Sacramentary

The Sacramentary is a book containing the prayers that a priest recites at Mass.

Though in the late twentieth century the word "sacramentary" was used in the United States for the English translation of the Roman Missal, a Sacramentary is not the same thing as a Missal. It contains more on the one side, less on the other. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09296a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia, s.v. Liturgical Books] ]

It is the book for the priest celebrant, containing all and only the prayers for him to say. At the time that these books were written it was not yet the custom for the celebrant to repeat at the altar whatever was sung by the ministers or the choir, as became the rule of the Tridentine Mass. The one exception to this rule was the Gospel, which in the Tridentine Mass the priest listens to when sung by the deacon, instead of at the same time reading it quietly for himself, as he does with the Epistle when sung by the subdeacon. Thus Sacramentaries contain none of those parts of the Mass, not only no Scripture readings, but also no Introits, Graduals, Offertories and so on, but only the Collects, Prefaces, Canon.

On the other hand they provide for the priest's use at other occasions besides Mass. As they suppose that the celebrant is normally a bishop, they supply him with the prayers he wants at ordinations, at the consecration of a church and altar and many exorcisms, blessings, and consecrations that were later inserted in the Pontifical and Ritual.

The name "Sacramentarium" is equivalent to the other form also used (for instance, in the Gelasian book), "Liber Sacramentorum". The form is the same as that of the word "Hymnarium", for a book of hymns. Gennadius of Marseilles (fifth cent.) says of Paulinus of Nola: "Fecit et sacramentarium et hymnarium" (De viris illustribus, xlviii). The word "sacramentum" or "sacramenta" in this case means the Mass. "Sacramenta celebrare" or "facere" is a common term for saying Mass. [So St. Augustine (died 430) remarks that we say "Sursum corda" "in sacramentis fidelium", that is at Mass (De Dono Persev., xiii, 33), and two schismatics of the fifth century complain to the Emperors Gratian and Theodosius that Pope Damasus (366-84) will not let them say Mass; but they do so all the same, because "salutis nostræ sacramenta facienda sunt" (Faustinus and Marcellinus, "Lib. prec. ad Imp." in P. L., XIII, 98; cf. Probst, "Die ältesten röm. Sakram.", 20-1).] .

Decline of the sacramentary

Other books used in the celebration of Mass included the Graduale (texts mainly from the Psalms, with musical notes added), the Evangeliarium or Gospel Book, and the Epistolary with texts from other parts of the New Testament, mainly the Epistles (letters) of Saint Paul.

In late mediaeval times, these books began to be combined, for the use of priests saying Mass without the assistance of a choir and other ministers. This led to the appearance of the "Missale plenum" ("full or complete Missal") containing all the texts of the Mass (without the music of the choir parts).

Pope Pius V published in 1570 an official version of such a Missal, known as the Roman Missal.

At the behest of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI greatly increased the amount of Sacred Scripture read at Mass and, to a lesser extent, the prayer formulas. This necessitated a return to having the readings in a separate book, known as the Lectionary. A separate Book of the Gospels, with texts extracted from the Lectionary, is recommended, but is not obligatory. The Roman Missal continues to include elaborate rubrics, as well as antiphons etc., which were not in sacramentaries.

urviving sacramentaries

A number of the texts of Sacramentaries, chiefly of the Roman Rite, are still extant, either complete or in part. Of these the most important are the three known by the names Leonine, Gelasian, and Gregorian. Their date, authorship, place, and original purpose have been much discussed.. Most of the following are illuminated manuscripts.

6th/7th century

* the Leonine Sacramentary of Pope Leo the Great (440-461) - in Latin "Leonianum" or "Veronense"
* Gelasian Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius I (492-496) - some attribute it instead to early 8th century

7th century

* Sacramentary of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) - "Gregorianum"
* Sacramentary of Bishop Marinianus of Ravenna (595-606?)
* Gallican Sacramentary - "Gallicanum"

8th century

* The sacramentary known as "Gregorianum-Hadrianum", which Charlemagne (768-814), wishing to unify the liturgy in his Frankish realm, is said to have come from Pope Hadrian I (772-795)
* Sacramentary of Bobbio
* Sacramentary of Pippin - Gelasian type
* Sacramentary of Gellone - c. 780
* Sacramentary of Arbeo, bishop of Freising (†783)
* Sacramentary of Rheinau - c. 795/800
* Sacramentary of Angoulême - Gelasian type
* Sacramentary of Monza

9th century

* Sacramentary of Amiens
* Sacramentary of Mainz
* Sacramentary of Trent - "Codex Tridentinus"
* Sacramentary of Autun - "Codex Augustodunensis", c. 845
* Drogo Sacramentary of Bishop Drogo (823-855) - 850
* Sacramentary of Metz - probably made for Charles the Bald: it includes a miniature of his coronation
* Sacramentary of Echternach
* Sacramentary of Pamelius

10th century

* Sacramentary of Petershausen Abbey (near Reichenau)
* Sacramentary of Fulda
* Sacramentary of St Gereon

11th century

* Sacramentary of Bishop Warmondo
* Sacramentary of Figeac
* Sacramentary of Venice
* Sacramentary of Salzburg
* Sacramentary of the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille
* Sacramentary of Regensburg
* Sacramentary of Minden or of Bishop Sigebert (1022-1036)
* Sacramentary of St. Gallen (with famous picture of Pentecost)
* Sacramentary of Lorsch
* Tyniec Sacramentary

12th century

* Sacramentary of Tours
* Sacramentary of Ratmann - 1159
* Sacramentary of Millstatt - 1170/1180

13th century

* Sacramentary of Abbot Berthold (Weingarten Abbey) - 1217
* Sacramentary of Hainricus Sacrista - c. 1220

In addition:
* Sacramentary of Biasca (Ambrosian Rite)
* Sacramentary of St Paul
* Sacramentary of Brescia
* Sacramentary of Essen
* Sacramentary of Chantilly
* Sacramentary of Jena
* Sacramentary of Prague
* Sacramentary of Beauvais
* Sacramentary of Remedius - Gelasian type
* Sacramentary of Maria Laach

References

ee also

*Roman Missal
*Mass
*Roman Rite
*Pre-Tridentine Mass
*Mass of Paul VI