www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Syriac Holy Qurbana question

From my understanding in the Syriac Catholic Church there are 7 Anaphoras used, my question is when a particular one is used dose only the Eucharistic Prayer change or is the entire Liturgy modified? (kind of like us Byzantines's St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom liturgies, not only are the Eucharistuc Prayers different but the rest of the Liturgy is slighty different too)

Is there a rhyme and reason for using a partcular Anaphora? Like say X Anaphora is used on the days of saint martyrs, and Y Anaphora is used on days of saint virgins while Z Anaphora is used during Lent? Or is it like the Roman-rite where the Eucharistic Prayer being used for that Mass us is up to the priest to decide?

Although I can't speak for the Syrian Catholic Church, perhaps their practice is similar to that of the Orthodox. The Anaphora of St. James is required to be used on certain occasions: the major feasts, consecration of churches, first Liturgies offered by priests (whether it is their first ever or just the first time in a particular church), and some others. When James is not required, then the priest generally chooses whichever one he wants. The structure of the Liturgy remains the same, only the prayers change (and then, only the anaphoral prayers change).

Interesting that the Catholics only have seven anaphorae. There are around eighty or so Syriac anaphorae in our tradition. I'm not aware of where one could find all of them in one place, however. In India, thirteen have been translated from Syriac into Malayalam, and these are used by the Orthodox. The Syrian Orthodox in the US published a book of anaphorae, which contain thirteen translated from Syriac into English. Some of these anaphorae are not found in the Indian books, and some found in the Indian books are not found in these American publications.

There is also a Byzantine edition of the Liturgy of Saint James, available at least in Greek, Church-Slavonic, Ukrainian and probably Arabic - and I think in German. Up until a few decades ago its use was confined to Jerusalem and the island of Zante, but in recent years its use has spread to a considerable extent. Unlike the Liturgy of Saint Basil, which has rules determining on which 10 days of the year it is to be used, the Liturgy of Saint James seems to be used ad libitum.

Fr. Serge

The Catholic Encyclopedia (not always the best source) lists 7 Anaphorae for the Syrian Catholics:
St. James the Brother of the Lord
St. John the Evangelist
St. Peter, Head of the Apostles
St. John Chrysostom
St. Xystus, Pope of Rome
St. Matthew the Evangelist
St. Basil of Caesarea.

Fr. Casimir Kucharek in The Byzantine-Slav Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom also lists 7 but not all the same) for the Syrian Catholics:
St. James the Brother of the Lord
St. John the Evangelist
St. Mark the Evangelist
The Twelve Apostles
St. Eustathius of Antioch
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
St. Basil of Caesarea

The Maronites currently use the following Anaphorae:
The Twelve Apostles
St. Peter, Head of the Apostles
St. James the Brother of the Lord,
St. John the Apostle
St. Mark the Evangelist
St. Xystus, Pope of Rome
The Signing of the Chalice

Although their earliest editions of the Book of the Qurbono also had the Anaphorae of:
St. John Maron
St. John Chrysostom
St. Basil of Caesarea
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
St. Dionysius the Areopagite
John of Harran (also called St John Chrysostom II)
St. Marutha of Tagrith

Currently the Maronites are preparing others and hope to have 24 for use when done. In the US the first 7 have been translated into English and the current Book of Offering published by St. Maron Publications has arranged them by liturgical season in 5 volumes:

Qurbono Volume I Season of the Glorious Birth of the Lord
Anaphorae of the Twelve Apostles; Saint James, Brother of the Lord; and Saint Mark the Evangelist

Qurbono Volume II Season of Epiphany
Anaphorae of Saint Peter and Saint Sixtus, Pope of Rome

Qurbono Volume III Season of Great Lent and Passion Week
Anaphorae of Saint John the Apostle; Saint Sixtus, Pope of Rome; and the Twelve Apostles plus that of the Signing of the Chalice for Good Friday

Qurbono Volume IV Season of the Glorious Resurrection
Anaphorae of Saint John the Apostle; Saint Sixtus, Pope of Rome; and the Twelve Apostles

Qurbono Volume V Seasons of Pentecost and the Glorious Cross
Anaphorae of Saint John the Apostle; Saint Sixtus, Pope of Rome; the Twelve Apostles; and Saint Peter

I believe St. Johnb Maron is available now as well.

The Syrian Orthodox in the USA have translated 13
St. James
St. Mark
St. Peter
Twelve Apostles
St. John
St. Xystus
St. Julius
St. John Chrysostom
St. Cyril
St. Jacob of Sarugh
St. Philoxenus
St. Severius
Mar Bar Salibi

and they can be viewed here:
http://sor.cua.edu/Liturgy/Anaphora/index.html

Thanks for the response! Holy toledo, 80?!? What I was reading it said the Oriental Orthodox has more than the Catholic 7 but wow, I assume these are divided up between regions.

From what the book I was reading said that when full communion was established in the 18th century between the Syriac Christians and Rome there was a large effort in the following years to remove later Anaphorae and use only the earliest ones hence the 7.


Exuse me Father, but My Latin is a little rusty, dose "ad libitum" mean "at liberty"? Huh, that's interetsing. My priest has been talking about doing the Liturgy of Saint James this year on the day it is supposed to be done (Isn't it on the feast of Saint James?) but we shall see...

Now that you mention it is there not a Greek Orthodox chapel or monastery in Jerusalem where they use the Divine Liturgy of Saint James the entire year?

Ad libitum basically means at one's pleasure.

One could suggest if one wants days when the Liturgy of Saint James is particularly appropriate that it would be good to use it on the feast of Saint James and on the Sunday after Christmas. But this does not exclude other possibilities.

I am not familiar with any Greek Orthodox monastery or chapel where the Liturgy of Saint James is offered on a daily basis - but it's a big world and anything is possible.

Fr. Serge

Fr. Serge,

I was not aware that the Byzantine St. James had no restrictions on it. I was under the impression that, just as St. Basil is only used ten times a year, St. James was only used once or twice, if that. Certainly the only time you can attend it in the NY area that I'm aware of is on his feast day (on the new and old calendars). Interesting to hear that it could theoretically be used more often.

Recently, at the monastery in Jordanville, the Liturgy of St. Mark was celebrated. Would you know where the text for this could be found?

http://www.hts.edu/seminary/news/StMarkLiturgy/StMlit.htm

Dn. Lance,

Thanks for the listing. It seems that, with a few variations here and there, most Syrian Churches prefer to use the same anaphorae. I wonder how much the others have fallen into disuse.