The Nestorians and their Rituals/Volume 2/Chapter 3
CHAPTER III.
OF THE HOURS OF PRAYER, AND OF THE RITUALS AND LITURGIES OF THE NESTORIANS.
Before enumerating the particular formularies used by the Nestorians in the celebration of divine service, I shall briefly notice the canonical hours of prayer, or those seasons of every day which were appointed for the worship of God, and the changes which have taken place in these, as evinced by their present practice.
The day with the Nestorians, as with all other Orientals, begins immediately after sunset, and the service appointed for that hour is called d'Ramsha, or Vespers. After this the congregation dispersed, and returned to the church about dusk for the Soobaa, or Compline. This latter service, however, has altogether ceased, and is only used during Lent, the three days commemorative of the humiliation of the Ninevites, and on the eve of certain festivals, when it is joined to the vespers and forms with that one service. The next in order is the Slotha d'Lilya or Nocturns, for which the particular prayers called Moutwé [literally, Thrones; during the reading of which all the congregation sat,] are appointed. After this followed the Shahra, or Lauds, supposed to begin with day-break; and after these the Slotha d'Sapra, or Prime. The custom, however, of rising in the night for the purpose of celebrating public worship has long become obsolete, and the nocturns, lauds, and prime, at the present day, form one service, generally called Slotha d'Sapra, or Morning Prayer.
The following extracts from the synodal collection of Mar Abd Yeshua throw some light upon the hours of prayer, as formerly received by the Nestorians, and the cause of those changes which took place in after times:—
"Jesus Christ, our good and merciful God and Lord, Who knoweth the frailty of our mortal nature, in His Divinity by the prophets, and in His united Divinity and Humanity by the Apostles, enjoined upon us seven times of prayer, suited to our condition. And the Catholic Fathers, who themselves followed this rule, appointed the same for monks and anchorites, and their successors ordained that each of these seven services should consist of three hoolâlé, [a hoolâla is a certain number of psalms,1] which rule is still observed by the holy priests and righteous believers who are much given to prayer. But the Fathers who rose up in after times, perceiving that all the people were not equally well disposed to divine worship, and moreover that their ordinary occupations did not always allow of their perfecting it according to the Canons, ordained that the services for laymen should be four in number, viz. Vespers, Compline, Nocturns, and Lauds,2 which decree they sealed with the words of our Lord.
"The order of Vespers and Lauds is of canonical authority, and can neither be added to nor abridged. The order of Compline and Nocturns, according to the use of Deir Alleita[1], 3 is as follows: The Compline consists of one hooldla, an anthem, a short doxology, a collect, and a litany. The Nocturns consist of five or seven hooldle, an anthem, a short doxology, a collect, and a litany. On account of the necessary worldly occupations of laymen it was permitted that they should observe these services voluntarily; but the Lauds and Vespers as ordered by the canons without intermission." The reasons for the above appointed hours of prayer are thus given by the same author:
"The first service is that of the Lauds, which is offered up by laymen in behalf of their different worldly callings, and in order that they may be delivered from and strengthened against those hostile spirits, who roam about at noonday seeking to ensnare men into sin. And because labour precedes rest, the labourer should pray that he may obtain rest. The angels, likewise, at the beginning of time sang praises as soon as the light was created. For these reasons the Laud prayers rank first.
"The second service is that of Vespers, and its proper season is just before sun-set. Herein thanks are offered to God for our preservation during the day, as also for the coming night ordained for our repose. In it we likewise implore the mercy of God for those errors, short-comings, and follies, of which we have been guilty during the past day, and that we may be preserved from 'the pestilence that walketh in darkness.'
"The third service is called Soobaa, [literally Satiety] from the practice of those holy men who fasted all their days, [and who ate only at night;] but by laymen it is styled 'the prayer before sleep.' At this time it becomes us to recal to mind all the sins which we have committed, and to supplicate pardon from the merciful Lord; and moreover to think of death, and to resolve, before God, that if spared we will, to the best of our frail nature, endeavour to sin no more. We should also, at this time, consider the coming judgment of God, that whilst buried in sleep our dreams may not be of those vain acts which we have committed during the day.
"The fourth service is that of the Nocturns, and its time every believer will fix according as he is zealously affected in this holy exercise. Some pray at the first, others at the second, and others again at the third cock-crowing; but the common hour now observed is when all the congregation assemble in the church for Divine worship.[2]
I shall now proceed to notice the books in which all the Church services of the Nestorians are contained.
First, the Euanghelion, which consists of extracts from the four Gospels, and is read during the celebration of the Liturgy, of which it forms a part. The portions appointed for Sundays and festivals are also read on the eve of these days, and form the conclusion of the Vesper service.
