A Guide To Liturgical

A GUIDE TO THE LITURGICAL SERVICES OF THE ORTHODOX SYRIAN CHURCH: TRANSLATION AND ANALYSIS

MARIAM CEENA VARGHESE

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Masters in Theology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, New York. MAY 3, 2010

Dedicated to His Grace Philipose Mar Eusebios & His Grace Yuhanon Mar Severios

of blessed memory

Abstract Author Title Total pages Advisor

: MARIAM CEENA VARGHESE : A GUIDE TO THE LITURGICAL SERVICES OF THE ORTHODOX SYRIAN CHURCH: TRANSLATION AND ANALYSIS : 83 : Fr. ALEXANDER RENTEL

Worship has a significant role in strengthening man’s communion with God. The prominence of worship in Orthodox churches is expressed in the practice of liturgical services. The Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Syrian Church, like most Orthodox churches, is rich in liturgical services that help one’s spiritual growth, and it follows West-Syrian liturgy. However, to properly understand and practice these services, one must be given proper guidance and therefore, guides with liturgical instructions are very important. Regrettably, no effective rubrical guides exist in English in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, even though it is a need. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the book, ‘Shushroosha Samvidhana Sahaayi’ (A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church), one of the most widely accepted and used liturgical guides in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. This book was written by Yuhanon Mar Severios in Malayalam, the language of Kerala, a state in India, and is a valuable source to those who can read and understand Malayalam, but not easily accessible to many in the Diaspora communities. This thesis aims to translate the second part of the book that includes the instructions for the services of Feast days and to use his instructions to make conclusions regarding the degree of influence of local Indian customs on the liturgical practices that the Malankara Orthodox Church practices today. It is the hope of the author that the translation of the rubrics for the services would help the clergy and the faithful in the Diaspora, as they strive to worship God through the liturgical services and stay in communion with God, the way it was originally intended at the time of creation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I Introduction ……………………………………..……………………… 1 A. B. C. D.

Introduction Previous Studies Goal of this Work Methodology of the Study and Structure of this Work

Chapter II Yuhanon Mar Severios: Life and Roles …..….……………………… 7 A. B. C. D.

Childhood, Youth, and Early Monastic Years (1920 - 1943) Diaconate and Priesthood Years (1943 – 1964) Monk, Priest, Metropolitan (1964 – 1990) Roles Yuhanon Mar Severios played in the Malankara Orthodox Church 1. the Malphono 2. the Translator 3. the Prophetic Figure

Chapter III A Closer Look into the Book ..…………….………………………… 14 A. Publication details B. Composition C. Liturgical Settings during the Making of the Book 1. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church 2. West-Syrian Liturgy 3. Language of Worship - Transition from Syriac to Malayalam; The liturgical setting that motivated Yuhanon Mar Severios D. Genre and Audience E. Structure of the Book Content of the book – an outline Part 1 - About Worship Services Part 2 - Sacramentals – Feast Days Part 3 – Sacraments Chapter IV Evaluation of the Book ..…………….……………………………… 25 A. Other liturgical instructional guides B. Strengths of Mar Severios’ book C. Weaknesses of Mar Severios’ book Chapter V Analysis of the liturgical practices ..…………….………..…………. 34 Chapter VI Translation ………………………………………………………….. 39 A. Methodology of Translation and issues faced during the translation B. Table of Syriac and Malayalam words

Translation: Liturgical Services of Feast days  Liturgical Services of Feast days  Nativity / Yeldo  Epiphany / Danaho  Reconciliation service / Forgiveness Sunday / Shubqono  Mid-Lent  40th Friday of Great Lent  Palm Sunday / Ooshana  The Entrance in the Haven / Vaadhe d’almeeno  Holy Thursday/ Pesaho  Holy Friday  Holy Saturday  Holy Resurrection / Qyomtho  Ascension  Pentecost  Feast of the Holy Cross

Conclusion …….………....……………………………………………………… 81

Chapter I

Introduction

A. Introduction In the service of Holy Matrimony practiced in the Malankara Orthodox Church1, there is a unique feature that is not seen in non-Indian Orthodox traditions. It is the distinctive Indian custom called ‘minnukettu’, when the groom ties a pendant (minnu) around the bride’s neck. Though the Malankara Orthodox Church seems to follow and preserve ancient liturgical traditions, it has incorporated this local Indian custom into the liturgical service. This made me wonder if adoption of local practices of this kind is common in the Malankara Orthodox Church and if its current liturgical practices vary significantly from the West-Syrian liturgical traditions from which it inherits the liturgical practices.2 The adoption of ‘minnukettu’ in the service seems to be an example of how liturgical practices may change over time in the light of local customs and practices, even while preserving and practicing the ancient liturgical traditions with order and discipline. Order and discipline is a striking feature of the liturgical services in Orthodox worship. Having born in an Orthodox family and growing up being nurtured by the life in the Church, I have witnessed this and have been blessed to be nourished by the liturgical

1

Also known as the Indian Orthodox Church. The Malankara Church began following West-Syrian liturgical traditions as a result of its association with the West-Syrian Church of Antioch. This will be briefly explained in a later chapter. 2

1

services in the Church. The more I learned about what is being done during the services, about the order of various movements and prayers, and about the importance of discipline within worship, the more I was able to comprehend the blessings from God through one’s participation in these liturgical services. And to improve participation, one must be instructed properly regarding these services. Realizing the need for liturgical instructions in English as the Malankara Orthodox Church expands beyond the borders of the Malayalam3 speaking world, the following work is dedicated to help the cause of proper instruction to the faithful, both clergy and laity, as understanding what is done in the services help improve the quality of our participation in the liturgical life of the Church. The Orthodox Church is rich in liturgical services and holds within its worship a heavenly mystery. It allows communication with God, the way God intended it when he created man. Worship is considered to be the vocation of man – “the expression of our longing to live in communion with God, and to regain our former inheritance and dwelling place.”4 In the Church, therefore, worship has a prominent place and it is important that liturgical practices maintain order and discipline in order to pay the due praise to God and to provide spiritual nourishment to the faithful, even when they develop in the midst of varying cultures and changing local circumstances. In order to maintain order and discipline, those who are practicing the liturgical services must be properly instructed and guided, as mentioned above. This was the aspiration of Yuhanon Mar Severios,5 the author of ഓ

3

േഡാക്സ്

റിയാനി

Malayalam is the language of Kerala, a state in India. The headquarters of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church is located in this state. 4 Baby Varghese, West-Syrian Liturgical Theology: Liturgy, Worship and Society, (Ashgate Publishing Company, 2004), 9. 5 Mar Severios was a bishop of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Syrian Church. More details about him are given in the next chapter.

2

സഭ െട

ഷാ സംവിധാന സഹായി6 (A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the

Orthodox Syrian Church), 7 the most used rubrics manual in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Through this book Mar Severios attempts to unify the various liturgical practices that existed in the Malankara Orthodox Church during his times, and to pass those traditions to future generations so that order and discipline will continue to remain key features of the Church’s worship and liturgical practices, and that the faithful will be nourished through their participation in the Church’s liturgical life. The following work primarily is an attempt to study this book of Mar Severios and begin translating his work to English, so that like him, I may also help the rising need for instructions for the orderly practice of liturgical services. However, my secondary task is to also evaluate in the light of Mar Severios’ instructions, if and how the liturgical services practiced in the Malankara Orthodox Church have been influenced by the local culture.

B. Previous Studies Liturgical worship is central to the life of the Church and like other Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches,8 the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church also possesses a wealth of liturgical rites, according to the West-Syrian tradition. Instructions that help us to understand and conduct these services are also important as mentioned above; regrettably, in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, no effective rubrical guide 6

Orthodox Suriyani Sabhayude Shushroosha Samvidhana Sahaayi. Yuhanon Mar Severios, Orthodox Suriyani Sabhayude Shushroosha Samvidhana Sahaayi, (Kottayam, India: Malankara Orthodox Church Publications, 2007), translation mine. The original text is in Malayalam, the language of Kerala, a state in India. 8 The Malankara Orthodox Church belongs to the family of Oriental Orthodox churches of which the other churches are Coptic, Syrian, Armenian, Ethiopian and Eritrean. Unlike the Eastern Orthodox Churches who recognize seven ecumenical councils, the Oriental Orthodox churches recognize only the first three councils, namely, those held in Nicaea (AD 325), Constantinople (AD 381) and Ephesus (AD 431). The division between these two families of churches exists in connection with the proper way to speak of the two natures (human and divine) of Christ, since the council held in Chalcedon in AD 451. 7

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such as the one authored by Mar Severios, exists in English to date, even though it is a growing need. As stated earlier, the purpose of this paper is to translate and evaluate the book written in Malayalam by Yuhanon Mar Severios and examine if and how local conditions has changed the West-Syrian liturgical practices adopted by the Malankara Orthodox Church. This thesis is the second step of a project I have undertaken to translate the book into English. The first step, which was an introduction and brief evaluation, was my own thesis which was done as part of my Master of Arts degree.9 That thesis offered a brief introduction to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the aforementioned book and its author, as well as a sample translation of one of its chapters: The Foot-washing Service of Holy Thursday.

C. Goal of this Work The goal of this thesis project is not merely to translate the book. In fact, the book will be translated only partially. While the translation is the major portion of this work, it is my hope to evaluate the book, understand its author’s motivation and make conclusions regarding the development of liturgical practices in varying localities and cultures. Has the local conditions in India affected the practices that were inherited from the WestSyrian liturgical tradition? Has present-day practices changed significantly from the practices of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Antioch, from whom the Malankara Orthodox Church adopted liturgical services? Why did Mar Severios think that it was necessary to write this book? What was his motivation? Is his book still relevant today? What are some of the difficulties that arise when translating this book into English? It is

9

Mariam Varghese, A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church: Introduction and Translation, unpublished (Crestwood, NY: 2009).

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my hope to answer these questions by supporting them with the translation of the second part of his book – the liturgical services of Feast days.

D. Methodology of the Study and Structure of this Work I begin with a brief biography of the author, Yuhanon Mar Severios. Then I lay out the liturgical setting under which Mar Severios wrote by briefly surveying the history of the Malankara Orthodox Church. Afterwards, I evaluate the book and point out some of its advantages and disadvantages. Then I address the question regarding how the current liturgical services in the Malankara Church vary from the West-Syrian liturgical practices. Next I translate the rubrics for the liturgical services on Feast days. The translation is accompanied with the rules by which I translated as well as the issues that I encountered during this process. I also include a table of Syriac and Malayalam words and their equivalents used in my translation. More details about the methodology for my translation are included in that chapter. Following this introductory chapter, the work contains five more chapters before the conclusion. Here is the chapter-wise breakdown of this study: 

Chapter Two provides a biographical sketch of the author, Yuhanon Mar Severios and mentions the roles he played in the Malankara Orthodox Church;



Chapter Three offers a detailed look into the book, including the liturgical settings under which Mar Severios wrote and an explanation of the structure of the book. To lay out the liturgical setting, the chapter presents a brief history of the Malankara Orthodox Church, its associations with the

5

Syrian Church, its adoption of West-Syrian liturgical practices and its transition from the use of Syriac to Malayalam as the language of worship; 

Chapter Four evaluates the book, providing some of its strengths and weaknesses and mentions other available liturgical guides;



Chapter Five is an analysis of the liturgical instructions to make conclusions regarding the development of liturgy over time in different cultures and geographic locations, especially regarding the development of liturgical services within the Malankara Orthodox Church.



Chapter Six contains the rules I follow for the translation as well as the difficulties I encountered in the process. A table of relevant Syriac and Malayalam words is included with an explanation. This is followed by the English translation of Mar Severios’ instructions for the liturgical services of feast days.

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Chapter II

Yuhanon Mar Severios: Life and Roles1

A. Childhood, Youth, and Early Monastic Years (1920 - 1943) Yuhanon Mar Severios was born to Mr. Varghese Avira and Mrs. Mariamma Varghese on January 14, 1920 in a place called Thrikkothamangalam, near Puthupally, in the district of Kottayam in Kerala, India.2 His baptismal name was Yohannan. 3 Joseph Cheeran, who wrote a biography of Yohannan,4 says that even as early as his school years, he had a sense of “the calling to serve as a priest in the future.”5 This was developed because of the atmosphere provided at home especially with the keen interest of his paternal grandmother in Syrian Christianity. 6 During those days, his cousin, Fr. K. V. Geevarghese (Yohannan’s father’s sister’s son) established a monastery in Thrikkothamangalam in Kerala by the name ‘Sharbeel’ and started living there.7 This monastery influenced Yohannan’s liturgical life as well as his view on life. He attended various services with Fr. Geevarghese, says Yohannan’s biographer. Cheeran mentions some of these events which were influential in 1

For this chapter on the author, I am resuming the work I did for my M. A. Thesis. Mariam Varghese, A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church: Introduction and Translation, unpublished (Crestwood, NY: 2009). 2 Samuel Chandanappally, Malankara Sabha Pithakkanmar (Malankara Church Fathers), (Chandanappally, India: Ceedees Books, 1990), 974, translation mine. 3 ‘Yohannan’ is a variant of ‘Yuhanon’ and both are equivalents of ‘John.’ 4 Joseph Cheeran, “Yuhanon Mar Severios: Malankara Sabhayude Pravachaka Prathibha,” Puthupally Church Dedication Magazine (2003): 145-153, translation mine. 5 Ibid., 146. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid.

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the spiritual growth of the young Yohannan. The consecration service of Mar Geevarghese II as the Catholicos in 1929 became an unforgettable event in this nineyear-old’s memories. Another experience of the same year was his full participation in the Holy Week services at the Sharbeel Monastery. Witnessing the foot-washing ceremony done by Mar Geevarghese II, brought tears to the young boy’s eyes, and also encouraged him to have a love for liturgical services.8 According to Cheeran, this event made a great impact on his life. Fr. Geevarghese sent Yohannan to Augen Mar Timotheos (later Catholicos) in Muvattupuzha.9 The seventeen months of teacher-student relationship renewed Yohannan. Yohannan who had learned Syriac, English and Malayalam, was now lead into deeper scholarship of the languages and their grammar, as well as into the study of the Canons, Rubrics, Church History and Theology. 10 The teacher, Mar Timotheos, who himself was a liturgical scholar, saw Yohannan as the instrument through which he can transfer his knowledge to the future generations, says Cheeran.11 Yohannan made much

8

Cheeran, 147. Muvattupuzha is a town in Ernakulam district in Kerala. 10 Cheeran, 147. 11 Ibid., 147. 9

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use of the Konat library12, and developed a friendly relationship with Malphono (Teacher) Abraham Konat and learned much from these experiences. 13

B. Diaconate and Priesthood Years (1943 – 1964) After Yohannan’s teacher, Mar Augen, became the Catholicos, he ordained Yohannan as deacon on April 7, 1943. On July 7 of the same year, Mar Augen ordained him a priest14 and the little boy who had once sensed the calling to be a priest now became Fr. Yohannan. Before becoming a priest, Fr. Yohannan had stayed in the monastery in Pambady15 and had received training in monastic life. The atmosphere there surely must have had an impact on the young priest. Cheeran says that Fr. Yohannan lived a celibate life with a strong prayer life, keenly observing liturgical services, and displayed patience, obedience, humility and tolerance. 16 Because of these characteristics and his excellence in Syriac and liturgical music, he was appointed as the Malphono of the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam in April, 1949. And with his appointment, the theological students at the seminary were blessed with the presence of a disciplined and exemplary priest who instructed them and led them in liturgical services.

