The Liturgical Sequence of the Perfect
The sacred rituals of the Cathar Church, preserved in the Lyon manuscript (ms. PA 36, Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon, ff. 235v–241v). This file presents the complete Occitan and Latin text of the ritual from the Harris critical edition (2005), followed by English translations of the principal rites: the Aparelhamentum (general confession), the Traditio (transmission of the Lord's Prayer), and the Consolamentum (spiritual baptism by laying-on of hands). Together these form the most important surviving record of Cathar liturgical practice.
Foreword to the Lyon Ritual
Marvyn Roy Harris, 31 May 2005
This Occitan Cathar ritual is appended to the New Testament in ms. Palais des Arts 36, Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon (ff. 325v-241v). The dialect of both texts is Languedocian though the language of the ritual diverges somewhat from that of the N.T., especially as regards a sprinkling of Italianisms, most notably in the Servissi. The manuscript was probably copied in northern Italy around the middle of the first half of 14th century; see Harris 1987, 2004. E. Cunitz's 1852 edition of the Ritual, difficult to find today, is of little value. His many erroneous readings are excluded from the apparatus here, but Léon Clédat gives a number of them in the notes to his 1887 edition, reprinted in 1968. Thouzellier transcribed in 1977, using Clédat's photolithographic reproduction, the Latin texts of the Pater noster and verses 1.1-17 of the Prologue to the Gospel of John that Clédat had not included in his edition. Jean Duvernoy's 1977 somewhat rough edition of the entire Ritual remained unpublished until 2001 when it was posted online as a PDF file. Regrettably, the digital text suffers from an abundance of data entry errors, as yet uncorrected in May 2005. Due to its present condition, Duvernoy's readings are only selectively chosen for the apparatus. Thouzellier sometimes repeats errors picked up from Dondaine and both tend to perpetuate Clédat's incorrect or questionable readings.
The present edition for Rialto has profited from the use of good quality digitized color images of the ritual. For example, high magnification permits the reconstruction of the missing words in the long blank space in Clédat's reproduction (p. 481b26, ms. 241b); see note 6.34. A searchable preliminary digital transcription of the complete New Testament has also been of great value for the study of linguistic peculiarities in the Ritual. Paragraph indentation corresponds to the scribe's large decorated initials, those for the Prologue to John and for the Servissi being distinctly large. Roman numerals plus titles for the six sections as well as folio numbers with column lettering (a, b recto; c, d verso) and verse numbering for John's Prologue have been added. Sentence numbering in brackets has also been added to facilitate referencing; italicized numbers point the reader to the apparatus. Latin text is italicized. Biblical citations, a list of which follows the apparatus, are in boldface type.
Clédat's French translation (pp. [IX]-XXVI) essentially supplied, with very few modifications, is the source for Nelli and Lavaud's text (also without the opening Latin text) and Nelli's slightly reworked Servisi. The complete Occitan text has been translated into English by Wakefield and Evans who acknowledge Clédat's French text as their source and into Italian by Zambon whose text shows signs of reliance on Clédat's interpretations. Those two versions perpetuate some of Clédat's mistranslations.
I. Liturgical Latin Phrases
Benedicite, parcite nobis, amen.
Fiat nobis secumdum verbum tuum.
Pater et Filius et Espiritus Santus parcat vobis
omnia peccata vestra.
Adhoremus Patrem et Filium et Espiritum
Santum.
iii vegadas.
Pater noster qui es in celis, sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat volumtas tua sicut in celo et in
terra.
Panem nostrum supersubstancialem da
nobis hodie.
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimit[ti]mus
debitoribus nostris.
E ne nos inducas im temtationem, sed libera nos a Quoniam tuum est regnum et virtus et gloria in secula.
Amen.
Adhoremus Patrem et Filium et Spiritum Sanctum.
iii vegadas.
Gracia domini nostri Iesu Christi sit cum
omnibus nobis.
Benedicite, parcite nobis, amen.
Fiat nobis secundum verbum tuum.
Pater et Filius et Spiritus Santus parcat vobis omnia
peccata vestra. Iohannes
1In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum.
2Hoc erat in princi[pi]o apud Deum.
3Omnia per ipsum facta sunt, et sine ipso factum est nichil.
Quod factum est 4in ip[s]o, vita erat, et vita erat lux hominum.
5Et lux in tenebris lucet, et tenebre eam non conprenderumt.
6Fuit homo missus a Deo, cui nomen erat Iohannes.
7Hic venit in testimonium, ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine, ut omnes crederet per illum.
8Non erat ille lux, sed ut testimonium
perhiberet de lumine.
9Erat lux vera, que illuminat ho[m]nem
hominem venientem in hunc mumdum.
10In mundo erat, et mundus per ip sum factus est, et mundus eum non cognovit.
11In propria venit, et sui eum non receperut.
12Quotquot autem receperumt eum, dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri, his qui credumt in nomine eius, 13qui non ex sanguinibus, neque ex volontate carnis, neque ex volontate viri, sed ex Deo nati sunt.
14Et
Verbum caro factum est, et abitavit in nobis, et vidimus gloriam eius, gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre plenum gracie et veritatis.
15Iohannes testimonium peribet de ipso, et clamabat dicens: Hic est, quem dixi: Qui pos me venturus est, ante me factus est, qui[a] prior me erat.
16Et de plenitudine eius nos omnes accepimus graciam pro gracia.
17Quia lex per Moysen data est, gracia e veritas per Iesum Christum
facta est.
II. Servissi (Service)
Servissi
Nos em vengut denant Deu, e denant vos, e denant l’azordenament de santa
Gleisa per recebre servisi, e perdo, e penedensia de tuit li nostri pecat li qual avem fait, ni dig, ni pessatz, ni obratz del nostre naissement entro fin a- ora; e quirem misericordia a Deu et a vos, que vos preguetz per nos lo Paire sanh de misericordia que nos perdo.