Shlieha, literally the Apostle, consists of extracts from S. Paul's Epistles only, and is read during the celebration of the Communion office. These two form separate volumes.
Karyane, Readings or Lessons,4 consists of extracts from the Old Testament and the Acts of the Apostles. The First Karyâna is always from the Old Testament, and in a few cases the second Lesson also; but this latter is more generally taken from the Acts of the Apostles.
The above three rituals form a part of the Eucharistic office, or Liturgy, and are read in the following order: the Karyâna first, then the Shlieha, and lastly, the Euanghelion. The Karyâna is read by the Karoya, or Reader, one of the minor orders, at the door of the altar, on the south side; and the Shlieha by the Hypodiakon on the north side. The Euanghelion is read by the officiating priest in front of the altar; but whilst reading all these three turn their faces to the congregation. Should a Shammâsha Euanghelaya,5 or one who has attained to the full order of Deacon, be present, it is customary for the priest to direct him to read the Gospel.
Unless a priest has a Shammâsha, i. e., a deacon or assistant of one of the three orders above mentioned to serve with him, the Liturgy cannot be celebrated. And if only one is present, be he of either of these orders, it is usual for him to read the Lesson and Epistle.
Besides the Euanghelion, Shlieha, and Karyâné, the Nestorians have another book called Turgama, literally Interpretation, consisting of a collection of hymns, calling upon the faithful to give ear to the words of the New Testament, with other pious exhortations bearing upon the same subject. Portions of this book are appointed to be read before the Epistle and Gospel.6 The Chaldeans have almost discontinued the use of this ritual, as it is only used by them on great festivals, and when high mass is celebrated. The Turgâmé are chanted responsively by the officiating deacons around the altar.
Before the reading of the Karyâna the deacon exclaims aloud: "Sit down, and be silent;" and, when it is ended, the people rise at the bidding of the same minister, who then gives notice of the short psalm which is to follow, and which is then taken up and sung by the officiating priest. This psalm is called Shoorâya,[3] and generally consists of two verses taken from the Psalter, to which the Gloria Patri is added. The Shoorâya,7 therefore, appears to hold the same place in the Nestorian liturgy, as the tractus does in the Roman, the προκείμενον in the Constantinopolitan, and the psalmellus in the Milan liturgies.[4]
The Shlieha, or Epistle, as we have already observed, is now recited near the altar, but formerly it was read on the Gagolta,[5] the name given to an ambon at the western end of the church, consisting of two raised stone platforms, placed opposite to each other, and reached by several steps or stairs. The Turgâma being ended, the deacon proclaims the title of the Epistle, and begins the lesson with the invocation: "Give Thy blessing, Lord," and the apostolic address: "My brethren." At the conclusion of the Epistle, the deacon says: "Praise be to Christ our Lord," after which the Zoomâra, literally a song or hymn, consisting like the Shoorâya, of a couplet from the Psalms, the Alleluia, and the Gloria Patri, is chanted alternately by the officiating priest and deacons. This anthem seems to hold the place of the Alleluia sung after the Epistle in the Roman Liturgy, and of the hymns called prosæ or sequentiæ8 of Notker, abbot of S. Gall in Switzerland, and which were sung after the Graduale.[6]
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EASTERN END OF THE CHURCH OF ET-JÂHARA AT MOSUL.
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WESTERN END OF THE CHURCH OF ET-JÂHARA, AT MOSUL
SHOWING THE GAGOLTA.
The appointed Turgâma being next read, the deacon Epistler takes the censer and says aloud: "Stand ready to hear the holy Gospel;" and another adds: "Let all keep silence." Whereupon all the congregation present uncover their heads. The officiating priest then begins with the salutation: "Peace be with you;" to which the deacons and people respond: "With thee, and with thy spirit." After which, the proclamation of the Gospel from whence the lesson is taken being made, the deacon adds: "Glory be to Christ our Lord." The Gospel ended, the deacon again exclaims: "Glory be to Christ our Lord; and let us all commit ourselves and one another to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."
It is worthy of note that the selections from the Gospels and Epistles, read during the celebration of the Nestorian liturgy, are strikingly adapted to the several occasions for which they are appointed, and are generally remarkable for their devotional and practical character.
The Daweedha, literally David, or the Psalter, is considered as the principal spiritual food for all devout worshippers, and is therefore largely used in the service of the Nestorians. As in the orthodox Eastern Church, the Psalms appointed to be read in the Nestorian ritual are divided into twenty cathismata, called Hoolâle, and a twenty-first hoolâla (always bound up with the Psalter), consists of the two songs of Moses from the fifteenth chapter of Exodus and the thirty-second of Deuteronomy, the latter being divided into two.