12

Project for Preserving the Manuscripts of the Syrian Christians in India. May 2, 2009 . The Konat library contains a collection of the most ancient manuscripts, mostly in West Syriac but also in East Syriac. The library is located in Pampakuda, in the Indian state of Kerala and contains over 300 manuscripts. It is owned by the Konat family, who had played a major role in the development of Syriac scholarship and liturgical translation in the Malankara Orthodox Church. Upon the order of Malphono Mathew Konat, many texts, including liturgical texts and commentaries, were copied by Matthew of Mosul, a famous scribe active towards the end of the 19th century. Malphono Mathew Konat as well as his son, Malphono Abraham Konat contributed much to the translation of texts from Syriac to Malayalam. Getting access to this rich library seems to have helped increase Mar Severios’s knowledge in Syriac as well as in liturgical practices. 13 Cheeran, 148. Malphono is the Syriac word for ‘teacher’ and is the title given to the most important teacher of Syriac in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. 14 Cheeran, 148. 15 Pampady is a small town located in Kottayam district in Kerala. 16 Cheeran, 148.

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In addition, the Catholicos also found in Fr. Yohannan, a suitable priest to assist him as Archdeacon during liturgical services, reports Cheeran. Fr. Yohannan served as Malphono for seventeen years at the seminary, from 1949 to 1966.17 During these years, it was to him that Malankara Orthodox Christians came to seek answers regarding the liturgical practices of the Church.18

C. Monk, Priest, Metropolitan (1964 – 1990) On December 8, 1964, the Malankara Syrian Christian Association that met in Kottayam elected to consecrate Fr. Yohannan as Metropolitan. 19 Catholicos Augen tonsured him as Ramban (monk) on February 26, 1965 at the seminary in Kottayam and consecrated him as Metropolitan on August 28 of the same year at the church in Kolencherry.20 And thus he became Yuhanon Mar Severios. He took charge as Metropolitan of the Diocese of Cochin21 on October 21, and led the diocese into spiritual growth.22 He trained priests and solved the lack of priests in the diocese. Cheeran conveys that probably no other bishops have conducted as many ordinations or church consecrations as Mar Severios.23 As Mar Severios aged however, sickness and physical weakness slowed him down. His final project was to renovate the Catholicate chapel and he was able to complete it.24 He fell asleep in the Lord on May 16, 1990 and he was buried in the seminary in Koratti.25

17

Ibid. Chandanappally, 969. 19 Cheeran, 149. 20 Cheeran, 149. Kolencherry is located in Ernakulam district in Kerala. 21 Cochin is a city in Kerala, India. 22 Chandanappally, 974. 23 Cheeran, 149. 24 Ibid. 25 Chandanappally, 974. Koratty is a town located in Thrissur district in Kerala. 18

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D. Roles Yuhanon Mar Severios played in the Malankara Orthodox Church 1. Yuhanon Mar Severios: the Malphono Mar Severios had the title of Malphono, a Syriac term that means ‘teacher.’ The responsibility of a Malphono is to teach Syriac and rubrics to theological students and make them proficient in conducting liturgical services. Though there have been many Malphone (teachers) in the Malankara Church at all times, Mar Severios was exceptional because in addition to teaching, he wrote down what he taught and consequently passed it on to future generations. It is his instructions that are now available in Malayalam in the pages of the book, ഓ

േഡാക്സ്

റിയാനി സഭ െട

ഷാ സംവിധാന

സഹായി (A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church). In the foreword of this book, Metropolitan Mathews Mar Severios, the Vice President of the Malankara Orthodox Church Publications, says that Yuhanon Mar Severios contributed much to unify the services in the Malankara Orthodox Church by providing a liturgical instructional guide. 26 Perhaps the Malankara Church has never seen a Malphono who excelled in the knowledge of liturgical services like Mar Severios. His contributions to the Church in his role as Malphono appear to be substantial.

2. Yuhanon Mar Severios: the Translator In addition to being a teacher, Mar Severios was also a translator. Though he was a Syriac scholar, he loved Malayalam dearly. There already was a revolution in the Church that sought to have the worship services in the mother-tongue, Malayalam,

26

Severios, 3.

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instead of Syriac, about a century before the days of Mar Severios. 27 But only selected liturgical texts were translated. Mar Severios contributed greatly to this transition from Syriac to Malayalam as the language of worship. His translations include the Liturgical Prayers for the Priests, the Service Book of the Great Lent, the Service Book of Holy Week, and the Service Book of the Nineveh Lent.28 As the use of Syriac was on the decline in India, he took special interests in translating these into Malayalam so that the use of the liturgical texts written in Syriac will not lose its place in the Church.

3. Yuhanon Mar Severios: the Prophetic Figure Yuhanon Mar Severios’s biographer, Cheeran, says that in addition to his contributions as a Malphono and a translator, Severios also acted like “a prophet” in the Malankara Church. 29 Whenever he saw lack of reverence for the Church or for the liturgical practices of the Church or towards the Body and Blood of Christ, he put on the face of a prophet; he had the courage to point out what is wrong, and correct his people. Like John the Baptist, Yuhanon (John) was able to call people to repentance. And he used his love for liturgical services to teach his people. Even in his instructions for liturgical services, he emphasized that the liturgical services are for our blessing and for our transformation and renewal. 30 Mar Severios was and is a great asset to the Malankara Orthodox Church. An examination of his life and roles as given in this chapter shows how he was a man of the Church, who responded to the needs of the faithful in his church. This chapter on his life

27

Cheeran, 151. Chandanappally, 974. 29 Cheeran, 151. 30 Severios, 63. 28

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might seem a bit too hagiographical. But as it is probably the case for other church leaders of his kind also, his life is known to us today mostly only through his writings or through the eyes of people who have been positively influenced by his life and his love for liturgical services. As the past is known to us only from the present, and because all history, including biography, is an interpretation, I have tried to incorporate as many sources as I can, to study the life of Mar Severios. But yet the outcome is the hagiographical nature of this chapter. However, this also is perhaps indicative of the kind of life Mar Severios lived – a life that was dominated and transformed by a love for the liturgical practices of the Church.

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Chapter III:

A CLOSER LOOK of: Yuhanon Mar Severios, Orthodox Suriyani Sabhayude Shushroosha Samvidhana Sahaayi, (Kottayam, India: Malankara Orthodox Church Publications, 2007).

A. Publication Details Original Title

:ഓ

േഡാക്സ്

റിയാനി സഭ െട

ഷാ സംവിധാന

സഹായി Translated Title

: A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church

Publisher

: Malankara Orthodox Church Publications, Devalokam, Kottayam - 38

First Published

: 1983

Revised 1st Edition

: 1996

2nd Edition

: 2007

Printed at

: Catholicate Offset Press, Devalokam, Kottayam - 38

ISBN

: 81-86631-14 3

B. Composition The book was written after Mar Severios was made bishop, and was first published in 1983. However, Mar Severios realized that the book could be improved. Thus he began his revisions right after its first publication. 1 An example of an addition

1

Fr. Philip C. Abraham, who stayed with Mar Severios from 1984 to 1986 and served as his deacon, and continued to travel with him to liturgical services even after those years, testify to the commitment the bishop had to properly instruct the priests and thus preserve the ancient liturgical practices in the Malankara Orthodox Church with order and discipline. During those years, Fr. Abraham had many discussions with

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that appears in his revised publication of 1996 is the detailed diagram of how to make the sign of the cross on the throne and the Tablet in the altar while blessing them during the consecration of church buildings.2 The new and improved book that is the primary text of this thesis project is a testament of the author’s skills and talents as well as his love for the orderly practice of liturgical services.

C. Liturgical Settings during the Making of the Book In order to properly understand the liturgical settings under which Mar Severios wrote, it seems appropriate to briefly look at the history of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, its associations with the Syrian Church, its adoption of West-Syrian liturgical practices and its transition from the use of Syriac to Malayalam as its language of worship. 3

1. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church It is believed that the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church was founded by one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ – St. Thomas – who brought the Gospel to India in AD 52. According to traditions, the apostle landed in the port of Muziris near Kodungallur (Cranganur) in the Malabar Coast of Kerala.4 On arrival, St. Thomas is thought to have preached the Gospel to the scattered Jews as well as the local population in Kerala. 5 The first converts to Christianity were Jews and many among the other converts were high Mar Severios regarding this book and as his secretary, helped in the writing of this book. Several conversations that I had with Fr. Abraham contributed to this thesis. 2 Severios, 178. 3 For this, I am drawing from my thesis I did for my Master of Arts degree at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Mariam Varghese, A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church: Introduction and Translation, unpublished (Crestwood, NY: 2009). 4 David Daniel, The Orthodox Church of India, (New Delhi, 1986), 2-3. 5 Ibid., 6.

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caste Brahmins and Nairs, which were the elite in the Hindu caste system. David Daniel, in his book of history of the Orthodox Church of India, says that Saint Thomas established churches and ordained priests to carry out ecclesiastical duties wherever he went.6 According to historians, the Indian Church entered into a close relationship with the Persian or East-Syrian Church at least from the 4th century.7 Daniel states that from the early centuries the Church in Persia played an important role in nurturing the Church in India since the Persian Church used to send Metropolitans to India, train and strengthen the clergy, edify and sustain its faith and provide ecclesiastical leadership to the Christian community. 8 From the Persians, the Indians inherited East-Syrian language and liturgies and gradually came to be known as Syrian Christians. Later, in the 17th century, the Church came to a relationship with the West-Syrian Church of Antioch. As this relationship grew, the Church slowly accepted the West-Syrian liturgical tradition, during the succeeding 18th and 19th centuries. 9 The Malankara Church continued to be under the Syrian Patriarch in those centuries. However, as Daniel points out, many in the Malankara Church wished to be not under a foreign Patriarch as it limited their freedom, both in administrative matters and in liturgical matters, and thus wished to have their own Catholicos and to have the Catholicate established in India.10 This dream of those in the Malankara Church came

6

Ibid. Johns Abraham Konat, Syrian Heritage of the St. Thomas Christians. April 26, 2010 . 8 Daniel, 50. 9 Konat, April 27, 2010. 10 Daniel, 221. 7

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true in 1912 with the establishment of the Catholicate in India.11 However, the Orthodox Church in India today is composed of two groups. The two ecclesiastical bodies of the Orthodox Church in India have the same faith and the same liturgical prayers. The difference lies in the administrative matters of the two churches. One body is under the autocephalous Catholicos in Kottayam, in the state of Kerala, India. The other is the one which still exists under the administration of the Syrian Patriarch of Antioch whose seat is in Damascus, Syria. Mar Severios, the author of the book addressed in this thesis was a bishop of the autocephalous church – the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

2. West-Syrian Liturgy Though the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church became autocephalous, it continues to follow West-Syrian liturgical practices and continues to do so till this day. As a history of the West-Syrian liturgy is not the focus of this thesis, only a few distinctive features of the West-Syrian liturgy will be discussed here. One of the notable features of the West-Syrian liturgy is the richness in its collection of anaphoras.12 Among the Christian Churches, according to Baby Varghese, the West-Syrians have the richest collection of anaphoras; about eighty anaphoras are known. 13 Another feature is the very powerful presence of symbols and symbolic actions which carry the mystery of the life of Christ.

11

Ibid., 223. ‘Anaphora’ or the ‘Eucharistic Prayer’ is the most solemn part of the Divine Liturgy where the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as the body and blood of Christ. 13 Varghese, 6. 12

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The powerful sense of mystery has given way to an elaborate use of symbols, processions and gestures in the West-Syrian liturgy. An example for this is the Footwashing Service on Holy Thursday. 14 Though this service is not unique to the WestSyrian liturgy today, I use this as an example as it shows how symbolic actions in liturgy help nourish the faithful. The service is done in commemoration of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples before he was crucified (John 13:1-11). During this liturgical service, a bishop, who represents Jesus, washes the feet of 12 people, who represent the disciples. From my own experience and from talking to others who have attended this service, it seems that when one sees the humble act of Jesus unfold before their eyes, they gain a deeper understanding of the mystery of this event and are encouraged to imitate the one who called them to be humble. These kinds of services that contain various gestures seem to make the West-Syrian liturgy lively. I. H. Dalmais says, “from the earliest times, it was characteristic of the Antiochene liturgy to give a big place to singing and processions in order to satisfy a people whose religious devotion was very demonstrative.”15 The processions, hymns, gestures, people’s responses etc make the celebration ‘lively’ and ensure the involvement of the entire community in the leitourgia, the common work of the Church.16

3. Language of Worship - Transition from Syriac to Malayalam; The liturgical setting that motivated Yuhanon Mar Severios Due to the relations of the Indian church with the Syrian Orthodox Church in Antioch, liturgical texts in West Syriac spread in the Malankara Church. Thus, for over 14

See the translation of Mar Severios’ instructions of this service that appears later in this thesis. I. H. Dalmais, Eastern Liturgies (New York, 1960), 128. 16 Varghese, 7. 15

18

the last three centuries, West Syriac was the language of worship in the Church. However, during the second half of the 20th century, most of the liturgical texts were translated to Malayalam, the language of Kerala. “Eminent linguists like St. Dionysius Vattasseril, Konat Mathen Malpan and Mattackal Alexandreos Malpan gave the lead to this trend while H. H. Mar Baselios Augen I, H. H. Mar Baselios Mathews I, H. G. Yuhanon Mar Severios and Konat Abraham Malpan followed suit in the next generation.”17 Due to the efforts of these mentioned above, many liturgical texts are available in Malayalam now. Yet the structure and characteristics of the liturgical services continue to be that of the Syriac liturgy. And as seen above, Mar Severios lived in a time when this transition was taking place and he played a major role in it. Yuhanon Mar Severios lived in a time when Malayalam was becoming the major language used in worship. As just mentioned above, he was one among those who contributed to this transition. Unlike before, liturgical texts were available in Malayalam at that time and people were able to follow along and understand the services. Yet, it was important that liturgical instructions were written down in Malayalam so that the community that has made the West-Syrian liturgy their own would be able to thoroughly understand the services, practice them and faithfully pass it on to future generations. Mar Severios’ motivation to write this book seems to be two fold: one was his desire to properly instruct new priests and guide them in their ministry in the Church; the second was his desire to unify the varying practices that existed in the different parts of Kerala. Mar Severios had a desire to properly instruct new priests to conduct liturgical services with order and discipline, testifies Fr. Philip, who served as his secretary.18 This

17 18

Konat, April 27, 2010. Philip C. Abraham, Interviewed by author, May 3, 2009.

