Old Hispanic pre-baptism initiation rites, chants and processions

ABSTRACT Themes of Christian initiation permeate the Old Hispanic liturgy for the three weeks before Easter, culminating in the Easter Vigil baptisms. Previous scholars have examined the initiation prayers, readings, and sermons in detail, exploring their connections with the writings of Ildephonsus of Toledo (d. 667). In this article, we consider the initiation rituals from the perspectives of liturgical movement and chant. On Mid-Lent Sunday (three weeks before Easter) and Palm Sunday, the themes of these rituals were developed both in the processional chants and the initiation-themed chants that surrounded them. These materials provide a rich source of information about how initiation theology was enacted through ritual movement and sound.