BEMA
“The Bema is a raised platform facing East set in the centre of the Haykla. There is a credence on it… The pulpits for the reading of the Holy Scripture are put in the North-East and South-East corners of the Bema in such a way that the readers face East. … Bema is an important part in the structure of the East Syriac Church building for a meaningful liturgical celebration” (Bema in the East Syriac Churches, The Nazrani, Vol.15, No.1, Jan. 2005, p.6).
What is Bema or Bimah, Ambo(n), and Altar(e)? The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, College Edition, 1969, says: Altar: an elevated place or structure, as a mound or platform, at which religious rites are performed or on which sacrifices are offered to gods, ancestors, etc. Ambo: in an early Christian church – a raised desk from which the Gospels or Epistles were read or chanted. Greek ambo(n) – edge, rim, pulpit. Bema: Eastern Chaldean, the enclosed space surrounding the altar: sanctuary. Bimah from Greek bema – step, platform, from bainein to step, go. Bema is described in many ways, placed in different locations in the church, and used for various ends.
Ambo: The raised platform in a basilica from which the Scriptures were read. Subsequently there were two ambos, for the Epistle and Gospel respectively, on the south and north sides. The pulpit replaced them after the fourteenth century (J.D.Douglas, ed., The New International Dictionary of the Christian church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1974, p.32). Ambo comes from the Greek anabaino – I ascend. Some churches had 3 amboes for the reading of Prophesies, for the Epistle and for the Gospel. Many churches had two amboes, for the Epistle and the Gospel. But the general rule was to have one ambo for both readings, as one ambo (bema) was used “in the great church of Holy Wisdom at Constantinople, which all regarded as the most perfect temple of worship then in existence” (John O’Brien, History of the Mass and its Ceremonies in the Eastern and Western Church,
Ambo is a structure often approached by a flight of steps and surrounded by a parapet, and made of wood, stone or marble. It was used for the reading of the gospel at the eucharist and was usually larger than the medieval pulpit, as its platform not only accommodated the reader of the gospel but also the attendant tapers or candle bearers. The ambo was used also on the eve of Easter by the deacon who sang the `exultet' at the blessing of the Paschal candle. The ambo was often decorated with carved or tessellated designs, e.g. Jonah and the whale, a type of Christ's resurrection (Mt.12:40). There were sometimes lesser ambos, as at St Clement's,
Altar or ambo or bema is a raised platform for various purposes, especially for reading. Scriptures or preaching homilies, and is found in all Christian liturgical traditions.
What was the structure of the East Syrian church building of the “Syro-Malabarians” in
Church is built with the apse towards the East. It has 3 parts or divisions: haykla (nave), qestroma and qanke-qudsha (chancel-sanctuary). Haykla in the western side is for the faithful Christian people. Qestroma, near the qanke, and one step above haykla, and protected by rails, is meant for singers and readers of the lower clergy in minor orders. Qanke (chancel), 3 steps above qestroma, surrounded by rails, and separated by a curtain-veil, is reserved for priests and deacons. There are two Beth-gaze (treasury) or tables, on northern and southern sides, used for keeping paten with bread, and chalice with wine and water. There is a lamp, hanging or standing, in the middle. Qudsha (sanctuary) has madbha (altar) on the eastern side, which is covered with linen after the liturgical service. Gospel (at the right-north side) and Taksa (missal, at the left-south side) are kept on the altar. Tabernacle, placed or fixed on the altar, shall not be so large as to hinder or render difficult the liturgical actions (gestures of celebrant), and the cross is usually kept on it. If Eucharist is kept in the tabernacle, the lamp is to be lit, or a lighted lamp be put outside the veil. Neither candles nor flowers (natural or artificial) are placed on the altar-table to keep it clean. Even reliquaries are not placed on the altar but in beth-sahde (house of martyrs) on the eastern wall near the sanctuary, where the bodies or relics of holy martyrs are kept. Baptistery is made outside the qanke (sanctuary) and qestroma; preferably on the southwestern corner of the haykla. This is ancient liturgical architecture of the
Ordo, n.74: In the most solemn form of Qurbana, called Raza, after the psalmody (marmitha), the Priest says the prayer Qdam Thronos, and making 3 deep bows goes to the altar with Archdeacon, and 1st deacon taking the cross from thronos (altar/ tabernacle) or pathora (small table) on the north side of sanctuary, gives it to the Priest. After kissing Cross is put on pathora with candles. Book of Gospel is taken from thronos or pathora for reading at the middle port of qanke and it is kissed after the reading, then it is placed on pathora by 1st deacon (Ordo, nn.80-81). Traditional way of reading the Gospel is delineated in Ordo, p.35. Traditional way of “prostration rite” in the nave is explained in Ordo, n.83. Cross and Gospel are taken back to pathora or thronos. The ancient custom in old Raza (V 259) was a bit changed in new Raza since 3-7-1962. Malabar custom is better than Chaldean custom. But the prayers at the prostration rite before sosapa (Ordo n.83) is to be re-arranged for true meaning.
Qdam Thronos: “Before the glorious throne of your majesty, O my Lord, and the seat, high and exalted, of your excellence, and the awesome bema of the power of your love, and the propitiatory altar which you will has established …” (prayer after psalmody, with 3 deep bows).
“Before the awesome bema of your majesty, and sublime throne of your divinity, and the marvelous seat of your honour, and the glorious chair of your lordship, where the cherubim … we kneel in fear and worship in awe and confess and glorify you …” (Raza of 1986, p.12-13).
In the East Syrian Liturgy of the Christians of St Thomas in
"The Church is a living organism and, in respect of the liturgy also, she grows, matures, develops, adapts and accommodates herself to temporal needs and circumstances... Those who introduce novel liturgical practices, or call for the revival of obsolete rites out of harmony with prevailing laws, deserve severe reproof" (n.59).
"The same reasoning holds for persons who are bent on the restoration of all the ancient rites and ceremonies indiscriminately. Ancient usage must not be esteemed more suitable and proper, either in its own right or in its significance for later times and new situations, on the ground that it carries the saviour and aroma of antiquity. The recent liturgical rites deserve respect and reverence; they owe their inspiration to the Holy Spirit" (n.61).
It is a wise thing to return to the source of the liturgy. Tracing the liturgy back to its origins contributes valuable help towards a more careful investigation of the significance of feast-days, the meaning of the texts, and ceremonies employed on their occasion. But it is not wise to reduce everything to antiquity by every possible device, e.g. to wish the altar restored to its primitive table-form; to forbid the use of all sacred images and statues in churches (n.62). Vadavathoor Seminary, Kottayam, made a trial of the fixed bema in the centre of the nave of the chapel, and found it very inconvenient and moved it close to qestroma. This lesson was not learnt in 1991 by Bishop of Satna.
Just as mistaken is the zeal of one who, in liturgical matters, would go back to the rites of antiquity, discarding the new patterns introduced by disposition of divine providence (n.63). This way of acting revives an exaggerated antiquarianism. Perverse designs of this sort [e.g. fixed bema in the centre of the nave with rails] weaken the process of sanctification by which the liturgy directs the sons of adoption to their Heavenly Father (Mediator Dei, n.64).
Final Judgement of the S.Congregation for the Oriental Churches concerning the Order of the Syro-Malabar Qurbana, sent to all Hierarchs of SMC on 24-7-1985 (=FJ).
No.27 “The pre-anaphoral rites following the Karozutha are simply to be left as in the 1962 text. The question of the preanaphoral rites is intimately bound up with the use (or not) of the bema. It is suggested that (1) where the Eucharist is still celebrated without bema, the order of 1962 be kept, and (2) where Eucharist is celebrated with bema, rites be indicated accordingly” (FJ n.27).
No.40.c “Care must be taken: to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word among the people, as was done in the more ancient tradition [as described in Ordo of 1959]; to see to it that every cathedral and parish church is eventually provided with bema, constructed in the middle of the central nave and regularly put to use” (FJ n.40, c). How to restore the central bema, which did not exist in Indian tradition?
Order for the Solemn Raza of the
No.1.b “There are three divisions to the church, namely: Haykla, Qestroma and Sanctuary. Qestroma is a step above Haykla, and the Sanctuary is three steps above Qestroma. A veil separates the Sanctuary from Qestroma”.
No.13 “For purposes of gospel service, a separate structure, distinct from the altar, called “bema”, is required. Originally placed in the middle of the haykla, the bema is best set up, under present conditions, in the Qestroma just below the sanctuary, in front of the haykla. … Seats for the celebrant and archdeacon are provided at the north end; those for other deacons and ministers are at the south end”.
Directives on the Order of Syro-Malabar Qurbana in Solemn and Simple Forms: on 5-5-1989. No.17: Where the Liturgy of the Word is celebrated on a suitable arranged bema, the clergy, normally, sit as indicated in the schema (Roman Documents … 1995, OIRSI No.170, p.140).
General Instructions regarding the Order for the Qurbana of the Syro-Malabar Church, (Some of them are contrary to those of 1985),
No.5. “There are three divisions for the church, namely: the nave (Haykla), the choir (Qestroma) and the sanctuary (Madbha). The choir is one step above the nave and the sanctuary three steps above the choir. A veil separates the sanctuary from the choir. …”.
No.6. “Distinct from the altar there should be a Bema for the Liturgy of the Word. The Bema should be arranged in the centre of the nave. Under present circumstances it may be arranged in the Qestroma. There should be, on it, a credence, lecterns and chairs. The Gospel lectionary, candles and processional cross are to be placed on the credence”.
No.8. The altar is at the eastern end of the sanctuary. … The Gospel lectionary is placed at the left side of the altar, and the Taksa at the right. …”. (
Directives for the Qurbana in Solemn and Simple Forms,
No.5. “The Liturgy of the Word is celebrated at the Bema. Wherever possible, it should be outside the sanctuary”.
No.6. “At the Simple Qurbana the Gospel lectionary may be brought to the place of the Liturgy of the Word in the opening procession, in which case the procession before the Gospel and the Zummara are omitted”.
Bishop Mattam of Satna rejected these directives and erected in 1991 a large fixed bema in the centre of the cathedral to follow the Chaldean tradition for its symbolism and theology (Christian Orient, 19: 84-87) but his church building is modern and Western. Following the Latins who remove tabernacle from the altar for celebrating Mass “versus populum” (“facing the people”), he shifted the tabernacle out of the sanctuary (Ordo of 1959, n.2) to the north side in qestroma in his cathedral (but to the south-east corner of sanctuary in the seminary chapel). As a result, celebrants in the cathedral have to bow first to the tabernacle, then to the altar and to the cross on the bema, creating “more symbolic Christs” in one church. The ideal church with bema in the Expositio Officiorum (I:196) of the Pseudo-George of Arbela in 10th century (Jammo in OCA 207, Rome 1979, p.56) has only two doors on the southern side, and a wall of 3 ft high to separate women from men; celebrants and readers, even the bishop, have to face the east during the whole Qurbana. People need not see the face but hear the voice of God/ Christ. Bema has rails on 4 sides and a path (qaqona) to the sanctuary with rails. But the modern cathedral of Satna has no middle wall for separation, no rails, but many doors also on the north and west sides – also in the seminary chapel. It has Muslim domes and Hindu-pyramidical stupas, originally meant for air pass. Bema is absent “in almost all modern churches of the East Syrian liturgical tradition” and “The Ordo does not use the term bema” (P.Maniattu, Heaven on Earth, Rome 1995, p.165 & note 218). So what is the relevance of built-up central bema in Satna, or in Kerala or
Congregation for the Eastern Churches, Instruction / for Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions / of the Code of Canons of the
“In the mystagogy of the Eastern Fathers, the Christian altar acquires the perfection of its multiple symbology in the dynamics of the liturgical celebration, simultaneously representing all the levels of sacred typology, from its pre-figuration in the Old Alliance to its fulfillment in the New. Thus, the Christian altar is at the same time the fulfillment (perfection) of the holy of the holies (sancta sanctorum) of the ancient temple, the Golgotha altar of the new sacrifice and the table of the last supper which prefigured it, the tomb (sepulcher) of the Lord, the place of the resurrection, the font (source) of every sacramental grace which comes from the altar to us, and the altar of the heavenly liturgy of which the Church’s liturgy is an icon, “heaven on earth in which God, who is beyond the heavens, lives and walks” (Germanus, Historia Mystica Ecclesiae Catholicae, in PG 98:384 B; Instruction of Ori.Congr., n.103).
104. The Sanctuary: In the Eastern Churches, sacred space is divided into various functional areas organically connected. It is an image of the
The sanctuary is separated from the nave by a veil, gate or iconastasis, because it is the most sacred place: it contains the altar on which the Divine Liturgy is celebrated and the oblation (Qurbana) is offered. Only those who are entrusted with the sacred ministry can enter the sanctuary to complete the sacred acts.
Processions and other movements establish a relation between the nave and the sanctuary, gradually (progressively) and pedagogically directing the faithful toward the altar. The Gospel always remains on the altar, from which it is solemnly taken (only) for the celebration of the Word. It is to the altar that the gifts are brought at the beginning of the eucharistic part of the celebration to be offered to the Lord. Then, from the altar (where they are laid down), the same gifts will be solemnly carried out of (leave) the sanctuary to be communicated to the faithful. It signifies the raising (removal) of the veil covering the mystery of God, in revelation and especially in the Incarnation and Paschal Mystery of the Son. (Instruction of Ori. Congr., n.104).
105 The ambo: In the Eastern tradition, the ambo has different forms with relatively homogeneous signification. In the Greek (Byzantine) Christian tradition, it could consist of a fixed structure (firm construction) elevated from the floor (pavement) and dominating the nave of the church. From the ambo the Gospel is proclaimed, (also) the homily could be given, and the cantor (singer) could perform his ministry.
The equivalent in the (tradition of the) Syrian Churches is the Bema, a platform erected in the centre of the church, with the chairs (seats) for the bishop and the priests, and a small altar with the Cross, the Gospel book and candles, referred to as “Golgotha”. From the (Ambo) Bema the deacon proclaims the Gospel, and the homily is given. As the term ambo indicates elevation, and “Golgota” refers to the death and burial of the Lord, the symbolism of the ambo recalls the empty tomb of the Lord, from which he (Christ) was raised. But that remains a “sign”, from which the “angel of resurrection”, the deacon, continuously proclaims the Gospel of our resurrection (Germanus of Constantinople, Historia Mystica Ecclesiae Catholicae, in PG 98:392 A; cf 98:384 B).
Therefore it is important that in restoring old (ancient) churches or constructing new ones, those responsible should attentively study the symbology expressed in them, while taking into account and foreseeing the possibility of re-establishing the usage in conformity to their tradition (Instr. n.105).
106. The narthex and the baptistery: Other places complete the total space of the sacred buildings in the Eastern Churches: they are the narthex and the baptistery. The narthex is located at the entrance of the church where various celebrations take place. … The baptistery is called “kolymbethra”, the pool of immersion in the death of Christ (in Greek tradition), or the river “
The baptistery should normally be placed (situated) outside the church (building) proper, because it is only after the Baptism and Chrismation with holy Myron that the neophyte become fully part of the Church and thus can enter the temple, which is her symbol. If it is not possible to place the baptistry outside, then it should be placed at least near the entrance of the church. (Instr. n.106).
107. Prayer facing the east: ancient custom (practice) of the oriental Churches: It is “customary in the prayer of the Eastern Churches to prostrate oneself to the ground turning toward the east” (to bow down to the earth while praying turned to the East); the buildings are “constructed such that the altar would face the east” (churches are built so as to have the altar turned to the East). St John of Damascus explains the meaning of this tradition (Expositio accurata fidei orthodoxae IV, 12: PG 94, 1133-1136). Hence, the celebrant (bishop/ priest) “who presides in the liturgical celebration prays facing the east” (eucharistic liturgy prays turned to the East), just as (alike) the people participating in it. “It is not a question, as is often claimed, of presiding the celebration with the back turned to the people, but rather of guiding the people in pilgrimage toward the kingdom, invoked in prayer until the return of the Lord” (“Lord, we commemorate your death, we confess your resurrection and we await your second coming” – anamnesis in Syro Antiochene Divine Liturgy). “Such practice, threatened in numerous Eastern Catholic Churches by new and recent Latin influence, is thus of profound value and should be safeguarded as truly coherent with the Eastern liturgical spirituality”. (This traditional practice, which is thoroughly coherent with genuine oriental liturgical spirituality, is in danger in some of the Eastern Churches in communion with
108 Sacred Images Sacred images are of great importance, at least in some Eastern Churches. … Expressing the heavenly dimension of the personages they represent, the icons obtain a sacred character (nature) and participate, in a certain way, in the divine. For this reason, icons are direct objects of worship and are venerated as the images of the Lord, his works and the saints who are represented on the images are venerated. … “An organic recuperation of the proper usages is essential in order to avoid hybridisms and contradictions within the celebrations …”. (Instr. n.108).
109 The Obligation of fidelity to the tradition: The Eastern Catholic Churches have been exposed to the influence of sacred art styles completely foreign to their heritage, concerning both their external form of sacred buildings and the arrangement of the inner space and sacred images… Yet, from the preceding observations emerges a harmonious unity of words, gestures, space, and objects proper and specific to each of the Eastern liturgies. Restoration of all these items is necessary – when new places of worship are planned. Of course, this requires an in-depth knowledge of their own tradition on the part of the clergy, and a constant, well established, and systematic formation of the faithful, so that they may be able to fully perceive the richness of the signs. Fidelity does not imply anachronistic fixation, as the evolution of sacred art, even in the East, demonstrates, but rather development that is fully coherent with the profound and immutable meaning of how it is celebrated in the liturgy. (Instr. n.109).
