Worship in the early Church blossomed as a spiritual symphony, drawing its essential elements from Jewish liturgical heritage and transfiguring them through the radiant light of the gospel. Each part—the reading of sacred Scripture, the proclamation of the Word, the offering of prayer, and the raising of sacred song—became a conduit through which the divine life of the resurrected Christ coursed into the soul of the Christian community. These acts, simple yet sublime, constituted not merely ritual but a living fellowship with the eternal God.
Scripture Reading: From Synagogue to Church
The public reading of Scripture, a revered custom inherited from the Jewish synagogue, became foundational in Christian worship. Initially centered on the Hebrew Scriptures, these readings were enlivened with exhortation and practical application. As the apostolic witness matured into the written Gospels and Epistles, these New Testament writings were also incorporated, gradually supplanting oral tradition. Justin Martyr, writing in the second century, explicitly mentions the public reading of the Gospels, while the Apostolical Constitutions expanded this to include the Epistles and Acts of the Apostles.
During the liturgical season of Pentecost, selections from Acts were especially prominent. Yet, prior to the Nicene era, there existed no standardized lectionary; the choice of readings varied among congregations. Alongside canonical texts, certain post-apostolic works such as the Epistle of Clement of Rome, the Epistle of Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas were esteemed in some churches and even preserved in early manuscripts of the New Testament. On commemorative anniversaries, the Acts of the Martyrs were also read, bearing witness to the Church’s enduring memory of its heroic confessors.
The Sermon: From Gift to Office
The sermon arose as a natural sequel to Scripture reading—an exposition marked by familiarity, exhortation, and calls to repentance and sanctity. In time, this element of worship evolved in the Greek-speaking Church into a more refined, rhetorical art. Originally, the right to speak in assembly was open to anyone with spiritual insight and the gift of oratory. Over time, however, this liberty became regulated and confined to ordained clergy, particularly the bishop.
Notably, Origen was permitted to preach even before his ordination—a rare exception that illustrates both his precocity and the transitional character of this custom. The oldest extant Christian homily, fully recovered in 1875, is attributed to an unknown Greek or Roman author from the mid-second century, likely prior to A.D. 140. Once misattributed to Clement of Rome, this homily, though lacking in literary elegance and logical cohesion, resounds with moral earnestness and unshakable faith. It closes with a doxology of luminous theology: “To the only God invisible, the Father of truth, who sent forth unto us the Saviour and Prince of immortality… to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Prayer: The Heart of Worship
Prayer, the very breath of worship, also migrated from the synagogue into Christian usage with new fervor. Among the earliest examples are the eucharistic thanksgivings preserved in the Didache and the profound intercessory prayer at the conclusion of Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians, a text that likely formed part of the liturgy in the Roman Church. This prayer is characterized by lofty cadence and scriptural richness, invoking divine mercy on the afflicted, the lost, the imprisoned, and the rulers of the land—those very rulers often hostile to the fledgling Christian movement.
Particularly moving is the entreaty for earthly authorities: “Grant them health, peace, concord, and stability.” The petition reflects not only a spirit of grace but also an acknowledgment of divine providence over secular power. The structure and content of this prayer reveal striking affinities with later liturgical forms ascribed to Clement, James, and Mark, suggesting that these later compositions preserved the echoes of primitive devotion.
The eighth book of the Apostolical Constitutions presents the post-Clementine liturgy in full, complete with intercessions for all categories of worshippers—believers, catechumens, penitents, the possessed, and even the dead—culminating in a full eucharistic service. The customary posture in prayer remained standing with arms extended, a gesture of openness and reverence rooted in ancient Eastern tradition.
Song: The Church’s Living Psalter
The Church’s hymnody found its wellspring in the Psalms of David, carried over from the synagogue and quickened with the breath of Christian faith. The psalter has ever remained the soul’s songbook—catholic in scope, timeless in appeal, speaking with unparalleled eloquence to the human heart in its dialogue with the Divine. From the earliest days, the Church augmented this treasury with new hymns of inspired beauty: the Magnificat of Mary, the Benedictus of Zechariah, the angelic Gloria in Excelsis, and the Nunc Dimittis of aged Simeon—all of which were immediately woven into the Church’s praise.
