West Syrian Rite
The rite used by the Jacobite sect in Syria and by the Catholic
Syrians is in its origin simply the old rite of Antioch in the
Syriac language. Into this framework the Jacobites have fitted a
great number of other Anaphoras, so that now their Liturgy has
more variant forms than any other. The oldest form of the
Antiochene Rite that we know is in Greek (see ANTIOCHENE LITURGY).
It was apparently composed in that language. The many Greek terms
that remain in the Syriac form show that this is derived from
Greek. The version must have been made very early, evidently
before the Monophysite schism, before the influence of
Constantinople and Byzantine infiltrations had begun. No doubt as
soon as Christian communities arose in the country parts of Syria
the prayers which in the cities (Antioch, Jerusalem, etc.) were
said in Greek, were, as a matter of course, translated into the
peasants' language (Syriac) for their use. The "Peregrinatio
Silviae" describes the services at Jerusalem as being Greek; but
the lessons, first read in Greek, are then translated into Syriac
propter populum. As long as all Western Syria was one communion,
the country dioceses followed the rite of the patriarch at
Antioch, only changing the language. Modifications adopted at
Antioch in Greek were copied in Syriac by those who said their
prayers in the national tongue. This point is important because
the Syriac Liturgy (in its fundamental form) already contains all
the changes brought to Antioch from Jerusalem. It is not the older
pure Antiochene Rite, but the later Rite of Jerusalem-Antioch.
"St. James", prays first not for the Church of Antioch, but "for
the holy Sion, the mother of all churches" (Brightman, pp. 89-90).
The fact that the Jacobites as well as the Orthodox have the
Jerusalem-Antiochene Liturgy is the chief proof that this had
supplanted the older Antiochene use before the schism of the fifth
century.
Our first Syriac documents come from about the end of the fifth
century ("Testamentum Domini," ed. by Ignatius Rahmani II, Life of
Severus of Antioch, sixth century). They give us valuable
information about local forms of the Rite of Antioch-Jerusalem.
The Jacobite sect kept a version of this rite which is obviously a
local variant. Its scheme and most of its prayers correspond to
those of the Greek St. James; but it has amplifications and
omissions, such as we find in all local forms of early rites. It
seems too that the Jacobites after the schism made some
modifications. We know this for certain in one point (the
Trisagion). The first Jacobite writer on their rite is James of
Edessa (d. 708), who wrote a letter to a priest Thomas comparing
the Syrian Liturgy with that of Egypt. This letter is an
exceedingly valuable and really critical discussion of the rite. A
number of later Jacobite writers followed James of Edessa. On the
whole this sect produced the first scientific students of liturgy.
Benjamin of Edessa (period unknown), Lazarus bar Sabhetha of
Bagdad (ninth century), Moses bar Kephas of Mosul (d. 903),
Dionysuis bar Salibhi of Amida (d. 1171) wrote valuable
commentaries on the Jacobite Rite. In the eighth and ninth
centuries a controversy concerning the prayer at the Fraction
produced much liturgical literature. The chronicle of their
Patriarch Michael the Great (d. 1199) discusses the question and
supplies valuable contemporary documents.
The oldest Jacobite Liturgy extant is the one ascribed (as in its
Greek form) to St. James. It is in the dialect of Edessa. The pro-
anaphoral part of this is the Ordo communis to which the other
later Anaphoras are joined. It is printed in Latin by Renaudot
(II, 1-44) and in English by Brightman (pp. 69-110). This follows
the Greek St. James (see ANTIOCHENE LITURGY) with these
differences. All the vesting prayer and preparation of the
offering (Proskomide) are considerably expanded, and the prayers
differ. This part of the Liturgy is most subject to modification;
it began as private prayer only. The Monogenes comes later; the
litany before the lessons is missing; the incensing is expanded
into a more elaborate rite. The Trisagion comes after the lessons
from the Old Testament; it contains the addition: "who wast
crucified for us". This is the most famous characteristic of the
Jacobite Rite. The clause was added by Peter the Dyer (Fullo),
Monophysite Patriarch of Antioch (d. 488), was believed to imply
Monophysism and caused much controversy during these times,
eventually becoming a kind of watchword to the Jacobites (see
Zacharias Rhetor, "Hist. eccl. ", PG 85, 1165). The litany between
the lessons is represented by the word Kurillison said thrice.
There is no chant at the Great Entrance (a Byzantine addition in
the Greek Rite). The long Offertory prayers of the Greek Rite do
not occur. The Epiklesis and Intercession are much the same as in
Greek. The Lord's Prayer follows the Fraction. At the Communion-
litany the answer is Halleluiah instead of Kyrie eleison.
In this Syriac Liturgy many Greek forms remain: Stomen kalos,
Kurillison, Sophia, Proschomen, etc. Renaudot gives also a second
form of the Ordo communis (II, 12-28) with many variants. To the
Ordo communis the Jacobites have added a very great number of
alternative Anaphoras, many of which have not been published.
These Anaphoras are ascribed to all manner of people; they were
composed at very different periods. One explanation of their
attribution to various saints is that they were originally used on
their feasts.
* Renaudot translated and published thirty-nine of these. After
that,
* the Liturgy of St. of St. James follows (in his work) a
shortened form of the same. This is the one commonly used today.
