Respect for the Material Elements in the Mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist According to the Maronite Church
Chorbishop Gregory Mansour
Protosyncellus/Chancellor
of the Eparchy of Our Lady
of Lebanon of Los Angeles
Sept. 2, 2001
In the letter to the Colossians, Paul says:
"He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creatures. In Him everything in heaven and on earth was created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, principalities or powers; all were created through Him and for Him." (1:15-17)1
According to the "metaphysics" of this world-view, everything, whether it be wood, olives, or pearls, makes visible the invisible. Ephrem, the fourth century Syriac poet, says that wood alludes to the Cross of Christ, the olive, how the Anointed One would be crushed and healing ointment would flow from Him, the pearl, shows how the Incarnation of the Perfect One could come from imperfect human nature.2
In referring to their abilities to reveal Christ, Ephrem, describes Nature and Scripture in this way:
"Look and see how Nature and Scripture are yoked together. Wherever you turn your eyes, there is God's symbol. Once Nature and Scripture had cleansed the land, they sowed in it new commandments - in the heart so that it might bear fruit; Praise to the Lord of Nature! Glory to the Lord of Scripture."3
This view of the world from an ancient Syriac poet resembles what contemporary Christians are only now rediscovering.4 To the Syriac Christian, the world is the sacrament of God's presence; but the world is inconceivable without Christ, because God created the through Him, in order to share Himself with us. Thus He dropped hints of His plan everywhere in Scripture and in Nature, and it is man's task to look and see.5
However, creation, by the very fact that it is not the Creator, also conceals, unable to contain the entire Mystery of God. This, truth for the Syriac poets, was beautifully illustrated in the hidden meaning of the veil upon the radiant face of Moses. The Syriac writers often used the image of the "veil" to describe reality itself.6
God's glory could never be totally revealed, and, when, in fact, his glory was revealed in Moses, who saw God “face to face” the people begged that his radiant face be veiled and subdued so that they also could "see God and live". This theme is well described in the Maronite liturgy of the Annunciation, in which Mary trembles at the thought that the Lord should dwell in her. In her response to the angel, Mary says:
"I am a mortal creature, surely I will be consumed by God's consuming fire. How fearful is this moment! How my breath leaves me for fear! How humble am I, and how overcome that
such a thing should come to pass!”7
In the Mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist in the Maronite Church, the material elements of bread, wine, oil, and water reveal and conceal at one and the same time. These material elements are like a “veil” which subdues the brilliance of the unmediated experience of God. However, these elements are not “ends in themselves". This would be pantheistic. Nonetheless, they are not just “means to an end”, this would allow us to treat them too lightly. Rather, the material elements of the mysteries (sacraments) have meaning and significance inherent in themselves, for like Christ, whom they reflect, they show us the presence of the Holy One in our ordinary earthly lives. This paper is an attempt to introduce the reader to some liturgical texts and their commentaries from the Syriac-Maronite Church which speak of the respect for the material elements in the Mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation, and Eucharist.
Oil
The uses of oil were many in the semitic world. Oil was a valued product of the land. It was used as a condiment, and was an important part of the diet (Dt. 32:13). It made the face shine (Ps. 104:15), was medicinal, and was used in the anointing of wounds (Lk.10:34). Oil was a refreshing unguent (Dt. 6:15), it was a sign of joy and festive attire, and was omitted during fasts and mourning (Mt. 6:17). It was the base used for the mixing of different perfumes, it was used for the sanctuary lamps (Ex. 27:20, Lv.24:2), and for ceremonial anointing. In the Book of Genesis we learn that of all the trees of the earth, only the olive survived the deluge (Gen. 8:11). Hebrew folklore did not imagine the earth at any time without olive trees. Oil was almost as important as water, and the oil par excellence was the oil of the olive tree.