19

seems to be an effect of how he himself was nourished by these prayers and practices in his own life. This might be why he was able to witness to the mystery of Orthodox worship through his words in the preface of his liturgical guide, “Orthodox churches give worship the most prominent place. Orthodox churches believe and teach that without a real experience of worship, nothing else would be fruitful.”19 He describes worship as “the key that opens the treasure houses of heaven.”20 And his book appears to be his endeavor to help the faithful access that key. His work seems to suggest that he realized that in order to faithfully practice in this rich liturgical tradition of worship, the priests as well as the faithful have to be properly instructed and guided in the ministration of these services in the Church. The other side of his motivation to write a liturgical guide was perhaps his longing to unify the various liturgical traditions within the Malankara Church. Regardless of what his motivations were, this unification was an outcome of his endeavor, as mentioned by the Vice President of the Malankara Orthodox Church Publications in his introduction to this book.21 From my interviews with two priests who now serve as liturgical instructors to seminary students, I learned that there existed within the state of Kerala two traditions – one that was practiced in the north of the state and the other in the south.22 These two liturgical traditions did not differ greatly, but perhaps had some

19

Yuhanon Mar Severios, Orthodox Suriyani Sabhayude Shushroosha Samvidhana Sahaayi, (Kottayam, India: Malankara Orthodox Church Publications, 2007), 9, translation mine. The original text is in Malayalam, the language of Kerala, a state in India. ഓ േഡാക്സ് സഭക ആരാധനയ് ് ാഥമിക

ഓ

ാനം െകാ ിരി . യഥാ മായ ആരാധന െട അ ഭവമി ാെത മ കാര േഡാക്സ് സഭക വിശ സി ം പഠി ി ക ം െച . 20

വിജയി യിെ

്

Severios, 10. Mathews Mar Severios, Vice President of M.O.S.C Publications in Severios, 3. 22 Johns Abraham Konat, Interviewed by author, May 3, 2009. Fr. Konat is the Professor of Liturgics at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam, India. Philip C. Abraham, Interviewed by author, May 3, 2009. Fr. Abraham now teaches liturgics to the Malankara Orthodox seminarians studying at St. Tikhon’s Seminary, PA. 21

20

slightly varied practices based on the local culture and circumstances. Neither tradition varied much from each other or from the original West-Syrian liturgical practices. More will be discussed on any variations from West-Syrian liturgical services in a later chapter and on the contributions of Mar Severios in unifying these services.

D. Genre and Audience The main focus of the book is to guide priests through liturgical services and the chief audience of this book since its publication seems to be priests. This is understandable as Mar Severios wrote this mainly for the instruction of new priests, and those who were undergoing liturgical training in the seminary. Yet, he includes what the bishops, the deacons, the altar servers, and the faithful do or are expected to do in many sections. The book is useful to anyone who is interested in learning about the liturgical services of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, but it also serves those interested in learning West-Syrian liturgy in general.

E. Structure of the Book The book is divided into three main parts: Part 1 explains the structure and contents of liturgical prayers and services; Part 2 guides the reader through the Feast Days of the Church; Part 3 is about the blessing services including sacraments, church consecrations, ordinations, blessing of Holy Chrism, tonsuring etc. A brief outline of the book is given below. 23

23

For a summary of each section and a more detailed outline, please see my M. A. Thesis. Mariam Varghese, A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church: Introduction and Translation, unpublished (Crestwood, NY: 2009).

21

Part 1

ABOUT WORSHIP SERVICES

1. Hours of Prayer 2. Physical symbolism in liturgical services 3. Terms used in liturgical services 4. Materials used in liturgical services 5. Components of a worship service 6. Contents of liturgical services 7. Arrangement of daily prayers 8. Arrangement of weekly prayers 9. Sundays and Feast days 10. Lenten prayers 11. Prayers of the Holy Week 12. Prayers of Repentance 13. Tones of songs

Part 2

ABOUT FEAST DAYS – SACRAMENTALS

1. Liturgical services of feast days 2. Nativity / Yeldo 3. Epiphany / Danaho 4. Reconciliation service / Shubqono 5. Mid-Lent 6. 40th Friday of Great Lent 7. Palm Sunday / Ooshana 8. Entrance in the Haven / Vaade d’almeeno

22

9. Holy Thursday / Pesaho 10. Holy Friday 11. Holy Saturday 12. Holy Resurrection / Qyomtho 13. Ascension 14. Pentecost 15. Feast of the Holy Cross 16. Special prayer services         

House blessing Vows and offerings Post-death prayer services Praise for child-birth Order of prayer at time of death Order of prayer during funeral Funeral of priests Funeral of bishops Eucharist for the sick

Part 3

ABOUT SACRAMENTS

1. Sacraments 2. Baptism 3. Chrismation 4. Giving communion to the baptized 5. House baptism 6. Matrimony 7. Remarriage 8. Anointing of the Sick 9. Candle service of anointing of the sick

23

10. Holy Liturgy / Holy Qurbana A. Church and altar B. Other areas of the church building C. Preparation for celebrating Holy Qurbana D. Public celebration of Holy Qurbana Part 1 – Public worship Part 2 - Worship of the believers 11. Confession 12. Dedication and blessing 1. Laying of the foundation of church building 2. Church dedication 3. Temporary dedication 4. Ordination (Pattabhishekham) a) Msamrono - Singer b) Korooyo - Reader c) Youpedyakno – Half Deacon d) Mshamshono – Full Deacon e) Kasheesho – Priest f) Cor-Episcopos 5. Consecration of bishops 6. Enthronement 7. Blessing of Holy Oil (Saithu) 8. Blessing of Holy Chrism 9. Tonsure

24

Chapter IV

Evaluation of the Book

The goal of this chapter is to evaluate the contents of the book and provide some of its strengths and weaknesses.1 It will also mention other instructional guides that are available in the Malankara Church and compare Mar Severios’ book with them. In addition it will assess its value in the Church today.

A. Other liturgical instructional guides in the Malankara Orthodox Church

 Mathen Konat, Nadapady Kramangal, (Pampakuda: Pampakuda Publications, ~1900).  Joseph Mar Pachomios, Orthodox Sabhayude Aaradhanayum Aachara Anushtaanangalum, (Kottayam: Malankara Orthodox Church Publications, 1991).

Both these books are very brief and is not as complete as the book by Mar Severios. Nadapady Kramangal was an earlier attempt than Mar Severios’, and perhaps the first such attempt, but is not as elaborate or complete. It is now out of print. The one by Mar Pachomios is very brief and does not contain all the services. It must be noted that the book by Mar Pachomios is more useful than Mar Severios’ book in understanding what the services mean. This book gives more importance to the 1

Here I resume and revise my M.A. thesis. Mariam Varghese, A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church: Introduction and Translation, unpublished (Crestwood, NY: 2009).

25

significance of the liturgical practices, while Mar Severios’ book is a step-by-step guide through the services. In other words, Mar Severios’ book is more useful as a guide to the celebrant while Mar Pachomios explains why we do what we do during the services. Also what distinguishes Mar Severios’ book is its organization into three main parts, within which all topics are categorized for ease of access. Instructional guides that were produced from within the Malankara Orthodox Church are not many as can be seen from the list above. There are few books that are produced by the Syrian Orthodox Church, which practices the same liturgical services. Some of the prayer books contain within them the instructions for how to conduct the services. One such book is Ma’de’dono, The Book of the Church Festivals.2 For the purposes of this paper, only those books produced from within the Malankara Orthodox Church are listed above and compared with Mar Severios’ book, even though The Book of the Church Festivals is used for analytical purposes in a later chapter as well as in the translation. The Book of the Church Festivals was published by Metropolitan Mar Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, the Archbishop of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the United States of America and Canada in 1984. This book contains the special liturgical services conducted on the various feast days of the Lord from the Nativity through the Feast of the Holy Cross, and includes the special Lenten forgiveness rites as well as services for the various feasts of the Virgin Mary and the other saints of the Church. The book contains the Syriac text of the prayers on one side and the English translations on the other, with instructions within them on how to conduct each service. This book was helpful not only 2

Metropolitan Mar Athanasius Yeshue Samuel ed., Ma’de’dono: The Book of the Church Festivals According to the Ancient Rite of The Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, (New Jersey: Metropolitan Mar Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, 1984).

26

in the translation, but also in comparing the Syriac services with the current practices in the Malankara Church. It also was helpful to detect any practices that were dropped or picked up and adopted within the Indian culture, and thus assess how liturgy develops within varying cultures and geographic locations, if it does. Some analytical observations of the liturgical services are given in the next chapter, where the instructions for the Feast day liturgical services in this book is compared with those in the liturgical guide of Mar Severios, the translation of which is included in this thesis.

B. Strengths of Mar Severios’ book Mar Severios’ book, as indicated earlier, has a prominent place in the Malankara Orthodox Church. This is mainly because this was the most complete liturgical instructional guide. As indicated earlier, the book written by Fr. Mathen Konat was available earlier. But compared to that book, this book was more effective in unifying to certain extent, the practices that existed in the two liturgical traditions in Kerala – one in the north and one in the south – with minor differences between them. Mar Severios was able to unify these because of the liturgical training he received from both traditions. 3 From his teacher, Augen Mar Timotheos (later Catholicos), Mar Severios had learned the traditions of the north. And he was exposed to the traditions of the south while he served as the Archdeacon to Catholicos Moran Mar Baselios Geevarghese II, the Catholicos before Catholicos Augen. Mar Severios’ exposure to both these traditions is what aided his love for liturgical services, because in order for anyone to be effective in unifying liturgical practices, he must be aware of the varying practices. Mar Severios attempted in

3

Philip C. Abraham, Interviewed by author, May 3, 2009. Fr. Abraham had served as deacon to Mar Severios during the production of this book and personally knew him very well.

27

this book to give more importance to the service itself and bring these two traditions together. It seems as if Mar Severios was trying to standardize the services so that priests in different traditions will have a resource to which they can refer, and understand what is truly important to keep unchanged in their practices, even if they bring in local practices into the services. How much did the two traditions vary? This will be discussed in Chapter V. While one of the strengths of the book is that it helped unify the practices in the Malankara Orthodox Church, another is that the book is very well organized. The organization of Mar Severios’ book is easy to follow. Perhaps this is the feature that is most commendable. The book is categorized into three main sections and is further broken down into subsections.4 The ease of finding a specific service as well as the simplicity of the language used is what makes this book very accessible. The Malayalam used by Mar Severios is that of the common people and is thus easily comprehensible. Malayalam is a complex language with many of its words rooted in Sanskrit, an ancient language. While the vocabulary and grammar of Malayalam is hard to learn, Mar Severios uses conversational Malayalam instead of academic Malayalam, thus making it is easy to follow for any native speaker. Another feature that is worth mentioning and extremely useful for those administering the services is the section called ‘Things to prepare in advance,’ especially for the liturgical services of Feast days. In this section, Mar Severios gives directions for the things that need preparation before the service. For example, for Palm Sunday, the palm leaves need to be made in the shape of a cross for the priest to hold during its

4

Exact organization is given in Chapter 3 of this thesis.

28

blessing.5 Another example is the preparation of the fire pit for the Feast of Nativity. 6 He begins the instructions for each feast day by clearly stating the day and time of the service. One fact that is indicated by Severios’ instructions is that he wrote in the light of his experiences as a celebrant of these liturgical services. He clearly knew what kind of questions would normally arise from the celebrants. The book gives the reader the feeling that someone who was in his position is guiding him through the services. Perhaps what gives a prominent place to this book is the fact that it is the most complete and elaborate liturgical guide that exists in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church today. It is an asset to all celebrants, especially priests, who practice the liturgical services following the West-Syrian liturgy, especially in the Malankara Orthodox Church.

C. Weaknesses of the book Mar Severios’ book is definitely an asset to the Malankara Orthodox Church. But the book is not without disadvantages. One flaw is that it does not indicate the specific sources that the author used while writing this book. In the preface, he states that the instructions given in the book are based on the Syriac Service Books and their translations which have been in use in Malankara for three centuries.7 However, beyond this, he does not provide any information of his sources. Thus, the audience of the book cannot really know where Mar Severios learned what he learned or which service books he is referring to. For example, in the section in which he describes the service held on the Feast of Ascension, he gives 5

Severios, 74. See the included translation. Severios, 66. See the included translation. 7 Severios, 14. 6

29

instructions on how to conduct the Service of the Veneration of the Cross. But he says that according to “old books”8 this service must be conducted. He implies that as it is not in the new books, this service may or may not be done. In such a statement, the audience does not understand what these “old books” are, which leaves them confused. So, lack of an indication of primary and/or secondary sources is a disadvantage of this book. The book does contain occasional errors and incompleteness. An example for this is what Mar Severios says in the introduction to the book. While discussing the liturgical language of the church, Mar Severios states the following: “The infant church worshipped in Aramaic, the language of communication in Palestine during the time of Jesus and the Apostles. When Apostle Thomas came to India, as there were Jews in India, the use of Aramaic did not have to cease.”9 The accuracy of this statement could be questioned as the role of the Jews in India in bringing the Malankara Church to use Syriac as the liturgical language is doubtful. The Malankara Church accepted Syriac as the liturgical language due to her associations with the Syrian churches, and perhaps not because of the Diaspora Jews in India. Having said this, Mar Severios is correct to say that there is no much difference between Aramaic and West and East Syriac and thus the use of these Semitic languages were kept up due to the communications with the Persian and the West-Syrian churches. Another drawback of the book is the occasional lack of flow in the descriptions as Mar Severios addresses a wide audience. As said earlier, though this book is primarily for the priests, it is not restricted for the clergy alone; it is also a teaching tool for the laity of the Church. But the instructions are not always clearly differentiated in the text. The

8 9

Severios, 91. Severios, 13-14.

