"Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University, Iași

"Dumitru Stăniloae" Faculty of Orthodox Theology

The Anaphoras of The Ethiopian Church

in the context of the present day liturgies.
Liturgical unity and diversity

Thesis Summary

Ph.D. Coordinator,

Professor Viorel SAVA, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Candidate,
Nicolae PINTILIE

Iași, 2014
List of Abbreviations

Introduction

Present context and research stage of the topic under discussion

Romanian liturgical theology and the study of Ethiopian anaphoras

I. Constitution of the Ancient Oriental Orthodox Churches

I.1 Historical context of the constitution of the Ancient Oriental Orthodox

Churches

I.1.1 Empire and Priesthood

I.1.2 Ecclesial context through the 4th and 5th centuries

I.1.3 People and Doctrine of the Church

I.1.4 Common dangers: barbarians, heretics and pagans

I.2. Heretical Christology, the mystery of Christ in the light of Greek

Philosophy

I.2.1 Christological dogma until the Council of Chalcedon

I.2.2 Archimandrite Eutyches and Monophysite heresy

I.2.3 Endemic Synod of Constantinople

I.2.4 Robber Council of Ephesus: "efesinius non judicium, sed latricinium"

I.3 Council of Chalcedon - the restoration of Orthodoxy

I.3.1 Chalcedonian Definition – confession of the true faith

I.3.2 Council of Chalcedon, in the liturgical consciousness of the Orthodox

Church

I.4. Reactions produced by the Chalcedonian definition and decisions

I.4.1 Religious policy of Byzantine emperors and the spread of monophysitism

I.4.1.1 Orthodoxy and heresy in the time of Justinian the Great

I.4.1.2 Emperor Heraclius, his Ekthesis decree and Arab conquests

I.4.2 Doctrinaire Monophysite positions , after the Council of Chalcedon

I.4.3. From Eutyches and Dioscorus to Severus of Antioch

I.5 Ancient Oriental Orthodox Churches − consequences of history

I.5.1 Armenian Apostolic Church

I.5.2 Jacobite Syrian Church

I.5.3 Maronite Church

I.5.4 Malabar and Malankar Church

I.5.5 Eastern Syrian Church

I.5.6 Coptic Church from Egypt

II. Tradition and continuity, brief history of the Ethiopian Church

II.1 Ethiopia - 3000 years of history

II.2 Ethiopia - a Christian kingdom

II.3 Ethiopia - between the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic invasion

II.4 Ethiopia under the influence of western colonial powers

II.5 Haille Selasie I - king par excellence of Ethiopia

II.6 Communist Derg Regime

II.7 Ethiopian Church and State - current perspectives

III. Divine Liturgy - mystery of Christian unity

III.1 Liturgies of Antiochian liturgical rite

III.1.1 Liturgy of St. James –the spring of the Antiochian liturgical rite

III. 1.2 Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church

III. 1.3 Jacobite Syrian Church liturgies

III.1.4 Liturgy of Malabar and Malankara Church

III.1.5 Liturgy of Maronite Church

III.1.6 Eastern Syrian liturgies of the Chaldeene Church

III.2 Liturgy of St. Mark – spring of the Alexandrian rite

III.2.1 Bishop Serapion of Thmuis Eucharistic Prayer

III.2.2 Fragment from Der-Balyzeh

III.2.3 Eucharistic Prayer of Barcelona Papyrus

III.3 Liturgies of Coptic Church

III.3.1 Liturgy of St. Cyril of Alexandria

III.3.2 St. Anaphora of Gregory of Nazianzus

III.3.3 Anaphora of St. Basil the Great in the Coptic liturgical rite

III.4 Ethiopian liturgical worship - Overview

III.4.1 Language of worship

III.4.2 Ecclesiastical hierarchy

III.4.3 Sacred objects and liturgical vestments

III.4.4 Religious canticles and sacred dances

III.4.5 Liturgical books

III.4.6 Liturgical year and the Ethiopian calendar

III.5 Liturgy of the Ethiopian Church

III.5.1 Liturgy of the Ethiopian Church, practice and meaning

III.5.1.1 Proskomedia in the Ethiopian Liturgy

III.5.1.2 Liturgy of the catechumens

III.5.1.3 Liturgy of the worshippers

IV. Ethiopian Anaphoras, history, translation and liturgical analysis

IV.1 Anaphora - center of the Divine Liturgy

IV.2 Anaphoras of the Ethiopian Church

IV.2.1 Canonical collections and the emergence of Ethiopian eucharistic

anaphoras

IV.2.2 Ethiopian monasteries and liturgical reform of King Zara Yaqob

IV.2.3 Ethiopian Anaphoras in the Metsehafe Qeddassie editions

IV.3 Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles

IV.4 Anaphora of our Savior, Jesus Christ

IV.5 Anaphora of St. Mark the Evangelist

IV.6 Anaphora of St. Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria

IV.7 Anaphora of St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis

IV.8 Anaphora of the Fathers from the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea

