The Vatican MS of the Gelasian Sacramentary and Its Supplement at Paris

The Footprints of Michael the Archangel

“…The tiny text thus functioned as an aspect of ritual dress that engaged a dualistic struggle between angels and evil forces for control of the body as a sacred space. 158 The amulet did not, however, merely continue some vaguely defined pagan or Jewish cult of angels as denounced by the Epistle to the Colossians. Neither did it assimilate idolatrous or magical practices because of imperfect Christian instruction of new converts or a "rising superstition" within later Roman imperial culture.…”

“…157 This version includes Frankish material in addition to that of Roman origin. 158 The nuns included five prayers based on Italian material for a mass celebrated on the Roman date of September 29. 159 The second "Old Gelasian" prayer occurs as well in the Leonine Sacramentary: "We supplicants pray you, o Lord, through the intervention of your supporter the blessed archangel Michael, that we may touch with the mind whom we follow in honor."…”