Canon of the Mass--explanation, please?

[LiveCatholic]

Hello,

I’ve tried consulting a number of encyclopedias to discover what exactly the Canon of the Mass is: namely, what is its place within the larger liturgy, what does it consist of, and what makes it so special? Hopefully someone can shed some light on this, because the definitions I’ve read are horribly opaque.

Thanks.

 

[Kielbasi]

The canon of the mass is what we usually call today the Eucharistic Prayer.

It was called the canon because it was fixed and unchanged for a long time- at least until the change in liturgical forms in the 1960’s- just like the canon of Scripture is fixed as well with an unchangable 73 books.

The idea of having different Eucharistic Prayers sort of makes the term “canon” in reference to it a bit of a misstatement.

 

[YoungTradCath]

The Canon of Mass specifically refers to the Roman Canon, in the Ordinary Form of mass called Eucharistic Prayer I. It used to be the only allowed Eucharistic Prayer. Now there are four.

The Eucharistic Prayers are the prayers that surround the consecration of the bread and wine at mass.

 

[TheMc]

The canon begins after the sanctus (holy), and ends right before the Our Father and it’s introductory verse. The prayer between the greeting and the sanctus is called the preface, and the dialog before the preface is called the preface dialog (shock!).

 

[Paxvobis]

Hello,

I’ve tried consulting a number of encyclopedias to discover what exactly the Canon of the Mass is: namely, what is its place within the larger liturgy, what does it consist of, and what makes it so special? Hopefully someone can shed some light on this, because the definitions I’ve read are horribly opaque.

Thanks.

The Canon is the part of the Traditional Latin Mass that corresponds to the Eucharistic Prayer in the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo) Mass.

The Eucharistic Prayer begins right after the Sanctus and lasts until the minor elevation (“Through him, with him, in him, is to you God the Father almighty all honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”) . Basically, it’s the first of the two times in the O.F. Mass that you’re kneeling.

The Eucharistic Prayer is special because it is the height of the Mass. During the Eucharistic Prayer is the consecration: when the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.

There are four Eucharistic Prayers which can be used in the O.F. Mass. The first is the Roman Canon, which is the only Eucharistic Prayer in use during the E.F. Mass. When they changed the Mass in the 1960s to allow for more options, they changed the name of this part of the Mass from the Canon to the Eucharistic Prayer. In my experience, Eucharistic Prayer III is the most popular.

Each Eucharistic Prayer contains the following:

1. An epiclesis: the point where the priest asks God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, to perform the miracle of transubstantiation.
2. An institution narrative: the point where the priest tells the story of the Last Supper and, speaking the words of Christ “This is my body” and “This is my blood,” changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.
3. A Memorial Acclimation: An acclimation said or sung by the congregation after the consecration, of which there are three:

We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection,
until you come again.

When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
until you come again.

Save us, Saviour of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.

1. An anamnesis: During the anamnesis, the body and blood of Christ are offered to the Father and prayers are made for the living and the dead.
2. A Doxology: The doxology is also called the minor elevation or the ‘Great Amen.’ At this point the priest lifts up the chalice and the host and says “…Through him, with him, in him, is to you God the Father almighty all honor and glory forever and ever.”

Until 1967, the Eucharistic Prayer was said inaudibly.

If I’m not mistaken, some parts of the Roman Canon if not all of it were written in the 1st century A.D.

 

[jimrob]

The word has changed its meaning over the centuries. The Canon of the Mass is the name given to the prayers that surround the act of consecration. In the Tridentine Mass, the word describes the Eucharistic Prayer, but at other times the word has been used to include various other prayers of the Mass preceding and following the Eucharistic Prayer. In the modern rite (OF) Eucharistic Prayer I is alternatively described as “the Roman Canon” because it is largely the same as the Eucharistic Prayer used in the Tridentine Mass.

Although the word Canon was applied to the Eucharistic Prayer in 1570, it has been in use for far longer. It is the equivalent of the Anaphora used in the Greek Rite. The Latin version of the word means “rule” or “law” and has been applied to any set form of words. Exactly why it attached to the Eucharistic Prayer is lost in antiquity - but then so is the origin of why the Latin liturgy is called “Mass”.