These hymns, like eternal stars, lit the heavens of Christian devotion and echoed through successive generations. The angelic proclamation of peace at Christ’s birth grew into the more elaborate Gloria in Excelsis, first sung in Greek, and by the third or even second century was a fixture in morning worship. In the Latin Church, it came to be paired with the Te Deum, a later yet equally majestic hymn. Evening devotion found voice in the Greek hymn Phōs hilaron (“Hail, Gladdening Light”), whose serene cadences accompany the day’s closing light.
The following is a poetic English rendering:
“Hail! cheerful Light, of His pure glory poured,
Who is th’ Immortal Father, Heavenly, Blest,
Holiest of Holies—Jesus Christ our Lord!
Now are we come to the Sun’s hour of rest,
The lights of Evening round us shine,
We sing the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Divine!
Worthiest art Thou at all times, to be sung
With undefiled tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of Life alone!
Therefore, in all the world, Thy glories, Lord, we own.”
By the close of the second century, Christian poets were already composing doctrinal hymns to counter heresy. One anonymous writer argued against the Artemonites by citing the multitude of psalms and odes glorifying Christ as the divine Logos. Tradition credits Ignatius of Antioch with introducing antiphonal singing—responsive psalmody that enriched communal participation.
Even Gnostic sects like those of Valentinus and Bardesanes employed hymnody, yet the Church’s heritage of sacred song, rooted in the Psalms, predated and surpassed their innovations. Among the earliest Christian hymns attributed to a named author is that of Clement of Alexandria, the learned Christian philosopher who taught in that city before A.D. 202. His soaring hymn to the Logos portrays Christ as the divine Educator and Shepherd of humanity. Though florid and unsuited for liturgical use, it radiates theological depth and antiquity.
Appendix: The Prayer of Clement and the Hymn of Clement
I. The Prayer of the Roman Church
Drawn from the closing chapters of Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians (ch. 59–61), this sublime intercessory prayer is among the most ancient treasures of Christian liturgy. It invokes God’s sovereignty over creation, pleads for mercy, unity, and deliverance, and blesses the rulers of the earth. It reveals a Church embattled yet hopeful, surrounded by adversity yet filled with grace. The prayer—entirely theocentric—flows with Old Testament imagery, theological grandeur, and pastoral warmth.
II. Hymn to Christ the Educator by Clement of Alexandria
Here is Clement’s original Greek hymn rendered in faithful English translation. It is at once an ode of philosophical theology and a poetic tribute to the Logos:
Bridle of untamed colts,
O footsteps of Christ,
Wing of unwandering birds,
O heavenly way,
Sure Helm of babes,
Perennial Word,
Shepherd of royal lambs!
Endless age,
Assemble Thy simple children,
Eternal Light,
To praise holily,
Fount of mercy,
To hymn guilelessly
Performer of virtue…
Jesus, Saviour of the human race,
Guide harmless children,
Let us praise together
O holy King, the God of peace.
For centuries, this hymn lay dormant until Dr. Henry Martyn Dexter revived it in 1846 with a modern rendering for congregational singing. His version, set to the pulse of English devotion, gave Clement’s hymn new life. The result remains a luminous example of how ancient song can be reborn in modern voice.
1. Shepherd of tender youth,
Guiding in love and truth,
Through devious ways;
Christ, our triumphant King,
We come Thy name to sing;
And joyful hymn Thy praise,
Our Staff and Song!2. Thou art our Holy Lord,
The all-subduing Word,
Healer of strife:
Thou didst Thyself abase,
That from sin’s deep disgrace
Thou mightest save our race,
And give us life.3. Ever be Thou our Guide,
Our Shepherd and our Pride,
Our Staff and Song:
Jesus, Thou Christ of God,
By Thy perennial Word,
Lead us where Thou hast trod,
Make our faith strong.
