brings the vessel containing the holy leaven from the sanctuary and mixes a small portion of that with what he has prepared. So he makes the loaves, at least three (there should be seven), stamps each with a wooden stamp, puts a little incense on the fire and bakes them. Then they are put on the paten (much larger than ours) and carried to a recess in the sanctuary. He pours wine into the chalice with water. During all this preparation he says psalms (three ḥulâle, Ps. i.–xxx.) and prayers.[1] The deacon sweeps the sanctuary and makes all ready. To save time all this is generally done while the choir are saying morning prayer. Then the semantron is struck and the people are summoned to the holy liturgy.
There are now three liturgies, those of the "holy apostles (Addai and Mari)," "of Nestorius," and "of Theodore the Interpreter." Once they had others. Liturgies "of Bar Ṣaumâ," "of Narse," "of Diodore of Tarsus" are mentioned, but are no longer extant.[2] Of the three now used, the liturgy of the Apostles[3] is the normal one, presumably the oldest, which represents the ancient East Syrian rite by direct descent. The other two are fragments completed as to the rest by parts of the liturgy of the Apostles. In other words, when they are used, certain parts of the normal rite are left out and the corresponding parts of one of these two are substituted. The Ordo communis (that is, the proanaphoral part and the prayers after Communion) is always that of the Apostles. The liturgies of Theodore and Nestorius are practically only alternative anaphoras, with a few special prayers in the Ordo communis. All Nestorian liturgies have been translated and edited many times.[4] None of the ascriptions of these three rites (to Addai and Mari, Theodore, Nestorius), except perhaps the last, is to be taken seriously. The normal one is, as we have noted, merely the old rite of Edessa, presumably having come there
- ↑ For these see Brightman: Eastern Liturgies, pp. 247–252.
- ↑ See Brightman: op. cit. p. lxxx.
- ↑ Not the twelve apostles, but Addai and Mari.
- ↑ Renaudot gives all three: Liturgiarum orient. collectio (ed. ii., Frankfurt, 1847), ii. 578–632. Badger translates the Liturgy of Nestorius (The Nestorians and their Rites, ii. chap. xlii. pp. 215–243); Brightman gives that of the Apostles (Eastern Liturgies, 247–305); Maclean and Browne describe the same rite (op. cit. 247–265).