30

instructions for everyone are given together in paragraph format, without indicating whose role is being discussed. So the reader has to figure out whose role is given after reading the whole paragraph. And some prior experience and knowledge of liturgical services is often expected from the audience. One of the strengths of Mar Severios’ work was that he tried to unify the varied practices in the Malankara Church. Yet it is not so sure if this unification is complete. The existence of the varied practices is conveyed in the book when occasionally Mar Severios says that a particular service can be done in one way or another. An example for this is the Service of the Veneration of the Cross on the Feast of Ascension.10 He says the service may or may not be conducted. But he does not indicate which tradition still practices this liturgical service and which does not. So to a reader who is reading these instructions, especially after many years, it is not clear if the service must be conducted or not. Thus, a lack of authority in the ‘unification project’ is sometimes a drawback of this book. But considering that liturgical rites do evolve and develop and that “liturgical diversity” is a feature of West-Syrian liturgy11, this drawback might not be that significant. There is another drawback that has to be mentioned, even though it is a drawback only when this book is used in a setting other than for which it was written. This book was published in 1983 in India, and was written even before that. Some of the things might not be applicable word per word to someone living in a different time and place. For example, in the section on how to prepare the bread for Holy Qurbana, Mar Severios explains how to preserve the leaven. The directions given by Mar Severios does not take

10 11

Severios, 91. Varghese, 2-3.

31

into account the availability of refrigerators, even though refrigerators are in common use even in India. Therefore, one does not have to follow these instructions exactly if other means are available. Being in a different setting again brings another difficulty. Mar Severios indicates most of the hymns and the prayers in Syriac (for example, those in the service on the Feast of Nativity).12 Until the services were translated from Syriac to Malayalam, perhaps even the laity might have understood these. But today, someone who is not familiar with Syriac, even though proficient in Malayalam will have difficulty following these instructions. Perhaps, as almost all Malankara Orthodox priests have at least a basic knowledge of Syriac, they might not have much difficulty. Yet it will be hard for someone who has no knowledge of Syriac to figure out the hymns and prayers to which the author refers, as most liturgical services are not done in Syriac today. It must also be noted that this book is only a guide. It does not include the service itself. One must have the accompanying service books not only to conduct the service, but also to follow along and understand what Mar Severios says. Service books of most liturgical services discussed here are available in Malayalam and some are already available in English. Reading this book along with those service books will certainly make the reading easier. There are other ways in which this book can be improved. One possible section that I think will be a useful addition is a section that suggests what to do in some unusual circumstances. For example, what must be done if the Eucharistic elements are accidently dropped during the service? What must be done if the celebrant is unable to finish

12

Severios, 67.

32

celebrating the Divine Liturgy? These are exceptions, but yet will be useful for any celebrant as well as his altar assistants to know. Despite the shortcomings, Mar Severios’ book is perhaps the most complete and widely accepted liturgical guide available in the Malankara Orthodox Church and still widely used by the priests in the church. The book is appreciated much even to this day as it is truly a guide to the celebrants of liturgical services. Thus, the translation of the book into English is very needful to make the systematic instructions of Mar Severios known to those who are not fluent in Malayalam.

33

Chapter V

Analysis of the liturgical practices of the Malankara Orthodox Service

The goal of this final chapter is to examine the instructions of Mar Severios and investigate if the current liturgical practices of the Malankara Orthodox Church differ much from the Syrian practices from which the Malankara Church received her liturgical tradition, as a result of the influence of the Indian culture and geography. In the introduction of this thesis, a distinctive feature that appears in the matrimonial service of the Malankara Orthodox Church was mentioned, namely the ‘minnukettu.’ This is an example for the fact that even while accepting and feeling proud of their Syrian liturgical heritage, the Malankara Orthodox Church adopted those traditions in combination with local customs and practices. For example, “customs related to birth, marriage and funeral have a lot of local elements,” says Johns Konat.1 The Indian custom of ‘minnukettu’ is the classic example of this – the custom in which the groom ties a ‘minnu’ (a pendant) around the bride’s neck. Mar Severios indicates in his book that though this is not part of the sacrament, this Indian marriage tradition has become part of the service. This local custom has undergone Christianization as a cross is placed on the ‘minnu’ used by Christians. 2 Such practices show that though the Malankara Orthodox Christians inherited West-Syrian liturgy, their culture is still Indian.

1

Johns Abraham Konat, Syrian Heritage of the St. Thomas Christians. May 2, 2009 . 2 Severios, 118.

34

Severus includes these practices also in his book. Therefore, a book such as the one authored by Mar Severios is of great value as it guides the Malankara Orthodox Christians in their liturgical practices that combines West-Syrian liturgy with local customs. But has the local culture greatly influenced the Orthodox Church in India resulting in much variation in liturgical practices from the Syrian tradition? A comparison of the current practices in the Malankara Orthodox Church with those in the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch would help answer this question. The Book of Church Festivals of the Church of Antioch,3 as mentioned earlier, is of much assistance for this evaluation. When the services in the Syrian Orthodox prayer books and the Malankara Syrian Orthodox prayer books are compared, one can find that there have not been significant changes. The addition of the Indian custom of ‘minnukettu’ that appears in the matrimonial service is a rarity. This ‘minnukettu’ is a Hindu wedding custom that is adopted not only by the Orthodox Christians in Kerala, but also by other Christian communities there. It is indicative of the fact that as liturgy develops over time in different localities, it will adopt local customs, and will respond to the needs of the time and the society. Mar Severios, as he gives instructions, often allows for minor adjustments. He himself conveys that his instructions are not written in stone. The celebrant may make minor adjustments for the sake of convenience, based on geographical locations and the needs of the people. An example of this is in the Feast of Nativity, when Mar Severios 3

Metropolitan Mar Athanasius Yeshue Samuel ed., Ma’de’dono: The Book of the Church Festivals According to the Ancient Rite of The Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, (New Jersey: Metropolitan Mar Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, 1984).

35

gives instructions for preparing for the special service around the fire. He says, “A fire-pit must be made in the church courtyard where it is convenient. Dig a pit in the shape of a cross and arrange in it some dried wood broken into small pieces. Along with the wood, also arrange the leftover dry palm leaves from Palm Sunday. Add whatever appropriate burning material is available in that geographic location.”4 What are used in Syria are probably not the leaves of coconut trees. But Kerala being the land of coconut trees would convenience the use of tender coconut leaves for this service as well as for the service on Palm Sunday. And moreover the different geographical locations within Kerala might produce different ‘burning material,’ as indicated by Mar Severios. This again is indicative of the fact that adaptations are possible as liturgical services are practiced in varying localities. It was indicated earlier that Mar Severios through this book has attempted to unify the varying liturgical practices in Kerala. As mentioned earlier, the existence of the varied practices is conveyed in the book when occasionally Mar Severios says that something can be done in one way or the other. These differences between the north and south, however, were not major. More importantly, these differences did not affect the sanctity of the services. From my interviews with priests from the south and north of Kerala, what I can conclude is that the practices were not and are not much different from what is given in Mar Severios’ liturgical guide. The so-called difference in tradition was mainly in who the teacher was. There was a succession of liturgical instructors especially in the south; they include bishops such as Mar Gregorios of Parumala and Gheevarghese II (also known as Kurichi Bava). There seems to be no such prominent names in the north, but yet this idea of succession of instructors was considered significant, as these 4

Severios, 66.

36

teachers learned liturgics from different teachers. 5 Even though their teachings did not vary much, over time it sounded as if they were two traditions. Mar Severios however was able to bring these ‘two traditions’ together in his book with his exposure to both traditions and thus help standardize the liturgical practices. When Mar Severios says that something can be done this way or that way, it is only in those situations where what is addressed is not something that will affect the validity of the services. Those things which must not be changed are clearly and strictly stated by Mar Severios. His strictness in the practice of liturgical services can be read from the pages of his liturgical guide. His instructions for the procession held in association with Feast-day services make this clear. He says, “Even though processions may be made more grand and elaborate with adornments that exist in the particular communities or localities, and with umbrellas and flags, and with musical instruments, much care must be taken to avoid unnecessary conversations and behaviors that can distract people from what is important for their spiritual devotion and growth.”6 This demonstrates that while Mar Severios takes the local conditions into consideration and allows modification, he was insistent that whatever is done must be done for the orderly and disciplined worship of God and for the edification of the people through the celebrations. As he was exposed to the different traditions in Kerala that varied slightly in various localities, he evaluated them and put together the book bringing those traditions together. Ever since the publication of this book, the priests in the Malankara Orthodox Church had a valuable manual to which they can refer to when questions and confusions

5 6

Philip C. Abraham, Interviewed by author, April 22, 2010. Severios, 64-65.

37

arose. With the increased use of this book among the newly ordained priests since the time of Mar Severios, the practices have been standardized to a great extend. Though the Orthodox Christians in India have adopted one or two local customs, the traditional practices of the ancient church of Antioch have not significantly changed as a result of their practice in India. The feast day services have almost not changed at all. A survey of the Syriac text of the Feast day services in The Book of Church Festivals mentioned above conveys this. As a matter of fact, the instructions that are given in that book are very close to the instructions given by Mar Severios in his liturgical guide. Even though these services were practiced in India for a few centuries by the local Orthodox Christians, the liturgical services have not undergone significant changes. It must be noted however that there are Feast day services as well as prayers in the West-Syrian tradition that the Malankara Church still has not included in its prayer books and in Mar Severios’ instructional book. This is simply because these services have not been completely translated into Malayalam or practiced in the Church. An example for this is the Order of the Blessing of the Candles on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. 7 Currently, there is only the celebration of the Holy Qurbana on this day, and no additional services. In the light of the survey of The Book of the Church Festivals and Mar Severios’ instructions in his book, I am concluding that the local conditions in India have not made much impact on the liturgical tradition that the Malankara Church adopted from the West-Syrian tradition. The ceremony of ‘minnukettu’ in the matrimonial service is a rare case in which the Malankara Orthodox Christians have incorporated a local practice.

7

Samuel, 75-85.

38

Chapter VI

Translation

A. Methodology of translation and issues faced during the translation For the translation of Mar Severios’ instructions for the liturgical services of feast days, I did a literal translation for the most part. However, in some cases, it seemed necessary to convey the message without a literal translation, considering the fact that Malayalam and English vary in how they express certain ideas. The names of most hymns Mar Severios includes in his book are given in Syriac. When translating the instructions, I have provided the English translation of these. I include the Syriac as well as the Malayalam names of the hymns in the footnotes for most of the hymns. It must be acknowledged that as the translations of many of the services for feast days are yet not in circulation, I have opted to include the translation of the beginning of the hymns and prayers, even though there are no standardized services in English for these services yet. Though the use of Syriac in the Malankara Orthodox Church has been on the decline since the translation of the services into Malayalam, there are many Syriac words that have become part of the liturgical language. Many Malayalam words were derived from its Syriac roots, but even then the words are essentially Syriac. And those words are still needed today to properly identify them, as those in the Malankara Orthodox Church are more familiar with certain Syriac words than its English equivalents. For example, the

39

word that refers to the Eucharist, Qurbana, is derived from the Syriac word,

‫ܪ‬

(Qurbono). Thus words such as Qurbana are kept in my translation also, though I do provide a table of such words as well as some Malayalam words in this chapter. One of the issues with Mar Severios’ language is that he is not always consistent with the tense. He often gives the instructions in the present tense. But then he switches to the future tense. Thus, this inconsistency will be seen in my translation as well as I attempted to do a literal translation of most of the instructions given by Mar Severios. Another matter that I must acknowledge is the difference in the Syriac pronunciation of certain words and letters in India and in Syria. One such difference is the pronunciation of the syllable ‘sa’ in place of ‘tha.’ The Syriac letter, ‫( ܬ‬taw) is mostly pronounced with the sound ‘sa’ in India, while it is pronounced with ‘tha’ elsewhere. Though I include the words in Syriac script in the table below, when these words are transliterated within my translation, I am not following the Indian pronunciation. For example, though the word for prayer,

‫ ܨ ܼ ܬ‬is pronounced in India as ‘Slooso,’ I

transliterate it as ‘Slootho’ within my translation. It must also be noted that certain Malayalam words in the liturgical language are modifications of its Syriac equivalent. For example, the word ‘Denaha’ used in Malayalam to refer to the Feast of Epiphany is derived from the Syriac word, ‫( ܕܢــܚــܐ‬Denaho). The following table might be a useful reference as it includes the words in Syriac and in Malayalam, with a short explanation as well as the word that I used in my translation. I include the Syriac in Estrangelo as well as Serto script, as Estrangelo is the academic standard and Serto is the script used in the West-Syrian tradition.

40

B. Syriac and Malayalam words and their equivalents that are used in this translation

Syriac Estrangelo / Serto

Malayalam

‫ܼܬ‬

‫ܼܬ‬

ബ

മ

േ

Meaning/Explanation ാ

‫ܼܬ‬

‫ܼܬ‬

േബാവൂേസാ

‫ܕܢــܚــܐ‬

‫ܕܢــܚــܐ‬

ദനഹാ

‫ـܝـ‬

എനിേയാേനാ

‫ـܝـ‬

‫ܪ‬

̈

‫ܪ‬ ܼ

‫ܗܘ‬ ‫ܕ‬ ‫ܬ‬

̈ ܼ

‫ܗܘ ܕ‬ ‫ܬ‬

എെ താ െഹൗ മാലാേഖ ഹൂെ

Means ‘daughter of king’. Refers to the Quqliyon of the Virgin Mary, Besmalko “King’s daughter stands in glory…” It means ‘petition’ or ‘request.’ Usually the canonical prayers as Bovootho well as every sacraments end with Bovootho. Epiphany

എക്േബാ

ാേമാ

േകാനൂേനാ

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Word(s) used in translation

Means ‘responsory.’ The congregation responds or gives answer to the priests or deacons. Means ‘feet’ or ‘base.’ It highlights the main theme of the Quqliyon.

Epiphany Enyono Eqbo

Means ‘fragrance.’

Ethro

Means ‘the one whom angels serve.’ It refers to the festive Trisagion used in the Service of the Veneration of the Cross.

Hau d’malaakhe

Means ‘conclusion.’

Hoothomo

Means ‘canon.’

Konoono

രാ തി

‫ܪ‬

‫ܪ‬

Night Means ‘a school.’ Here refers to certain hymns during Night prayers Refers to the Holy of Holies, the holy altar

മദറശ് മദ്ബഹ

‫ܼܘ‬ ‫ܬ‬

ܼ ‫ܬ‬

‫ܢ‬

‫ܘ‬

‫ܘ‬

Fan

മ്േനാ േ

The stand on which the Cross is placed in the Church on Mid-Lent

M’northo/ Golgotha

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

Thursday of Holy Week.

Holy Thursday

Means ‘preface.’

