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This is an Oriental liturgy,
sometimes assigned to the Syrian group because it is written in the Syriac
tongue; sometimes to the Persian group because it was used in Mesopotamia and
Persia. It is known as the normal liturgy of the Nestorians. According to
tradition, it was composed by Addeus and Maris, who evangelized Edessa,
Seleucia-Ctesiphon and the surrounding country. This tradition is based on the
narrative contained in the "Doctrine of Addai", a work generally ascribed to
the second half of the third century. The account states that King Abgar the
Black, having heard of the wonderful works of Christ, besought Our Lord to come
and cure him of a serious malady, but that he obtained only the promise that
Our Lord would send one of His disciples, a promise which was fulfilled after
the ascension, when Thaddeus (in Syriac, Addai), one of the seventy-two
disciples, was sent by St. Thomas to Edessa to cure the King. Addeus and his
disciple Maris are said to have converted the King and people of Edessa, to
have organized the Christian Church there, and to have composed the liturgy
which bears their names. There seem to be no documents earlier than the "Doctrine
of Addai" to confirm this tradition. Although good historical evidence
concerning the foundation of the Church of Edessa is wanting, still it is quite
certain that Christianity was introduced there at a very early date, since
towards the end of the second century the king was a Christian, and a bishop (Palouth)
of the see was consecrated by Serapion of Antioch (1902-03). It was only natural
that the Edessans should regard Addeus and Maris as the authors of their
liturgy, since they already regarded these men as the founders of their Church.
The Nestorians attribute the final redaction of the text of the Liturgy of
Addeus and Maris to their patriarch Jesuyab III who lived about the beginning
of the seventh century. After the condemnation of Nestorianism, the Nestorians
retreated into the Persian kingdom, and penetrated even into India and China,
founding churches and introducing their liturgy wherever the Syriac language was
used. At the present time this liturgy is used chiefly by the Nestorians. It is
also used by the Chaldean Uniats, but their liturgy has, of course, been purged
of all traces of Nestorian tenets.
EXPOSITION OF PARTS
The liturgy may be divided
conveniently into two parts: the Mass of the catechumens, extending as far as
the offertory, when the catechumens were dismissed, and the Mass of the
faithful, embracing all from the offertory to the end. Or again, it may be
divided into the preparation for the sacrifice extending as far as the preface,
and the anaphora or formula for consecration corresponding to the Roman canon.
"The order of the Liturgy of the Apostles, composed by Mar Addai and Mar Mari,
the blessed Apostles" begins with the sign of the cross, after which the verse "Glory
to God in the highest" etc. (Luke, ii, 14), the Lord's Prayer, and a prayer for
the priest on Sundays and feasts of Our Lord, or a doxology of praise to the
Trinity on saints' days and ferials are recited. Several psalms are then said,
together with the anthem of the sanctuary (variable for Sundays and feasts or
Saints' days) and a prayer of praise and adoration.
The deacon then invites the people
"to lift up their voices and glorify the living God", and they respond by
reciting the Trisagion. Then the priest says a prayer and blesses the reader of
the lessons. Ordinarily two lessons from the Old Testament are read, but during
Eastertide a lesson from the Acts of the Apostles is substituted for the second
Old Testament lesson. After an anthem and a prayer the deacon reads the third
lesson (called the Apostle), which is taken from one of the epistles of St.
Paul. The priest prepares for the Gospel by reciting the appropriate prayers
and blessing the incense, and after the alleluia is sung he reads the Gospel.
This is followed by its proper anthem, the diaconal litany, and a short prayer
recited by the priest, after which the deacons invite the people "to bow their
heads for the imposition of hands and receive the blessing" which the priest
invokes upon them. The Mass of the catechumens is thus concluded, so the
deacons admonish those who have not received baptism to depart, and the Mass of
the faithful begins. The priest offers the bread and wine, reciting the
prescribed prayers, covers the chalice and paten with a large veil, goes down
from the altar and begins the anthem of the mysteries. The recital of the Creed
at this point is a late addition to the liturgy.
Having entered within the arch, the
priest makes the prescribed inclinations to the altar, washes his hands and
begins the preparatory prayers for the anaphora. He recites an invitation to
prayer corresponding to the Roman Orate fratres, and then beseeches the Lord not
to regard his sins nor those of the people, but in all mercy to account him
worthy to celebrate the mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ and worthily
praise and worship the Lord, after which he crosses himself and the people
answer "Amen." At this point on Sundays and feasts of Our Lord the deacon seems
to have read the diptychs, called by the Nestorians the "Book of the Living and
the Dead." The kiss of peace is then given, and a prayer recited for all
classes of persons in the church. The anaphora proper begins with the preface.
The deacon now invites the people to pray, and the priest recites a secret
prayer, lifts the veil from the offerings, blesses the incense, and prays that
"the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the
fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all now and ever world without end", and
signs the mysteries, and the people answer "Amen." The priest then begins the
preface with the words: "Lift up your minds." The preface is followed by the
sanctus and the anamnesis (commemoration of Christ). In present usage the words
of institution are here inserted, although they seem to have little connection
with the context. He pronounces a short doxology, and signs the mysteries, and
the people answer "Amen." After the deacon says "Pray in your minds. Peace be
with us," the priest recites quietly the great intercession or memento. The
epiclesis, or invocation of the Holy Ghosts follows as a sort of continuation
of the intercession. The priest then says a prayer for peace and one of
thanksgiving, and incenses himself and the oblations, reciting the appropriate
prayers in the meantime. While the deacon recites a hymn referring to the
Eucharist, the priest, taking the Host in both hands, says a prayer alluding to
the life-giving power of this bread which came down from Heaven (in the
Chaldean Uniat liturgies the words of institution are placed after the first
part of this prayer), breaks the Host into two parts, one of which he places on
the paten, while with the other he signs the chalice, and after dipping it into
the chalice signs the other half of the Host, reciting meanwhile the proper
prayers for the consignation. Joining the parts together he says a prayer
referring to the ceremonies just completed, cleaves with his thumb the Host
where it was dipped in the chalice, signs his forehead with his thumb, and
recites a prayer of praise to Christ and to the Trinity. After kissing the
altar, he invokes a blessing upon all "The grace of Our Lord" etc., as quoted
above.
While the priest breaks the
Host, the deacon invites the people to consider the meaning of these holy
mysteries and to have the proper dispositions for receiving them; to forgive
the transgressions of others, and then to beseech the Lord to forgive their own
offences. The priest, continuing this idea, introduces the Lord's Prayer (which
all recite) and says a prayer that expands the last two petitions. After a
short doxology the priest gives the Chalice to the deacon, blesses the people,
and then both distribute Communion. A special anthem is said during the
distribution. The deacon then invites all who have received Communion to give
thanks, and the priest recites aloud a prayer of thanksgiving and one of
petition. Mass is concluded with a blessing pronounced by the priest over the people.
The chief characteristic in this, as in the other Nestorian liturgies, is the
position of the general intercession or memento. It occurs, not after the
epiclesis as in the Syrian liturgies, but immediately before it. It seems to be
a continuation of the anamnesis. Of minor differences, it might be noted that
the Nestorians use one large veil to cover paten and chalice; they use incense
at the preface; and they have two fractions of the Host, one symbolical
recalling the passion of Christ, the other necessary for the distribution of
Communion. |
