Pax (2)
pax
(Latin: peace)
(1) In the salutation of Our Lord to His Apostles, Pax vobis (peace be to you); part of the salutation of the Apostles in the beginning of their letters to the faithful, signifying peace, peace from God.
(2) Salutation used by bishops to the congregation: Pax vobis (pease to you), instead of Dominus vobiscum.
(3) Name of the ceremony in the Mass, at which the celebrant gives the kiss of peace to the deacon.
(4) Name for the peace-plate .
(5) The motto of the Benedictines .
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Pax
(Osculatorium, Tabula Pacis, Lapis Pacis).
A tablet to be kissed. The primitive usage in the Church was for the “holy kiss” to be given promiscuously. Later (Const. Apostol., VIII, xxix) men of the laity saluted men with the kiss, while women kissed women. This latter manner of giving the peace among the laity seems to have been maintained till the thirteenth century, when a substitute for the actual kiss was introduced in the shape of a small wooden tablet, or plate of metal (osculatorium, deosculatorium, asser ad pacem etc.) bearing an image of the Blessed Virgin, of the titular of the church, or other saint, or more frequently of the crucifixion. The earliest notice of these instruments is in the records of English councils of the thirteenth century (Scudamore, “Notit. Eucharist.”, 438). This departure from the prevailing usage is attributed by Cardinal Bona (Rer. Liturg., II, xvi, X7) to the Franciscans. Kissed by the celebrant and cleansed with a linen cloth, the tablet or plate was carried to others to be likewise kissed by them. This ceremony stills obtains in low masses (Rubr. Mis., X, n. 3), when the peace is thus given to prelates and princes, not to others except in rare cases established by custom. The acolyte or server kneeling at the right of the celebrant presents the tablet. The celebrant kissing it says: “Pax tecum”; the server answers: “Et cum spiritu tuo”. The server then carries the instrument in turn to those who are to receive the peace, saying to each: “Pax tecum”; each responds, “Et cum spiritu tuo”, and then genuflects.
———————————–
Venables in Dict. Christ. Antiq., s. v., Kiss; Carp, Bibliotheca liturg., I, 204.
A.B. MEEHAN Transcribed by Lawrence Progel
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XICopyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Pax
a personification of Peace, worshipped by the ancient Romans. A festival was celebrated annually in honor of this goddess on April 30.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Pax (2)
called also PACIFICALE SEE PACIFICALE (q.v.) and OSCULTATORIUM SEE OSCULTATORIUM (q.v.), is used to designace the so-called ceremony known as the Kiss of Peace (q.v.). It is also employed to describe a small tablet having on it a representation of the crucifixion, or some other Christian symbol, offered to the congregation in the Romish Church to be kissed in the celebration of the mass. It was usually of silver or other metal, with a handle at the back, but was occasionally of other materials; sometimes it was enameled and set with precious stones. The pax was introduced when the osculum pacis, or kiss of peace the custom in primitive times for Christians in their public assemblies to give one another a holy kiss, or kiss of peace was abrogated on account of the confusion which it entailed, and in consequence of some appearance of scandal which had arisen out of it. The tablet, after it had received the kiss of the officiating minister (priest or bishop), was by him presented to the deacon, and by him again to the people, each of whom kissed it in turn, thus transmitting throughout the whole assembly the symbol of Christian love and peace without the possibility of offense. In the Syrian churches the following seems to be the way in which the same thing is symbolized: In,a part of the prayers which has a reference to the birth of Christ. on pronouncing the words, Peace on earth, good will towards men, the attending ministers take the officiating priest’s right between both their hands, and so pass the peace to the congregation, each of whom takes his neighbor’s right hand, and salutes him with the word peace. In the Romish Church the pax is still used. By the Church of England it was omitted at the Reformation as a useless ceremony. The practice of saluting each other the men, men, and the women, women during public worship, and particularly in the agape, or love-feast, is frequently alluded to by ancient writers, as Cyril of Jerusalem (Catech. 15) and St. Augustine (Sertm. 227). All the ancient liturgies, without exception, refer to it as among the rites with which the Eucharist was celebrated; but they differ as to the time and the place in the Eucharistic service in which it is introduced. In the Eastern liturgies it is before, in the Western after the Offertory (q.v.); and in the Roman it immediately precedes the communion. The ceremony, which is now confined to the priesthood, commences with the celebrating bishop or priest, who salutes upon the cheek the deacon; and by him the salute is tendered to the other members, and to the first dignitary of the assistant clergy. It is only when the mass is celebrated by a high dignitary that the utensil called the pax is used. Having been kissed by the celebrant, and by him handed to the deacon, it is carried by the latter to the rest of the clergy. In ordinary cases the pax is given by merely bowing, and approaching the cheek to the person to whom it is communicated. The pax is omitted in the mass of Maundy-Thursday (q.v.), to express horror of the treacherous kiss of Judas.