After the angelic hymn, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men," and the Lord's Prayer, with which every service commences, the Psalms succeed in the following order: one half of the entire Psalter is now chanted at the morning service of every Sunday, viz., nine hoolâlé appointed for the Nocturns, and one for the Laud,9 to which are added the psalms for Lauds. These, which are Ps. xcv., xci., civ. to v. 16, cxiii., xciii., clxviii., li. to v. 18, clxix. and cl., are invariable, and are read at every Matin throughout the year. For the week-day Nocturns the Psalter is divided into six portions, consisting alternately of three and four hoolâlé. For the Vesper service several entire psalms are appointed to be read consecutively. These are selected from different parts of the Psalter, but the same portions are read at the Vespers week by week.
In Lent, however, the order varies considerably from the above. It is appointed that during this season the whole Psalter shall be read over twice at the six weekly Nocturns, i.e., one-third at every Nocturn. Moreover it is so ordered that at the third, sixth, and ninth hours—services occurring between the Lauds and Vespers during Lent,—and at the Vespers and Compline of this season, the entire Psalter shall be read over twice during the six days of the week.
During the Baootha d'Ninwâye, or three days' fast in commemoration of the deliverance of the Ninevites, the whole Psalter must be said once daily between the Nocturn and Matin, divided into several portions as is set down in the office for that fast.
Besides the above use of the Psalter, one psalm, or the portion of a psalm, is appointed to be recited at the opening of every office, at the Baptismal, Eucharistic, Burial, and every other Church service.
The psalms are always chanted by two persons, sometimes by the officiating priests and deacons, and sometimes by laymen. The priests usually recite them from memory, but the laymen from the written Psalter. A Psalter is placed on each side of the chancel, and after one verse is chanted the person on the opposite side chants the second, and so on alternately until the appointed portion is ended. At the conclusion of certain psalms the Gloria Patri is added.10
The Khudhra, or Cycle of services for all the Sundays throughout the year, for Lent, and for the Baootha d'Ninwâyé, is a collection of anthems, responsories, hymns, and collects, comprised in a large folio volume containing upwards of eight hundred pages. Yeshua-yau of Hdeyyeb, as mentioned by Mar Abd Yeshua, arranged the order of the Khudhra, but in what year does not appear. It "must however have been long before his time, as his name is given among the first recorded in his catalogue of the Nestorian fathers. The last revision, according to the historical notices found in the prefaces to this ritual, was made in the Deir Alleita, cir. a.d. 1250.
The Kash kôl, (literally a collection from all, and generally written as one word and pronounced Keshkool,) comprises a collection of prayers taken from the Khudhra, and appointed to be used at the Nocturns and Vespers of all the week days throughout the year.
The Kdham oo d'Wathar, literally the Before and After, so called with reference to the two divisions of the congregation separated by the nave, and styled severally the Gooda alleita, or high choir, and the Gooda tahteita, or under choir. The Khudhra, in a rubric for every Sunday, directs whether the service is d'kadhmâya, or d'ahrâya, i.e., whether it is to be said Before or After. If Before, then the high choir, or the portion of the congregation on the north side of the church, begin the daily prayers during the ensuing week; if After, then the under choir, or the congregation on the south side, shall open the service for the same appointed period. The rubrical order of the Khudhra directs that this change shall take place on alternate Sundays. The Kdham oo d'Wathar contains a few prayers, extracts from the Psalter, and the whole psalms as appointed to be used at the Matins and Vespers of week days, and the psalms and two or three collects appointed for the Matins of every Sunday.
The Gezza, or Treasury, contains the services for all the festivals (Sundays excepted) throughout the year. Like the Khudhra it comprises anthems, hymns, and collects; but beside these it includes other capitula having especial reference to the subject commemorated. It is a large folio volume, equal in size to the Khudhra.
The Aboo Haleem contains a collection of collects appointed to be read at the conclusion of the Nocturns of all the Sundays throughout the year, of the festivals, and the three days of the Baootha d'Ninwâyé, before the commencement of the Matins. Thus after the Nocturn is ended, instead of beginning the following service with the angelic hymn, "Glory to God in the highest," &c., two collects from this collection are said, and then the Matins commence. The Aboo Haleem contains many very ancient collects, and the title of the book is supposed to be derived from the patronymic of the person who compiled it, the Catholicos Mar Elîa III.
The Baootha d'Ninwaye, or the Prayer of the Ninevites; a collection of hymns in verse ascribed to Saint Ephraem Syrus. These poems contain an historical account of the wickedness and subsequent repentance of the Ninevites, with many exhortations and injunctions to humihation and penitence in order to secure forgiveness. This commemorative service begins on the twentieth day preceding the first of Lent, and lasts for three days, viz. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
The Taxa d'Amadha, or Baptismal office, is sometimes met with in a separate volume; but it is more frequently bound up with the Liturgies.
