Apostolic Tradition
Encyclopedia
The Apostolic Tradition (or Egyptian Church Order) is an early Christian
treatise which belongs to genre
of the Church Orders
. It has been described as of "incomparable importance as a source of information about church life and liturgy
in the third century".
Re-discovered in the 19th century, it was given the name of Egyptian Church Order. In the first half of 20th century this text was unanimously identified with the lost Apostolic Tradition presumed by Hippolytus of Rome. Due to this attribution, this manual played a crucial role in the liturgical reforms of main mainstream Christian bodies. Recent scholarship has highly contested this attribution.
If the Apostolic Tradition was work of Hippolytus, it could be dated about 215 CE and its origin would be Rome
. On the contrary recent scholars (see Bradshaw) believe that it contains material of separate sources ranging from the middle second to the forth century, being gathered and compiled on about 375-400 CE, probably in Egypt
or even to Syria
. Some scholars also suggest that the Apostolic Tradition portrays a liturgy that was never celebrated.
, the Alexandrine Sinodos
and the Verona Palimpsest
. The Alexandrine Sinodos was re-discovered in the 19th century: the Bohairic Coptic version was published in 1848 by Tattam, the Sahidic Coptic version was published in 1883 by Paul de Lagarde
, the Ge'ez
and Arabic
versions in 1904 by George William Horner
. The second text found in these version was named by the publishers Egyptian Church Order and corresponds to what is now usually known as Apostolic Tradition.
The text was also part of the Latin
collection known as Verona Palimpsest
, where it takes the third position. This version was published in 1900 by Edmund Hauler
but only half of the text was preserved.
A critical edition was produced by Gregory Dix
in 1937, and in 1946 by B. Botte
Fragments which contain chapter 36 of the probable Greek
original text were found by M. Richard in 1975 One of this fragments includes the probable original title of the text, Diataxis (Ordinances) of the Holy Apostles.
, rediscovered in the 19th century, which was given the name of Egyptian Church Order, was identified with the lost Apostolic Tradition presumed by Hippolytus of Rome by Edward von der Goltz in 1906 and later by Eduard Schwartz
in 1910 and by R.H. Connolly in 1916. This attribution was unanimously accepted by the scholars of that period, and became well-recognized by the works of Gregory Dix
, in particular his famous The Shape of the Liturgy 1945. The attribution to Hippolytus was based on following data:
The attribution of the Apostolic Tradition to Hippolytus of Rome have been recently under heavy attack. Thus according to recent scholars the Apostolic Tradition is, or a work written by an other priest named Hippolytus but lived probably in Alexandria
, or it contains material of separate sources ranging from the middle second to the forth century. The reasons given to support this understanding are the following:
and Church organization
. It can be divided in a prologue
(chaper 1) and three main sections.
The first section, chapters 2 to 14, deals with the rituals of the organization of the Church, and it follows a hierarchical order starting from the bishops up to the lower levels of the structure. The content can be so summarized:
The second section, chapters 15 to 21, is about the catechumenate and the baptism
:
The last section, chapters 22 to 43, is a compilation of rules about the community, listed without a clear order:
and the Verona Palimpsest
. Being included in the Alexandrine Sinodos, it was held to be authoritative in Asia Minor
, Syria, Egypt and Ethiopia
, where it was copied and re-edited.
The Apostolic Tradition was also used as basis for great part of the eighth book of the Apostolic Constitutions
, which had a great diffusion in antiquity. Also the ancient Canons of Hippolytus
, Testamentum Domini
and Epitome of the eighth Book of the Apostolic Constitutions derive from it.
The text of the Apostolic Tradition, believed to be authentically a work describing the early 3rd century Roman liturgy, has been widely influential on liturgical scholarship in the twentieth century and it was one of the pillars of the liturgical movement
. The anaphora included in chapter four was extensively used in preparing reforms for the Book of Common Prayer
and the United Methodist Liturgies found in the current United Methodist Hymnal. This anaphora is also the inspiration for the Eucharistic Prayer n. II of the Catholic Mass of Paul VI
.
The Roman Catholic prayer of ordination of bishops, renewed after the Second Vatican Council
, has been re-written and based on the one included in the Apostolic Tradition.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
treatise which belongs to genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of the Church Orders
Ancient Church Orders
Ancient Church Orders is a genre of early Christian literature, ranging from 1st to 5th century, which has the aim to offer authoritative "apostolic" prescriptions on matters of moral conduct, liturgy and Church organization....
. It has been described as of "incomparable importance as a source of information about church life and liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
in the third century".
