 was held, Humbert was still the pro-
vincial of that province.
22
Hence, the work of revising the
liturgical books of that province took place under his super-
vision. This contention is also made by Masetti and Laporte.
23
When the Order at the general chapter of 1246 decided on
having the lectionary revised, the obvious man for that task was
the one who had already demonstrated his ability in such mat-
ters by drawing up the Roman lectionary. Aware of his talents,
the general chapter was fully confident of the results; hence its
approval in advance of the work entrusted to his care. This also
explains the redundant statement that the new lectionary was
to be received universally throughout the whole Order; his
22
Heintke believes Humbert was provincial of the Roman province
from the summer or fall of 1238 to Pentecost of 1241 at the latest; on this
disputed question, cf. Scheeben, "Accessiones ad Historiam Romanre
Provincire srec. XIII," in AFP, IV (1934), 127, 141. As regards the
claim that Humbert de Panzano is Humbert of Romans, Heintke says:
"It is possible that the original entry read simply: 'fr. Umbertus' without
any surname, just as the other collaborator on the lectionary is referred to
simply as Ambrose. Then at some time or other, someone ... inserted
'de Panzano,' because the Humbert who figures in the records of [the
Roman Chapters of] 1260 and 1271 was so designated" (Humbert von
Romans, 50, 160). Heintke, it would seem, is assuming a great deal.
"" Masetti, I, 70; Laporte, "Precis Historique,'' in AOP, XXV ( 1917),
104-105.
COMMISSION OF THE FOUR FRIARS 81
Roman lectionary was used universally in the Roman province,
his new edition was to be used universally in all provinces.
24
The chapter of Montpellier ( 1247) took the second necessary
step to make the revision of the Four Friars and the lectionary
of Humbert constitutional, by confirming the inchoation of
1246.
25
The following year, the general chapter was held at
Paris. The capitulars decreed: "We confirm this constitution:
The entire arrangement of the ecclesiastical office made by the
Four Friars of the four provinces, is to be everywhere observed
throughout the entire Order. And this [constitution] has the
approval of three chapters."
26
With that formal declaration,
the liturgy as revised by the Four Friars now became the official
version, having behind it the full weight of the Constitutions.
According to the Florentine codex of the general chapters,
Humbert's lectionary was also approved for the third time.
It would now seem that the liturgical difficulties of the Order
were at an end. But in a few years, we find the chapter of Lon-
don ( 1250) declaring that "complaints have been received from
many of the brethren of different provinces concerning the nu-
merous discordances in the Divine Office." To pacify the
protestants, the Four Friars were ordered to reassemble, this
time at Metz, where the next general chapter was to be held.
They were to be there by the feast of All Saints, and they were
to correct the aforesaid office and to bring it within the limits
of one volume. Meanwhile, the friars throughout the Order
were told to cease making copies of the revision.
27
24
Laporte, op. cit., 3 39.
25
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 39.
26
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 41.
27
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 53-54. TI1e Four Friars assembled at the mon-
astery of St. Mary Magdalene in Metz. This house had been founded
by the province of France as early as 1219. De Conventibus ac Provinciis
O.P. in Ga1Iiis, in AOP, I (1893), 270.
82 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
When the chapter assembled at Metz the following Pente-
cost, the work accomplished by the Four Friars was examined
and found to be satisfactory. The Order was commanded to
accept it. To ensure greater accuracy, the chapter required two
exemplars of the revision to be made, one was to be preserved
at Paris and the other at Bologna. All future transcripts as well
as all future corrections were to be made from one of the
exemplars, and not from a copy of the exemplars.
28
This ruling
indicated that at least some of the difficulties had been caused
by the errors of scribes or by the use of defective copies.
But despite the command of the chapter that the revision be
accepted, there was evidently some continued opposition. For
in 1252 the chapter of Bologna passed an inchoation to make
the second revision have full constitutional force.
29
It is clear
that the capitulars were determined to compel the recalcitrants
to accept the revision. But the second step for passing the law
was never taken. On 5 November, of the same year, the venera-
ble John of Wildeshausen died. The rule of the Order was
that, when a master-general died after Michaelmas, there was to
be no general chapter the following year. The delay un-
doubtedly prevented the work of the Four Friars from receiving
approval for the sixth time by a general chapter. Even so, five
such approvals constitute a record of merit we must not over-
look.30
28
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 60 .
.., Ibid., 63.
30
The five general chapters which upheld the work of the Four Friars
were those of 1246, 1247, 1248, 1251, and 1252.
CHAPTER NINE
THE CORRECTION OF HUMBERT
IN 1254, the general chapter of the Order assembled at Buda,
Hungary, for the election of a successor to John of Wildeshau-
sen. The choice of the electors fell upon Humbert of Romans.
He was a man of recognized ability and profound learning.
More than that, he had lived at Rome where he had been pro-
vincial of the Roman province and had distinguished himself in
liturgical studies. He was the logical man to settle the liturgical
difficulties of the Order. Accordingly, the general chapter em-
powered him, not merely to correct the liturgical books, but also
to arrange the entire office and everything connected with it.
1
All who perceived any defects in the liturgy were invited to
write to the master-general at the next chapter.
2
So great was the confidence of the capitulars in the liturgical
qualifications of Humbert, that they took the first necessary
step to make the proposed revision of constitutional obligation:
"We make this inchoation: In the chapter of the Constitu-
tions, entitled The Office of the Church, where it reads-We
ordain that there be uniformly observed by all the brethren the
entire office, of the day as well as of the night,-let there be
added: according to the arrangement and exemplar of the vener-
able Father, friar Humbert, master-general of the Order."
Humbert lost no time in resuming work on this important
undertaking. While he undoubtedly appointed a corps of
workers, there can be no doubt that he personally took charge
1
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 68.
2
Ibid., 71.
83
Ibid., 68.
84 THE DOMINICAN LITURG\
of the entire revision. The two succeedmg chapters, Milan
(1255) and Paris (1256), approved and confirmed the incho-
ation of the chapter of Buda; and thus the "new correction," as
it was called, became the official liturgy of the Dominican Or-
der.4
At the close of the chapter of 1256, Humbert, in a letter
addressed to the whole Order announced, among other things:
"TI1e variations in our liturgy which were the object of no little
care on the part of many general chapters, have now by the grace
of God been reduced to uniformity in certain exemplars." You
are asked to correct the office according to those exemplars, so
that the uniformity so long desired in the Order may be found
everywhere. You must realize that the wishes of the brethren
concerning the office were so conflicting, that it was impossible in
arranging the liturgy to accede to the desires of every petitioner.
Hence, you should bear it patiently, if perchance you find in the
office something that is not in accord with your ideas.
"That you may ascertain whether or not you have the complete
office, know that it comprises in ail its parts fourteen books:
namely, the ordinary, the antiphonary, the lectionary, the psalter,
the coiiectarium, the martyrology, the processional, the gradual,
the conventual missal, the book of Gospels, the book of Epistles,
the smaii missal, the pulpitary, and the portable breviary."
The numbering and enumeration of the liturgical books in the
foregoing letter were not unnecessary; for in that age the greatest
variety existed throughout the Church in the names, number,
and contents of liturgical books. From this letter it is evident
that the revision was finished in 1256.
Ibid., 73, 78.
There is a difference of opinion as to how the original text should be
read. Berthier has incertis exulantibus; Laporte gives the reading: in certis
exemplaribus-the "certain exemplars" would be the fourteen books enu-
merated by Humbert in his letter.
6
Litten Encyclicoe, in MOPH, V, 42; De Vita Reg., II, 503.
THE CORRECTION OF HUMBERT 85
DESCRIPTION OF HuMBERT's CoDEX
Humbert arranged the entire liturgy in one big volume, which
was to serve as the prototype. Possibly in doing so he was in-
fluenced by the example of the Cistercians, who, hardly more
than half a century before, had set forth their liturgical practices
in one such great volume comprised of fifteen books, that "it
might be an unchangeable exemplar for preserving uniformity
and for correcting differences in other [books]."
7
Fortunately,
Humbert's volume has come down to us in a state of excellent
preservation, and after many vicissitudes now rests in the ar-
chives of the Order in Rome. It is 48 x 32 centimeters (or ap-
proximately 19,:xi x 2 ~ inches) in size, and consists of 997
leaves of thick parchment. It is written in a style of Gothic
minuscule which, together with the manner of illumination,
indicates Parisian origin. In the front of the book, beautifully
executed, is a quadrangle, in the corners of which are various
pictures. In the upper right corner is pictured the Blessed
Virgin, and in the upper left the Archangel Gabriel. Between
these two pictures are the words: AVE MARIA GRATIA
PLENA: DNUS TECUM: BENEDICTA TU IN MULIER-
IBUS: BENEDICT[US]. In the lower corners are two Do-
minicans, believed to represent St. Dominic and St. Peter
Martyr. Around the border runs the legend: Ecclesiasticum
officium secundum ordinem Fratrum Pr<Edicatorum, in hoc
volumine per quatuordecim libros distinctum hoc ordine con-
7
Although Humbert may have got the idea from the Cistercians, he
certainly did not imitate their manner of division, nomenclature, or con
tents of the various books. See DACL, III, 1734; Walz, Compendium
Histori<E, 105.
86 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
tinetur;
8
while in the centre of the quadrangle the contents of
the volume are listed as follows:
Ordinariuin
Martyrologium
Collectarium
Processionari urn
Psalterium
Breviarium
Lectionarium
Antiphonarium
Graduale
Pulpitarium
Missale conventuale
Epistolarium
Evangelistarium
Missale minorum altarium
( l) The Ordinary.-Although the codex begins with the
ordinary, this particular ordinary was written after the general
chapter of 1259, because it contains in the body of the text a
correction made by that chapter. On the other hand, an incho-
atio begun by the chapter of 1262 (and passed by the two subse-
quent chapters) is not found here. It is probable, therefore,
that this specific ordinary is a somewhat later and corrected copy
of the original one.
As regards its contents, the book corresponds to a modern
ceremonial. The first part is devoted to the Divine Office; the
second part to the Mass. In both parts the same method is
pursued: after general rubrics, the erial offices or Masses (in-
cluding the feasts of the Temporale) are first considered; then
the feasts of Saints. Humbert does not give the text of the
various offices (except of course for the lessons), but only the
first or the first several words for the variable parts of the offices
and Masses throughout the y e r ~ An example will illustrate
his system; thus, for the feast of St. Dominic, for the Divine
Office, we read:
"In this volume is contained the ecclesiastical office according to the
Order of Friars Preachers; it is divided into fourteen books in the follow-
ing manner."
HuMBERT's CoDEX: THE TABLE OF CoNTENTs
87
88 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
"For [first] vespers: superpsalrn ana. Gaude. Capitulum: Quasi
stella. Response: Granum. Hymn: Gaude mater. Versicle: Ora
pro nobis. Magnificat ana.: Transit. Prayer: Deus qui Ec-
clesiam."
In the same way, the Mass is concisely given:
"Office: In media. Prayer: Deus qui Ecclesiam. Epistle: Tes-
tificor. Response: Os justi. Alleluia. Verse: Pie Pater. Sequence:
In ccelesti. Gospel: V os estis sal terrce. Offertory: Desiderium.
Secret: Munera. Communion: Fidelis. Postcomrnunion: Con-
cede."
In the ordinary we also find rubrics on the singing of the
Salve Regina or the Ave Regina after compline, the taking of the
discipline after compline, the solemn reception of novices,
prayers at the election of a master-general, prayers for a general
chapter, etc.
( 2) The Martyrology.-The date at which this book was
written is somewhat confused by two different indications.
Thus, in the rubrics we find the remark "as in the present year,"
and on the margin is the date 1254; on the other hand, among
the Constitutions placed at the end of the martyrology we find
laws passed and confirmed as late as 1259. Laws after 1259 are
either missing or written on the margin. The explanation, how-
ever, is simple: the martyrology was written in 1254 but the
Constitutions inserted at the end of the book were not finished
until sometime between the chapters of 1259 and 1260.
During the Middle Ages, many martyrologies were in use; the
Dominicans selected the one written about 875 by Usuard, a
Benedictine monk of Saint-Germain-des-Pns. The choice was
a wise one, for it was the martyrology which was adopted by the
end of the fifteenth century in most of the Churches of the
\Vest, including that of Rome.
9
In adopting the book, the Do-
Cabrol, The Books of the Latin Liturgy, 118.
THE CORRECTION OF HUMBERT 89
minicans introduced some unimportant changes in order to
adapt it to the needs of the Order.
10
The book begins with a special calendar indicating the obitus
or date of death of masters-general. Eighteen are actually listed,
many of these names being inserted of course long after the
manuscript was finished. The last entry is that of Pierre de
Baume-les-Dames, who died in 1345. Next occur rubrics re-
lating to the martyrology and also to the manner of drawing up
the list of offices for the week; that is to say, for hebdomadarian,
deacon, subdeacon, acolytes, those assigned to give the invita-
tory, lessons, etc. After the text of the martyrology proper are
the Gospels used at pretiosa. The Rule of St. Augustine and the
Constitutions of the Order as revised by St. Raymond of Pefia-
fort close the book. The practice of placing the Rule and the
Constitutions at the end of the martyrology was continued in
the Order down to recent years, when the Order was obliged
to lay aside the Constitutions as revised by Raymond of Pefia-
fort and receive a new form in keeping with the sweeping re-
visions inaugurated by Pius X.
( 3) Tile Collectarium.-This was the hebdomadarian' s book.
It begins with the calendar, showing the feasts of the Saints for
each month of the year. Next follows everything needed by
the hebdomadarian for the office: the manner of singing all the
capitula, the blessings before the lessons in matins, the versicles
before lauds, all the antiphons, all the prayers (or orationes), etc.
In a word, everything that the hebdomadarian said or sang in
the Divine Office.
( 4) Tile Processionai.-First, we have general rubrics govern-
10
Leca, "Notizie storiche intorno al Martyrologio Domenicano" in
AOP, XXXII (1924), 551 ff.
90 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
ing the various kinds of processions; then an admonition for
every house to have an antiphonary complete in rubrics and
plain-chant for the use of the cantor, and smaller processionals
without any rubrics for the rest of the community. Next follow
the text and plain-chant for the various processions. The book
ends with the burial service.
( 5) The Psalter.-The psalter contains the responsories and
versicles for the hours, after which Humbert treats of the dif-
ferent ways of singing the psalms, their various "mediations,"
and terminations. The one hundred and fifty psalms (with
their antiphons) are given in numerical order; then the canticles,
Magnificat, Benedictus, Nunc Dimittis; these are followed by
the Quicumque, Credo, litany, and Te Deum. Lastly, the office
of the Blessed Virgin.
( 6) The Breviary.-The breviary is the sixth book in the
prototype, but apparently the first one to be completed. This is
deduced from the fact that in the breviary the office of St.
Peter Martyr appears on the margin, while in all the other books
of the prototype it is always found in the body of the text.
Peter Martyr was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1253,11 and
the general chapter of 1254 ordered his feast to be observed as a
totum duplex.
12
How does it happen then that his office does
not appear in the text of the breviary? It could hardly be due
to an oversight, as the Order at that time had only two can-
onized Saints. In the preceding Chapter we noticed the strik-
ing resemblance, especially in the office of the Temporale,
between the breviary-antiphonary manuscript and the office of
Cormier, and consequently with the office of Humbert. There
were a large number of pages of the Four Friars which needed
11
The Pope canonized Peter Martyr on the first Sunday of Lent (9
March); but the Bull of canonization is dated 2 5 March. Cf. BOP, I, 228.
12
Acta Cap. Gen., I, 71.
THE CORRECTION OF HUMBERT 91
no correction whatever, or very little. Humbert transferred such
pages bodily to his own copyP This explains both the rapid
progress made in publishing the "new correction," and the
presence of St. Peter's office on the margin of the new breviary.
As regards its contents, the book is a portable breviary de-
signed for extra-choral use; consequently, it contains everything
necessary for the private recitation of the Divine Office. The
lessons are shorter than those found in the lectionary, and do
not always conform with the latter. The psalms are not given
in full, but only the first words of each psalm.
(7) The Lectionary.-This, more than any of the other thir-
teen books, represents Humbert's special care; for, it will be
remembered, it was the lectionary which the general chapter of
1246 entrusted to his personal attention. Here we learn the
rules for singing the blessings as well as the lessons of the Divine
Office. Then the lessons themselves are given-first, the les-
sons de Tempore, with the Sunday homilies. It is interesting to
note that no homilies were assigned for the feria} days, neither
for the Ember days nor for the feria! days of Lent. Instead, the
Book of Genesis was read beginning on Septuagesima Sunday,
the Book of Exodus from the fourth Sunday of Lent, and
Jeremias from Passion Sunday to Holy Thursday.
The lessons for the feasts of the Saints follow. All the les-
sons are marked by conventional signs to indicate the manner
in which they should be sung. The lectionary ends with the
short lessons used in the portable breviary.
( 8) The Antiphonary.-The first page of the antiphonary is
missing in the Roman exemplar, which begins abruptly with the
antiphon of the second nocturn for the first Sunday of Advent,
13
Cf. Rousseau, De ecclesiastico officio, 48.
92 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
whereas the copy in the British Museum begins with first
vespers of that Sunday.
Humbert's antiphonary is a collection of everything sung in
the Divine Office. It is divided into two parts. The first con-
tains the antiphons, responsories, and the various invitatories;
also, the Salve Regina, the Ave Regina, and the Te Deum. The
second part is really a hymnal. It contains all the hymns with
music of the entire Divine Office. In the Common of the
Saints, Humbert gives the various ways of singing the hymns
of the little hours, vespers, matins and lauds.
(9) The Gradual.-Apart from the ordinary, which gives in
general the rubrics for both Divine Office and Mass, this is the
first book to be devoted to the Mass. But it treats of the a ~ s
from the standpoint of the choir, and not from that of the
celebrant or the ministers. Accordingly we find here the various
ways of singing the Asperges, Kyrie, Gloria in excelsis, Credo,
Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, and the Gloria Patri of the introit or
rather of the officium, as it is called in the Dominican missal.
The second part of the gradual may be called the book of
proses, since it contains the twenty-seven sequences then used
throughout the year. These were not said in private Masses; in-
deed, they were used in the solemn Masses only on toturn du-
plex feasts (of which there were then but thirteen) and in cer-
tain Masses of the Blessed Virgin.
(10) The Pulpitary.-The pulpitary was so called because it
was placed on a pulpit in the middle of the choir. It was used
by one, two, or four friars, according to the solemnity of the
feast. While the choir kept silent, the appointed friar or friars
would use the book to sing the invitatory, the versicles of the
responsories in matins and the little hours; and during the Mass,
the verses of the gradual (or office) after the epistle, the tract,
THE CORRECTION OF HUMBERT 93
etc. The litany of the Saints occurs in the pulpitary, for the
second time.
( 11) Conventual Missal.-There we find the rubrics for High
Mass. Some of the rubrics already stated in the ordinary are re-
peated; for example, when the Gloria and Credo are to be said,
what prayers are to be used, etc. The duties of the servers of
Mass and rubrics concerning Holy Communion are also noted.
As regards the text and plain-chant, the conventual missal gives
nothing except what is necessary for the celebrant and the cele-
brant alone in a Solemn Mass. Not even the epistles and
gospels are given. This shows that the Dominicans followed
the ancient custom of the Roman Church in not having the
celebrant repeat what was sung by either the deacon or the sub-
deacon.
( 12) The Book of Epistles.-The book of epistles was pri-
marily the subdeacon's book, since it contains all the epistles of
the whole year which were sung in the different Masses. But
the book was also used occasionally by an acolyte to sing the
lessons which sometimes occur in the Dominican rite before the
epistles.
( l3) The Book of Gospels.-In addition to rubrics, it con-
tains not only the gospels of all the Masses, but also whatever
might be necessary for the deacon to sing; for example, the Ite
missa est, the genealogy of Our Lord, the Passion (which was
then sung by the deacon unassisted), the blessing of the paschal
candle, etc.
( 14) The Missal for Private MassY-This begins with a few
rubrics of low Mass, but it evidently supposes that the cele-
brant is familiar with the rubrics already given in the conventual
14
This also was peculiar to the Dominicans, according to Maskell,
Monumenta RituaJia, I, clxi.
94
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
missal. Aside from its paucity of rubrics, the book contains
everything the priest needs for the celebration of low Mass.
Such is the monumental work of Humbert which the ravages
of time have fortunately spared to us, though not without nar-
row escapes. When the work of transcribing it was accom--
plished, the loose leaves were bound together to form a great
volume which was preserved for many centuries in the monas-
tery of Saint-Jacques at Paris. When the French Revolution
broke out, the monastery and all its treasures were seized by the
civil authorities. But Father Joseph Faitot, the last prior of
Saint-Jacques, finally succeeded in rescuing the codex. For
safekeeping, it was sent to Ferdinand, the Duke of Parma, who
was a friend of Father Faitot and a tertiary of the Dominican
Order. Upon the death of the Duke, the manuscript found its
way back once more to Paris, this time to a bookseller named
Richard. From Richard it passed to the antiquarian Gaillard,
who lived on the same street as Richard. In 1841, Angelo
Ancarani, master-general of the Order, learning of the location
of the precious manuscript, purchased it and placed it in the
archives of the Order at Rome, where it still remains. As La-
porte remarked: "Vere res clamabat domino!"
15
BRITISH MusEuM CoPY OF HuMBERT's CoDEX
A splendid copy of the codex is still in existence. It is to be
found in the British Museum (Additional Manuscript 23, 935).
This book was without question the master-general's own copy,
which he carried around with him on his visitation of the pro-
vinces. The master-general would thus always have with him
15
"Precis Historique," 344. Cf. Rousseau, De ecclesiastico officio, 53 ff;
Guerrini, Ordinarium Humberti, ix-x.
THE CORRECTION OF HUMBERT 95
an authentic copy by which he could settle all disputes regarding
text, rubrics, or plain-chant. Not only does the nature of the
book show this, but an inscription confirms it. Near the top
of fol. 2 is some faint writing, which Sir George Warner revived
by means of a chemical. It was found to read as follows:
"This book was written for the use of the master-general, who-
ever he may be at the time, so that if there should be any doubts
concerning the office, they may be settled by it. [Unnecessary]
recourse should not be had to this exemplar, because owing to its
fineness the book is easily injured."
16
The inscription, doubtless owing to the chemical used on it, is
now practically invisible.
The general appearance of this priceless document is de-
scribed by Galbraith in these terms: "In size it is a small folio,
a page measures 10.4 inches by 7 inches. It is bound in skin
with thong clasps. It is written in double columns on exceed-
ingly fine vellum, which in many places is so transparent as to
show the writing on the other side of the folio. The thinness
of the vellum can be further illustrated by the fact that, although
the book contains 579 folios, when shut up its depth is only 1.8
inches."
17
The script is so clear, regular, and beautifully done
that specimens of it have been reproduced by the Palreographi-
cal Society.
18
The manuscript is of French origin. It has sur-
vived the injuries of time almost intact; however, at the begin-
ning of it there is lacking at least one "gathering." The leaves
16
"Iste liber factus est pro magistro ordinis quicunque fuerit pro tem-
pore ut quicunque dubitaverint in aliquo de officio possint per eum
rectificari. Non est [recurrendum] ad exemplar quia facile dest [ruitur]
propter operis subtilitatem." The portion in brackets had completely dis-
appeared; the distinguished Anglican liturgist, H. A. Wilson, suggested the
words recurrendum and destruitur. Cf. Legg, Tracts on t11e Mass, 243.
17
Galbraith, The Constitution of the Dominican Order, 193.
18
Palreographical Society, Second Series (London, 1884-94), II, plate
II, 211; Paleographie musicale (Solesmes, 1892), III, plate 200.
96 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
are numbered in pencil. There is no leaf numbered one. The
first leaf, which is of thicker parchment than the rest of the
book, is numbered 2; it is blank except for the inscription just
spoken of and for another inscription on the verso:
"In this book are contained these xii parts. The ordinary. i.
The martyrology with the Gospels to be read in chapter and the
Rule and the Constitutions. The collectarium. iii. The proces-
sional. iiii. . . . ."
The list is the same as that already given for Humbert's codex,
with two exceptions: we find neither the breviary nor the missal
for private Masses listed. But the reason for the omission is
obvious: the general would always carry with him for daily use
his own missal and breviary. Despite the table of contents, the
book does not begin with the ordinary. At a later date, two
additions were made, one was placed at the beginning of the
original manuscript, the other at the end. The first addition
( ff. 3-22) and the second ( ff. 572-578) were written shortly after
the middle of the fourteenth century; the original manuscript
was written while Humbert was master-general.
