耶路撒冷的祈禱儀式

在約公元 400 年，一位名叫埃格里亞 (Egeria) 的西班牙修女在前往耶路撒冷朝聖時描述了那裡的儀式，並提到了祈禱和讀聖經之間所唱的詩篇和讚美詩。這份目擊者報告是了解早期基督徒習俗的重要文件。以下的摘錄描述了周日早上的守夜，後來被稱為「晨禱」。

一聲金雞報曉，主教徑直走了下來，並進入阿納斯塔西斯Anastasis洞窟。所有大門都開了，會眾走入阿納斯塔西斯，那兒燈火通明，當人們擁入的時候，一位神父唱起一首贊美詩，眾人應和，之後進行祈禱。然後一位助祭又唱了一首贊美詩，同樣跟著進行了一次祈禱。第三首贊美詩由一些神職人員唱，繼之以第三次祈禱和全體人員祝禱。當三次贊美詩唱罷和三次祈禱做罷，香爐被拿進了阿納斯塔西斯洞窟，整個大廳立刻香氣氤氳。

此時主教站在欄桿後，他拿著福音書，走向大門，親自誦讀了主的復活。當誦讀開始時，每個人都發出呻吟和嘆息的聲音。這種啼哭的聲音，甚至使鐵石心腸的人也因主為我們做出如此巨大的犧牲而熱淚盈眶。福音書讀畢，主教起身，在贊美詩的引導下，走向十字架，由全體會眾伴隨。到了那兒再次唱一首贊美詩和做一次祈禱。最後，他向人們祝福，然後解散。當主教離去時，眾人都走向前去吻他的手。

摘自《早期基督文獻中的音樂》，詹姆斯•麥金農主編（劍橋大學出版社，1987），第115頁。
西方音乐史（第六版） 第28頁


A CHRISTIAN OBSERVANCE IN JERUSALEM, CA. 400
In ca. 400 C.E., a Spanish nun named Egeria on pilgrimage to Jerusalem described the services there, noting the psalms and hymns sung between prayers and Bible readings. Her eyewitness report is a crucial document of early Christian practices. The excerpt below describes the Sunday morning Vigil, which became the service called Matins.


As soon as the first cock crows, straightway the bishop comes down and enters the cave in [the church of] the Anastasis. All the gates are opened, and the entire throng enters the Anastasis, where already countless lamps are burn-ing, and when the people are within, one of the priests sings a psalm and all respond, after which there is a prayer. Then one of the deacons sings a psalm, similarly followed by a prayer, and a third psalm is sung by some cleric, followed by a third prayer and the commemoration of all. When these three psalms have been sung and the three prayers said, behold censers are brought into the cave of the Anastasis, so that the entire Anastasis basilica is filled with the smell.

And then as the bishop stands behind the railings, he takes the Gospel book and goes to the gate and the bishop himself reads the Resurrection of the Lord. When the reading of it has begun, there is such moaning and groaning among everybody and such crying, that even the hardest of hearts could be moved to tears because the Lord has suffered so much for us. When the Gospel has been read, the bishop leaves and is led with hymns to the Cross, accompanied by all the people. There, again, one psalm is sung and a prayer said. Then he blesses the people, and the dismissal takes place. And as the bishop goes out, all approach to kiss his hand.

From Itinerarium Egeriae xxiv, 9-11, in Music in Early Christian Literature, ed. James W. McKinnon (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987), 115.