 

[japhy]

The word “canon” comes from the Greek word meaning “rule”, possibly because the “canon” is the standard or rule of prayer for the Eucharist in Rome. Traditionally, the prayer for the Eucharist of the Roman Church was called the “Roman Canon”. We know it today also as Eucharistic Prayer I, because there are numerous (more than just four) prayers for the Eucharist.

The canon begins after the sanctus (holy)…

The Eucharistic Prayer begins right after the Sanctus…

Actually, the Eucharistic Prayer begins with the Greeting and Preface Dialogue, continues through the Preface and the Sanctus, and goes all the way through to the concluding Doxology. This means the Eucharistic Prayer includes the responses and acclamations of the faithful; it is not wholly and entirely spoken/sung by the priest alone:
Then the priest begins the Eucharistic Prayer. In accordance with the rubrics, he selects a Eucharistic Prayer from those found in the Roman Missal or approved by the Apostolic See. The Eucharistic Prayer demands, by its very nature, that the priest say it in virtue of his ordination. The people, for their part, should associate themselves with the priest in faith and in silence, as well as through their parts as prescribed in the course of the Eucharistic Prayer: namely the responses in the Preface dialogue, the Sanctus, the acclamation after the consecration, the acclamatory Amen after the final doxology… (GIRM 147)
I would tend to avoid calling each of the Eucharistic Prayers “canons”, because that name is not historically associated with any of them other than Eucharistic Prayer I, which is the Roman Canon. A more generic term for a Eucharistic Prayer is “anaphora” (another Greek word), although the Roman Canon does not fit the prototypical model of an anaphora, since its structure differs from the Eastern anaphorae.

It might interest you (the OP) and the other readers of this thread to know that I am working on a book, my third volume on the Mass, which covers the seven Eucharistic Prayers in the new English translation of the Roman Missal: Eucharistic Prayers I, II, III, and IV; Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation I and II; and the Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs and Occasions (four variations on a single prayer).

This book begins with a chapter about the Eucharistic Prayer in general, in which I go over the history of such prayers, their various names (anaphora, canon, etc.), their individual components, etc.

 

[grandfather]

It might interest you (the OP) and the other readers of this thread to know that I am working on a book, my third volume on the Mass, which covers the seven Eucharistic Prayers in the new English translation of the Roman Missal: Eucharistic Prayers I, II, III, and IV; Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation I and II; and the Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs and Occasions (four variations on a single prayer).

This book begins with a chapter about the Eucharistic Prayer in general, in which I go over the history of such prayers, their various names (anaphora, canon, etc.), their individual components, etc.

I was told years ago that the canon of the tradtional Mass, or much of it, went back to the year 100 AD. Do you know if this is true?

 

[japhy]

I was told years ago that the canon of the tradtional Mass, or much of it, went back to the year 100 AD. Do you know if this is true?

I think that’s unlikely. I don’t think St. Peter composed it, either.

St. Gregory the Great considered it the work of some “scholasticus” (whether that’s the man’s name, Scholasticus, or the word for “scholar”, is up for debate). Others attribute the majority of its composition to Pope Gelasius I in the late 5th century.

The prayer is quite old. The saints mentioned in it suggest a composition before the fourth century: they are apostles and martyrs only, no confessors. The veneration of confessors (those who suffered, but did not die, for the faith) was a later development than that of the apostles and martyrs; since the Canon mentions no confessors, it is presumed to have been composed before such veneration was practiced.

Parts of the prayer, some with slightly different wording, appear in the work De Sacramentis attribute to St. Ambrose of Milan in the late fourth century. These are the parts surrounding the consecration: the “Quam oblationem”, the “Qui pridie”, the “Unde et memores”, and the “Supra quae” and “Supplices te” (these two were united as one in De Sacramentis).

The canon was certainly revised by Gregory the Great, who added three clauses to the “Hanc igitur”, owing to the Lombard invasion of Rome: that God might “(1) order our days in [His] peace, and (2) command that we be delivered from eternal damnation and (3) counted among the flock of those [He has] chosen.”

I don’t think the Roman Canon is an original Latin composition from the apostolic age (or the age immediately following it). I think it is more likely a later work with parts translated from Greek.

