Gospel, Preface, Anaphora - Eastern Liturgies

Excerpted from Syrian Christians, A Brief History of the Catholic Church of St. George in Milwaukee, Wis. And a Sketch of the Eastern Church, by Exarch Anthony J. Aneed, Milwaukee, 1919.

Note: the following passages from Father Anthony Aneed's 1919 book explain many of the differences between the various rites of the Catholic Church. Because the book was originally written nearly eight decades ago, it may seem somewhat dated, since there have been many changes in the outward practice of the church. None-the-less Fr. Aneed's words explore the traditional rituals of the Eastern Catholic Churches and allow the layman to better understand our practices and faith.

The ceremonies attending the reading of the Gospel in the East resemble the Latin rite very closely. In the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom the deacon, kneeling down at the feet of the celebrant before the procession moves, asks the customary blessing in these words: "Sir, bless the preacher of the holy Apostle and Evangelist N." (here the name of the Gospel is mentioned); then the priest, making the sign of the cross upon him, says: "May God, through the preaching of the holy and glorious Apostle and Evangelist N., give the word with must power to thee, who evangelizest to the accomplishment of the Gospel of his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ." After this the procession moves to the ambo, and everything goes on much in the same way as with ourselves at Solemn High Mass. With the Abyssinians, the deacon makes a circuit of the entire church at this place, saying with a loud voice as he goes along: "Arise! Hear the Gospel and the good tidings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." This circuit is intended to signify the promulgation of the Gospels by the Apostles throughout the entire globe., in accordance with the sacred text, "Their sound has gone forth into every land, and their words unto the end of the world." (Ps. XVIII. 5).

The Copts, instead of making the circuit of the Church in this way, go around the altar in a procession, headed by an immense number of acolytes and other ministers bearing torches and incense. The display is very imposing. After the Gospel has been chanted it is first kissed by the clergy, it is then covered with a silken veil and presented to be kissed by the people (Renaudot, Liturg. Orient. I. 190). It is customary also with the Coptic prelates, should any be present, to put aside their mitres and crosiers at this time, and remain slightly bowed down during the entire chanting.

The Greek bishops, besides rising up to hear the holy Evangel, also put aside their omophorion. The omophorion of the Greek serves the same end as in the Latin rite the Pallium, testifying thereby, according to St. Simon of Thessalonica, their total subjection to the Lord. (Goar. Euchol. Graec., p. 223).

All of the Prefaces terminate with the "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts," etc. This is called the Trimphal hymn, sometimes the seraphic, and is taken from Isaias, VI. 3: St. John also mentions it in the fourth chapter of his Apocalypse. The Greek recite the termination of the Preface - that is the "Holy, holy, holy," etc. - as well as in Latin.

At Solemn Mass, as the reader knows, the Preface is chanted throughout by the celebrant. The choir is of the simplest kind of plain chant, but very soul stirring. It is k own how deeply affected some of the ancient Fathers used to be when singing this part of the Mass, and what abundance of tears its celestial melody often drew from their hearts.

The Preface called by the Easterns the Anaphora (although this word also includes the Canon of the Mass), begins and ends almost precisely like the Latin rite. According to a ritual of Gabriel, Patriarch of Alexandria, directions are given to the priest to make the sign of the cross three different times at the "Sursum corda": first, upon himself; secondly, upon the attending deacons; and, thirdly, upon the congregation (Renaudot, I. P. 206). In the East, as well as in the West with ourselves, it is customary to stand up always the moment this portion of the Mass begins, and this as a testimony of the great respect that is due it. At Low Mass, however, the rule is to remain kneeling.

The Greeks call the "Holy, holy, holy," etc., the Triumphal hymn, as the Latins do. The "Gloria in excelsis" they call the Angelic hymn. Their Trisagion, or Thrice Holy, which the Latin church recites on Good Friday and of which we have given a full history already, is that which begins with "Holy God, Holy Strong One, Holy Immortal One." They have another hymn, called the Cherubic, which they recite in the Mass soon after the expulsion of the Catechumens. It is worded as follows: "Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim, and sing the Holy Hymn of the Life-0giving Trinity, lay by at this time all wordly (sic - worldly) cares, that we may receive the King of Glory invisibly attended by the angelic orders. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia."

In the Ethiopic Liturgy four archangels are particularized in the Preface, viz., Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Suriel, or, as he is more commonly styled, Uriel. The Syriac Liturgy of Philoxenus mentions the celestial spirits after a somewhat singular manner, thus: "Thus jubilees of Angels; the songs of Archangels; the lyres of Powers; the pure and grateful voices of Dominations; the clamors of Thrones; the thunders of Cherubims and the swift motion of Seraphim." Immediately before he conclusion of the Preface in the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom mention is made of the celestial spirits as singing, bellowing, crying, and speaking. According to some Oriental commentators, the four Evangelists are here mystically represented. The singing with a loud voice alludes to St. John, who, on account of the lofty flight of his genius, is aptly compared the eagle, and is generally represented in art with this bird by his side. The bellowing refers to St. Luke, who, on account of his setting forth the priesthood of our Lord so conspicuously, has been always represented by an ox, the sybmbol of sacrifice. By the crying or roaring like a lion St. Mark is meant, as he is said to be pre-eminently the historian of the Lord's resurrection; and Eastern tradition has it that young lions are born dead and are brought to life after three days (the time our Saviour was in the grave) by the roaring of their sire. And by the speaking - that is, like a man - St. Matthew is meant, on account of his dwelling so much on the human nature or our Lord. In art he is generally represented by the figure of a cherub, which is supposed to resemble a human being so much (Neale, Holy Eastern Church, I. p. 470; Symbolism in Art, by Clara E. Clement, p. 18; also St. Jerome on the Four Evangelists).

At the conclusion of the Preface the little sanctuary bell is rung to remind the people of the approach of the most solemn part of the Mass, in order that their attention may be fixed upon it more earnestly.