Faithfulness to liturgical tradition in architecture of church building does not mean going back to the tenth century-bema, as in the seminary chapel of ETC Satna, blessed in 2001. It has the tabernacle in the southeast corner of the sanctuary, and the bema has sqaqona (pathway) and rails around it. Yet, it is not perfect, as it omitted the small wall connecting bema to the sidewalls of the church, for the separation of sexes, and it added the openings near bema and qestroma. The readers faced the east when they proclaimed the word of God from the “Muslim bimah” of 10th century, because the readers were men and, even priests or bishops, should not look at women who were on the west of bema, separated by a small wall from men on the east. Arabic culture of Muslims separated men from women who had to use purdah lest men see them. Pseudo-George of
The church architecture was adapted to different geographical and political situations. Ancient churches had no central bema. Only the churches of 8th-12th centuries had a central bema. All the details of bema, described by the anonymous author (Exp.1:91f) “are not found in the churches of Al-Hirah and that of
Vatican II says (SC 23) liturgical changes can be made for organic growth only after due study Old Raza had better rubrics (V 259). “The best documented and most remarkable example of the East Syrian liturgical architecture adapted to the local cultural tradition, however, is the church architecture of the St Thomas Christians in Malabar” (Maniattu, p.140). The pre-Portuguese church buildings witness to the cultural adaptation of the liturgical space. “The churches were oriented, with the sanctuary (madhbaha) at the eastern side” (p.143). The nave was very spacious and rectangular. The sanctum had a slanting square roof, and a higher elevation of walls. The nave had a main entrance on the west, and two side entrances on the north and the south, with mandapa (portico), at least before the main door (ana-vatil) (A.Athapilly, “Kerala Church Architecture” in G.Menachery, ed. The
Maniattu says: “In fact the important elements of the classical model of the East Syrian church were also found in the church arrangement of the St Thomas Christians” (p.146-47). It has madhbha in qanke, bema-pathora in qestroma, and bema-sosapa in haykla for the rite of prostration in Raza. He simply claims: “As in
R.H. Connolly, who edited and translated the Expositio Officiorum Ecclesiae (CSCO 91 & 92) gives a ground plan of the East Syrian church, based on the description of Pseudo-George of Arbela in 1915 (p.196-197). It is better, more clear and genuine than the plan in the plate 2 of J.M. Fiey in 1959, and plan of S.H.Jammo (La structure de la messe chaldeenne … OCA 207, Rome, 1979, p.56). Jammo reduces the court in his “Plan sommaire de l’ancienne eglise chaldeenne” (p.56). These three model “structures” of the Syrian church are similar but different. These churches with central bema have only two doors on the south, for men and for women, and only one entrance into the courtyard or cemetery, leading to the church, in the plan of Fiey and Jammo. A small wall connects the central bema to the sides of the church and separates women from men. Sqaqona leading to bema has no other opening in Connolly and Jammo, but in Fiey, there are side-openings before the steps to bema. Baptistry is in the southeast or southwest corner of the nave in Connolly (1915), but in Fiey (1959), it is in the southeast corner of a room adjacent to the sanctuary, and in Jammo (1979), it is the room adjacent to the sanctuary. Central bema goes with the rest of the structure of the church. Variations in the style of arrangements in the church, with central bema, show lack of uniformity in details of church architecture. Syro-Malabar churches have only one nave, no central bema (Maniattu, p.147, fn.98). But Raza was celebrated there beautifully. Sosapa (veil) used for the rite of prostration is not a remnant of a fixed central bema, since it is still used in the antiquated central bema, erected in cathedral and chapel of ETC of Satna. Sosapa stands for the tomb of Christ (Jn 19:40; 20: 5). In Raza blessing is to be given before prostration, as the risen Christ blessed the disciples (Lk 24:50f). Early Christians venerated the tomb of Christ (Priest and ministers kiss sosapa). As the prayer-song clearly shows, Priest going to the altar for offering bread and wine, raises his hands and invokes the Holy Spirit to sanctify them, and prostrating towards the altar (east), he approaches it. Rozian Taksa (printed in
Meaningful celebration of the East Syriac liturgy is possible without the central bema. Churches with central bema have no main door on the west or north. Indian churches have main door on the west, and no central bema with middle wall to separate men from women. Even the central bema of Satna is not “idelal” but defective and anomalous. It has no rails, no sqaqona, nor a small wall in the nave to separate women from men. Cathedral has the main door in the west, other doors on the north, but tabernacle on qestroma blocks the way to central bema, which in turn blocks the way from the main door to qestroma and sanctuary. Even the bema of ETC with sqaqona is not perfect, since it is not joined to the side walls of the church by a small wall to divide the nave for men and women, and the sqaqona has “doors”. Tabernacle in the sanctuary does not block the way to bema, but bema blocks the way to the main door in the west, and other doors in the north. What is the historical, liturgical, theological value of this “ideal” or “mutilated” plan of bema-church in Satna? It is not relevant today, nor consistent with the structure of the “ideal” church, described by Pseudo-George of Arbela, or the ideal model of church XI in Al Hirah, or the plan of J.M.Fiey or S.H.Jammo for ancient Syrian church in
Bema-1 SOLEMN BLESSING & PROSTRATION IN RAZA
Raza of 1986 gives “Prostration” (p.33) after Rite of Dismissal (p.32). But it should come after the blessing, given by the Risen Lord (p.34), and the blessing for the faithful (p.31). Kahanayk nelbshun (TR 27) or “Your priests shall vest” (Raza 33) is the first anthem of the mysteries (Onitha d’Raze). In Menesian Mass this anthem comes after consecration (Raulin, p.318). Syriac title of prayers would help to get the connection and sequence of the rites, given in RQ= Raza Qurbana of Nazrani, Delhi 2000, n.33-36, p.51-54. Syriac text in TR= Taksa d-Raze, Rome 2003, p.25-28.
Marya ‘Alaha angen Yamina... (TR 26; Raza 31; RQ n.33.1):
Our Lord and our God, stretch out your right hand of mercy on the Catholic and
L‘alam wal‘alm ‘almin (reoeat). Yamin Rahamaik Maran Isho’
angen w‘ashra ‘al ‘Amak u’Ana d-Mari’thak: (TR 28; Raza 34; RQ n.33.2):
D-1 Forever and ever, and for all ages! (repeat). Make the right hand of your mercy, Jesus, Our Lord, / to overshadow and abide on your people and the sheep of your pasture.
Marya Rahamayk l‘alam. Wa‘bhad ‘idayk la tarpen b‘idai Bisha.Ushauzebhain min Nesyone:
D-2: Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever! Do not cast us, the work of your hands, into the hands of the wicked! (Evil one)! But save us from temptations (TR 28; Raza 34; RQ n.33.3).
Marya asar Shuwdayak ak d‘eshtaudit lathre’sartak: (TR 28; Raza 34; RQ n.33.4).
D-1: O Lord, make good [also for us] the promises you made to the Twelve [Apostles].
Ha ‘enna `amkon `ithai ‘adama l-Shulam d-Yaumatha: (TR 28; Raza 34; RQ n.33.5):
Priest: Behold! I am with you unto the end of days! (3 times & the Priest blesses the people).
Hawi ‘aman ak d’am Shlihaik byad ‘Udrana dmin Taibuthak: (TR 28; Raza 34; RQ n.33.6).
Reply: Be with us as with your [Twelve] Apostles by the help of your grace (3 times).
(Priest used to kisses 4 sides of sosapa-veil and bless the people on his right).
This ceremoy is interpreted variously (J.Vellian, Raza, p.90f). Kalapura, Raza, 63).
(Other ministers too come and stand by the sosapa and sing together):
Uhabh lan Zabhne damalen Shaina: dnaude unesgod wanshanbah
laShmak ranba uqandisha: bkol ‘endanin. (TR 28; Raza 34; RQ n.33.7):
All: And grant us peaceful days,/ that we may confess, adore, glorify /
Your great and holy Name at all times (RE 34). (As the apostles bid farewell to risen Jesus,
All bow and kiss the sosapa-veil, to bid farewell to Jesus at the tomb of Christ).
a) Alaha Mare-kol nehawe ‘am kollan... (TR 28; Raza 35; RQ n.33.8.c):
Priest: May God, the Lord of all, be with us all, and in us all/ by his grace and mercy, forever. Amen.
Or May God, the Lord of all, bestow his abundant mercy upon us, and stay with us, forever. Amen.
Or May our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all in his grace and mercy, forever. Amen (RQ n.33.8).
(All stand up and kiss the edge of paina of the Priest, who blesses the Deacons (RE 34).
b) Alaha mare-kol n-qanbel Teshmestkon... (K 60).
Priest: May God, the Lord of all, receive your ministry, and adorn you with all gifts of his goodness.
Reply: Amen. (Deacons place the cross and gospel on the altar after kissing (TR 27; Raza 33).
In old Raza (Kalapura, Raza, 59-61), these prayers (RQ n.33.1-9) came after Dismissal (n.34) Creed (n.40) was said before Onitha d-Raze-2 (n.37). Now the faithful are blessed (n.35) after dismissal of the unworthy. Prostrations (3) during the first anthem of the Mysteries (n.36).
34. N’ezal: Dismissal of the unworthy (catechumens): (TR 26).
(Deacons standing at the door of Qanke-sanctuary alternate:)
34.1 Whoever has not received Baptism, may go out!
34.2 Whoever has not received the Sign of life, may go out!
34.3 Whoever does not receive It (Eucharist), may go out!
34.4 Listeners, you go and watch the doors (of the church)!
34.5 Let us pray; peace be with us (K 59). (cf n.35.5).
35. Siamida: Imposition of Hands: On Sundays and Feast days:
(J 103r; K.58; V 223; TQ 16f; TR 17; TQT 19f; K-RE 61f; RE 31/26):
35.1 Marya ‘Alaha Hayalthana... (M.4r; QS 16; TQQ 5; TK 12):
Lord, God Almighty, yours is the holy catholic Church: the sheep of your flock, which was redeemed by the great suffering of your Christ; and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, who is consubstantial with your glorious divinity, the grades (orders) of the imposition of the hands of the true priesthood are given (conferred). In your mercy, O my Lord, you have made us, who are little and of weak nature, worthy to be the recognized members in the great body of the Holy Church, and to minister spiritual helps to the (souls of the) faithful. Yourself therefore, perfect in us your grace, O Lord, and pour forth your gifts through our hands; may your mercy and the kindness of your divinity be upon us and upon this people whom you have chosen for yourself.
(Priest stands erect and says (n.35.2) in loud voice):
35.2 Uhabh lan Mar baHananak... (K 58f; TR 18; TQ17f).
And grant us, O my Lord, in your kindness, that we may, all of us together and in concord, all the days of our life, please your divinity by good works of justice, which appease and reconcile the glorious will of your Mercy (Majesty); and that we may be made worthy by the help of your grace to offer you praise and honour, thanksgiving and worship, at all times: Lord of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for ever.
R. Amen.
Note: In Simple Qurbana on weekdays, n.35.2 may be added to n.32.1, and omit nn.33-35.
35.5 Dismissal of the unworthy (n.34) was here (QS 17; TR 18):
Now let those who are baptized and sealed with the sign of life, remain (stay) to participate in the holy mysteries, with devout attention (Raza 32/26).
‘ONIAThA D-RAZE: ANTHEMS OF MYSTERIES
36. ONIThA D-RAZE-1: Solemn Approach of Priest to Sanctuary. Priest intones this ‘Onitha’
and makes 3 mattonya towards the altar:
36A.1 Kahanayk nelbshun Zandikutha uZandiqaik Shubhha: (K 59).
Your priests shall put on justice, and your just ones glory;
Kahana ma-d‘a’el qdam Mad-bah Qud-sha *The priest, on coming before the altar of holiness,
‘Idav dakhya‘ith pashett laShmaya wam-zamen l-Ruha
extends his hands in purity to heaven and invokes the Spirit;
Unahta min Rauma wam-qadsha Pagare waDme daMishiha.
and She descends from above and sanctifies the Body and Blood of Christ* (= *Priest*).
P. prostrates-1st mattonya. (In Menesian Mass this prayer comes after consecration: LM 318).
36.2 Ne’ol l-Mashkane unesgod l-Kubhsha d-Reglav: Kahana ma...
We will enter his tent and adore his footstool; (K 59).
*The priest... and Blood of Christ (2nd mattonya).
36.3 Shubhha l‘Abha ulaBhra wal-Ruha d-Qudsha: Kahana ma-d‘a’el...
Glory be...; *The priest... and Blood of Christ (3rd mattonya).
36.4 Min ‘alam... From age to age... *Priest* (omit 4th mattonya)
Note: Rozian Taksa (1774) says: “Standing the Priest intones the hymn: “Your priests shall vest themselves”, and he prostrates three times to the sanctuary...” (J.Vellian, Raza, p.90).
Ruha is feminine (K.59; TR 66 & 86); so “She” is used in n.36.1 (n.57.6.2.4 & 58.7.2.4). Greek text of creed says: “He was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary”. So Ruha was used as masculine for Holy Spirit in Greek and Latin, in Syriac too.
Menesian Mass put it after consecration and changed the wording: Priest... to heaven and consecrates the Body and Blood of Christ (M.6v).
Deacons welcome Priest at the door of Qanke, ask forblessing, and give him water to wash his hands (before Creed: K 61).
36.5 ‘Alaha Mare-kol n-shig... (K.61; TQ 18; TQT 29; QS 19; V.226).
May God the Lord of all, wash away the sordes of our debts band sins by the hyssop of his kindness and may he cleanse the stains of our corruptions in the immense ocean of his mercy. Amen.
(K-RE 65). (Priest washes his hands).
36.6 Marya n-kapar Shuhta... (TQ 19; V.226; QS 19; K 61; K-RE 66).
May the Lord wipe away the stains of our sins by his grace and mercy. Amen.
(Priest dries his hands).
36.7 Kad r-sisin... (=39.7; TQ 20f in Raza) is said before Creed;
Profession of faith (n.40) is made here (K 61) in Simple Qurbana.
East Syriac Theology: The main basic trends in the history of Christian tradition are, as Dr Sebastian Brock says, 1) the Latin West, 2) the Greek East, and 3) the Syriac Orient. I prefer Syriac East, Greek Orient and Latin West. Cf OCP 71 (2005) 5-21.
Syriac tradition is important, and significant to the Churches of the Syriac liturgical tradition, for two basic reasons: a) Syriac Christianity is rooted in the Semitic world out of which the Bible and Christianity sprang. The Lord’s Prayer is in the Galilean Aramaic. The imagery and thought patterns used, especially by the earlier Syriac writers, have their roots in the cultural milieu of the biblical writers. b) Syriac Christianity represents a Christian tradition, which was Asian from its very beginnings. But Syriac Christianity came under the Greek influence from the 5th c. onwards, and it was hellenized and Europeanized (Latinized), even today. Isaac of Nineveh (7th c.) combined the two traditions, both Greek and Syriac, into a heritage (Brock, Studies in Syriac Spirituality, p.99f).
Read Ephrem the Syrian - Hymns, tr.& introd. By K.E. McVey, Paulist Press, N.Y. - Mahwah, 1989: CWS ed.B. McGinn. J.Vellian edited the Syrian Churches series, since 1972, to promote scholarly studies and to reprint important studies.
Vol.I The Apostle Thomas in India according to the Acts of Thomas, by J.N. Farquhar (
Vol.VI Studies on Syrian Baptismal Rites. A Symposium: by Authors.
Vol.VIII The Romanization Tendency: Studies in Liturgies and Church Institutions, by Authors.
Vol.IX The Holy Spirit in the Syrian Baptismal Tradition, by S.Broack.
Vol.X Deaconess in the Church: A Pastoral Need of the Day, by K.Kunnassery.
Vol.XI Sogiatha: Syriac Dialogue Hymn, by S.Brock.
Vol.XII A Symbosium on Knanites (A Syrian Christian Group of
Vol.XIII Studies in Syriac Spirituality, by S.Brock.
Didache: Teaching, as contrasted with Kerygma: Preaching. ODCC 478f.
Didache Kyrion dia ton Dedeka Apostolon = Teaching of the Lord by the 12 Apostles, is a short early Christian manual on morals and Church practice. It has 16 chapters: 1-6 describe the `
Didascalia Apostolorum: (ODCC 479). An early Church Order, professionally `the Catholic Teaching of the Twelve Apostles and holy Disciples of our Redeemer’ (Syriac title). This work survives complete only in a Syriac version from Greek, with substantial portions in Latin. Much of the Greek text can be reconstructed from the Apostolic Constitutions, which embody it. Its author seems to have composed it in
Apostolic Church Order: (ODCC 90). It was composed in
Apostolic Constitutions: (ODCC 90). Ordinances of the Holy Apostles through Clement - full title. It is a collection of ecclesiastical law of Syrian provenance, dating from c.350-380. It has 8 bks: 1-6 are based on the Didascalia; 7:1-32 on the Didache; 7:33-49 is liturgical material (from Jewish blessings); 8:1-2 may be connected with “Concerning the Spiritual Gifts” - of Hippolytus; 8:3-46 is loosely based on Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus, and contains an elaborate version of the Antiochene Liturgy; 8:47 is the Apostolic Canons. Its compiler is not known, may be Julian the Arian of 4th c. The Trullan Synod (691) believed that the Arian tendency of the work was due to the influence of interpolators. C.H.Turner demonstrated the Arian intention of the original text. The rich liturgical material cannot be uncritically accepted as evidenced for the usage of the later 4th c. There are 3 accounts of Baptism, and one of the Eucharist. LEW 3-30.
The Apostolic Tradition: (ODCC 91). He Apostoliche Paradosis was attributed to Hippolytus. It was known from 1891 as the `Egyptian Church Order’. It contains a detailed description of rites and practices which are alleged to be traditional, though it cannot be assumed that they correspond in every particular with the Roman usage of the early 3rd c. It includes rites of Ordination and Baptism and a Eucharistic Prayer (modified 2nd one in Roman Missal of 1970). It was used in other works: Ap. Const., Testamentum Domini and Canons of Hippolytus.
Aphrahat, Ephrem, Odes of Solomon, etc. represent an earlier tradition of Christianity in its essence, namely the ancient Syriac tradition. It is “the most important witness to an indigenous Asian Christian tradition, which is free from the European cultural and philosophical trapping of the other Christian traditions. And for the ordinary Christians (of
M-HE = Maniattu, P. Heaven on Earth,
p.115 Procession to the Bema: Exp.Offic.2:9-10; Jammo, Messe Chaldeenne, 75.
Two deacons walk in front, followed by sub-deacons carrying the lamp and candles, by the deacons carrying the cross and the gospel, and by the Bp with Adn. on his left, and go to the bema in the haykla. 2 deacons are named Gabriel (NT) and Michael (OT), Bp takes the place of Christ, coming from sanctuary-heaven to bema-Jerusalem. [116] 2 practices are prevalent: Veil of the sanctuary is opened for the Bp to go to bema, or for the singing of Laku Mara, [117] when God the Word descends to redeem the mortals. Liturgy of the Word constitutes the symbols of OT & NT dispensations. Karoya (lector) comes out of the diakonikon (Exp.Offic.2:12)
Symbols of the Liturgy of the Bema (Exp.Offic.2:7-9). It gives an eschatological explanation to Ps 144-145, while Ps 96-98 are sung on the feasts of the manifestation-dispensation (in
The East Syrian liturgy that has three different traditions, namely, the Assyrian, the Chaldean, and the Indian (Malabar), has a general structure of the liturgical space and its symbolism (M-HE 129). The oldest known example of a church building in Messopotamia is a house-church of 3rdc. at Dura-Europas (U.M. de Villard, Le chiese della Mesopotamia, OCA 128, Roma 1940, fig.62). It has an assembly hall (2 rooms joined) and a room as baptistery. This hall has “the low platform (altar-bema) set against its short eastern end wall, where the presiding officer of the community sat or stood” (as cited by Maniattu (HE 130). It has no central bema. Was a mobile table placed on it? AT describes a Eucharistic celebration with the breaking of the bread on a table (Kiljin 78, 90f). The East Syrian church architecture acquired certain uniform features only by the time of the Anonymous Author (10th-11th c.) “These churches witness to influences from the architectural styles of ordinary private houses, kingly palaces, and the ancient Babylonian temple” (M-HE 129). “The liturgical architecture of Dura represents the period in the history of liturgy when the distinction between different liturgical traditions was not very evident” and “different architectural styles were adapted and interpreted according to the theological interpretation of the liturgical celebration” (M-HE 133). There is freedom to adapt the liturgical architecture to the culture of the Christian people of the land.
“In the Northern Mesopotamia the cathedral of
Sogitha (str.20) highlights, the temple in space-time is the type (tupsa - model, form; raza - mystery) of the Godhead and of the economy of salvation: “Exalted are the mysteries of this temple in which the heaven and earth / Symbolize the most exalted Trinity and our Saviour’s dispensation” (HE 29). This Edessan hymn shows the church as a revelation of the Trinity, and as the representation of the economy fulfilled in Jesus Christ (str.3). It is characterized as an architectural “theoria”, a contemplation of the church building showing the way to the mystery of the Godhead itself.