Re-discovered in the 19th century, it was given the name of Egyptian Church Order. In the first half of 20th century this text was unanimously identified with the lost Apostolic Tradition presumed by Hippolytus of Rome. Due to this attribution, this manual played a crucial role in the liturgical reforms of main mainstream Christian bodies. Recent scholarship has highly contested this attribution.
If the Apostolic Tradition was work of Hippolytus, it could be dated about 215 CE and its origin would be Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. On the contrary recent scholars (see Bradshaw) believe that it contains material of separate sources ranging from the middle second to the forth century, being gathered and compiled on about 375-400 CE, probably in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
or even to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Some scholars also suggest that the Apostolic Tradition portrays a liturgy that was never celebrated.
Manuscript Tradition
The text of the Apostolic Tradition was part of two main ancient collections of the Church OrdersAncient Church Orders
Ancient Church Orders is a genre of early Christian literature, ranging from 1st to 5th century, which has the aim to offer authoritative "apostolic" prescriptions on matters of moral conduct, liturgy and Church organization....
, the Alexandrine Sinodos
Alexandrine Sinodos
The Alexandrine Sinodos is a Christian collection of Church Orders. This collection can be dated in the 4th or 5th century CE, even if it is composed by more ancient texts...
and the Verona Palimpsest
Verona Palimpsest
The Verona Palimpsest is manuscript, dated about the 494 CE, which contains a Christian collection of Church Orders in Latin...
. The Alexandrine Sinodos was re-discovered in the 19th century: the Bohairic Coptic version was published in 1848 by Tattam, the Sahidic Coptic version was published in 1883 by Paul de Lagarde
Paul de Lagarde
Paul Anton de Lagarde was a polymath German biblical scholar and orientalist. He also took some part in politics. He belonged to the Prussian Conservative party, and was a violent antisemite. The bitterness which he felt appeared in his writings...
, the Ge'ez
Ge'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
versions in 1904 by George William Horner
George William Horner
George William Horner , was a biblical scholar, editor of the text of the New Testament in dialects of Coptic language.Bohairic version Horner edited in 4 volumes from 1898 to 1905, Sahidic version edited in 7 volumes from 1911 to 1924....
. The second text found in these version was named by the publishers Egyptian Church Order and corresponds to what is now usually known as Apostolic Tradition.
The text was also part of the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
collection known as Verona Palimpsest
Verona Palimpsest
The Verona Palimpsest is manuscript, dated about the 494 CE, which contains a Christian collection of Church Orders in Latin...
, where it takes the third position. This version was published in 1900 by Edmund Hauler
Edmund Hauler
Edmund Hauler was an Austrian classical philologist born in Ofen. His father, Johann Hauler was also a classical philologist.-Life and works:...
but only half of the text was preserved.
A critical edition was produced by Gregory Dix
Gregory Dix
George Eglinton Alston Dix was an English monk and priest of Nashdom Abbey, an Anglican Benedictine community. He was a noted liturgical scholar whose work had particular influence on the reform of Anglican liturgy in the mid-20th century.-Life:Dix was born in Woolwich...
in 1937, and in 1946 by B. Botte
Fragments which contain chapter 36 of the probable Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
original text were found by M. Richard in 1975 One of this fragments includes the probable original title of the text, Diataxis (Ordinances) of the Holy Apostles.
Attribution to Hippolytus
The section of the Alexandrine SinodosAlexandrine Sinodos
The Alexandrine Sinodos is a Christian collection of Church Orders. This collection can be dated in the 4th or 5th century CE, even if it is composed by more ancient texts...
, rediscovered in the 19th century, which was given the name of Egyptian Church Order, was identified with the lost Apostolic Tradition presumed by Hippolytus of Rome by Edward von der Goltz in 1906 and later by Eduard Schwartz
Eduard Schwartz
Eduard Schwartz was a German classical philologist.Born in Kiel, he studied under Hermann Usener, Mommsen and Wilamovitz-Moellendorf. Schwartz taught in at least half a dozen universities culminating with a post in Munich. He published numerous articles and works in the area of Greek and Roman...
in 1910 and by R.H. Connolly in 1916. This attribution was unanimously accepted by the scholars of that period, and became well-recognized by the works of Gregory Dix
Gregory Dix
George Eglinton Alston Dix was an English monk and priest of Nashdom Abbey, an Anglican Benedictine community. He was a noted liturgical scholar whose work had particular influence on the reform of Anglican liturgy in the mid-20th century.-Life:Dix was born in Woolwich...