The requirements for the use and the care of holy oils, as well as
the ritual for their consecration as Myron(Chrism) are quite
ancient in the Syriac Church. In one of the oldest commentaries
on the Syriac Liturgy we find the Consecration of the Chrism
by Bishop George of the Arabs, who lived at the end of the seventh
and beginning of the eighth centuries. He speaks most eloquently
of the holy oils in this way:
"The Chrism, that is the oil of anointing, is consecrated once every year, on the Thursday of the
Mysteries...And the bishop alone consecrates it...And he consecrates it thus:
The bishop assembles the whole Church to the holy nave; and the lesson of the Holy Scriptures are (read) which are assigned for the matter; and after the lesson of the Scriptures, the deacon's proclamation is made, and the bearers who are unbaptized, go out, and those who are tempted by devils and those who are in penance; and straightway the doors are closed as usual, and the sub- deacons stand by them.
Now, that oil which is put into the Chrism is seasoned beforehand and spiced by the perfumer's art, or with Egyptian balm. But oil pressed from the olive alone is consecrated, as the law of the ecclesiastical canon commands; for the canon does not allow any kind of oil to be consecrated or to be employed in any of the ecclesiastical rites - neither in the (preparation of?) the eucharistic bread nor in any other (rite) - except only olive oil. For all other oils - I mean that of sesame, and that made from Egyptian radishes, or that which the physicians make from eggs for use in sicknesses, or any other oils whatsoever, such as that of sheep, or that of cows, or of nuts and of almonds, and the rest - are a symbol of false doctrines and of corrupt heresies, such as have the name only of Christ upon them, but are far from His truth. But the oil of the olive is a symbol of the pure doctrine of the Church, and it alone is the true oil, both in name and in fact. And even as we are not allowed to mingle strange doctrines of the Church, so neither are we allowed to mingle any of these oils with any of the mysteries of the Church; and he who does so is rejected of the doctrine of the Church."8
Bishop George completes his discourse on the Chrism by describing its natural and supernatural qualities:
"But this Holy Chrism, by the materials of its preparation, portrays and shows to us Emmanuel Himself. For Emmanuel also is compounded of diverse elements, even as the chrism is compounded and spiced with diverse materials; and it is the perfecters and completers, and the sweet savour of all the services of the Church: even as the apostle Paul explains to us, saying: "We are a sweet savour in Christ unto God" (2 Cor. 2:15). And the Chrism, if it is duly seasoned with those roots which are added to it, its odour does not grow faint, nor does it lack (the scent of) anything that is put to it. And our Lord also has said: "Whosoever eateth my body and drinketh my blood, he abides in me and I in him; and I will raise him up on the last day".9
The Maronite prayer to bless the Oil of Catecumen, likewise points out the idea of indwelling the Spirit in the oil:
"..O God, You took despicable dust and made it God, and from Him and through Him, the God Man, it obtains its pardons in the name of the Trinity which vivifies all... May Your Living and Holy Spirit come and consecrate this oil. May it be filled with Your Power and may Your Divinity dwell within it, so that he who believes and is signed by it will carry Your victorious sign."10
The Maronite ritual of Chrismation reveals an appreciation for the oil, which is now properly called "dynamized" matter:11
"With the Holy Chrism of Christ our God, sweet odor of the true faith, seal, fullness, and grace of the Holy Spirit, Your servant __n.___, is sealed in the name of the Father (+) and the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit (+)."12
From the ritual and prescriptions one notices a clear insistence on the quality of the oil itself. Care must be given that the oil be pure, with an enduring scent. It is to be consecrated in the power of the Holy Spirit by the Bishop and used to complete all of the Mysteries of the Church. Chrism images the "fullness" of Christ. The Holy Spirit "dwells" in it. Therefore, even its proper place of reservation is to be a place of honor in the Church.13
The Holy Oils are treated with respect and honor, for they contain in themselves the blessing of the holy object, or the brother or sister which they serve to anoint. At the close of the Maronite ritual for the consecration of the Chrism, the Bishop, and all the clergy present, bow before the Holy Oil saying:
"Peace to You O Holy Chrism"
It is believed that Christ Himself is invisibly, mysteriously present in the Chrism Oil itself.
