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When did it begin?
The Church of the
East began during the missionary activity which took place in the Apostolic Age.
Written records have been traced to the late second century of the Christian
era. The numbers of people who belonged to the Church at that time, and the
broad area it covered, would indicate that there had been a long period of
development and growth, possibly reaching back into the first century and the
time of the Apostles. Tradition in the Church of the East dates its founding in
the middle of the first century.
Where did it
begin?
The Church of the
East developed first in what was known as the Parthian Empire, and when that
empire was overthrown by the Persians in the third century it continued its
development under the Persian government. This was the region lying to the east
of the Roman border, stretching as far as to India. The exact location of the
Church's first congregations cannot be established from the historical record,
but it is thought that it began its most serious development in the region of
Kh'dayab (Adiabene) in northern Mesopotamia, spreading from there in all
directions throughout the empire.
The Assyrian
people of upper Mesopotamia have always been an important part of the Church of
the East, though historically they were only one ethnic group among many others
within the Church. However, today they represent the single surviving cultural
grouping. Though the Church moved far beyond its beginnings in upper
Mesopotamia, the language of that region (Syriac) remained the language of the
Church, and its vocabulary, with a certain amount of Greek added in, was the
source of its characteristic theological formulations.
How is it
organized?
The Church of the
East is governed according to the Apostolic model of bishops, presbyters, and
deacons. At the turn of the fourth century (c. AD 310) Papa bar Gaggai, the
bishop of the capital city of the Persian Empire, Seleucia-Ctesiphon, organized
the bishops of the Church in a form which resembled the model developed in the
West. He centralized the administration of the Church under his own jurisdiction
and assumed the title "Catholicos of the East." From that time on, the bishop of
the imperial capital held this office. The Catholicos became the presiding
bishop over the entire Church, and his dignity and power were subsequently added
to in the fifth century when he received the title "Patriarch". This was done at
a general synod called by the Catholicos, Isaac, at Seleucia-Ctesiphon in AD
410. At this synod Marutha, a representative from the Roman Emperor, brought to
the assembled bishops the canons and creed of the Council of Nicea, and they
were officially approved and received by the Church of the East.
Historically, the
Catholicos-Patriarch governed the general synod of the bishops. The general
synod was made up of all "Metropolitans" (Archbishops) and bishops. The
Metropolitans were in charge of provinces, which each contained four to eight
bishops. This historic model no longer exists due to the greatly reduced numbers
within the Church and the dislocations of its membership. A bishop is considered
legitimate if he has been ordained into the Apostolic succession by at least two
(preferably more) other bishops who are themselves properly ordained and in full
communion with their fellow bishops. A bishop's legitimacy endures only so long
as he himself maintains such full communion.
How does it
worship?
The Church of the
East has a sacramental system which resembles the sacramental systems of the
Greek and Latin traditions. The Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist are primary,
and the Sacrament of Holy Orders effects the other Sacraments. Confirmation is
administered with Baptism, and Absolution is a benefit of the Eucharist, though
Absolution is also administered separately during a common service of
Absolution, and is also administered to individuals, with penance, in the case
of serious sin. The Sign of the Cross, Unction, and "Holy Leaven" are defined as
additional Sacraments.
The central
feature of the worship life of the Church of the East is the Eucharist, known in
the Syriac language of the Church as the "Qurbana Qaddisha", or "Holy Offering".
The liturgy of the Eucharist is attributed to "the Apostles, Addai and Mari, who
discipled the East". The liturgy consists of a service for the catechumens and a
service for the faithful. The Host is a leavened loaf, and the cup is an equal
mixture of wine and water. The baptized faithful receive the body and blood of
Christ under both species of bread and wine, and the "real presence" of Christ
is understood in the elements. A priest ordained by a bishop in the apostolic
succession is required for the Consecration, and a deacon is required to assist
the celebrant. A community of worshipping believers must be present at the
celebration.
Baptism is
administered to infants of Christian families and to new converts. It is not
given to those who, for whatever reasons, enter the Church from other Christian
bodies and have already been baptized with a Trinitarian formula. Infant
baptisms oblige parents and sponsors to rear the child in the Christian faith
and to nourish him or her at the altar and within the community of faith. The
baptismal liturgy resembles the eucharistic liturgy in form. Following an
anointing with oil there is a triple immersion in consecrated water in the name
of the Holy Trinity, and a final "sealing", which is Confirmation, with the
imposition of hands at the door of the altar.
Matrimony and
funeral services consist largely of Psalms, anthems, and blessings. They are
lengthy, colorful, and emotional occasions, and reflect ancient customs and
usages.
What does it
believe?
The teaching of the
Church of the East is based on the faith of the universal Church as set forth in
the Nicene Creed. The mystery of the Holy Trinity and the mystery of the
Incarnation are central to its teaching. The church believes in One Triune God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It also believes and teaches that the
Only-begotten Son of God, God the Word, became incarnate for us men and for our
salvation and became man. The same God the Word, begotten of his Father before
all worlds without beginning according to his divinity, was begotten of a mother
without a father in the last times according to his humanity, in a body of
flesh, with a rational, intelligent, and immortal soul which he took from the
womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and united to himself, making it his very own at
the moment of conception. The humanity which he took for his own was assumed by
God the Word, who was, thenceforth and for ever, the personal subject of the
divine and human natures. His divine and human natures retain their own
properties, faculties, and operations unconfusedly, immutably, undividedly, and
inseparably.
Therefore, because
the divinity and humanity are united in the Person of the same and only Son of
God and Lord Jesus Christ, the Church of the East rejects any teaching which
suggests that Christ is an "ordinary man" whom God the Word inhabited, like the
righteous men and the prophets of old. The Church of the East further rejects
any teaching that explicitly or implicitly suggests that there are two Sons, or
two Lords, or two Christs in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but we confess
one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the same yesterday, today, and
forever. The same, through his passion, death, burial, and resurrection,
redeemed humanity from the bondage of sin and death, and secured the hope of
resurrection and new life for all who put their faith in him, to whom, with his
Father and the Holy Spirit, belongs confession, worship, and adoration unto ages
of ages. Amen.
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