Author Topic: Incense in the Early Church (Read 964 times)

jhfromsf68 · « **on:** August 30, 2013, 03:13:21 PM »

When did the church first start to use incense in it's sacred liturgy? I read somewhere that this practice started because the laity back then didn't have proper hygiene and were stinky. The incense was used to mask the bad odor coming from the congregation during mass. How true is this? Also was there different practices in western and eastern churches regarding this?

God bless
James

songbird · « **Reply #1 on:** August 30, 2013, 03:54:29 PM »

Incense goes back before Christ. Jєωs in their sacrifices. I would have to do some deep search. But all the sacrifices from Adam and Eve bring us to prepare and to understand the Savior who would be the sacrificial lamb.

My question is: Did a New Order priest tell you this? Smells like their is a Rat somewhere!

songbird · « **Reply #2 on:** August 30, 2013, 03:58:10 PM »

Incense is a symbol that our prayers are ascending to God.

Sigismund · « **Reply #3 on:** August 30, 2013, 08:20:34 PM »

The hygiene thing may have been a practical benefit, but it certainly was not that reason. As has been stated above, Incense was used hi Jєωιѕн worship before the CHurch and symbolized our prayers rising to God. It also engaged the whole body in prayer, including the sense of smell. I have never heard a Latin rite person observe this, but it is frequently identified as part of the reason we use incense among eastern rite Catholics.

Stephen Francis · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2013, 12:01:55 AM »

Nothing masks strong, well-fermented body odors. The only thing incense would have done back then would be to make people smell like armpits and smoke.

By the way, of course Latin-rite Catholics have said incense stimulates their sense of smell in a meaningful way... haven't you been told we only care about the old Mass because we miss the "smells and bells"?

Immaculate Heart of Mary, triumph soon!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

jhfromsf68 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2013, 01:17:58 AM »

Thank you for your replies. I was reading a website on the history of the early church and it mentioned that incense was first approved for use at the church in Rome in 500 A.D. during the reign of Pope Symmachus. I found that curious because I always assumed the mass started taking its present traditional form in the second and third centuries with elaborate ceremonies and beautiful vestments, incense and with the priest facing the altar assisted by deacons and subdeacons. That leads to another question, when did the Roman Catholic mass become the Traditional Latin liturgy we attend today? I don't mean every exact rubric of the 1570 mass of Saint Pius V, but when did it begin to take shape into something that looks similar with the priest ad orientem etc. Maybe I'm wrong to think it was in the second century and third centuries.

James

shin · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2013, 01:25:12 AM »

There is a lot of false information and commentary about the history of the Holy Mass out there. And this within publications with imprimaturs from long past -- not recent -- as there has been quite an agenda there for a long time. . long as can be in more than one sense.

Read carefully!