“Such an idea was developed by the early Syrian tradition, especially through the writings of Ephrem and Jacob of Sarug” (McVey, “
[M-HE 134] Two Churches of the Sassanid period were discovered at
[M-HE 136] Two churches at Al-Hirah are different: ch-V has the central sanctuary completely open to the nave along its whole breadth; ch-XI has the sanctuary part with three locales, a central sanctuary accessible via a door, as in ch-Ctesiphon; ch-XI is of 7th century. The two churches of Al-Hirah, like that of
[M-HE 137] The small mountain-churches had a different structure, only one nave, without bema, merged with the qestroma or sanctuary platform. Cf R.Taft, “On the Use of the Bema in the East Syrian Liturgy”, ECR 3 (1970-71) 30-39. G.P.Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals, 2 vols.,
[M-HE 139] The old
[M-HE 140] Churches of the Nazrani in Kerala: Thiruvamcode, Kallooppara, Kunnamkulam, Kundara, Mailacombu, Punjar-old, Kadamattam and Kanjur B-TC 4. Placid, Nammude Ritu, 39, 41. Ant.de Monserrate, Informacion de los Christaos de S.Thome, (1579)
(M-HE 143] Churches and temples had madbaha / srikovil on the eastern part, and similar, simple structure, with one main door on the west side, and some holes in the wall for air, e.g. Old church on the hill of Malayattur, and the old church at Puthukkad (A.Athappally, Kerala Church and Architecture, in STCEI= G.Menacherry, ed., The St Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Vol.II, Trichur 1973, pp.151-153). [145] The Jaina, Buddha, Hindu temples of Kerala (also the churches) had dipastambha /vilakkumata (light-pillar /house), kodimaram (flag-staff), gopura (gate-house/ way), patikkettu (stone-steps), pallikkulam (church-pond), kottu-pura/ vadhyappura (music house), oottu-pura (feeding house), alu-maram and al-tara (bunyan tree and a platform around it). Cf J.Menacherry, “Thomas Christian Architecture”, in G.Menacherry, ed., STCEI 2:137-151. Dipastambha can be seen at the
[M-HE 147] The Malabar church building is a rectangular hall facing the west. It has three important parts: madbha-qanke (altar-sanctuary), questroma (bema?), and haykla (nave of the church). Fr. Placid J.Podipara describes the church building in Malabar (Nammude Ritu, pp.160-162; Reflections on Liturgy, OISI Ktm 1983, pp.66-67). “In the present churches of Malabar a table placed at the eastern end of the haykla is the substitute for the bema” (note 96), as directed in the Taksa of 1986 and 1989. “The rite of the prostration in the Raza takes place on the bema” (p.147). “At present there is no fixed bema structure in the churches of Malabar” (Note 98). Only a black cloth with a cross is spread on the floor of haykla for the rite of prostration in Raza. [If you put a table there, kissing would be easier, and it will serve as a movable bema, as in the “Shurai”
[M-HE 148] “The East Syrian influence on the liturgical architecture of Malabar is mainly regarding the internal disposition of the church. We find the same division into Madbha, qestroma and haykla. As in
The house-church in Dura-Europa has no bema in the centre (M-HE 337). The
[M-HE 164f] Bema is “an elevated platform in the haykla for the Liturgy of the Word”. Ambo or bema is found in all Christian liturgical traditions. The structure of the East Syrian bema is remarkable with its Episcopal throne, seats for the archdeacon and priests, and the altar for the gospel and cross (Jammo, Messe chaldeenne, 56). Synod of
This claim has no basis in India where East Syriac was used in liturgy. “Final Judgement” (n.40) of CEO in 1985 demanded restoration of bema, which was not existing in Kerala or India at all, nor even mentioned in the Ordo of 1959, or Taksa of 1962 (Syriac-Malayalam), 1968 (Malayalam) or 1970 (English-Hindi) with the approval of CEO. Even the 10th century structure of the church with bema in haykla, described in the Explanation of Offices of the Church, is not applicable to the churches in Kerala or
Sources of Bema: Louis Bouyer of the Oratory, Liturgy and the Architecture, University of Botre Dame Press: 1967, 127pp. Its contents: Ancient Synagogues - p.8. Early Syrian Churches - p.24. Roman Basilicas - p.60. Western Churches - p.70. Tradition and Renewal - p.86. Appendix 1: Concelebration. 2: Baptistry. Index - p.123.
SC 23 “In order that sound tradition be retained, and yet the way to remain open to legitimate progress, a careful investigation - theological, historical, and pastoral - should always be made into each part of the liturgy which is to be revised. … Finally, there must be no innovation unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them, and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing” (A.Flannery, Vatican Council II, The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1975, p.10).
OE 1 “The Catholic Church values highly the institutions of the Eastern Churches, their liturgical rites, ecclesiastical traditions and their ordering of Christian life. For in those churches … there is clearly evident the tradition which has come from the apostles through the Fathers, and which is part of the divinely revealed, undivided heritage of the universal Church”. OE 2 “The holy Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, is made up of the faithful who are organically hinted in the Holy Spirit by the same faith, the same sacraments and the same government. They combine into different groups, which are held together by their hierarchy, and so form particular churches or rites. … For the Catholic Church wishes the traditions of each particular church or rite to remain whole and entire, and it likewise wishes to adopt its own way of life to the needs of different times and places. … OE 3 These [individual] particular churches both Eastern and Western, while they differ somewhat among themselves in what is “rite”, namely in liturgy, in ecclesiastical discipline and in spiritual tradition, … these churches are of equal rank, so that none of them is superior to the others because of its rite. They have the same rights and obligations, even with regard to the preaching of the Gospel in the whole world (Mk 16:15), under the direction of the Roman Pontiff” (
Liturgy and Architecture – by Louis Bouyer, Notre Dame, 1967.
B-LA 3 “For Xty, authentic Xty, lives only by tradition, not a dead formulae or mechanical practices, but a tradition of life, a life that is to grow organically, in and through some embodiment. In the continuity of its body, as well as in its ever renewed aspects, both the permanence and the ever creative power of the same Spirit have to be constantly manifested and exercised”. “To descend to concrete reality, the liturgy is the life of prayer and worship of a single community, the mystical Body of Christ, developing through history, from a certain unique sources, the teaching and the saving action of our Lord, ever active in us through the Holy Spirit. We are to be taken into the life of that Body of Christ, of that community of believers which is above all the community of the Spirit”. “We are, therefore, to receive from the past / the forms of prayer and worship, but not a dead past. It is a legacy of life. It has, first, to be fully recognized as such, in the documents of the past, in order to remain ever faithful and active, and if need be creative, in the present and for the future” (B-LA 3-4).
The liturgy then will be “a common life in the Spirit, a common life of God with men, through the experience of which men become one together, while becoming one with God in Christ” and Spirit Liturgy is “the gathering together of mankind in the house of the Father. It is that marriage feast of the Lamb where all are called, to be reconciled in the Body of the only Son, at the same time with the Father and among themselves”. We Christians have no other permanent dwelling than a heavenly House. But this celestial mansion has to be built out of the living stones, which we are to become, so that the eternal Temple of the heavenly God, on the corner stone of Christ, rises on earth, in our own time” (B-LA 4-5).
B-LA 6 The places, where the Christians come to meet together, to hear God’s word, to answer His word in prayer, and to become united with Him and among them selves, are true houses of God with His people. Although they are only transitory tabernacles on the way of our pilgrimage toward the heavenly
B-LA 8 The Ancient Synagogues: The Church, as the Mystical Body of Christ, had its preparation in the Qahal (Yahweh), the assembly of the people of God, brought together to hear the word, to surrender to it in common prayer, to be sealed in the unity of the Covenant, an alliance with God. And the Church, as the material temple [9] in which this assembly of God is to meet, had its immediate preparation in the Jewish synagogue (E.L.Sukenik, Ancient Synagogues in Palestine and Greece, London, 1934). The religion of the synagogue as a religion of the word is not opposed to the religion of the
All synagogues had a place for reading of the Torah, and for prayers. [16] In the synagogue of
[They ask their women to use “purdah” lest strange men see the face of women. Chaldean bema of the Christian Arabs served the purpose, as it was facing the east. Not only Bishop and Archdeacon sat in bema facing the east, but also the readers of the word of God faced the east, even the Bishop has to face the east while reading the Gospel and giving homily. This tradition was strictly followed when the Bishop of Satna blessed the chapel of ETC. Bema of the cathedral of Satna has no chancels around bema, or between bema and outer wall, nor sqaqon. The chapel of ETC has sqaqona with chancels, but with two breaches near qestroma. It may be for easy going for Communion. Both have main door on the west, and side doors on the north. The ideal Chaldean bema, seen in the Exposition of Church Offices or in the book of Jammo, would contribute more “for a meaningful liturgical celebration”.]
[B-LA 19] “However, beyond the
[B-LA 20] “Even after the destruction of the Temple, the Jews in the synagogues will continue to pray facing Jerusalem, facing what was formerly the place of the debir”, because “the divine shekinah will return there at the coming of the Messiah”.
[B-LA 21] Interim presence is found in the community of Jews (ten), gathered to hear and meditate upon the Torah, say the rabbis. Two great prayers of the synagogue ritual are the following: 1) Series of 3 berakioth leading to the Shemah, will culminate in the Kedushah (Is 6:1-3), and the berakah for the sacred presence, the hymn of the Cerubim and the Ophanim (Ezk 3). [22] 2) The Tefillah of 18/19 Benedictions culminates in the Abodah, to which is still added an invocation or “memorial” of the People, of the house of David, of the Messiah: “arise, be heard accepted before God and come to pass, so that the Coming of the Messiah and the final restoration of Israel may happen”. The synagogal [23] worship had its necessary complement in the ritual of the meals, the family meal, and the meals of those communities. In these meals these communities found a better substitute for the sacrifice of the
[B-LA 24] The Christians introduced “the blessing of the Kidush, the cup of wine blessed and partaken among the worshippers on the eve of the festival”, as the conclusion of their synagogal worship itself, the “eucharistic” meal, as the new and definitive sacrifice, the expectation of the second Parousia of a Messiah, already manifested in Jerusalem, and now expected to reign over the whole world”.
The Early Syrian Churches: are known through archaeological discoveries and through liturgical documents of Christian antiquity: the Apostolic Constitutions and the Syriac Didascalia Apostolorum (Funk, Didascalia Ap. II, 57,3 (Vol.1, p.158-162) and Constitutiones Apostolorum, II, 57 3ff. (Vol.1, p.159-165). The Nestorian Churches, also the Jacobite Syrian Churches keep more or less the ancient type of a Christian Church. [24] The remnants of a primitive X-ty remained for a time purely Semitic, before it separated from the great Church (Byzantine) during the Nestorian or Monophysite controversies in 5th cent., only to safeguard those Semitic traditions, endangered by the hellenization of the Byzantine Church in the Byzantine Empire. Cf. J. Lassus, Sanctuaries chretiens de Syre (
The altar in the early Syrian church faces the east (B-LA 26), not to
[BL-A 28] First, the earthly
[BL-A 29] The whole of ancient Christian archaeology, together with the most ancient Christian literature, bears a unanimous witness to the importance of this symbolism for the first Christians. (Doelger, Sol Salutis). Tertullian, in his treatise on prayer, supposes that it is an apostolic tradition to pray either publicly or privately always facing East. The eschatological expectation of primitive Xty was expressed in this symbolism: the Christus Victor will appear as the rising sun, which will never set.
[BL-A 30] “A new Jerusalem liturgy would develop, centered on the commemoration of the Gospel events” at their location. The heavenly
[BL-A 32] The seat of the bishop, as the doctor of the apostolic tradition of the new covenant, has taken the place of the seat of Moses. The word of God still creates the church. [33] At the beginning of every synaxis, of every liturgical assembly, the book of the Gospels will be solemnly enthroned. [34] at the western end of the bema. “After the service of scripture readings and prayers, all the clergy, taking with them the offerings of the faithful, go to the east, while the congregation reassembles itself around the altar for the eucharistic meal”. [35] There are no other seats but those of the clergy, and the whole assembly remains an organic gathering of worshippers. “The presiding bishop or priest acts always as the centre [36] of the whole body assembled around him, either at the bema or at the altar”. The
[BL-A 38] In all Syrian churches, … the church was therefore separated [39] into two equal sections, and the bema was located between them. Thus, in the first part of the celebration, the bishop and other ministers had the women behind them and the men before. There were usually, because of that, two separate entrances on the [south] side of the building [church], and, in the medieval buildings at least, may be long before, a light barrier, north and south of the middle of the bema, delimited the respective places for men and women”.
3. The Roman Basilicas: Many theories exist about the origins of the specific Roman church. [42]
[BL-A 45] Since the bishop has taken to himself the primitive place of altar, the altar was removed to where he himself had stood before: in the centre of the nave, between men and women. [46] The bema-platform, an obstacle to the eucharistic procession from the Episcopal throne to the altar, was replaced by an oblong enclosure for readers or singers, called schola. One or two permanent pulpits (ambos) on both sides were added to it for readings. Fig.3 on p.47. A cibrium protected and enhanced the sacrality of the altar, [48] which was brought just above the tomb of the Apostle, by Pope Gregory the Great. [49] John Chrysosstom already complains in his sermons that many people now attend the eucharistic celebration without communicating. “In the middle ages the communion of the faithful would even disappear entirely from the papal mass” (B-LA 49).
[BL-A 52] The Liber Pontificalis tells us that “Pope Pascal I (817-24), at St Mary Major, had still his seat in the middle of the nave, with the men before him and the women behind, the altar being in the apse. What caused him then to move the pontifical throne to the apse, behind the altar, was, we are told, his displeasure at hearing the women, behind his back, commenting upon what he said to his deacons. All these facts, and these are all the facts we have concerning the origin of the altar “facing the people”, show that the disposition of made famous by St Peter’s of Rome, … is undoubtedly of some great antiquity and authorized by the long practice of the popes” (B-LA 52).
[BL-A 53] “The idea that a celebration facing the people must have been the primitive one, and that especially of the last supper, has no other foundation than a mistaken view of what a meal could be in antiquity, Christian or not. In no meal of the early Christian era, did the president of the banqueting assembly ever face the other participants. They were all [54] sitting, or reclining on the convex side of a sigma table, or of a table having approximately the shape of a horse shoe. The other side was always left empty for the service. Nowhere in Christian antiquity, could have arisen the idea of having to “face people” to preside at a meal. The communal character of a meal was emphasized just by the opposite disposition: the fact that all the participants were on the same side of the table. The use of a round or square table for meals, with the eaters sitting all around, is a late medieval practice, coming probably from Germanic or Scandinavian countries” {B-LA 53-54). Protestants face people at last Supper.
[ML-A 54] Roman use of an altar “facing the people” is found in the rubrics of the Roman missals printed in 16th cent. [55] Prof. Cyrille Vogel answers to whether the priest celebrated with the people before him or behind him: “the only thing insisted upon, or even mentioned, was that he should say the eucharistic prayer, as all the other prayers, facing East”. [56] It was the whole congregation, together with him, that turned East. In the Egyptian liturgy, the deacon always reminded the people: “Turn to the East!” [58] As C.Vogel says, the most important point is that we must not confuse participating in the celebration with looking at it. The practice of curiously looking at the eucharistic elements, especially at the time of consecration, was introduced only in the late 13th century, together with the double elevation at that moment. The concentration on seeing what the officiants do has appeared as a compensation for the lack of a real participation of all in the liturgy. [59] What is active participation? “Either you look at somebody doing something for you, instead of you, or you do it with him/her. You can’t do both at the same time”. In Christian antiquity, all the Christians, clergy and laity, prayed with the bishop or priest saying the eucharistic prayer. [60] “The celebration had now ceased altogether to be theirs. The altar facing the people, historically therefore, far from having been ever intended for a common celebration, seems to have been both the effect and a cause of a substitution of a clerical celebration for a corporate worship”.
4. The Byzantine Churches: The traditional Byzantine church is a departure from the primitive church. The Byzantine architects discarded all the features of the pre-Christian basilica, which were not adapted to the Christian liturgy, so that they evolved a new type of building where everything was there only for its own purpose. [61] The Byzantine church certainly proceeded from the old Syrian church, but it dropped all its features, antedating the liturgical adaptation of the basilica either by the Jews or the Christians, which had nothing to do with either Jewish or Christian worship. [62] The substituted for the oblong basilica, divided in three or more sections, a square building, with no columns at all. In the centre of that building, under a circular cupola, they had the bema, with the
[ML-A 68] Some archaeologists are still reluctant to admit that the synagogue eof Doura Europos was really a synagogue, and not a Judaeo-Christian church. [70] The Mystagogy of Maximos the Confessor, or the Historia Ecclesiastica (a description of a church). ascribed to Germanus of Constantinople, has a projection in painting or in mosaics of the vision of the church assembled together for worship. The Russian ambassadors sent to Con’ple to bring back its Xty to their country described the Christian eucharist in the
5. The Western Churches: [71] Eastern arrangements in Western churches shows a progressive clericalisation of worship by the fact that the bema, together with the seats of the bishop and clergy, has been brought into the vicinity of the altar (Fig.5, p.73). Probably in the middle ages, the chancel or choir was fenced from the main part of the church by a screen. The offertory procession disappeared, and the communion of the faithful became exceptional. The whole service of the word itself (in Latin) was unintelligible to the people present. [72] The most pious among the laity were taught to pursue their own devotions, more or less parallel with the liturgy. After 13th century, the elevation of the host concentrated their eucharistic devotion on the adoration of the presence at the time of consecration. Thus began the modern tendency to substitute a mere visualization for actual participation. At the Epiphany, the Magi could be seen bringing their gifts to the altar; on Easter Sunday, the disciples and holy women hastening to the empty tomb; doves would come down from the ceiling on Whitesunday, at the singing of the Veni, Sancte Spiritus. [73] Fig.5 Eastern arrangement in Western churches, showing progressive clericalization of worship. The people in the nave were almost completely barred from any possibility of participation.
[BL-A 74] In many churches the screen developed into a solid wall. On that wall, at the entrance of the chancel (qanke), a bridge was erected, called jube (domne benedicere) or pulpitum (qestroma), for the readers to stand and sing to the whole congregation the epistle and gospel. From the jube also the homily could be addressed to the people. The seat of the bishop or pastor in a parish, inside the screen at the right hand of the central door, was raised on the pulpitum, at least for solemn public celebrations. It was always the case in the cathedral of
[BL-A 75] In 12th century, the mendicant orders, the Franciscans and the Dominicans, helped the renewal of popular instruction in liturgy. So a re-duplication in the vernacular of the first part (readings and prayers), called prone in the French churches, became popular also in
[BL-A 81] The 20th century churches are “just the equivalent of showrooms or classrooms, where a passive congregation has only to see from afar a clerical performance and passively to hear a clerical instruction”. [82] The typically Roman use of the Constantinian basilicas paved the way for “the altar facing the people”. But the supposition “is deprived of any historical justification”. “The German archeologist Braun, having carefully studied all of them [about 150 altars still extant in their original situation] has come to the indisputable conclusion that, except one or two, all of them could never be used for a celebration “versus ad populum” (cf. J.Braun, Der christliche Altar, 2nd ed. Munich, 1932). [83] In the liturgical documents we have no trace of a change from this position to that of the universal “orientation” in West and East outside of Rome and Africa, nor a trace of change in conjunction with the progressive acceptance of the Roman rite in the empire of Charlesmagne and later in Spain. “Everywhere, when the Roman rite was taken over, the church, and most of the ceremonial remained as before”, except “the text of some prayers and in a smaller measure the choice of the readings”. But
[BL-A 85] In many medieval churches we find the use of armaries or aumbries, in the north and south walls of the sanctuary, to keep the sacred species and the books of scripture. The use of “a hanging pyx for the sacrament above the altar seems to be of equal antiquity”. In 13th c. richly ornamented towers on the north side of the altar was made “to house the sacramental bread”. [86] Until very recently, tabernacle will never be a part of the high altar.