The first section contains the office of the Blessed Sacrament,
with plain-chant; also offices for Thomas Aquinas, St. Louis, and
the Eleven Thousand Virgins. Next are Masses for the Blessed
Sacrament and a number of Saints; lastly, there are lessons for
the foregoing feasts. The addition at the end of the book is an-
other edition of the Constitutions. The martyrology gives the
Constitutions as they were before 1261; this section gives them
as they were between 1358 and 1363.
A comparison between Humbert's codex at Rome and this
copy in the British Museum reveals only an occasional trifling
difference. As the corrections made on the margin of the Ro-
man copy are always found in the text itself of the London
THE CORRECTION OF HUMBERT 97
copy, it is evident that the Roman document is the older of the
two.
19
In the first quarter of the eighteenth century, there still
existed, according to Echard, copies of Humbert's exemplar
at Toulouse, Salamanca, "and perhaps at Bologna and other
places."
20
If so, they disappeared in the troublous times that
followed. However, in recent years an incomplete copy was
found at Salamanca, containing only four books: the antipho-
nary, the gradual, the pulpitary, and the processional. According
to Father Albert Colunga, who was commissioned to examine
it, the manuscript is somewhat smaller than the Roman codex,
being 17\4 inches by ll\4 inches. The volume was apparently
used in choir by the cantors, and as a result it is not in the best
of condition.
21
A gradual that was written in Humbert's time was recently
presented to the Dominican Fathers at Oxford by Miss Jean
Smith, whose father had acquired it in Spain where he had been
acting as British Consu1.
22
The manuscript is 14 x 9% inches,
and consists of 235 leaves. A few folia are missing, and the
book has been so closely trimmed that many marginal notes
were injured and in some places even the text. While there
can be no doubt that the book goes back to the middle of the
thirteenth century, it presents a number of curious variations
from the prototype of Humbert.
Our list of copies of Humbert's prototype ends with two
graduals. One is preserved in the archives of the Order at
Rome; the other is in the possession of the bookseller Carl
Hiersemann of Leipzig. Neither is of great importance to our
history.
19
Rousseau, 58. '
0
SSOP, I, 144.
21
AOP, XXIX (1921), 28-29.
22
Walter Gumbley, "The Blackfriars Codex," in XVII,
(1936), 611 ff.
CHAPTER TEN
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR
BEFORE the Dominican Order could secure a uniform rite, a
vexatious problem had to be solved, namely, that of a uniform
calendar. It is no exaggeration to say that there were nearly as
many different calendars as there were dioceses and Religious
Orders throughout Europe. The majority of calendars, at least
from the tenth century on, were of Roman foundation. As
canon law then accorded to bishops the right to introduce into
their dioceses new feasts, there sprang into existence the un-
ending variety of feasts one finds in the mediceval calendars.
However, the bishops were not to be blamed for the confu-
sion. The idea of drawing up lists of local Saints was not theirs;
they obtained it from Rome. One might have expected that
Rome, as the head of the universal Church, would have com-
posed her list of Saints as she does to-day, from those of every
nation. But owing to the manner in which the cult of Saints
developed at Rome, the very reverse took place. Christians
who died for the faith in the Eternal City were better known
to the Church authorities at Rome than were the martyrs in
far-off places; and careful investigations of martyrdoms in re-
mote lands would have been slow, often uncertain, and gener-
ally costly. So it was inevitable that early Roman calendars
should be made up of only Roman Saints. Centuries later, the
saints in whose honor an altar had been dedicated in Rome or
to which city some of their relics had been taken were consid
ered by a fictio juris to be Romans and therefore eligible to the
98
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR 99
local calendar. This exclusiveness persisted even to St. Dom-
inic's day. As Schuster observes: "The Vatican calendar of the
twelfth century still remains an essentially Roman and local
record, consisting almost entirely of the feasts of Roman Saints,
or of those Saints who, because of their churches in Rome, had
practically acquired the right to be considered as Roman citi-
zens."
1
The same remarks hold true of the Lateran list as well.
If the Dominicans could not adopt any of the diocesan calen-
dars because of their local nature, neither could they adopt those
of Rome for a similar reason. As an international Order, the
Friars Preachers had need of an international calendar. This
meant that a just recognition must be given to the Saints
throughout Europe who were held in great veneration by the
people, but whose very existence was ignored by both Roman
lists. To have taken the calendar of St. Peter's or that of St.
John Lateran's and to have added thereto a number of non-Ro-
man Saints would not have been practical, for it would have
increased the Sanctorale to such an extent as to jeopardize the
Temporale. This, in the eyes of the medireval liturgist, was
unthinkable; for the Temporale was then looked upon as some-
thing sacred, since it was the very foundation of the ecclesiastical
office. If the Dominicans therefore wished to have an interna-
tional calendar and one that conformed to the requirements of
the liturgists, the Order would have to draw up its own. We
give herewith the result of their efforts.
2
1
Schuster, The Sacramentarv, I, 232.
In translating the Calendar, we have adhered closely to the original,
with some trifling exceptions. Humbert abbreviates the rank of a feast
(e.g., mem., simpl., etc.). On the other hand, he does not abbreviate the
words "martyr," "confessor," etc. Nor does he prefix the title "saint" to
a name except when he is using that name in the possessive case (e.g.,
Conversion of St. Paul, octave of St. John, etc.); and except in the one
case of the recently canonized Elizabeth. The literalness of translation
will account for such expressions as "St. Mary," "the Faithful Dead," etc.
100 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
JANUARY
I. Circumcision of the Lord. Duplex.
2. Octave of St. Stephen.
3. Octave of St. John.
4. Octave of Holy Innocents.
5.
6. Epiphany of the Lord.
7.
[Vigil]
Tatum duplex.
8.
9.
10. Paul the hermit.
11.
12.
Memory.
13. Octave of the Epiphany. Simplex. Hilary and Remi-
gius, bishops. Memory.
14. Felix, priest and confessor. 3 Lessons.
15. Maurus, abbot. 3 Lessons.
16. Marcellus, Pope and martyr. 3 Lessons.
17. Anthony, abbot. 3 Lessons.
18. Prisca, virgin and martyr. 3 Lessons.
19.
20. Fabian and Sebastian, martyrs. Simplex.
21. Agnes, virgin and martyr. Simplex.
22. Vincent, martyr. Semiduplex.
23. Emerentiana, virgin and martyr. Memory.
24.
25. Conversion of St. Paul.
26.
Semiduplex.
27. Julian, bishop and confessor.
28. Agnes "for the second time."
29.
30.
31.
Memory.
3 Lessons.
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR 101
FEBRUARY
1. Ignatius, bishop and martyr. Memory.
2. Purification of the Virgin St. Mary. Totum duplex.
3. Blaise, bishop and martyr. 3 Lessons.
4. Anniversary of the fathers and mothers.
5. Agatha, virgin and martyr. Simplex.
6. Vaast and Amand, bishops. Memory.
7.
8.
9.
10. Scholastica, virgin.
11.
12.
13.
14. Valentine, martyr.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22. St. Peter's Chair.
23.
24. Matthias, apostle.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Memory.
3 Lessons.
Simplex.
Semiduplex.
102
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
MARCH
1. Albinus, bishop and confessor. Memory.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. Gregory, Pope and confessor. Simplex.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. Benedict, abbot. Simplex.
22.
23.
24.
25. The Annunciation of the Lord.
3
Totum duplex.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
3
Annuntiatio dorninica, used by Humbert, is found in Bede. This and
other older titles show the feast was then regarded more as one of Our
Lord than of the Blessed Virgin. Cf. Quentin, Les Martyrologes his
toriques, 50, 329, etc.; Kellner, Heortology, 231.
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR 103
1.
2.
3.
APRIL
4. Ambrose, bishop and confessor.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Simplex.
14. Tiburtius, Valerian and Maximus, martyrs.
15.
3 Lessons.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. George, martyr. Simplex.
24.
25. Mark, evangelist. Semiduplex.
26.
27.
28. Vitalis, martyr. 3 Lessons.
29. Blessed Peter Martyr of the Order of Preachers.
duplex.
30.
Totum
104 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
MAY
1. Philip and James, apostles.
2.
Semiduplex.
3. Finding of the Holy Cross. Semiduplex. Alexander,
Eventius, and Theodulus, martyrs. Memory.
4. Feast of the Crown of the Lord. Simplex.
5.
6. John before the Latin Gate.
7.
Semiduplex.
8.
9.
10. Gordian and Epimachus, martyrs.
11.
3 Lessons.
12. Nereus, Achilleus and Pancras, martyrs.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
3 Lessons.
19. Potentiana [Pudentiana], virgin. Memory.
20.
21.
22.
23. Translation of blessed Dominic. Totum duplex.
24.
25. Urban, Pope and martyr.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
3 Lessons.
31. Petronilla, virgin. Memory.
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR
JUNE
1.
2. Marcellus and Peter, martyrs.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Medard, bishop and confessor.
9. Primus and Felician, martyrs.
10.
3 Lessons.
Memory.
3 Lessons.
11. Barnabas, apostle. Semiduplex.
12. Basilides, Cyrinus, Nabor and Nazarius, martyrs.
3 Lessons.
13.
14.
15. Vitus and Modestus, martyrs.
16. Quiricus and Julitta, martyrs.
17.
18. Mark and Marcellian, martyrs.
19. Gervase and Protase, martyrs.
20.
21.
22.
23. Vigil.
24. Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
25.
Memory.
Memory.
3 Lessons.
Simplex.
Duplex.
26. John and Paul, martyrs.
27.
Simplex.
28. Leo, Pope and confessor.
29. The Apostles Peter and Paul.
30. Commemoration of St. Paul.
Memory. Vigil.
Duplex.
Semidupiex.
105
106
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
JULY
1. Octave of St. John the Baptist.
2. Processus and Martinian, martyrs.
3.
4.
5.
Simplex.
Memory.
6. Octave of the Apostles Peter and Paul.
Simplex.
7.
8.
9.
10. The Seven Brothers.
11.
3 Lessons.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16
17.
18.
19.
20. Margaret, virgin and martyr. Simplex.
21. Praxedes, virgin. 3 Lessons.
22. Mary Magdalen. Semiduplex.
23. Apollinaris, bishop and martyr.
24. Christina, virgin and martyr.
25. James, apostle. Semiduplex.
26.
27.
fas, martyrs. Memory.
3 Lessons.
Memory.
Christopher and Cucu-
28. Nazarius, Celsus and Pantaleon, martyrs. 3 Lessons.
29. Felix, Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrice, martyrs.
3 Lessons.
30. Abdon and Sennen, martyrs. 3 Lessons.
31. Germain, bishop and confessor. 3 Lessons.
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR 107
AUGUST
I. St. Peter ad Vincula. Simplex. The Holy Machabees,
martyrs. Memory.
2. Stephen, Pope and martyr. 3 Lessons.
3. Finding [of the body] of St. Stephen. Simplex.
4.
5. Blessed Dominic, confessor. Totum duplex.
6. Pope Sixtus, Felicissimus and Agapitus, martyrs. Memory.
7. Donatus, bishop and martyr. Memory.
8. Cyriacus and his companions, martyrs. Memory.
9. Vigil.
10. Lawrence, martyr. Semiduplex.
11. Tiburtius, martyr. Memory.
12. Octave of St. Dominic. Simplex.
13. Hippolytus and his companions. Simplex.
14. Eusebius, priest and confessor. Memory. Vigil.
15. Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Totum duplex.
16.
17. Octave of St. Lawrence. Simplex.
18. Agapitus, martyr. Memory.
19.
20. Bernard, abbot.
21.
Simplex.
22. Octave of St. Mary.
phorian, martyrs.
23.
Simplex.
Memory.
Timothy and Sym-
24. Bartholomew, apostle.
25.
Semiduplex.
26.
27. Rufus, martyr. Memory.
28. Augustine, bishop and confessor.
29. Beheading of St. John the Baptist.
martyr. Memory.
Totum duplex.
Simplex. Sabina,
30. _Felix and Adauctus, martyrs.
3L
Memory.
108 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
SEPTEMBER
1. Giles, abbot. Memory.
2.
3.
4. Octave of St. Augustine. Simplex. Marcellus, martyr.
Memory.
5. Anniversary of the fami1iares and benefactors of our Order.
4
6.
7.
8. Nativity of St. Mary Virgin. Tatum duplex.
9. Gorgonius, martyr. Memory.
10.
11. Protus and Hyacinth, martyrs.
12.
13.
Memory.
14. Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Semiduplex.
and Cyprian, martyrs. Memory.
Cornelius
15. Octave of St. Mary. Simplex. Nicomedes, martyr
Memory.
16. Euphemia, virgin and martyr.
17. Lambert, bishop and martyr.
18.
19.
3 Lessons.
Memory.
20. Vigil.
21. Matthew, apostle and evangelist. Semiduplex.
22. Maurice and his companions, martyrs. Simplex.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27. Cosmas and Damian, martyrs. Simplex.
28.
29. Michael the Archangel. Duplex.
30. Jerome, priest and confessor. Simplex.
Familiares are seculars who live, usually as servants, in a religious
house, subject to the authority of the superior of the house.
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR
OCTOBER
1. Remigius, bishop and confessor. 3 Lessons.
2. Leodegar, bishop and martyr. Memory.
3.
4. Francis, confessor. Simplex.
5.
6.
7. Mark, Pope and confessor. 3 Lessons.
Bacchus, Marcellus and Apuleius, martyrs.
8.
109
Sergius and
Memory.
9. Denis and his companions, martyrs. Simplex.
10. Anniversary of all the brethren of our Order.
11.
12.
13.
14. Callistus, Pope and martyr.
15.
16.
17.
Memory.
18. Luke, evangelist.
19.
Semidup1ex.
20.
21. Eleven Thousand Virgins and Martyrs.
22.
23.
24.
Memory.
25. Crispin and Crispinian, martyrs.
26.
Memory.
27.
28. Simon and Jude, apostles.
29.
30.
31. Quentin, martyr. Memory.
Vigil.
Semiduplex.
Vigil.
llO
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
NOVEMBER
1. Festivity of All Saints. Totum duplex.
2. Commemoration of all the Faithful Dead.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. The Four Crowned Martyrs. 3 Lessons.
9. Theodore, martyr. 3 Lessons.
10.
11. Martin, bishop and confessor.
martyr. Memory.
12.
13. Brice, bishop and confessor.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Semiduplex.
Memory.
18. Octave of St. Martin. Simplex.
19. St. Elizabeth. Memory.
20.
21.
22. Cecilia, virgin and martyr. Simplex.
23. Clement, Pope and martyr. Simplex.
24. Chrysogonus, martyr. "Memory.
25. Catherine, virgin and martyr. Semiduplex.
26.
27. Vitalis and Agricola, martyrs.
28.
29. Satuminus, martyr. Memory.
30. Andrew, apostle. Semiduplex.
Memory.
Vigil.
Mennas,
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR 111
DECEMBER
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Nicholas, bishop. Semiduplex.
7. Octave of St. Andrew. Memory.
8.
9.
10.
11. Damasus, Pope and confessor.
12.
Memory.
13. Lucy, virgin and martyr.
14.
Simplex.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. Thomas, apostle. Semiduplex.
22.
23.
24. Vigil.
25. Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tatum duplex.
26. Stephen Protomartyr. Tatum duplex.
27. John, apostle and Totum duplex.
28. Holy Innocents. Simplex.
29. Thomas, bishop and martyr. Simplex.
30.
31. Sylvester, Pope and confessor. Simplex.
112 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
ANALYSIS OF HuMBERT's CALENDAR
A study of this calendar demonstrates beyond any possibility
of dispute that its foundation is genuinely Gregorian. Compari
son with the Gregorian sacramentary of the ninth century re-
veals that all of the eighty-four feasts of Saints contained in that
sacramentary are to be found in Humbert's calendar, save six.
Of these six exceptions, two were strictly local feasts (the Dedi-
cation of the Basilica of St. Mary's ad Martyres, and the Dedica-
tion of the Basilica of St. Nicomedes); St. Felicitas had already
been dropped by both Roman calendars; and the feast of
Cresarius (1 November) had become an anomaly; for now that
this date was dedicated to the commemoration of All Saints, it
was inapposite to single out any one Saint. There are four other
differences but they are minor ones. January 1 is called in the
Gregorian sacramentary In Octavas Domini. But as Benedict
XIV remarks: "Since the Circumcision ... was accomplished
on the eighth day, it is entirely one whether we call it the feast
of the Octave or that of the Circumcision."
5
Secondly, the
Gregorian calls the Purification by the Greek title: Ypapante.
Thirdly, the Gregorian feast of Hippolytus is altered to "Hip-
polytus and his companions." Lastly, the Dedication of the
Basilica of St. Michael (a church just outside of Rome) is
changed to the more universal title: "St. Michael the Archangel."
Even with these minor changes, the Gregorian was still a
greatly localized list, and furthermore, since that sacramentary
had been completed, there had lived many great Saints. It was
necessary to make that calendar more universal and to bring
it up to date. To do this, Dominican liturgists had to study
the calendars of the more influential Sees and of the Religious
"De Festis, p. Ia, xv.
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR 113
Orders, as well as Usuard's martyrology which was then in al-
most universal use. Undoubtedly the calendars of the Vatican
and of the Lateran were used as guides, for we find many points
of similarity. That they were merely consulted and not used
as a basis is suggested by the fact that the Dominicans rejected
fifty-six of the Vatican festivals and seventy-two of the Lateran.
Indeed, we find a far greater similarity to Humbert in the Car-
thusian, Cistercian, and Premonstratensian calendars of the
twelfth century. But whether this was due to any of these lists
being used for comparison, or whether it was the result of their
closely approximating the old Gregorian, is now impossible to
decide.
Humbert's feasts which are not in either Roman calendar are:
Hilary and Remigius (13 January), Julian, Vaast and Amand,
Albinus, Peter Martyr, Crown of Our Lord, Translation of St.
Dominic, Medard, Margaret, Cucufas, Germain of Auxerre,
Dominic and his octave, Rufus, Marcellus, octave of Nativity
of Blessed Virgin, Euphemia, Lambert, Leodegar, Francis, Mar-
cellus and Apuleius, Eleven Thousand Virgins, Crispin and
Crispinian, Mennas, octave of Martin, Elizabeth, Vitalis and
Agricola, and octave of Andrew.
At first glance, the list of additions appears to be quite large,
but, as a matter of fact, more than half of these items are merely
commemorations. It is interesting to note that two Gregorian
feasts (Euphemia, Mennas) and two of the Gelasian sacramen-
tary (Rufus, Marcellus and Apuleius), which were no longer
in the Vatican and Lateran calendars, were restored to their
place by the Dominicans.
SoME GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PROCEDURE
What principle did the friars use in making the additions and
114'
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
omissions? It is impossible to give a definite answer for every
case. Of course, the presence of the feasts of St. Dominic, St.
Peter Martyr, St. Francis and his spiritual daughter, St. Eliza-
beth, requires no explanation. The adoption of the feast of St.
Bernard represents a grateful gesture to the Cistercian Order,
which had given St. Dominic and his followers many proofs of
friendship.
6
Regarding the Crown of Our Lord, the Dominicans took an
active part in the institution of the feast. \V:hen Baldwin II,
the Latin Emperor of Constantinople, offered the Crown of
Thorns to St. Louis of France, the king sent two Dominicans,
Andre of Longjumeau and a lay-brother named James, to bring
back the relic. After many dangers and difficulties, for a war
was then being waged, the Dominicans eluded the Greek war-
ships and returned with the priceless relic, which was later
placed in the beautiful Sainte-Chappe11e at Paris.
7
To commen-
orate the event, the feast of the Crown of Thorns was instituted.
As for the rest of the calendar, the reason underlying the re-
jection of some festivals and the adoption of others is not so
apparent. But evidently the general principle was to eliminate
from the Roman calendar the more obscure as well as the less
popular Saints and to adopt some of the feasts which were most
popular at that time. All of the popular feasts could not be
admitted without endangering the Ternporaie. But just how
the choice was made between Saints of equal popularity (for
The great Saint of Clairvaux was canonized in 1174. Though a cen-
tury and a half had elapsed, his name was not yet on the Roman calendars,
nor does it appear on the Franciscan calendar written about 1230. The
Friars Preachers helped in no small measure to spread his feast throughout
Europe.
7
Gualterii Cornuti, "Historia susceptionis o r o n ~ spinee," in Riant,
Exuvire sacrre Constantinopolitanre, I, 45-46; Danzas, Etudes sur les Temps
Primitifs, III, 435-436; SSOP, I. 140; Guyetus, Heortologia, 278-279.
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR 115
instance, between Cucufas and Eulalia, between Medard and
Eligius, etc.), is unknown. However, in applying the norm of
popularity, we must bear in mind that twentieth-century appre
ciation of the importance of these old festivals is often a very
different matter from that of the thirteenth century. It must
also be remembered that it is not a question of what modern
critical research has since established as regards the spuriousness
or inaccuracy of the various "lives" of these Saints or as regards
the genuineness or falsity of their "relics," but rather what was
the belief of the people in the Middle Ages concerning these
matters.
It is possible that one or two Saints were added at the request
of some influential benefactor of the Order or at the insistence
of some diocese in which the Order was established. If the
cloistered Cistercians were obliged to accept new feasts against
their will, the Friars Preachers living in the populous cities could
not hope to fare better. But, in general, it will be found that
the principle of widespread popular veneration accounts for the
presence of nearly every feast found in Humbert's list. To-day
a number of these Saints are well-nigh forgotten; but in the
Middle Ages Sts. Vaast, Medard, Amand, Cucufas, Lambert,
Leodegar, to mention only some of them, were the objects of
much devotion over the greater part of Europe, as numerous
sacramentaries and missals, as well as the places, churches and
monasteries which were named after them, bear more than am-
ple testimony. Indeed, some of these Saints were so popular
that their names were placed in litanies and even in the Canon
of the Mass, and their feasts in many dioceses were holydays of
obligation.
Worthy of special notice is the small number of festivals for
the months of March and April. Humbert has only four feasts
116 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
in the former and six in the latter. This was done in order to
conform as far as possible to the ancient custom of the Church
of avoiding the celebration of Saints' festivals during the peni-
tential season of Lent. We have here a rather startling contrast
with the present practice of sanctioning a multitude of feasts
which crowd out the sublime feria! office proper to Lent. Mod-
ern revisers apparently do not believe in the dictum of Amala-
rius that we cannot celebrate the feasts of all the Saints.
8
In fact, throughout the entire calendar it will be observed
how the Dominicans restricted the SanctoraJe by limiting the
number of new feasts and giving them low rank, and also by
discretion in the adoption of octaves. The old Roman office
had few octaves; but when it was introduced into France, new
feasts were added and many of these were given octaves. But
it was a new kind of an octave; instead of merely commem-
orating the Saint on the eighth day and the eighth day only,
the office during all eight days was devoted to the Saint. By
the beginning of the thirteenth century, the number of feasts
with such octaves had become quite large. The Dominicans
accepted twelve of these octaves (including octaves de Tem-
pore) and added only one of their own, that of St. Dominic.
This was a very modest number compared to the average cal-
endar of that period! They also avoided the mistake made by
so many other liturgists of giving the octaves too high a rating.
Jn the Dominican calendar, all octaves were rated as simplex
feasts, even the octaves of Our Lord and of the Blessed Virgin.
De Divinis Officiis, lib. IV, c. 36 (Si non valemus omnium sanctorum
natalitia celebrare, quanto minus octavas eorum), in PL, CV., 1228.
St. Bernard also objected to the multiplication of feasts, declaring: "Patrire
est, non exsilii frequentia hrec gaudiorum: et numerositas festivitatum cives
decet, non exsules" (Epist. clxxiv, in PL, CLXXXII, 335).
THE DOMINICAN CALENDAR 117
How opposed Humbert was to the contemporary trend of in-
troducing new octaves is apparent from a passage in his ordinary:
"The feasts of Saints with octaves are: Andrew, Stephen, John
the Evangelist, Holy Innocents, John the Baptist, the Apostles
Peter and Paul, Dominic, Lawrence, Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin, Augustine, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, and Martin.
Apart from these, there are to be no other octaves, either of the
patron Saint of a church or of any other Saint whatever."
Such then was the calendar which Humbert presented to the
friars for their acceptance. The Order had every reason to be
proud of the work. Not only did it conform to the highest
liturgical ideals in assigning a predominant and inviolable place
to the Temporale, but it was a most successful effort to impart
to the Roman calendar that attribute of internationality which
Rome herself was later to adopt. The friars carried the calen-
dar with them on their journeys to every corner of Europe as
well as to Africa and Asia; and so favorable an impression did
it create that it was adopted almost bodily in some places, and
with local modifications in many others. In this way the Do-
minican Order contributed in no small measure in bringing
about throughout the entire Latin Church the abandonment of
local calendars and the general adoption of a modern, universal,
and Roman calendar.