Prumiyon

ാ

ഓശാന

പുമിെയാ

കു ബാന

Means ‘standing.’ Trisagion (Thrice Holy hymn). Also refers to the hymns used during Holy Week instead of the Thrice Holy hymn. Means ‘sound.’ But in liturgical music it refers to a special or important group of melodies. Means ‘cycle’ or ‘cyclical structure of prayers.’ It is included in the category of Litanies. Means ‘sacrifice.’ Refers to the Holy Eucharist

ക ംതാ

Refers to the Feast of Resurrection

െകൗമാ

ܼ ܼ

േകാേലാ

‫ܼ ܢ‬

‫ܼܢ‬ ‫ܪ‬

കു

‫ܪ‬

Altar

Liturgical fan

െപസഹാ

‫ܢ‬

M’d’rashtho

മറുവഹസാ

‫ܐܘ‬

‫ܐܘ‬

Lilyo

ിലിേയാ

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Qaumo

Qolo

Quqliyon Qurbana Resurrection

‫ܪ‬

‫ܪ‬

െസദ്റാ

ܼ ܼ

ܼ ܼ

ശുബെഹാ

ܼ ܼ

ܼ ܼ

‫ܨ ܼܬ‬

‫ܨ ܼܬ‬

‫ܬܘ‬

‫ܬܘ‬

‫ܘ ܗ‬ ‫ܕ‬

‫ܘ ܗܕ‬

ശുബ്േ

ാേനാ േസാ

തൂേയാെബാ വാെദ ദ മീേനാ െയൗേനാേയാ യ

േദാ

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Means ‘a row of prayers.’ This prayer follows a Prumiyon

Sedro

Means ‘glory’

Glory

Means ‘reconciliation.’ Refers to the Service of Reconciliation Means ‘prayer.’ Here refers to an opening or introductory prayer Refers to the preparation rites done by the celebrant before celebrating liturgy

Service of Reconciliation Slootho/Introductory Prayer

Refers to the Service of the Entrance in the Haven

Entrance in the Haven

Greek

Yaunoyo

Refers to the Feast of Nativity

Nativity

Preparation rites

MALAYALAM WORDS

Chancel; Refers to the space between the altar and the nave

Word(s) used in translation Space between altar and nave

The act of kneeling down and prostrating

Prostration

കുരിശുമൂ

A cross or shrine established by a parish in the localities

Cross/Shrine

േ താേണാ

The altar table; Greek θρόνος

Throne/Altar Throne

The table in the sanctuary that is used during the Hours

Prayer table

Refers to the prayer, “Just as the exalted angels and archangels…”; in Malayalam, “Melpetta Uyarangalil…”

Hymn of the Angels

Refers to any liturgical service

Service

Malayalam അഴി കു

നമസ്

കം ിടീ

ാര േമശ

മാലാഖമാരുെട സ്തുതി ് ശു ശൂഷാ

Explanation

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Translation

LITURGICAL SERVICES OF FEAST-DAYS

Part 21 Sacramentals2 1. Liturgical Services of Feast-days A. Sacramentals : Introduction Along with prayer, worship, and along with worship, sacramentals are important. Sacramentals are conducted in association with the various events in the life of Jesus Christ and as a means of blessing. For sacramentals, there might be special ceremonies, rites and practices and therefore, more materials might be needed than those needed for regular prayers and worship. Prayers and worship may be done at living residences or during travel, when inconvenient to have it done in a church. And it is required to be done even in such cases. However, sacramentals must be done where there is a community of believers. They must not be done at living residences or while traveling. Daily prayers must be done everyday. Sacramentals must be done only at specific occasions. Daily prayers can be equated to daily food, sacramentals can be equated to elaborate meals and sacraments can be equated to royal banquets where honorary awards are given. As far as sacramentals are concerned, it is important to know when and how to conduct them. Many sacramentals are related to feast days and are for commemorating the salvific acts of Christ. The Church has arranged these in order that believers may experience the commemorated events and hence be renewed in their Christian life. We believe that they are means of blessings. Therefore those who attend the sacramentals

1

‘Part 2’ here refers to Mar Severios’ numbering in the book. Instructions for Feast-day liturgical services are in Part 2 of his book. 2 ‘Sacramentals’ is the English word used by Mar Severios to refer to feast day liturgical services.

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must attend with preparation and with devotion. Feast-day liturgical services are not sacraments. They are sacramentals.

B. Processions It is usual to have processions on liturgical feast days and parish feast days. In modern days, processions and rallies have significance in public ceremonies. Processions are held to show reverence and honor to individuals or materials that deserve such honor and respect. It is usual to have joyful processions to show reverence to the Holy Cross, relics of saints etc., and processions of repentance to pray for the removal of God’s wrath, epidemics, natural disasters etc. Processions may be held on a smaller scale or it can be done elaborately. If having elaborate processions on major parish feast days helps spiritual growth, then it is good. If there are crosses or shrines3 established by the parish in different places, you may, according to convenience and the occasion, arrange to go to all these places with celebratory processions and offer incense. In a procession, one priest must vest and hold the cross in his hands. Other priests must wear black cassocks and deacons and altar servers must wear their robes and hold candles in their hands. A wooden cross must be held in front of the procession. The Gospel must be held well with reverence. Those who attend the procession must not be mere observers. Instead, all should participate by singing hymns or saying appropriate prayers. The arrangements for these must be done earlier by those who are in charge. It is possible to assess the activity of a church’s Sunday School, youth group or women’s group4 by observing their participation in such services of the church. Even though processions may be made more

3 4

Kurishumoodu Martha Mariam Samajam

47

grand and elaborate with adornments that exist in the particular communities or localities, and with umbrellas and flags, and with musical instruments, much care must be taken to avoid unnecessary conversations and behaviors that can distract people from what is important for their spiritual devotion and growth. If it is a procession on the feast day of the Mother of God or of any saint(s), then the Quqliyon of the Mother of God must be sung first and the priest should offer incense. Then he must take the cross in his hand and proceed and exit the sanctuary through the north door and after the procession reenter the sanctuary through the south entrance. He then must offer incense again while singing the Quqliyon of the saints. During the processions, the Quqliyon of the Cross may be sung at the crosses/shrines established outside the church, and the Quqliyon for the Departed may be sung in front of the cemetery. For the processions, in some places, there exists the practice of exiting the sanctuary through the west entrance and reentering through the same door. For a feast day of the Mother of God, sing the Quqliyon of the Mother of God as you exit, and as you come back, you may sing an Eqbo about the Mother of God,5. If it is a feast day of a saint, sing the Quqliyon of the Saint as you exit, and as you come back, you may sing an Eqbo about the saint6. If it is a feast of bishops, sing their Quqliyon as you exit, and as you come back, you may sing an Eqbo or any hymns that are about them.

C. Processions during sacramentals These are brief or less elaborate processions done around the church. Service books say that for these processions, you must take up umbrellas, flags, cross etc and exit

5 6

for example, “Thouneemar” for example, “B’dukhrono d’keene w’zadeeke”

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the sanctuary through the north door and reenter through the south entrance, all while singing the suggested hymns of the feast day. There is no need to sing the Quqliyon at the beginning and at the end of these processions. Neither is there a need to go to the outside crosses/shrines or to go around the church three times. The feast days on which processions are done are Christmas (Yeldo), Epiphany (Danaho), Palm Sunday, Entrance in the Haven (Vaade d’almeeno), Good Friday and Easter (Qyomtho). Being part of the Holy Week, the processions on Vaade d’almeeno and Good Friday are in the direction opposite to the usual practice, i.e., you must exit through the south and after going around the church reenter the sanctuary through the north entrance.

2. Nativity / Yeldo Day Service Time

- December 25 - Service around the fire - During the Hymn of the Angels 7 during Night Prayers Things to know in advance

a. A fire-pit must be made in the church courtyard where it is convenient. Dig a pit in the shape of a cross and arrange in it some dried wood broken into small pieces. Along with the wood, also arrange the leftover dry palm leaves from Palm Sunday. Add whatever appropriate burning material is available in that geographic location. Also have one or two torches (rags dipped in oil and wound around the end of a stick) to light the fire. b. Inform people in advance to bring the incense and the candles that are to be used during the service. Have the incense ready in a container.

7

Refers to the prayer, “Just as the exalted angels and archangels…”; in Malayalam, Maalakhamaarude Sthuthippu / “Melpetta Uyarangalil…”

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c. All items needed for making the procession solemn must be prepared on the previous day itself. As nights are longer in December, starting the prayers of the hours at 2:30 AM will give ample time. Do the suggested prayers in the books and at the end of Night Prayers8 do the Quqliyon and the common Bovooso, and then the priest and the deacons must temporarily retreat from the service so that they can enter the altar and wear their vestments. The incense that is to be put in the fire-pit should be blessed now (* It is customary in some places to let the people put the incense in the fire. But the incense brought by the people must not be put into the fire as it is. It must all be brought together and blessed by the priest and then distributed to all present). By this time, all should take up the materials used for the procession and be ready to exit through the north door. The priest must have the Cross in his hands. The procession begins with the accompaniment of umbrellas, flags, censer, the Gospel and candles, and the singing of the hymn, “The Virgin has begotten the Wonderful…”9 Go to the west side of the fire-pit and after finishing the hymn, sing “Paul the Blessed…”10 and read the epistle. The epistle reader must stand at the southeast side of the fire-pit when reading. After that the priest must go to the east side of the fire-pit and facing the west, read the Gospel. After that the priest should begin the Hymn of the Angels and everyone should join him in saying this prayer while the priest lights the fire at the east, west, north and south of the fire-pit. Following this, say the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, close not the door of thy mercy upon our faces…”11 and a Trisagion/Qaumo. End by singing “While going through Bethlehem, I

8

Lilio / Raathri “Bthultho yeldath dhoomoro…” / “Eeshanum ee marthyanmaarkum...” 10 “Paulose Sleeha dhanyan…” 11 “Moran Yeshu Mashiha…” 9

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saw…”12 while going around the fire three times and putting incense in the fire. Finish the procession around the church and proceed into the sanctuary through the south entrance. On the Feast of Nativity, you may or may not do the Service of the Veneration of the Cross. If you are conducting the Service of the Veneration of the Cross, you may do it after you enter the sanctuary after the procession. Priest and deacons must enter into the altar or on the bema and chant “Hau d’malaakhe…” and ceremoniously elevate the Cross. If you are conducting the Service of the Veneration of the Cross, there is no need to chant the Trisagion after the Hymn of Angels and “Lord Jesus Christ…” because “Hau d’ malaakhe…” is a Trisagion. After the Service of the Veneration of the Cross, remove the vestments and return to the prayer table and begin Morning Prayers with a Trisagion. At the end of Morning Prayers, the celebrant of the Holy Qurbana must enter the altar and begin the Preparation rites/ ‘Thooyobo.’ Others must continue with the 3rd hour and 6th hour prayers as usual and do the Old Testament readings. After the Preparation rites, the priests and the people kiss the Cross and the Gospel and offer their offertories. If offertories are not taken at this point, it will be sufficient to make the offertories after the Holy Qurbana. If offertories are taken before Holy Qurbana, people must not leave right after that. They must stay and participate in the Holy Qurbana. On this feast day, as many as possible must prepare to receive Holy Communion. Those who wish may take the ashes from the fire-pit to their homes for blessing crops.

3. Epiphany / Danaho Day Service Time 12

- January 6 - Blessing of water - After Preparation rites (Thooyobo) of Holy Qurbana

“Al Bethlehem…” / “Bethlehem vazhi pokumbol…”

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Things to prepare in advance Have a glass bottle for the blessing of the water. Also have at hand a small cross to close the bottle with and a veil/Shushefo with a cross on it to cover the bottle. If there is any blessed water remaining from the previous Epiphany, you must drink it or pour it into the baptismal font on the previous day itself. Clean the glass bottle, fill it with clean water for the next day, close the bottle with the cross and place it on the altar throne.

The Order of the Service After Morning Prayers and Preparation rites (Thooyobo) as usual, the clergy gets vested. A table must be prepared outside the altar to place the bottle. Give the bottle to one of the altar servers (* the priest himself may hold it instead) and cover that person’s head and the bottle’s mouth with the veil/Shushefo. The people should take up the materials for the procession (flags, umbrellas, cross etc) and exit the sanctuary through the north entrance. Those in the altar also proceed from the altar by singing, “The voice of praise of John”13 or “Brethren, let us go….”14 The Censer, the Gospel and the Cross also must be carried. Do one procession around the church and reenter the sanctuary through the south entrance. Place the bottle on the table, still closed with the cross and covered with the veil/Shushefo and place candles on both sides and begin the prayers. The chief celebrant says the introductory prayers (Slootho15). After Psalm 51, Enyono, Konoono-Yaunoyo, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Ethro, Scripture readings, the Gospel reading, and the litanies (Luthiniya), the priest reads the second Prumiyon. As there is the 13

“Qolo d’theshbuhtho…” / “Yohannan thann sthuthi geetham…” “Thau ahai…” / “Sodarare varuveen pokaam…” 15 Pronounced Slooso in India. 14

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service of the blessing of the censer at the end of the Sedro of this Prumiyon, the deacon, after censing all the people, must stand behind the priest swinging the censer, just like it is done during Holy Qurbana. This second Prumiyon must be read by the priest leading the service. While the Creed is recited after the censer is blessed, the deacon must go to the back of the church swinging the censer, just like it is done during Holy Qurbana, and he must stay behind the priest swinging the censer from the beginning of the next prayer to the end of the service. The priest continues the prayers with his hands lifted up. During the celebration with the veil/Shushefo, it must be done just as it is done during Holy Qurbana and the veil/Shushefo must be kept on the side as it is usually done. Remove the cross from the opening of the bottle. While touching the bottle, begin the prayer “The love of God the Father…”16, and draw the sign of the cross on the congregation17 as usual. Do the next prayers, and say the prayer “This water is blessed…,”18 while waving over the bottle with the right hand, and blessing the water three times in the name of the Holy Trinity. At this time, hand bells, fans etc must be used. Next, put the cross back in the opening of the bottle and take the bottle in hands and ceremoniously bless the water facing each of the four sides while chanting ‘hau d’maalakhe.’ When chanting ‘hau d’maalakhe,’ “Holy art thou O God” etc, say “Thou who received baptism for us, have mercy upon us” instead of “Thou who was crucified for us, have mercy upon us.” Sing one of the procession songs and proceed to the baptismal font. Remove the cross from the bottle’s opening and lay it inside the font. Pour three drops of water on the edges of the cross. During this time Psalm 51 may be

16

“Hoobo…” Rooshma 18 “M’barkeen yenoon maayo len…” / “Pithavinteyum Puthranteyum Parishudha Roohayudeyum naamathil nithya jeevanaayi ee vellam anugrahikkappettirikkunnu.” 17

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chanted. Leave the cross in there and close the baptismal font. Take the bottle of water into the altar and keep it on the altar throne. Afterwards, say the prayer “O Good and loving God…”19 and begin Holy Qurbana. After Holy Qurbana everyone drinks the blessed water and leaves. For those who are sick and those who were not able to come to church, send the blessed water to their homes. The remaining blessed water must be reverentially preserved in the church till the day before the next Epiphany and shall be given to people whenever they need it. If water is almost running out before the next Epiphany, pour some clean water into it and thus increase it. But this must be done and given out by the priest.