6. Tradition and Renewal. The main data of tradition concerning the disposition of the Christian temple in the Catholic and
[BL-A 89] The worship of the priestly people requires that the celebration must develop an intelligent, active and fruitful participation of all the faithful together. [90] As
[BL-A 91] “In the first part of the celebration, the clergy are to gather around themselves the faithful by the meditation of the word, helping them to receive the word in the fully active response of a common faith expressed in a common prayer”. In the 2nd part, the clergy are to lead the people toward the holy table where they are all in Christ to be both offerers and partakers. [92] Then, the people of God are sent back to this world, that they may go through it together toward the final encounter with Christ. This is the pattern of Christian worship. What is the relevance of a liturgy of word alone? The bema should be so placed as to effect the true communication of word, as a participation in life; hence leading to the altar. The altar should be so placed as to lead to the eternal altar (symbolic altar of East). Procession to altar and beginning of Gospel is very relevant to the 2nd point (P.Maniattu).
[BL-A 93] The ideal building for the Christian Church would be a circular temple with altar, pulpit or ambo and seat of the celebrant near the centre. But a circular building with the people gathered around a central single focus would tend to create a community closed upon itself and would favour a static conception of worship. It is essential that the Christian Church remains open – open to the invisible gathering of the saints in heaven, also of the other Christian communities; open to the world itself in which the people of God have to perform the ministry of the kingly priesthood. It is essential that a celebration be a development, a progress, and common engagement into the process of reaching the heavenly city – [94] the eternal kingdom, the eschatological presence of the living God. Hence, we must see the true meaning of the ancient tradition, to express the fact that the eucharistic celebration has an eschatological orientation. [95] Some kind of cosmic symbolism must be always present around the sacramental celebration, e.g. the traditional practice of praying facing East. [96] A seated assembly is almost necessarily a passive assembly.
Ideal arrangements suggested for modern churches - Fig.7-9, p.99; Fig.10, p.102.
[103] For any prayer the celebrant should always turn toward the faithful to invite them to pray, and toward the altar together with them for the prayer itself. [105] Disposition of the altar, distant from the wall, in churches newly built or restored, made the celebration versus populum possible. Most of the liturgical renewal depends on having the mass “facing the people”. [107] There were mainly three motives for this practice: 1) A single priest has to read the biblical texts from the altar, and from a book placed on the altar itself; he could not face the audience, the faithful; it was evidently meaningless. The celebration “facing the people” was an easy solution at that time. Today, there is ambo or lectern for reading the Bible in the vernacular, and facing people. So the mass versus populum is not justified now.
2) Necessity of restoring [108] the fundamental view of the mass as being a meal as well as a sacrifice required altar as a family table to reawaken the basic sense of the eucharist as the community meal of the people of God. But this could not and can never be achieved except it the people are really gathered around the table. It is valid only in the case of a small community, or groups of people who are to be taught the communal character of the mass.
3) Dom Lambert Beauduin defended it [109] as the primitive practice (it was not), and advocated it for pedagogical adaptations; he is constantly accused of being Protestant in disguise. [110] The question of celebrating in front of or behind the altar is not a matter of principle but only a matter of expediency. “Two of the major motives which could justify the insistence on a forgotten mode in former generation have disappeared altogether”. Even the paedagogical aspect is not so strong now as it was some years ago, “the principle that the mass is a community meal having become accepted every where”. When “the altar facing the people means just an altar with the priest alone (and may be his ministers) on one side and {111] the people on the other side, it will have only the opposite effect, as it is growingly felt by the people themselves. Far from uniting the community focused on the altar, it will emphasize the separation and opposition between the clergy and laity; the altar will just become itself the most formidable barrier between two castes among the Christians”. Hence, in the average parochial church, what helps a true common celebration is “that the priest standing on the same side as the people for the eucharistic prayer as the visible leader of their whole body remains the better practice”. [112] What is needed for the offering and the communion is that people come as near to the altar as possible. But a completely circular gathering at this moment to realize the communal character of the eucharist is never the ideal one. The ideal of the church is not that of a human family closed upon itself. “The Christian family must always be open, open to the invisible Church of all the other Christians in this world or the next, open to the world and beyond the world to the eternal kingdom”.
[BL-A 115] The altar should be the most beautiful object in the church. [116] The decoration of the wall behind the altar or the cupola above it, either through mosaics, painting, tapestry or stained glass, should always add to the cross some evocation of that cosmic and supra-cosmic vision of faith which makes of the eucharist a fortaste [118] of the transfiguration of the whole world in the coming of the kingdom”. The vestments of the celebrant and his ministers should always be designed to fit with the altar and its surroundings. They are not personal insignia but rather “the nuptial garment with which the Church is to make her entrance into the banquet hall of her heavenly Spouse”.
[BL-A 121] The Baptistry should be outside the church, “either a separate building near the entrance of the church, or situated in a distant atrium leading to the church”. It “must never be reduced to a place for the fount of infant baptism”. Baptism by immersion, [122] the most normal and traditional form, still kept today by the Orthodox, must be at least possible.
(L.Bouyer, Liturgy and Architecture, Notre Dame, Indiana, 1967).
Bema-O AMBO(N) =PULPIT =PUSHPAM: cf. Nazrani 6/5:1-9 Dec.'96. 11-04-04
Altar comes from
BEMA IN SYRO-MALABAR CHURCH by Dr.T.Mp. in DUKRANA 16/9-11: old text in Nazrani
SMB's synod in
Latin diplomacy would make a mockery of Raza and Nazrani before the Latins and latinized Syrians outside Kerala and prevent the all-India personal jurisdiction! The Ekm group sincerely would not make bema in their churches? Was there bema in Kerala? Can it be called restoration? Who has made excavation in Kerala and found bema? Where is Dura-Europas? What is its relation to Nazrani in
Germanus of
In ancient Bema, Bp & clergy sat facing the altar-madbaha, or east.
People need not see but listen to reader or preacher. Importance is for the truths proclaimed, as Christ's voice. It is not a human speech, but divine homily or sermon (Dukr.16/10:9).
Ambo(n) is the raised platform in a basilica from which the scriptures were read. Subsequently there were two ambos, for the Epistle and Gospel respectively, on the south and north sides. Pulpit-pushpam replaced bema after 14th century.
Ambo is a structure often approached by a flight of steps and surrounded by a parapet, and made of wood, stone or marble. It was used for the reading of the gospel at the eucharist and was usually larger than the medieval pulpit, as its platform not only accomodated the reader of the gospel but also the attendant tapers or candle bearers. The ambo was used also on the eve of Easter by the deacon who sang the `exultet' at the blessing of the Paschal candle. The ambo was often decorated with carved or tessellated designs, eg. Jonah and the whale, a type of Christ's resurrection (Mt.12:40). There were sometimes lesser ambos, as at St Clement's,
From the steps of the ambo, a portion of psalmody was sung by the chanters in between the reading of the epistle and the gospel; so this chant came to be known as the gradual (gradus-step). There is no evidence that the apostles and the fathers delivered sermons from a pulpit, as Ezra did (Neh.8:4), in the nave or body of the church building. The ambo was not primarily meant for the sermon, given by bishop from his throne or cathedra from behind the altar (C.E. Pocknee, AMBO, in A Dictionary of Liturgy & Worship, ed.J.G.Davis, London 1972, p.9).
"Whenever there was Solemn High Mass, which was the case nearly always in the early Church, the Epistle used to be chanted, not in the sanctuary as now, but from an elevated lectern or pulpit known as the Ambo, from the Greek `anabaino', I ascend - placed generally in the nave of the church. In some places there were as many as three appurtenances of this kind: one for the reading of the Epistle, another for the reading of the Gospel, and the third for the Prophecies. Specimens of these may yet be seen in the ancient church at
AMBO AND PELICAN OF GERTRUDE: Many of the ancient ambos had curious figures engraved and constructed upon them. The celebrated ambo of the ancient Cathedral of Durham (
From the Ambo, sometimes sermons were preached, the diptychs were read; the time of Easter and the other movable feasts was announced in
BEMA-PLATFORM: BEMA (Greek: bainein =go, step) means a step, platform: the enclosed space surrounding the altar, sanctuary. Bimah- W.Syriac. For Syrians Bema is cathedra, throne of God: "Before... the awe-some bema of the power of your love..." and before the awesome bema of your majesty..." (Raza-English, p.8-9). Does the use of Bema come directly from the Jewish practice as Dr.Cyprian claims? Dr.T.Mannooramparambil supports it: Dukrana 16/9 (Sept.96) 14-18.
OBSOLETE BEMA & NAZRANI PUSHPAM: Dr.T.Mp. admits the importance of bema was less by the middle ages; Bema was joined with Qestrma in the churches of
Roman commission in 1954 that reformed Qurbana and prepared Ordo (p.5 & 35) had approved this convenient and reasonable practice and did not even refer to bema! Old churches have rails to separate men from women, as for qanke and beth-qudsa; but no bema-structure. How to restore bema, which was not there?
EXPERTS IN
There is "little basis in tradition" for transferring part of 3rd gehanta as anamnesis in the reformed text of 1962! So Ori. Congr. says `mea culpa': "A very serious problem is presented by the re-arrangement of the text of the Holy Anaphora, operated by the 1962 text" (n.34). The Roman Commission of 1954 did it, and it was approved by the Plenary Session of Ori.Congr., Pius XII & John XXIII! What is the meaning of
A BETTER AND SMOOTHER CONNECTION": "A better and smoother connection between the gehanta preceding the text with the words of institution and the latter be made.... It is altogether suitable and desirable to adopt here (for greater clarity, for celebrative harmony, as well as for a more authentic theology) the apt solution of the Missale Chaldaicum..." (n.34). This is a worse solution than the first of 1962! Latin subconscious urge for necessity of words of institu-tion and substantial change before the Kulasa before intercessory prayers, "the seraphim glorify and sing praises in loud unending hymns to the Body that is prepared and the Chalice that is mixed" (RE 42). Now the 2nd gehanta is broken; incarnation is explained twice (RE 39 & 50). A better and smoother connection as follows:
Words at Supper can be added in 3rd gehanta (RE 44): "...Our Lord and God came and taught us ... holy baptism", and left unto us the memorial of our salvation, and the mystery of His Body and Blood which we offer before you. We make the memorial of the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as He taught us...(RE 40).
EXPERTS' DOUBLE NORM FOR ONE EUCHARIST: "The Eucharist celebrated versus populum certainly runs counter to the basic approach to worship in any eastern (not western?) tradition, worth the name" (FJ n.40) of Christian.
"Care must be taken to see to it that every cathedral and parish church is eventually provided with the bema, constructed in the middle of the central nave and regularly put to use" (n.40c)! Is it a Pharisee's burden on others? Latins Basilikas have Bema; will the Latins construct the bema-s in parish churches? If the Latins use pulpit, why not the Syrians too use pulpit for bema?
ORDO VS ANARCHY, OR HEGEMONY? Ordo of 1959 has no bema; see the diagram of church and "gospel reading" (p.5 & 35). Oriental Congregation's Instructions on 20-1-1962 is silent about Bema. It approved the Qurbanakramam (Malayalam) in 1968 by telegram, and Pavitra Balidan (Hindi and English) in 1970, which did not prescribe to use bema, although OC knew of bema in ancient churches and of its symbolism given in the Exposition of Offices, edited by R.H.Connolly, Rome 1913-15.
"It is a question of putting an end to anarchy" and the consequent liturgical confusion and constant change and disruption is pastorally disastrous" (n.15). Who has created this anarchy? Ori.Congr.! It is creating more anarchy by rejecting the Qurbana, approved and inaugurated by Pope, without reason, to divide the Syrians without granting a period of 5 years for it, both in 1962 and 1986 also by imposing bema on Syro-Malabarians through the Final Judgement! It is a bone of contention, to make two groups, Ekm & Ktm, fight like dogs! RC's stealthy way of perpetuating the Paranki-Latin hegemony in
HIERARCHY'S ANARCHY AND BEMA: SMB's synod in
Symbolism of church: G.Arbel says, Nestorius arranged holy of holies for heaven, qestroma for paradise, haikala for earth, and bema for Jerusalem, with Golgotha-temple (Exp.2:91).
Skakona (way from bema to qestroma/ sanctuary) is straight, way to truth, leading to heaven; it starts from
Mar Narsai (Liturgical Homily 17) says: Christ is the only priest in the heavenly and earthly altars. He decorated a holy temple and holy of holies; He made a sanctuary on earth and holy of holies in heaven; He ordered that all men shall mystically do priestly ministry in earthly sanctuary; truly He does it in heavenly sanctuary. So two holy places; two sanctuaries; two ministries! (Dukr.16/10:12).
BEMA IS ANCIENT: Dukrana 16/9:14-16. 2 Ezra 8:4 bema for reading. Syriac Didascalia says readings are from bema. In Ap.Const. Deacon announces from Bema. Synod of Mar Isaac in 410, can.15: Deacon is to say Karozutha from Bema, and Adn reads Gospel from bema-EO 91. St Sargis' basilica built in 6th c. at Rusabha had bema as in EO and MS.Camb.Add.2045. Mattonya-prostration is described in Kelayta; in MSs Berlin-38 and 40, Brit.Mus.Add.7181, Vat.Syr.42 and 303, Bobli.283 and 310, and Mingana 53 (p.16). Bema-form Duk.Nov.18-20
"BEMA in SMc" Duk.16/11:15-27. Altar is bema of God. Turning to altar shows God-orientation. We pray turning to EAST where the sun rises... (St Augustine, Sermon on Mount, 11,5,18 = Chediath, Prarthana Sabhayil, Ktm 1988, p.276). Pilgrim church is of present but pointing to future.
BEMA DESCRIBED IN EXPOSITION OF OFFICES: (Nazrani 6/5:7f). Bema's meaning and use, acceptable, determines its position and shape: cf Ori.Congr. Directives-n.105, cited in Dukr.16/10:9. A table of one metre-square can serve as bema in nave on very solemn occasions. Nazrani have processions, and main door on west; fixed bema in haikla hinders movement. It is ridiculous to build it now when there is mic-set. Two fixed bema-stands can be made near the steps to sanctuary on both sides for
Exposition of the Offices of the Church attributed to George of Arbel Dukr. 6/9:15): Bema in the centre of haikala symbolises
Arbel's church has no windows but only 2 doors on south! It may be suitable to Arabs in 11th century. Women with purdah had little social contact. No ancient church in Kerala has a fixed bema, nor any vestige of it, so that NAZRANI rightly concludes it did not exist at all. It is not necessary, not useful but harmful to erect Byzanine-Arbel's bema in churches of Kerala /
Here is a plan of the church described in "Expositio Officiorum", ed. R.H. Connolly, deliniated (Vol.1, p.196): Roman letters mean:
EAST A =apse on eastside of church
B =altar in apse.
C =lamps suspended between altar and door of sanctuary.
D =major door to Qestroma.
d = wall covering sanctuary.
E =deaconary (sacristy), probably on one side only.
(plan) F =minor doors for deacons.
G =qestroma, raised area from nave.
H =steps to qestroma.
I =doors of sanctuary to deaconary.
K =gangway to bema, 3 doors.
M =bema in centre of temple.
N =steps to bema.
O =altar in centre of bema.
P =seat of Bishop in bema.
p =pulpits in west for reading.
R =low wall in nave.
r =low wall around bema.
WEST S =gangway to men or women.
T =place of men in nave.
V =place of women in nave.
X =door for men.
Y =door for women.
Z =baptistry on south; west/east corner of nave; in deaconary?
NAZRANI CULTURE AND TRADITION (Nazrani 6/5:9f). Puqdankon refers to love & solemn entrance (Hosana Sunday): knock & open, ask & reply; christian community, giving peace and kissing the hand of priest at the door; the maharon-vala are out! Twofold movement to God & from God, for communion and sanctification, is hindered by bema of Arbel. Our churches were built like hindu temples (houses of the idols); Abp sees to it that they are built in our (paranki) style (Mundadan, TTC p.159). Nazrani thought only those of clean body and clothes were worthy to enter the church; they put their arms, sword, in portico (mondalam) and washed their feet before entering the church. Karthanar asked them at the door: What is your law of life? It is the law of Christ to love one another so as to be His disciple (Jn 13:34f).
Puqdankon is not asking permission but profession! Kai-kasturi (dasdur?)is denied to the unworthy, excommunicated! Only true christians can participate in the Eucharist thanksgiving praise and worship, for the Mystery of Divine Behaviour (Raza daMedabaranutha) in saving the people of God (Lk 2:14).
Council of
PIUS XII ON ANTIQUISM: Pius XII wrote in "Mediator Dei": "The Church is a living organism and, in respect of the liturgy also, she grows, matures, develops, adapts and accomodates herself to temporal needs and circumstances... Those who introduce novel liturgical practices (Ekm), or call for the revival of obsolete rites (Ktm) out of harmony with prevailing laws (Ordo), deserve severe reproof" (n.59). Our Bishops and Experts may not have read it!
"The same reasoning holds for persons who are bent on the restoration of all the ancient rites and ceremonies indiscriminately. Ancient usage must not be esteemed more suitable and proper, either in its own right or in its significance for later times and new situations, on the ground that it carries the savour and aroma of antiquity. The recent liturgical rites deserve respect and reverence; they owe their inspiration to the Holy Spirit" (Mediator Dei of Pius XII in 1943, n.61).
It is a wise thing to return to the source of the liturgy. Tracing the liturgy back to its origins contributes valuable help towards a more careful investigation of the significance of feast-days, the meaning of the texts, and ceremonies employed on their occasion. But it is not wise to reduce everything to antiquity by every possible device, eg.to wish the altar restored to its primitive table-form; to forbid the use of all sacred images and statues in churches (Med.Dei, n.62).
Just as mistaken is the zeal of one who, in liturgical matters, would go back to the rites of antiquity, discarding the new patterns introduced by disposition of Divine providence (n.63). This way of acting revives an exaggerated antiquarianism. Perverse designs of this sort (fixed bema in nave) weaken the process of sanctification by which the liturgy directs the sons of adoption to their Heavenly Father (n.64). Let no one arrogate to himself (eg. Abel, Parel, P.T.Chacko) the right to make regulations and impose them on others at will (n.65; Vat.II, SC 22).
RAZA & BEMA AS TOOLS OF RC vs NAZRANI: Bema gets undue importance in classes on liturgy! Golgotha-altar in Bema is a historical appendix. John Chrysostom refers to the origin of the curtain-wall around sanctuary in 4th century to protect the sanctity of the place. Liturgy of the Word was celebrated in the nave of the church; then came platform, table-altar, steps to Ambo. In 4th-5th centuries numerous churches were built in
Riha Paten has the figure of Christ, giving communion to the Apostles under both species. Such is the tradition of the Byzantine and
Ordo of 1959 does not speak of Bema in the nave of the church building, as it was not mentioned even in the old Raza. Bema is the new bone of contention between Ekm and Ktm groups; RC uses bema as a tool to divide and rule the Syrians, who came to unity in 1985, through n.40 of Final Judgement on 24-7-85.
A stand-desk on an extended sanctuary-platform, outside the rails on both sides, is necessary and sufficient for readings in bema. Gospel is solemnly taken and read at the door of Qanke-sanctuary, as described in the Ordo even for Raza. After reading Gospel it's kissed with the prayer: O Christ... and Song: For at the head of the book... (RE 18).
MEANING OF LITURGY AND MASS (Nazrani Dec.96, 11-16): Liturgy comes from the Greek Leiton (public) and Ergon(work) and means in the East always the norma of the Mass; in the West, it is the complexus of all the rites and ceremonies that are used by the Church in the administration of the Sacraments and in all her sacred offices. Some confound Liturgy and Rubrics, thinking both are the same; they are like mathematics and arithmetic. The Rubrics are the directions given in `red' letters for the due performance of any particular ceremony (O'Brien, History of the Mass..., New York 1882, p.xxiii).