But I’m not a scholasticus.

 

[thistle]

From EWTN:

Eucharistic Prayers - How many?

At the present time there are 13 Eucharistic Prayers approved by Rome for use in the United States.

In the Sacramentary (altar missal) there are nine (9) Eucharistic Prayers. These include:
· 4 universal Eucharistic Prayers (the Roman Canon and 3 others)
· 3 Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children
· 2 Eucharistic Prayers for Masses of Reconciliation

In a red booklet Eucharistic Prayer for Masses for Various Needs and Occasions (Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1996), there are 4 additional Eucharistic Prayers. These four are essentially one, called the Swiss Canon. This canon (in use for many years in Italy and elsewhere) has three variations, which for ease of use were printed separately. All 4 versions begin, “You are truly blessed, O God of holiness: you accompany us with love as we journey through life. Blessed too is your Son, Jesus Christ, who is present among us together.” The variations are in the Preface and after the Consecration. The four are called:
· The Church on the Way to Unity
· God Guides the Church on the Way of Salvation
· Jesus, Way to the Father
· Jesus, the Compassion of God

 

[FrancisB]

From EWTN:

Eucharistic Prayers - How many?

At the present time there are 13 Eucharistic Prayers approved by Rome for use in the United States.

In the Sacramentary (altar missal) there are nine (9) Eucharistic Prayers. These include:
· 4 universal Eucharistic Prayers (the Roman Canon and 3 others)
· 3 Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children
· 2 Eucharistic Prayers for Masses of Reconciliation

In a red booklet Eucharistic Prayer for Masses for Various Needs and Occasions (Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1996), there are 4 additional Eucharistic Prayers. These four are essentially one, called the Swiss Canon. This canon (in use for many years in Italy and elsewhere) has three variations, which for ease of use were printed separately. All 4 versions begin, “You are truly blessed, O God of holiness: you accompany us with love as we journey through life. Blessed too is your Son, Jesus Christ, who is present among us together.” The variations are in the Preface and after the Consecration. The four are called:
· The Church on the Way to Unity
· God Guides the Church on the Way of Salvation
· Jesus, Way to the Father
· Jesus, the Compassion of God

Questions about that: how many of those were included in the new translation? If some of them were not, are they allowed to be used in the English liturgy right now, since they clearly contain parts of the old translation? I honestly do not understand the need for so many, but I suppose the introduction of a few new ones opens the door to as many as are written.

 

[grandfather]

The prayer is quite old. The saints mentioned in it suggest a composition before the fourth century: they are apostles and martyrs only, no confessors. The veneration of confessors (those who suffered, but did not die, for the faith) was a later development than that of the apostles and martyrs; since the Canon mentions no confessors, it is presumed to have been composed before such veneration was practiced.

Parts of the prayer, some with slightly different wording, appear in the work De Sacramentis attribute to St. Ambrose of Milan in the late fourth century. These are the parts surrounding the consecration: the “Quam oblationem”, the “Qui pridie”, the “Unde et memores”, and the “Supra quae” and “Supplices te” (these two were united as one in De Sacramentis).

The canon was certainly revised by Gregory the Great, who added three clauses to the “Hanc igitur”, owing to the Lombard invasion of Rome: that God might “(1) order our days in [His] peace, and (2) command that we be delivered from eternal damnation and (3) counted among the flock of those [He has] chosen.”

I don’t think the Roman Canon is an original Latin composition from the apostolic age (or the age immediately following it). I think it is more likely a later work with parts translated from Greek.

But I’m not a scholasticus.

Since the ancient Canon is replaced by the 4 Eucharistic Prayers, is it correct to say that there is no longer a Canon of the Mass, that it has been eliminated?

 

[DCNBILL]

From EWTN:

Eucharistic Prayers - How many?

At the present time there are 13 Eucharistic Prayers approved by Rome for use in the United States.