Adorem Deu e manifestem tuit li nostre pecat e las nostras moutas greus ofensios az esgardament del Paire e del Fil e de l’onorat Sant Esperit, e dels onoratz sanhs
Avangelis, e dels onoratz sanhs Apostols per la Oracio, e per la fe, e per la salvatio de tuit li dreiturers gloriosses crestias, e dels bonauratz durmentz ancesors, e dels fraires enaviro estant, e denant vos, sanh Senhor, que nos perdonetz tot ço en que nos pequem.
Benedicite, parcite nobis.
Quar moutz so les nostres pecatz els quals nos ofendem a minca dia, per nuit e per dia, en paraula, et en obra, e segon cossirer, ab volontat e senes volontat, e plus per la nostra volotat, la qual denant nos aportan les malignes esperitz en las carns que vestem.
Benedicite, parcite nobis.
Mais aissi cum la santa Paraula de Deu nos essenha, e li sanh
a- postol e li nostri frairi esperital nos o anoncian, que nos degitem tot desirer de la carn, e tota lagesa, e fazam la volontat de Deu el perfeit Ben cumplit.
Mais noi serve[n] [n]ualhos no fazem solament la volontat
de Deu enaissi cum se covengra, mais sovendeirament azomplem li desirer de la carn en las curas seglars, si c’als nostres esperitz nozem.
Benedicite, parcite nobis.
Cum la gent mondana andam, cum lor essems estam, e parlam, e majam, e de moutas causas ofendem, si qu’als nostres fraires et als nostres esperitz nozem.
Benedicite, parcite nobis.
De las nostras lengas cazem em paraulas ossiossas, en vas parlamentz, en ris, en esquers, e malesas, en retrazement de fraires e de serors dels quals nos no em digne de jujar ni de cumdampnar li ofendement dels fraires e de las seros.
Entre·ls crestias estam pecadors.
Benedicite, parcite nobis.
Lo servisi que receubem, no·l ga[r]dem aissi cum se covengra, lo dejuni ni la Oracio; nostres dias traspassem, nostras oras pervericam; nos estant en la santa Oracio, nostre sen se desvia els desirers carnals, en las curas seglars, si que en aquela ora a penas sabem qual causa ufrem al Paire dels justz.
Benedicite, parcit[e] nobis.
O tu, sant e bo Senhor, totas aquelas causas que a nos endevengro al nostre sen et al nostre cosirer, a tu las manifestam, sanh Senhor, e tota la moutesa dels pecatz pausam en la misericordia de Deu, et en la santa Oracio, et en lo sant Avangeli.
Quar moutz so los nostres pecatz.
Benedicite, parcite nobis.
O Senhor, juja e cumdapna los vises de la carn.
No ajas merce de la carn nada de corumptio, mais ajas merce de l’esperit pausat en carcer.
E aministra a nos dias, e oras, e venias, e dejunis, e Oracios, e presicatios
enaissi cum es costuma de bos crestias, que nos no siam jujat ni cumdampnat al dia del judici cum li felo.
Benedicite, parcite nobis.
III. Rite for the Transmission of the Prayer
Si crezent esta en l’astenencia, e li crestia so acordant que li liuro la Oracio, lavo se las mas.
E crezent, si n’i a, eissament.
E puis la i dels bos homes, aquel que es apres l’ancia, fa‹s›za iii revenencias a l’ancia.
E puis aparele i desc; e puis autras iii.
E meta touala sobre·l desc; e puis autras iii.
E meta le Libre sobre la touala.
E puis diga: Benedicite, parcite nobis.
E puis le crezent fasza so meloier, e prenga le Libre de la ma de l’ancia.
E l’ancia deu lo amonestar e prezicar ab testimonis covinentz.
E si·l crezent a nom Peire, diga enaissi: En Peire, vos devetz entendre que can esz denant la Gleisa de Deu, que vos esz denant le Paire e·l Fil e·l Sant Esperit.
Quar la Gleisa es dita ajustament; et aqui on so li ver crestia, aqui es le Paire e·l Fil e·l Sant Esperit aissi co las devinas Escriupturas o demostran.
Quar Crist dix en l’Avangeli de sanh Matheu: En qual que loc seran ii o iii ajustat el meu nom, eu so aqui e meg de lor.
Et en l’Avangeli de sanh Joan dix: Si alcus amara mi, la mia paraula gardara, e·l meu Paire amara lui, e venrem a lui et estaja farem ab lui.
E sanh Paul dix en la segonda Pistola als Corintias: Vos esz temples de Deu lo viu aissi co Deus dix per Ysaias: Quar eu estarei en els, et irei e serei Deu de lor, et eli seran pobles de mi.
Per la qual causa: Issetz de meg de lor e siatz departit, so ditz lo Senhor.
E la laja causa no tocaretz et eu recebrei vos.
E serei a vos em paire.
E vos seretz a mi en fils et e filhas, so ditz lo Senhor Deus totz poderos.
Et en l’autre loc dix: O quiretz l’esproament de Crist que parla e mi.
Et en la primeire Apistola a Timoteu dix: Aquestas causa[s] escrivi a tu esperantz mi venir a tu viasament, mais si eu me tarzarei, que sapias en qual maneira te covenga coversar en la maiso de Deu, la quals es Gleisa del viu Deu, coronda e fermament de veritat.
Et el meteis dix als Ebreus: Mais Crist es enaissi coma Fils en la sua maiso, la qual maiso em nos.
Quar l’Esperit de Deu sia com li fizel de Jesu Crist, enaissi o demostra Crist en l’Avangeli de sanh Joan: Si mi amatz, li mei comandament gardatz.
Et eu pregarei lo Paire, et autre Cofortador donara a vos, que estia ab vos en durabletat, Esperit de veritat, lo qual lo mon no pot recebre quar no·l vi ni·l sab; mais vos le conoisseretz, quar ab vos estara et ab vos sera.