4. Reconciliation service / Forgiveness Service / Shubqono Day Service Time

- First day of the Great Lent - Service of Reconciliation. All who are present asks each others’ forgiveness and gives the kiss of peace - *At the end of noon prayers, after the Maneesa of Mar Severios and one Trisagion prayer (*this service is also now done in connection with evening prayers)

For this service, vestments are not needed. Begin the service with a cross and two lighted candles at the prayer table20. Do the introductory prayer (Slootho) followed by Psalm 51, Enyono, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Bovooso, Epistles, Gospel, Qolo and Bovooso. The Gospel can be read from the prayer table itself. Say the prayer ‘Lord Jesus Christ, close not the door of thy mercy’ 21 and a Trisagion/Qaumo. Afterwards, the priest gives a sermon about forgiveness of sins. Thereafter, the chief celebrant stands at the west side of the prayer table and makes the statement asking forgiveness, “Forgive me, 19

‘Aloho thobo’ Namaskara Mesha 21 “Moran Yeshu Mashiha…” 20

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my brethren…”22 and kneels down. Now the people also must kneel down and say, “Barekhmor, we ask forgiveness.”23 This must be done again when the priest makes the second statement. Afterwards, the priest says the final prayer (“May the beginning and the end of this Holy Lent be blessed…”24), and continues with the rest of the service, i.e., the Nicene Creed and the 40 prostrations. Chant the Quqliyon and the Hoothomo of the Mother of God as well as those of the Saints. During the Hoothomo, first the priests must give the kiss of peace to each other. They should start lining up on the north side, from east to west. Then the deacons should come forward (in order of their ranks/seniority) and kiss the priests’ hand and give the kiss of peace to each other and continue lining up next to the priests. Afterwards, the men should come forward and kiss the priests’ hand and give the kiss of peace to the deacons and to each other and line up next to them. Next, the women also should come and kiss the priests’ hand and stand on the south side and give the kiss of peace to each other. After Hoothomo, say the Lord’s Prayer and end as usual. Even though the book says that the Service of Reconciliation must be done after 3rd hour prayers, as that is inconvenient, it has become a common practice to do this service at the end of Noon prayers.

5. Mid-Lent Day Service Time

- Mid-Lent Wednesday - Veneration of the Cross - Either after Preparation rites (Thooyobo) of Holy Qurbana or after Besmalko. Usually it is done after Besmalko. Things to prepare in advance

22

“Sh’bookhlee ahai…” “Barekhmor Al Shubqono.” 24 “B’reekho nehwe…” 23

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The M’northo/Golgotha on which the Cross will be placed must be cleaned and placed in the middle of the church on the previous day. Cover the Golgotha with its cloth. Black covering cloth is needed for Holy Week and red for other days. This cloth cover may be stitched in two ways – either get the red and black made separately, or make a double sided cover with red on one side and black on the other. On both sides of where the Cross will be placed at the top, there should be provisions to place two candles and two fans25. The Cross also must be cleaned and covered nicely with the red uroro.26 In the beginning of Evening prayers on the previous day, after the Trisagion, the priest places the Cross on the Golgotha while singing one of the hymns of the Cross. The prayers are Lenten. But because there will be Holy Qurbana on Wednesday, during the Night prayers, say these usual prayers – “Be compassionate toward us in your mercy…”27, “And Mary said…” (Magnificat/Mavurbo), “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity…”28 etc. After “Praise to the Holy Trinity…”29 do the Quqliyon of the Mother of God, of the Saints, of the departed and the common Boovoso. Continue with the Morning prayers and the 3rd hour prayers of Lent. Do the Noon prayers from the Common Prayers30, namely “Trembled Mount Sinai…”31 etc. During Holy Qurbana, after Besmalko, take the Cross from the Golgotha and bring into the altar. Chant the Qolo of the Cross and do a procession outside the church (if

25

Maruvahsa Urarion / stole 27 “Be compassionate towards us in your mercy, O God of compassion; in our sacrifices and our prayers we make memory of our father who taught us, while they were alive, to be children of God; Son of God, raise them up in the heavenly kingdom with the just and the righteous in the world which does not pass away.”; Malayalam – “Naam daivathinte makkalaayi theeruvaan…” 28 Psalm 133; Malayalam – “Sahodaranmar orumichu vasikkunnathu….” 29 “Thrithwathinu sthuthi…” 30 i.e., Sh’eema Namaskaram 31 “Seenai Giri Nin…” 26

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inconvenient, do it inside the church) and reenter the altar. Thereafter, do the Service of the Veneration of the Cross on the four sides. This can be done in the altar, or on the bema or on the four sides of the M’northo/Golgotha. If the Exaltation will be done on the four sides of Golgotha, then there is no need to enter the altar at the end of the procession (The procession is not mentioned in the service books. It is done just as it seems timely for the occasion, but it is not seen in the books as mandatory). After the hymn is sung at the end of the Slootho towards each side, the people together chant ‘Kurieleison’ three times, while the Cross is elevated ceremoniously by the celebrant. At this time, use bells, fans etc. When the exaltation is done with ‘Hau d’malaakhe…’ all should respond by saying “Holy art Thou O God” etc. After the Veneration of the Cross, end with the Lord’s Prayer. Then place the Cross on the Golgotha, place the fans on both sides and light the candles on both sides. Offer incense and cense the Cross while singing the Quqliyon of the Cross. Thereafter, complete the remaining of the Holy Qurbana. After Holy Qurbana, everyone kisses the Golgotha, receives blessings and disperses. At noon, do the remaining Lenten prayers. Prostrations during the service or the 40 prostrations after the Creed are not done. When one candle is lit at the altar during prayers, light one candle on the M’northo/Golgotha also. When two candles are lit at the altar, light two candles on the M’northo/Golgotha as well. 6. 40th Friday of Great Lent

The forty day lent ends with Holy Qurbana on Friday. There is no special service for this. The hourly prayers are Lenten. Do the prayers after the pattern of Mid-Lent

57

Wednesday. This means not to give up Lenten patterns but since there is Holy Qurbana, make necessary changes to the Night Prayers and do the Noon Prayers from Common Prayers32 and celebrate Holy Qurbana. The 40 prostrations are not mandatory.

7. Palm Sunday/ Ooshana Day Service Time

- 6th Sunday of Great Lent33 - Blessing of palm leaves - After Preparation rites (Thooyobo) of Holy Qurbana (Some do this after Besmalko for the sake of convenience)

Things to prepare in advance The palm leaves must be cut well and tied into bundles in advance. In the bundle that the priest will hold, place palm leaves made into the shape of a cross. Mix cut pieces of palm leaves with flowers and put them in few baskets so that they may be used during the reading of the Gospel and other appropriate times. Flowers are strewn during evening, night, and morning prayers, during the procession, during the Palm Sunday special services, during Holy Qurbana, and during the hymn at the reading of the Gospel. Therefore, the arrangements must be made in advance to prepare these. Have the umbrellas, flags etc ready for the procession. The Order of the Service After the prayers of the hour and the Preparation rites/Thooyobo as usual, the clergy should get vested. To conduct the service, prepare a table outside the altar, in the space between the altar and the nave, and arrange the bundles of palm leaves on it. Distribute palm leaves to the children to hold during the procession. The children should

32

Sh’eema Sunday before the Feast of Resurrection/Qyomtho. Mar Severios says 6th Sunday. However, if you count the Miracle at the Wedding in Cana as the first Sunday, then this is the 7th Sunday. 33

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go in the front of the procession. They should be trained to hold the umbrellas, flags etc in an orderly manner. During the procession, no one should stay away from participating; instead all should attend with devotion. Only take enough flowers for use during the procession; do not take everything with you. Arrangements should be made to begin the procession from the north entrance. When those arrangements are complete, the priests and the altar servers (acolytes) should come out from the altar while singing the procession hymn34 and exit through the north entrance. The priest should have the crossshaped bundle of palm leaves in his hands. On his both sides, there should be candles and fans and in front, there should be the Gospel and the censer. After the hymn is sung once, it is good to say the words, “Hosanna to the son of David” in a loud voice. This can be done just by the children or by all. This way you can alternate between the hymn and the verses, in an orderly manner. It is usual that the chief celebrant reads Luke 19:28-40 when the procession reaches the west entrance of the church. Continue the procession as before with hymns and verses and complete one round around the church and enter the sanctuary through the south entrance. Place all the palm leaves on the prepared table. The palm leaves that the children used must also be collected and placed there. On the table, there must be a cross and candles on both sides. (If it is not convenient to do the service in the space between the altar and the nave, the table can be prepared in the altar, and the service can be done from there). Do the beginning prayer, Psalm 51, Enyono, Quqliyon, Eqbo, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Ethro, Hoothomo, Bovooso, Scripture readings and the Gospel reading as prescribed in the order. During the Gospel reading, when the priests and the deacons 34

“Man dein asqan…” / “Yerushalemile Vanmalamel…”; Translation of the hymn – “O that I might climb the high mountains of Jerusalem to behold the Son of God, the Word Incarnate, riding on a dumb colt and entering into Jerusalem…”

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chant the hymnal verse that begins with “Hosanna,” the children standing on both sides can strew and scatter the flowers, in an orderly and reverential manner. At this time bells and fans must be used. When this verse is chanted once, the priest should say the Malayalam prose35 to this verse and all should repeat it after him. Repeat this three times, with the hymn and the Malayalam prose (this may be done during the other Gospel readings as well on this day). When the Gospel reading is complete, the acolytes read the litanies (Luthiniya). The most important part of the service is next. As done in the Holy Qurbana, the priest lifts up his hands and says the prayers. At the end of the prayers, he blesses the palm leaves in the name of the Holy Trinity while gently waving over them with his right hand and chanting the prescribed prayer 36. At this time use fans, bells etc are used. Next, the chief celebrant takes the cross-shaped bundle of palm leaves and blesses it chanting ‘Hau d’malaakhe.’ To this all should respond with “Holy art Thou O God…” and instead of “Crucified for us” say “Son of David, Hosanna. Have mercy upon us.” After the celebration with the Palm leaves and the Lord’s Prayer, decorate the altar throne, the Golgotha etc with palm leaves. The priest should give the palm leaves to those in the altar in order of seniority and then come to the people and give them the palm leaves. When distributing the leaves, you may sing the hymn “Holy Holy…”37 or another hymn. Those receiving the palm leaf must put out both hands and receive it with reverence and kiss it and they should hold it throughout the Holy Qurbana. They should take it home as a means of blessing and preserve it with reverence. Those who are not 35

Here I am translating what Mar Severios says. He says so as Syriac was also used. Of course English may be used instead of Malayalam. 36 “M’barkeen enoon…”; “These branches that are set before us are blessed, in the name of the Father + … and of the Son + … and of the Holy Spirit + for everlasting life.” 37 “Qadeesh Qadeesh…”

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taking it home must return it to the church. The blessed leaves that remain after distribution must be preserved in a safe place, and can be burned on the feast of Nativity, during the service around the fire. Those palm leaves kept at home may be burned and the ashes may be mixed in water and used for the blessing of crops and for the relief from diseases.

8. The Entrance in the Haven commonly called the Parable of the Ten Virgins / Vaade d’almeeno Day Service Time

- Monday of Holy Week - Procession based on the Parable of the Ten Virgins - After second Qaumo of Night Prayers

For this service, the priest and the deacons must be vested. Begin the service at the prayer table with a cross and two candles. Chant the introductory prayer (Slootho), Psalm 51, Enyono, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Bothe d’hasho, and Bovooso in the Lenten tone. As the procession is next, all should get ready for it with lighted candles. Close the door on the west side of the church. Exit the sanctuary through the south entrance and proceed in a line. During the procession everyone should chant Psalm 117. It might be good if one person says a verse and the others repeat after him. When the procession reaches the west entrance, the priest stands on the doorsteps and reads St. Mathew 25:113 in the way Gospel is read during Holy Week. Process around the church one more time and continue until you reach the west entrance. After one hymn is sung, all should chant “Open, O Lord, unto me Your door which is full of mercies…,”38 the Eqbo of

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“Pthahalimor…”

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repentance. Following this, the chief celebrant should chant the next Eqbo39 by himself and all should repeat it after him. This should be done three times in this manner, and afterwards the door must be knocked and opened. All should enter the sanctuary through that door while singing the hymn “I fixed my mind….”40 Unvest and continue with Night prayers starting with the third Qaumo at the prayer table.