Oriental Fathers used different words for Liturgy: Mystagogia, Synaxis, Anaphora, Eulogia, Hierurgia, Mysterion, Deipnon, Teleion, Agathon, Prosphora. St Dionysius called Liturgy MYSTAGOGIA, as it is a divine participation of or initiation into the sacred mysteries. SYNAXIS means the union, as we are all united by it with Christ our Saviour. ANAPHORA means offering, as it raises our minds and hearts to God. EULOGIA means propitiatory HIERURGIA means a sacred action. MYSTERION (Raza) means mysteries DEIPNON means banquet, as it gives us the living Bread unto the eternal nourishment of our souls. TELEION means perfection, as it is the sacrifice of the Holy Lamb, without blemish or spot, who came upon earth to be the perfection and completion of old law. AGATHON means good, as it is the only lasting good upon which man can count. PROSPHORA, as it finally conducts us to the happy end for which we are created (O'Brien, p. 2f). It is true LITURGY.
Latin Rite has MISSA or MASS; it comes from the dismissal after the first part, called Mass of the Catechumens: "Ite; missa est (gens)": Go, the gentiles are sent out! It refers "to the custom in vogue during the first five or six centuries of the Christian Church - when the Disciplina Arcani, or Discipline of the Secret [Mt.7:6], prevailed - of dismissing the Catechumens and Public Penitents from the house of God before the solemn part of divine service began" (O'Brien p.1f). The 2nd part, called the Mass of the Faithful, began with the Offertory; it was obligatory on Sundays under mortal sin for Latins; so importance was given to the offertory. The dismissal was then used for the faithful at the end, after the final blessing: "Ite; missa est (ecclesia)"! Go, the church or assembly is dismissed! Other versions are: Ite missa est Hostia! Go, the Host has been sent on high! Ite missio est! Go, it's dismissal! (O'Brien, p.387f).
Dismissal in the Eastern Church: Go in peace. Let us depart in peace. Let us go in the peace of Christ. In the peace of Christ let us depart (St James' Liturgy). "The peace of thy lips, shining forth like a torch, illumined the world, enriched the universe with the treasures of liberality, and manifested to us the height of humility; but do thou, our instructor, by thy words Father John Chrysostom, intercede to the Word, Christ our God, that our souls may be saved" (Chrysostom's Liturgy) (Ibi.p.389).
ANCIENT LITURGIES OF THE EAST (Nazrani 6/5:12f): Ancient Liturgies of the East are of James from
Liturgy of Chrysostom is used by the
Liturgy of Basil is used on the vigils of Christmas and Epiphany, all the Sundays of Lent except Palm Sunday, on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday, and on Jan.1, St Basil's feast. Presanctified Liturgy is used on the ferial days of Lent (O'Brien p.xxii).
In the Western or Latin Church, Roman Liturgy has universal sway, except two normas, rather rites than liturgies: Ambrosian in
GREEK, RUSSIAN, SYRIAN CHURCHES AS ORIENTAL, EASTERN: "Some are perpetually confounding the Eastern Church with the Greek Church, and the latter with the Russian, wholly forgetting that out of
ANCIENT LITURGIES OF THE EAST: The
The
BYZANTINE RUTHENIAN CHURCH SUFFERED FOR UNION-1642: "The Ruthenian clergy at Uzhorod made a profession of faith and were received into full communion with the [Roman] Catholic Church" on 4-121642. "As an indispensable condition, they justly insisted on respect for and exercise of their own Byzantine rite under a Bishop of their own", as they were moved by some "reasons connected with civil rights and freedom of conscience". Latin law of celibacy was imposed indirectly; so they get few vocations.
"You have paid dearly for this union", the Pope admits, and "remained steadfast in the face of successive trials and tribulations". Now "your spiritual identity is intimately connected with the search for the unity of all Christians", esp. "in your dealings with your Eastern brethren, first of all by prayer, then by example of your lives, by scrupulous fidelity to the ancient traditions of the East, by better knowing each others, by working together and by a brotherly attitude towards persons and things" (OE n.24). Oss.Rom., 30-10-96, p.2, col.1-2.
MISSION WORK: UNDER
CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF
Syrian Bishops are outside CBCI? Not Catholic?
Bishops of India emphasised certain funndamental principles of the Catholic faith: "the absolute character of Christian revelation, always with the proper respect for the values present in other religions", "the permanent value of the Christology of the New Testament, the unity of the mystery of Christ, the uniqueness and universality of his mediation as well as the salvific role of the Church as sacrament and instrument of salvation". "The primary importance of the work of evangelization they confessed, "at times has been hampered by incorrect theological perspectives" (L'Osservatore Romano, 30-10-96, p.2).
MAR SLIBA, 14 Sept. 627: Patriarch Zacharias and Emperor Heraclius erected the Cross of Christ on
Qurbana is the core of the spirituality, as it celebrates by signs and symbols the redemptive history realised in Christ, and achieves the divinization of the faithful. It is the memorial of the paschal mystery. The ancient texts reflect and express the genuine faith of ancient Churches. The ancient Christians trans-lated into their life the faith which they professed through their liturgy. Different liturgies are different expressions of one and the same faith in Christ. They are the common heritage of the universal Church, and the source of Christian revelation. Each liturgy represents theology and spirituality of a
Nazrani is happy to note both Ekm & Ktm want some changes in Raza. Dr.A.Nariculam explained the changes needed in Simple and Solemn Qurbana, also in Raza (VD 12/9 & 10:1-4). Text of 1986 had some changes in 1989; reform means further changes: all options so far permitted in simple and solemn forms should be extended to Raza, regarding prayers, psalms, readings etc. Proleptic language at offertory and words like `blessed' and `many' of consecration are to be changed. Prayer before anthem of sanctuary seems to show the spirit of OT; so it is to be reformed. Anthem of Gospel: Great Book (kthabha ranba) sung before reading, seems out of place and may be omitted, as it was used in summer-procession. Turgama is of 12-14 century; as Mar Abdiso says, it was meant for those unable to make a sermon! Prostration (mathonye) around the veil (sosapa) and blessing is a remnant of an old rite of showing respect by deacons, and the anthem sung makes it meanigless; it is to be reformed or omitted, though Raza's rate is high! Sign of life marked on forhead of deacons after fraction might be for reconciling the sinners; so not suited for `holy' deacons! Thus Raza will be shorter than the normal simple form of Qurbana today. Yes, it is meaningful to sing the anthem of Gospel after reading it, while Gospel is kissed by clergy and people, before placing it on Bema. Priest used to kiss the Gospel saying the prayer: O Christ, light of the world... (V= Taksa of 1946, p.218; Malabar Liturgy's Draft of 1955 =LM 15); now it is out of place (RE 18). Anthem of Gospel important; so its short form is given for other forms of Qurbana to sing or say: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, let your prayers be a fortress for our souls (RE 22f/18).
SOME CHANGES NECESSARY IN RAZA: Dr T.Mp. insists on the ancient custom of using bema for readings, singing and announcing, and on the turning to altar-east for praying, but admits the need of some changes in Raza; 3 points are raised (Bema in SMC, Dukrana 17/11:15-27; p.26-27):
1) East Syrian Priest used to enter the sanctuary from sacristy after psalmody and go to bema, while anthem of sanctuary was sung. Now it is sung only in Raza and while Cross is kissed; it is due, as the celebrant enters bema; prayer before Lakumara; in the past people sang Laku-Mara to greet and welcome the celebrant 2) Gospel procession-to be changed (p.27). Sing it when Gospel is taken to bema; when it is kissed by clergy and laity, Turgama can be sung, or after the kissing of Gospel when they sit in bema 3) Prostration at bema(p.27) as in the past, after blessing the people on its 4 sides. Later veil was used for bema. Restore it.
LITURGY-SALVATION HISTORY'S STAGES: Where was the Malabar priest standing during the psalmody? Rubrics show he is in qestroma or below the steps of sanctuary. Probably, he was moving from the main door to sanctuary through haikala and qestroma, following the theology of the WAY in Mar Aprem: Liturgy-salvation history has 3 stages: 1) From Eden to Sion 2) From Sion to Church 3) From Church to Kingdom (De Fide 66, 24; Murray, Symbols, p.253). Our voyage (in a ship) to heaven-harbour (Murray 249; Narsai, Homil.32). Church is built like a ship (navis-nave; Ap.Const.2,5 =Ante-Nicene Fathers 7:421; Dukrana 16/11:16).
TAKSA D-QUDASA: ORDER OF ANAPHORA: QURBANAKRAMAM (N.7/1:4f Jan.’'97).
Nazrani's symbol of 3 stages of WAY: 1) Portico to bema-Sosapa in hai kla 2) to table in qestroma 3) to altar in sanctuary Priest-mediator moves up and down, as Moses climbed up & down the mount Sinai for Torah (puqdana or covenant-rule of life). So sanctuary is holy place, reserved for priests and deacons always.
Already the priest has hallowed the Lord God: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; for heaven and earth are full of his praises, the nature of his essence (omnipresence) and the splendour of his glorious beauty, as the Lord says: heaven and earth are filled with me...(V= Taksa-1946, p.212). Puqdankon?... Acceptance of new covenant is a condition for admission to church. People of God sing praises with angels for peace and good hope on earth (Lk 2:14). Heavenly and earthly liturgy begins. So the Our Father is said with qanona as follows:
Priest: Our Father who (are) in heaven, /your name be hallowed; (Your kingdom come):
(It is missing in Missa of A.Gouvea, 1606).
Deacon: Qanona: Holy, holy, holy are you, our Father in heaven;
heaven and earth are full of the grandeur of your glory.
And angels and men cry out to you: holy, holy, holy are you.
People: Our Father in heaven ... Give us today the bread we need ... For yours is the kingdom ...
Marmitha: 38th =Ps.96-98 normally; 56th =Ps.144-146 on ferial days & in Masses for the dead. Our Bps rejected proper marmitha! Taksa d-Qurabh Raze (TQR) published in 1907 with approval of Mar Louis, Bp of Ekm, gives first Ps.96 97 98 (p.29-43) with the antiphons; and Ps.35:18 -
Aqapta: I will praise you in the stately church (great assembly).
Šunaya: And I will sing to you among many (gentile) nations (RE 12/ ).
Priest: Glory be ... People: From age to age, forever, Amen. (RE 8/ ).
Slotha: Before the glorious throne ... (RE/8-9). Syriac text refers to 3 mathonye at "we... kneel-1, worship-2, ...glorify-3 you at all times...". Priest ascends and kisses in the middle of "throne" (altar-in bema). It's 1st stage of Way:
Slibha is taken from throne-altar/table by Adn, and given to Priest who incenses it, kisses it, and presents it to be kissed by clergy and laity. At Laku-Mara curtain is opened and Deacon `incenses' people, around altar in bema (Taksa of 1960, p.9); not sanctuary & altar, as done by orientalists (Ordo n.17). Priest leads the people of God in their pilgrimage to the
Gospel is taken from altar in procession and read at the door of qanke by the Priest-celebrant. In the Greek and Latin Churches Deacon can preach and read the Gospel in Qurbana; but in
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2nd stage of the Way from Sion to Church, from haykla to qestroma; this part is to be explained further: position of Creed in the Order of Qurbana, before (old Raza) or after (new Raza) the Oniatha d-Raze. Bp or celebrant after bidding farewell to bema in haykala comes to qestroma, washes his hands and waits at the door of qanke during 3rd Onitha dRaze. As John Baptist goes before to prepare the way for Jesus, so Archdeacon (Adn) prepares the altar, bread and wine, for Eucharistic celebration.
Old Qurbana had 3 mathonye after creed (V 218 &264 old Raza) It is due, as priest proceeds to the sanctuary-altar, during the 1st Onitha dRaze: "The priest when he comes to the holy altar devoutly stretches his hands to heaven and invokes the (Holy) Spirit, and She (the Spirit) descends from above and sanctifies the Body and Blood of Christ" (RE 33/27). The proper prayer for kissing 4 sides of Sosapa or bema and blessing is given in RE/28. Both Cross and Gospel are taken to altar by Deacons; Adn takes Bukhra and Deacon chalice to altar during 2nd onitha dRaze RE/29. Bukhra means first fruits of wheat and vine, and refers to the first born of
3rd stage of the Way from Church to Kingdom, from qestroma to madbaha (altar), with 3 mathonye (Taksa-1960, p.24) during the kusapa: Praise to you, the Finder of the lost (Subha-lak meskhana cf M.4v). Now we use kusapa: I give you thanks, my Father (RE/33; Maudena-lak Abhy) taken from post-anaphora; not found in old Raza Anaphora of Apostles has a proper prayer to approach the altar: We thank you (RE/35), as in 3rd Anaphora; this prayer before the altar (J.104) is often counted as 1st gehanta! to be said without extending the hands; it was said on knees in old Raza. Repent and reconcile by giving peace before offering Qurbana (Mt.5:23f). The oriental and Indian custom of incensing the altar and offerings for purification is to be kept up in our Qurbana; it is left out by our Indianisers and inculturists, seeking convenience and comfort! They prefer Karpuram to Kunthirukam (frankinsence) from Kerala, and electric bulbs for lamps. Mamona lies behind service of God! sanctuary lamp to coconut oil lamp, for cleanliness and for saving money.
Service of Reform of Qurbana for the splendour of liturgy demands deep and serious study of different MSS and various texts of prayers after the Karozuthe and before the Qudasa daSlihe (Anaphora of the Bl.Apostles) to arrange them properly; prostration, profes-sion of faith, approach to liturgical, spiritual, and theological connections and symbolic meanings for gestures and prayers used at a time. No such efforts are made today! Cfr “Our Qurbana” in Nazrani 2/7 9 10 11; 3/1 3 5 6 7 11; 4/2; 5/3.
Liturgy is the celebration of faith. The credal recital of God's saving acts is an on-going characteristic of biblical-Christian liturgical worship, eg, Ps.105 & 106 in the liturgy of the temple. It arises naturally from the character of the faith as historical; it is a spontaneous thanksgiving for the salvation which God has wrought. "The need to confess one's faith according to a fixed text manifested itself in every gathering of the community. The believer wants to confess with the brethren before God what unites them before him. It was so already in the worship of the Synagogue, where in pronouncing the Shema, one confessed with all
BAPTISMAL AND CONCILIAR CREEDS: NICENE CREED.
CREED (credo= I believe) is a concise, formal and authorised statement of important points of basic Christian doctrine. Since it involves not merely acceptance of truth, but personal commit-ment, it was called rule of faith (kanon tes aleitheias =regula fidei) or standard of faith (symbolon =sign, tessera = military "pass"), whereby the faithful would be known to each other throughout the world as against the heretics. Creeds were both the earliest development of formal faith of the Church, and the first and most authentic form of oral tradition, from confessions in NT (Rom.10:9; 1Cor.12:3).
Cf Creed in DCC ed.J.D. Doughlas.
Baptismal Creeds: Candidates for baptism were required to confess their personal belief. "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37 margin). Creed was one of the public prayers of the Church which the catechumens were not allowed to hear; it was not recited until they had left the house of God; prior to the Council of Nicaea it was never committed to writing, but only confided by word of mouth. "This warning I give you that the symbol ought not to be written" (St Ambrose, Explanation of the Symbol). St Cyril of Jerusalem: "This I wish you to remember in the very phraseology, and to rehearse it with all diligence amongst yourselves not writing it on paper but graving it by memory on your hearts, being on the guard in your exercise lest a catechumen should overhear the things delivered to you" (Cateche-tical Instructions, v.1-12, pp.77-78, cited by O'Brien, Hist. of Mass, p.250f). Apostles' Creed is Roman baptismal creed, taken from Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus (Quasten, Patrology 1:26).
Conciliar Creeds: promulgated with the authority of the Council, to define the true faith as over against the teachings of heretics: We believe in one God ... Nicene Creed, based on Syro-Palestinian creed(s) and formulated by St Gregory Nazianzen, was fully developed in 451, and became the most important and best known of the conciliar creeds of the patristic age; it began to be used in the eucharistic liturgy of the Church. It is often called Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, but no creed is mentioned in its 4 canons and in letter to Theodosius; it first appeared in 451 at
Nicene Creed[1] was first used at eucharist by Peter the Fuller at
Nicene Creed spread to Constantinoiple in early 6th century; it was adopted in
CHALDEAN RAZA VS LATIN LOW MASS IN SYRIAC 7/4: May; 19-4-97 : Fr Benedict Vadakkekara OFM Cap in Vachanadhara 1996-97 (VD 15/4:3-7 & 16/3:5-10), using high sounding terms like retro-gression, emblematic, jurassic, etc, praises Latin Church and her missionaries for innovating the Sunday Obligation and daily Mass among the Malabar Christians, and blames those who masterminded the "1989 Taksa" (Raza text) for failing "to recognize these two realities" or "two historical facts", namely: Chaldean Raza alone for centuries prevailed in the Malabar Church; Chaldean Raza was unsuited for daily Mass and Sunday Observance. Presumptions are made statements, statements are called facts or historical facts after repetition, and when used as premises, they are realities!
“The disputed introduction of changes in the Syro-Malabar liturgy in the recent decades may be read in either of the two perspectives (restoration or retrogression). It is emblematic that no one ventures to speak of renewal", Fr. B.V. argues: "The avowed finality of the laboured efforts currently being made is to purge the Syro-Malabar liturgy of the adulterants from the Latin Church (due to the aggressive latinization policy) and re-instate in the Syro-Malabar Church a pure and pristine liturgy". BV asserts: "Now it is beyond all possible doubt that at the time of the Synod of Diamper the "Raza" of the
BV says: "The fact that the Raza... was the only form of celebrating... casts light on some aspects of the prevailing status quo situation... Raza used to be Celebrated... exclusively on occasions of Solemnity... Raza's lengthiness, the repetitions and the solemnising gestures, instead of dampening, only helped to augument the fervour of the faithful" (p.4).
Latin Low Mass was ritually very simple and of short duration. H.Mass was the first principal act of the day at the Synod of Diamper. Priests of TC too fondly desired to say Mass everyday. So Abp Meneses "unhesitatingly acceded to this holy desire of theirs". Decree shows interest not for daily Mass or Sunday Obligation, as BV claims, but to spread Roman Rite: "As the Syrian Mass is too long for priests that have a mind to celebrate daily, the Synod doth grant licence for the translating of the Roman Mass into Syriac... which mass together with all the Roman ceremonies the priest may say on particular occasions, but the solemn and sung masses of the day shall be always the Syrian..." (Act V, decr.4). Do Christians need daily Mass and Sunday Obligation? Will they make one Christian? Why did Paranki impose them on Nasrani? To make Nazrani live like Paranki? Today, after 1960, they do so!
BV presumes: Malabar Christians "happily adapted the Simple Mass of the Latin Church for their everyday celebration" and "this innovatory rendering of the Latin Mass into Syriac remained as the text of the Eucharistic celebration in the Syro-Malabar Church till the fifties of this century" and "it did not in any way eclipse the Raza, which continued to hold its preeminent place as the only form of the solemn celebration of the Eucharist" (VD 15/4:5). It is true, TC "just refused to tamper with the liturgy that their forefathers held as sacrosanct and inviolable", and "the idea of abbreviating or accomodating their Raza (Qurbana) to an eventual everyday celebration never even crossed their mind"(p.5). Neither they knew nor spoke of Chaldean Raza, as BV does; documents refer only to Qurbana, not to Raza.