No vos laissarei orfes; venrei a vos.
Et en l’Avangeli de sanh Mateu dix: Vec vos qu’eu so ab vos per totz dias entro a l’acabament del segle.
E sanh Paul dix en la primeira Pistola als Corintias: No sabetz que vos esz temple de Deu lo viu e l’Esperit de Deu esta e vos?
Mais si alcus corumpra lo temple de Deu, Deus destrozira lui.
Quar lo temple de Deu es sanh, lo qual esz vos.
Enaissi o demostra Crist en l’Avangeli de sanh Mateu: Quar no esz vos que parlatz mais l’Esperit del vostre Paire que parla e vos.
E sanh Joan dix en la Pistola: En aisso sabem quar en lui estam et el e nos quar del seu Esperit dec a nos.
E sanh Paul dix als Galatas: Quar esz fil de Deu, Deus trames l’esperit del seu Fil el vostre cor, cridant: Paire, Paire.
Per que es a entendre quar lo vostre presetament, lo qual fes denant les fils de Jesu Crist, coferma la fe e la presicatio de la Gleisa de Deu segon que las devinas Escripturas o donan az entendre.
Quar lo poble de Deu se departic ancianament del seu Senhor Deu.
E departic se del co‹s›selh e de la volontat del seu sanh Paire per lo decebement e per lo sotzmetement dels malignes esperitz.
E per aquestas razos, e per moutas d’autras, es donat az entendre quar lo sanh Paire vol mercenejar del seu poble e recebre lui a patz e a la sua concordia per l’aveniment del seu Fil, Jesu Crist.
Don es aquesta l’ocaizo quar esz aici denant los decipols de Jesu Crist, el qual loc abita esperitalment lo Paire e·l Fil e·l Sant Esperit, aissi co desus es demostrat, que vos dejatz recebre aicela santa Oracio, la qual donec lo Senhor Jesu Crist a sos decipols, enaissi que las vostras Oracios e las vostras pregueiras sian eissauzidas del nostre sanh Paire.
Per la qual causa devetz entendre, si aquesta santa Oracio voletz recebre, quar cove vos pentir de totz les vostres pecatz e perdonar a totz homes.
Quar lo nostre Senhor Jesu Crist dix: Si no perdonaretz als homes li pecat de lor, ni·l vostre Paire celestial no perdonara a vos los vostre pecatz.
De rescaps se cove que perpausetz e vostre cor de gardar aquesta santa Oracio totz les temps de la vostra vida, si Deus donara a vos gracia de recebre ela, segon la costuma de la Gleisa de Deu, ab castetat, et ab veritat, et ab totas bonas autras vertutz las quals Deus volra donar a vos.
Per la qual causa pregam le bo Senhor, lo qual donec vertut de recebre aquesta santa Oracio als decipols de Jesu Crist ab fer- metat, que el mezeis done a vos gracia de recebre ela ab fermetat, et a onor de lui e de la vostra salvatio.
Parcite nobis.
E puis l’ancia diga la Oracio e·l crezentz que la seguia.
E puis diga l’ancia: Aquesta santa Oracio vos liuram que la recepiatz de Deu, e de nos, e de la Gleisa, e que ajatz pozestat de dir ela totz les temps de la vostra vida, de dias e de nuitz, sols et ab cumpanha, e que jamais no mangetz ni bevatz que aquesta Oracio no digatz primeirament.
E si o faziatz en falha, auria vos obs qu’en portessetz penedensa.
Et el deu dir: Eu la recebi de Deu, e de vos, e de la Gleisa.
E puis fassa so miloirer e reda gracias.
·l crezent detras els.
IV. Rite for the Ministration of the Consolamentum
E si deu esser cossolatz ades, fasa so
milhoirer e prega le Libre de la ma de l’ancia. E l’ancia deu le amonestar e prezicar ab testimonis covinentz et ab aitals paraulas co·s coveno a cossolament.
E diga enaissi: En Peire, voletz recebre lo
bab- tisme esperital per lo qual es datz Sant Esperit en la Gleisa de Deu, ab la santa Oracio, ab l’empausament de las mas dels bos homes? Del qual babtisme dix lo nostre Senhor Jesu Crist en l’Avangeli de sanh Mateu a sos decipols: Anatz et essenhatz totas las gentz, e batejatz les el nom del Paire e del Filh e del Sant Esperit, et essenhatz lor a gardar totas las causas que eu comandei a vos. E vec vos que eu so com vos per totz dias entro a l’acabament del segle.
Et en l’Avangeli de sanh
Marc dix: Anatz en tot lo mon, prezicatz l’avangeli a tota creatura.
E qui creira e sera batejatz sera sals, mas qui no creira
sera cumdampnatz.
Et en l’Avangeli de sanh Joan, dix a
Nicodemus: Verament, verament, dic a tu que ja negus no intrara el regne de Deu si no sera renatz d’aiga e de Sant Esperit.
E Joan Babtista parlec d’aquest babtisme can dix: Acertas eu bategi en
aiga, mais aicel que es a venir seguentre mi es plus fortz de mi, del qual eu no so dignes deliar lo correg de la causamemta de lui. El vos batejara en Sant Esperit et en foc.
E Jesu Crist dix es Fait dels Apostols: Quar acertas Joan bategec
en aiga, mais vos seretz batejat en Sant Esperit.
Aquest sanh babtisme de mas‑emposetio fe Jesu Crist segon que retra sanh Luc; e
dix que li sei amic le farian, enaissi co retra sanh Marc: Sobre·ls malautes pausaran las mas et auran be.
E Ananias fe aquest babtisme a sanh Paul can fo covertitz. Et enapres Paul e Barnabas fero lo e moutz
lox.