9. Holy Thursday / Maundy Thursday / Pesaha a) Holy Qurbana Begin the prayers early enough (around 2 AM) so that the Holy Qurbana will end early in the morning on Thursday. It will be sufficient to begin Holy Qurbana at the break of dawn. After Night, Morning and 3rd hour prayers, begin Holy Qurbana. When 3rd hour begins, the priest may enter the altar and someone else might take over leading the prayers outside the altar. It will be sufficient to draw the curtain and light the candles only when the priest enters the altar. The beginning of the Holy Qurbana must be with “Mary who brought thee forth…”41 as usual. However, instead of “Holy art Thou O God…” you must chant the Qaumo of Holy Thursday and after “Praise to thee, O Lord…,”42 say Kurieleison three times and begin “Those Apostles chosen sent by God…”43 as usual. Read the Gospel in the Holy Week pattern. After the Gospel reading, you may sing the special hymn for the day or the Qaumo of Holy Thursday. 39

This Eqbo starts like this in Syriac: “Al hau thar’o b’royo...”; Translation of this Eqbo: “Peter sat at the outer door weeping and crying out: Master, open your door, I am your disciple, heaven and earth weep for me because I have lost the keys of the kingdom.” 40 “Asdeth re’yon…” 41 “Mariam deelethok…” / “Ninne prasavicha Mariyam…” 42 “Lok mor theshbuhtho…” / “Naadha they sthuthiyum maanam...” 43 “Bhoovilashesham…”

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During the blessing of the censer, instead of “Holy is the Holy Father…”44 chant the Qaumo of Holy Thursday. Subsequently, sing “Praise to thee, O Lord…”45 and cense those in the altar and the people in the nave. All three instances in which the priest asks forgiveness to the people must be done as usual. However, at these times do not give the kiss of peace to other priests. After the Creed, for the first prayer after stepping up on the step, do the special prayer for Holy Thursday. The kiss of peace is not given and therefore, the related readings and the responses that are usually done are not done on this day. After the first prayer, the deacon should read “Let us bow our heads before the merciful Lord” and the people should respond with its usual response. After this the priest begins the next prayer. The instances of blessing the congregation (Rooshma) etc are as usual. All blessings must be done as usual. When the curtain is drawn during the breaking of the bread, sing the special hymn for Holy Thursday or the Qaumo of Holy Thursday. As the Quqliyon such as “See the royal daughter stand…”46 is not sung during Holy Week, it is not sung here either during the Holy Qurbana. Instead, at this time, sing the Qaumo of Holy Thursday along with “Praise to thee, O Lord…”47 and offer incense. The Qaumo of Holy Thursday can be sung also after coming to the west with the chalice and paten. After the dismissal (“Depart in peace…”48), sing “High priests and priests…”49 in the Holy Week tone, like the Bovooso of Mor Jacob. When giving communion to all, sing the hymn “Mystery….”50 44

“Qadeesh abo qadeesho…” / “Parishudhanaaya pithaavu parishudhan…” “Lok mor theshbuhtho…” / “Naadha they sthuthiyum maanam...” 46 “Ninnal sthuthiyodu…” / “Bes malko…” 47 “Lok mor theshbuhtho…” / “Naadha they sthuthiyum maanam...” 48 “Zeloon b’shlomo…” 49 “Melpattakkar pattakkarodu…” 50 “Rahasyam rahasyam…” 45

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(At noon, conduct Noon and 9th hour prayers. At that time, prostrations are not done.) b) Foot-washing Service Day Time Service

- Holy Thursday / Pesaha - After 2 PM - The bishop washes the feet of 12 people

In our church, only bishops do this service. This is done in commemoration of Jesus washing the feet of his twelve disciples before the Passover meal and thereby teaching them the lesson of humility and a life of service. Things to prepare in advance As it might be inconvenient to do this service inside the church, it can be done outside the church. Make a temporary tent where people can stand, and on its east side, make a platform. On the platform, there should be a table, the bishop’s throne and seating for the 12 people whose feet will be washed. For the 12 people to sit, put 6 seats on the north side and 6 seats on the south side. In the southeast part of the platform, keep the Gospel stand, and have two candles and censer readily available. The water needed for the washing must be kept in a pot. Have ready the following things – a jug for the water, a basin, a towel51 that the celebrant can tie around the waist and use for wiping, some cotton and some Holy Oil (Saithu) in a little container for putting on the feet after washing. Have soap at hand for the bishop to wash his hands at the end. As many priests and people are expected to be in attendance in services like this, special care must be taken to make the service solemn and appealing to the heart. It will

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be best to decide in advance who will be washed, who will read the Psalms, Prumiyon, Scripture Readings, Gospel etc. The bishop as well as the priests and the servers goes into the church singing hymns that reminds of foot-washing and says a Qaumo in there and comes back to the platform solemnly. Before the foot-washing begins, it will be suitable to give a sermon about the mystery of foot-washing and about living a life of service. As said earlier, seats must be arranged from east to west in two rows for those who will be washed. The most junior person should sit on the east end of the row on the south side. This way, the six most junior people must sit down in the order of their seniority. On the row on the north side, the most senior person should sit at the east end, in place of Peter. This way six people should sit on the northern side too. It will be proper for priests to wear the stole52.

The Order of the Service If the 9th hour prayers were not done earlier, do it from the platform and begin the service. After Slootho, Psalm 51, Enyono, Psalm 63, Enyono, Psalm 19, Enyono, Isaiah readings, Enyono, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Ethro, Bothe d’hasho, Bovooso and M’d’rashtha, Scripture readings are done. At this time, the bishop must sit on the throne facing the west and the twelve who will be washed must sit on the seats on both sides. The priest appointed to read the Gospel reads it when it is time for that (John 13:1-11). When the reading reaches the verse “During supper Jesus… got up from the table…” the bishop gets up from his throne. When it is read “he took off his outer robe…” he removes his outer robe. When it is read “he took a towel…” he takes the towel mentioned earlier and when it is read “tied around him…” he ties it around his waist. When it is read “he 52

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poured water into a basin…” pour water from the pot into the jug. The jug and the basin are placed in front of the bishop. Next the bishop says the Slootho (“Make us worthy O Lord God”53) and an inaudible private prayer. During his private prayer, everyone chants Kurieleison (‘Lord have mercy!’). After the next public prayer, the priest continues with the Gospel reading. When it is read “he… began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him…” the bishop bows down before the most junior person who is sitting on the east end of the row on the south side and begins to wash his feet. It is not necessary to wash both feet. It will be enough to wash just the right foot. The basin must be kept under the foot and water should be poured from the jug. During this time, others must sing the hymn “Gabriel was astounded…”54 or the other given hymn55. Before washing each person’s foot, the bishop says the prayer, “May the Lord God wash away from you all the behavior of the old man and renew you in spirit and in truth and all of us with you.”56 After each person’s foot is washed and wiped, he dips cotton in Holy Oil (Saithu) and draws the sign of the cross with it on the foot. If both feet are washed, then the sign of the cross is made on both feet. After having washed those on the south side, from east to west, wash those sitting on the north side, from west to east, and finally reach the most senior person who represents Peter. When the Gospel reader reads “He came to Simon Peter…” the person (usually a priest) representing Peter stands up and says, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Bishop: “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand.” Priest: “You shall never wash my feet.”

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“Hablan moryo…” / “Daivamaaya karthave! ninte jeeva vachanangale…” “Th’har Gabriel…” / “Erithee aayon thala thazhthi…” 55 “Aloho darkan rabooseh….” / “Thann mahima namichu mannmayare…” 56 “Nsheeg menok…” / “Daivamaaya karthavu ninnil ninnu…” 54

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Bishop: “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.” Priest: “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Bishop: “He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are clean, but not every one of you.”

After this conversation, Peter’s representative sits down and his foot is washed. Again, the person reading the Gospel continues with the reading, “For he knew who was to betray him….” When it is read “When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments…” the bishop takes off the towel and wears his outer robe. When it is read “and returned to the table…” the bishop sits on the throne facing the west. Now lift up his throne. The bishop reads the rest of the Gospel passage sitting on the throne. After the reading, bring the throne down. The twelve, whose feet were washed, stands up and Peter’s representative, on behalf of all, washes the foot of the bishop, wipes it with the towel and anoints with Holy Oil (Saithu). Then the bishop stands up and faces the east and says the next prayer. Everyone together sings the Bovooso and recites the Creed. The benediction is done following this. Afterwards, the bishop is solemnly led to the room.

10. Holy Friday / Good Friday Day Service Time

- Friday of Holy Week - Veneration of the Cross - 9th hour prayers

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Have the materials ready for the burial of the Cross, such as 4 cubits57 of white cloth58, cotton, incense, Sambrani59, rose–water60, vinegar, and aloes61. If the Morning Prayer of Holy Friday was not done earlier, enter the church at 8:30 AM and conduct Morning Prayer and Third Hour prayers. If Morning Prayer was conducted earlier, enter the church at 9 AM and begin Third Hour prayers. If the Scripture readings of the Morning prayers were not done already, do them before the Gospel reading of the Third Hour. The first procession may be done either right after the Creed at the end of Third Hour or after some rest and sermon. First procession The chief celebrant gets vested (wears the cope62) and takes the Cross from the M’northo/Golgotha and removes its decorations. He places the white cloth on his right shoulder and places the cross on it. The top end of the Cross must be on the right shoulder. The bottom end must be held in both hands together with the white cloth. Sing the hymn, “Cross he carried on shoulders…”63 and exit through the south door and do one procession in clockwise direction. When reaching each of the four sides of the church, there is a practice of the priest reading the prose of the hymn in a loud voice and iterating the last verse to the people and the people repeating it after him. Reenter the sanctuary through the north entrance and place the Cross on the M’northo. If no time was given earlier for rest and sermon, those may be done now. At 12 o’clock, begin the Noon

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Mar Severios says “4 muzham”; Muzham is a Malayalam measurement unit used in ancient trade. 1 muzham ~= 46.66cm ~= 1 cubit 58 Kodi mundu 59 Sambrani is a native incense commonly used in religious practices in India. 60 Panineer 61 Chenninayakam 62 Kappa 63 “Kad nophek men…” / “Sleebaye tholil thaangi…”

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Prayers followed by Ninth Hour Prayers. After Ninth Hour Prayers, begin the service of the Veneration of the Cross. The Order of the Service On the west side of the Golgotha, put a table and place a white cloth on it and the Cross on it. Priests and deacons must be vested. It is appropriate to wear vestments that are indicative of sadness and mourning and thus making it more meaningful. Do Slootho, Psalm 51, Enyono, Magnificat (Mary’s song), Mavurbo, “Praise the creator of light…”64, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…,”65 Enyono, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Ethro, Hoothomo, Qolo, Bovooso, Scripture readings and Gospel, and afterwards do the prostration before the Cross. Prostrations before the Cross can be done in three ways 1)

While singing “We bow before the Cross…,”66 the priests, in order of their seniority, offer incense and prostrate before the Cross and kiss it. At that time, the people also prostrate in their own respective places and then one by one comes and kisses the Cross.

2)

The people prostrate in their own places and do not individually kiss the Cross.

3)

The Cross covered in the white cloth is laid down and each person comes forward, prostrates and kisses the Cross.

Keep alternating between the hymn and its prose: “We bow before the Cross….”67

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“Prakaashathinte srishtavinu sthuthi…” Beatitudes; “Aathmaavil dharidhrar aayavar…” 66 “Sogadeenaan…” / “Aathmakkale rakshichoru…” 67 “Sogadeenaan…” / “Aathmakkale rakshichoru…” 65

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Second Procession Some do this right after the veneration of the Cross and some do this after ‘Hau d’malaakhe….’ Usually the second procession is done inside the church, but now some do it outside the church like the first procession. In either case, it is done in the clockwise direction. If it is done outside the church, exit through the south door and make a clockwise procession around the church and reenter the sanctuary through the north entrance. (* If it is done inside the church, there exists a practice of processing along the inside walls three times – twice clockwise and once anti–clockwise.) During the second procession, the Cross, including the white cloth, is placed on the left shoulder. At this time, sing the hymn “When Joseph and Nicodemus took you down…”68 or the hymn “Joseph, hailing from land of Arimathea…,”69 alternating between the two. Then stand in the Holy Place70 or on the bema if available, and do the celebration of the Cross on the four sides and ‘Hau d’malaakhe….’ Forefathers who have been trained in various traditions do conduct the veneration of the Cross in different orders. 1. Prostration before the Cross – Second Procession – ‘Hau d’malaakhe…’ 2. ‘Hau d’malaakhe…’ – Prostration before the Cross – Second Procession 3. Prostration before the Cross – ‘Hau d’malaakhe…’ – Second Procession The books that are in use now show it in the first order.

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“Qad ahathuk…” / “Yousepodu Nicodeemos…” “Had gabro…” / “Arimathea naattil…” 70 Azhikkakam – space between the altar and the nave 69

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Burial After ‘Hau d’malaakhe…’ place the cross, still covered in the white cloth, on the altar throne. In a wide basin-like container, mix and keep the bitter drink71. Dip the ends of the Cross in it. Hold the Cross above the container and pour rose water on the Cross. Take special care so that the water falls into the container and not on the floor. On the white cloth that is on the altar throne, spread cotton (as much as is needed according to the length and width of the Cross) and put powdered incense and Sambrani and place the Cross in it. Embalm the Cross, cover it with cotton and wrap and tie with the white cloth. Bury the Cross on the throne, or inside the throne if there is a compartment underneath, or in any other special place that is set for this. While doing all these, others may alternate between the hymns, “When Joseph and Nicodemus took you down…”72 and the hymn “Joseph, hailing from land of Arimathea….”73 When placing the Cross to bury, the head should be on the south side, the base on the north and the front slightly slanted to the east. In other words, the left side of the Cross must be a little elevated. To elevate the Cross this way, use the Gospel book. Place two unlighted candles, a censer, and a fan (Maruvahsa) with the Cross and close the door of the compartment and seal with wax. Conduct the Quqliyon (“Like a noble among the dead, Halleluiah…”74), Eqbo, Prumiyon, Sedro, Bovooso, Hymn of the Angels 75, Trisagion, Creed etc and then instead of Quqliyon sing the Qaumo (“O Christ, who by his death…”76) three times and offer

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Chorukka “Qad ahathuk…” / “Yousepodu Nicodeemos…” 73 “Had gabro…” / “Arimathea naattil…” 74 “Beth meethe bar heere…” / “Kabaril urangum hatharepol…” 75 Refers to the prayer, “Just as the exalted angels and archangels…”; in Malayalam, Maalakhamaarude Sthuthippu / “Melpetta Uyarangalil…” 76 “M’sheeho d’b’mauthe…” / “Mruthiyaal adiyaarude mruthi… ” 72

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incense. When singing “Praise to thee, O Lord…”77 turn towards the people and cense them and finish with the Lord’s Prayer. The bitter drink78 is distributed as a means of blessing and after drinking this, all are dismissed. It is also customary to conduct Evening Prayer before dismissing. A candle must be kept lit in front of the buried Cross until the Cross is resurrected. Liturgy must not be conducted on the altar in which the cross is buried. Therefore, on Holy Saturday, liturgy must be celebrated on a different altar throne. Do not remove the veil of the altar or enter the altar unless necessary.

11. Holy Saturday a) Holy Liturgy / Holy Qurbana This day is also known as the Saturday of the Gospel. Conduct Holy Qurbana commemorating the entrance of the Lord into the Hades. On this day people should give the names of their departed to be remembered in Holy Qurbana. Conduct noon prayers by 11:30 and following that, 9th Hour and then Old Testament readings, and begin Holy Qurbana. The pattern for Holy Qurbana is the same as that of Holy Thursday, except that the Qaumo is different; The Qaumo is “O Christ, who by his death….”79 After the Nicene Creed, say the special prayer for Holy Saturday. Everything else is the same as that of Holy Thursday. b) Service of Reconciliation (Shubqono) The service book shows that a Service of Reconciliation is done on Holy Saturday also. Though the book instructs to conduct the service after Ninth Hour, since there is 77

“Lok mor theshbuhtho…” / “Naadha they sthuthiyum maanam...” Chorukka 79 “M’sheeho d’b’mauthe…” / “Mruthiyaal adiyaarude mruthi… ” 78

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Holy Qurbana after Ninth Hour, the service is done after Holy Qurbana. After the celebrant of the Holy Qurbana unvests, begin the service at the Prayer Table. Have a cross and two candles on the table. Psalm 51, Enyono, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Bovooso etc must be done in the Lenten pattern and not that of Holy Week. The Gospel also is read as normal and not in the Holy Week pattern. Afterwards, the priest talks about repentance. Then the priest stands on the west side of the Prayer Table and following the service book for this service done on the first day of the Great Lent, makes the proclamation, “Forgive me, my brethren…”80 and kneels down. Now the people, in response say, “Barekhmor, we ask forgiveness”81 and they also kneel down. The priest continues with the second and third proclamation and kneels down each time, and the congregation also responds at the appropriate time. In the last greeting, instead of “at the beginning of this Lent,” say “at the end of this Lent.” The priests must give the kiss of peace to each other, and the people must kiss the priests’ hands. As it was done in the beginning of the Lent, men must give the kiss the peace among themselves and women among themselves.