Water
Like oil, one could also enumerate many uses and meanings for "water" in the semetic world. It may suffice here to give a small survey. Water is the indispensable element for life. The earth at its beginning was a watery chaos. The act of creation, in fact, was the "taming" of the chaotic waters. Likewise, the birth of a child is accompanied by water, the baby being brought forth from its watery habitation in the mother's womb. Water has the power to destroy life (floods and storms) and the power to create life. In the accounts of Ezk 47: 1-21 and Apc. 22:1 water recreates the people of God and his Temple. The use of the phrase "living water" by Christ in the Gospels conveys the richness of meanings attached to water. Water means life, new life, life where there was none before.
In the Maronite ritual for Baptism much emphasis is placed on water itself. The consecration of the baptismal waters is actually accomplished by an "anaphora" i.e., by a series of prayers similar to those used in the Eucharistic Anaphora to consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.
These prayers which consecrate the baptismal waters, are as ancient as some of the oldest eucharistic anaphorae, which trace their roots back to the creative period of the very development of the anaphora itself in the Syriac Church.14
In the Anaphora of Consecration of the Baptismal Water the Holy Spirit is invoked over the water with the following prayer:
"Cast out, O Lord, the power of the apostate enemy from this water, from those who are baptized in it, and from
this place; grant this baptismal water the force of the Holy Spirit, so that unlike the womb of our mother Eve, which brought forth children subject to death and corrutption, it may be a womb bearing heavenly and incorruptible children. And, as at the creation of the world when the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters, causing them to bear animals and reptiles of every sort, likewise, Lord, may this baptismal water bear a heavenly Adam in place of an earthly Adam. May those who are baptized in it, obtain a definitive change through You, and may they assume through You, the spiritual instead of corporal communion with the invisible instead of the visible, and may the Holy Spirit descend into their souls and replace its weakness with His strength."15
In the baptismal liturgy, water becomes a new "womb" which brings forth spiritual children.16 Thus through our baptism, we become brothers and sisters of Christ, born of the same common womb of the Holy Spirit.
This theology is peculiar to the Syriac tradition. The Latin and Greek traditions emphasize more the Pauline baptismal idea of "dying and rising with Christ". The Syriac tradition instead was based on the passage from the Gospel of John
"I solemnly assure you, no one can see the reign of God unless he is begotten from above".17
In sum, the waters at creation, by the power of the Holy Spirit, brought forth all kinds of living beings. By the same Holy Spirit, the womb of Mary brought forth Christ as a child for us. Likewise, the Holy Spirit, through the waters of Baptism, brings forth that new child, adopted by the Father, born of the spiritual womb, in the image and likeness of God.
Thus, water, with all its capacities to destroy and create, is prayed over so that it may become a vehicle of God's life and salvation. Because of its inherent capacity to bear life, it is a most appropriate messenger of life. In baptism, water becomes the womb of the Holy Church, bearing spiritual children. At every Liturgy the priest greets the assembly with the words:
"Peace be with the Church and her children."
Bread
Bread is the staple food of the Middle East. It was usually baked each day, and its aroma was pleasing. Bread was good for the body and eating it was enjoyable. In the Old Testament times bread was also associated with sacrificial acts. Leviticus 24:5-9 states that twelve loaves are to be baked of fine flour and set in rows each with frankincense before Yahweh. Fresh bread was prescribed to be set forth on each Sabbath for the priests. Bread was also reserved in the holy place, on a table constructed for this purpose.
Bread is one of the elements, like oil and water, that has a variety of rich meanings and uses. It symbolizes the great abundance of God's goodness to men. Likewise, Jesus found in bread and wine worthy symbols of his sacrificial self-giving.
