The Epiphany. The Lessons. cumcision of Christ: the first Evening Lesson, and the second Lessons, and the Epistle, all show that, since the Gen. xvii. 9. outward rite is abrogated, the spiritual circumcision of the heart is required in order to our acceptance with God. Deut. x. 12. Rom. ii. The Collect. Antiquity of the Festival. Its design. The Collect is taken from a Benediction in the Sacramentary of Gregory: Omnipotens Deus, cujus Unigenitus hodierna die, ne legem solveret, quam adimplere venerat, corporalem suscepit circumcisionem; spiritali circumcisione mentes vestras ab omnibus vitiorum incentivis expurget; et suam in vos infundat benedictionem.1 A rubric was added in 1552, which shows that the idea of a daily Communion, in place of the daily Mass, had by that time passed away :-If there be a Sunday between the Epiphany and the Circumcision, there shall be used the same Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, at the Communion, which was used upon the day of Circumcision. This rubric continued until the last revision, when it was expressed in more general terms. The feast of the Epiphany is the earliest of those which may now be called the Christmas Festivals. The first historical notice of it is found in Clement of Alexandria 2 (200); and in the time of Chrysostom (400) it is spoken of as an old and leading festival of the Asiatic Church. The earliest distinct trace of it in the West is found in Gaul in nearly the middle of the fourth century. The design of the feast is to show our gratitude to God for admitting the Gentiles to those religious privileges which had been confined to the Jews. There are three manifestations of our Saviour commemorated on this day: 1 Greg. Sacr. In Octavis Domini, Benedictio, p. 14. 2 Clem, Alex. Opp. 1. 408, ed. Potter. 3 Chrysost. Homil. de Baptismo Christi, Opp. II. 367, ed. Bened. 4 Ammian. Marcell. Hist. XXI. 2. See Guericke, pp. 163–167. The Epiphany. Luke iii. I-22. I-II. the first, mentioned in the Collect and the Gospel, the declaration of the birth of Christ to the wise men of the East;1 the second, related in the second Morning Lesson, The Lessons, the manifestation of the Trinity at the baptism of Christ;2 the third is the manifestation of the glory and divinity of John ii. Christ by His first miracle of turning water into wine,3 related in the second Evening Lesson. The first Lessons Isa. Ix. contain prophecies of the increase of the Church by the abundant access of the Gentiles; and the Epistle * declares that the mystery of the Gospel was revealed to them. From Christmas to Epiphany the design of the proper Services is to set forth the humanity of our Saviour; and from Epiphany to Septuagesima to show the Divine nature of the Son of Man by relating in the Gospels some of His first miracles. The design of the Epistles is to excite us to the imitation of Christ, and to show ourselves His disciples by the practice of Christian virtues. The following are the originals of the Collects : Deus, qui hodierna die Unigenitum tuum gentibus stella duce revelasti: concede propitius, ut qui jam te ex fide cognovimus, usque ad contemplandam speciem tuæ celsitudinis perducamur.5 Vota, quæsumus, Domine, supplicantis populi cœlesti pietate prosequere : ut et quæ agenda sunt videant, et ad implenda quæ viderint convalescant." 1 This was the chief object commemorated by the Western Church: hence it was the festum trium regum, and held in honour of Christ as the Redeemer of the Gentile world. Guericke, p. 165. This was the original object of the festival in the Eastern Church: hence it was a solemn time for baptism, and was called τὰ φῶτα, ἡμέρα τῶν φώτων, τὰ ἅγια φῶτα τῶν ἐπιpaviwv. Greg. Naz. Orat. in Sancta Lumina, Opp. I. 624; Guericke, P. 164. This was associated with the Isa. xlix. The Collect for the Epi phany: First Sunday after the Epiphany. The Epiphany. Second. Third. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. The Sundays before Lent. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui cœlestia simul et terrena moderaris: supplicationes populi tui clementer exaudi, et pacem tuam nostris concede temporibus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, infirmitatem nostram propitius respice; atque ad protegendum nos dexteram tuæ majestatis ostende. Deus, qui nos in tantis periculis constitutos pro humana scis fragilitate non posse subsistere: da nobis salutem mentis et corporis; ut ea quæ pro peccatis nostris patimur, te adjuvante, vincamus.1 Familiam tuam, quæsumus, Domine, continua pietate custodi ; ut quæ in sola spe gratiæ cœlestis innititur, tua semper protectione muniatur. In the Sarum Missal, the Sundays were reckoned from the octave of Epiphany; so that no propria had been required for more than five Sundays. In reckoning them more simply in 1549 