In the Sacramentary (altar missal) there are nine (9) Eucharistic Prayers. These include:
· 4 universal Eucharistic Prayers (the Roman Canon and 3 others)
· 3 Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children
· 2 Eucharistic Prayers for Masses of Reconciliation

In a red booklet Eucharistic Prayer for Masses for Various Needs and Occasions (Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1996), there are 4 additional Eucharistic Prayers. These four are essentially one, called the Swiss Canon. This canon (in use for many years in Italy and elsewhere) has three variations, which for ease of use were printed separately. All 4 versions begin, “You are truly blessed, O God of holiness: you accompany us with love as we journey through life. Blessed too is your Son, Jesus Christ, who is present among us together.” The variations are in the Preface and after the Consecration. The four are called:
· The Church on the Way to Unity
· God Guides the Church on the Way of Salvation
· Jesus, Way to the Father
· Jesus, the Compassion of God

In our Missal there are the 4 universal Eucharistic Prayers, 2 Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation and 4 Eucharistic Prayers for various needs, I guess the Childrens ones are in a different book by this publisher.

 

[japhy]

Since the ancient Canon is replaced by the 4 Eucharistic Prayers, is it correct to say that there is no longer a Canon of the Mass, that it has been eliminated?

I would not use that language unless I knew how it would be interpreted by the receptor.

If, on the one hand, it means that there is no longer a single Canon of the Roman Mass, that there are multiple “standards” or “rules” of the Eucharistic Prayer, then yes, I might say that there is no longer a Canon of the Mass.

But if, on the other hand, it means that the substance of the Roman Rite – if the Roman Canon can be deemed such – has been disintegrated by the introduction of multiple other Eucharistic Prayers; if it means that there is no longer a Roman Rite because the Eucharist can be consecrated with some other prayer; then no, I would definitely not say there is no longer a Canon of the Mass.

Eucharistic Prayer I is nearly the same today as it was in 1962, with the following changes: 1) the words over the bread have been embellished, 2) the words over the chalice have been slightly edited: “mysterium fidei” has been moved to after the consecration, 3) “whenever you do this…” (said after the elevation of the chalice) has become “do this…” (said before the elevation of the chalice), and 4) the full lists of saints and the "through Christ our Lord"s have been made optional.

So Eucharistic Prayer I is still very much the Roman Canon. The prayer remained the Roman Canon after Pope John XXIII added St. Joseph’s name to it. It remained the Roman Canon after Pope Gregory I added to the Hanc igitur. It’s still the Roman Canon.

 

[Paxvobis]

The word “canon” comes from the Greek word meaning “rule”, possibly because the “canon” is the standard or rule of prayer for the Eucharist in Rome. Traditionally, the prayer for the Eucharist of the Roman Church was called the “Roman Canon”. We know it today also as Eucharistic Prayer I, because there are numerous (more than just four) prayers for the Eucharist.

Actually, the Eucharistic Prayer begins with the Greeting and Preface Dialogue, continues through the Preface and the Sanctus, and goes all the way through to the concluding Doxology. This means the Eucharistic Prayer includes the responses and acclamations of the faithful; it is not wholly and entirely spoken/sung by the priest alone:
Then the priest begins the Eucharistic Prayer. In accordance with the rubrics, he selects a Eucharistic Prayer from those found in the Roman Missal or approved by the Apostolic See. The Eucharistic Prayer demands, by its very nature, that the priest say it in virtue of his ordination. The people, for their part, should associate themselves with the priest in faith and in silence, as well as through their parts as prescribed in the course of the Eucharistic Prayer: namely the responses in the Preface dialogue, the Sanctus, the acclamation after the consecration, the acclamatory Amen after the final doxology… (GIRM 147)
I would tend to avoid calling each of the Eucharistic Prayers “canons”, because that name is not historically associated with any of them other than Eucharistic Prayer I, which is the Roman Canon. A more generic term for a Eucharistic Prayer is “anaphora” (another Greek word), although the Roman Canon does not fit the prototypical model of an anaphora, since its structure differs from the Eastern anaphorae.

It might interest you (the OP) and the other readers of this thread to know that I am working on a book, my third volume on the Mass, which covers the seven Eucharistic Prayers in the new English translation of the Roman Missal: Eucharistic Prayers I, II, III, and IV; Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation I and II; and the Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs and Occasions (four variations on a single prayer).

This book begins with a chapter about the Eucharistic Prayer in general, in which I go over the history of such prayers, their various names (anaphora, canon, etc.), their individual components, etc.

