Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 133 



In this liturgy of the fourth century we see much more clearly the 

 dramatic character of the service, which may now be roughly divided 

 into two acts. The Eucharist holds as ever the commanding posi- 

 tion. The first act is one of preparation ; the second leads directly 

 to the Eucharist, its fitting climax. 



As to the method of division in this inchoate drama there may be 

 different views. Klein,' having in mind the Liturgy of St. Chrysos- 

 tom,^ in which a * Preparation ' precedes the Introit, casts the church 

 service into three acts, the first closing immediately before the In- 

 troit, the second before the Great Entrance. Dr. Schaff^ holds that 

 every Oriental liturgy is a symbolical drama of two acts, the second 

 act beginning with Sursum Corda. It might be as satisfactory to 

 consider the liturgy as a drama of two acts, the first beginning with 

 the Introit — the Introduction, where there is one, being treated 

 as a species of prologue — and the second opening with the Great 

 Entrance. 



The exact method of division is immaterial. The fact remains 

 that we have in the Clementine Liturgy a dramatic framework which 

 needed only the interspersion of the quick exchange of act and 

 speech to form a veritable drama. This need, however, was a serious 

 one, and a rival sect was not slow, as we shall see, to take advan- 

 tage of the defect. 



In some form singing of psalms had been a feature of the church 

 worship from the first. There had been some definite assignment of 

 musical parts in temple and synagogue worship ;* moreover. Psalms 

 24 and 134 appear to have been composed for antiphonal singing. 

 Philo speaks of such singing among the Essenes, in language which 

 agrees closely with that used by Basil, Bishop of Csesarea, in 

 370 A. D., when he says,^ "And now, divided into two parts, they 

 sing alternately to each other. Afterwards they commit the leading 

 of the melody to one, and the rest follow him." Pliny's statement 

 that the Christians sang " amongst themselves in turn " proves its 

 survival among the Christians. 



Nevertheless, whatever the method of singing may have been, that 

 lively alternation, which gives movement and interest to antiphonal 

 singing, must have been lacking. Indeed there are signs that music 

 itself fell into disuse or was of little prominence, for no writer after 

 St. Chrysostom could have omitted, as did Justin Martyr," all men- 

 tion of it, in a description of the service. 



1 Klein, vol. 4, p. 10. a Burbidge, Front. s Schaflf, vol. 3, p. 534. 



4 Smith's Diet, of Cliristian Biog. s. v. Ignatius. R Burbidge, p. 13. 6 Seo p. 132. 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. IX. October, 1892. 



n 