from the Epiphany itself (omitting the 'Sunday within the octave,' or 'the octave Sunday,' whichever it might be), some provision was needed for a sixth Sunday; which, as being seldom required, was supplied by a rubric:-The vi. Sunday (if there be so many) shall have the same Psalm [Introit], Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, that was upon the fifth Sunday. Our present Collect, Epistle, and Gospel were appointed in 1661. They refer more particularly to the manifestation of Christ's glory at His second coming, because they are more commonly read on the second Sunday before Advent,2 than on the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. From this time the Sundays begin to be reckoned with reference to the coming Easter: and as the first 1 This is the fifth Collect after the Sunday was taken from the beginning of the same chapter, which had been read on the Friday after the first Sunday : feria vi. post Dominicam i. post octav. Epiph. 2 See the rubric, 25th Sunday after Trinity. Sunday in Lent, being about forty days before Easter, was therefore called Quadragesima Sunday;1 and the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, being fifty days before Easter, was called Quinquagesima Sunday; the names of the two preceding Sundays were given from the next decads, sixty and seventy; and they were called Sexagesima and Septuagesima Sundays. Lent. The design of the Services on these Sundays is to call us away from the joy of Christmas, in order to prepare ourselves for the fasting and humiliation of Lent; from the manner of Christ's coming into the world, to think of our sins, which were the cause of the sufferings of His life. The first Lessons are taken from those chapters of The Lessons. Genesis which relate the creation and the fall of man, and his wickedness and punishment by the deluge. The design of the Epistles and Gospels is to persuade to acts of self-denial and religious duty, and to recommend charity and faith, as the necessary foundation for all religious actions. The following were the Collects in the Sarum Missal:Preces populi tui, quæsumus, Domine, clementer exaudi; ut qui juste pro peccatis nostris affligimur, pro tui nominis gloria misericorditer liberemur.2 The Collect for Septua gesima, Sexagesima, Deus qui conspicis quia ex nulla nostra actione confidimus : concede propitius, ut contra adversa omnia doctoris gentium protectione muniamur.3 Preces nostras, quæsumus, Domine, clementer exaudi: atque a Quinqua peccatorum vinculis absolutos ab omni nos adversitate custodi.4 1 It would also have this name from being the first Sunday in the quadragesimal, or forty-day fast. 2 Miss. Sar. Dominica in lxx. col. 108. The Epistle had been continued into the following chapter: this part was omitted in 1549, as introducing another distinct subject. 3 Dom. in lx. col. 114. The Epistle had been continued to the ninth verse of chap. xii., and thus 4 Dom. in l. col. 121. This Col- gesima. Lent. Its antiquity. Ash The fast of Lent, as a preparation for the solemn festival of Easter, is of primitive observance, though not of Apostolical institution. The original duration of the fast appears to have been forty hours, in commemoration of the time that elapsed from the noon of Friday, when our Saviour began to yield to the power of death, until His resurrection. But in the time of Irenæus and Tertullian other days were added to these, varying in different Churches; until, in the fifth century, the usual fast was kept for thirty-six days, or six weeks, deducting the Sundays; and in the eighth century, in the pontificate of Gregory II., Ash Wednesday and the other three days were added to Lent, and the Quadragesimal fast was observed during forty days. Its employment was to prepare the catechumens for Baptism, and penitents for Absolution, and the whole body of Christians for a worthy participation of the Communion at Easter.4. 2 The first day of Lent is now commonly called Ash Wednesday (dies cinerum), from the ceremony, described by Gratian, as used towards those who were admitted to penance. It was also called caput jejunii, as being the confession, in order to receive the 1 Lent: Anglo-Saxon, Lencten; in Evangel. I. 16, Opp. I. 1494. Some Eastern Churches extended the thirty-six fasting days over seven weeks by deducting Sundays and Saturdays, except Easter Eve. Sozomen, Hist. Eccl. VII. 19. 3 See Bingham, Antiq. Bk. xxI. ch. i.; Guericke, Antiq. pp. 140 sq. It will be remembered that many periods of forty days occur as seasons of sorrow or abstinence: the rain of the deluge: the twice-repeated fast of Moses; the fast of Elijah; the space of repentance allowed to the Ninevites; and the fast of our blessed Saviour. 4 Bingham, ibid. §§ 11-13. 5 The bishop gives them imposition of hands, sprinkles them with |