, in particular his famous The Shape of the Liturgy 1945. The attribution to Hippolytus was based on following data:
- in 1551 Pirro LigorioPirro LigorioPirro Ligorio was an Italian architect, painter, antiquarian and garden designer.-Biography:Ligorio was born in Naples. In 1534 he moved to Rome, where he developed his interest in antiquities, and was named superintendent to the ancient monuments by the Popes Pius IV and Paul IV...
found a ancient Roman marble statue of a seated figure near Campo Verano in RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and moved it to the Vatican LibraryVatican LibraryThe Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
where it is up to now. On one side of the seat was carved in Greek a paschal cyclePaschal cycleThe Paschal cycle in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, is the cycle of the moveable feasts built around Pascha . The cycle consists of approximately ten weeks before and seven weeks after Pascha. The ten weeks before Pascha are known as the period of the Triodion...
, which remembered the one attributed to Hyppolitus, and on the other side the titles of numerous writings, some of them by Hippolytus, and one named "On the charismata - Apostolic Tradition". This brought the scholars to presume the existence of a writing named Apostolic Tradition by Hippolytus. Recent research on this statue arrives to a different conclusion. - the name Hippolytus is present in later Ancient Church OrdersAncient Church OrdersAncient Church Orders is a genre of early Christian literature, ranging from 1st to 5th century, which has the aim to offer authoritative "apostolic" prescriptions on matters of moral conduct, liturgy and Church organization....
clearly derived by the text of the Apostolic Tradition, the Canons of HippolytusCanons of HippolytusThe Canons of Hippolytus is a Christian text composed by 38 decrees and belongs to genre of the Church Orders. The work can be dated on about 336 to 340 CE even if a slightly later date is sometime proposed...
and The Constitutions through Hippolytus. - the term "Apostolic Tradition" itself is found in both the first and last page of the text.
The attribution of the Apostolic Tradition to Hippolytus of Rome have been recently under heavy attack. Thus according to recent scholars the Apostolic Tradition is, or a work written by an other priest named Hippolytus but lived probably in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, or it contains material of separate sources ranging from the middle second to the forth century. The reasons given to support this understanding are the following:
- the statue found in 1551 was without head, and the present bearded head was added later by Ligorio himself. The statue was very probably carved as a copy of a famous statue of Themista of LampsacusThemista of LampsacusThemista of Lampsacus, the wife of Leonteus, was a student of Epicurus, early in the 3rd century BCE. Epicurus' school was unusual in the 3rd century, in that it allowed women to attend, and we also hear of Leontion attending Epicurus' school around the same time...
, a woman. The list of engraved titles includes many works which aren’t by Hippolytus, while it lacks most of the works surely ascribable to him. This sculpture was probably placed in the ancient library of the PantheonPantheon, RomeThe Pantheon ,Rarely Pantheum. This appears in Pliny's Natural History in describing this edifice: Agrippae Pantheum decoravit Diogenes Atheniensis; in columnis templi eius Caryatides probantur inter pauca operum, sicut in fastigio posita signa, sed propter altitudinem loci minus celebrata.from ,...
personifying one of the sciences and the engraved list could be the catalog of volumes kept nearby, a common use in Ancient Rome; - the title engraved on the statue refers to also to charismata, but the Apostolic Tradition doesn’t deal with this argument;
- the name “Hippolytus” is found in transmission of the Church Orders only about one century and half after his death;
- the reference to Hippolytus and to a tradition coming from the Apostles in later Church Orders can be easily explained with the high level of pseudepigraphy typical of this genre;
- the probable original title of this treatise was discovered in 1975 on a Greek fragment and it is not the one engraved in the statue's basement;
- the form of liturgy it describes are quite different from the other information we have about the Christian uses in ancient Rome and are by far more in line with the forms of Church life in AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
or in SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
Content
The Apostolic Tradition, as the other Church Orders, has the aim to offer authoritative "apostolic" prescriptions on matters of moral conduct, liturgyLiturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
and Church organization
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
. It can be divided in a prologue
Prologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
(chaper 1) and three main sections.
The first section, chapters 2 to 14, deals with the rituals of the organization of the Church, and it follows a hierarchical order starting from the bishops up to the lower levels of the structure. The content can be so summarized:
- chapters 2 and 3: the election and the liturgical ordinationOrdinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
of the bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
; - chapter 4: the EucharistEucharistThe Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
at the consecration of the bishop. It is the well-known Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition; - chapters 5 and 6: the liturgical offering of oil, cheese and olives;
- chapter 7: the ordination of presbyterPresbyterPresbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
s; - chapter 8: the ordination of deaconDeaconDeacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
s; - chapter 9: about the confessors of faithConfessor of the FaithThe title Confessor, the short form of Confessor of the Faith, is a title given by the Christian Church to a type of saint.-Western Christianity:...