Ordinarium, cap. De octavis sanctorum, col. xxvii.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE MASS ACCORDING TO HUMBERT
A DETAILED exposition of the entire ecclesiastical office as ar-
ranged in its final form by the great master-general, Humbert
of Romans, would prolong this history to an unconscionable
length. We shall, therefore, restrict ourselves to a general out-
line of the Mass and the Divine Office of the nova correctio, as
it was called.
In examining the Mass of Humbert, we find a precision and
an attention to details which we do not encounter in other
liturgical books issued as early as the thirteenth century. The
clarity and comparative thoroughness of Humbert's ordinary
was one of the reasons why the Dominican rite was adopted
by so many dioceses and Orders in the Middle Ages. We say
"comparative thoroughness," for Humbert also was influenced
by the prevalent principle of economy in manuscript-writing.
In the writing of very long manuscripts, the length of time in-
volved and the amount of material used were important factors
in the final cost of production; hence, to keep down costs, econ-
omy of time and space was desirable. For this reason, when a
rubric was commonly observed, it was deemed unnecessary to
write it down. While such economy entailed no inconveniences
at that period, the passing of centuries and the gradual changing
of customs leave us uncertain to-day as to just what many of
these mediceval rubrics had been.
In the following description of Humbert's rubrics, we must
bear in mind the general arrangement of the early Dominican
118
HuMBERT's ConEx: THE CoNvENTUAL MrssAr.
(This illustrates only one-quarter of a folio)
119
120 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
churches. The choir was situated in front of the altar, not
behind it, as one so often sees to-day in European churches. It
was enclosed on three sides to prevent the people in the nave
of the church from seeing the friars. At the western end of
the enclosure (assuming the church faced in the liturgical di-
rection) was the rood-screen, dividing the choir from the nave
where the laity was assembled. On either side of the screen
were the ambos (Humbert's pu1pita) for the reading of the
Epistle and the Gospel. In the middle of the choir stood the
pu1pitum majus (the permanent, principal lectern). In addi-
tion, there were usually several smaller, movable lecterns in the
choir. The sanctuary or presbytery was raised several steps
above the floor of the choir, while the high altar in turn was ele-
vated above the presbytery.
1
The sacristy did not open directly
into the presbytery (as is often the case in modern churches);
instead, the entrance was between the steps of the presbytery
and the choir. Unless this is remembered, many of Humbert's
rubrics become unintelligible.
Omitting the careful instructions of Humbert concerning the
preparation of the ministers and acolytes for the Conventual
Mass, we shall begin our description with the Asperges.
Before the community finished terce, the ministers entered
the choir. All the ministers, including the acolytes on the
greater feasts, wore albs. The subdeacon, with an acolyte to
his left, took up his position in the centre, not at the altar but
in front of the steps of the presbytery. Then the deacon took
his place behind the subdeacon. While the choir sang the
Asperges, the priest accompanied by an acolyte approached the
1
Cf. Masetti, Monumenta et Antiquitates, I, 63-65; Mortier, Histoire,
I, 568-578; G. Odetto, "La Cronica maggiore ... di Calvano Fiamma,"
in AFP, X, 326.
MASS ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 121
altar. As a departure from other medireval rites, the celebrant
did not pause to bless the water, but used water which had
already been blessed and which the acolyte now fetched from
the altar steps. During the singing of the antiphon, the cele-
brant lightly sprinkled the high altar, and then coming to the
choir he sprinkled in turn the deacon, the subdeacon, and the
acolytes. Advancing down the choir, he sprinkled the cantor,
both sides of the choir, and finally the seculars in the nave of
the church.
Upon his return, he placed himself between the deacon and
the pulpit, a formation that was like that of the Sarum rite.
Here he sang the usual versicles and prayer. Upon the return
of the ministers to the sacristy, a lay-brother or a novice took
the holy water stoup and sprinkled all the rooms of the
monastery.
THE BEGINNING OF HuMBERT's MAss
The Mass itself did not begin with any of those prayers
which have since become universal in the Roman Rite: the
Introibo, the Judica me, etc. Humbert's ordinary states:
"The priest approaches the altar. He omits those prayers
which seculars are wont to recite and instead he says:
"Confitemini domino quoniam bonus. If. Quoniam in srecu-
lum misericordia ejus.
"Confiteor deo et beate marie et omnibus sanctis et vobis
fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione locutione opere et omis-
sione mea culpa, precor vos orare pro me.
"Misereatur vestri omnipotens deus et dimittat vobis omnia
peccata vestra, liberet vos ab omni malo, salvet et confirmet in
omni opere bono et perducat ad vitam eternam. If. Amen.
"Absolutionem et remissionem omnium peccatorum vestro-
rum tribuat vobis omnipotens et misericors dominus. If. Amen.
"Then, having finished the confession and absolution, the
priest stands erect and says:
122 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
"Adjutorium nostrum in nomine domini. W Qui fecit celum
et terram."
2
The three ministers now ascended to the altar; the deacon and
subdeacon to place their books to the right and left of the altar
respectively, the celebrant to recite the Auter a nobis, kiss the
altar, and make the sign of the cross. The ministers gathered
at the missal for the office or introit, the inferior ministers stood
in line to the right of the priest.
According to the ancient custom of the Church, the Kyrie
was said at the side of the altar. This finished, the inferior
ministers stood in a line behind the celebrant. If, however, the
feast was a duplex or a totum duplex, all the ministers would
take their seats according to their rank: the celebrant sat near-
est the altar, to his left the deacon, to the left of the deacon the
subdeacon, to the left of the subdeacon the acolytes.
The Gloria in excelsis was begun at the centre of the altar
but continued and finished at the side. The ministers did not
sit during the Gloria. While it was being sung (or during the
Kyrie, if there was no Gloria), the subdeacon brought in the
chalice covered with the large veil (mappula), and placed it
upon the altar. After the collects, the Epistle was sung by the
subdeacon: on the greater feasts, including Sundays, he sang it
from the ambo between the choir and the congregation; on
lesser occasions he used the pulpit in front of the steps of the
presbytery.
Meanwhile the celebrant has been seated and an acolyte has
spread over the lap of the priest the gremial, as is done for a
bishop in the Pontifical High Mass. The deacon, having
washed his fingers, unfolded the corporal upon the altar and
returned to his seat. Priest and deacon together read the grad-
2 Missale Conventuale Humberti, fol. 402v.
MASS ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 123
ual. But there is no rubric prescribing that the celebrant read
privately either the Epistle or the GospeL Then the subdeacon
washed his hands and _brought the chalice to the priest, who
was still seated. In presenting the cruet of water, he said:
Benedicite. The priest replied: In nomine Patris, et Filii, et
Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Humbert does not mention any sign
of the cross, either here or for the blessing of the incense; but
there is little doubt it was made on both occasions. The priest
indicated to the subdeacon the amount of wine and water to
be used in the making of the chalice.
THE GosPEL AND CREDO
Towards the end of the singing of the alleluia or the tract,
etc., one of the ministers placed the missal with its cushion on
the gospel side of the altar.
3
The acolytes meanwhile lighted
the candles. On the greater feast days, the censer and cross
were brought in. The priest blessed the incense; the deacon
having received the Gospel-book, also obtained a blessing from
the celebrant. A procession now made its way to the pulpit
or ambo at the rood-screen; first came the censer-bearer, next
the candle-bearers, then the cross-bearer, followed by the sub-
deacon carrying the cushion for the Gospel-book, and lastly, the
deacon carrying the Gospel-book resting against his breast. Hav-
ing arrived at the pulpit, the subdeacon placed the cushion
under the Gospel-book, and then stood behind the deacon.
The cross-bearer with an acolyte on either side stood in front
of the pulpit; all faced the deacon. The celebrant, standing at
3
Humbert's actual words are: ad aJtaris sinistram. In modern Roman
rubrics, the left side is the epistle side. However, prior to 1485, the terms
"right" and "left" as regards the altar meant the reverse of what they do
to-day. Cf. Lebrun, Explication de Ja Messe, I, 139.
124 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
the epistle side of the altar, turned towards the place where the
Gospel was being sung.
The deacon first incensed the book, made the usual signs of
the cross, and then sang the Gospel. When he finished sing-
ing it, he gave the open book together with the cushion to the
subdeacon and all the ministers returned to the altar in the
order in which they had come. Without awaiting their return,
the celebrant intoned the Credo; however, he did not continue
its recitation until the subdeacon had brought him the book to
be kissed. There is no mention of the prayer: Per Evangelica
dicta, etc. The deacon also kissed the book, after which the
subdeacon replaced it on the altar.
The rule for saying the Credo was quite different from that of
to-day. It was recited on Sundays, the feasts of Our Lord, and
the octaves of the principal feasts of Our Lord; it was also said
on the feasts of the Dedication of the church and All Saints.
As regards individual Saints, it was recited only on the feasts
of those Saints mentioned in the Gospel; hence, it was not said
even on the feast of St. Dominic. There is no indication that
the celebrant knelt at the words: Et incarnatus est.4 Upon the
arrival of the subdeacon at the altar, after the singing of the
Gospel, he offered the Gospel-book to be kissed first to the
priest, then to the deacon.
This practice was adopted by the Dominicans shortly after Humbert
wrote his ordinarium. According to Geoffrey of Beaulieu, it was done at
the request of King St. Louis. Geoffrey writes: "He [the king] witnessed
the custom among certain religious of making a profound bow at the sing
ing of the words: Et homo factus est . ... This custom pleased him very
much. He then inaugurated and continued the practice both in his own
chapel as well as in many churches of not only bowing at those words but
also of devoutly kneeling. . . . At his request, the Order of Friars Preachers
adopted this pious usage." See Vita S. Ludovici in Recueil des Historiens
des Gaules, XX, 20.
MASS ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 125
THE OFFERTORY
After the Credo and the offertory had been said, the sub-
deacon gave to the deacon the chalice which already contained
the wine and water; and the deacon in turn offered it to the
celebrant, saying: Immola Deo sacrificium laudis et redde Altis-
simo vota tua. The priest received the chalice, which was al-
ready covered with the paten on which rested the host, with
the words: Caiicem saiutaris accipiam et nomen Domini in-
vocabo. There is no evidence in Humbert's ordinary that the
priest used the formula: Quid retribuam Domino, etc. Then
holding the chalice, paten and host elevated, he prayed: Sus-
cipe sancta Trinitas, etc. Thus, the oblation of the bread and
wine was made by one and the same act. The paten was now
removed from the chalice and the host placed on the corporal
in front of the chalice; this was contrary to the custom of the
Roman Church, which at that period placed the host to the
left of the chalice.
5
The chalice was then covered with the
back of the corporal.
6
On the feasts that were simplex or higher, the altar was now
censed, at the conclusion of which the deacon censed the cele-
brant. The thurifer now took the censer and incensed all the
Collocatur autem hostia ad sinistram, calix vero ad dexteram, is the
rubric in a Franciscan missal written shortly after the middle of the thir-
teenth century (Paris, Bibl. Mazarine, MS. 426 (223), fol. l35v.). In
1249 the Franciscan minister-general insisted on the Minorites following
this rubric. Cf. Wadding, Annales Minorum, III, 209.
6
In ancient times in the Roman Church, the corporal was much larger
than the modern one. In the thirteenth century, a separate pall had al-
ready been adopted by many Churches; some Churches and Orders still
clung to the old Roman custom. The disappearance of the ancient cor-
poral is to be deeply regretted, for the large linen corporal, covering the
chalice, represented in a realistic way the winding-sheet which shrouded
the Body of the Lord. The pall hardly suggests such a meaning. The
Friars Preachers continued to use the ancient corporal until the close of
the seventeenth century.
126 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
other ministers of the Mass, after which, on the higher feast
days, he went down to the choir and censed the members of the
choir. He did not incense the laity.
At the Lavabo, the priest merely said the first verse, and not
the first two as do the Dominicans of to-day. Returning to the
centre of the altar, the celebrant bowed to recite the prayer:
In spiritu humilitatis. This was followed by the Orate fratres,
to which there was no answer. In saying the Secreta, the priest
stood between the missal and the chalice. "With the fingers
with which he is about to handle the sacred Body of the Lord,"
says Humbert, "the priest must not turn any pages nor touch
anything." At this part of the Mass in summer time, the dea-
con began to use a flabellum or fan to prevent flies and insects
from molesting the priest.
The Secreta ended, the priest came to the middle of the altar
and sang the preface. At the supplici confessione the deacon
with one of the acolytes stood to the left of the priest, while
the subdeacon with the other acolyte stood to his right, and
recited with him the Sanctus. The subdeacon then received the
humeral veil about his shoulders, and the deacon gave him the
paten which he covered with the veil. From now on, the sub-
deacon stood behind the deacon, holding elevated the covered
paten.
THE CANON OF THE MASS
Humbert directs that at the words hrec dona, hrec munera,
etc., the sign of the cross is to be made "with two fingers, so
that the forefinger is above and the middle finger below." The
signs of the cross in the Canon were made at the same places
as in the Roman Rite. However, the priest did not hold his
hands extended over the oblata after the Communicantes. At
the Consecration, the deacon, holding the censer, knelt to the
right of the priest, and the subdeacon, holding the paten, to
MASS ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 127
his left. Humbert directs that the elevation of the Host be brief.
The priest did not genuflect at any time during the elevation.
Having replaced the Host, the priest uncovered the chalice.
At the words, Accipiens et hunc, using both hands he tilted the
chalice slightly. At the word, Benedixit, he replaced the chalice
and, still holding it with his left hand, made the sign of the
cross over it with his right. Instantly he tilted the chalice again
as before, and thus holding it pronounced the words of con-
secration. When he said In remissionem peccatorum, he re-
placed the chalice on the altar and covered it with part of the
corporal. There was no elevation of the chalice.
7
After the
Consecration the priest extended his arms more widely than
usual. At the Supplices Te rogamus, he bowed profoundly with
his arms crossed before his breast. Nothing noteworthy occurs
in the rubrics now until the end of the Pater noster when the
subdeacon returned the paten to the deacon, who in turn gave
it to the priest when he was about to say Da propitius pacem.
In giving the paten to the priest, the deacon kissed the cele-
brant's shoulder. The priest then made the sign of the cross
with the paten and kissed it; then he placed it on the altar away
from the corporal.
At the words Omni perturbatione securi, the priest uncovered
the chalice, and took up the Host. Saying Per eundem, he di-
vided the Host into halves. He then placed midway over the
first half, in a crosswise direction, the part he had been holding
in his right hand. Holding the second half in this position, he
broke off part of it and held this third section in his right hand.
This is also, the way in which the Dominicans of to-day divide
the Host. At the Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum, the priest
7
The Consecration of the chalice was approximately the same among
the Cistercians, Carthusians, and Premonstratensians. The Dominicans
did not accept the elevation of the chalice until the second half of the
sixteenth century.
128 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
made the usual signs of the cross with the small part of the Host
he was holding in his right hand. He did not place the re-
maining parts of the Host on the paten, as is done in the pres-
ent Roman Rite, but continued to hold them in his left hand
over the edge of the chalice.
At the Agnus Dei the deacon and subdeacon with their aco-
lytes took up the same positions as they had during the Sanctus
and recited with the celebrant the Agnus Dei. This said, the
priest now lowered into the Precious Blood the fragment of the
Host he held in his right hand, saying Hrec sacrosancta com-
mixtio, etc. Then he kissed the chalice, and gave the pax to
the deacon, saying: Pax tibi et Ecclesire sanctre Dei. The sub-
deacon went up to the deacon and received from him the pax;
he in turn gave it to one of the acolytes, and that acolyte to
the other, who gave the pax to the choir. Even in private
Masses, provided they were not for the dead, the celebrant gave
the pax to the server.
8
Trm CoMMUNION
Then the priest recited Domine Jesu Cluiste, which was im-
mediately followed by Corpus et Sanguis Domini Nostri, etc.;
upon saying these words, without any other prayers, the priest
received the Body and Blood of Our Lord.
Afterwards, he did not use the paten to collect any fragments
but took the . chalice in both hands and came to the left side
of the altar, where the subdeacon was waiting to pour wine into
the chalice. After the priest consumed the wine, the subdeacon
poured more wine into the chalice, this time over the fingers of
the priest. Humbert now gives two ways of proceeding with
the ablutions, probably a concession to intransigents who fought
to retain their own customs. If he desired, the priest might
8
The practice of the celebrant giving the server the pax in a Low Mass
still exists in the Province of Spain. See AOP, XIV ( 1906), 720.
MASS ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 129
now cover the chalice with the paten; and holding his wet
fingers above his joined hands in such a fashion that no drops
could fall upon the ground, he washed his fingers in a basin
with water, which the subdeacon supplied. The water was to
be thrown into the piscina.
But it was better, Humbert continued, that the ablution of
the water be received in the chalice with the second ablution
of win.::, and that it be consumed by the priest. "Then the
priest dried his fingers with a cloth reserved for this purpose"
(this cloth was placed within the chalice, our modern purifi
cator). When he had finished with the chalice, he placed it
on the gospel side of the altar, beyond the corporal. The deacon,
meanwhile, washed his fingers, folded the corporal and set it
aside, and then carried the missal to the epistle side of the altar.
The priest, accompanied by all his ministers, who stood in
order at his right, said the Communio, etc. While he was say-
ing the postcommunion prayers, the subdeacon, if he thought
it necessary, could cleanse the chalice with some water, and
dry it lightly with another clean cloth specially reserved for the
purpose. The second cloth was kept "reverently" near the
piscina, covered by another cloth. Obviously, the subdeacon
now removed the chalice, though the rubrics do not explicitly
say so. While the last oratio was being said, one acolyte lighted
the two candles to be carried by himself and his fellow-server;
the other acolyte handed the gospel-book to the subdeacon.
After the Dominus vobiscum, the deacon said the Ite missa est.
The priest now said the Placeat tibi, after which he kissed the
altar. Meanwhile the other acolyte had given the missal to the
deacon. Then all returned to the sacristy in the order in which
they had come. No blessing was given at the end of Mass
unless it was the custom of that locality and the people there-
fore expected it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE DIVINE OFFICE ACCORDING
TO HUMBERT
HAD the ideas of Pius X concerning a liturgical revision been
applied to the Dominican breviary in a manner consistent with
Dominican tradition and practice, it would have been possible
to describe the office of Humbert in a few words. There would
have been only minor differences between the new office and
the one observed by the friars since the thirteenth century.
Unfortunately, the revisers saw fit to impose upon the Order a
medley of distinctions and complicated rubrics unheard of in
the Order in its seven centuries of existence. Because of this, it
will be necessary to describe the old office at some length.
In Rome, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, there
were not only two calendars but also two distinct offices: the
old Roman Office which was celebrated in the basilicas of the
Eternal City, and another which was comparatively new. The
new office was used exclusively by the Pope and the clergy of
the Roman Court, who preferred it because of its comparative
brevity. It was this relatively new office that the Franciscans
adopted. The fact that they were neither monks nor Canons
Regular and also that they did a great amount of travelling, in-
fluenced them to choose the shorter Roman office which was
condensed within the limits of a small convenient volume.
After various changes made by the Franciscan ministers-general,
Aymon of Faversham, John of Parma, and finally St. Bonaven-
ture, Nicholas III in 1277 adopted the Franciscan office not
130
OFFICE ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 131
only for the Curia but also for the churches of Rome.
1
"Thus,"
laments Batiffol, "the grand old Roman Office of the time of
Charlemagne and of Adrian I was suppressed by Nicholas III
(himself a Franciscan) in those of the Roman basilicas which
had remained faithful to it, and for this ancient office there was
substituted the breviary or epitome of the modernized office
which the Minorites had been observing since the time of
Gregory IX."
2
The Dominicans in their quest for liturgical uniformity had
followed a different course. Being not merely friars but above
all Canons Regular, their point of view was that the Divine
Office was not merely a daily pensum; it was also the opus Dei,
the solemn performance of which was the special function of
the canonical life.
But a great difficulty beset the fulfillment of this duty. The
Roman office at the end of the twelfth century was undeniably
long. An adjustment, therefore, was imperative between the
requirements of the canonical state and the scholarly standards
of St. Dominic. \Vhile the Dominicans therefore chose, not
the office of the Roman Court, but the office of the Roman
Church, they shortened somewhat the office both in its plain-
chant and in its text. In his writings, Humbert often refers to
this. Thus, in giving the reason why the Order said the Pater
noster a number of times in the office, he wrote: "It is just,
then, that we who have a short office should say the Lord's
Prayer."
3
Elsewhere he lays down the principle: "The Order
has always shunned the long-drawn office for the sake of study."
4
1
Golubovich, "Ceremoniale Ord. Minorum Vetustissimum," in AFH,
III (1910), 56-57.
History of the Roman Breviary, 163. But Batiffol errs in calling Nich-
olas III a Franciscan. Cf. Andrieu, "Le Missel de la chapelle papale a la fin
du XIII siecle," in Miscellanea Fr. Ehrle, II ( 1924), 353, n. I.
De Vita Reg., II, 139. Ibid., 70.
132 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
He defends this principle on the grounds that it is better to
have a short office and have time for study than have a pro-
longed office that interferes with study.
5
Having finally ob-
tained a satisfactory arrangement between the Roman office and
the demands of the curriculum, the Dominicans clung to it with
a tenacity that has evoked the approving comments of liturgists
down through the centuries. It is that office we now have to
describe.
Though the ordinary does not mention any preliminary
prayers to the Divine Office, we learn hom the Liber Consue-
tudinum and from Humbert's Exposition of tlle Constitutions
that the Pater noster and the Credo were said at the beginning
of matins and prime, while before the other canonical hours
only the Pater noster was said.
6
FIRST VESPERS
The structure of first vespers was the same as that of to-day;
it began with Deus in adjutorium, Gloria Patri, and the Alleluia.
When the office had the rank of simplex
7
or above, and was not
impeded by following a higher feast, then in first vespers five
psalms and five antiphons were taken from the feria, if the feast
of the feria! was being celebrated; otherwise, they were de festo.
If Sunday had first vespers, the five psalms and their antiphons
were those assigned to Saturday. But if the feast was a totum
duplex, five special psalms were used: ps. 112, Laudate pueri;
ps. 116, Laudate Dominum omnes gentes; ps. 145, Lauda anima;
Ibid., 97. Ibid., 171.
7
The Friars Preachers had only five classifications of feasts, apart from
a commemoration: Three Lessons, Simplex, Semiduplex, Duplex, and To-
tum Duplex. There were no fine distinctions such as were imposed on the
Order by the last revision.
OFFICE ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 133
ps. 146, Laudate Dominum quoniam bonus, and ps. 147, Lauda
Jerusalem. These psalms were said with only one antiphon.
The officiant
8
now read a short lesson or capitulum taken
from the Scriptures. At this point in the old Roman office
there followed, according to Amalarius, a respond; but, he adds,
in his day it had become well-nigh universal for the verse to
follow immediately after the lesson. We learn from Beleth
that in the middle of the twelfth century Rome still clung to
the old practice. The Dominicans elected to retain the ancient
custom-a most fortunate choice for it preserved for us some
venerable responds of surpassing beauty. These responds were
variable; however, they were used in the first vespers of a Sun-
day only when that Sunday began a new historia.
A hymn followed the respond. After the hymn there came
a versicle with its response and the Magnificat. If the feast
were a duplex or a tatum duplex, then at the beginning of the
Magnificat the prior, wearing surplice, stole, and cope and ac-
companied by two candle-bearers and a thurifer (these three
wearing albs), entered the presbytery. Having received the
censer, the prior incensed first the Blessed Sacrament and then
the altar. This done, he once more incensed the Blessed Sacra-
ment and returned the censer to the thurifer. Still wearing the
cope, he returned to his place in the choir. The thurifer now
incensed first the prior and then the other members of the
choir.
The Magnificat ended, the prior went to the lectern in
the middle of the choir, where he sang the prayer of the
8
Ordinarily it was the hebdomadarian who conducted the office. How-
ever, "on duplex and tatum duplex feasts," says Humbert: "let the prior
officiate." If for any reason the prior was unable to do so, the cantor ap-
pointed one of the older Fathers to take his place. To avoid cumbersome
repetition, we shall use the word "officiant" to designate the one officiating
at the office, whoever he may be.
134 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
office.
9
\rVhenever incensing took place during the Magnificat,
a similar ceremony took place at the end of lauds, during the
Benedictus.
The Benedicamus Domino was now said, to be followed by
the Fidelium animre concerning which Humbert remarks: "This
formula is always to be observed at the conclusion of the hours
of the day. When it is said in the monastery, it is to be said
with great gravity and so loudly that it may clearly be heard by
aU; the community is to answer Amen in a like voice."
10
Evi-
dently the mumblers existed in Humbert's day!