Liturgies; of these the Nestorians possess three, viz. that known as the Apostles', that of Theodore the Interpreter, and the Liturgy of Nestorius.
The Liturgy of Nestorius is directed to be used five times during the year, viz. on the festival of the Greek Doctors, on the last day of the Baootha d'Ninwâyé, on the feast of S. John the Baptist, on the Epiphany, and on the Thursday before Easter.
The Liturgy of Theodore is appointed to be used from the first Sunday in Advent to Palm Sunday.
The Liturgy of the Apostles is used throughout the remaining portion of the year.
The Kthawa d'Burrakha, or Book of Matrimony, is generally bound up separately.
The Kahneita is the Burial Service appointed to be read over persons who die in holy orders.
The Anneedha is the Burial Service for deceased laymen. These two offices, beside the service to be observed in the church and at the grave, contain all the instructions about the washing of the dead body, and the other solemn rites which are to be performed before the corpse is borne from the house, the processional anthems, and the prayers appointed for the commemoration of the dead during the three days following the burial.
The Taxa d'Siameedha, or the Office of the Laying on of hands, contains the Ordination services for conferring all the clerical and ecclesiastical orders and degrees.
The Khamees, a collection of hymns chiefly in exposition of the Life, Parables, and Miracles, of the Saviour, and on the duty of repentance. The author of these poems lived in the twelfth or thirteenth century, and was the fifth son of his parents, whose cognomen was Kardâhé, blacksmiths. Hence he is called Khâmees bar Kardâhé.
The Warda, a collection of hymns similar to the above, written and compiled by Gheorghees Warda, a famous Nestorian poet, who seems to have been a cotemporary of Khâmees bar Kardâhé. The poems, like those of Keble, were evidently written in adaptation to the Church festivals, the particular occasions and services for which they are fitted being noted at the head of each. That they were written before the last revision of the Khudhra is clear, since in that ritual there is a rubrical direction appointing what hymn in the two collections is to be used. Some are chanted immediately after the reading of the Gospel in the Liturgy, and others are recited whilst the communicants are partaking of the holy elements.11
Taxa d'Hoosaya, or the Office of Pardon, contains the service used in the restoration of offenders to the Church, and the prayers read over penitents before they are admitted to the holy Communion. There are several short offices of this kind in use among the Nestorians.
It is a circumstance worthy of note with regard to these manuscript Rituals, that notwithstanding their number, and the extent of country over which they are scattered, there is a striking uniformity in all the copies now in use both among the Nestorians and Chaldeans, except where these latter have either omitted parts of the original text, or altered it to suit their present conformity to Rome. The only way of accounting for this coincidence is afforded by the operation of that Canon, which made it obligatory upon all the Metropolitans and Bishops to appear in person or by proxy, once in six years, to testify of their faith and obedience before the Catholicos. It was on these occasions, in all probability, that the suffragans, either of their own accord, or by superior order, took note of the minor alterations which were made in the rituals at the patriarchate, and on returning to their different sees ordered that the same should be effected throughout the churches under their episcopal supervision.
- ↑ Deir Alleita, literally the High Convent or Church, dedicated to Mar Gawrièl and Mar Auraham, It is situated at the north-west part of Mosul, just within the city wall, where its ruins are to be seen up to the present day. From several notices, of frequent occurrence in the MSS. still extant, it appears that there existed here a famous seminary or college, and that here the last revision of the Nestorian Ritual was made under the superintendence of the Patriarch, and a conclave of Bishops. When the unfortunate Nestorians were driven from their mountain homes by the barbarous Coords, many of them, and more especially the priests, paid devout visits to this spot, and it is still a common practice among the Chaldeans who seek any special blessing, to resort to these ruins, where after lighting a taper, near where the altar is supposed to have stood, they offer up their prayers to Almighty God.
- ↑ From the Sinhadòs, or Canons, collected by Mar Abd Yeshua, a.d. 1298.
- ↑ Literally, the beginning; so called perhaps from the notice which the deacon gives of the first words of the appointed psalm.
- ↑ See Palmer's Origines Liturgicæ, Vol. I. chap. iv. § 4.
- ↑ Literally Golgotha, probably so called on account of the steps which led up to the ambon. The Golgotha of the New Testament is supposed to have been a mound or hill. This species of pulpit has fallen into disuse, and has been pulled down in most of the Chaldean churches. The only one which I have met with, is that in the Tâhara, or church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin in Mosul, two views of which are hereto annexed. The churches of the mountain Nestorians are generally so small, and of comparatively so late a date, that I doubt whether the Gagolta was ever erected in them.
- ↑ See Palmer ubi supra.