E sanh Peire e sanh Joan fero lo sobre·ls Samaritas, quar
aissi o dix sanh Luc el Fait dels Apostols: Cum ague‹s›so auzit li apostols que eran en Yerusalem que Samaria receub la paraula de Deu, trameiro ad els Peire e Joan li qual, co fosso vengut, orero per els que receubesso Sant Esperit. Quar encara en alcu de lor no era vengutz.
Adoncas pausavan las mas sobr’els, e
recebio Sant Esperit.
Aquest sanh babtisme, per lo qual
Sant Esperit es datz, a tengut la Gleisa de Deu dels apostols en sa, et es vengutz de bos homes en bos homes entro aici, e o fara entro la fi del segle.
E devetz entendre que pozestat es dada a la Gleisa de Deu de liar e de
desliar, e de perdonar pecatz e de retenir, enaissi co Crist dix en l’Avangeli de sanh Joan: Enaissi cum lo Paire me trames et eu trameti vos. Cum agues dithas aquestas causas, espirec e dix ad els: Recebetz Sant Esperit.
Dels quals perdo[na]retz los pecatz, so perdonatz ad els; e dels quals los retenretz, so re[te]ngut.
Et en l’Avangeli de sanh Mateu, dix a Simon Peire: Eu dic a tu
que tu est Peire, e sobre aquest[a] peira eu endeficarei la mia gleisa, e las portas d’ifern no auran forsa encontra lei.
E a tu donarei las claus del regne dels cels, e qual que causa tu liara[s] sobre
terra sera liada els cels; e qual que causa tu desliaras sobre terra sera desliada els cels.
Et en autre loc dix a sos decipols: Verament dic a vos que qual que causa liaretz sobre terra sera liada els
cels; e qual que causa solveretz sobre terra sera souta els cels. E de rescaps verament dic a vos: Si doi de vos se cosentiran sobre terra de tota causa, qual que causa queran sera faita ad els del meu Paire qui es el cel.
Quar aqui on so doi o trei ajustat el meu nom, eu so
aqui e meg de lor.
Et en autre loc dix: Los malautes sanatz, los mortz resuscitatz, los lebrosses mondatz, los demonis gitatz. Et en l’Avangeli de sanh Joan dix: Qui cre e mi, las obras que eu fas, fara.
Et en l’Avangeli de sanh Marc dix: Mais aquels que creiran, aquestas signas los segran: El meu nom gitaran
demonis; et ab lengas novas parlaran; e serpentz ostaran; e si beuran alcuna causa mortal, no nozera ad els; sobre·ls malautes pausaran las mas, et auran be.
Et en l’Avangeli de sanh Luc dix: Vec vos que eu dei
a vos poder caucigar sobre·ls serpetz, et els escorpios, e sobre tot le poder de l’enemic; e re a vos no nozera.
E si aquest poder ni aquesta pozestat voletz recebre, cove vos tenir totz los comandamentz de Crist e del Novel Testament a vostre poder.
E sapiatz que el a comandat que hom no avoutre, ni ausisa, ni memta, ni jure negu sagrament, ni pane, ni raube, ni faza az autre so que no vol que sia fait a ssi, e que hom perdone qui li fa mal, e que hom ame sei enemic, e que hom ore e benezisca als encausadors et als acusadors de si.
E qui·l ferra e la una gauta, que li pare l’autra, e qui li tolra la gonela, que li laisse lo mantel; e que hom no juge ni cumdampne; e moutz d’autres comandamentz que so comandat del Senhor a la sua Gleisa.
Et eissament, vos cove que aziretz
aquest mon e las suas obras, e las causas que de lui so. Quar sanh Joan dix en la Pistola: O mout cari, no volhatz amar lo mon ni aicelas causas que so el mon.
Si alcus ama lo mon, la caritat del Paire
no es en lui. Quar tot aco que es el mon es cobezesa de carn, e cobezesa d’uls, et ergulh de vida, la qual no es del Paire, mais del mon es. E·l mons traspassara, e la cobezesa de lui, mais qui fa la volontat de Deu esta en durabletat.
E Crist dix a las gentz: Lo mon no pot azira vos, mais mi azira quar eu porti testimoni de lui que las obras de lui so malas.
Et el libre de
Salamo es escriut: Eu vi totas aquelas causas que so faitas jos le solelh; e vec vos que totas so vanetatz e turmentz d’esperit.
E
Judas Jacme dix, essenhatz nos en la Pistola: Aziratz aicela gonela solada la quals es carnals.
E per aquestz testimonis e per moutz d’autres vos cove a tenir li comandament de Deu et azira aquest mon.
E si be o faitz entro a la fi, avem esperansa que la vostra arma aja vida
durabla.
Et el diga: Enaissi ei volontat. Pregatz Deu per
mi que m’en do la sua forsa. E puis la i dels bos homes fasa so miloirer ab le crezentz a l’ancia, e diga: Parcite nobis.
Bo crestia, nos vos pregam per amor de Deu que donetz d’aquel Be que Deus vos a dat ad aquest nostre amic. E puis le crezent fasa so miloirer, e diga: Parcite nobis. De totz les pecatz qu’eu anc fi, ni parlei, ni cossirei, ni obrei, venc a perdo a Deu, et a la Gleisa, et a totz vos.
E li crestia digan: De Deu, e de nos, e de la Gleisa vos sian perdonat; e
nos preguem Deu que l‹e›s vos perdo. E puis devo lo cossolar.
E l’ancia prenga lo Libre e meta le·i sus lo cap, e li autri boni homi,
cascu la ma destra.
E digan las parcias e iii adoremus, e puis: Pater sante, suciper servum tuum in tua iusticia et mite graciam tuam e Spiritum
Santum tuum super eum.
E pregon Deu ab la Oracio, et aquel que
guisa lo menester deu ecelar a la vi, e can la vi sera dita, deu dire iii adoremus e la Oracio una vetz en auzida, e puis l’Avangeli.