Compline was the night-prayer of the Order. But as that
part of the Divine Office occupies a special place in Dominican
history and sentiment, it will be considered in the following
chapter.
MATINS
Some time during the night, between midnight and three
o'clock in the morning, depending upon the time of the year
and the ruling of the prior, the friars arose for the "midnight"
office. As soon as they were awakened, they recited, while yet
in the dormitory, the office of the Blessed Virgin. When it
was finished, "a second bell summoned them to choir without
further delay."
Though the manner of beginning matins varied, the Ordo of
the Lateran Church shows that in the twelfth century not only
A similar ceremony is described in the Ordo of the Lateran Basilica
for the feast of St. John the Baptist: " ... While the Magnificat is being
sung, the Pope incenses the high altar. Then one of the seven bishops re-
ceives the censer from the Pope and incenses the cardinals and all the
clerics; after which he returns the censer to the acolyte. The Magnificat
ended, the bishop-hebdomadarian presents to the Pope the book for the
singing of the prayer. When this had been said, one of the deacons of the
Curia exclaims in a loud voice: Benedicamus Domino.'' Cf. Bernhardi,
Ordo Officiorum Ecclesire Lateranensis, 139.
10
De Vita Reg., II, 138.
OFFICE ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 135
was the Domine, labia mea aperies used in Rome but also, in
conjunction with it, the Deus in adjutorium meum_ll The Do-
minicans accepted the double formula, though it was not yet
universally used. The invitatory and hymn followed. We now
come to the greatest difference between the old Roman and the
Dominican office.
For the psalter, the Roman basilicas used an Old Latin ver-
sion, which was marred by many inaccuracies. This was the so-
called "Roman" psalter. St. Jerome was asked to provide the
Latin Church with a better translation. He did so, basing his
work on the Hexapla of Origen. The new translation became
popular and was introduced by St. Gregory of Tours in the
churches of Gaul; from this fact it received the misleading
name of "Gallican" psalter. From Tours it spread rapidly
through the rest of Europe and by the beginning of the thir-
teenth century was universally received throughout the Church
except in the Eternal City. The Dominicans therefore had
very little choice in the matter; the Roman psalter having be-
come practically obsolete, the Order substituted the so-called
Gallican psalter for the Roman psalter. The Franciscans were
obliged to do the same.
12
But though the version of the psalter had to be changed, the
Dominicans did not change the Roman arrangement of the
psalms. In the Roman cursus, the one hundred and fifty psalms
were so distributed throughout the various offices of the week
that the entire psalter was covered in that period of time. The
psalms were taken, with certain exceptions, in numerical order,
as the following table shows.
The remaining hours were the same throughout the entire
u Bernhardi, op. cit., 18.
12
Cf. Golubovich, Ceremoniale Ord. Min. Vetust., in AFH, III, 56.
Cursus Dominicanus
Matins Lauds
Vespers
Sun. 1-3; 6-20 92, 99, 62 & 66,* Cant. Benedicite, 148-150 t
109-113
Mon. 26-37 50, 5, 62 & 66, * Cant. Confitebor, 148-150 114-116; 119, 120
Tues. 38-41; 43-49; 51 50, 42, 62 & 66,* Cant. Ego dixi, 148-150 121-125
Wed. 52;54-61;63;65;67 50, 64,62 & 66,* Cant. Exultavit, 148-150 126-130
--
Thurs. 68-79 50, 89, 62 & 66,* Cant. Cantemus, 148-150 131, 132; 134-136
Fri. 80-88;93;95,96 50, 142, 62 & 66, * Cant. Domine audivi, 148-150 137-141
Sat. 97-108 50, 91,62 & 66,* Cant. Audite, 148-150 143-147
*These two psalms were said with one Gloria Patri, as were Ps. 148-150.
t Sunday Lauds, from Septuagesima to Palm Sunday, consisted of psalms 50, 117, 62 & 66, etc.
week. For the little hours, psalm 118, Beati immaculati, was
divided into sets of thirty-two verses and distributed in the fol-
lowing manner:
Prime. Ps. 53, Deus in nomine tuo. Ps. 118, Beati im-
macuJati; Retribue.
Terce. Ps. 118, Legem pone; Memor esto; Bonitatem fecisti.
Sext. Ps. 118, Defecit in salutare; Quomodo dilexi; Iniquos
odio.
None. Ps. 118, Mirabilia tua; Clamavi in toto corde; Prin-
cipes persecuti.
Prime, however, had this variation that from Septuagesima to
Palm Sunday there were recited the psalms 21-25, 53, 92, ll8
(first two sets). Compline was likewise invariable: ps. 4, Cum
invocarem; ps. 30, In te Domine speravi (only the first six verses
were used); ps. 90, Qui habitat; and ps. 13 3, Ecce nunc bene-
dicite.
On feasts of Saints, the psalms for matins were either proper
or taken from the Common; lauds were taken from the Sunday,
Dominus regnavit, etc.
The foregoing distribution of psalms in the Dominican office
is the same as that of the old Roman Office prior to the thir-
teenth century, with the solitary exception that the Sunday
psalms for prime in the Roman Office were: 21-25, 53, 117, 118
(Beati immaculati and Retribue). The psalms used by the Do-
minicans for Sunday were those of the Roman office for prime
on week-days. In view of the recent revision, as a result of
which ferial psalms are used on the feasts of Saints, it is well to
call attention to the fact that the custom of using special psalms
(either proper to the feast or from the Common) instead of
erial psalms, was not a practice peculiar to the Dominicans, but
one which they themselves had received from the ancient Ro
man Office.
138 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
In what the old office called "lesser feasts" (in testis minor-
ibus), there was only one nocturn with twelve psalms taken from
the current feria; this rule was observed by the Dominicans. But
if there occurred a festival, the one nocturn had only nine
psalms and these were de testo. In the Roman office, when a
"greater" feast fell on Sunday, psalms 53, ll7, 118 (two octo-
naries) were used at prime; but if it fell on a week-day, the
three psalms noted above in the Dominican office were used.
Vespers, whether of a "greater" or of a "lesser" feast, ordinarily
took the psalms from the current feria; with the Dominicans the
psalms were also taken from the feria unless there occurred a
festival which took precedence; then the psalms would be de
festo. If the feast were a tatum duplex, the Dominicans said in
first vespers the five special psalms already mentioned ( ll2, ll6,
145, 146, 147).
THE LESSONS OF MATINS
For the Temporale, the lessons were taken from the Scrip-
tures. Occasionally they were chosen from the sermons of the
Fathers of the Church. No effort was made to read the entire
Bible in the course of the year; rather, selections from the vari-
ous books of the Bible were made in this wise:
Octave of Epiphany to Septuagesima: Epistles of St. Paul.
Septuagesima to 4th Sunday of Lent: Genesis.
Fourth Sunday of Lent to Passion Sunday: Exodus.
Passion Sunday to Holy Saturday inclusive: Jeremias.
Monday after octave of Easter: Apocalypse.
Monday after Cantate Sunday:
13
Catholic Epistles.
Ascension: Acts of Apostles.
First Sunday after Trinity: Kings.
---
13 The Fourth Sunday after Easter.
OFFICE ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 139
August: Sapiential Books.
September: Job, Tobias, Judith and Esther.
October: Machabees.
November: Ezechiel, Daniel, and the twelve prophets.
December: Isaias.
Generally, the last three lessons of the Sunday office were
devoted to homilies explaining the Gospel; but no homilies were
used on feria} days, not even during Lent or on Ember days.
On feasts of Saints, nine lessons or at least the first six were
taken from the life of the Saint or from the treatise of some
ecclesiastical author.
The lessons were preceded by the Pater noster and a blessing;
there was no absolution. Judged by modern standards, the
lessons would be considered quite long; but, in accordance with
the ancient custom, it lay within the power of the officiant to
indicate when the reader should stop. Indeed, when the com-
munity was late for office, it was the duty of the cantor to
shorten the lessons.
14
They ended with Tu autem Domine and
the Deo gratias.
Every lesson was followed by a respond. In the Middle Ages
the responsories were looked upon as so important that the
office itself was often referred to by their opening words; thus,
Humbert often refers to Domine, ne in ira, Deus omnium, etc.
The responds were selected from various books of the Bible,
and a set of them constituted a Historia. The following, which
closely follow those of the Gregorian Responsory, are found in
Humbert:
Domine, ne in ira (Psalms), First Sunday after octave of
Epiphany to Septuagesiina.
"De Vita Reg., II, 244.
140 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Deus omnium'" (Book of Kings), First Sunday after Trinity
to August lst exclusive.
In principia (Proverbs), Month of August (Sapiential books).
Si bona (Job), First Sunday of September to the third exclu-
sive.
Peto Domine (Tobias), remainder of September.
Adaperiat (Machabees), Month of October.
Vidi Dominum (Isaias), Month of November (Prophets).
"TE DEUM" AND LAUDS
The ninth respond of matins was usually followed by the Te
Deum. At the time of Amalarius, this canticle was reserved at
Rome for the feasts of canonized Popes only; but by the twelfth
century this restriction had ceased to exist and the Te Deum
was in general use in the office, as is evident from the Ordo of
the Lateran Church. The Dominicans did not say the Te
Deum during Advent nor from Septuagesima to Holy Saturday;
during these two seasons matins ended with the repetition of
the ninth respond.
The old monastic custom of waiting until the approach of
dawn before beginning lauds was discarded by the Dominicans
as a waste of valuable time. There was no interval between the
two hours; when matins ended, lauds was instantly begun. We
have already seen what psalms constituted this part of the office.
As regards its constituent parts (capitulum, hymn, versicle, etc.),
the office was the same as to-day.
While the psalm Laudate was being said, the friar appointed
to read the martyrology approached the prior and inquired in a
low voice: "Chapter?" If he replied: "No," the martyrology
15
Deus omnium. The Roman breviary has Preparate corda. In the
Gregorian Responsoriale published by Tornmasi, the first respond is the
Deus omnium; the present Roman respond is the fourth of that set. Cf.
Responsoriale et Antiphonarium Romanre Ecclesire, in Tornrnasi, Opera
Omnia, IV, 115, 116.
THE DEACON USING THE FLABELLUM
(Bibl. Nat., MS. lat. 8884)
Illustration taken from the oldest known Dominican Missal (circa 1240).
The Friars preserved the ancient liturgical use of the fan to the end of
the nineteenth century. The rubric is still to be found in the latest
Dominican Missal.
141
142 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
was read in choir; if he said, "After prime," it was deferred until
this time; but if he answered, "Yes," then the reading was to
take place in the chapter-room as soon as lauds ended.
Accordingly the friars left the chapel and entered the chapter-
room where the martyrology was read and pretiosa was recited.
The reading of the martyrology and the recitation of pretiosa in
the chapter-room, especially after prime, was the common prac-
tice of the monastic Orders in the Middle Ages. On the feasts
of nine lessons, Ash Wednesday and the vigil of Christmas, it
was customary to have a sermon after pretiosa.
THE "PRECES"
There is nothing particularly noteworthy concerning prime
except the preces. The saying of these prayers was the general
rule; their omission, the exception. "Let preces be said daily,"
declares the ordinary, "except from Holy Thursday until the
Monday after Low Sunday; during the week of Pentecost and
Juring the octave of Christmas; duplex and totum duplex feasts
and All Souls." Thus, these prayers were said even on Sunday
at prime and compline, while on feria! days they were said at all
the hours.
The manner of saying them was the same as it is to-day in
the Dominican Order; but as this differs from the present Ro-
man method, we reproduce them:
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison.
Pater noster. ... Et ne nos inducas in tentationem.
Sed Jibera nos a malo.
y. Vivet anima mea et Iaudabit te.
If. Et judicia tua adjuvabunt me.
y. Erravi sicut avis quce periit.
If. Qucere servum tuum Domine, quia mandata tua non sum
oblitus.
OFFICE ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 143
Credo in Deum .... Carnis resurrectionem.
Vitam reternan. Amen.
Confiteor Deo. . . . Misereatur
)\". Dignare Domine die isto.
Sine peccato nos custodire.
Dominus vobiscum. Oremus.
Preces for compline are shorter:
Kyrie ... Christe .... Kyrie .... Pater noster ....
Et ne nos .... Sed libera nos .... )\". In pace in idipsum.
Donniam et requiescam. Credo .... Carnis resurrec-
tionem.
:W Vitam reternam. Amen. )\". Dignare Domine nocte ista.
:W Sine peccato nos custodire. Dominus vobiscum . . . .
Oremus.
As the structure of the rest of the canonical hours is the same
as that used to-day (with the exception already noted of the
psalms), it needs no special comment. Only one point calls for
a remark.
SECOND VESPERS
Batiffol insists (pp. 86, 122, 165) that second vespers were
not introduced in Rome until the thirteenth century. Now,
the Dominican office contains a number of feasts which have
second vespers. Was this some non-Roman novelty the Friars
Preachers adopted? Some time after Batiffol published his
learned History of the Roman Breviary, Ludwig Fischer discov-
ered in the Hofbibliothek of Vienna a twelfth-century codex
(Cod. lat. membr. 1482), which contains among other docu-
ments the ordinary of the Lateran basilica. In this Ordo we
find second vespers assigned to a number of feasts: the Purifica-
tion, the Chair of St. Peter, the Annunciation, St. John before
the Latin Gate, Mary Magdalene, etc. It is evident, therefore,
that the Dominicans were not accepting any non-Roman cus-
144 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
tom but were following the practice of the Mother Church of
Christendom.
As regards the paschal season, the Dominican office was re-
markable; for it adopted and for many centuries retained some
very ancient Roman customs. During Easter week, there were
no hymns whatever in any part of the office. Matins consisted
of the invitatory, three psalms, three antiphons, three lessons,
three responds, and the Te Deum. Lauds had five psalms with
five antiphons; after the fifth antiphon the Benedictus with its
antiphon immediately followed; then the usual oratio with
Benedicamus Domino, alleluia, alleluia. The double alleluia
was used at lauds and vespers during Easter and Pentecost
weeks; during the rest of Paschal time only one alleluia was
used. At the other hours, until Saturday, the psalms were suc-
ceeded by Hfc dies, etc. (there was no capitulum); Dominus
vobiscum, etc., and the prayer.
Vespers during Easter week present a curious borrowing from
the Easter Mass. They began with the triple Kyrie eleison . ...
Christe eleison .... Kyrie eleison . ... Three psalms were then
said: Dixit Dominus, Confitebor, and Beatus vir. There was
only one antiphon. Now occurred another appropriation from
the Mass, the gradual Hrec dies with its verses, Confitemini and
Pascha nostrum. Except on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday,
the gradual was followed by the Magnificat with its antiphon
and the prayer Deus qui hodierna.
On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, the gradual was succeeded
by the prose Victimf Paschali, also taken from the missal.
While the prayer Deus qui lwdierna was being sung, the thuri-
fer went to the sacristy, exchanged his censer for the cross, and
returned to take up his position before the steps of the presby-
tery. The cantors then began the responsory Christus resurgens.
OFFICE ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 145
A procession to the church of the laity took place during the
responsory, and the friars took up their positions as during the
Salve Regina procession in compline. Two friars sang the
Dicunt nunc, and the versicularians the Dicite in nationibus.
The prior added the prayer, after which the friars returned to
their places, singing the Regina cceli.
Until the feast of Trinity Sunday exclusively, all invitatories,
antiphons, responds, together with their versicles, as well as all
other versicles, terminated with alleluia, except of course in the
office of the dead.
SUFFRAGES AND ADDITIONAL OFFICES
In the matter of suffrages, we find the Dominicans made
daily a memory of the Holy Cross during Easter season until
the vigil of the Ascension. At vespers, the commemoration was
made every day of that period; but in lauds, it was made from
Low Sunday to the vigil of Ascension. A memory of the Tem-
porale was made on all the ferias of Advent, Lent, and the three
days of Rogation, whenever a simplex or greater feast occurred.
On the Saturdays throughout the year, there was a commemora-
tion of the Blessed Virgin; but there were a number of excep-
tions to this rule, one of them being that, when the office of
the Blessed Virgin in Sabbato was said, the commemoration
was not made. Likewise, there was to be a memory of St.
Dominic on every day of the year, but this rubric also had many
exceptions.
In addition to the Divine Office and the suffrages, the friars
had to recite the daily office of the Blessed Virgin. The whole
office (except compline) was said outside of choir, generally be
tween the signals for various hours of the Divine Office. It
146 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
was omitted from the vigil of Christmas to the octave of Epiph-
any; from Ash Wednesday to Low Sunday, and from the
vigil of Pentecost to Trinity Sunday. It was not said on duplex
or totum duplex feasts, nor when the Divine Office celebrated
one of Mary's feasts.
The office of the Blessed Virgin in Sabbato was celebrated
every Saturday from the octave of the Epiphany until Septua-
gesima, and from Deus omnium (the first Sunday after the
Feast of Trinity) to Advent, unless a simplex or greater feast
should occur. VVhenever this office took place, there was the
obligation to recite the fifteen gradual psalms with their accom-
panying prayers.
The final choral obligation of the friars was the office of the
dead. The addition of it to the Divine Office is also attributed
to Innocent III. This office is believed to have originated at
Rome in the eighth century. The body of the deceased was
brought to the church in the evening; after its arrival the office
would begin. It was really a vigil, and as such had vespers, three
nocturns and lauds. That is why Humbert refers to this office
as the "vigil." Humbert speaks of two different kinds of office
for the dead, the vigil of nine lessons and the vigil of three
lessons. The former is what is known commonly today as the
office of the dead; it was said every week, though there were
exceptions to the rule. The latter office, which has disappeared
from the Dominican rite, needs some explanation. It was said
as follows: on Sunday and Wednesday, the psalms of the first
nocturn, together with its antiphons, versicle, lessons and re-
;ponds; on Monday and Thursday, the psalms, etc., of the sec-
ond nocturn; on Tuesday and Friday, those of the third nocturn.
The prayers used in the office were the same as those used to-
day for "familiares and benefactors of the Order." The entire
OFFICE ACCORDING TO HUMBERT 147
community did not say the office; only the hebdomadarian of
the week, with the deacon, subdeacon and friar who were as-
signed for that week to the Mass of the Dead. But the ordinary
adds: "Any others who wish to do so, may be present."
16
This
office was recited nearly every day.
From the tenth century on, it had been customary to recite
daily in the office the seven penitential psalms and the psaimi
familiares (or psalms for benefactors) . This practice was not
adopted by the Dominicans.
See also De Vita Reg., II, 76-77.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
COMPLINE AND THE SALVE PROCESSION
FRO:\f a standpoint, compline is one of the lesser parts
of the Dhine it does not possess the importance of
matins, lauds or \'espers. Yet. almost from the very beginning
the Dominicans attached great importance to this part of the
office, and they adopted a rich, \ariable form of compline to
which they added a solemn and impressive ceremony, the &Jive
Regina procession.
The ancient ubcr Consuctudinum lays no special emphasis
upon compline, just a few lines telling how it should begin.
But when Humbert, in the second half of the thirteenth cen-
tury, to write his Exposition of tiJe Constitutions, he de-
\'oted over twenty pages to the subject. E\'idcntly compline
had acquired great importance in the interim. How it came
about is explained by a number of writers of tl1at period:
Blessed Jordan of Saxony and Venerable Humbert of Romans,
both masters-general of the Order; Gerard de Frachcto, provin
cial of Toulouse; Thomas of Cantimpre, writer and theologian;
and Bartholomew of Trent, biographer and contemporary of
St. Dominic. They are supported b)' the two oldest Dominican
chronicles.' All these authorities belong to either the first half
or tlte middle of the thirteenth century. TI1ey all enjoyed high
standing in the Order, and some were actually eyewitnesses of
the events they describe. Y ct, so st:utling arc their statements
that for credence one is obliged to recall the ([l.any Gospel ao
V11riously attributed to Peter Femndi and Ccrard de Fracheto.
148
COMPLINE AND TilE SALVE PROCESSION 149
counts of demoniacal persecutions of human beings. Tite cre.t
tion by the Church of a special group of clerics, the exorcists, to
cope with evil spirits, and the rules of procedure insisted upota
e\'en to-day in cases of obsession or possession, plainly testify to
the Church's conviction concerning the reality of such occui
reuces. Diabolical phenomena are encountered in the li\'eS ot
nearly all the founders of Religious Orders, St. Benedict, St.
Bernard, St. Dominic, St. Francis, St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Philip
Neri, etc. It is hardly likely th.'lt all these great men should
h.we been \'ictims of their own petfenid imaginations.
If we accept St. Gregory's statement that evil spirits assail
more violently souls in whom they find a greater disposition to
holiness, then a remarkable ckgrec of sanctity must have pre-
\'3iled in the Dominican and Franciscan Otders, for in both
of them we read of a number of 'tiolcnt prctern.'ltural manifesta
tions. In the Order of St. Dominic, the disturbances centred at
Paris and Bologna. Blessed Jordan, whose trustwortJUness and
accuracy are beyond suspicion, was an eyewitness of the things
he narrates. As his aocount is quite long, we shall conder1sc it.
WHY THE "SALVE" PROCESSION WAS
In July, 1221, Jordan was made the first provincial of the
newly formed pro\incc of Lombardy. He states that he set out
for Bologna desirous of seeing St. Dominic, but b) the time he
had that city the hOI) Founder had died. Jordan ther1
goes on to tcll us that at that time there was at Bologna a
certain friar Bernard, who was obsessed by an e\'il spirit and
was grie\'ously tormented by the same. So great were his fren-
zies night and day that the whole community was upset; nor
was e\-en Jordan himself immune from the assaults of the evil
one. He continues: ''The S3\'age abuse friar Bernard was re-
150 THE DOMINICAN UTURCY
ceiving was the first OCC41sion which led us at Bologna to decide
that the antiphon Salve Regina should be sung after compline.
From this monastery, the pious and salutary prtlctice spread
o.,er the entire pro\ince of Lombardy and finally throughout
the whole Order." !
What was the date of this innovation? St. Dominic died on
6 August. 1221. The practice, then. must have begun in the
same year, for it is inconceivable that a man of Jordan's unusual
devotion to the Blessed Virgin would ha\e endured for six
months or more so horrible a disturbance in his own monastery
without ha\ing recourse to his Patroness for help. His state-
ment, "From this monastery the pious and salutary prt1ctice
spread O\er the entire province, etc.," dearly shows that he was
not yet master-general. For had the decision been made by a
general chapter, its obsenance would have been adopted simul-
taneously in all the houses; it would not ha\'e spread from one
howe to another in the province and from that pro.,ince to the
rest of the Order. As Jordan was elected master-general on 22
1\fay, 1222, we must conclude that the Salve procession was
instituted in the latter part of 1221 or in the first part of the
year 1222.
Venert1ble Humbert of Romans also speaks of the diabolical
obst:Ssion at Bologna, and mentions a similar one which took
place at Paris. He says: ''This [Salve] procession was not held
in the beginning of the Order when these Constitutions were
written. But when a certain friar at Bologna was tormented by
the devil, the brethren ordained that for his deliverance the
Salve Regina should be sung after compline; and so it was done.
At Paris for the same reason [i.e., \"eXation of the friars by evil
Libcflus de principiis Ord. ~ . ia MOPH, XVI, 7782. Cf. Scbee
bea. Beitn&e zur Gescllicllte Jordans von SacbSCII. in QF, XXXV. 42.-f4.
COMPUNE AND TilE SALVE PROCESSION 151
spirits] a commemoration of the Holy Angels was made after
matins with the respond: Te .53nctum Dominum. But it was
ordered in one of the chapters that this commemoration should
be omitted to a .. -oid prolixity. Howeo.-er, the procession in
honor of the Blessed Virgin, to which the friars had greater
de.,-otion, has never been discontinued."
3
Such was the origin of the famous Salve Regina procession
after compline. It was a Dominican inno\ration, for it is the
first instance history records of the daily processional singing
of the Sahe Regina after compline. It was begun with the idea,
not of inaugurating a new but of coping with a dread-
ful emergency. But it made such an appeal to the friars who
were alert for new ways of honoring the Blessed Virgin that
it spread rapidly throughout the Order and then to diocesan
churches and the monasteries of other Orders. Some two-score
years after the events at Bologna, Gerard de Fracheto wrote
th.1t the brethren "looked forward to compline as to a festival;
when the signal sounded, they hastened to the choir from all
parts of the building. commending themsehcs with heartfelt af
fcction to each other's prayers. \Vhen the office was finished
and the parting homage had been de\outly paid to the Queen
of the whole world and the ad\ocatc of our Order, they sub-
jected themschcs to severe disciplines." And Blessed Jordan
exclaims: "From how many persons has this holy praise of the
\'enerable Mother of Christ forced tears of devotion! How
many of the auditors and singers alike ha\'e felt their hearts
soften and mclt away while de\'OUt hearts were set on fire!