Then:
* Xystus, which is placed first in the Maronite books;
* of St. Peter;
* another of St. Peter;
* of St. John;
* of the Twelve Apostles;
* of St. Mark;
* of St. Clement of Rome;
* of St. Dionysius;
* of St. Ignatius;
* of St. Julius of Rome;
* of St. Eustathius;
* of St. John Chrysostom;
* of St. Chrysostom (from Chaldaean sources);
* of St. Maruta;
* of St. Cyril;
* of Dioscor;
* of Philoxenus of Hierapolis;
* a second Liturgy also ascribed to him;
* of Serverus of Antioch;
* of James Baradaeus;
* of Mathew the Shepherd;
* of St. James of Botnan and Serug;
* of James of Edessa, the Interpreter;
* of Thomas of Heraclea;
* of Moses bar Kephas;
* of Philoxenus of Bagdad;
* of the Doctors, arranged by John the Great, Patriarch;
* of John of Basora;
* of Michael of Antioch;
* of Dionysius Bar-Salibhi;
* of Gregory Bar-Hebraeus;
* of St. John the Patriarch, called Acoemetus (Akoimetos);
* of St. Dioscor of Kardu;
* John, Patriarch of Antioch;
* of Ignatius of Antioch (Joseph Ibn Wahib);
* of St. Basil (another version, by Masius).
Brightman (pp. lviii-lix) mentions sixty-four Liturgies as known,
at least by name. Notes of this bewildring number of Anaphoras
will be found after each in Renaudot. In most cases all he can say
is that he knows nothing of the real author; often the names
affixed are otherwise unknown. Many Anaphoras are obviously quite
late, inflated with long prayers and rhetorical, expressions, many
contain Monophysite ideas, some are insufficient at the
consecration so as to be invalid. Baumstark (Die Messe im
Morgenland, 44-46) thinks the Anaphora of St. Ignatius most
important, as containing parts of the old pure Antiochene Rite. He
considers that many attributions to later Jacobite authors may be
correct, that the Liturgy of Ignatius of Antioch (Joseph Ibn
Wahib; d. 1304) is the latest. Most of these Anaphoras have now
fallen into disuse. The Jacobite celebrant generally uses the
shortened form of St. James. There is an Armenian version
(shortened) of the Syriac St. James. The Liturgy is said in Syriac
with (since the fifteenth century) many Arabic substitutions in
the lessons and proanaphoral prayers. The Lectionary and
Diaconicum have not been published and are badly known. The
vestments correspond almost exactly to those of the Orthodox,
except that the bishop wears a latinized mitre. The Calendar has
few feasts. It follows in its main lines the older of Antioch,
observed also by the Nestorians, which is the basis of the
Byzantine Calendar. Feasts are divided into three classes of
dignity. Wednesday and Friday are fast-days. The Divine Office
consists of Vespers, Compline, Nocturns, Lauds, Terce, Sext, and
None, or rather of hours that correspond to these among Latins.
Vespers always belongs to the following day. The great part of
this consists of long poems composed for the purpose, like the
Byzantine odes. Baptism is performed by immersion; the priest
confirms at once with chrism blessed by the patriarch. Confession
is not much used; it has fallen into the same decay as in most
Eastern Churches. Communion is administered under both kinds; the
sick are anointed with oil blessed by a priest --the ideal is to
have seven priests to administer it. The orders are bishop,
priest, deacon, subdeacon, lector, and singer. There are many
chorepiscopi, not ordained bishop. It will be seen, then, that one
little Jacobite Church has followed much the same line of
development in its rites as its powerful Orthodox neighbour.
The Syrian Catholics use the same rite as the Jacobites. But (as
is the case with most Eastern Rite Catholic Churches) it is better
organized with them. There is not much that can be called
Romanizing in their books; but they have the advantage of well-
arranged, well-edited, and well-printed books. All the great
students of the West-Syrian Rite (the Assemani, Renaudot, etc.)
have been Catholic. Their knowledge and the higher Western
standard of scholarship in general are advantages of which the
Syrian Catholics rather than the Jacobites profit. Of the manifold
Syrian Anaphoras the Catholics use seven only--those of St. James,
St.John, St. Peter, St. Chrysostom, St. Xystus, St. Mathew, and
St. Basil. That of St. Xystus is attached to the Ordo communis in
their official book; that of St. John is said on the chief feasts.
The lessons only are in Arabic. It was inevitable that the Syrian
Liturgies, coming from Monophysite sources, should be examined at
Rome before they are allowed to Syrian Catholics. But the revisers
made very few changes. Out of the mass of Anaphoras they chose the
oldest and purest, leaving out the long series of later ones that
were unorthodox, or even invalid. In the seven kept for Syrian
Catholic use what alterations have been made chiefly the omission
of redundant prayers, simplication of confused parts in which the
Diaconicum and the Euchologion had become mixed together. The only
important correction is the omission of the fatal clause: "Who was
crucified for us" in the Trisagion. There is no suspicion of
modifying in the direction of the Roman Rite. The other books of
the Catholics--the Diaconicum, officebook, and ritual--are edited
at Rome, Beirut, and the Patriarchal press Sharf�; they are
considerably the most accessible, the best-arranged books in which
to study this rite.
The West-Syrian Rite has also been used at intervals by sections
of the (schismatical) Malabar Church. Namely, as the Malabar
Christians at various times made approaches to the Jacobite
Patriarch or received bishops from him, so did they at such times
use his Liturgy. Most of Malabar has now returned to the Nestorian
communion; but there are still Jacobite communities using this
rite among them.
The Maronite Rite is merely a Romanized adaptation of that of the
West Syrians.
ADRIAN FORTESCUE
Transcribed by Joseph P. Thomas
In memory of Father Mathew Alakulam
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright � 1913 by the
Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright � 1996 by
New Advent, Inc., P.O. Box 281096, Denver, Colorado, USA, 80228.
(
[email protected]) Taken from the New Advent Web Page
(www.knight.org/advent).
This article is part of the Catholic Encyclopedia Project, an
effort aimed at placing the entire Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
edition on the World Wide Web. The coordinator is Kevin Knight,
editor of the New Advent Catholic Website. If you would like to
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