“First, the Introit was played on the organ, accompanied by the choir in Latin, as in the mass offering. Indeed, the minister meanwhile proceeded from the sacristy dressed sacrificially [in traditional vestments] and, kneeling before the altar, made his confession together with the assisting sacristan. After the confession he ascended to the altar to the book that was located on the right side, according to papist custom.
“After the Introit the organ was played and the Kyrie eleison sung in alternation by the boys. When it was done the minister sang Gloria in excelsis, which song was completed in alternation by the organ and choir. Thereafter the minister at the altar sang Dominus vobiscum, the choir responding Et cum spiritu tuo. The collect for that day followed in Latin, then he sang the Epistle in Latin, after which the organ was played, the choir following with Herr Gott Vater, wohn uns bei.
“When it was done the Gospel for that Sunday was sung by the minister in Latin on the left side of the altar, as is the custom of the adherents of the pope. After this the organ played, and the choir followed with Wir glauben all an einen Gott. After this song came the sermon, which [Martin] Bucer delivered on the Gospel for that Sunday in the presence of Luther and Philipp [Melanchthon]. After the sermon the choir sang Da pacem domine [Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord], followed by the prayer for peace by the minister at the altar, this in Latin as well.
“The communion followed, which the minister began with the Lord’s Prayer sung in German. Then he sang the words of the Supper, and these in German with his back turned toward the people, first those of the bread, which, when the words had been offered, he then elevated to the sounding of bells; likewise with the chalice, which he also elevated to the sounding of bells.
“Immediately communion was held. Pomeranus [Johann Bugenhagen] went first, then Fabricius Capito, and after him Bucer. During the communion the Agnus Dei was sung in Latin. The minister served the bread in common dress but [the minister who served] the chalice dressed sacrificially [in traditional vestments]. “They followed the singing of the Agnus Dei with a German song: Jesus Christus [unser Heiland] and Gott sei gelobet.
“After the sermon the majority of the people departed. Even Luther himself, because he felt dizzy during the communion, had to leave attended by Philipp.
“The minister ended the communion with a certain thanksgiving sung in German. He followed this, facing the people, with the Benediction, singing “The Lord make his face to shine on you, etc.” And thus was the mass ended.” (Wolfgang Musculus, from his travel diary describing the mass he attended in Wittenberg on May 28, 1536, as quoted in Herl, Worship Wars in Early Lutheranism, pp. 195ff.)
A couple of points I think could be made of the above.
- This was not early on or even in a transitional period of the Reformation but well after Luther issued the liturgical forms of both the Formula Missae and Deutche Messe -- the Reformation approaching middle age.
- This was not the report of Lutherans attempting to make a theological statement about what could or should be but the observed practice of the heart of the Reformation by an outsider taking notes.
- This was a form and practice of the Mass not at all unlike or fearful of being labeled papist but reflecting the catholic claims and practices of the Augustana.
Now a couple of points we might imagine of such a visit today.
- While in some parishes of the LCMS the same visitor would find organic unity to what had been observed in Wittenberg, this is not the universal case and, indeed, perhaps the majority of those larger congregations of the LCMS.
- The irrational fear of being labeled papist and the irrational embrace of things evangelical would have left such a visitor in confusion as to what a Lutheran was in many parishes of the LCMS.
- Most Lutherans have come to judge the practice and order of worship to be simply adiaphora which has come also to mean whatever is desired in local usage and not simply those things about which absolute rules or laws can be made.
- Even among those places where the organic connection between then and now has been kept, most Lutherans are loathe to suggest that it could or should be the norm for all -- thus preserving the right of all to decide as they wish what happens on Sunday morning in a particular place.
Just a curiosity, then, as to whether we are nearer to what was happening in Wittenberg a generation or so after the posting of the 99 Theses or farther from that practice. That ought to be a question on the minds and in the hearts of those who would be strangers from such a Mass and it ought to be a question on the minds and in the hearts of those in charge of such worship services. And once again I note that the Formula Missae was not written as a stand alone ordo but as a set of rubrics to be used with the existing Latin missals the Reformers found on the missal stands of the parishes where they served. Rubrics do matter.
2 comments:
What a great treasure this eyewitness account of early Lutheran worship is, marking the event of the Wittenberg Concord. To your points:
To indicate that worship in Wittenberg in 1536 was reflective of a mature style of typical Lutheran worship shaped by the Formula Missae (1523) and Deutsche Messe (1526) is not entirely correct. Luther was concerned with not giving offense, and the use of Latin and predominance of the choir due to a hesitancy towards singing on the part of the congregation lasted until Luther’s death. Wittenberg was also a university town with many students from all over Europe, and so the desire to retain Latin, particularly during the readings, actually increased the intelligibility of the service in that local context rather than using German.
Your indication that the form of the service meant that the Lutherans were unafraid of being seen as papist is perhaps an attempt to read present day agendas into the past. The term papist was used by all the Lutheran reformers as a way of distinguishing themselves from the errors of Rome. There was not a concern with seeing themselves as somehow still loyal to the Roman Church. The final attempt at discussion between the two would end at Regensburg.
A few further points:
1. The description of the minister dressed sacrificially doesn’t mean simply in traditional vestments. This means vestments that were worn around the altar, i.e. the surplice over the black gown or the chasuble over the alb. The preacher and sometimes assisting ministers would have simply dressed in the black gown. That is why the minister distributing the bread is described as wearing common clothes. This is a practice that almost begs to be interpreted as an indication of the hybrid, rather than proudly papist nature of early Evangelical worship. Some Lutheran ministers wore vestments. Some at the same service did not. Both were acceptable. Imagine that!
2. The later Adiaphoristic controversy cannot be fully understood in relation to the opposition to the requirement of the surplice for all Lutheran ministers without understanding the approach to vestments in the description of Lutheran worship from 1536.
3. The concept of adiaphora in worship was one of Luther’s teachings and widely understood among Lutheran pastors during the Reformation.
4. Using the description from 1536 as a sort of baseline to judge either an attitude of loyalty to Roman forms or the correctness of contemporary LCMS worship is ultimately a misguided endeavor.
Having worshipped in a number of LCMS churches, it would seem to me, I observed almost no “organic unity.” On the other hand, in my youth as a Roman Catholic, the worship services followed the same liturgy wherever I went. That was because the Roman church was and is ruled by a Pope, and his authority flows down to the local congregation. The LCMS is more like a loose confederacy with semi autonomous members. I think as you suggest, Lutherans try very hard to avoid being compared to Catholics, and strive to put their own signature on worship services. They are forever caught between a rock and a hard place, somewhere between tradition and modernity. Soli Deo Gloria
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