Should we not believe that the Mother of our Redeemer is
1
De Vib Reg., II, 131.
Fntrum, HS-149.
152 TilE DOMINICAN LITURGY
pleased with such praises, that she is appeased by these public
tributes?'' r;
P. Godct ascribes the introduction of the Salve in the liturgy
to the Order of Preachers. Concluding his study of the subject,
he remarks: "Both in the introduction as well as in the diffusion
of the beautiful antiphon of the predominant part of
the Friars Predchers is clear to all. ... There is no doubt but
that Pope Gregory IX and I<ing St. Louis willing1)' listened to
the pious suggestions, if not the counsels, of Raymond of
Pei'iafort and of Geoffrey of Beaulieu, and that as a result the
Dominican Order endowed the (Di\ine) Office with (among
other things) the liturgical singing of the Salve Regina."
8
The
Oratorian A. Molien agrees: "It is, then, to the Order of St.
Dominic that the honor of this institution belongs."
1
This does not mean that the friars were the first to sing the
antiphon in procession. They were not. honor belongs
to an older reJigious Order, the Sahooe Regin.1 having already
been in existence for some two hundred years. The illustrious
St. Bernard spread its use especially among the Cisterdans. A
general chapter of that Order in 1218 prescribed the daily pro-
cessional chanting of it before the high altar after chapter. In
1220 and 1221 the custom was dropped, and the monks were
enjoined to recite it individually.
8
Nevertheless. it is possible
that it was from the former Cistcrdan practice that Jordan got
the idea of a &Jhre procession; only, instead of having it after
the daily chapter, he selected a far more impresshe time, the
end of the day.
Libellw, 81.
.. L'origine liturgjq11e du 'S..h-c Regina.'" in Revue da CJerge FransZs,
XLIII (1910), 476.
"L'Oflioe romain," in Lihrzgia, 592. See Note on the s.tJ,e Rqi122
Procession, At cnd of this chapter.
SUtuta Cap. Gal. Ord. Cisterciensi.s, I, 517; II, 2.
COMPLINE A:'JD THE SALVE PROCESSION 153
PoPUL.UUTY AND SPRE.:\D OF niE NEW PRAcnCE
The Dominicans canied the practice to the four comers of
Europe; the dc:rgy and laity alike welcomed it. Stephen of Bour-
bon (d. 1261 } , who preached throughout the length and breadth
of Gaul during the forty years of his apostolate, expressly states
.that many churches were inftuenced by the example of the friars
and adopted the custom.
0
It is impossible to cite here more
than a few examples of tl1e spread of the devotion. In 1233,
the monks of St. Denis decided to sing the Regina after
compline, at least during Lent.
10
It Yt"aS at the suggestion of
St. Raymond of Peflafort that Gregory IX ordered the Salve
Regina to be sung in all the churches of Rome every Friday
c\ening after compline.
11
In 1249, the Franciscan minister-
general, John of Panna, directed that there should be said after
compline one of the four antiphons of Mary, among them the
Salve Regina.
12
In 1251, the Cistercians, at the request of the
King and Queen of France, enacted that C\'C:ry e\'ening. at the
end of compline, the cantor should begin the antiphon Salve
Regina; tl1e antiphon finished, the monk presiding should say
the \'erse Ave Maria with the prayer Concede nos.
1
' 11te cus
tomary of the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter's at West-
minster, belonging to the second half of the thirteenth century,
refers to the singing of the Salve Regina after compline by the
monks as a recent, not an ancient practice.u And so this
ouoted by Echard, in SSOP, I. 97, oote M.
'"\
1
acandard, "Lcs origines litteraire, musiale ct liturgique du 'Salve
Regina,'" io Etudes de critique ct d'hlstoirc rdigic11$C (1923), 177.
"Codet, op. cit., 47).
11
AmuJeS .\finorum, Ill, 209.
u Statuta Cap. Gen. Ord. CistC'lciemu, II, 361.
,. Custcmmy ol fbe BCZJedictine Mooasreries . . ., ed. E. Thomp$00.
II, 201 (Hauy BJadsha"A Society, XXVIH).
154 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
pious custom in honor of Mary continued its triumphal progress
until it became one of the most popular de,otions of the Mid-
dle Ages. The reaction of the faithful towards it is described
in the v;ords of Gerard de Fracheto: "How pleasing this pro-
cession was to God and His holy Mother was shown by the
piety of the people; the way they thronged to 9ur churches;
the devotion of t ~ e dergy who came to assist at it; the tears
and sighs of devotion and the visions seen [during it]."
111
It was undoubtedly due to some of "the visions seen" that
the Fri.us Preachers were so wholeheartedly devoted to the
ceremOn)' \Ve shall mention but two of the apparitions.
Blessed Jord41n of Saxony himself tells us that "a man of God,
worthy of belief, te\ealed to him that he frequently saw in
''ision during the singing of the 521ve Regina the 1\lothcr of
the Lord prostrate herself in the presence of her Son, at the
words Eia ergo advocata nosfla, and plead for the preser\'ation
of the Order."
1
It was on account of the \'ision that there
began the custom of the friars kneeling at these v."'rds. Later,
Guido Le Gros, afterwards Pope Clement IV, in a letter to the
friars at Montpellier declared that his sister, the saintly Marie
de Tai3scon, had attended the Dominican oompline for three
successive days and every day she had beheld a vision of the
Blessed Virgin graciously assisting at the S21ve procession.
11
These and simiJar statements publicly made by prominent
men undoubtedly inspired the intense de\otion which the Friars
Preachers manifested to this particular part of the Di\inc Office;
and soon positive legislation was inscrtcd in the Constitutions
forbidding "formal" students, professors and higher officials to
be absent from compline, even though they were exempted
.. Vit.:e Fntnlm, 148149. Libdlus, 81-SZ.
17
i t a ~ Fntrum, 61.
COMPLINE A1''ID THE SALVE PROCESSION 155
from attendance at the rest of the office. In short, compline
came to be looked upon in the Order, not merely as a part of
the canonical office, but rather as an intimate famil)' colloquy
with the Protectress of the Order. But all the sacred memories
attached to compline in the Dominie1n Order failed to prCSCI"t-e
it from the meddling of twentieth-century revisers; hence, it
becomes noccssary to direct our attention to the subject of
compline in general and to the old Dominican office in par-
ticular.
CoMPLDo"E IN THE E.,uu.y CHURCH
For a long time compline was regarded as a monastic night-
prayer added to the Di\ine Office by St. Benedict at the com-
parati,ely late date of the sixth century. The Benedictine
origin is now strongly contested, some liturgists tracing the
origin back to at least the fourth ccntury.
18
Tite Benedictine compline differs from that of the Roman
Rite. St. Benedict prescribed in his rule that it should be
composed of three imariable psalms without any antiphon; and
in addition, of a hymn, \'erse, K}'rie, and blessing. In the
Roman office,. at least by the end of the twelfth centwy. it con-
sisted of a brief lesson (which sometimes ..,'3ried), Confiteor,
Converte nos, Deus in adjutorium, and four invariable psalms.
The addition of a fourth psalm, or rather six verses of it. was
made in the ninth century. After the psalms came a hymn
which .. 'Ciried ae<:Ording to the season; then capitulum, respond
and verse, antiphon, Nunc dimittis, prcces, and a prayer. A
blessing was imoked and the choir sprinkled with holy water;
a verse with the prayer Exaudi nos brought compline to a close.
Two things should be noticed about the Roman office.
11
Fehrenbclc:b, "'Complies," in DACL, III, 2-167-2470.
156 THE DOMINICA:'l LITURGY
First, as to the number of psalms used, four constitute an
exception to the number used in any other part of the Divine
Office. Secondly, the order of the component parts (psalms,
hymn, capitulum) gives us another anomaly, for nowhere else
in the Roman office do we find this sequence. The Dominicans
rectified the awkward anangement and made it conform to the
order of first vespers; so that in the Dominican office we have
the more liturgical arrangement: psalms, antiphon, capitulum,
respond, hymn, versicle and response, canticle, antiphon and
prayer.
The manner (and place) in which compline began depended
on whether it was :. time of fasting or not. The Dominicans
began their fast with the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross (14 September), and continued it until Easter. Fasting
V.'3S also in effect on the .,igils of the following feasts: Ascen-
sion, Pentecost, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, Matthew,
Simon and Jude, Andrew. James. All Saints, as well as Ember
days and Fridays. To this list St. Raymond added the vigils 01
L.1wrencc and the Assumption. On these fast d3)s compline
really began in the refectory; this was the ancient monastic
custom. \Vh<.'1l the friars had assembled there, tl1e reader asked
for a blessing: Juhc domnc hencdiccrc; to which the hebdoma
darian replied: Noctem quietam, etc. He then blessed the
diluted wine which was to constitute their evening meal:
Largitor omnium bonorum bcncdicat potum servorum suorum.
Amen. The spiritual reading or collation was begun by the
reader while the friars partook of their modest refreshment. At
a signal from the prior the reading was ended with the words:
Tu autem Domine mi.serere nostri. Amen. Then forming a
COMPLINE AND THE SALVE PROCESSION 157
procession, the community went in silence to the church for
the Con6teor and the rest of the
If it was not a fast day, the office began in choir in precisely
the same way in which the present Roman office begins, except
that the Dominican Con6tcor was used and the Absolutionem
(in the Roman office Indulgcntiam, Absolutionem) was not
said. The reason assigned by Humbert for this being omitted
at compline, although it is said at Mass, is that far greater
purity of conscience is required for the Mass than for the office.
It might be observed in passing that the custom of the Church
of Paris was to place the Confireor at the end of compline; the
Dominicans followed the Roman custom.
TI1c same psalms were used e\'et}' day. TIJC)' had been se
lected bCC3u.se of their singular ap1uopriatencss for the conclud-
ing part of the office. Psalm 4, Cum invocarcm, tells of the
confidcr1ce with which the just man pc:icefully sleeps; the six
\'erses of psalm 30, In te Domine spera\i, incite us to place our
hope in the Lord and to commend our soul into His hands.
Psalm 90, Qui 1Jabif3t, enumerates the reasons for our confi
dence despite the dangers of the night, while the last psalm
(psalm 133), Ecce nunc, invites us scnants of the Lord to lift
up our kinds in benediction during the hours of the night. It
is a genuine loss to the beauty of the Roman liturgy that the
"revisers" saw fit to diseard a set of psalms which (with the
exception of psalm 30) had been hallowed by the uninter-
rupted use of the Roman Church for at least fourteen hundred
yeus. On Sundays and some totum duple1e feasts, the old
office is still said; but. by abolishing the dail)' use of these
,. This was c:wtom of the Dominiolns from the daY$ of St. Domi
nic. It is described in t1ae Liber Coosuetudiaam ($CC ALKM. I, 199-200).
I;S THE DOMlNlCA!'l' LITURGY
psalms, tlte revisers ruined the distinctive character of this .. en
erable night service.
THE RICH VARIETY OF DoMINlCAN COMPLINE
The \ariety which was noticeable in the old Roman office,
but which was abandoned in the Franciscan abbrc't1ation of
it, was preserved by the Dominicans. 1l1ese \'ariations of t r u ~
beautiful antiphons, responds, hymns, etc., not only removed
the danger of monotony from the office, but also sencd to
keep one in close hannony with the liturgical spirit of the season.
Thus, while the supcrpsalm antiphon Miserere mihi was the
usual one, special seasons had their own distinctive antiphons.
For Christmas e.,e the antiphon was: "The days of Mary were
accomplished that she should bring forth her firstbom Son."
For Christmas and until the vigil of the Epiphany: "This day
is born to us a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of
Da .. id." For Epiphany and its octave: "Light of light, 0 Christ,
Thou art made manifest; to Thee the Magi offer gifts, alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia." During paschal time the antiphon was the
joyous Alleluias. The numerous feasts of Our Lady (and their
octa .. es) had one of three antiphons. ( 1 ) "Holy Mother of
God, Mary e\cr Virgin, intercede for us with our Lord God."
( 2) "Behold a Virgin shall concei\'e and bear a Son; and His
name shall be called Emmanuel." (3) "0 Virgin Mary, there
is no one in the Y.'Orld born of y,-oman who is like to thee,
ftourishing like the rose, fragrant as the lily: pray for us, 0 holy
Mother of Cod." The feast of the Compassion of Mary was
given a special antiphon: "0 Virgin l\1ary, there is no woman
who e\cr suffered the agon)' thou didst experience in watching
thy crucified Son die. Pray for us, 0 pious Mother of Cod."
The capitulum, Tu in nobis es, did not change; but its re-
COMPLINE AND TIIE SALVE PROCESSION IS9
spond, In manus tuas Domine, had one variation. It was em
ploycd only during the first two weeks of Lent: "In peace in
the selfsame I will sleep and I will rest. f. If I shall gi\e sleep
to Ill)' eyes and slumber to my eyelids, I will sleep and I wm
rest." On the last three days of Holy W eclc and during Easter
week there was no respond whate\cr, there being no capitulum.
Nor was the hymn Tc lucis always used. During Lent (ex-
cept on the last three days when hymns v;ere omitted), there
was sung the ancient Cltrirte, qui lux cs ct dies, a hymn which
though lacking somewhat in polish is far superior in meaning
and simple beauty to 'many hymns now used in the Roman
brcviary.llo) During Easter week there was no hymn, but on Low
Sunday was S1.Jng Jesu nosfra redemptio, which was used until
T1inity Sunday; and C:\'cn this hymn had variations for Ascen
sion time and \Vhitsuntide.
The Nunc dimittis was not said by the Benedictines, Car-
thusians or Cluniacs; according to Grancolas, its use was peculiar
to the Roman Church.ll
1
In the Dominican office. we again
encounter the richest variety in the antiphons of this canticle.
Salva nos was the one commonly used; but there were some
beautiful \'ariations. During the first two weeks of Lent: "0
eternal Sa\'iour, watch O\'er us lest the cunning tempter lay bold
on us; for Thou hast been made our e'erlasting Helper." The
next two weeks of Lent: "In the midst of life we arc in death;
whom shall we seck as a helper, except Thee. 0 Lord, who
art justly angered by our sins? 0 Holy God, 0 Holy and
Strong, 0 Holy and 1\lerciful Sa'iour, deliver us not to the bit-
The autbor of "La JOQm&: du moine" [Rel'UC VII
( 1890), 326] p._i$cs the Order of Preachers for ba.vio& presen'ed tlLis bymn
.. as it bas prcsctvcd so uttn)' otlr.e: beautiful tlUD&$."
Comment. Historicw, lib. I, c. xxxix, 119.
160 THE DOMINIC.A!'l LITURGY
terness of death. "f. Do not cast liS forth in our old age; and
if our strength shall fail, 0 Lord, do not abandon us. 0 Holy
God, 0 Hol) and Strong. 0 Holy and Merciful Saviour, deliver
liS not to the bitterness of death."
From Passion Sunday until Holy Thursday the antiphon to
Nunc dimittis Vt'aS: ''0 King. glorious amongst Thy Saints, who
art ever praiseworthy and yet ineffable: do Thou be in us, 0
Lord, and let Th) holy Name be invoked upon us: our God, do
not abandon us: vouchsafe, 0 blessed King, to place us among
the Saints and Thine elect on the day of judgment." On
Holy Thursday and Good Friday: "Christ bocame obedient for
us unto death, even the death of the cross." During Eastertide:
"Alleluia, the Lord has arisen, alleluia, as He spoke unto you,
alleluia, alleluia." During Ascension time: "Alleluia, Christ
ascending on high, alleluia, led captive, alleluia, allc-
leuia." During \Vhitsuntide: "Alleluia, the Paraclete, the Holy
Ghost, alleluia, will teach you all things, alleluia, alleluia." On
Chrishnas eve: "Behold, all things y,-ere fulfilled which were
spoken by the angel concerning the Virgin !\L1ry." During the
Christmas period: "Alleluia, the Word was made flesh, alleluia,
and dwelt amongst us, alleluia, alleluia." On Epiphany and
during its octa\e: "Alleluia, all they from Saba shall come,
alleluia, bringing gold and incense, alleluia, alleluia." On Cor
pus Christi: "Alleluia, the Bread that I will give, alleluia, is
My Flesh for the life of the world, alleluia."
The feasts of the Blessed Virgin used one of four antiphons.
( J) "We fty to thy patronage, 0 holy Mother of God: despise
not our petitions in our necessities, but from all evils dc:li\'cr
us, 0 C\'er blessed Virgin." (2) "\Vith heart and soul let us give
glory to Christ, in this sacred solemnity of Mary the exalted
Mother of God." ( 3) "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be
COMPLINE AND THE SALVE PROCESSION 161
it done to me according to thy word." ( 4) "Now dismiss Thy
servant, 0 Lord, according to Th) word in peace; because my
eyes ha.,e seen Thy sal\'ation."
It might be observed in passing that these antiphons, re-
sponds, and hymns were not peculiar to the Dominican Order;
they formed part of the rich liturgy of the Latin Church. We
find them in many Churches and, with astonishing similarity
to the Dominican version, in the English rites of Sarum and
Hereford.
Prcces were said e\'CI)' day except from Holy Thursday to
Low Sunday, during Pentecost week, and during the octave of
Christm.1s as well as on all duplex and totum duplex feasts.
After the prcccs, the usual Roman custom was to recite either
the Illumina or the Deus qui illuminas; the latter was preferred
by the Church of Paris. Howe .. er, the Dominicans chose nei-
ther; instead, they selected the old monastic pra)er that had
been used for centuries by the monks as their dormitory was
sprinkled with hol) water just before bedtime. Titis prayer
was the Visita quresumus. After it came the Benedicamus
Domino and the blessing: Bcncdictio Dei omnipotcntis, Patris
et Filii et Spiritus Sancti descendat super vos et rnaneat semper.
1\men. Again in this formula we see a preference for the more
ancient monastic form, which :Martcnc calls "antiquissima." !::
THE "SALVE" PROCF.SSION DEscRIBED
The ~ h procession now took place. On eo,ery day of the
year (except \Vednesday, Thursday and Friday of Holy \Veek)
two acol)tes, wearing surplices and carrying candlesticks with
lighted candles, took up their positions before the altar. At
the opening note of the Salve, the entire community feU to
fo AER. IV, lib. I. cap. xii. par. xiv.
162 THE DOMJNJC&'l LITURGY
their knees and remained kneeling until the word Salve had
been finished; then arising and joining in the singing, the friars
left their places and formed in procession behind the two
acolytes, who led the way to the outer church or the church of
the laity. As each one passed the large crucifix between the
choir and the outer church, he bowed his head.
The brethren were now sprinkled with holy water. Later,
the custom was introduced of the community kneeling at the
words: Eia ergo adlocata nostra. The antiphon ended, the
acolytes sang the versicle: Digmue me laudare te, Viigo
to which the community responded: Da mihi l'irtutem contra
hostes tuos. The final prayer Concede nos was sung by the
hcbdomadarian.
23
With the Fidclium anim.e compline ended.
There: seems to have been some indc:c:ision as to where the
Pater noster and the Credo should be said. In the Acts of the
provincial chapter of Pro\ence, held at Narbonne in 1250, the
friars were reminded to say them on their return from the pro-
cession; and this appears to be the meaning of the legislation
of the general chapter of 1245. But the ordinary of Humbert
states that, if no seculars were in the church, the two pra)ers
were to be said in the outer church; if outsiders were present,
the brethren were to return to the choir for these prayers.M
Humbcrts ordi1111ry ofters the choice of the Szl\e Rcgjnz or tbe A\e
Regiaa. This was to avoid moootooy. But the Sal-.'C proved to be the
more popular :llld sooa became the only one used. The other anti
phoos,- Alma Rcdcmptoris and Regin.t were na'Cl at
but wttc used only at \oespe!S of the oflioc of the Blessed Vupo oa Sohlr
day. Cf. De Vifll n, 131.
.. The Cll$tom of the 0 lumen in boaor of St. Dommie
as the returned to the choir 'A'3S introduced :tt :a bter date. 'Why
the &iill'$ $hould return to choir if outsiders were present is explained in
op. cit., II, 137. The inclinatio profunda and also the i.ocliJJat*> usque ad
'1\'Cre bcmowed from the older Orders. That the latter indioatioo
$hould have until modem times is sorpNing. since it adds nothing
to the W&uity of the divioc chonal smioc.
-
-
:.
Downn:c.ur MISS.U. ADAPTED roa TBE CANONS OF THE
HoLY Caoss
1C3
164 THE LITURGY
Compline finished, the friars did not yet lca\e the choir.
Instead, they recited the Coufiteor, and after the hebdomadarian
had said the they began the Miserere while the
hebdomadarian (with an assistant, if necessary) made the
rounds of the choir and administered the discipline to the bare
oocks of the friars. 11te ceremony was performed in memory
of St. Dominic's custom of scourging himself e\ery night.
Humbert urged that the discipline should not be administered
gently "lest we become like certain nuns of whom it was said
that they scourged thcmscl\'cs with the tail of a fox." 2)
Note on the Salve Regina Procession
\\'bile the writers of the Order are unanimous in attributing
the introduction of the Salve Regina at compline to the time
of Jordan, they as to the precise year, Echard placing it
as late as 1235. The discrepancy arises prirrum1y from the
statements of three writers: Gerard de Fracheto, Stephen of
Bourbon, and Thomas of Cantimpre. In his singular book,
Vine Fratrum (a book in which edification rather than historical
information was the chief object), Gerard scatters throughout
his pages various incidents of the same event as if they were
entirely different occurrences, and thus he imrites misunderstand-
ings. Stephen of Bourbon was a lifelong missionary; he made no
pretense to being an historian. Hence, it is not astonishing to
find several ob\ious inaccuracies in his statements. The third
v.nter, Titomas of Cantimprt, stated (circa 1261 ) that it was
at Paris that the Fathers ordained that the Salve Regina should
be sung. This statement, offers no real difficult).
Rq . II, 131.
COMPLINE AND TIJE SALVE PROCESSION 165
The custom begun by Jordan at Bologna when he was provincial
was aidently made a law by one of the general chapters meet
ing at Paris after he became master-general.
Not an)' of these men can be compared to Blessed Jordan. :\
man of remarkable ability and sanctity, a deep student of the
mathematical scienttS (on which subject he wtote severn 1
treatises). he was paid the extraordinary tribute of being chosen,
though only hvo years in the Order, as the successor of St.
Dominic himself. He is a witness omni exceptione. who
tells us not what he has heard from others, but what he himself
saw and took part in; furthermore, he wrote his account, not
twcntyfi\c or thirty years after the e,ents took place, but
within a dozen years.
It might he well to notice here a strange statement of Dom
Baumer, who attributes to William of Nangis the assertion:
"St. Louis daily attended compline with his children. . . . At
t11e end of compline, a antiphon of the Blessed Virgin
was sung; this custom spread from the royal chapel to all the
churches" ( Histoirc, II, 70. nJ).
Unfortunately. Baumer fails to say where the statement might
be found. The only passage we ha"-e been able to discover in
the writings of \Vmiam of Nangis on the subject, is the follow-
ing ( Rc:cudJ des Historiens des Gaules et de l.1 France, XX,
-f02):
"He (the king] wished lh2t his children . . . should always
attend compline with him. which he had chanted solemnly in
the chapel C\'Ciy evening ater supper. At the close, a spocial
antiphon of the Blessed Virgin was sung C\'Ciy day. Compline
ended, be returned with his children to l1is room."
There is no mention whatever of the custom spreading from the
royal chapel to other churches. Neither does second
166 THE DOMJNJC&'l LITURGY
authority, Geoffrey of Beaulieu, the Dominican confessor of the
king, make :my such assertion. As a matter of fact, the quota-
tion from Nangis just given above is taken almost word for
word from the Dominican Geoffrey of Beaulieu. \\'here then
did Baumer obtain his statement?
If we tum to his reference to Thomassin (V etus et nova
Ecclesicc di.sciplina, part I, book II, ch. lxxxvii, n.2), v.-c read as
follows:
"He [the k.ing] desired that his children ... should be present
with him at all the canonical hours, espcciall) compline which
was chanted after supper. During this office, well-known
antiphon of the Blessed l\1af} was sung in the sv.-eetcst harmon);
this usage bc.gan in ti,e royal chapel and from there it spread
to all the churches:'
It becomes clear, then, that it was not a
historian but a st\entccnth-ccntury theologian who makes the
sbtcmcnt concerning the origin of the custom. The text of
Geoffrey, howC't-er, disprO\'CS the unsupported claim of Thomas
sin. TI1e king's confessor explicitly states that "the king's
children were now approaching adult age." TI1e first of the
children to live to adult age was Isabella, who was born in 1242.