; - chapter 10: about the widows;
- chapters 11 to 14: the reader, the virgin, the subdeaconSubdeacon-Subdeacons in the Orthodox Church:A subdeacon or hypodeacon is the highest of the minor orders of clergy in the Orthodox Church. This order is higher than the reader and lower than the deacon.-Canonical Discipline:...
, the gift of healingSpiritual giftIn Christianity, spiritual gifts are endowments given by the Holy Spirit. These are the supernatural graces which individual Christians need to fulfill the mission of the church. They are described in the New Testament, primarily in , , and . also touches on the spiritual gifts...
.
The second section, chapters 15 to 21, is about the catechumenate and the baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
:
- chapter 15: the first step in the catechumenate: the questions about marriage status and whether they are slave or free;
- chapter 16: the questions about occupation and moral conduct. Some works are not considered compatible with the Christian life: these works include also the sculptor, painter, actor, teacher of children, charioteer and gladiatorGladiatorA gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
. - chapter 17: the length of the preliminary instruction, about three years;
- chapters 18 and 19: the ritual at the end of the preliminary instruction;
- chapter 20: the final examination and the preparation in the days before the baptism;
- chapter 21: the detailed description of the baptismal liturgy.
The last section, chapters 22 to 43, is a compilation of rules about the community, listed without a clear order:
- chapter 22: about the distribution of the CommunionEucharistThe Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
; - chapter 23: about fastingFastingFasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
; - chapter 24: about the distribution of the Communion to sick persons;
- chapters 25 and 26: description of a liturgical dinner;
- chapters 27 to 30: more prescriptions about the liturgical dinner;
- chapters 31 and 32: about the offering to the bishop of the first-fruits;
- chapter 33: about fasting at EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
; - chapter 34: the deacons shall stay near the bishop;
- chapter 35: the prayer in the morning before beginning work;
- chapters 36 to 38: about eating and keeping the Eucharist;
- chapter 39: everyday meetings of presbyters and deacons;
- chapter 40: about the burial places;
- chapter 41: about daily prayer of all the believers;
- chapter 42: about the Sign of the CrossSign of the crossThe Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
; - chapter 43: conclusion.
Fortune
The text of the Apostolic Tradition was part of two main ancient collections of the Church Orders, the Alexandrine SinodosAlexandrine Sinodos
The Alexandrine Sinodos is a Christian collection of Church Orders. This collection can be dated in the 4th or 5th century CE, even if it is composed by more ancient texts...
and the Verona Palimpsest
Verona Palimpsest
The Verona Palimpsest is manuscript, dated about the 494 CE, which contains a Christian collection of Church Orders in Latin...
. Being included in the Alexandrine Sinodos, it was held to be authoritative in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, Syria, Egypt and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, where it was copied and re-edited.
The Apostolic Tradition was also used as basis for great part of the eighth book of the Apostolic Constitutions
Apostolic Constitutions
The Apostolic Constitutions is a Christian collection of eight treatises which belongs to genre of the Church Orders. The work can be dated from 375 to 380 AD. The provenience is usually regarded as Syria, probably Antioch...
, which had a great diffusion in antiquity. Also the ancient Canons of Hippolytus
Canons of Hippolytus
The Canons of Hippolytus is a Christian text composed by 38 decrees and belongs to genre of the Church Orders. The work can be dated on about 336 to 340 CE even if a slightly later date is sometime proposed...
, Testamentum Domini
Testamentum Domini
Testamentum Domini is a Christian treatise which belongs to genre of the Church Orders. The work can be dated about the 5th century CE even if a 4th century date is sometime proposed...
and Epitome of the eighth Book of the Apostolic Constitutions derive from it.
The text of the Apostolic Tradition, believed to be authentically a work describing the early 3rd century Roman liturgy, has been widely influential on liturgical scholarship in the twentieth century and it was one of the pillars of the liturgical movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
. The anaphora included in chapter four was extensively used in preparing reforms for the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
and the United Methodist Liturgies found in the current United Methodist Hymnal. This anaphora is also the inspiration for the Eucharistic Prayer n. II of the Catholic Mass of Paul VI
Mass of Paul VI
The Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Catholic Mass of the Roman Rite promulgated by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council...
.
The Roman Catholic prayer of ordination of bishops, renewed after the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, has been re-written and based on the one included in the Apostolic Tradition.