BV claims: "The credit for the introduction of of these two [1]wholesome practices (everyday Holy Mass and "Sunday Obligation") into the
Raza and Qurbana? Which was the Raza text at Diamper? Which was the Syriac version of Latin Mass made at Diamper? Decree of Diamper (V,4) does not prove the text was made and used here; Bp Roz did not accept all the corrections made by Dom Meneses, as seen in [1]Missa[1] of Govea. [1]Was it Raza or Simple Mass? Was there another Raza used by Bp Roz? Was it Chaldean? Missa of Govea is different from the Qurbana of Bp Roz. Mar Joseph's Taksa seems to be the source for Missa of Govea and Raza of Bp Roz in 1603, printed in
BV's "Chaldean Raza" may be Rozian Qurbana! "That agrees with Addai and Mari more closely than that printed by Gouvea" (L.W.Brown, p.282). Bp Roz in his Statutes says of Qurbana (2,10): "There is much confusion in the diocese since the priests celebrate the Qurbana in several ways [BV: "Chaldean Raza alone"]. The Qurbana therefore shall be celebrated as it is written in the Taksa (Order of Mass) according as we commanded in the second synod of Angamaly. If priests will not do like this everyday, they shall not celebrate the Qurbana". Bp Roz imposed fine on priests who did not celebrate on Sundays. He wanted Raza be sung on Sundays in parishes with more priests. It shows Raza and non-Raza was said on Sundays, from the same Taksa (MS) of Bp Roz. Menezian liturgy has the offertory before the Apostle and Gospel. Roz corrects it: "Knowing that it is (the result of) the greatest ignorance to read the Apostle and the Gospel after the offertory, all priests shall celebrate the Qurbana as it is written in our Taksa" (2,10). Cf Placid in OCP 23:326.
MENEZIAN MASS & DECREES AT DIAMPER: show the Paranki perfidy. Bp Roz in his letters to the Jesuit General, and to the Assistant General in
BV relying on a decree of such a synod at Diamper argues, "there is not much to be restored[1] since hardly anything of its (Raza's) substantiality had been abrogated or done away with. The only form of celebrating the Eucharist that the St Thomas Christians knew at the time of the Synod of Diamper (1599) was the Raza" ("Restoring" what was not removed" in VD 16/3:6).
Again he praises "the wisdom and foresight" of the Synod of Diamper that "provided for [1]a workable eucharistic text[1] for the everyday celebaration" with the Latin simple Mass put into Syriac. "The decision to translate the Latin Mass into Syriac was far from being an instance of the aggressive Latinization policy of the missionaries" (p.6). Neither "Sunday Observance" nor "daily Mass" made the mercenary Paranki (Menezes or Roz) Chrsitian in life! These rituals were only a cover-up of their ego, greed or lust for power and positions, eg. the dealings of Abp Roz with Bp of Cochin or with Archdeacon. BV seems to blindly attribute: "It is to the credit of the missionaries from the Latin Church that they did not tamper with the Raza... They respected the Raza's wholeness and integrity... leaving intact the Raza..." (p.7). BV seems to create history to suit the demands of Ekm lobby that Raza is to be separate from Qurbana for everyday and for Sundays for the pastoral reasons, projected by the Latin group in Diamper. Do the Chaldeans (Roman Catholics) have two Taksas, one for Chaldean Raza and another for Chaldean Qurbana on Sundays, or on weekdays? What is the basis for demandig two kinds of Taksas or Qurbanas? Presumptions, when challenged, must be proved, that there were two texts: of Raza, and of Qurbana for Sundays (Latin).
Where is that Raza? "if the Decree of the Synod of Diamper had in fact only reinforced the Raza"? "Though theoretically the Raza was very much in force .." What happened to Raza? that was often recited repeatedly in the Forane churches of Ekm in 1950s out of "obligation"? BV blames also Chaldean authorities for the "unintended disappearance of Raza from the scene" (p.8)! He invents: "Its in-built incapacity to be adapted to the changing conditions made the Raza get marginalised" (p.8). Raza was said in Trichur diocese with one priest and deacons or sub-deacons as helpers! Raza text in Syriac is not an obstacle to adaptation or adjustment; but celebration demands time. Unique-ness of Qurbana is shown by "one Qurbana in one church", or on one altar.
Mass-stipend for each Mass created problems[1]. Latin legalism and ritualism destroyed spiritual purification and true devotion to the Eucharist. Holy Mass makes money for priests; Latin Orders began to make all brother-members priests to make money, not for pastoral needs; altars were multiplied, and put outside church. They began to say many Masses a day at a stretch to make money, and to get indulgences, to escape from purgatory. What devotion!
This is the pagan-mamonal influence of latinization against Raza! It is not the ritual but the attitude and intent of the performer that matters; rituals are merely devotional and charitable acts with limited benefits (Sankara); yet reason cannot replace all ritual from a religion or society; rituals offer the devout a sense of security, like sentimental practices of bhakti. But the obsession with the rituals make them useless and even harmful, like hysteric dance! Paranki-devotional acts to saints, different titles of Mary, are useful for making money, and tales of miracles attract tourists! Business of holy pictures, statues, etc. The latest one is "The Chaplet of Divine Mercy" based on private revelation to Sr M.Faustina Kowalska, made the Servant of God by Pope John Paul II in ----
BV insists on "two historical facts" for "any genuine renewal of eucharistic celebration" in "Syro-Malabar" Church: 1) "It was the Chaldean Raza alone that had for centuries prevailed in the
BV comments on Raza of 1989: failure "to recognize these two realities"; "a calculated move to somehow force the Raza"; "the ideal proposed is to make the everyday and Sunday celebration of the Eucharist as Raza-like as possible"; but "the text of the Raza does not lend itself for such celebrations"; and "the compactness and the integrity of the Raza have been destroyed"; hence "the Raza should remain... a complete text for the solemn celebration of the Eucharist" (p.9). It means using the "propria" of Sundays and Feastdays, or of Memorials of Saints. He favours "the proposal for revalidating the "1968 Taksa" [VD 15/12:2].
What is Raza? How is it different from Qurbana? Latin Low Mass has "ordinary" form to which Glory and Creed are added for Sunday Obligation; songs are added to make it Sung Mass; when the priest also sings, it is High Mass or Solemn Mass; if Bishop is celebrating, it is Pontifical Mass. Low Mass is perfect and complete; additions are for solemnity or high-stipend! New Latin calendar gives solemnity, feast, memorial: obligatory or optional, and weekdays. Propria are prayers added to complete the celebration liturgically on solemn, feast-days. Liturgical day decides the celebration of Raza; Easter or Pentecost has more solemnity than ordinary Sundays; Sunday obligation is the same! For Latins stipend decides the grade of celebration - high or solemn!
Raza-Qurbana is Qurbana with all "proper" prayers (sung/ recited)to complete liturgical celebration of feast-days (of Our Lord) or memorials (of saints). No change in prayers of Qudasa (Anaphora) but in pre-anaphora and post-anaphora prayers. In 1960 the proper prayers were translated from
The very purpose and nature of Liturgy-Qurbana was changed, when Latin calendar and readings were imposed on Syrian Qurbana! From 1774 Syriac propria was neglected, omitted[1]; though restored in 1960, they are not yet translated into English or Malayalam and approved for liturgical use! Bishops have no time for it! Let them read Vat.II, SC 23, to know how to restore or renew Qurbana:
"In order that a sound tradition be retained, and yet the way remain open to legitimate progress, a careful investigation -theological, historical and pastoral- should always be made into each part of the liturgy which is to be revised... there must be no innovations (like Latin calendar and readings), unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them, and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing". (SC 23).
BV's study is not objective or genuine but accomodative or compromising to the latinised Nazrani for easygoing performance, and for imposing Latin theology: Sunday Obligation, daily Mass! Why to keep Raza for solemn celebration, if not used on Easter? BV wants to "revalidate" or "reactivate" the "1968 Taksa" which is structured on Latin Mass-model, for "everyday and Sunday cele-bration of the Eucharist" (VD 16/3:10). East-West differs greatly Mass facing people destroys faith in mystery of Eucharist. Some changes made in calendar & readings are against clear directives of SC 24 on use of Bible. No contemplation of the Word of God! No solemn celebration of Eucharist! Why to multiply Masses? For celebrity-concelebrations! Stop it. No fast before Qurbana, no other preparation, no real faith! No time! Couples came late or there is long reception! Cut short prayers of Qurbana!
The very nature and purpose of Eucharist is rejected! "In sizing down the Raza to suit the everyday and Sunday celebrations, the compactness and the integrity of the Raza have been destroyed. The Raza should remain for what it has always been- [1]a complete text for the solemn celebration of the Eucharist (VD 16/3:9). Qurbana is a solemn celebration of faith in Christ, especially on the Day of the Lord; Bp Roz wanted Raza on Sundays. BV is more latinising than Bp Roz? Raza is "unsuited" for Sundays
BV says: No one knows how "the Solemn and Simple Forms" promulgated by the Congregation ended up being "the Most Solemn, Solemn, and Simple Forms" (VD 15/4:7). General Instructions, n.16 of 1986 Taksa says: Optional prayers are given is smaller letters The asteriks indicate parts common to Raza and the solemn form of the Qurbana. Columns show the specific parts of Raza" (p.4).
The Bishops agreed to print the Simple Form separately, for convenience, with some adjustments. So they prepared a text from Raza. Card. Lourdswamy, siding with Ekm lobby, permitted some dispensations and manipulations in Raza text, reprinted in 1989. Here Bishops played politics to extend dispensations in Simple Form, to Solemn Form (already approved early), also to Raza. Thus General Instructions of 1989, n.27 had to repeat n.16 of 1986. COC-Decree says: "Norms and rubrics for the Simple and Solemn Forms cannot be extended to Raza, except in cases mentioned in the Directives of COC! It created greater option or confusion"! BV too agrees: "The Raza must remain integral and whole and it should not be dissected into "optional" and "essential" parts".
BV may not know Syriac to verify Syriac text of Qurbana & Raza! He depends on others to say, there are two Taksas (Raza & Qurbana) used in
BV's articles reveal his ignorance and misunderstanding of Taksa for Raza and Qurbana: "Restoration or Retrogression...? (VD 15/4) and his inference "Restoring" what was not Removed" (VD 16/3) and "proposal for revalidating the "1968 Taksa" (VD 15/12) as his"Reactivating the "1968 Taksa" and adapting it yet further to suit the Indian mind"! Any authentic Qurbana of Nazrani must have traditional Syriac text as original, just as Latin text was prepared by experts in Roman Rite for
Apostles' Creed: (Quasten, Patrology 1:26f). It seems more probable that the Eastern forms and the Roman symbol are two independent offshoots of a common stock that had its roots in the Orient. The Roman rite of baptism described in Hippolytus' Apostolic Traditon has this "Creed: Credo in Deum patrem omnipotentem/ Et in Christum Jesum, filium Dei/ Qui natus de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine/ Et crucifixus sub Pontio Pilato et mortuus est et sepultus,/ Et resurrexit die tertia vivus a mortuis,/ Et ascendit in coelis,/ Et sedit ad dexteram patris/ Venturus judicare vivos et mortuos/ Et in Spiritum Sanctum et sanctam ecclesiam,/ et carnis resurrectionem" (Quasten, Patrology, 1:26). The Roman Creed of 5th century still differs from the present text of the Apostles' Creed, found first in Caesarius of Arles, as it does not include the words: creatorem coeli et terrae - conceptus - passus, mortuus, descendit ad inferos - catholicam - sanctorum communionem - vitam aeternam", of the present Creed (p.26f). 21-11-97. 27-5-01. (Nazrani Sept.96, p.2).
BEMA-2 = AMBO(N) =PULPIT =PUSHPAM: cf Nazrani 6/5:1-9 Dec.1996. 11-04-04 (15pp).
T.Mannooramparambil, Bema in
Bema is ancient: Dukrana 16/9:14-16. Bema in SMC" Duk.16/11:15-27.
SMB's synod in
Latin diplomacy would make a mockery of Raza and Nazrani before the Latins and latinized Syrians outside Kerala and prevent the all-India personal jurisdiction! The Ekm group sincerely would not make bema in their churches? Was there bema in Kerala? Can it be called restoration? Who has made excavation in Kerala and found bema? Where is Dura-Europas? What is its relation to Nazrani or
Ambo of the Greeks is a fixed platform in the centre of haikala for reading Gospel, for preaching and singing. Bema is its equivalent in
In ancient Bema, Bp & clergy sat facing the altar-madbaha, or east. People need not see but listen to reader or preacher. Importance is for the truths proclaimed, as Christ's voice. It is not a human speech, but divine homily or sermon (Dukr.16/10:9). Ambo(n) is the raised platform in a basilica from which the scriptures were read. Subsequently there were two ambos, for the Epistle and Gospel respectively, on the south and north sides. Pulpit-pushpam replaced bema after 14th century.
Ambo is a structure often approached by a flight of steps and surrounded by a parapet, and made of wood, stone or marble. It was used for the reading of the gospel at the eucharist and was usually larger than the medieval pulpit, as its platform not only accomodated the reader of the gospel but also the attendant tapers or candle bearers. The ambo was used also on the eve of Easter by the deacon who sang the `exultet' at the blessing of the Paschal candle. The ambo was often decorated with carved or tessellated designs, eg. Jonah and the whale, a type of Christ's resurrection (Mt.12:40). There were sometimes lesser ambos, as at St Clement's,
From the steps of the ambo, a portion of psalmody was sung by the chanters in between the reading of the epistle and the gospel; so this chant came to be known as the gradual (gradus-step). There is no evidence that the apostles and the fathers delivered sermons from a pulpit, as Ezra did (Neh.8:4), in the nave or body of the church building. The ambo was not primarily meant for the sermon, given by bishop from his throne or cathedra from behind the altar (C.E. Pocknee, AMBO, in A Dictionary of Liturgy & Worship, ed.J.G.Davis, London 1972, p.9).
"Whenever there was Solemn High Mass, which was the case nearly always in the early Church, the Epistle used to be chanted, not in the sanctuary as now, but from an elevated lectern or pulpit known as the Ambo, from the Greek `anabaino', I ascend - placed generally in the nave of the church. In some places there were as many as three appurtenances of this kind: one for the reading of the Epistle, another for the reading of the Gospel, and the third for the Prophecies. Specimens of these may yet be seen in the ancient church at
AMBO AND PELICAN OF GERTRUDE
Many of the ancient ambos had curious figures engraved and constructed upon them. The celebrated ambo of the ancient Cathedral of Durham (
From the Ambo, sometimes sermons were preached, the diptychs were read; the time of Easter and the other movable feasts was announced in
BEMA-PLATFORM
BEMA (Greek: bainein =go, step) means a step, platform: the enclosed space surrounding the altar, sanctuary. Bimah- W.Syriac. For Syrians Bema is cathedra, throne of God: "Before... the awe-some bema of the power of your love..." and “Before the awesome bema of your majesty..." (Raza-English, p.8-9). Does the use of Bema come directly from the Jewish practice as Dr.Cyprian claims? Dr.T.Mannooramparambil supports it: Dukrana 16/9 (Sept.96) 14-18.
Bema; "staumen kales kurie eleison" is said before Gospel reading; it left out Antiochian theology and accepted Alexandrian theology, eg. Christology. 2nd & 3rd anaphora show the Greek influence in the
OBSOLETE BEMA & NAZRANI PUSHPAM
Dr.T.Mp. admits the importance of bema was less by the middle ages; BEMA WAS JOINED WITH QESTROMA in the churches of
Roman commission in 1954 that reformed Qurbana and prepared Ordo (p.5 & 35) had approved this convenient and reasonable practice and did not even refer to bema! Old churches have rails to separate men from women, as for qanke and beth-qudsa; but no bema-structure. How to restore bema, which was not there?
EXPERTS IN
Ori.Congr. (COE) seems irresponsible in approving 3 kinds of Qurbana within 10 years for Syro-Malabarians, as it regrets in its Final Judgement of 24-7-85 that "unapproved, aberrant liturgical texts proliferated, often of extra-ordinary mediocrity and with little basis in tradition. Indeed some of them were the result of shocking irresponsibility on the part of persons with high pastoral office and responsibility in the Church" (n.11). Card. M.de Furstenburg and Card.Parecattil were persons of high office!
There is "little basis in tradition" for transferring part of 3rd gehanta as anamnesis in the reformed text of 1962! So Ori. Congr. says `mea culpa': "A very serious problem is presented by the re-arrangement of the text of the Holy Anaphora, operated by the 1962 text" (n.34). The Roman Commission of 1954 did it, and it was approved by the Plenary Session of Ori.Congr., Pius XII & John XXIII! What is the meaning of
"A BETTER AND SMOOTHER CONNECTION"
"A better and smoother connection between the gehanta preceding the text with the words of institution and the latter be made.... It is altogether suitable and desirable to adopt here (for greater clarity, for celebrative harmony, as well as for a more authentic theology) the apt solution of the Missale Chaldaicum..." (n.34). This is a worse solution than the first of 1962! Latin subconscious urge for necessity of words of institu-tion and substantial change before the Kulasa before intercessory prayers, "the seraphim glorify and sing praises in loud unending hymns to the Body that is prepared and the Chalice that is mixed" (RE 42). Now the 2nd gehanta is broken; incarnation is explained twice (RE 39 & 50). A better and smoother connection as follows:
Words at Supper can be added in 3rd gehanta (RE 44): "...Our Lord and God came and taught us ... holy baptism", and left unto us the memorial of our salvation, and the mystery of His Body and Blood which we offer before you. We make the memorial of the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as He taught us...(RE 40).
EXPERTS' DOUBLE NORM FOR ONE EUCHARIST
"The Eucharist celebrated versus populum certainly runs counter to the basic approach to worship in any eastern (not western?) tradition, worth the name" (FJ n.40) of Christian. "Care must be taken to see to it that every cathedral and parish church is eventually provided with the bema, constructed in the middle of the central nave and regularly put to use" (n.40c)! Is it a Pharisee's burden on others? Latins Basilikas have Bema; will the Latins construct the bemas in parish churches? If the Latins use pulpit, why not the Syrians too use pulpit for bema?
ORDO VS ANARCHY, OR HEGEMONY?
Ordo of 1959 has no bema; see the diagram of church and "gospel reading" (p.5 & 35). Oriental Congregation's Instructions on 20-1-1962 is silent about Bema. It approved the Qurbanakramam (Malayalam) in 1968 by telegram, and Pavitra Balidan (Hindi and English) in 1970, which did not prescribe to use bema, although OC knew of bema in ancient churches and of its symbolism given in the Exposition of Offices, edited by R.H.Connolly, Rome 1913-15.
"It is a question of putting an end to anarchy" and the consequent liturgical confusion and constant change and disruption is pastorally isastrous" (n.15). Who has created this anarchy? Ori.Congr.! It is creating more anarchy by rejecting the Qurbana, approved and inaugurated by Pope, without reason, to divide the Syrians without granting a period of 5 years for it, both in 1962 and 1986 also by imposing bema on Syro-Malabarians through the Final Judgement! It is a bone of contention, to make two groups, Ekm & Ktm, fight like dogs! RC's stealthy way of perpetuating the Paranki-Latin hegemony in
HIERARCHY'S ANARCHY AND BEMA
SMB's synod in
Symbolism of church: G.Arbel says, Nestoris arranged holy of holies for heaven, qestroma for paradise, haikala for earth, and bema for Jerusalem, with Golgotha-temple (Exp.2:91).
Skakona (way from Bema to sanctuary) is straight, way to truth, leading to heaven; it starts from
Mar Narsai (Liturgical Homily 17) says: Christ is the only priest in the heavenly and earthly altars. He decorated a holy temple and holy of holies; He made a sanctuary on earth and holy of holies in heaven; He ordered that all men shall mystically do priestly ministry in earthly sanctuary; truly He does it in heavenly sanctuary. So two holy places; two sanctuaries; two ministries! (Dukr.16/10:12).