At the middle of the century, she was only eight years old. By
the time the kings children really were approaching adult age,
the Dominican custom had been in existence some two-score
years and was already established in many churches throughout
Europe. There can hardly be any doubt but that St. Louis, a
frequent \'isitor of Dominican monasteries, borrowed the cus
tom from the Order.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE SOURCES OF THE DOMINICAN RITE
SuCH then was the ecclesiastical office as edited by the master
general, Humbert of Romans. The question at once arises:
"\Vhere did the Order obtain this rite?" As usual, there are
many conflicting answers, and it is astonishing to diSCO\'cr the
remarkable naivete of many writers who assumed that this
difficult question did not neod patient historical research but
could be sohed by abstract reasoning. The Dominican Order
was founded in France; therefore, it adoptod the "French"
liturgy! The Order was closely bound to the Carthusians;
therefore, it adopted the Carthusian rite! The most famous
monastery of the Dominicans was at Paris; therefore, the rite
of Paris was chosen! And so the litany of speculation continues.
Before enumerating the opinions, it will be helpful to clarify
our terms. 'When these v.Titers speak of the "Callican" or of
the "Roman" Rite, they do not mean the ancient Gallican lit
urgy such as existed at t11e time of Charlemagne, or the ancient
Roman rite such as existed in the fifth century. There
could be no question of either the real Callic:an rite or of the
pure Roman rite in the thirteenth centlll)' since both these rites
bad disappeared se\eral centuries earlier. Wher1, therefore,
writers refer to the "Roman" rite of the thirteenth century, they
mean the Callioo-Roman rite as it was observed at Rome;
when t11ey allude to the "GalJican rite, they mean the same
rite as jt was obsenrc:d outside of Rome-that is, with a large
number of \oariations that were not of Roman origin. These
167
168 TilE DOMINICAN LITURGY
non-Roman modifications are often given the ambiguous tern.
"Callican,'' although they may have originated. not in Caul,
but in Germany. Switzerland, Italy. or Spain.
In classifying the opinions of the arious writers. it will serve
to clear away obscurity if we translate thcir equivocal tcrmi
no1ogy by the precise terms we have just been considering.
Furthermore. in this catalogue of opinions (in which for the
sake of completeness we Jist even the absurd theories). it must
be observed that few writers hold precisely the same \'icws, and
it is only by disregarding thcir Jesser differences that any classi-
fication is possible. Indeed, the language of some is so careless
and obscure that it is entirely optional to regard them as holding
one theory rather than another.
No less than eight different explanations ha .. -e been advanced
to account for the origin of the Dominican rite.
(I) Humbert "invented'' the rite! This opinion, according
to 1\lasctti, v.-as actually held by some; he charitably refrains
hom giving their names.
1
(2) It is the liturgy of ancient Rome! They who held tllis
belief (Cavalieri mentions them) tried to bolster it with the
story that, at the Council of Trent, the theologian Peter de
Soto WTote a dissertation proving this claim. The document
is supposed to ba .. -e been in the Dominican monastcty at Trent
where the Spanish theologian died.
2
(3) It is the GaJiican Rite (i.e., the Gallko-Roman as ob
scncd outside ol Rome). 'This is the oldest pronouncement we
have on the subject. It was made by the Dominican chronicler,
Henry of Hervorden (d. 13i0). In his chronicles. he gives an
extremelv brief account of Humbert in which he savs: "He
. .
' Monumenr.Q ct Antiquitates, I, 6S.
Statcra Sacra, 29, par ... o.
SOURCES OF TilE DOMINICAN RITE 169
arranged in a more acccpt:tble form and corrected the Divine
Office of the Friars Preachers, according to the Callican office.
This arrangement was afterwards confirmed for the Order by
Pope :Martin IV [sic!]." a
Since there can be no question of the ancient Gallican Rite,
Henry must be understood as speaking of the Gallico-Roman
rite as obser..-cd outside of Rome, that is, with notable non
Roman variations. Apart from contradicting the "Roman"
theory, Henry gi\'CS us little information. Lest the antiquity
of the writer undu1)' impress us, let us remember that be li\-ed
a whole century after Humbert; that he is not alw-ays accurate
in his statements (witness his mistake concerning the Pope who
apprmod of the rite}; and that of his two Dominican sources,
Vincent of Beauvais is silent on this subject, while Bernard
Cui merely says that Humbert "arranged the ecclcsi:Jstical office
of the Order:
Holding the same opinion as Henry are Berthier G and S01ch.
8
(4) It is whoJJ)' eclectic, being made up of a number of vari-
ous rites. mentions some authors as holding that St.
Dominic compiled the rite, using the old Roman as the basis
but adopting customs from various sources; thus, "from many
shca\'es, he formed a [new] sheaf.".,. A similar opinion has
been recently adopted by Callewacrt, who says: "It was com
piled in a highly eclectic manner from \'arious elements-
Roman, Celtic, Ga11ican-cspecially Parisi:ln, and perhaps
Libcr de rebus mcmOl3biJioribw, 209.
LibeJfus seu magistrorum O.P., in Martble :and Durand,
Ampli$$ima ColJectio, VI, <fOS.
'J\nD6c dominicaiDe ou Vies des Saiofs, ju.illet, 299 ff.
"'Die des Dominibncrcmleas," in Liturgische Zeitsduilt, III,
10, p. 307. Staten Sam, 27, par. l6.
170 TiiE LITURGY
Eastern."
5
\Valz abo appears to hold a modification of this
solution .I)
( 5) It is a combination of tl1e CartlJusio!n and Premon-
stratensian rites. Ca\alicri was the proponent of this theory.
He agroc:d \liith Dominic Soto as regards the Carthusian origin
of the Mass, and with Bona regarding the Norbertine source
of the office.
10
Soto, in speaking of the elev'3tion of the chalice
as being comparatively recent, says: "The Carthusians do not
clC\ate the chalice, nor is any elevation prescribed for us
[Dominicans] in our ordinary which was taken from the Car-
tlmsian ordinary."
11
As regards the office, Cardinal Bona
remarks: "As the illustrious Order of Preachers had received
from the Premonstratensians the Rule of St. Augustine, so abo
they obtained from them the Divine Office. But men noted
for their learning and holiness introduced certain changes."
12
(6) It is the Roman rite as developed by the Church of
Lyons. The best-known exponent of this claim is the Benedi<>
tine liturgist, Dom Baudot. In his book on the Roman Missal,
he says: "It was the liturgy and most especially
the Jiturgy of Lyons, which furnished the Carmelites, Norber
tines, and Dominicans their peculiarities in the celebration of
!\'lass." 18
(7) It is the Roman rite as developed by the Church of Paris.
The adherents of this contention must be divided into two
groups: the extremists, who insist the Friars Preachers took over
Ins.tiruriones, De Sacra uaivenim, 9697.
ffistOiil!, lo-t. St2fer2 53aa, 28-29, par. 39.
11
Ia 4. Sezlt., dist.. U, q. 2, art. 5. Cavalieri illtcrpreU Soto's U$C of the
'll'OCd "ordioary" to me:m the ozdirwy of the MilS$, not the entire we
monia1. w De Divina halmocm, cap. XVIII, art. ,;i, 898.
u u Missel Romain, II, 102, 10+105.
SOURCES OF Tim DOMINICAN RITE 171
the whole rite of Paris or at least a very substantial part of that
rite, and the moderates, who hold mereJ)' that the Paris inftu-
ence was more marked than that of any other one place or
Order.
The foremost of the extremists is the distinguished Oratorian
liturgist, Lebrun. Enumerating the Orders which adopted the
Missal of Paris, he concludes: " ... and then [it was adopted]
by the Friars Preachers a few years after the foundation of their
Order. The uniformity of their chant with the ancient chant
of Paris, the preparation of wine and water in the chalice before
Mass, beginning the :Mass \\ith ConEternini, and some other
peculiarities which are found in the Parisian missals as late as
1615 and which the Dominicans have always preserved, must
unhesitatingly make us regard their missal as the ancient missal
of the Church of Paris."
14
The Dominic:m Cassitto, who wrote his Liturgia Domenicana
a century later, adopted the ,iew of Lebrun, though he fails to
acknowledge him as his source: '"The Dominican Order was
founded at Toulouse in France. Therefore (I), there was
adopted for the use of the Order the rite of the Church of
Paris. . . ." His concluding remarks were taken almost ver-
batim from Lebrun.
11
Dom Gueranger, basing his opinion on Cassitto, declares:
"The Friars Preachers, whom God gave to the Church through
the minisb) of Saint Dominic, . . merit a distinguished place
in the annals of liturgy. Founded in France, and soon estab-
lished at Paris . . . , their liturgical usages, to which they ha\'C
a1W3)'S remained faithful, make known to us those of the
Churches of France and particularly of the Church of Paris in
El:plication, IV, ctissert. XV, art. IV, 28!i.
0p. cit., II, 14-IS.
172 THE DOMINICAN UTURGY
the thirteenth century. As regards the :Mass, the, ha .. e pre-
served many rites and prayers, most of which are found in the
French missals from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries.
Except for some slight differences, the text of the misS3l is pure
Rom<tn. As regards the bre\'to11'}', ... save for a few rites,
everything that is added to the Roman breviary, we find in the
ancient Parisian bre .. iaty. . . ." to
Dom Baumer, in his turn, relies on Gubanger. ..They [the
Dominicans] created a rich liturgy with splendid ceremonies,
and they possessed according to the ancient custom a whole
series of huge choir-books ... [Humbert] drew up as the
breviary of the Friars Preachers the ancient Roman bre\iar)'
e\'crywhere in use, but with additions from the uses of Paris."
Elsewhere he says: '"The Dominicans adopted the liturgy of
Paris, or rather the Roman liturgy such as it had developed on
French soil and in the form in which it prevailed e\erywhcre in
the thirteenth century."
11
Other adherents of the Paris thCOI'}' are Grancolas, J8 Archdale
King.
11
BatiffoJ,: and the Dominicans Danzas,
21
!\lasetti,22
Smith,
23
Cormicr,
2
1
Mandonnet,m
and Rousseau.
2
i_.
Institutjrms lilwgique.s, I. ch. XII, 338)39.
u Histt>Ue, I, 6>66, also i2.
11
Commc:nWius Historicw, +t.
"Not'c$ on the C:dhoJic Litlllgics, 90. He "Heary of Herlort ...
dc6nitel> states that Humbert oriiered and corrected the lihlll)' of P:aris,
hen fashionin& the rite for his OrdCS'." The only statement Hmry makes
coKlerning the Dominic:an rite is the one jwt gh-en under t11e third head
ing; it h:udl) warrants King's interpcetation.
to "L'ordinairc de Ia me.sse selon l'usage de Puis," in L3 Vic et Les
Arts LitJU&iques, fC\Tic:r, 1920, 156-157.
11
Etudes SIJI' lcs temps primitifs, Ill, 47 .
.. Moaammra et Anti9uit.Jtcs, I, 68-69.
"Domiaican Rite," 10 CE, XIII, 7); Domink.m Year Boofc (Somer
set, 1910), 52; reprinted in TJ1e Torch (Somerset, Noloember, 1917), 4.
.Quinze Eafref!ens, H3-li5.
S"aint Dominique, L'Idk, L'Homme et I, 225.
Annuairc Poatiical Catholique (Cbarda\'Oine), Ann6e XXXV
(1932), 20. "'De eoclesi:Jstko o15cio, 110ft.
SOURCES OF TilE DOMINICAN RITE 173
But, as already stated, most of these writers differ from one
another as regards the extent of the Parisian inftuence. Of the
group, Rousseau is by far the most competent to speak,
as he devoted a number of years to reall)' critical research. Ac-
cording to him, the whole liturgy, Mass, office, and plain-chant,
is truly Roman. But the Roman rite was added to by uses
t.ll:en from a number of other Churches, particularly in Gaul;
and, although it would be false to say that the Dominicans
adopted the rite of Paris, this church does appear to ha,e exer-
cised the greatest inftuence.
21
(8) It is the genuine Roman rite of tl1e early thirteenth cen
huy, enriched with certain non-Roman variations and additions.
These alterations, howC\er, were not sufficiently great to change
its classification hom "Roman" to "Gallican."
The 6rst and foremost proponent of this assertion was Vin
cent Laporte.:lt He was soon joined Mortier.
30
Others
who adopted the same position are E. Colunga,s
1
Lavocat, 8!
Bruno \Valkley,
311
and the Benedictine Dom Cabro1.
14
\VHJCH THEORY ConESPOl\"DS wrru THE F.o\crs?
From the array of conflicting theories advanced by \'arious
scholars, it is quite evident that the question is a complex and
difficult one. The complexity arises from the huge number of
ceremonies which go to m'ake up an entire rite or liturgy; the
difficulty, from the peculiar nature of the problem. Tite bre,i
Op. cit., Bl. "Pm:is bUtorique," C).f.J 06, p.mim .
.. La Lit!UJie DominX:nDC, I, 35 and 39.
"'"La Liturgia Dominicana," in La Cienca Tomisb (Noriembre-Di
ciembre, 1916), 321.
a "La Dominicaioc" in 862.
"The Domm.icm Miss;,J (Londoa, 1932), X\i ff.
The Mm of t.hc \Vcstcrn Rites, 190.
17-f
THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
aries and missals of the early :Middle Ages, because of their
paucity of rubrics, are of very little help to us except in the com
parison of texts. A number of books of rubrics (Ordinaria,
Customarja, etc.) have been found; but a far greater number
apparently ha\e perished. And e\en in the case of those which
survived, the rubrics arc often so brief and incomplete as to
leave us in ignorance as to just how a given ceremony was per
formed.
Sbll another major obstacle stands in the way. If C\'Cl}'
Church using a special (i.e., non-Roman) rubric were the only
Church with that particular rubric, then a great part of the prob-
lem might be solved. But when we encounter a non-Roman
custom, not in just one Church, but in a number of different
Churches, it becomes impossible to determine which one of
these Churches in8uenctd the Dominican liturgists as regards
that special usc. Hence, any attempt to give the sources of the
rite can only rcsol\'c itself to this:
(I) Was a gi\'en ceremon)' Roman; that is, did it originate
in Rome?
(2) If not, which were the principal Churches or Orders
making use of the custom?
Viewing the problem in this light, let us briefly examine the
outstanding features of the Dominican rite in an effort to asccr
tain which of the foregoing theories most closely approximates
the facts. Since the Paris theory has been gi\cn so much promi
nence, special attention wtll be paid to the claims of the Church
of Paris.
I. THE CAI.END..ul
It has been established (in Chapter Ten) that Humbert took
the Gregorian calendar and, by eliminating a number of its
purel)' local elements, made it truly representathe of the whole
SOURCES OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 17S
Church. The Order of Preachers was anticipating what the
Church herself would eventuall) do. By this act of justice to-
wards non-Roman Saints, the Dominican calendar paved the
way in no small degree for the unhersal acceptance of the Ro-
man calendar.
The most notable Dominican \'ariation from the Gregorian
calendar was the S)'Stem of computing the Sundays after the
paschal season from Trinity instead of from Pentecost. Both
systems are non-Roman. The ancient Roman Chwch dh.ided
this part of the year into five Sundays after Pentecost, five after
the feast of the Apostles (Peter and Paul j. six after laWTence,
one Dominica and eight after the Holy Angel (St.
Michael) .
14
11lis awkward system was fina)))' discarded, and
Rome borrowed the more convenient used in the
Gallican churches, namely, that of enumerating all the Sundays
after Pentecost from one to twenty-four.
The Gamcan Churches had selected Pentecost or its octave as
the starting-point for the ob.,iow reason that it was the feast
which dosed the paschal season. When, therefore, another im-
portant feast took the place of the octave of Pentecost and in
its tum closed the pgschal season, a number of Churches logi-
C41lly dated their Sundays from the new feast.u This was done
in the Gilbertine, Carthusian, S.1rum and Hereford rites, and in
the Churches of Chantiny, Carpentras, Toul, Oarcassonne,
Laon, etc.
Tomlll3Si, Omniol Opera, V, i68 ft; Frere, Studies in fbe E11rl} Roman
Lirwgy. I. The K.alendu, 63.
An oflioe in honor of the Trinity to have been dnwn op at
tbe time of the Arim heresy, but no chte -a-as set for the feast (cf. Nilles,
KalezJChrium ManwJe, II, 460i61 ) . It was DOt until the cigbth century
that the feast bepn to be odcbrated on Sunday; ia some pboes, the ocane
of Pentcc:o5t was chosen, in others tbe Suncb) befme Advent. At the be-
ginning of the tbirtccath the feast -a-as observed in most of tbe
Churches of Europe. but not at Rome.
176 TI-lE DOMINIC:\N LITURGY
\\'hiJe we cannot therefore single out with ccrt3inty the
Church from which the system was borrowed, it is hardly likely
-despite Rousseau's opinion to the contrary-that Paris exer
cised any inftuence whatC\er in the matter.
87
In the thirteenth
centUiy, Paris still used almost exclusively the old Gallican
method; it was not until long after that it generally adopted the
Trinity reckoning.
It might be thought tha.t, in order to learn if any church ex
ercised noteworthy influence on the Dominican rite, we hae
only to classify according to the places of birth the Saints who
were added to the calendar by the Dominicans. Such an easy
solution, however, is not because the place where the
cultus of a Saint flourished was not always identical with the
place of his birth. Again, a genc101lly enjO)'cd a greater
renown in a foreign land he had evangelized than he did in the
land of his birth; dassic examples are St. Patrick and St. Boni
face.
Again, the geographical extent of the Saint's cult would be
helpful if that cult wete confined to one locality or t\en to one
country. But there is not one Saint added to the Dominican
calendar whose cult was so circUIDscribcd. The calendar, there-
fore, is of little help in indicating whether any particular Church
exercised a marked inRucncc on the Order; but while these addi-
tions do not throw an)' special light on that subject, certain
omissions from that calendar are significant.
In viC\\' of the often-repeated assertion that Paris greatly in
fluenccd the Dominican rite, let us see if there is any C\idence
of it in the calendar. In the first half of the thirteenth century,
the feasts especially to the Parisians were these: Gene-
" D.e ecclesi'!stjoo oBido, Ill.
E''Ctl in the fourtCICilth CICiltur}' the Pentecost enumeration is still
commoa ia the boob.
SOURCES OF TilE DOMINICAN RITE 117
\'ie\.-e (3 January), William of Bruges (10 JanWiry), Honorina
(27 Febrwry), the Finding of the bodies of Denis and his com-
panions (22 Apn1), Germain, Bishop of Paris (2S I\lay), Lan-
dry or Landericus (10 June), Theobald or Thibaut (9 July),
Translation of l'\larcellus (26 July), Samson (28 July), Mederic
( 29 August), Fiacre ( 30 August), Clodoaldus or Cloud ( 7 Sep-
tember), Aurea, abbess of Paris (4 October), Denis and his
companions (9 October), Sabinianus and Potcntianus ( 19 Oc-
tober), Magloirc ( 24 October), Translation of GcncviC\'C ( 28
October), Lucanus (30 October), Marcellus, Bishop of Paris
(3 No\cmber), Malo or I\oL1chutus (15 No.,cmbcr), Cene-.ie\re
des Ardents ( 26 No.,ember), Eloi or Eligius ( 1 December),
Fara (7 December), and Conception of Mary (8 December).
How many of all these Parisian feasts are found in Humbert's
C'411endar? Only one.
30
And that one, St. Denis and his com
panions, cannot be said to have been taken from the calendar
of Paris, for it was in both the Vatican and the Lateran calc:n-
dars and was one of the most widely oelebrated feasts through-
out all Europe. As far as the calendar is concerned, the
inftucnce of Paris was non-existent.
From what has been said, it follows that the Friars' calendar
W3S unaffected by local inftuenccs. On the contrary, the Do-
minican liturgists, ha .. ing chosen the Gregorian calendar as a
basis, drev; up a calendar that for genuine catholicity in the
selection of Saints and for sober in the number of
feasts stood unsurpassed by any other calendar of the thirteenth
century. Indeed, in these qualities it was far superior to the
calendar then in usc at Rome.
There is ;a Cemuin in Humbcrt"s liit; but he was Bishop of
v.ith the feast on 31 July. Likewise, the Maroellus in the Dominic:ln cal-
endar was DOt the Bishop of Paris but a mart)T ;at ChAlomsurSacme. whose
feast WIIS -f September.
178 THE DOMINICAN UTURGY
II. THE DIVINE OFFICE
Unlike the Franciscans who adopted the office of the Papal
Court, the Dominicans preferred that of the Roman basili
cas.
40
This office, however, presented some serious difficulties
for an Order that was international and for one committed to
an cxtenshe program of study and preaching. The difficulties
could be overcome only by freely modifying the original Roman
Office.
The psalter presented the first problem. \Ve have already
seen (in Chapter Twehe) how the misnamed "Gallican"
psalter had supplanted the "Roman" psalter throughout the
whole Latin Church, except at Rome itself.. Since an interna-
tional Order like the Dominican needed the psalter that was in
weJl-nigh universal use, the Friars Preachers substituted the so-
C3lled Gallican version for the Roman;n
The next problem was that of the hymns. Though hymns
had boen in ~ in the Church for many centuries, the)' were
excluded at Rome from the breviaries of the secular clergy until
the second half of the twelfth century, and possibly even to the
end of that century. If the first Dominican liturgists did find
hymns in the Roman Office, those hymns oould have been there
only a \'Cry short time. Hence, we can understand why the
Dominicans felt free to select others. It is dear that the J)o.
minican hymnal is not the one tardily adopted b)' Rome. It is
equally clear that it is not the hymnal of the Church of Paris.
No hymnal that we know of corresponds closel)' to that of the
In a book eatitJed L'office divin c b ~ lcs Freres Mincurs au Xlllc
~ e I.e Carou attempted to pnn-e that the Fr.lDcisc:lns adopted the office
of tbc Lateran basilica as modc:miJcd by the CurU. Hi$ effort was not sue
cessful. Cf. D'Angcrs, O.M.C., in ttudes F.r.tnci:scaint'S, XLI (1929), 101-
106.
" Pius V formally approved tlte use of the "Gallican" psalter for the
whole lAtin Chuttb.
SOURCES OF TilE DOMINICAN RITE 179
Ordcr.
2
Probably the Order took the more common monastic
version, omitted some of the hymns and slightly altered the
order of some of the others.
The third difficulty was the length of the old Roman Office.
The idea of an extensive program of stud)' as a preparation for
thcir apostolate vas not an afterthought \\ith the Friars Preach-
ers, as it was in some Orders; it was the original idea of St.
Dominic in founding his Order. For although as a Canon
Regular he appreciated the value of the liturgy, he was too good
a theologian to minimize the importance of theological and
scriptural studies. Hence the rather sblrtling remarks one en-
counters in early Dominican litemture in reference to not stay-
ing too long in choir lest the studies suffer!
43
In accordance
with such a standard, the Roman Office was somewhat short-
ened, the most notable of the curtailments occurring during the
paschal season.
In the ele-.'ellth century, Gregory VII stated that during
Easter and Pentecost weeks, according to the ancient Roman
custom, there were read only three psalms and tluee lessons.
He repro\ed those who day after da)' continued to s.1y only
one noctum for matins; but he admitted that C\'en the Romans
had begun to do it.
44
Despite Gregory's attitude, we learn from
the Ordo Roman us XI that it continued to be a Roman practice.
For this Ordo, written in the first half of the twelfth century by
a canon of St. Peter's, expressly states that for matins only three
lessons were said from Easter unbl the vigil of the Ascension,4S
Meanwhile, tl1e practice had spread over Europe, and in many
places the short office was extended until Pentecost Saturday.
De ecdai:&Stico oBicio, 1 H.
For Humbert, De Vita Reg., II, 70, 97. 98. ete.
"O.rdo Oflic. Eecl. Lat.. 77.
Mabi11on, Musei ltalici, II, nn. 55, p. li5.
180 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Ralph of Tongres, a confirmed Romanist, W41S later to bear un
willing witness to the extent to which the custom had grown.a
In any event, at the time of Humbert, this Roman usage was
already more than a ccntmy old; and with the Order desirous
of limiting choral services for the sake of studies, the adoption
of the short office for the whole paschal season was a logical
step.
At Rome. nothing but the "absolution' was recited immedi
atcly after the psalms and versicle and before the lessons; but
elsewhere a Pater noster was generally said here.; This Galli-
canism was adopted by the Dominicans; later, it would be
adopted also by Rome.
The disposition of lessons in Humbert's office is quite differ-
ent from that of the modem breviary. In the Tcmporale, the
first six lessons arc generally from the current Scripture and the
last three from a patristic homily. In the Sanctorale, the first
si:< lessons (sometimes all nine) are from the life of the Saint or
from some ecclesiastical treatise. But let us not conclude, with
Rousseau, that this also is a Gallican custom.u On the con-
trary, the twelfth-century Ordo of the Lateran shows that it was
frcqucntl}' done in the Roman bclsilicas.
