If we look solely to the New Testament, we, however, do not find any indication that this is the case. None of the above is spoken of in any of the services of the Apostolic Church that we have recorded for us. Truthfully, however, we don’t have very detailed records of the services (with the exception of the sermons) in the inspired record. Most of the incidents are given in brief, synopsis form. Thus, we come away with the most important facts but are left to speculate on the details.
What we are given is a more detailed description of services a bit later on in Church History. We have accounts in The Didache, in the writings of Justin Martyr, and in the writings of Hippolytus of Rome that offer us some very important detail.
Since I have already talked about the worship instructions in the Didache, I will concentrate on the other two. The First Apology of Justin Martyr provides us with information on the worship of the early church. Since it was written to the Emperor, it is only a brief overview but provides some interesting details.
And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. [ANF 1: 185-6 ch. LXVII]
The service was reading, preaching, and communion. The Communion service has been detailed by Justin in previous chapters. This pattern of worship is based on the synagogue pattern of worship and follows the same general outline. Alexander Schmemann gives this telling tidbit: “No matter what disagreement may exist between the historians of the Christian cult, they all agree on the acceptance of a genetical (sic) link between this cult and the liturgical tradition of Judaism as it existed in that period.” [Introduction to Liturgical Theology, SVS Press p. 53]
What does this connection between the two types of worship mean? Let us hear what Schmemann says to that question:
It should be noted here in passing that the confirmation of this structural dependence of Christian upon Hebrew worship destroys the argument of those who are inclined to deny the existence of any “order” whatever in the early Church.” (p. 56)
The Apostolic Tradition by St. Hippolytus of Rome (the text of which can be found at http://www.bombaxo.com/hippolytus.html)was written early in the 3rd Century. It gives a detailed account of priestly, diaconal, and episcopal ordinations as well as, an order of service (so to speak) This writing, like The Didache, gives us the prayers that are to be prayed over the Communion.
The conclusion that we can draw from all of this is that the early Christians did indeed have a form as far as their worship is concerned. This is not to say that they were dead, dry or formal in the pejorative sense of the word. It does mean that they did ot make up a new service every time they got together. Another passage from A. Schmemann serves as an excellent conclusion to this matter:
The opinion has been held that early Christian worship was “charismatic” by nature and has a sort of ecstatic, fluid character which excluded the possibility of any fixed structure, of any unchangeable liturgical Ordo….]T]he comparative study of liturgical forms has led to the conclusion that the charismatic gifts did not exclude :rule” and that an Ordo, in the sense of a general structure, was indeed adopted by Christianity from Judaism.” (p 56)
While this may be hard for some to accept, it is nonetheless well attested by the facts of history and the writings of the Fathers of the Church. Rather than the Church progressing into cold formalism from Charismatic flames, it would seem that the wild flames overcame the order and beauty of the liturgy. Instead of coming up with a new and more exciting service each time they met, it is clear that the early Christians had a set order which they inherited from Judaism.