IV.9 Anaphora of St. Basil the Great

IV.10 Anaphora of Bishop Gregory of Nyssa

IV.11 Anaphora of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople

IV.12 Ethiopian Anaphora of St. Gregory the Wonderworker

IV.13 Anaphora of St. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria

IV.14 Anaphora of Archbishop Dioscorus of Alexandria

IV.15 Anaphora of Bishop Jacob Sarug

IV.16 Ethiopian Anaphora of St. John the Evangelist

IV.17 The second Anaphora of St. Cyril Patriarch of Alexandria

IV.18 Anaphoras of Virgin Mary from the Ethiopian liturgical worship

V. Anaphoras of Ethiopian Church in the context of the ecumenical

dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Ancient Oriental Orthodox
Churches

V.1 The main attempts at reconciliation between the Orthodox Church and
the Ancient Oriental Orthodox Churches

V.1.1 Romanian theology and its involvement in dialogue with the Ancient
Oriental Orthodox Churches

V.2 The Ethiopian Church involvement in the ecumenical dialogue with the
Orthodox Church

V.2.1.The confession of Faith of the Ethiopian Church in the context of the

ecumenical dialogue with the Orthodox Church
V.3 Dialogue with the Orthodox Church in acceptance of the non-
Chalcedonian theologians

V.3.1 Patriarch Shenouda III

V.3.2 Archimandrite Zareh Baronian

V.3.3 Moran Mar Cyrille Aphra Karim

V.3.4 Haddes Yashanew

V.4 The anaphoras of the Ethiopian Church in the context of ecumenical

dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Ancient Oriental Orthodox
Churches

Conclusions

Summary: The Anaphoras of The Ethiopian Church in the context of the

present day liturgies. Liturgical unity and diversity

Bibliography

Annex 1

Annex 2
 THESIS SUMMARY

"Ethiopia has stretched her hand before God" (Ps. 69, 27)