E can l’Avangeli es ditz, devo dire iii adoremus, e
la gracia, e las parcias. E puis devo far patz entre lor et ab lo Libre. E si crezentz i a, fasan patz atressi. E crezentas si n’i a, fasan patz ab lo Libre et entre lor. E puis pregon Deu ab dobla et ab venias. Et auran liurat.
V. Rules for the Use of the Prayer
Mesagaria de tenir dobla ni de dire la Oracio no deu esser portada per
home seglal.
Si crestiani van en loc de regart, p[re]gon Deu ab gracia. E si degus cavalga, tenga dobla. E deu dire la Oracio az intrant de nau o de villa, o a passant de planca o de pont regardos.
E si atroba[n] home ab cui les covenga parlar mentre pregan Deu, e si an viii Oracio[s], pod n’esser pres per sembla.
E si n’an xvi Oracios, pod n’esser pres per dobla. E si troban aver en cami, no lo toco
si no sabian que·l poguesso redre. E si ades vezo que homes ne fosso passat denant a qui poguess esser redut, prezesso le e redesso le si podian.
E si no podian, t[or]nesso le en aquel loc.
E si trobavan bestia o auzel presa o pres no [...] s’en metan en als. E si crestias vol beure dementre es dias, aja pregat Deu doas vegadas, o mas apres manjar. E si apres la dobla de la nuit bevian, fasan autra dobla.
E s’i a crezentz, estian de pes quan diran la Oracio per beure.
E si crestias prega Deu ab crestianas, guize la Oracio tota ora.
E si cresentz a qui fos lilrada la Oracio era ab crestianas, an s’en
az autra part e fassa per si meteiss.
VI. Rite for the Consolamentum for the Sick
Si crestias als quals le menester de la Gleisa es comandatz an message de crezentz malaute, anar i devo, e devo li demandar en cosselh co s’es menatz vais la
Gleisa depuis que receup la fe, ni si es de re endeutatz vas la Gleisa ni encolpatz. E si deu lunha re e o pod pagar, far o deu. E si far no o vol, no deu esser receubutz. Quar qui prega Deu per home torturer ni per deslial, no pod profeitar aquela pregeira. Empero si pagar no o pod, no deu esser sofanatz. E li crestiani devo li mostrar l’astenenza e las costumas de la Gleisa.
E puis devo li demandar si era receubutz
si a cor que o tenges.
E no o deu autrejar si be no s’o sentia fermament.
Quar sanh Joan dix que la partida dels messorguers sera en estanh de
foc e de solfer.
E si ditz que be·s sent ferms que tot o pusca
sofrir, e si li crestiani so acordantz que·l recepian, l’astenesa li devo cargar en aital guisa que·l demando si a cor que·s garde de mentir, e de jurar, e dels autres devetz de Deu, e de tenir las costumas de la Gleisa e·ls mandamentz de Deu, e de tenir so cor e so aver aital co ara l’a ni per azenant l’aura en azaut de Deu et de la Gleisa e a servizi de crestias e de crestianas tot temps mais a so poder.
E si ditz que o, eli devo respondrer: Aquesta
abestenesia vos cargam que la recepiatz de Deu, e de nos, e de la Gleisa, e que la gardetz aitant cant viuretz, que si be la gardatz ab las autras que avetz a far, avem esperraza que la vostra arma n’aja vida [durabla].
E el deu dire: Eu la recebi de Deu, e de vos, e de la Gleisa.
E puis devo li demandar si vol recebre la Oracio, e si ditz que o, vescan le de camisa e de bragas si far se pod.
E fassan le estar e sezentz si pod
lavar las mas.
E metan touala o autre drap denant lui sus le leit.
E sus aquel drap metan le Libre, e digan una vetz Benadisite,
e iii vetz Adoremus Patrem et
Filium e Spiritum Santum. E deu pendre le Libre de la ma de l’ansia.
E puis si esperar o pod, aquel que guiza·l menester le deu amonestar e
prezicar ab testimonis covinentz. E puis deu li demandar de la covenesa si l’a en cor a gardar ni a tenir aissi co a covengut. E si ditz que o, fasan la li refermar. E puis devo li passar la Oracio, et el que la sega.
E puis, que l’ancia li diga: Aisso es la Oracio que Jesu Crist
aportec en aquest mon; e la ensenec als bos homes.
E que jamais no manjetz ni no bevatz luna causa que aquesta Oracio no digatz primerament.
E si o faziatz a menespec, auria vos obs qu’en portesetz penedensa.
El deu dire: Eu la recebi de Deu, e de vos, e de la Gleisa.
E puis pregan comiatz aissi coma femna. E puis devo pregar Deu ab dobla
et ab venias.
E puis devo tornar le Libre denant lui. E
puis deu dire iii vetz Adoremus
Patrem es Filium e Spiritum Santum. E puis prenga le Libre de la ma de l’Ansia, e l’ancias deu le amonestar ab testimonis et ab aitals paraulas co·s coveno a cosolament.
E puis deu li demandar si a en cor a tenir e
a gardar la covenessa aissi co o covenc. E que la li fassa refermar.
E puis l’ancias deu pendre le Libre, e·l malaute deu se clinar e dire: Parcite nobis.
De totz les pecatz [que anc fi] ni parlei ni
cosirei, venc a perdo a Deu, e a la Gleisa, et a totz vos.
E li crestiani devo dire: De Deu, e de nos, e de la Gleisa vos sian perdonatz; e
nos preguem Deu que les vos perdo. E puis devo le cosolar enaissi que las mas e·l Libre li devo pausar sus le cap e dire: Benedicite, parcite nobis, amen.
Fiat nobis secodum verbum tuum. Pater et Filius e
Spiritus Santus parcat vobis omnia peccata vestra.
Adoremus Paterem es Filium e Spiritum Santum: iii vetz.
E puis: Pater santer, suciper servum tuum in
tua iusticia, es mite graciam tuam e Spiritum Santum tuum super eum. E si es femna devo dire: Pater sante, suciper ancillam tuam in tua iusticia, e mitte grasiam tuam e Spiritum Santum tuum super eam.