12. Holy Resurrection/ Qyomtho Day Service Time

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- Last Sunday of the Great Lent - Two services: (1) the private service of Resurrection (2) the public Veneration of the Cross - beginning at 2 a.m. First Service – After 3rd Qaumo of Night Prayers Second Service – After Prayers of the hour and the private Preparation rites (Thooyobo) of Holy Qurbana

“Sh’bookhlee ahai…” “Barekhmor Al Shubqono.”

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The Feast of Resurrection must be celebrated with much festivities and elegance. All materials needed for the procession must be prepared on the previous eve itself. Have a red silk cloth (about the size of a veil/Shushefo) ready to decorate the Cross that will be resurrected during the service. Also have candles ready for all to use during the procession as well as other important moments. Make sure to remind people about this in advance. All the preparations must be done on Saturday itself after all the services, but before Evening Prayer. Remove all mournful vestments and materials of Holy Week. Decorate the throne with altar covering82 and put up new candles. Remove the Golgotha (M’northo) from the sanctuary, put on festal vestments and bring it into the altar and place it in the northern corner. Return the Gospel table to the altar and change its vestments, and put it in its usual spot. As the Evening Prayer is that of the Feast of Resurrection, it is done as normal. Light candles on the altar and also offer incense.

Order of the Service of Resurrection/Qyomtho In order to begin the Night prayers at 2 a.m., ring the bell in advance.

First Service When the third Qaumo of the Night prayers is almost done, the priest and some altar servers must enter the altar. The priest must put on his vestments now. Move the Golgotha/M’northo to the front of the altar. The celebrant priest goes to the place where the Cross is buried, opens the door and removes the burial clothes there itself. Clean up the incense, fragrance etc on the Cross with cotton and put on the uroro and cover it with 82

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the red silk cloth, and bring it out and place it on the Golgotha. Light new candles and place fans on both sides of the Cross. Begin the first service privately and conduct Quqliyon, Prumiyon, Sedro and Bovooso. Those in the sanctuary, after chanting the Bovooso of the third Qaumo of Night prayers, must remain chanting “Kurieleison” until the private prayers in the altar are completed. When done with the private services in the altar, the celebrant priest takes up the Cross from the Golgotha and comes to the west. Candles and fans must be held on both sides. The censer also must be taken. The congregants also must hold lighted candles. At this time, remove the curtain. The celebrant makes the proclamation of the resurrection in a loud voice. At the end of the proclamation made by the priest, “My brethren… Christ is Risen”, everybody responds by saying, “We believe that truly He is risen.” At this time bells and fans must be used. Do this proclamation three times. Afterwards, move the Golgotha from the middle of the altar to the north side and place the Cross on it. Also place candles and fans on both sides. The priest unvests and returns to the prayer table in the sanctuary and resumes the Night prayers, starting from “Halleluiah…” and continues with Morning, 3rd Hour and 6th Hour prayers as usual. The priest enters the altar and conducts the Preparation rites (Thooyobo). Those in the sanctuary must finish the prayers of the Hours and complete the Old Testament readings. After the Preparation rites, conduct the second service. Second Service All must wear liturgical vestments. The celebrant priest takes the Cross from the Golgotha and places it on the throne, on the north side of the Tablet 83. Remove the altar curtain and begin the service.

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Thablaitha

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After the introductory prayer (Slootho), Psalm 51, Enyono, Prumiyon, Sedro, and Qolo, have the procession. The procession must be held with the most festivities and elegant celebrations. People must take up the materials for procession and exit through the north entrance. The celebrant holds the resurrected Cross with both hands. Others must take up articles such as fans, candles, Gospel and relics of saints if any. Sing the hymn, ‘Truly am I the Gardner, O Mary…’84 during the procession and go around the church once and come back into the sanctuary through the south entrance. Place the Cross on the throne in the altar again and continue the service. After the Scripture readings and the Gospel, begin the Service of the Veneration of the Cross. All must have lighted candles. All the lamps and candles in the sanctuary and the altar must be lit now. The chief celebrant must take up the Cross, and candles and fans must be held on both sides. The censer also must be used now, continuously censing the Cross. At the end of the exaltation of the Cross on four sides, all must loudly say ‘Kurieleison,’ while the priest blesses the people with the Cross. At this time bells and fans must be used. While chanting ‘Hau d’malakhe,’ during the responses, instead of ‘Crucified for us,’ say ‘Christ who rose from the tomb for us.’ After the Lord’s Prayer, the service of receiving peace from the Cross is conducted. Keep the Cross on the throne in the altar. At this time, the Gospel must be kept on the north side near the throne. If there are relics of saints, keep them also there so that they may be kissed. When the hymn “Peace be to the altar and to the Cross…”85 begins, the chief celebrant first kisses the altar, then the Cross, the Gospel and the relics, and moves to the north side and stands facing the south side. If there are other priests, they

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“Oh Mariyaame njaan thottakkaran thanne…” “Shlomo l’madbaho l’sleebo…” / “Shlomo balivedi sleeba…”

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must come forward in order of their seniority to kiss all these, and afterwards give the kiss of peace to the celebrant and line up on the right side of the celebrant. The deacons and the altar servers follow them and give the kiss of peace to each other and line up. The last person who comes must give the kiss of peace to the people afterwards. Afterwards, the Cross and the Gospel is brought down to the sanctuary and kept on the prayer table, and the people also can come forward one by one to venerate and kiss them and make their offerings. At that time, sing the hymn “Rejoice! O people….”86 After all have come forward, bring the Cross back into the altar and place it on the Golgotha and begin Holy Qurbana. In some places, the people venerate and make their offerings only after the Qurbana. On this day, as many as possible must receive Holy Communion. Preserve the incense and cotton used for the burial with care. The incense may be used at the church itself or sent to homes of the sick. The white cloth may be used in the altar or to stitch server’s cassock. It may also be made into small kerchiefs to be used as face coverings for the dead. The Cross must remain on the Golgotha until the Feast of Ascension. During prayers, whenever one candle is lit on the altar, lit one candle on the Golgotha as well. When two candles are lit on the altar, lit two on the Golgotha also. From Resurrection/Easter to Ascension, prostrations are not done during prayers. Neither is fasting observed on Wednesdays and Fridays during this season.

13. Ascension Day Service Time 86

- 40th day after Holy Resurrection - Veneration of the Cross. This is seen in old books. So this may or may not be done. - After Besmalko

“H’dau aame…” / “Jaathikale modippeen…”

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The order of the service After “See the royal daughter stand…”/ “Besmalko…” the priest takes the Cross from the Golgotha and makes one procession, while chanting hymns of the Cross. He comes back into the altar and conducts the Service of the Veneration of the Cross. If the procession is done outside, exit through the north entrance and after processing around once, enter into the sanctuary through the south entrance and celebrate the Service of the Veneration of the Cross. While chanting ‘Hau d’malakhe,’ during the responses, instead of ‘Crucified for us,’ say ‘He who ascended into heaven.’ End with the Lord’s Prayer and place the Cross on the altar. This Service of the Veneration of the Cross may also be done without the procession.

14. Pentecost Day Service Time

- 50th day after Holy Resurrection - The 3 services of kneeling in the name of the Holy Trinity - During Holy Qurbana after Besmalko

Things to prepare in advance Have hyssop/leaves tied together to use for sprinkling the water at the end of each of the three services. The order Conduct the hourly prayers and Holy Qurbana as usual. After “See the royal daughter stand…,”87 keep the bowls for the water on the step below the throne in the altar. Pour water into the middle one and place the leaves in it and begin the first service. 87

Besmalko

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First Service This is addressed to the Father. After Slootho, Psalm 51, Konoono-Yaunoyo, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Ethro, Bible Readings, Gospel and Litany, when the deacon says, “Let us kneel down and pray to the Lord…,” all must get down on their knees and chant “Kurieleison.” The priest kneels down also and says a prayer in private. When the private inaudible prayer is done, the priest exclaims, “Through the power of God, rise!” He rises and so do the people. Someone picks up the bowl with water and holds it on the left side of the priest and the priest begins to sprinkle the water. Chant the hymn “Christ our God….”88 Sprinkle water on the throne and in the altar and the other thrones, and on the north side of the sanctuary and move towards the west entrance of the church. Turn back to the east and sprinkle on the south side and reenter the altar. During the sprinkling of water, it is appropriate to hold candles and fans on both sides of the priest. Continue singing the hymn until the sprinkling is done.

Second Service If there is leftover water in the first bowl, pour it into the bowl that is on the north side and move that bowl to the center. Pour more water and fill the bowl. The second service is addressed to the Son. Conduct this second service like the first service and end it.

Third Service If there is leftover water in the bowl used for the second service, pour it into the bowl that is on the south side and move that bowl to the center. Add extra water to fill the bowl. This third service is addressed to the Holy Spirit. Conduct this service like the 88

“Msheeho aloho deelan…” / “Mashihayaam daivam…”

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previous. After sprinkling the sanctuary reenter the altar and conduct the concluding prayer. At the end, all chant “Kurieleison” three times. Afterward, finish the rest of Holy Qurbana. If there is leftover water, pour it in a clean place.

15. Feast of the Holy Cross Day Service Time

- September 14 - Veneration of the Cross - After Besmalko The order

The service book of the Feast of the Holy Cross is not yet in circulation. It is seen only in some hand-written manuscripts. So it is not usually done. But if done, it is done after Besmalko. The celebrant priest takes up the Cross and makes a procession with solemn celebration, inside or outside the church, while chanting hymns about the Cross. If the procession is done outside, do it as it is done for other services. Come back and stand either on the bema or in the altar and conduct Slootho, Psalm 51, Enyono, Prumiyon, Sedro, Qolo, Ethro, the exaltation on the four sides and Hau d’malakhe and end the service. Celebrate the rest of Holy Qurbana. The same service may be used for the dedication, blessing or the purification of crosses/shrines. For this, the permission of the bishops is required.

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Conclusion

The objective of this thesis was two fold: translate the instructions for the Feastday services given in ഓ

േഡാക്സ്

റിയാനി സഭ െട

ഷാ സംവിധാന

സഹായി 1 (A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church), the liturgical guide written by Yuhanon Mar Severios and in the light of Mar Severios’ instructions, examine the influence of the Indian culture on the West-Syrian practices adopted by the Malankara Orthodox Church. Liturgy develops and therefore liturgical instructions are not set in stone. Liturgy is live and it changes over time to adapt to the needs and circumstances of the people. The Malankara Orthodox Christians also have been influenced by their local customs and their specific needs. Yet, the crux of the services remains the same as that of the ancient tradition the Malankara Church received from the West-Syrian church and liturgical services continue to be practiced with order and discipline in the Malankara Orthodox Church. And it is for the orderly and disciplined practice of the liturgical services that Mar Severios wrote the book, ഓ

േഡാക്സ്

റിയാനി സഭ െട

ഷാ

സംവിധാന സഹായി2 (A Guide to the Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Syrian Church).

1 2

Orthodox Suriyani Sabhayude Shushroosha Samvidhana Sahaayi. Ibid.

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The essence of these instructions is that they must be done with discipline and in an orderly manner, just like Apostle Paul conveys in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33: “What then, brethren? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silence in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” The Apostle Paul here instructs the church in Corinth that worship must be orderly and systematic. This is why Mar Severios has taken up the task of writing a systematic liturgical guide. Mar Severios wrote this book when the use of Syriac was on the decline and the use of Malayalam was on the rise for liturgical instructions as well as in liturgical services. Similarly now, the use of English is on the rise in the Malankara Orthodox Church. Liturgical services are being translated into English and there is a rising need for liturgical instructions also in English. It is in such a time that I hope to carry the spirit of Mar Severios in this generation, with the optimism that the Malankara Orthodox Church will continue to worship God and receive blessings through the practice of these ancient liturgical services. The goal of these liturgical practices is the worship and praise of God and our spiritual nourishment. Worship of God is the central aspect of Christian life and the practice of liturgical services is the remarkable stage for worshiping God in the Orthodox Church. Through these services, man seeks to return to his original state – his state of communion with God – in Paradise. While man continues to live in this world, he

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experiences Paradise and the Kingdom of God in the life of the Church, especially in the liturgical life of the Church. Though the specific shape and details of these liturgical services vary according to the local conditions, needs and circumstances, the inner truth and meaning of liturgical services across various Orthodox traditions remain the same. Mar Severios, in his book, aims to articulate, standardize and unify the services practiced in the Malankara Orthodox Church, showing how the services remain true to the faith and practices of the ancient church, while shaping them in the light of local conditions, though such adaptations are very rare in the case of the Malankara Orthodox Church. He writes this book with an effort to guide the faithful of the Church, so that they may continue to be spiritually nourished through the disciplined and orderly practice of these services and continue their journey towards Paradise and towards union with God.

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Bibliography

Primary Text: Severios, Yuhanon Mar. Orthodox Suriyani Sabhayude Shushroosha Samvidhana Sahaayi. Kottayam, India: Malankara Orthodox Church Publications, 2007.

Secondary Texts: Abraham, Philip C. Interviewed by author. 2 interviews - May 3, 2009; April 22, 2010. Chandanappally, Samuel. Malankara Sabha Pithakkanmar (Malankara Church Fathers). Chandanappally, India: Ceedees Books, 1990. Cheeran, Joseph. “Yuhanon Mar Severios: Malankara Sabhayude Pravachaka Prathibha,” Puthupally Church Dedication Magazine (2003): 145-153. Dalmais, I. H. Eastern Liturgies. New York, 1960. Daniel, David. The Orthodox Church of India. New Delhi, 1986. Konat, Johns Abraham. Syrian Heritage of the St. Thomas Christians. May 1, 2009 . Konat, Mathen. Nadapady Kramangal. Pampakuda: Pampakuda Publications, ~1900. Pachomios, Joseph Mar. Orthodox Sabhayude Aaradhanayum Aachara Anushtaanangalum. Kottayam: Malankara Orthodox Church Publications, 1991. Project for Preserving the Manuscripts of the Syrian Christians in India. May 2, 2009 . Samuel, Mar Athanasius Yeshue ed. Ma’de’dono: The Book of the Church Festivals According to the Ancient Rite of The Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch. New Jersey: Metropolitan Mar Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, 1984. Varghese, Baby. West Syrian Liturgical Theology: Liturgy, Worship and Society. Ashgate Publishing Company, 2004.