4
'
Lastl), the current Scripture (Scriptura occurrens) is substan
tially the same as that used at the Lateran.
'" Hittorp, De Canooum Obsenantia, prop. X.
-= Amalarius. De eccles. olicili, hb., Ill, ezp. 6, in PL, CV, 986-12-t2
.. Rowsc:au sbtcs: "The u$1gc prevailed, at least in nWly churches of
Gaul, of reading the lint six leSsoOs from tbe Scripture. Let us not in
stantly oonclude that we took tbis aJstom from P:Uis because "a'e a&ree with
her in this. We find the same usc in the orclin:uics of Uon and Rhcims
. . . " (De ecclesiastioo ollicio, 11 ; ) .
,. Thu$, on the octllvc day of Easter, tbc lirst six 1esson:s -ere from the
Acts of tbe Apostles; oo the Sunday after tbe Ascension, the fil"5t six 'a'CfC
from appropriate sermons;; on the fc:2rt of St. Bibiana, the litst six -ere
from bcr life; the lint six wttc: from Genesis, etc. { Bcm
hardi, Ordo OBic:wrum EccJ. Lateran., pzssim)
SOURCES OF TilE DOMINICAN RITE 181
III. THE MASS 50
In the Mass, the first \"ariation is that the Dominicans v;or
the amice o'rcr the hc.ld while they approoch the altar, whereas
the secular priest wears a bircthil. But this use of the amice was
the Roman custom from about the ninth century, whereas the
substitution of a biretl<l (at least for ordinary priests) dates only
from the sixteenth century. At the very outset of the Mass,
then, we have an example of what often appears in the detailed
comparati\'c study of the two rites. A comparison between the
Dominican rite and the present Roman Rite frequently fe\eals
the Friars Preachers adhering to an old Roman custom which
the Church of Rome has abandoned.
In the ancient Latin Church, the chalice was prepared with
the wine and water at the beginning of the I\la.ss of the faithful.
When catechumens ceased to be dismissed and the Missa Catc-
dmmenorum became merged v.ith the Missa FidcJium, at least
as far as the people were conrerned, a number of churches out
side of Rome logically tr.lnsferred the preparation of the chalice
to the beginning of the whole Mass, as is done in the Eastern
liturgies. This practice spread far and wide. so that by the
twelfth century it was greatly used throughout Europe by both
seculars and regulars. Among the Religious Orders which fol
lowed the custom may be mentioned the monks of Cluny, the
Carthusians, the Cistercians, the Carmelites, the Prcmonstraten-
sians. the Augustinian Canons of I\'larbach, the German Bene
dictines, the Benedictines of Bee, Hirschau, 'Wesbninster,
Aincy, etc. But numerous as were the religious who "made ..
the chalice at the beginning or in the eady part of the Mas:s, the
A$ this ,.,.bole subject will be dealt '1\ith in detail in aoother volume.
only a summary of some of the principal points is given here.
182 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
number of secular priests who followed the practice was e .. en
greater. The rubrics prescribed it in the Celtic rite, in the
Sarum rite. in many places in Gennany, France, and Spain.
Even in Italy, it was done in Sicily and in the archdiocese of
Milan. To speak, then, of so universal a practice as "distincti.,e
of the Church of Paris" is utterly inaccurate.
No less erroneous is the often-repeated statement that in the
preparation of the chalice the Dominicans followed the custom
of Paris. The rite of th'at Church prescribed the following:
"The priest first puts on the rochct, saying: Actjones nostras,
etc. Next, he washes his hands, saying: Amplius me, etc.
TI1en, having uncovered and prepctred the aJt::ar, he pbccs the
host on the paten and puts wine and water in the chalice, saying:
De &tere Domini, etc. Til en he takes the amice, etc." a
No such rubric is found in any Dominican text. On the other
hand, Humbert directs that the making of the chalice was not
to take place until the priest reached the altar, fulJy .,ested and
ready to begin the Mass. Instead, therefore, of being misled
by a group of Frenclt writers who naturally emphasize the im
portance of their national capital, we would do v.-ell to remem
ber both in the Diocese of Palencia (where Dominic took
his unhrersity course and where he was ordained), as well as in
the Diocese of Osma (where he lived as a Canon Regular), the
wine and water were taken at the beginning of Mass. These
facts alone would ha\'e been sufficient reason for the Order to
adopt the practice out of reverence towards its Founder.
""E:arh XIV cent. n1is$11 of e2tbedral of Paris (Brit. MU$., Add. MS.
16905, fol. Cf: Bibl. Nat., MS. lat., 8885, fol. MS. lat., 835,
fol. llOv; Bibl. Mazarme, MS. 411, fot 17lr; Bibl. de 1 Arsenal, MS. 203,
fol. iir; MS. 607, fol. 94r; Brit. MU$CUm, Harl. 2891, fol Hlr. Norice
historiquc { 6 7) says the priest was allo.'Cd to prcpue tbe clwice at any
time hom before ''Csting until the Cospd; we have IICell Alth a rubric
in priorcd Paris miss:als but oot in :ln)' MSS. of tbe thirm:l'lth or fourteealh
cmturies.
SOURCES OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 183
The prayers at the foot of the altar were in St. Dominie's day
recent and still in a 8uid state. In many places, no Judiea me
Deus was recited. \Vhere it was used, sometimes it was said in
the sacristy while .. -csting. sometimes on the way to the altar.
The last seems to have been the more common. Even as late
as };50, the Roman missal of Paul III directed it should be said
before the celebrant approached the altar. It was not until the
missal of Pius V ( 1570) that the prayer became officially part of
the priest's preparatory prayers. The Dominicans therefore, in
not adopting the psalm, were adltering to the ancient practice
of the Roman Church.
The like the rest of the prayers before Mass, was
also a matter of pri-.-atc de'\otion in the ancient Church, and
did not become an offici.1l of the 1\lass until after the Coun
cil of Trent. There being nothing detemtined b) rubric, the
greatest .. -ariel) might be expected in the formuL1S of the Con
titeor, ranging from \'Cry prolix fonns to very brief ones like
those of the Carthusians and Cistercians. Brief fonnulas,
whose \Yording grC3tly resembles that of the Dominicans, were
used in a ninth-century Rule of Canons Regular (based on
Chrodegang), in Micrologus, and in the rites of the Carthu
sians, Samm., Bangor, York, Frejus, etc.
The custom of sa)ing the first Dominus vobiscum, the Gloria
in exceisis, and the Credo, not at the middle of the altar but at
the side, was the ancient Roman practice. The present Roman
use did not originate apparently until about the early part of the
thirteenth As it \\-as a novelty, the liturgists of the
Order rejected it in favor of the old Roman practice.
11
Am:almus, in the middle of the ninth ccntmy, mentions the 2Ticient
pmctict; while Dur.mdus, :at the end of the tbirtealth cattury, spcab of
the GJoriz being said at the mxlcUe of the :alw. Anul:arius, De eocJes. ol
liciis, lib. Ill, aap. 8; Duraodus, Rationale, lib. IV, cap. 13.
184 TilE DOMINICAN LITURGY
In the Gospel proces.slon, the Dominican rubrics prescribe
that there should be a cross-bearer. ''This," says Rousseau,
"seems to have boen borrowed from the Church of Paris .... " .s3
While only a small number of the brief ceremonials of that
period explicitly mention the cross at the Gospel, the practice
apparentJy was not unusual. Thus. Albert the Great, describ-
ing not the Dominican Mass but the Mass in general, refers to
it as if it were a common cetemony: ''The cross is carried aloft
[at the Gospel] to signify that both the glory of the deacon
teaching and the power of his doctrine arc in the cross." :;t
Hugh of St-Cher and Dm:mdus inform us that it was the cus
tom "in some places." .w On duplex feasts in the Sarum rite,
the cross was carried at t11e Gospel, and that ceremony was a
recognized part of the Gospel procession in a numbet of Eng
Jish churches (Exeter, Litchfield, Chichester, and Lin<:Oln}, as
well as in the ancient liturgies of Braga and of Tours. On the
other h.-md, while Paris had this practice in the fifteenth cen-
tury, there is some reason for doubting that it had it in the thir-
teenth century.
The offertory in the Dominican Mass is quite different from
the present Roman rite. In the first place, the priest does not
S3)" the prayers: Suscipc s:mcte Pater, Deus qui sub-
Offcrimus tibi Domine, Veni sanctificator, Per interces-
sionem beati lncensum istud, Dirigatur Domine ora-
De oSicio, 119-120. It is regrettable th11t Rousseau relied
so much on the Notice hisr01ique sw Jes tifes de J'Egfitc de Paris. Ap:lrt
from otbet objections, the :ruthor (l'abb A.. L. P. OUoo) admit$ that he
is not cbcribing the rite of Paris but .the rite ;as it wm n the end ol
the filreenlh (p. 2). 1\lmy chAnges em take place ill a liturgy iD
the coarse of 0\"Cr a OCS!tllry and a half.
"Opus de mysrcrio Miss:le, Tract. II, c.. 7, 3.
Hugh of StCber, Speculum Eccbilu; Durandus, Rariomle, lib. IV,
c. 24, 16.
SOURCES OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 185
tio mea, or Accendat in nobis. In none of the Ordines Romani
"is there any mention of the prayers which ... the priest now
recites when he offers the bread and wine to God, when he
pours the water into the wine, or when he washes his hands.
Hence, the Sacramentaries of Gclasius and Gregory, the ancient
expositors of the Mass ( :\lcuin, Al113larius, Strabo, Remigius,
and others), pass directly from the offertory to the Secreta.
n1e oblation itself is contained in the C.1non, whose prayers-
Rome bc:liet.cd with the ancients-were entirely sufficient."
118
But during the twelfth centUI)' a number of prayers of Gallican
(or Mozarabic) or other non-Roman sources, began to appear in
the missals of the \arious Churches, including Rome. Hence,
\ariations sprang up not only in the prayers themselves but also
1
in the manner of the offering. In some places, different prayers
Y.'eiC said for the host and the chalice; in other places both were
offered with one prayer.
11
1' The Dominican liturgists attempted
to presen-e the simplicity of the ancient Roman Rite as far as
possible: the offertory having been recited, the priest took the
chalice (on which rested the paten with the host) and said:
CAJlicem salutaris accipiam et nomen Domini imocabo; and
raising the chalice with its paten, he said:
Suscipe Triniw hanc obbtionem quam tibi offero in
memoriam passionis domini nostri Jcsu Christi; ct prmsta ut in
conspectu tuo tibi _placens asccndat ct me3m et omnium 6delium
salutcm opcrctur ll!tcmam.
Then, washing his hands, he said merely the first verse of the
Lavabo, after which he recited In spiritu humilitatis; the Orate
fratres and the Secreta fo11owcd. Hence, this rite, despite some
non-Roman infiltrations, far more closely approaches the ancient
Kruer, De . . . Liturgiis, -f63.
"Kruer, op. c1f.. 464.
186 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Roman Rite than does the modern rite of Rome with its many
Gallicanisms.
\Ve find the single oblation in many rites, the Carthusians
1ikc the Dominicans retaining it to the present day. It was also
observed at Lyons, Paris, Rheims, Rouen, Ch;llons-sur-Mame,
Langres. ToUIS, Constance, Mainz, Marmoutiers, Auxcrre, Sa
rum, Hereford, etc.:.s TI1e Dominican form of the Suscipc
sancta Trinihls is identical with that of the rite of Hereford; it
bears little resemblance to that of Paris.l
10
In the early thirteenth century, after the Consecration the
chalice was eletated at Paris but not at Rome. The Domini-
cans followed the Roman practice, nor did they accept this
Gallican innovation until long after it had been accepted by
Rome.
'I11e extension of the arms immediately after the Consecration
came from the Ambrosian Rite. From the twelfth century, the
rubric spread from Milan over a considemble portion of Europe.
St. Thomas Aquinas defends the practice as representing the
extension of Christ's arms on the cross.
80
Humberts rubrics direct that the celebrant give himself Com
munion from the left hand, while the Roman rubrics
prescribe the use of the right hand. Again some writers have
recourse to the formula: 'This was borrowed from
Krazer, loc. cit.; AER, I, lib. I, etp. IV, a. VI.
1'bc PArisian fonnula wzs: .. Suscipc S3Jicta Trinibs h:mc oblatioocm
quam tibi o&ero ob memorilm incanutionis,. nativitRtis, passionis. resw
rectioais :ztque :asttnsioais D. n. I. c .. c:t in bonorc:m S3Jid2 intemmabl:
vilginis marie. c:t omnium S3Jictorum taorum qui hbi pl:ac:oeruot
ab 1nitio mundi. et eorum quorum hodie fc:sta cdcbrantur, et quorum hie
nomina c:t rcliqu habc:ntur ut illis pro6ciat ad honorem nobiS autc:m ad
salutem, et ut illi omoes intercedere iligoentur pro nobis in c:o:lis quorum
memori:lm in terris. Pc:r te. lcm Christe altissime qui viris et
rcgnas. etc." A thirteeothntuly missal of Paris in the British
Add. MS. fol. 80r.
Summa TbeoJosica. 3a pars, Q. 83, aS. ad 5.
SOURCES OF THE DOMJNICAN RITE 187
the Church of Paris." However. it is doubtful if that ceremony
existed in the Paris Church in the thirteenth century.
41
In the
Sarum rite, the celebrant broke the host in the same W3)' as v."3S
done in Paris, but he then held the host in both hands for his
Communion. It is rare to find a missal of that period suffi
cicntly explicit to tell us whether Communion was received
from the right hand, the left hand, or both hands.
However, at one time. Communion from the left hand was
practised in Rome. VI/ e know this from the Ordincs Romani,
the official ceremonials of Rome. Ordo Romanus XN, cap. 53,
reads: '"Then he [the cardinalbishop] receives with the fingers
of his left hand those two parts of the host which are on the
paten, and consumes them v.ith all de\otion and rc\ercnce." a
The same rubric is found in the thirteenth century Canemoni:Jle
Romanum multiplex.
61
Just how the Friars Preachers came to
receive a rite peculiar to cardinalbisbops, remains one of the
unsolved mysteries of the Dominkan rite.
IV. 0oc:ASJON.U. Rrn:s
In the oommunion of the sick. the Bk:ssed Sacrament was
carried in procession to the infinnary. 1\fter the usual Pax lmic
domui, the Asperges, and the Confiteor, the priest held up the
Host and asked: Credis quod JJoc sit Christus &Jhrator mundi?
To which the sick man replied: Credo. The priest then gave
him Communion saying: Corpus Domini nostri Icsu Christi
41
It is doubtful bectuse of the of the rubrics. TI.e Mis
sal of Sir SidliC) Cockerell $RJ$ that the priest, a.ftc: the fmction, holck the
two pam of the host in his left band; but it is silent as to '1\hether be com
mnaiates from tiJat h2nd. Mabillon. II, 3()7.
[Matthew Tcxte], "Di5SCrtation wr b Cbtmooie de b Communion
du Prftre f.bte a\'ee Ia main !Pucbe. etc . " in Mercure de Fr:lDoe (October,
171()), 2154 &; Samelli, Lcttcre F.:cdcmstic:he, ,-oJ. IX, Lettcra XV.
31 ff.
188 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
custodiat te et perducat ad vitam retemam. Amen. TI1e cere
mony ended with the Exaudi nos. This was the usual rite in
the Middle Ages. 'With only slightly \-arying formulas, we find
it among the Carthusians, the Cistercians, etc. In the Roman
ritual attributed to Gregory XJII,M the formula used was:
Crcdis hoc esse Corpus Christi Salvatoris nostri? Although the
Roman Rite has gi.,'Cll up this usage, the Dominicans have re-
tained it to modern times.
l11e ceremonies for the dying v.-ere impressi.,-e. At the ap-
proach of dcath, the community was summoned by the sound
ing of the tsbdb or wooden clapper. At the signal, all the
friars hastened to the infirmary reciting aloud the Credo in
unum Dcum. The dying brother was taken from his bed and
laid on a bed of ashes. The community, g:athcred around him,
recited the Sle\'en penitential psalms. the litany, and the Sub-
''cnitc. All this, together with the subsequent ceremonies, com
prised the usual monastic ptacticcs of the age. \Vith only
minor they were petfonned by the Benedictines, the
monks of Cluny, the Cisterci.1ns, the Carthusians. Premonstra
tensians, etc.c;; In nearly all the Dominican houses, there is a
special custom which is obsened at the point of death, tl1at is,
the singing of the Salve Regina by the assembled friars. The
origin of the custom is ascribed to the singing of the Sahc
Regina by the Dominican friars at Sandomir (Poland), when
they were being massacred by the Tatars. While the historical
e"\'idence thus far adduced does not pro.,e so great an antiquity
for the practice, it is certain that it is at least Sle\'eral centuries
old .
.. ruroare Sacramcntorum Romanum Grego:ii XIII . . . jiUStJ
edifam. Romll!. 1 )84.
De Antiquis Momtcborwn Rifibus, bb. V, c:ap. 8 ;and 9.
SOURCES OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 189
V. PI.AL"'iCJLu.&
Competent authorities who ba"e examined the chant of the
Friars PreachC'Is ha\e dccL1rcd it to be genuine Gregorian plain-
chant. Although the Dominicans did admit some Gallico-
Roman responses and antiphons which differ somewhat from
the Gregorian style, nevertheless Gallican influence in the field
of plainchant was Among those who support this
attitude is the Benedictine, Dom Ambrose Kienle, who says:
'7he Dominican Order presened the [Gregori3n] melodies in
their purity, in such a way that the choir books of the Domini-
cans are an important source for the study of the liturgical
chant."
07
According to Dr. Peter \Vagner, the only changes of any
consequence made by the Dominicans took place almost c:x-
clusi\ely in the AJleJu;a chants: "Often, though not alwa)"S, the
melisma was abbreviated o.,-er the last syllable of the verse; simi
L1rly, most of the group- or periodrepctitions in the melisma
were done away with .... In this matter of abbre.,iating most
of the concluding mclismas of the Alleluia \'erscs, the Domini
cans met the Cistercians halfVr"3)'." ta
Where did the Friars Preachers obtain their chant? It may
be that the celebrated mus1c theorist, Jerome of 1\loravia, who
then lived at St. Jacques in Paris, was responsible for these varia
tions. Some 1la.,e thought that because the Four Friars held
one of their meetings at Metz, where a famous school of Gre-
gorian chant had been long before established by Chrodegang,
the Dominicans got their chant from that city. But these are
mere conjectures. Thus far, not one manusaipt has beerl
" RoUSSie:lu, De eccles. officio, 126.
"Cramma;rc du Chant Gregor;cn (Tournai, 189S). 11.
"Einliiluuns in die CrqorianiscbaJ II, 472.
190 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
found which contains, or which ~ e n closely approximates, the
Dominican variants. The nearest version is the Cistercian; but
while in some respects there is a ccrt:ain similarity of style, the
question whether Humbert actually used the Cistercian chant
as his model or not, can hardly now be determincd.
60
THE ErcHTH THEORY Is CoRRF.cT
T e>-da) the general impression appc2rs to be that, where the
Roman and Dominican rites differ, this must be due to the
Dominicans substituting some foreign practice for the old Re>-
man one. For this reason, we directed our attention in this
brief sur.cy chiefty to those differences. \Ve ha\'e not here
touched on the numberless points of identity between the two
rites of the thirteenth century. A det3i1ed comparative study
pro\'cs that the Friars Preachers chose the earl) thirteenth-
century (or more accurately, the late twelfth-century) rite of
Rome, and made certain changes in it. Some of these ch.1nges
\vcrc necessary, for CX41mp1e, the shortening of the Divine Office
and the dropping of a well-nigh obsolete psalter. Other aitera-
tions were improvements, as the addition of rare liturgical gems
from other churches to adorn the austere Roman rite. But the
alterations were not sufficiently great to ch.1nge the classification
of the Dominican rite from "Roman" to "Gallican." Indeed,
the Dominican lihugists in many W'a)'S showed themsehcs more
Roman than Rome herself by their unwillingness to accept a
number of Gallicanisms which not long before had infiltrated
into the Roman Rite or were then damoring for admission.
As a corollary, it follows that the much talked-of "Paris influ-
ence" was in reality surprisingly small. Not only was Paris then
W ~ r . op. cit., II, 471. See abo Laporte, "Prttis historiquc,'' chap.
2; Mathew ~ . "Le Chaot Liturgique dms I'Ordrc de SaintDomini
que, in L'Armle Dominlicaine (Jmuary. 1908), 29-34.
SOURCES OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 191
the intellectual and cultural centre of Europe, but the greatest
monastery of the Order was located there. !\1any of the great
Dominicans of that period, among them Humbert of Romail$,
had dwelt within its walls. One would naturally expect a strong
Parisian influence. What is the meaning of this anomaly? We
believe that the answer is bound up with the myuery of the
prolonged liturgical struggle in the earlier days of the Order.
For some years the Order had lll4lde use of its "unified" liturgy
without any serious trouble arising. Then the Franciscan revi-
sion of the Roman Curia breviary spurs the Order to improve
its own. 'When the work of the Four Friars is published, a
veritable tempest breaks. Although the re\'ision is meritorious
enough to win the appro\'al of no less than five general chapters,
a detennined opposition remains; it was finally conquered only
by the full authority of a determined mastergeneral who '\\'3S
r ~ o l v e to est:ablish his edition of that re\rision. What pre>
\'Oked the stom1? Possibly the answer lies in two documents
already described in earlier chapters: the Paris missal of circa
1240 and the brc\iary-antiphonary.
11Jis missal, as was already seen, bore a \'Cry great resemblance
to the rite of Paris, so great that it was easily adapted for con-
tinued usc in that Church. The next oldest Dominican missal
we ha\e is that of Humbert, one that bears little resemblance to
the rite of Paris. In the intCI\"al, some fifteen years, the De>
minican friars had changed from a Paris missal to a Roman
missal. Here we apl"lrentl) have the answer: the Dominican
liturgists (of whom Humbert '\\"aS one) were fighting to Roman-
izc more fully the Dominican rite. Hence the battle. They
were upsetting the liturgical customs of the Lugest and most
influential monastery of the Order, Saint-Jacques at Paris.
Furthcnnore, they were incurring the hostility of some of the
192 TiiE DOMINICAN LITURGY
most outstanding men in the Order, fonner students of the
Uni\'CI'Sity of Paris, who would treasure their Paris traditions.
This theory is strengthened h) a study of the breviary
antiphonaf). Here we ha,e a work of the highest liturgical
cxccllence. It was so that Humbert, when
genera), was able to bke page after page of it without any
change and incorporate tltem in the new edition. Yet, despite
the unquestioned liturgical cxceJJence of the revision of the
Four Friars, it was the object of a determined and prolonged
attack. Nor did the opposition end when Humbert published
his own edition and it was realized that he had based his work
on the older revision. This would indicate that Humbert, while
rectifying the discordances in the rubrics, had adhered to the
principles of his fonncr fcllowliturgists. The inference is that
the Romanization of our rite: was begun by the Four Friars and
carried to a successful conclusion by Hwnbert, despite the op-
p<mtion of the poYt-crful Paris group.
Some of this, we frankly admit, is theory. But it explains
many puzzling angles of the subject and it is based on four
facts: that the oldest Dominican missal (MS. lat. 8884) closely
follows the rite of Paris; that the breviary-antiphonary of the
Four Friars possesses high liturgical excellence; that there was
a violent and prolonged opposition to this re,is-ion; and that
Humbert's revision, based on that of the Four Friars, is Roman
throughout.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE INFLUENCE OF TilE DOMINICAN RITE
\Vrrn the preceding chapter we conclude our sur.-ey of the Do-
minican calendar, Mass and Divine Office, as they left the hands
of Humbert of Ronl3ns. Mter a series of re\isions, beginning in
1245 and ending in 1256, the master-general was able to declare
to the Order that the work was definitely completed. The
Order now possessed its new re.,ision; but what was its value?
How did it compare Ytith the numerous other variants of the
Roman Rite then in existence?
The ancient Roman Rite was a mancl of simplicity, dignity,
and severe practicality. It befitted, indeed, the character of
the Roman people; hut to the rest of the Western Church such
a liturgy seemed rather coJd, terse, austere. The numberless 't-ari-
ants which sprang up in the :Middle Ages were so many efforts
to supply what was felt to be missing. Some rites went to the
opposite extreme and became almost oriental in their ftoridncss;
still other rites, lacking good taste, marred the dignity of dio.ine
worship by the adoption of unbecoming usages. If we keep
before us the medill!\oal goal-the ancient Roman qualities of
simplicity, dignity and practicality enriched by a warmer devo-
tion and by a restrained dramatic element so appealing to hu-
man nature-and then compare Humbert's re..ision with the
other Roman \'ariants of that day, we shall be forced to conclude
that the Dominican liturgists had produced a masterpiece sur-
passed by no other rite in the Latin Church. This was the ver-
193
194 THE DOl\ofiNICAN LITURGY
diet of men who were competent to pass judgment. Thousands
of priests, secular and religious alike, who were acquainted with
different ''ariants, were so impressed the Dominican ar
rangement that the)' adopted it in whole or in part.