E puis, que pregon Deu ab la
Oracio; e devo ecelar a la vi.
E quan la sezena sera dita, devo dire iii vetz Adoremus Paterem es
Filium e Spiritum Santum, e la Oracio una vetz en auzida, e puis l’Avangeli.
E quan es ditz, devo dire iii vetz Adoremus Patrem es
Filium e Spiritum Santum, e la Oracio una vetz en auzida.
E puis pregan comiatz coma home. E puis devo far patz entre lor e ab le Libre.
E si crezentz ni crezentas i a, fassan patz. E puis
li crestiani devo demandar las salutz e redre.
E si·l malaute fenis ni lor laissa ni lor dona alcuna causa, no o devo tenir per lor ni amparar, mais que o devo pausar e la volumtat de l’Orde.
Empero si·l malaute viu, li crestiani lo devo presentar a l’Orde e pregar que·s recosole al pus tot que puscan.
E el fassa ne sa volumtat.
Ed. Marvyn Roy Harris. – Rialto 31.5.2005.
Ms.: Lyon, Bibliothèque municipale, PA 36 (formerly A.I.54) (235v-241v).
Critical Editions: E. Cunitz, «Ein
Katharisches Ritual», Beiträge zu den theologischen Wissenschaften, vol. IV, Jena 1852; L. Clédat, Le Nouveau Testament, traduit au XIIIe siècle en langue provençale, suivi d’un rituel cathare,
Geneva 1968; reprint of the Paris 1887 edition, with an incomplete Latin text (section I), pp. VI-VII, and the Occitan text with facing translation, pp. [IX]-XXVI, and a photolithographic reproduction of the Ritual, pp. 470-482: René Nelli and René Lavaud, Les Troubadours, vol. II,
Le Trésor poétique de l’Occitanie, Rituel cathare (section II), pp. 1028-1033,
[Paris-Bruges] 1966; Jean Duvernoy, cledat_rituel.pdf.
Occitan text 1977; PDF file dated May 2001.
Translations: in English, Walter L. Wakefield and Austin P. Evans, Heresies of the High Middle Ages, 2nd ed., New
York-Oxford 1991, pp. 483-494, 780-782; in French, L. Clédat, q.v. above; René Nelli and René Lavaud, q.v. above, (section II), p. 1031, 1033; René Nelli, Écritures cathares: Nouvelle édition actualisée et augmentée (referring to the 1959 Denoël edition, Paris), Le Rituel cathare (Le Rituel occitan), Paris 1968, pp. 207-225; Christine
Thouzellier. Rituel cathare; introduction, texte critique, traduction et notes, Paris 1977, Appendice 20 (a full translation of section I); René
Nelli, Écritures cathares: Nouvelle édition actualisée et augmentée par Anne Brenon, Monaco 1995, pp. 225-238 (Nelli's translation reprinted); in Italian, Francesco Zambon, La
cena segreta; trattati e rituali catari, Milano 1997, pp. 301-314, 434-437.
Aparelhamentum (English)
The general confession liturgy — the communal rite of repentance performed by the Cathar Elect. This translation follows the Occitan text of Section II above.
We have come before God and before you and before the ordinances of the Holy Church that we may receive pardon and penance for all our sins in thought, word and deed from our birth until now and we ask of God mercy and of you that you pray for us to the Holy Father of Mercy that He forgive us.
Let us worship God and declare all our sins and numerous offences in the sight of the Father, the Son and the honoured Holy Spirit, of the honoured Holy Gospels and the honoured Holy Apostles, by prayer and faith and by the salvation of all the upright and glorious Christians and blessed ancestors asleep and here present, for their sake we ask you, holy lord, to pardon all our sins.
Benedicite, Parcite Nobis.
For numerous are the sins by which we daily offend God, night and day, in thought, in word and deed, wittingly and unwittingly, and especially by the desires the evil spirits bring to us in the flesh which clothes us.
Benedicite, Parcite Nobis.
Whereas we are taught by God's Holy Word as well as by the Holy Apostles and the preaching of our spiritual brothers to reject all fleshly desire and all uncleanness and to do the will of God by doing good we, unworthy servants that we are, not only do not do the will of God as we should, but more often give way to desires of the flesh and the cares of the world, to such an extent that we wound our spirits.
Benedicite, Parcite Nobis.
We go with those who are of the world, mixing with them, talking and eating with them, and sinning in many things so that we wound our brothers and our sisters.
The penance which we received we have not observed as we ought to have done, neither the fasting nor the prayer. We have wasted our days and hours. While we are saying the Holy Prayer our senses are diverted to carnal desires and worldly cares, so that at this moment we hardly know what we can offer to the Father of the Just.
O Thou Holy and Good Lord, all those things that have befallen us in our senses and in our thought we confess, Holy Lord, and all our many sins we place on the mercy of God and on the Holy Prayer and on the Holy Gospel.
Benedicite, Parcite Nobis.
O Lord, judge and condemn the imperfections of the flesh. Have no pity on the flesh, born of corruption, but show mercy to the spirit which is imprisoned therein. Direct for us the days, hours, and obeisances, as is the custom of good Christians, that we be not judged or condemned with the unjust at the Day of Judgment.
Traditio (English)
The rite for the transmission of the Lord's Prayer to new believers. This translation follows the Occitan text of Sections III–IV above. The Cathars held the Pater Noster to be the sole legitimate prayer; its formal reception was a central liturgical act.
You must realize that when you are before the Church of God you are before the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, as the Scriptures teach.
For Christ said in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew: "Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name there I am in the midst of them."
And in the Holy Gospel according to Saint John he said, "If a man love me he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him."
And Saint Paul says in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, "Ye are the Temple of the Living God, as God hath said by Isaiah, his prophet; I dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord; and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
And in another place he says, "Seek ye the proof of Christ Who speaketh in me."