The Holly Liturgy is a living and dynamic spiritual organism which, from the time of
committing in the "higher pavilion" by the Apostles until today, preserved the sacrament of
the Church's unity. Over the centuries, it has evolved from apostolic simplicity to richness and
splendor of today. But this did not mean an alienation from the truth, but a natural growth,
expression of the Holy Spirit in the Church.
The Church history has been linked to the history of divine cult, especially the
Divine Liturgy. 1700 years ago, when St. Constantine gave freedom to Christians, the cult of
the Holy Church - committed almost three centuries in houses and catacombs – moved into a
new historical stage of development.
The 4th century is seen by experts as the turning point in the history of the Christian
liturgical cult. This period was, for the Church, the moment of moving from persecuted
minority status, religious tolerance and then to the rank of official religion. On the liturgical
ground, this period is known as the time of the formation of "liturgical source rites".
The introduction of national languages and dialects in liturgical cult was a decisive
step in shaping the liturgical rites. The freedom to have one’s own liturgical language has led
to a significant number of new Eucharistic Prayers. This phenomenon can be seen to this day
in Old Oriental Churches, where liturgies are held in the Greek version, but also in national
languages.
The event of the utmost importance in liturgical rites delimitation was the Synod of
Chalcedon in 451. Although long before there was a misunderstanding between the two great
traditions, Antioch and Alexandria, the Chalcedon moment and its historical follow ups were
the key of affirmation of Eastern liturgical rites. However, we cannot talk about the Fourth
Ecumenical Synod as the moment of a sudden rupture. Oriental rites formation phenomenon,
as stated also by specialists, was a long one. This phenomenon extends over a period of
several centuries. It started in the late third century and ended in the late sixth century.
From the fifth century, in the Christian East, under the influence of political, social,
but also cultural factors, the delimitation of the new liturgical rites began. For starters, the
main liturgies have been translated into national languages, to which were added their own
anaphoras, but have kept the traditional line.
 All known Eastern Christian liturgies derived from the two Liturgies of apostolic
origin: that of Saint James and that of Saint Mark. The first is at the origin of the liturgical rite
of Antioch, which includes Byzantine liturgy, the Armenian Liturgy, St. James Syrian Church
Liturgies, Maronite Liturgy and the Chaldean Church Liturgy. Liturgy of St. Mark was the
source of the Alexandrian liturgies, from which were developed Liturgies of the Coptic
Church and the Ethiopian Church.
As we will demonstrate, almost nothing from the specific of the real Monophysitism
doctrine is present today in liturgical texts or external forms of this cult.
According to researchers, the national character is found in the cult of the Ethiopian
Church. Although it belongs to what we now call the Old Oriental Churches, Ethiopia
represents a special part where the early Church cult sits together with African indigenous
customs, but also with Jewish reminiscences.
With an estimated number of almost 50 million believers, the Ethiopian Christianity
is today one of the fastest growing churches in which everyday life is not yet separated from
the Divine Liturgy. Expression of a pure prayer of martyr people, one of the poorest countries
in the world, the Ethiopian liturgy keeps many elements from the cult of the Church from the
first four Christian centuries. With the 14 main anaphoras contained in Metsehafe Qeddassie,
it is a treasure for liturgical theology. The Eucharistic prayers preserved the authentic
Christian heritage. Faithful followers of the Church and apostolic Liturgies, the Ethiopian
anaphoras represent the way how people prayed to God. In addition to popular features, they
kept the unity with the Alexandrian rite which, in its turn, descends from Apostolic Liturgy.
The same structure, same development and the same fundamental idea, all these lead
to the common goal – the committing of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the sanctification of Gifts,
in order to share to liturgical community.
The objective of this paper is the study of Ethiopian anaphoras from liturgical and
historical perspective. Most approaches so far regard their importance in the tradition of the
Ethiopian people. Father Ene Branişte however, brought an important idea, the study of
Ethiopian Eucharistic prayers as part of the entire Old Oriental Liturgies.
The work wants to be a continuation and a thoroughness of this idea in the attempt to
demonstrate that the Ethiopian anaphoras keep the continuity of Apostolic Liturgy and they
have, in their text, common elements with the other Christian Liturgies.
Another objective is the complete translation into Romanian of the Liturgy of the 12
Apostles, the 14 anaphoras contained in the printed editions of Metsehafe Qeddassie, and a
further four anaphoras that are stored in the liturgical tradition of Debre Damo and Debre
Marcos. Related to Ethiopian anaphoras text, this paper aims to identify whether or not the
Monophysite heresy and if any traces exists, to what extent are they still a reality to Ethiopian
Christians.
Beyond the national culture and language in which has been developed, each Liturgy
of Oriental origin has preserved its apostolic nucleus. All these Eucharistic ordinances are a
part of a big liturgy family of the Church of the East. Their common descent, the unit
structure and design have made the Liturgies of Old Oriental Churches to keep their apostolic
heritage.
Although the differences created by the development and diversification of these
Liturgies, one can observe a common scheme and background, even a textual similarity
between some of them. Alexandrian tradition, recorded in the Greek Liturgy of St. Mark, kept
the apostolic background to which were added characteristics of Alexandrian rite.
Beyond the border of the Roman Empire of the East, Ethiopia has outlined a special
Christianity, but retained the unity with the Church, developed within the empire. A preserver
of the Christian unity, the Christian Ethiopian Church, thru the missionary work of Saint
Frumenţiu, received the Alexandrian liturgy in the liturgical cult, in its development state as it
was in the late fourth century.
Although at first glance, literally speaking, the 18 anaphoras presented in this
research are not alike, they retain a common scheme. The Greek Liturgy fatherhood of St.
Mark and St. Hippolytus the Roman makes its presence felt by keeping the main course order
of the main moments of the Eucharistic prayer. The Alexandrian classical Eucharistic prayer,
starting with the fourth century, has the following conduct: an initial prayer of giving thanks,
followed by a pre-epiclesis, a prayer of intercession and diptychs plus a prayer of acceptance
of sacrifice, the Sanctus and the first epiclesis, the words of establishment, anamnesis,
epiclesis in a developed form and a final doxology. The characteristics of Alexandrian
Eucharistic prayer are present in all 18 anaphoras studied, acknowledged even in the
apocryphal anaphoras of St. Cyril of Alexandria.
As we have seen, every Eucharistic prayer used in Ethiopian liturgical cult received
national and religious connotations. At the basis of current liturgical texts were the
Eucharistic Prayers of the first four centuries of Christianity. This common core is a unifying
factor, a possible recovery point of ecumenical dialogue between the Orthodox Church and
Oriental Orthodoxy.
Unity in diversity, the Ethiopian anaphoras express the teachings of the first three
centuries of the Christian faith shared. As it can be seen from the text of the Eucharistic
prayers, all of them acknowledge the dogma of the two natures, divine and human united in
the person of Jesus Christ. In none of the liturgical passage we cannot find a formulation
characteristic to the Monophysitism heresy. The similarities highlighted by the Ethiopian
Church can be a starting point for theological dialogue on liturgical themes. Unity in
diversity, the Ethiopian anaphoras highlights a common origin of all Eastern liturgies.
If, in the Orthodoxy dialogue with the old Oriental Churches, the doctrine can be an
obstacle, the Divine Liturgy aims to unite. The study of Old Oriental Churches Liturgy can
become a starting point for discussions between the two Christian families. Today, more than
ever, The Divine Liturgy has a particular importance in the problem of the continuity of the
Church in the state of union and unity. Christ the Savior wants to see us all around Him,
during His Sacrifice, waiting to share with us his Holy Body and Blood: "Verily, verily, I say
unto you, if you will not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will have no
life in you" (John 6.53).
Until a communion, we still have the desire and consciousness that the Eucharistic
Liturgy represents the unity of the Eastern Christianity.