What did the early church use for mass readings before the canon?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jamz
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jamz

Guest
This question was posed to me by a teenager Sunday night after mass and I wasn’t sure. I know the Jews read from the Torah, but what about Christians before the canon was approved? Thanks!
 
40.png
Jamz:
This question was posed to me by a teenager Sunday night after mass and I wasn’t sure. I know the Jews read from the Torah, but what about Christians before the canon was approved? Thanks!
Click to expand...
They read from the OT, they read a lot of what is now the NT. They also read some of the other early writings like Clements letters and stuff. I think they were big on the psalms as well.
 
After they were kicked out of the synagogues, they would have had the same Liturgy as the Jews, plus something that Jesus said or did that tied in with those OT readings, that fulfilled them maybe, followed by an explanation of the readings much like our homilies.

The Jewish liturgy had a 3 year cycle of readings similar to what the Church has today. They read from the Torah, followed by something from the prophets and they chanted the Psalms.

It sounds so familiar, doesn’t it. Add the Jewish Temple worship elements and the Passover meal (Eucharist) and there you have the Mass.
 
It’s a funny question because the Bible comes from the liturgy of the early Church. They read more material than the canon, though, which is why a canon was needed–to sort out what was appropriate to be read in the liturgy and what wasn’t. A good example is the Didache. It was widely read in the early liturgies, but it didn’t make it into the canon even though there is nothing against Church teaching in it. It just didn’t match the standard set for the canon in other areas, such as being written by one of the Apostles or someone in direct contact with an apostle, such as Luke and Mark.
 
I was taught that many books (surely the Gospels) of the NT were in use within decades of Christ’s death. They just weren’t made “official” until many years later.
 
According to St. Justin Martyr in his letter to the Roman emperor they read the Torah (we call it the Old Testament) and the memoirs of the apostles (we call it the New Testament) as much as time permitted.
 
Was that the Greek translation of the Torah (Septuagint) that they used?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top