Thanks for the info. I didn’t know that the preface dialogue and the preface were a part of the Eucharistic Prayer.

Questions about that: how many of those were included in the new translation? If some of them were not, are they allowed to be used in the English liturgy right now, since they clearly contain parts of the old translation?

I know that at least the Eucharistic Prayers for children were eliminated in the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. Having read through them, I felt it was an attempt to get children to pay attention and be more active in the Mass (at four or five points the children were supposed to all say “Glory to God in the Highest,” such as right after the consecration) I don’t ever remember using these Eucharistic Prayers at our masses in Catholic school.

 

[Paxvobis]

I think that’s unlikely. I don’t think St. Peter composed it, either.

St. Gregory the Great considered it the work of some “scholasticus” (whether that’s the man’s name, Scholasticus, or the word for “scholar”, is up for debate). Others attribute the majority of its composition to Pope Gelasius I in the late 5th century.

The prayer is quite old. The saints mentioned in it suggest a composition before the fourth century: they are apostles and martyrs only, no confessors. The veneration of confessors (those who suffered, but did not die, for the faith) was a later development than that of the apostles and martyrs; since the Canon mentions no confessors, it is presumed to have been composed before such veneration was practiced.

Parts of the prayer, some with slightly different wording, appear in the work De Sacramentis attribute to St. Ambrose of Milan in the late fourth century. These are the parts surrounding the consecration: the “Quam oblationem”, the “Qui pridie”, the “Unde et memores”, and the “Supra quae” and “Supplices te” (these two were united as one in De Sacramentis).

The canon was certainly revised by Gregory the Great, who added three clauses to the “Hanc igitur”, owing to the Lombard invasion of Rome: that God might “(1) order our days in [His] peace, and (2) command that we be delivered from eternal damnation and (3) counted among the flock of those [He has] chosen.”

I don’t think the Roman Canon is an original Latin composition from the apostolic age (or the age immediately following it). I think it is more likely a later work with parts translated from Greek.

But I’m not a scholasticus.

I read somewhere that scholars think the Roman Canon is an abbreviated version of a much longer Canon which is now lost.

Here’s a question: What is the origin of Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV? Are they of ancient origin, or were they written in the 1960s?

 

[japhy]

Here’s a question: What is the origin of Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV? Are they of ancient origin, or were they written in the 1960s?

There’s no short answer to that question, but here’s a short answer:

EP II is a modern composition based in part on the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome, thought to have been written in the early 3rd century, but now frequently dated to the 5th century. EP II, however, diverges from its origin rather widely in some places.

EP III is a modern composition meant to evoke the Roman Canon in its style and content.

EP IV is a modern composition inspired by oriental versions of the Anaphora of St. Basil. (Customary in the Eastern anaphorae is that they go through the whole of salvation history, which in the Western tradition was reserved to the Prefaces, each of which addressed an individual facet of salvation history, producing a complete(ish) picture through the course of the liturgical year.)

There’s plenty more to be said.

 

[TheMc]

There’s no short answer to that question, but here’s a short answer:

EP II is a modern composition based in part on the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome, thought to have been written in the early 3rd century, but now frequently dated to the 5th century. EP II, however, diverges from its origin rather widely in some places.

EP III is a modern composition meant to evoke the Roman Canon in its style and content.

EP IV is a modern composition inspired by oriental versions of the Anaphora of St. Basil. (Customary in the Eastern anaphorae is that they go through the whole of salvation history, which in the Western tradition was reserved to the Prefaces, each of which addressed an individual facet of salvation history, producing a complete(ish) picture through the course of the liturgical year.)

There’s plenty more to be said.

Speaking of this, I really with they were all closer to each other in length, because as it is now, all most people hear are II and III. Thus endeth my rant.

 

[japhy]

Speaking of this, I really with they were all closer to each other in length, because as it is now, all most people hear are II and III. Thus endeth my rant.

The only reason EP II is so frequently used is because there isn’t one shorter.

 

[FrancisB]

The only reason EP II is so frequently used is because there isn’t one shorter.

It’s the same with the Divine Liturgy: they use St. John Chrysostom’s most of the time because it is shorter than the others. Perhaps we should legislate the use of a longer canon during Lent and on other important feasts as is the tradition in the East?