And in the First Epistle to Timothy he says, "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
And he said also to the Hebrews, "But Christ is a Son over His own house, Whose house we are."
That the Spirit of God is with the followers of Jesus Christ, Christ has shown thus in the Gospel according to Saint John, "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you."
And in the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew He said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
And Saint Paul said in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the Temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
Christ shows it thus in the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew, "For it is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you."
And Saint John says in his epistle, "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, for He has given us His Spirit."
And Saint Paul said to the Galatians, "Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying “Father! Father!”
Wherefore be it understood that your presentation made before the sons of Jesus Christ confirms the faith and teaching of the Church of God as the Holy Scriptures tell us. For in former times the people of God separated themselves from the Lord their God. And they abandoned the will and guidance of their Heavenly Father through the deceptions of the wicked spirits and by submission to their will.
And for these reasons, and many others, we are certain that the Heavenly Father would have pity on His people and receive them again in peace and concord by the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, and now is the time.
For you are here before the disciples of Jesus Christ in the place where Father, Son and Holy Ghost have their spiritual abode as is shown above, to receive that Holy Prayer which the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples, so that your prayers might be granted by our Heavenly Father.
Therefore must you learn that if you would receive this Holy Prayer you must repent your sins and forgive all men. For Our Lord Jesus Christ says, "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father, forgive your trespasses."
Hence it is meet and right that you be resolved in your heart to keep this Holy Prayer all your life according to the custom of the Church of God, in purity and truth, and in all other virtues which God would bestow upon you.
Wherefore we pray the good Lord who bestowed upon the disciples of Jesus Christ the virtue to receive this Holy Prayer steadfastly that He may grant to you also the grace to receive it steadfastly, in His honour and for your salvation.
The Elder then says the Lord's Prayer and the postulant follows him phrase by phrase:
Our Father, which art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our supplementary bread,
And remit our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And keep us from temptation and free us from evil.
Thine is the kingdom, the power and glory for ever and ever.
Amen.
After which the Elder will say: "We deliver you this Holy Prayer that you may receive it of us and of God and of the Church, that you may have the power to say it all your life, day and night, alone or in company, and that you must never eat or drink without first saying it. If you omit to do so you must do penance."
The Postulant replies: "I receive it of you and of the Church."
Then he turns and gives thanks and makes his melioramentum, bowing at the feet of the Elder. Then the Elder asks the postulant, "My brother, do you desire to give yourself to our faith?"
The postulant being asked three times, and answering "Yes" on all, makes a bow and advances one step between each, saying "Bless me," to which the Elder replies, "God bless and keep you."
At the third time bowing thus the postulant adds, "Lord, pray to God for me, a sinner, that He will lead me to the good end," and the Elder replies, "God bless you and make you a good Christian and bring you to the good end."
Elder: "Do you give yourself to God and the Gospel?"
Postulant: "Yes."
Elder: "Do you promise that henceforth you will eat neither meat nor eggs, nor cheese, nor fat, and that you live only from water and wood, that you will not lie, that you will not swear, that you will not kill, that you will not abandon your body to any form of luxury, that you will never go alone when it is possible to have a companion, that you will never sleep without breeches and shirt and that you will never abandon your faith for fear of water, fire or any other manner of death?"
You wish to receive the spiritual baptism whereby the Holy Spirit is given in the Church of God with the Holy Prayer by the laying on of hands of the Good Men. Of this Baptism Our Lord Jesus Christ said in the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew:
"Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
And in the Gospel of Saint Mark he said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned."
And in the Gospel of Saint John He said to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."
And John the Baptist spoke of this baptism when he said, "I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."
This gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands has been instituted by Jesus Christ as Saint Luke tells, and he said that his friends would confer it as Saint Mark says, "They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."
And Ananias conferred this Baptism on Saint Paul when he was converted. For Saint Luke says thus in the Acts of the Apostles, "Now when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God they sent unto them Peter and John, who when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive of the Holy Spirit, for as yet He was fallen upon none of them."
Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. This Holy Baptism by which the Holy Spirit is given the Church of God has kept from the Apostles until now, and it has come from the Good Men to the Good Men until now and shall do till the end of the world.
And you must understand that power is given to the Church of God to bind and to loose, to forgive sins and to retain them, as Christ said in the Gospel of Saint John, "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them, Receive Ye the Holy Ghost; whatsoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them, and whatsoever sins ye retain, they are retained."
And in the Gospel of Saint Matthew he said to Simon Peter, "I say unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
And again, "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven. For wheresoever two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them."
And in another place he said, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils."
And in the Gospel of Saint John he said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do he shall do also."
And in the Gospel of Saint Mark he said, "These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."
And in the Gospel of Saint Luke he said, "Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
And if you wish to receive this power you must keep all the commandments of Christ and the New Testament according to your ability. And know that He has commanded that man shall not commit adultery or murder or lie, that he must not swear any oath, that he shall not seize or rob, nor do to others what he would not have done to himself, that man must forgive whoever wrongs him and love his enemies, pray for his detractors and accusers and bless them; and if anyone strike him on one cheek, turn to him the other also, and if anyone takes away his cloak, to leave him his coat also; and that he should neither judge nor condemn, and many other commandments which the Lord made for His Church.
Also you must hate this world and its works and the things of the world, for Saint John says in his epistle: "O my beloved, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
And Christ said unto the Gentiles, "The world cannot hate you, but me it hates because I bear witness of it that its works are evil."
And in the Book of Solomon, it is written, "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and vexation of Spirit."
And Jude the brother of James said for our instruction in his Epistle, "Hate the solid garment of flesh."
And by these witnesses and any others you must keep the commandments of God and hate the world. And if you continue well to the end, we have the hope that your soul shall have life eternal.
And the Credent shall say, "I have this will, pray to God for me that He will give me His power."