The first Order to adopt the Dominican rite appears to have
been that of the Knights of the Hospital of St. Mary in Jeru-
salem. It was a Military Order established in Palestine b) the
Germans during the Third Crusade. The Teutonic Knights
adopted the Rule of St. Augustine and for their liturgical sen'-
ices the rite of the Holy Sepulchre. This rite did not exist 1
fore 1099. It came into exjstencc after the capture of Jeru
salem, when the priests who had accompanied the Crusaders
were funned into a cathedral chapter
1
and worked out a com-
posite rite in order to cany out their choir duties. As a majority
of these priests were from Gaul, thcir liturgical services were the
l)pical Gallioo-Roman Rite of France at the end of the elC\enth
century. In blending the various uses into one unifonn rite; the
Churches of Paris and of Ne\ers exercised the greatest influ-
ence.2 Hence, the rite of the Holy Sepulchre was substantially
nothing more or less than the l)pical eleventh-century Gallico-
Roman Rite as practised particularly in central and northntral
France. Later, some unimportant additions were made, chiefly
in the fonn of local feasts, tbeieby gi\'ing the rite something of
a Holy Land abnospbere.
This was the rite which the Teutonic Knights used for O\'er
half a century. But they did not like it; they desired something
less elaborate and ftorid. They found what they wanted in the
Dominican rite. They bad first met the Friars Preachers in the
See William of 1)te. Historia in PL. CCL -441.
'B. Zimmerm:aa, DACL, II, 2167; Idem, CE, XIII, 72; King, Notes
on tbe Catholic Litw-gics, i7; Aignain, Liturgj3, 8SO.
INFLUENCE OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 19S
Holy Land, and they were: destined to meet them again in a
country far distant from Palestine.
In 1228, Comad of Maso\'ia besought the Knights to come
to his aid against the fierce heathens of the LettoSlavic race,
inhabiting the Baltic country called East Prussia. The Grand
Master of the Order accepted the imritation; and while the
Teutonic Knights cndca\'orcd to subdue by the sword this sa-
age nation, Dominican missionaries tried to convert it by preach
ing.a
The efforts of both the Knights and the Dominicans v."Cre
Succcs.'$ful; and on 29 July, 1243, the Papal Legate dhided the
land into four dioceses, namely. Culm, Pomerania, Ermland,
and Samland. The Teutonic Order acquired ducal rights over
the whole region.
The acquisition of a principality, with the consequent need of
providing divine ser'ices for converts and colonists, is probably
what brought to a head dissatisfaction within the ranks of the
Knights over their own liturgy. If any change was to be made,
now was the time to make it before the new dioceses became
completely organized. \Vhether this conjecture is true or not, it
certainly was about this time that the Knights decided to aban-
don, if possible, the rite of the Holy Sepulchre and to adopt
that of the Friars PrcachctS. Accordingly, they petitioned the
Holy See for this prhilege, the petition being made probably
in the autumn of 1243. As we ha'e already seen, the reply of
Innocent IV (13 February, 1244) was f.:worable: "We grant
you permission to celebrate in your houses everywhere the di-
\'ine services according to the rite of the Friars Preachers."
11
Altmer, Die DooJinibnerm.i.ssiooen des 13. JaluJumdertt, 160.
'Op. cit., 168.
Tabob Ordinis Theutonici, 3>7, no. 4 71.
196 TilE 001\tiNICAN UTURGY
11JUs, by Papal permission, the Dominican liturgy became the
official rite of four extensive dioceses.
\\'hen Humbert of Romans completed his re\ision of the
work of the Four Friars, the Teutonic Knights lost no time in
obtaining from Alexander VI the authority to usc the rC\riscd
version. nte reply of the Pope (27 February, 12)7), granting
them permission to do so, reveals that the Knights bad adapted
the Dominican rite to their own special needs.
0
This adapta
tion was not a drastic one, however, as the I>Qoks of the
Knights oould be used by the secular dcrgy of Finland where
the Dominican rite also prevailed.
1
In the years that followed,
the Teutonic Knights extended their territory to such an extent
that this h-lilitary Order became one of the great powers of the
Middle Ages. VVnere\er the Knights went, they cncb\orcd to
introduce the Dominican rite.
The second Order to embrace the Dominican rite was the
celebrated Order of Our Lady of Mount Cannel. The Car-
melites, driven from the Hoi) Land b) the S3racen invasions,
began to settle in Europe from about 1240. Their eremitical
Rule pro .. ing to be too much of a handicap in their new condi
tions, the Carmelites took up the matter with Innocent IV at
Lyons; "and they succeeded," relates Stephan of S31anhac, "in
ha .. ing the whole question committed to the vertel'3ble Fathers,
Cardinal Hugh of Saint-Cher, and \Villiam, bishop of Antarad
(Tartous), both of them Dominicans. These men drew up a
special Rule which the Carmelites from that time professed and
observed." Stephan adds that the Rule was approved by the
op. cit., 378, no. Sl6.
: Malin, Der HciligenbJcndcr Firml:aac:ls, 20l.
De qu;;ztuo: in quibw etc., 84. The confinnation of IV,
mentioning Hugh ol S2int-Cber WiUi:Jm of Aatuad, is pre6xed to
Annquum Ordinis Otdilttk RUC. Xlll, 913.
INFLUENCE OF TilE DOMINICAN RITE 197
Pope "about 124i"-this was the date of the fil"$t General Chap-
ter held by that Order.
The new Constitutions, based on those of the Dominicans,
completel) changed the status of the Carmelites from an ere-
mitical to a mendicant Order. In making this change, did the
Cannelites retain their rite of the Holy Sepulchre? Most writ-
ers of that Order claim or imply that they did, and because of
that contention liturgists for a long time ha\e been puzzled by
the similarities between the Carmelite and Dominican rites. It
was well known that the Holy Land rite exercised no influence
whatever on the Friars Preachers; how then could the similari-
ties be explained?
Until recent years, the mystery could not be solved because
of the total lack of Camtelite missals, bre .. iarics and ceremonials
belonging to the thirteenth century.
9
It is true that a few scat-
tered liturgical Carmelite manuscripts of that century were
known to exist; the:)', however, offered little promise of enlight
enment. But of the many hundreds of missals and breviaries
used by the Cannelites in the thirteenth century, not one is
known to ha.,-<: sur..,.ived to the present da) Fina])y, in our own
da), 3 ceremonial or ordinal of that Order was diSCO\'ered in
Trinity College, Dublin; it furnishes us with the key of the
mystery.
The ordinal was written about 1263
10
-therefore, at least half
3 dozen years after Humbert had pub1ished his revision of the
Dominican rite. A careful comparison bctwocn Humbert's
ordinarium and the Carmelite ordinal demonstrates conclu-
On the de:arth of thC$e Carmelite books, see B. Zimmerman, "Ordi
naire de I'Ordrc de Notte-D:Ime du :\font Carmel," xiii, in Che\-alier's
Jihlrgjque, XIII, (Pari$, 1910); Idem, "Carmcs.. Liturgic de
l'Ordre des," in DACL, II. 2167-2168 .
.. J'*Ph ol St. Patrict, Antiquum Ord. Calm. Ordlaal8 ac. XUI, S.
198 TIIE DOMINICAN LITURGY
sively that the Carmelite rite, at least during the second half of
the thirteenth century, was an adaptation of the Dominican
rite. The Cannelites rctJined (or adopted) certain uses from
other sources; but the Dominican fOlmdation cannot be even
questioned. The ordinal often has whole sentences taken
bodily from Humbert's ordinarium \\ith hardly a word changed;
and sometimes entire pgragraphs have been transplanted
with onl)' minor changes.
11
We nO\\' soc the explanation of the puzzling disappearance of
all Cannclite missals and breviaries of the thirteenth century.
For some wtknown reason, the Carmelites d.ecided in the early
part of the fourteenth century to re-assume liturgical uses that
had hocn discontinued for over haJf a century. Surely. by this
time ( B 1 ) ) there could have been extremely few (if any )
Fathers who remembered the rite of the Holy Sepulchre; the
only rite the Order knew was the one it w:as then using. In
imposing the new ordirul1 on his Order, Sibert de Beka encoun
tered the same resistarn:e as John of \Vildeshausen had met
when he supported the revision of the Four Friars. Zimmer-
man, O.C.D., admits that Sibert's ordinal "experienced some
difficulty in superseding the old one,"
12
while Patrick of St.
Joseph, O.C.O., declares that the Carmelites in England did
not adopt the new ordinal until 1333, "a proof of their atbch-
ment to the ancient Ceremonial."
13
the Middle
Ages had an effective though cmde way of putting an end to
the use of troublesome books; it \\'tlS to destroy them. u Appar-
" For 01 specimen of the simibrity between the and the
Catmelite rubrics of the thirteenth century. see Appeodix: Latin Ten of
Humbert's Rubrics lor High Mm (37) ff).
11
CE, XIII, 73.
11
.Antiquum Otd. Cann. Ordinak SlllC. Xlll, ).
u We: ha\'C already seen (p. 18) that this prolbly took pl:tce in the
Dominic:ln Order; but the class*c c:umple 'llo'3S the command gi\"CCI by the
INFLUENCE OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 199
ently, this is what happened to the large number of Carmelite
missals and breviaries of the thirteenth century. The inference
is strengthened by the fact that we have liturgical 1113nuscripts
of the Cannelites prior to their adopting the Dominican rite
and also after the revision of Sibert de Bcb. But all the mis-
sals and breviaries between those two dates have perished.
Sibert de Bcka rearranged and reo.ised the entire
He eliminated many Dominican practices and re-introduced a
number of usages from the rite of the Holy Sepulchre. Yet,
notwithstanding the drastic nature of Sibert's rearrangement
and despite the subsequent changes in the Carmelite ordinal,
the Dominican influence is still recognizable.
Another Order that obtained permission from the Holy See
to follow the Dominican arrangement was the Order of the
Holy Cross. The Crosiers bocame ..,ery numerous in the Mid
d1c Ages; they existed in 1113n)' countries but were not united
under one head. The most important group was the one in
Flanders, founded in 1211 by Theodore de Celles, a canon of
Liege, who built his first monastery at Clair-Lieu, near HU)'
Appro\cd by the Holy See, the Crosiers soon spread to France,
the Netherlands, Germany, and England. Like St. Dominic,
whom he is said to ha .. -e met in Languedoc, Theodore chose the
Rule of St. Augustine, and his successor, Peter de Valcourt,
sought and obtained from Innocent IV permission to adopt the
Constitutions and the Dominican rite. The Holy
See granted both requests on 23 October, 1248.
16
Francisctn of J 266, diretting that all )X"Mous Ln-es of St. Fr.ancis
be <btrored and that, when S11cb Ln-es were found in tbc possession of
persons outside the Order, the friaTS were to endeavor to "remO\-c" them!
Sec AFH, VII (19H), 6i8; ALKC, VI, 39 .
.. Zimme:m2n m CE, XIII, 73.
"BOP, VII, 2122.
200
TilE OOMINICAN LITURGY
A fourth Order to tum eventu.1lly to the Dominican rite was
that of Our Lady of Mercy-or the Mercedarians, as they are
generally called. According to a late story, this Order owed its
existence to a 1tision simultaneously granted to King James of
Aragon, St. Raymond of Pcfiafort, and St. Peter Nolasco. The
date of its founding was probably 1223.
17
A short Life of St. Raymond, written before 1351 and attrib-
uted by some to Nicholas Eymeric, states that St. Raymond ad-
'ised the newly founded Mcrcedarians to adopt the Constitu-
tions and the liturgy of the Friars Preachers.
18
That the Mer
cedarians did adopt the Dominican rite is indisputable. But
that they did so at that early date, is open to question. Their
master-general, Ramon Albert, who was elected in 1317, in
sisted that his brethren in their liturgical scniccs follow the
Dominican rite: "It is our will that in our Order we carry out
the entire Office, diurnal as well as nocturnal, according to the
conection and amngement of the .,enerable and discreet reli-
gious of the Order of Friars Preachers. \Ve command that it
be said, celebrated, and observed perpetually and uniformly by
all, both by our present and by our future brethren."
10
The same ordinance is found also in the Merccdarian Consti-
tutions of 1327. But whether the authorities were introducing
a new law or were merely reaffirming an old one, has been for
centuries the subject of a violent and intemperate controversy.
We are here concerned only with the fact that the Mercedarians
.., Mortier. Histoire, I, 262.
'"The anon)mOUs Life of St. JUymond is pub]ished in
MOPH, VI, I, 36. The sl2temeat conc:eming tflc 1iturgy bas been
\\idcly quoted by Dominicom writm, e.g., Louis of Va1bcloHcl. "'Tabula
A1berti Magni alionlmquc scriptorum ord. Pra!d.," in AFP, I, 2H ft. Sec
Also Acta SS . II J:muari.i. 409, note f.
u Cited in Calindo, San Raimundo de Pdlalort, 526.
INFLUENCE OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 201
did actually adopt the Dominican rite; let the historians decide
the date.
The Order of the Humiliati of Lombardy vt"as the 6ftl1 to
choose the litwgical use of the Friars Preachers. This Order
began in the twelfth ccntul}' as the result of a most remarkable
de\otional lay movement. Because the as its mem-
bers were c:atled, disregarded the Papal prohibition to hold as-
semblies and to preach in public, they were excommunicated by
Lucius III ( 1184). The far-sighted Innocent III saw in them
a potential instrument for good, and accordingly recehed them
baclc into the Church and e-.-en established their First Order as
a kind of Canons Regular with certain rules peculiar to them-
selves.2f.l
About the middle of the twelfth centUl}', they had adopted a
form of the Benedictine Rule; but towards the end of the thir-
teenth centul} they modelled their Constitutions and their
liturgical practices acx;ording to those of the Friars Preachers.
A contemporary historian, Stephan of Salanhac, gi\es us this in-
formation: ''Their [the Humlliab .. s] First Order is an Order of
men, who, in their habit, imitate the Premonstmtensians; but in
their manner of life, in their fasts and abstinences, and in thdr
ecclesiastical Office, they follow the Friars Preachers."
21
In addition to Religious Orders, there were indi\idual
monasteries and even whole dioceses that made use of the
Dominican arrangement. Notable among the former was the
Benedictine abbey of St. James in Liege.
In the last quarter of the thirteenth centwy, the abbot, Wil-
liam of Julemont, instituted a reform of the abbe); and to make
the results more permanent, he compiled a book (the Liber
Maodoooet. Saint Domiuiquc, n. of 3 .
.. De quatoor in qaibus etc., 8).
202 THE DOMINICA."' LITURGY
Ordinarius) which treated of monastic regulations and also of
rubrics for Mass and the Divine Office. This manuscript has
been published in our own day by a Benedictine of J\'faria-l..aach,
Dr. Paulus Volk.
22
In his introduction to the Liber Ordinarius, Dr. Volk makes
the following statements: that the Dominican Order, which was
"the first to emphasize learning and make it ob1igatory," came
to exert a great influence on others both in theology as wen as
in liturgical texts and practices, as it did at Helfta; that the Li"bcr
ordinarius close1)' resembles and follows two Dominican works-
the Instructiones de Ordinis of Humbert of Romans and his
Codex liturgicus; th:lt the former work was freely used in the
Libcr Ordinarius and corresponding chapters v.-ere taken over
\'crbatim in m.1ny places,23
As for Humbert's liturgical opus, Dr. Volk declares that Chap-
ter 60 of the Liber Ordinarius gives in detail many of the rubrics
of Humbert's comentual nmsal; that chapter 61 repeats sub-
stantia11y Humbert's rubrics for the reception of Hoi) Com-
munion; and that in chapter 62 .. the rubrics for pri\ate Mass
are surprisingly like those of the Dominicans in their missal for
private Mass."
Such was the inOuence of the Dominican rite on the abbey of
St. James. Through the medium of that abbey, the Domini
cans affected other monasteries, for, as Dr. Volk rcmarlcs, the
inftucn<:e which the Liber Ordinarius exerted directly on other
monasteries, including those of Germany, cannot be O\eresti-
Der l..ibc:r Ordinarius de Liittichcr St. Jakobs-I<Iosters (Miimtcr in
Westf., 1923: Beitr.iac zur Ccschichte des :dten Moocfltums und des
Bencdil:tinerordc:ns, I 0).
Op. cit . lxvi-lxx. Op. cit., baii.
op. cit., Jmii.
INFLUENCE OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 203
Of the dioceses which discarded their own rite to take that of
the Dominicans, we might begin with Agram (or Zagreba), a
huge diocese in Croatia. In 1303, Blessed Augustine of Trau
became its bishop. The diocese was in a most wretched condi
tion. Bitter and prolonged ci_vil \\'41JS had reduced the people to
po .. erty, while the absence of their spiritual shepherds had
brought the flock to the verge of irreligion. One gets the im
pres-sion from historical records that the clergy of the diocese
knew considerably more about swords and battle-axes than they
did about missals and breo.iarics. Possibly because of this, the
saintly bishop in his efforts to rebuild spiritual life introduced
the Dominican rite as the official rite of the diocese. Whate\er
the reason may ha.,e been, the liturgy of the Friars Preachers
remained the rite of that diocese for ova three hundred years.
Another diocese that joined the Dominican family was that
of Luoera, in Southern ltlly. In 1478, Sixtus IV appointed the
learned and \'ersatile Pietio as its bishop. In the four-
teen years he was in charge of the diocese. Ranzano completely
transformed it by restoring ecclesiastical discipline and by rais-
ing dhine worship once more to its proper place. It was during
his episcopacy that the Dominican rite became the diocesan rite
by an Apostolic Indult. Luccra continued to use the Dominj.
can arrangement until 1568, when Pius V abolished all the later
rites. While the rite of the Friars Preachers was old enough to
merit exemption, the Diocese of Lucera had been using that rite
for only about ninety years. It therefore v.'3s obliged to adopt
the new version of the Roman Ritc.:-T
sigismoodo Feznri, De rebus Hwrpa Prcwillciiu Ord. Plll!d., lli.
See abO John Thomas Mamavidl, Vita B. 9 (in 11ppendix to
Prooeclin& book); abo in Acta SS., I AIJiUSti. 293.
"'Altamura, Bibiiothecz DominiC:JD81 etc., 214 (ad annum 1492);
SSOP, I. 876, 878.
204 THE DOMINICAN UTURGY
But it was in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries that the
Dominican liturgy gained its greatest popularity. There was
hardly a diocese in that part of Europe that was completely
immune from Dominican liturgical inftuence. Nearly evety-
where, from Sweden and Finland (where the Dominican version
was used as a foundation for the local uses) to Estonia and Nor-
(where the inftuence was less pronounced}, one could
easil) perceive the Dominican stamp on the liturgical life of the
Northern Church.
Dominican missionaries had penetrated into the Scandina\rian
countries at an early date. At the request of Geoffrey, provost
of St. Peter's at Sweden, St. Dominic had sent in 1220
two missionaries to begin work in that distant land.:zs Domini
can activities so prospered there that eight years later the Order
created a new province which was called Dacia.
20
It comprised
Denmark, Norwa), and Sweden. That the influence of the
Dominicans in those countries \11'35 both deep and furrc:IChing.
is attested to by many nati\'C writers. Thus, Gustaf Lindberg,
while comparing the work of the Dominicans and the Fran
ciscans in the Far North, states that, while the latter ministered
chiefly to the more common people, "the Dominicans, who had
a more aristocratic and intellectual character, de\'Oted them-
sehes to study and to the building of schools. Attaching them-
selves to cathedrals and settling in the larger cities, they (the.
Dominicans] exercised their leadership from above." ao>
It was inevitable that the prestige enjoyed by the Friars
Preachers in these countries should ha.,e left its mark upon the
LiDCfberg, Die l\.fi$SIIlic:n des MiUelaJfen, 375; Wall,
Compendium Histori&: O.P., 228.
Act.a Cap. Geu., I. 3.
op. cit. 374.
INFLUENCE OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 205
Scandinavian Churches. The Norwegian liturgy was clearly
influenced by the rite,
31
while in Sweden not only
was the Dominican calendar adopted (the national feasts being
merel) superadded to it), but the missal unmistakably
the Dominican basis.u It is for this rea!ilOn that Lindberg, in
speaking of the Swedish missals of the Middle Ages, observes:
'11Je similarities between the Upsala missal and the Dominican
arc so ob\ious and so numerous that Vi'C ha\'C to admit the di
rcct inftucnce of the latter."
38
The spread of the
rite in East Prussia, Latvia and Esthonia was due partly to the
large number of Dominic!an missionaries who labored there for
the oomcrsion of the heathens, and partl) to the fact that the
conquerors of those lands, the Teutonic Knights, themselves
followed the Dominican rite. It was thus that the Dominican
liturgy was introduced into Lat\'ia and Esthonia ( Estland).
The Knights attempted to impose their liturgical boob on the
clergy of Riga but were not su((;es:sful; u ne\ertbeless, the Do-
minican rite left e .. ident impressions on the Latvian
In remote Finland, the sons of St. Dominic established their
sphere of inftuence without the aid of a Milital}' Order. In
discwsing the transition from "the undeniably primitiYe liturgi-
cal S)'Stems" to a uniform liturgy, :\arno Malin remarks that. as
far back as secular sources can be traced, they demonstrate that
it [the Finnish calendar] was patterned out and out after the
"'Wede1Jar1sberg.. Une de rHistoirc des 17.
11
Lindberg. op. cit.. 238, 383.
"Op. cit., 383.
"'Malin, Der Heiligenblenrhr FinnJaDd:s, 201202.
For 11n liOOOUnt of the Do1ninicm influence on LatviA, $CC Hermann
v. BruiniJl&Jc. Mese und bnonisclles .BK'h dem Brlluche der
Ripschen Kirche im spllferen Mittehlter, '2 ff (Cc$ellschaft fllr Ce-
scbidlte uod Alterturll$1cundc :zu Riga, 19): G. roo W:dtbe:rWitten'beim.
Die Domin.ihncr In Livl11nd im Mittellllter, 6566 (Oi$slcrtatiooc:s His-
O.P., IX).
206 THE DOMINICAN LITURGY
Dominican calendar. Thus, if we: eliminate hom our calendars
the Nordic and other subsequent additions, we are :able to
recognize tlJe hamework as Dominican. \Vc find also that the
entire liturgical service of the Church, the !\lass as well as the
Dhine Office, was fundamentally Dominican, at least after the
end of the fourteenth century. . .. "
80
Malin belie\es that the
Dominican rite "gradually found its way into the Finnish
churches as early as the second half of the thirteenth century,"
and that Bishop Benedict (1321-1338) merely "conferred an
official status on the liturgy already established in his dio-
cese!'
8
' Deeply impressed by what "his study of the Finnish
liturgical boob revealed, Malin exclaims: "So decisi\e an effect
on the liturgy of the secular Church by a monastic Order as
that exerted in the Diocese of Finland by the Dominicans, must
ha\'C been extreme!)' rare in the church history of those
times."
88
E\cn the royal courts joined the circle of admirers. Accord-
ing to La .. ocat, the Dominican rite became the official rite of
the royal court of England under Edward Ill (1327-1377),
89
and we learn from a letter of Boniface IX, dated 8 September,
1398, and addressed to King Richard II of Engbnd, that the
King and the cletgy of the court (including the seculars) re-
cited the Dhine Office according to the rite of the Frian
Preachers;.o Since the Dominicans were so powerful at most
of the European courts, such instances must have been quite
numerous.tt
0p. cit., 18-f. The italics are Malin's.
"Ibid., 19l. Ibid., 201.
"La Liturpe Dominicaioe" in utwgia, 86J.
BOP, II, 352.
0
On Dominic:alls in the royal courts, consult Mandonnet, 5mnt Domi
nique, I. 211-212.
INFLUENCE OF THE DOMINICAN RITE 207
The popularity of Humbert's revision was not limited to the
Western Church. Amazing as it may seem, it made inroads
even in the Eastem Church. Before entering into the details of
this unusual conquest, let us notice brie8y a Greek episode.
On 2) February, 1398, Pope Boniface IX authori7-ed Maxi
mus Chrysobergcs of Constantinople to found a monastery in
Grccce and to say :Mass in Greek but according to the Domiru"
can
In pursuance of the plan, Manuel Chrysoloras, the
celebrated Greek scholar, translated the Dominican missal into