BEMA IS ANCIENT: DUKRANA 16/9:14-16. 2 Ezra 8:4 for reading. Syriac Didascalia says readings are from bema. In Ap.Const. Deacon announces from Bema. Synod of Mar Isaac in 410, can.15: Deacon is to say Karozutha from Bema, and Adn reads Gospel from bema-EO 91. St Sargis' basilica built in 6th c. at Rusabha had bema as in EO and MS.Camb.Add.2045. Mattonya-prostration is described in Kelayta; in MSs Berlin-38 and 40, Brit.Mus.Add.7181, Vat.Syr.42 and 303, Bobli.283 and 310, and Mingana 53 (p.16). Bema-form Duk.Nov.18-20
"BEMA in SMc" Duk.16/11:15-27. Altar is bema of God. Turning to altar shows God-orientation. We pray turning to EAST where the sun rises... (St Augustine, Sermon on Mount, 11,5,18 = Chediath, Prarthana Sabhayil, Ktm 1988, p.276). Pilgrim church is of present but pointing to future.
BEMA DESCRIBED IN EXPOSITION OF OFFICES Nazrani 6/5:7f.
Bema's meaning and use, acceptable, determines its position and shape: cf Ori.Congr. Directives-n.105, cited in Dukr.16/10:9. A table of one metre-square can serve as bema in nave on very solemn occasions. Nazrani have processions, and main door on west; fixed bema in haikla hinders movement. It is ridiculous to build it now when there is mic-set. Two fixed bema-stands can be made near the steps to sanctuary on both sides for
Exposition of the Offices of the Church attributed to George of Arbel Dukr. 6/9:15): Bema in the centre of haikala symbolises
No ancient church in Kerala has a fixed bema, nor any vestige of it, so that NAZRANI rightly concludes it did not exist at all. It is not necessary, not useful but harmful to erect Byzanine-Arbel's bema, as in Satna, in churches of Kerala /
Here is a plan of the church described in "Expositio Officiorum", ed.R.H. Connolly, deliniated (Vol.1, p.196): Roman letters mean:
EAST A =apse on eastside of church
B =altar in apse.
C =lamps suspended between altar and door of sanctuary.
D =major door to Qestroma.
d = wall covering sanctuary.
E =deaconary (sacristy), probably on one side only.
(plan) F =minor doors for deacons.
G =qestroma, raised area from nave.
H =steps to qestroma.
I =doors of sanctuary to deaconary.
K =gangway to bema, 3 doors.
M =bema in centre of temple.
N =steps to bema.
O =altar in centre of bema.
P =seat of Bishop in bema.
p =pulpits in west for reading.
R =low wall in nave.
r =low wall around bema.
WEST S =gangway to men or women.
T =place of men in nave.
V =place of women in nave.
X =door for men.
Y =door for women.
Z =baptistry on south; west/east corner of nave; not in deaconary.
NAZRANI CULTURE AND TRADITION cf Nazrani 6/5:9f.
BAPTISTRY: Puqdankon refers to love (Jn 13:34f) as condition to enter church. Hosana Sunday has solemn entrance into church: knock & open, ask & reply; permission to enter. Christian community, giving peace and kissing the hand of priest at the door, shows their love and union; the non-baptized and the unworthy to receive qudasha (maharon-vala) are out! How can they come near sanctuary for baptism? Council of
The twofold movement to God and from God, for communion and sanctification, is hindered by bema of Arbel. Our churches were built like hindu temples (houses of the idols); Abp sees to it that they are built in our (paranki) style (Mundadan, TTC p.159). Nazrani thought only those of clean body and clothes were worthy to enter the church; they put their arms, sword, in portico (mondalam) and washed their feet before entering the church. Karthanar asked them at the door: What is your law of life? It is the law of Christ to love one another so as to be His disciple (Jn 13:34f). Puqdankon is not asking permission but profession! Kai-kasturi (dasdur?) is denied to the unworthy, excommunicated! Only true christians can participate in the Eucharist thanksgiving praise and worship, for the Mystery of Divine Behaviour (Raza daMedabaranutha) in saving the people of God (Lk 2:14).
PIUS XII ON ANTIQUISM
Pius XII `wrote in "Mediator Dei": "The Church is a living organism and, in respect of the liturgy also, she grows, matures, develops, adapts and accomodates herself to temporal needs and circumstances... Those who introduce novel liturgical practices (Ekm), or call for the revival of obsolete rites (Ktm) out of harmony with prevailing laws (Ordo), deserve severe reproof" (n.59). Our Bishops and EXPERTS may not have read it!
"The same reasoning holds for persons who are bent on the restoration of all the ancient rites and ceremonies indiscriminately. Ancient usage must not be esteemed more suitable and proper, either in its own right or in its significance for later times and new situations, on the ground that it carries the savour and aroma of antiquity. The recent liturgical rites deserve respect and reverence; they owe their inspiration to the Holy Spirit" (Mediator Dei of Pius XII in 1943, n.61).
It is a wise thing to return to the source of the liturgy. Tracing the liturgy back to its origins contributes valuable help towards a more careful investigation of the significance of feast-days, the meaning of the texts, and ceremonies employed on their occasion. But it is not wise to reduce everything to antiquity by every possible device, eg. to wish the altar restored to its primitive table-form; to forbid the use of all sacred images and statues in churches (Med.Dei, n.62).
Just as mistaken is the zeal of one who, in liturgical matters, would go back to the rites of antiquity, discarding the new patterns introduced by disposition of Divine providence(n.63) This way of acting revives an exaggerated antiquarianism. Perverse designs of this sort (fixed bema in nave) weaken the process of sanctification by which the liturgy directs the sons of adoption to their Heavenly Father (n.64). Let no one arrogate to himself (eg.Abel, Parel, P.T.Chacko) the right to make regula-tions and impose them on others at will (n.65; Vat.II, SC 22).
RAZA & BEMA AS TOOLS OF RC vs NAZRANI
Bema gets undue importance in classes on liturgy! Golgotha-altar in Bema is a historical appendix. John Chrysostom refers to the origin of the curtain-wall around sanctuary in 4th century to protect the sanctity of the place. Liturgy of the Word was celebrated in the nave of the church; then came platform, table-altar, steps to Ambo. In 4th-5th centuries numerous churches were built in
Riha Paten has the figure of Christ, giving communion to the Apostles under both species. Such is the tradition of the Byzantine and
Ordo of 1959 does not speak of Bema in nave of church building, as it was not mentioned even in old Raza. Bema is the new bone of contention between Ekm and Ktm groups; RC uses bema as a tool to divide and rule the Syrians, who came to unity in 1985, through n.40 of Final Judgement on 24-7-85.
A stand-desk on an extended sanctuary platform outside rails on both sides is necessary and sufficient for readings in bema. Gospel is solemnly taken and read at the door of Qanke-sanctuary, as described in the Ordo even for Raza. After reading Gospel it's kissed with prayer: O Christ... & Song: For at the head of the book... RE 18.
MEANING OF LITURGY AND MASS (Nazrani Dec.96, 11-16)
Liturgy comes from the Greek Leiton (public) and Ergon (work) and means in the East always the norma of the Mass; in the West, it is the complexus of all the rites and ceremonies that are used by the Church in the administration of the Sacraments and in all her sacred offices. Some confound Liturgy and Rubrics, thinking both are the same; they are like mathematics and arith-metic. The Rubrics are the directions given in `red' letters for the due performance of any particular ceremony (O'Brien, History of the Mass..., New York 1882, p.xxiii).
Oriental Fathers used different words for Liturgy: Mystagogia, Synaxis, Anaphora, Eulogia, Hierurgia, Mysterion, Deipnon, Teleion, Agathon, Prosphora. St Dionysius called Liturgy MYSTAGOGIA, as it is a divine participation of or initiation into the sacred mysteries. SYNAXIS means the union, as we are all united by it with Christ our Saviour. ANAPHORA means offering, as it raises our minds and hearts to God. EULOGIA means propitiatory HIERURGIA means a sacred action. MYSTERION (Raza) means mysteries DEIPNON means banquet, as it gives us the living Bread unto the eternal nourishment of our souls. TELEION means perfection, as it is the sacrifice of the Holy Lamb, without blemish or spot, who came upon earth to be the perfection and completion of old law. AGATHON means good, as it is the only lasting good upon which man can count. PROSPHORA, as it finally conducts us to the happy end for which we are created (O'Brien, p. 2f). It is true LITURGY.
Latin Rite has MISSA or MASS; it comes from the dis-missal after the first part, called Mass of the Catechumens: "Ite; missa est (gens)": Go, the gentiles are sent out! It refers "to the custom in vogue during the first five or six centuries of the Christian Church - when the Disciplina Arcani,or Discipline of the Secret [Mt.7:6], prevailed - of dismissing the Catechumens and Public Penitents from the house of God before the solemn part of divine service began" (O'Brien p.1f). The 2nd part, called the Mass of the Faithful, began with the Offertory; it was obligatory on Sundays under mortal sin for Latins; so importance was given to the offertory. The dismissal was then used for the faithful at the end, after the final blessing: "Ite; missa est (ecclesia)"! Go, the church or assembly is dismissed! Other versions are: Ite missa est Hostia! Go, the Host has been sent on high! Ite missio est! Go, it's dismissal! (O'Brien, p.387f).
Dismissal in the Eastern Church: Go in peace. Let us depart in peace. Let us go in the peace of Christ. In the peace of Christ let us depart (St James' Liturgy). "The peace of thy lips, shining forth like a torch, illumined the world, enriched the universe with the treasures of liberality, and manifested to us the height of humility; but do thou, our instructor, by thy words Father John Chrysostom, intercede to the Word, Christ our God, that our souls may be saved" (Chrysostom's Liturgy) (Ibi.p.389).
ANCIENT LITURGIES OF THE EAST cf Nazrani 6/5:12f
Ancient Liturgies of the East are of James from
Liturgy of Chrysostom is used by the
In the Western or Latin Church, Roman Liturgy has universal sway, except two normas, rather rites than liturgies: Ambrosian in
GREEK, RUSSIAN, SYRIAN CHURCHES AS ORIENTAL, EASTERN
"Some are perpetually confounding the Eastern Church with the Greek Church, and the latter with the Russian, wholly forgetting that out of
ANCIENT LITURGIES OF THE EAST
The
The
"The Ruthenian clergy at Uzhorod made a profession of faith and were received into full communion with the [Roman] Catholic Church" on 4-121642. "As an indispensable condition, they justly insisted on respect for and exercise of their own Byzantine rite under a Bishop of their own", as they were moved by some "reasons connected with civil rights and freedom of conscience". Latin law of celibacy was imposed indirectly; so they get few vocations.
"You have paid dearly for this union", the Pope admits, and "remained steadfast in the face of successive trials and tribulations". Now "your spiritual identity is intimately connected with the search for the unity of all Christians", esp. "in your dealings with your Eastern brethren, first of all by prayer, then by example of your lives, by scrupulous fidelity to the ancient traditions of the East, by better knowing each others, by working together and by a brotherly attitude towards persons and things" (OE n.24). Oss.Rom., 30-10-96, p.2, col.1-2.
MISSION WORK: UNDER
The mission work of Christ the Redeemer, entrusted to the Church, is very far from completion. That is why the Church is inviting everyone to continue the work of missionary cooperation [for Latin Church?], prayer, witness of Christian life, promotion of missionary vocations and effective support are also urgently needed by the Christian generation" (Pope at Angelus, 20-10-96; Oss.Rom., 23-10-96, p.1). Missionary activity is a matter for all dioceses and parishes, church institutions and associations" of Orientals for and under the Latin Church, as in
CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF
Typical mentality and attitude of Paranki towards Nazrani in
"... the Bishops especially entrusted with overseeing and ensuring the authenticity of Catholic Doctrine by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India [CBCI = CCBI?], the Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church [SSMC] and the Council of Hierarchs of the Syro-Malankara Church [SMBC] presented the general state of Catholic theology in their respective Churches" (Oss.
Syrian Bishops are outside CBCI? Not Catholic?
Bishops of India emphasised certain fundamental principles of the Catholic faith: "the absolute character of Christian revelation, always with the proper respect for the values present in other religions", "the permanent value of the Christology of the New Testament, the unity of the mystery of Christ, the uniqueness and universality of his mediation as well as the salvific role of the Church as sacrament and instrument of salvation". "The primary importance of the work of evangelization they confessed, "at times has been hampered by incorrect theological perspectives" (
REASONS FOR REFORM: SPLENDOUR OF LITURGY-QURBANA (N. 7/1:2 '97).
MAR SLIBA, 14 Sept. 627: Patriarch Zacharias and Emperor Heraclius erected the Cross of Christ on
(cf AbpMaj= UNITY IN BOND OF PEACE 1-1-97 & REASONS FOR REFORM).
Qurbana is the core of the spirituality, as it celebrates by signs and symbols the redemptive history realised in Christ, and achieves the divinization of the faithful. It is the memorial of the paschal mystery. The ancient texts reflect and express the genuine faith of ancient Churches. The ancient Christians trans-lated into their life the faith which they professed through their liturgy. Different liturgies are different expressions of one and the same faith in Christ. They are the common heritage of the universal Church, and the source of Christian revelation. Each liturgy represents theology and spirituality of a
Nazrani is happy to note both Ekm & Ktm want some changes in Raza. Dr.A.Nariculam explained the changes needed in Simple and Solemn Qurbana, also in Raza (VD 12/9 & 10:1-4). Text of 1986 had some changes in 1989; reform means further changes: all options so far permitted in simple and solemn forms should be extended to Raza, regarding prayers, psalms, readings etc. Proleptic language at offertory and words like `blessed' and `many' of consecration are to be changed. Prayer before anthem of sanctuary seems to show the spirit of OT; so it is to be reformed. Anthem of Gospel: Great Book (kthabha ranba) sung before reading, seems out of place and may be omitted, as it was used in summer-procession. Turgama-s of 12-14 century; as Mar Abdiso says, it was meant for those unable to make a sermon! Prostration (mathonye) around the veil (sosapa) and blessing is a remnant of an old rite of showing respect by deacons, and the anthem sung makes it meanigless; it is to be reformed or omitted, though Raza's rate is reconciling the sinners; so not suited for `holy' deacons! Thus Raza will be shorter than the normal simple form of Qurbana today. Yes, it is meaningful to sing the anthem of Gospel after reading it, while Gospel is kissed by clergy and people, before placing it on Bema. Priest used to kiss the Gospel saying the prayer: O Christ, light of the world... (V= Taksa of 1946, p.218; Malabar Liturgy's Draft of 1955 =LM 15); now it is out of place (RE 18). Anthem of Gospel important; so its short form is given for other forms of Qurbana to sing or say: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, let your prayers be a fortress for our souls (RE 22f/18).
SOME CHANGES NECESSARY IN RAZA
Dr T.Mp. insists on the ancient custom of using bema for readings, singing and announcing, and on the turning to altar-east for praying, but admits the need of some changes in Raza; 3 points are raised (Bema in SMC, Dukrana 17/11:15-27; p.26-27):
1) East Syrian Priest used to enter the sanctuary from sacristy after psalmody and go to bema, while anthem of sanctuary was sung. Now it is sung only in Raza and while Cross is kissed; it is due, as the celebrant enters bema; prayer before Laku-Mara; in the past people sang Laku-Mara to greet and welcome the celebrant
2) Gospel procession-to be changed (p.27). Sing it when Gospel is taken to bema; when it is kissed by clergy and laity, Turgama can be sung, or after the kissing of Gospel when they sit in bema. 3) Prostration at bema (p.27) as in the past, after blessing the people on its 4 sides. Later veil was used for bema. Restore it (T.Mp.).
LITURGY-SALVATION HISTORY'S STAGES
Where was the Malabar priest standing during the psalmody? Rubrics show he is in qestroma or below the steps of sanctuary. Probably, he was moving from the main door to sanctuary through haikala and qestroma, following the theology of the WAY in Mar Aprem: Liturgy-salvation history has 3 stages: 1) From Eden to Sion 2) From Sion to Church 3) From Church to Kingdom (De Fide 66, 24; Murray, Symbols, p.253). Our voyage (in a ship)to heaven-harbour (Murray 249; Narsai, Homil.32). Church is built like a ship (navis-nave; Ap.Const.2,5 =Ante-Nicene Fathers 7:421; Dukrana 16/11:16).
TAKSA D-QUDASA: ORDER OF ANAPHORA: QURBANAKRAMAM 7/1:4f Jan'97.
Nazrani's symbol of 3 stages of WAY: 1) Portico to bema-Sosapa in hai
kla 2) to table in qestroma 3) to altar in sanctuary Priest-mediator moves up and down, as Moses climbed up & down the mount Sinai for Torah (puqdana or covenant-rule of life). So sanctuary is holy place, reserved for priests and deacons always.
Already the priest has hallowed the Lord God: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; for heaven and earth are full of his praises, the nature of his essence (omnipresence) and the splendour of his glorious beauty, as the Lord says: heaven and earth are filled with me... (V= Taksa-1946, p.212).
Puqdankon?... Acceptance of new covenant is a condition for admission to church. People of God sing praises with angels for peace and good hope on earth (Lk 2:14). Heavenly and earthly liturgy begins.
So the Our Father is said with qanona as follows:
Priest: Our Father who (are) in heaven, your name be hallowed; (Your kingdom come: It is missing in Missa of A.Gouvea, 1606).
Deacon: Qanona: Holy, holy, holy are you, our Father in heaven;
heaven and earth are full of the grandeur of your glory.
And angels and men cry out to you: holy, holy, holy are you.
People: Our Father in heaven ... Give us today ... For yours...
Marmitha: 38th =Ps.96-98 normally; 56th =Ps.144-146 onferial days & in Masses for the dead. Our Bps rejected proper marmitha! Taksa dQurabh Raze (TQR) published in 1907 with approval of Ekm-Bp gives Psalms 96 97 98 (p.29-43) with the antiphons (Ps.35:18) as:
Aqapta: I will praise you in the stately church (great assembly).
‘Unaya: And I will sing to you among many (gentile) nations RE 12/
Priest: Glory be ... People: From age to age, forever, Amen. RE8.
Slotha: Before the glorious throne ... (RE/8-9). Syriac text refers to 3 mathonye at "we... kneel-1, worship-2, ...glorify-3 you at all times...". Priest ascends and kisses in the middle of "throne" (altar-in bema). It's 1st stage of Way:
Slibha is taken from throne-altar/table by Adn, to be kissed. At LakuMara curtain is opened and Deacon `incenses' people, around altar in bema (Taksa of 1960, p.9); not sanctuary & altar, as done by orientalists (Ordo n.17). Priest leads the people of God in their pilgrimage to the
Gospel is taken from altar in procession[1] and read at door of qanke by the celebrant. In the Greek and Latin Churches Deacon can preach and read the Gospel in Qurbana; but in Syrian Church deacon is not `old' enough to be an `elder' who reads gospel and preaches, blesses people and things even during Qurbana. Now Latin custom spreads. Ranban Song refers to 21 deacons (3/Michael Gabriel Raphael) for the 7 churches; no Qurbana without deaconor without incense! Jewish background in early Church is kept up.
2nd stage of the Way from Sion to Church, from haykla to qestroma; this part is to be explained further: position of Creed in the Order of Qurbana, before (old Raza) or after (new Raza) the Oniatha d-Raze. Bp or celebrant after bidding farewell to bema in haykala comes to qestroma, washes his hands and waits at the door of qanke during 3rd Onitha dRaze. As John Baptist goes before to prepare the way for Jesus, so Archdeacon (Adn) prepares the altar, bread and wine, for Eucharistic celebration.
