The liturgy of the West Syrian churches derives from Antioch, although some elements are believed to have come from the Jerusalem church of which James, the brother of Jesus, was the head. The tone of the liturgy is optimistic, and different parts anticipate the triumphal return of Christ.
The churches that follow the primitive West Syrian tradition are the primary heirs to the tradition of Jerusalem. Though these churches employ many anaphoral texts, the oldest and most treasured among them is that attributed to St. James, “the brother of the Lord.” The three churches, Syrian, Maronite, and Syro-Indian, need to be identified separately.
In the wake of the Council of Chalcedon, the West Syrian church of Antioch was divided between those who accepted the council’s decrees and those who tended toward monophysitism. The former, considered not only orthodox Catholics but also loyal subjects of the emperor, came to be called Melchites (also, Melkites, from Hebrew melekh, “king, monarch, emperor”); the latter, organized by the monk Jacob Baradai, came to be called Jacobites. In the centuries that followed, the Melchites came “more and more under the ecclesiastical domination of Constantinople, and by the end of the thirteenth century they had abandoned their own liturgies to the Monophysites and adopted that of imperial Byzantium” (Donald Attwater, The Christian Churches of the East, rev. ed. [Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Co., 1947], vol. 1, 55). The Syrian church was in effect the Syro-Jacobite church. In the seventeenth century, some of these sought union with Rome, and since that time there have been Syrian Catholics as well as Syrian Jacobites. It is questionable just how strongly monophysite these Jacobites are; the preferred term for them is non-Chalcedonian Syrians.
The Syro-Jacobite tradition came to the Malabar region of India as a result of resistance to the Portuguese missionaries, who tried first to Latinize the St. Thomas Christians but succeeded only in Latinizing their East Syrian liturgy. Some who resisted sought support from the West Syrian Jacobites, and these West Syrian Orthodox Christians continue to flourish today. In 1934, some of these sought union with Rome, thus forming the Syro-Malankara Catholic church.
The history of the Maronites is transmitted more by legend than by established fact. Legend has it that a fifth-century monk, Maron, founded a monastery in Syria and supported the positions taken at Chalcedon. Threat of persecution drove these “Catholic” monks to the mountains of Lebanon where, in the seventh century, under their first patriarch John Maron, the monastery of Maron became the Maronite church. Legend further has it that these Maronites were from their beginning loyal to the see of Rome and in communion with it. Available facts paint a much less precise picture, and suggest a probable Jacobite origin to this corporate entity that emerged only in the eighth century as a distinct Maronite church (cf. Matti Moosa, The Maronites In History [Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1986]).
Over the centuries, the Maronite liturgy was heavily Latinized. In a post-Vatican II revision, it has been restored to its primitive West Syrian form. The text cited to examine the West Syrian liturgical tradition as it lives today is this revised Maronite text (Diocese of St. Maron, U.S.A., The Maronite Liturgical Year [1982]).
The Liturgy
Introductory Rites. The liturgy begins with a hymn sung during the entrance of the ministers and the preparation of the gifts. This latter is done simply at a side table. The introductory rites and Service of the Word are conducted at the bema. The opening doxology and prayer are followed by a general greeting of peace (“Peace be with the church and her children”), which is followed in turn by a seasonal psalm. The rites conclude with the hoosoyo, a penitential prayer of incense, which is unique to the West Syrian tradition. It consists of a proemium or introduction, which invites the assembly to “praise, glorify and honor the Lord”; the sedro, which is a rich, seasonal instruction as well as a prayer; a psalm to be sung or recited by the assembly; and the etro, or conclusion, asking the Lord to “be pleased with our service of incense.”
Liturgy of the Word. The Service of the Word begins with the trisagion, chanted in Aramaic, and the mazmooro, a psalm chanted by the assembly and priest. One or two readings precede the gospel, which is introduced by the characteristic “Let us be attentive to the gospel of life and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded by … ” A brief seasonal response of the assembly, the korozooto, the homily, and the creed conclude the Service of the Word.
Pre-anaphora. The service of the Mysteries begins with the pre-anaphora, which consists of the prayer of access to the altar (“I have entered your house, O God, and I have worshiped in your temple. O King of glory forgive all my sins”), the transfer of the offerings to the altar, the prayer of offering, and an incensation of offerings, altar, cross, and assembly.
