There was no place for such in the ideas of that age>
In the furious tempests that overwhelmed the Roman

62



RITUAL AND SONG IN THE EARLY CHURCH

empire, in the readjustment of political and social con-
ditions all over Europe, with the convulsions and fre-
quent triumphs of savagery that inevitably attended
them, it was necessary that the Church, as the sole
champion and preserver of civilization and righteous-
ness, should concentrate all her forces, and become in
doctrine, worship, and government a single, compact,
unified, spiritual state. The dogmas of the Church
must be formulated, preserved, and guarded by an
official class, and the ignorant and fickle mass of the
common people must be taught to yield a reverent,
unquestioning obedience to the rule of th«ir spiritual
lords. The exposition of theology, the doctrine of
the ever-renewed sacrifice of Christ upon the altar, the
theory of the sacraments generally, all involved the con-
ception of a mediatorial priesthood deriving its authority
by direct transmission from the apostles. Out of such
conditions and tendencies proceeded also the elaborate
and awe-inspiring rites, the fixed liturgies embalming
the central dogmas of the faith, and the whole ma-
chinery of a worship which was itself viewed as of an
objective efficacy, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and
designed both for the edification of the believer and
as an offering of the Church to its Redeemer. In the
development of the outward observances of worship,
with their elaborate symbolic ceremonialism, the student
is often struck with surprise to see how lavishly the
Church drew its forms and decorations from paganism
and Judaism. But there is nothing in this that need
excite wonder, nothing that was not inevitable under
the conditions of the times. Says Lanciani: ^^In

63



MtrsiC IN THE WESTERN CHURCH

accepting rites and customs which were not offensive
to her principles and morality^ the Church showed
equal tact and foresight, and contributed to the peace-
ful accomplishment of the transformation."^ The
pagan or Jewish convert was not obliged to part with
all his ancestral notions of the nature of worship. He
found his love of pomp and splendor gratified by the
ceremonies of a religion which knew how to make
many of the fair features of earthly life accessory to
the inculcation of spiritual truth. 