Old Qurbana had 3 mathonye after creed (V 218 &264 old Raza). It is due, as priest proceeds to the sanctuary-altar, during the 1st Onitha dRaze: "The priest when he comes to the holy altar devoutly stretches his hands to heaven and invokes the (Holy) Spirit, and She (the Spirit) descends from above and sanctifies the Body and Blood of Christ" (RE 33/27). The proper prayer for kissing 4 sides of sosapa or bema and blessing is given in RE/28. Both Cross and Gospel are taken to altar by Deacons; Adn takes Bukhra and Deacon chalice to altar during 2nd onitha dRaze RE/29. Bukhra means first fruits of wheat and vine, and refers to the first born of
3rd stage of the Way from Church to Kingdom, from qestroma to madbaha (altar), with 3 mathonye (Taksa-1960, p.24) during the kusapa: Praise to you, the Finder of the lost (Subha-lak meskhana cf M.4v). Now we use kusapa: I give you thanks, my Father (RE/33; Maudena-lak Abhy) taken from post-anaphora; not found in old Raza Anaphora of Apostles has a proper prayer to approach the altar: We thank you (RE/35), as in 3rd Anaphora; this prayer before the altar (J.104) is often counted as 1st gehanta! to be said without extending the hands; it was said on knees in old Raza. Repent and reconcile by giving peace before offering Qurbana (Mt.5:23f). The oriental and custom of incensing the altar and offerings for purification is to be kept up in our Qurbana; it is left out by our Indianisers & inculturists, seeking convenience & comfort! They prefer Karpuram to Kunthirukam (frankinsence) from Kerala, & electric sanctuary lamp to coconut oil lamp, for cleanliness and for saving money. Service of Mamona lies behind service of God!
Reform of Qurbana for the splendour of liturgy demands deep and serious study of different MSS and various texts of prayers after the Karozuthe and before the Qudasa daSlihe (Anaphora of the Bl.Apostles) to arrange them properly; prostration, profes-sion of faith, approach to liturgical, spiritual, and theological connections and symbolic meanings for gestures and prayers used at a time. No such efforts are made today!
Cfr OUR QURBANA in NAZRANI 2/7 9 10 11; 3/1 3 5 6 7 11; 4/2; 5/3.
Liturgy is the celebration of faith. The creedal recital of God's saving acts is an on-going characteristic of biblical-Christian liturgical worship, eg, Ps.105 & 106 in the liturgy of the temple. It arises naturally from the character of the faith as historical; it is a spontaneous thanksgiving for the salvation which God has wrought. "The need to confess one's faith according to a fixed text manifested itself in every gathering of the community. The believer wants to confess with the brethren before God what unites them before him. It was so already in the worship of the Synagogue, where in pronouncing the Shema, one confessed with all
BAPTISMAL AND CONCILIAR CREEDS: NICENE CREED.
CREED (credo= I believe) is a concise, formal and authorised statement of important points of basic Christian doctrine. Since it involves not merely acceptance of truth, but personal commitment, it was called rule of faith (kanon tes aleitheias =regula fidei) or standard of faith (symbolon =sign, tessera = military "pass"), whereby the faithful would be known to each other throughout the world as against the heretics. Creeds were both the earliest development of formal faith of the Church, and the first and most authentic form of oral tradition, from confessions in NT (Rom.10:9; 1Cor.12:3). Cf Creed in DCC ed.J.D. Doughlas.
Baptismal Creeds: Candidates for baptism were required to confess their personal belief. "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37 margin). Creed was one of the public prayers of the Church which the catechumens were not allowed to hear; it was not recited until they had left the house of God; prior to the Council of Nicaea it as never committed to writing, but only confided by word of mouth. "This warning I give you that the symbol ought not to be written" (St Ambrose, Explanation of the Symbol). St Cyril of Jerusalem: "This I wish you to remember in the very phraseology, and to rehearse it with all diligence amongst yourselves not writing it on paper but graving it by memory on your hearts, being on the guard in your exercise lest a catechumen should overhear the things delivered to you" (Cateche-tical Instructions, v.1-12, pp.77-78, cited by O'Brien, Hist. of Mass, p.250f). Apostles' Creed is Roman baptismal creed, taken from Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus (Quasten, Patrology 1:26).
Conciliar Creeds: promulgated with the authority of the Council, to define the true faith as over against the teachings of heretics: We believe in one God ... Nicene Creed, based on Syro-Palestinian creed(s) and formulated by St Gregory Nazianzen, was fully developed in 451, and became the most important and best known of the conciliar creeds of the patristic age; it began to be used in the eucharistic liturgy of the Church. It is often called Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, but no creed is mentioned in its 4 canons and in letter to Theodosius; it first appeared in 451 at
Nicene Creed was first used at eucharist by Peter the Fuller at
Nicene Creed spread to Constantinoiple in early 6th century; it was adopted in
Cfr East & West (Nazrani 7/1, p.9 & 12 from MRG.02-4)
CHALDEAN RAZA VS LATIN LOW MASS IN SYRIAC N- 7/4: May; 19-4-97
Fr Benedict Vadakkekara OFM Cap in Vachanadhara 1996-97 (VD 15/4:3-7 & 16/3:5-10), using high sounding terms like retro-gression, emblematic, jurassic, etc, praises Latin Church and her missionaries for innovating the Sunday Obligation and daily Mass among the Malabar Christians, and blames those who masterminded the "1989 Taksa" (Raza text) for failing "to recognize these two realities" or "two historical facts", namely: Chaldean Raza alone for centuries prevailed in the Malabar Church; Chaldean Raza was unsuited for daily Mass and Sunday Observance. Presumptions are made statements, statements are called facts or historical facts after repetition, and when used as premises, they are realities!
"The disputed introduction of changes in the Syro-Malabar liturgy in the recent decades may be read in either of the two perspectives (restoration or retrogression). It is emblematic that no one ventures to speak of renewal", Fr. B.V. argues: "The avowed finality of the laboured efforts currently being made is to purge the Syro-Malabar liturgy of the adulterants from the Latin Church (due to the aggressive latinization policy) and re-instate in the Syro-Malabar Church a pure and pristine liturgy". BV asserts: "Now it is beyond all possible doubt that at the time of the Synod of Diamper the "Raza" of the
BV says: "The fact that the Raza... was the only form of celebrating... casts light on some aspects of the prevailing status quo situation... Raza used to be celebrated... exclusively on occasions of solemnity... Raza's lengthiness, the repetitions and the solemnising gestures, instead of dampening, only helped to augument the fervour of the faithful" (p.4).
Latin Low Mass was ritually very simple and of short duration. H.Mass was the first principal act of the day at the Synod of Diamper. Priests of TC too fondly desired to say Mass everyday. So Abp Meneses "unhesitatingly acceded to this holy desire of theirs". Decree shows interest not for daily Mass or Sunday Obligation, as BV claims, but to spread Roman Rite: "As the Syrian Mass is too long for priests that have a mind to celebrate daily, the Synod doth grant licence for the translating of the Roman Mass into Syriac... which mass together with all the Roman ceremonies the priest may say on particular occasions, but the solemn and sung masses of the day shall be always the Syrian..." (Act V, decr.4). Do Christians need daily Mass and Sunday Obligation? Will they make one Christian? Why did Paranki impose them on Nasrani? To make Nazrani live like Paranki? Today, after 1960, they do so!
BV presumes: Malabar Christians "happily adapted the Simple Mass of the Latin Church for their everyday celebration" and "this innovatory rendering of the Latin Mass into Syriac remained as the text of the Eucharistic celebration in the Syro-Malabar Church till the fifties of this century" and "it did not in any way eclipse the Raza, which continued to hold its preeminent place as the only form of the solemn celebration of the Eucharist" (VD 15/4:5). It is true, TC "just refused to tamper with the liturgy that their forefathers held as sacrosanct and inviolable", and "the idea of abbreviating or accomodating their Raza (Qurbana) to an eventual everyday celebration never even crossed their mind"(p.5). Neither they knew nor spoke of Chaldean Raza, as BV does; documents refer only to Qurbana, not to Raza.
BV claims: "The credit for the introduction of of these two wholesome practices (everyday Holy Mass and "Sunday Obligation") into the
Which was the Raza text at Diamper? Which was the Syriac version of Latin Mass made at Diamper? Decree of Diamper (V,4) does not prove the text was made and used here; Bp Roz did not accept all the corrections made by Dom Meneses, as seen in Missa of Govea. Was it Raza or Simple Mass? Was there another Raza used by Bp Roz? Was it Chaldean? Missa of Govea is different from the Qurbana of Bp Roz. Mar Joseph's Taksa seems to be the source for Missa of Govea and Raza of Bp Roz in 1603, printed in
"We now come to the corrections, additions, suppressions and changes ordered by Menezes at the Diamper" (Placid in OCP 23:321). BV's "Chaldean Raza" may be Rozian Qurbana! "That agrees with Addai and Mari more closely than that printed by Gouvea" (L.W.Brown, p.282). Bp Roz in his Statutes says of Qurbana (2,10): "There is much confusion in the diocese since the priests celebrate the Qurbana in several ways [BV: "Chaldean Raza alone"]. The Qurbana therefore shall be celebrated as it s written in the Taksa (Order of Mass) according as we commanded in the second synod of Angamaly. If priests will not do like this everyday, they shall not celebrate the Qurbana". Bp Roz imposed fine on priests who did not celebrate on Sundays. He wanted Raza be sung on Sundays in parishes with more priests. It shows Raza and non-Raza was said on Sundays, from the same Taksa (MS) of Bp Roz. Menezian liturgy has the offertory before the Apostle and Gospel. Roz corrects it: "Knowing that it is (the result of) the greatest ignorance to read the Apostle and the Gospel after the offertory, all priests shall celebrate the Qurbana as it is written in our Taksa" (2,10). Cf Placid in OCP 23:326.
MENEZIAN MASS & DECREES AT DIAMPER show the Paranki perfidy.
Bp Roz in his letters to the Jesuit General, and to the Assistant General in
BV relying on a decree of such a synod at Diamper argues, "there is not much to be restored since hardly anything of its (Raza's) substantiality had been abrogated or done away with. The only form of celebrating the Eucharist that the St Thomas Christians knew at the time of the Synod of Diamper (1599) was the Raza" ("Restoring" what was not removed" in VD 16/3:6).
Again he praises "the wisdom and foresight" of the Synod of Diamper that "provided for a workable eucharistic text for the everyday celebaration" with the Latin simple Mass put into Syriac. "The decision to translate the Latin Mass into Syriac was far from being an instance of the aggressive Latinization policy of the missionaries" (p.6). Neither "Sunday Observance" nor "daily Mass" made the mercenary Paranki (Menezes or Roz) Chrsitian in life! These rituals were only a cover-up of their ego, greed or lust for power and positions, eg.dealings of Abp Roz with Bp of Cochin or with Archdeacon. BV seems to blindly attribute: "It is to the credit of the missionaries from the Latin Church that they did not tamper with the Raza... They respected the Raza's wholeness and integrity... leaving intact the Raza..." (p.7). BV seems to create history to suit the demands of Ekm lobby that Raza is to be separate from Qurbana for everyday and for Sundays for the pastoral reasons, projected by the Latin group in Diamper. Do the Chaldeans (Roman Catholics) have two Taksas, one for Chaldean Raza and another for Chaldean Qurbana on Sundays, or on weekdays? What is the basis for demandig two kinds of Taksas or Qurbanas? Presumptions, when challenged, must be proved, that there were two texts: of Raza, and of Qurbana for Sundays (Latin).
Where is that Raza? "if the Decree of the Synod of Diamper had in fact only reinforced the Raza"? "Though theoretically the Raza was very much in force .." What happened to Raza? that was often recited repeatedly in the Forane churches of Ekm in 1950s out of "obligation"? BV blames also Chaldean authorities for the "unintended disappearance of Raza from the scene" (p.8)! He invents: "Its in-built incapacity to be adapted to the changing conditions made the Raza get marginalised" (p.8). Raza was said in Trichur diocese with one priest and deacons or sub-deacons as helpers! Raza text in Syriac is not an obstacle to adaptation or adjustment; but celebration demands time. Unique-ness of Qurbana is shown by "one Qurbana in one church", or on one altar.
Mass-stipend for each Mass created problems. Latin legalism and ritualism destroyed spiritual purification and true devotion to the Eucharist. Holy Mass makes money for priests; Latin Orders began to make all brother-members priests to make money, not for pastoral needs; altars were multiplied, and put outside church. They began to say many Masses a day at a stretch to make money, and to get indulgences, to escape from purgatory. What devotion! This is the pagan-mamona-l influence of latinization against Raza!
It is not the ritual but the [1]attitude and intent of the performer that matters; rituals are merely devotional and charitable acts with limited benefits(Sankara); yet reason cannot replace all ritual from a religion or society; rituals offer the devout a sense of security, like sentimental practices of bhakti. But the obsession with the rituals make them useless and even harmful, like hysteric dance! Paranki-devotional acts to saints, different titles of Mary, are useful for making money, and tales of miracles attract tourists! Business of holy pictures, statues... The latest one is "The Chaplet of Divine Mercy" based on private revelation to Sr M.Faustina Kowalska, made the Servant of God!
BV insists on "two historical facts" for "any genuine renewal of eucharistic celebration" in "Syro-Malabar" Church: 1) "It was the Chaldean Raza alone that had for centuries prevailed in the
BV comments on Raza of 1989: failure "to recognize these two realities"; "a calculated move to somehow force the Raza"; "the ideal proposed is to make the everyday and Sunday celebration of the Eucharist as Raza-like as possible"; but "the text of the Raza does not lend itself for such celebrations"; and "the compactness and the integrity of the Raza have been destroyed"; hence "the Raza should remain... a complete text for the solemn celebration of the Eucharist" (p.9). It means using the "propria" of Sundays and Feastdays, or of Memorials of Saints. He favours "the proposal for revalidating the "1968 Taksa" [VD 15/12:2].
What is Raza? How is it different from Qurbana? Latin Low Mass has "ordinary" form to which Glory and Creed are added for Sunday Obligation; songs are added to make it Sung Mass; when the priest also sings, it is High Mass or Solemn Mass; if Bishop is celebrating, it is Pontifical Mass. Low Mass is perfect and complete; additions are for solemnity or highstipend! New Latin calendar gives solemnity, feast, memorial: obligatory or optional, and weekdays. Propria are prayers added to complete the celebration liturgically on solemn, feast-days. Liturgical day decides the celebration of Raza; Easter or Pentecost has more solemnity than ordinary Sundays; Sunday obligation is the same! For Latins stipend decides the grade of celebration! high/solemn! Raza-Qurbana is Qurbana with all "proper" prayers (sung/ recited)to complete liturgical celebration of feast-days (of Our Lord) or memorials (of saints). No change in prayers of Qudasa (Anaphora)but in pre-anaphora and post-anaphora prayers. In 1960 the proper prayers were translated from
The very purpose and nature of Liturgy-Qurbana was changed, when Latin calendar and readings were imposed on Syrian Qurbana! From 1774 Syriac propria was neglected, omitted[1]; though restored in 1960, they are not yet translated into English or Malayalam and approved for liturgical use! Bishops have no time for it! Let them read Vat.II, SC 23, to know how to restore or renew Qurbana:
"In order that a sound tradition be retained, and yet the way remain open to legitimate progress, a careful investigation -theological, historical and pastoral- should always be made into each part of the liturgy which is to be revised... there must be no innovations (like Latin calendar and readings), unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them, and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing". (SC 23).
BV's study is not objective or genuine but accommodative or compromising to the latinised Nazrani for easygoing performance, and for imposing Latin theology: Sunday Obligation, daily Mass! Why to keep Raza for solemn celebration, if not used on Easter? BV wants to "revalidate" or "reactivate" the "1968 Taksa" which is structured on Latin Mass-model, for "everyday and Sunday celebration of the Eucharist" (VD 16/3:10). East West differs greatly. Mass facing people destroys faith in mystery of Eucharist. Some changes made in calendar & readings are against clear directives of SC 24 on use of Bible. No contemplation of the Word of God! No solemn celebration of Eucharist! Why to multiply Masses? For celebrity-concelebrations! Stop it. No fast before Qurbana, no other preparation, no real faith! No time! Couples came late or there is long reception! Cut short prayers of Qurbana!
The very nature and purpose of Eucharist is rejected! "In sizing down the Raza to suit the everyday and Sunday celebrations, the compactness and the integrity of the Raza have been destroyed. The Raza should remain for what it has always been- [1]a complete text for the solemn celebration of the Eucharist (VD 16/3:9). Qurbana is a solemn celebration of faith in Christ, especially in the Day of the Lord; Bp Roz wanted Raza on Sundays. BV is more latinising than Bp Roz? Raza is "unsuited" for Sundays. BV says: No one knows how "the Solemn and Simple Forms" promulgated by the Congregation ended up being "the Most Solemn, Solemn, and Simple Forms" (VD 15/4:7). General Instructions, n.16 of 1986 Taksa says: Optional prayers are given is smaller letters The asteriks indicate parts common to Raza and the solemn form of the Qurbana. Columns show the specific parts of Raza" (p.4).
The Bishops agreed to print the Simple Form separately, for convenience, with some adjustments. So they prepared a text from Raza. Card. Lourdswamy, siding with Ekm lobby, permitted some dispensations and manipulations in Raza text, reprinted in 1989. Here Bishops played politics to extend dispensations in Simple Form, to Solemn Form (already approved early), also to Raza. Thus General Instructions of 1989, n.27 had to repeat n.16 of 1986. COC-Decree says: "Norms and rubrics for the Simple and Solemn Forms cannot be extended to Raza, except in cases mentioned in the Directives of COC! It created greater option or confusion"! BV too agrees: "The Raza must remain integral and whole and it should not be dissected into "optional" and "essential" parts".
BV may not know Syriac to verify Syriac text of Qurbana & Raza! He depends on others to say, there are two Taksas (Raza & Qurbana) used in
BV's articles reveal his ignorance and misunderstanding of Taksa for Raza and Qurbana: "Restoration or Retrogression...? (VD 15/4) and his inference "Restoring" what was not Removed" (VD 16/3) and "proposal for revalidating the "1968 Taksa" (VD 15/12) as his "Reactivating the "1968 Taksa" and adapting it yet further to suit the Indian mind"! Any authentic Qurbana of Nazrani must have traditional Syriac text, as original! Just as Latin text was prepared by experts in Roman Rite for
Cf Nazrani 6/4:9-10 for propria; 7/1:5-7 for structure of Raza.
Apostles' Creed: Quasten, Patrology 1:26f.
It seems more probable that the Eastern forms and the Roman symbol are two independent offshoots of a common stock that had its roots in the Orient. The Roman rite of baptism described in Hippolytus' Apostolic Traditon has this "Creed: Credo in Deum patrem omnipotentem/ Et in Christum Jesum, filium Dei/ Qui natus de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine/ Et crucifixus sub Pontio Pilato et mortuus est et sepultus,/Et resurrexit die tertia vivus a mortuis,/ Et ascendit in coelis,/ Et sedit ad dexteram patris/ Venturus judicare vivos et mortuos/ Et in Spiritum Sanctum et sanctam ecclesiam,/ et carnis resurrectionem" (Quasten, Patrology, 1:26). The Roman Creed of 5th century still differs from the present text of the Apostles' Creed, found first in Caesarius of Arles, as it does not include the words: creatorem coeli et terrae - conceptus - passus, mortuus, descendit ad inferos - catholicam - sanctorum communionem - vitam aeternam", of the present Creed (p.26f). 21-11-97. 27-5-01 /Sept.96, p.2).
(cf AbpMaj= UNITY IN BOND OF PEACE 1-1-97 & REASONS FOR REFORM).
Bouyer, Louis, Liturgy and Architecture, Notre Dame Press,
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