African Rite - Ante-Nicene Period

Ante-Nicene Period

No liturgical codices are extant - these were all lost due to the destruction of the Islamic invasion and due to the relatively rural character of the African regions, making the reconstruction of the ancient African liturgy difficult. Quotations and references from liturgical books and ceremonies are rare in the works of the early ecclesiastical writers and councils.

However, various sources illuminate customs which were peculiar to the African Church, as well as what formularies and ceremonies were common to all the Western churches:

• Two writers -- Tertullian and St. Cyprian -- furnish useful information on the African liturgy. Tertullian's writings are especially rich in descriptions of, and allusions to, ecclesiastical customs.
• The acts of the early martyrs, for example Saints Perpetua and Felicitas, are also illustrative.
• Finally, inscriptions on Christian (graveyard) monuments provide evidence on the beliefs and practices of the time.