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Cabrol F. Chapter VI-1. The Mass in Spain. The Mozarabic Liturgy

THE MASS OF THE WESTERN RITES

By the Right Reverend Dom Fernand Cabrol

CHAPTER VI 

THE MASS IN SPAIN 

The Mozarabic liturgy,--Mozarabic books.--The Pre-Mass.--The Mass of the  Faithful.--Remarks on this Mass. 

THE MOZARABIC LITURGY

The Mozarabic liturgy is that which was followed in Spain before the Arab  conquest in 712, and which, after that date, was still generally in use  both by those Spanish who had submitted to the Arabs and by those others  who, having withdrawn into the northern provinces, were able to retain  their independence. The term "Mozarabic" (from musta'rab, or mixto-arabic,  "mixed with the Arabs") only applies in reality to that part of the Spanish  population which did submit to the Saracens. It is, strictly speaking, a  mistake to use it to qualify the Spanish liturgy, since this existed in  Spain previous to the Arab conquest; and, further, because it was also the  liturgy of the free Spaniards in the north. Nevertheless, since this name  is now well established, and is used by most authors, we think it best to  retain it here. Further, the names of Visigothic rite, rite of Toledo,  Hispanic, Gothic, or Spanish rite, by which it has been proposed to replace  the word "Mozarabic" rite, are none of them in themselves perfectly  correct.

In all cases this term denotes a liturgy which has been that of Spain from  the beginning of her history; which was maintained in that country until  the twelfth century, and which, even after its suppression, was still  followed in a few churches, and in the sixteenth century was officially  restored in the churches of Toledo, where at the present time it is still  practiced.
Whatever we may think of its name, the Mozarabic liturgy itself is fairly  well known to us. We may even say that, with the exception of the Roman  liturgy, it is this which provides us with the greatest number of  documents, and gives us the most important information, as may easily be  verified by the paragraph in which these sources are enumerated.

This, however, is not the place to discuss the question of the origin and  sources of these liturgical documents; we can but refer our readers to the  article "Mozarabe" (liturgie) in DACL. It is enough to say that we are not  now reduced (as was the case until recently) to the "Missale Mixtum" of  Lesley, but that at present we have the "Liber Ordinum" (Missal and  Pontifical) and the "Liber Mozarabicus Sacramentorum," both published by  Dom Ferotin, and also the "Comes," or "Liber Comicus," published by Dom  Morin. Thanks to these various documents we can easily reconstitute the  Mozarabic Mass, and go back to an epoch which is almost that of its origin:  let us say, the eighth, or even the seventh, century.[1]