Anaphora. As in the East Syrian liturgy, the anaphora includes more than the eucharistic prayer itself. Strictly speaking, the term refers to the whole second part of the liturgy, right through its concluding prayer and blessing. It begins with the rite of peace, in which the “peace” is sent from the altar (which represents Christ) to the whole congregation. The eucharistic prayer follows the typical West Syrian structure: dialogue; thanksgiving narrative which includes the “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and the narrative of institution; anamnēsis; epiklēsis; intercessions and final doxology. Even where the liturgy as a whole is celebrated in a local vernacular, it is customary, at least among the Maronites, to chant the institution words in Aramaic: not only the “words of Jesus” but the language of Jesus as well.
The bread is broken and signed with the precious blood. The Lord’s prayer follows. A brief penitential rite (priest touching the consecrated offerings with one hand, extending the other over the congregation and praying for forgiveness) leads into the invitation to communion (“Holy things for the holy, with perfection, purity and sanctity”). Communion is distributed by intinction.
Concluding Prayers. The conclusion of the rite is simple: a prayer of thanksgiving and the final blessings. The last prayer is a “farewell” to the altar: “Remain in peace, O altar of God, and I hope to return to you in peace … ”
Theology and Spirit
The dominant theme running through the West Syrian liturgy is that of anticipation. The Eucharist is celebrated in expectation of the Lord’s second coming. While the liturgical texts are generous in singing the glory of the Lord, it is a glory that is yearned for rather than already present in its fullness. The Eucharist is at one and the same time rabouno, a pledge of the glory to come, and zouodo, a viaticum [provision for future needs] which transforms us into citizens of the heavenly kingdom.
The typical prayer ending is both forward-looking and optimistic. Three examples: (a) “Then we will praise you, your only Son, and your living Holy Spirit, now and forever” (rite of peace, Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles); (b) “Make us worthy to live by your Spirit, leading a pure life, and we shall praise you, now and forever” (epiklēsis, Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles); (c) “We will glorify your Father who sent you for our salvation and your Holy Spirit, now and forever” (rite of incense, First Sunday of Epiphany). This ending reveals a subtle nuance, namely, a sense of confident hope in the future that is anticipated.
The anamnēsis is the eucharistic prayers is also typically a prayer that “looks forward.” Even where the note of offering is included as well, it remains secondary to the expectation and anticipation. This prayer combines both the pledge of glory to come and the purification that transformation into God’s kingdom requires. “We remember, O Lover of all, your plan of salvation, and we ask you to have compassion on your faithful. Save us, your inheritance, when you shall come again to reward justly everyone according to his or her deeds” (Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles).
The hoosoyo, the offering of incense for purification, always begins, in some form or other, “May we be worthy to praise, confess, and glorify the Lord who … ,” where a seasonal reference follows the word “who.” It is a prayer for purification, but it is not a self-conscious prayer that focuses on the sinfulness of those who pray. The emphasis is rather on the deeds of God recounted in narrative form and on the confidence with which we approach, even while the sense of unworthiness is strongly stated. Again, the conclusion anticipates the requested action of God which allows us (will allow us) to give God praise and glory.
As with the East Syrian liturgy, the West Syrian Eucharist is strongly Christocentric. Christ is addressed in prayer. After the institution narrative in the eucharistic prayers, Christ is first prayed to (“We commemorate your death, O Lord. We confess your resurrection. We await your coming”) and then asked in turn to pray with the church to the Father (“Your people beseech you, and through you and with you, the Father saying … ”—the prayer returns to direct address of the Father). The greeting of peace is given to all present from the altar which represents Christ. At the prayer of forgiveness before communion the priest places one hand on the consecrated bread and wine while praying blessing on the assembly: “Bestow your blessings upon your people who love you and await your mercy” (Anaphora of St. James); “O Lord, with the strength of your powerful right hand, come now to bless your servants who bow before you” (Anaphora of St. John the Evangelist).
The liturgy moves comfortably between the awesome language of mystery and the harsh realities of everyday life. This is nicely illustrated in the peace prayer of the Anaphora of St James: “O Lover of all people, through your redemption, free us from personal bias and hypocrisy, that we may greet each other in peace. Then, united in a unique bond of love and harmony by our Lord Jesus Christ we will glorify and praise you and your living Spirit, now and forever.”
The West Syrian liturgy captures the full scope of eschatological prayer. It is optimistic, prayed in hope against the horizon of a victory already achieved. Yet it is realistic, prayed in the face of ample evidence that the victory has not yet unfolded in its fullness in human life and human history. Finally, though it is indeed forward-looking in anticipating and yearning, it is nonetheless a prayer that recognizes the importance of the present. The eschaton is even now unfolding in the lives of those who pray. The announcement of the victory at one and the same time (a) proclaims a victory achieved, (b) unveils the historical incompleteness of that achievement, and (c) purifies those who yearn for the victory proclaimed.