Witness: "Parcite Nobis. Good Christians we pray you by the love of God that you grant this blessing, which God had given you, to our friend here present."
Credent, after making his melioramentum: "Parcite Nobis. For all the sins I have ever done in thought, word and deed, I ask pardon of God, of the Church, and of you all."
Assembly of Cathars and Witnesses: "By God and by us and by the Church, may your sins be forgiven and we pray God to forgive you them."
Adoremus Patrem, et Filium, et Spiritum Sanctum.
Consolamentum (English)
The central sacrament of the Cathar Church — the spiritual baptism by laying-on of hands, through which the believer received the Holy Spirit and became one of the Elect. This description reconstructs the ceremony from the Occitan ritual text of Sections IV–VI above and from inquisitorial depositions.
The consolamentum was a spiritual baptism, as described in the New Testament, where the ritual practice of baptism by water was abrogated and baptism by fire implemented. Only a Parfait could administer the consolamentum, which meant that every new Parfait stood at the end of a chain of predecessor Parfaits linking him or her to the apostles and to Jesus himself.
It was the most significant ceremony in Cathar theology, marking the transition from ordinary believer to a Parfait, one of the elect. During the ceremony the Holy Spirit was believed to descend from heaven and inhabit the Parfait's corporal body. It was largely because of this indwelling of the Holy Spirit that Parfaits were expected and willing to lead such ascetic lives, and why ordinary believers were prepared to revere them.
The ceremony was striking in its simplicity. It required no material elements such as water or anointing oil, and seems to have preserved a ceremony of the very earliest Christian Church. Cathars claimed that the rite had been appointed by Christ, and had been handed down from generation to generation by the boni homines.
The consolamentum was also given to sick or injured believers, in the expectation of death. As long as they died soon thereafter this presented no great problem, since they would have little opportunity to fall back into sin. But if they recovered, they were now Parfaits and presumably expected to behave as such. Some authorities, notably Jean Duvernoy, differentiate between the baptism of the Parfaits and the solace baptism granted to the dying for the remission of their sins. In this case, those who received the solace baptism and survived seem to have been obliged to then undertake the normal training and receive the Consolamentum again to become a fully functioning member of the Elect.
First, the postulant would need to receive the Melhoramentum, a ritual title derived from an Occitan word meaning "improving." The Melhoramentum was the acknowledgment by a believer of the Holy Spirit dwelling with the Parfait. The believer would kneel and, with both hands folded, bow three times to the ground; on each genuflection the believer would say: "Bless me, Lord; pray for me." Then, the Cathar prayed, "Lead us to our rightful end." The Parfait, man or woman, then answered, "God bless you. In our prayers, we ask from God to make a good Christian out of you and lead you to your rightful end."
After an extended period of training and fasting, and after the applicant had gone through the Melhoramentum, the rite of the Consolamentum proceeded as follows: The Parfait held the Bible above the kneeling postulant's head and recited the Benedicite. The postulant received from a Parfait a copy of the Lord's Prayer. The Parfait addressed the postulant and explained to him from Scripture the indwelling of the spirit in the Parfait, and his adoption as a son by God.
The Lord's Prayer was then repeated by the postulant, the Parfait explaining it clause by clause. There followed the Renunciation, primitive in form, except that it was adapted so that the postulant solemnly renounced the harlot church of the persecutors and their replicas of the cross, their sham baptisms and their other magical rites.
Next followed the spiritual baptism itself, consisting of the imposition of hands and the touching of the Gospel on the postulant's head. The Parfait's vocation was then defined; he or she was reminded of all the things that are forbidden, and of what was required of them: pardoning wrongdoers, loving enemies, praying for those who calumniate and accuse, offering the other cheek to the smiter, giving up one's mantle to him that takes one's tunic, neither judging nor condemning. Asked if he will fulfil each of these requirements, the postulant answered: "I have this will and determination. Pray God for me that he give me his strength."
The next part of the rite exactly reproduced the confiteor as it existed in the second century, asking pardon for previous sins. Then followed the act of consoling. The Parfait took the Gospel and placed it on the postulant's head. Other Parfaits present placed their right hands on the postulant's head. They then three times adored the Father and Son and Holy Spirit and said a prayer asking God to welcome his servant and to send down the Holy Spirit.
They then said the parcias, and repeated three times the "Let us adore the Father and Son and Holy Spirit," and then prayed: "Holy Father, welcome thy servant in thy justice and send upon him thy grace and thy holy spirit." Then they repeated the adoration and the Lord's Prayer, then read the Gospel of John (1:1-17). This was the most solemn part of the rite, for the postulant was now a Parfait. The new Parfait was girt with a sacred thread round the torso, then clad in a black gown. All Parfaits present would give the kiss of peace and the rite was over.
In the inquisitorial deposition of Guillaume Tardieu de la Galiole: "Then, on this Parfait's request, I devoted myself to God and the Gospel and promised to no longer eat meat, eggs, cheese and fat apart from oil and fish. I also promised not to swear in all my life, and to forsake the sect out of fear of fire, water and other kinds of death. After this oath, I recited the Pater Noster in the Parfaits' manner, then the Parfait held the book above my head and read the Gospel of Saint John. After this, they gave me peace first with the book and then with the mouth, kissing me twice across the mouth and prayed God, amidst much kneeling and venias."
Colophon
The Occitan and Latin text of the Lyon Ritual is from the critical edition by Marvyn Roy Harris, published at Rialto (31 May 2005), based on ms. Lyon, Bibliothèque municipale, PA 36 (formerly A.I.54), ff. 235v–241v. The English translations of the Aparelhamentum, Traditio, and Consolamentum are from the Encyclopaedia at gnosis.org (Gnostic Society Library), drawing on the work of Walter L. Wakefield and Austin P. Evans (Heresies of the High Middle Ages, 2nd ed., New York–Oxford, 1991) and Lance S. Owens. Formatted and archived for the Good Works Library.
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