The Maronites, like all the early Churches of the East, had very strict prescriptions on the preparation of the eucharistic bread and on its consecration. From the Kitab-al-Huda, the oldest source of Maronite law (c.1059), we read:
"The Qurban (the eucharistic bread) must be from pure wheat, the most worthy and most venerable which one may have, marked by a cross; one offers it upon the altar, having been baked the same day. ...It is not permitted to elevate upon the altar a Qurban which is broken, frayed, or spoiled."18
Christ himself is the finest wheat. In the prayer accompanying the transfer of the gifts of bread and wine from the table of preparation to the main altar we honor Christ Himself as the Bread of Life:
The Lord reigns clothed in majesty.
Alleluia!
I am the Bread of Life said our Lord;
from on high I came to earth,
so all might live in me.
Pure word without flesh
I was sent from the Father.
Mary's womb received me
like good earth a grain of wheat.
Behold! The priest bears me aloft
to the altar.
Alleluia!
Accept our offerings.
Christ, the grain of wheat in the rich soil of Mary, is for us the Bread of Life.
Wine
Wine is a praised commodity in the Middle East. It rejoices gods and men (Jgs. 9-13); it gladdens the human heart (Ps. 104:15); it makes the heart exult (Zc. 10:17). Wine is a symbol of the abundant life. Therefore, the ecclesiastical canons of the Maronites, as noted in the Kitab-al-Huda, require that the wine which is to be offered be of the utmost quality:
"...Likewise, the drink which is offered upon the altar of Qurban must be of most delicious wine, from the grape of the vine according to the word of the Lord in the Gospel which is pure. It must be of the best quality that one may have, neither bitter, nor of any disagreeable taste, any other drink is not permitted such as would be of fruits, honey, corn or any other fabricated drink except dry grapes."19
In a poetic way, the prayer after the Preface in the Maronite Anaphora of Sharrar, the oldest Maronite Anaphora, refers to Christ as the blessed wine:
Blessed are you, O sweet Cluster,
O Fruit of the Holy Spirit,
gathered from the blessed vine of Mary,
pressed in the sterile city of Jerusalem,
mixed in the chalice of salvation,
and offered for the holy Church.
O most Holy One,
allow us to approach this eucharist
of the saving passion of your only-begotten, Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
The requirements for the bread and wine used at the Maronite eucharistic liturgy are based on the ancient Hebrew custom of offering only the choicest first fruits to God. In fact, all other offerings of food or gifts at the altar, according to the Kitab-al-Huda, must always be of first fruits. This applies likewise to the quality of the holy oils, the vestments of the priests, the altar linens, the chalice and paten, the tabernacle itself, and all other items used in worship, all of which had to receive the blessing of the Bishop beforehand.
Conclusion
A distinct world-view emerges from this study of the material elements in the Maronite Mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist. The material elements of all three Mysteries are naturally symbolic; they are also consecrated by an "epiklesis", i.e., a petition to God to send the Holy Spirit upon them; they are empowered to do what they are created to do: to reveal in some way the Mystery of God.
Once consecrated, the Baptismal water, becomes a new womb bearing spiritual sons and daughters; the Chrism is employed to anoint the newly baptized with the lasting fragrance of Christ Himself; the bread and wine, specially chosen and prepared so as to give glory to God, by an invocation of the Holy Spirit, become the Body and Blood of Christ.
So closely allied does God become to these material elements that a ninth century commentator on the Syriac liturgy is able to say:
"We understand and conceive with the eyes of the soul God the Word who united himself with bread, wine, and the oil of Chrism."20
Since creation was made through and with Christ (Col.1:15-17), the entire material world becomes sacramental, revealing His divine presence everywhere. It is the task of the believer to train his eyes to see, with the luminous eyes of faith, this great glory of God.
This way of seeing the world as sacramental is handed down generation after generation when one is initiated into the community of Christians:
"The servant of God, _____N._____, is baptized a lamb in the flock of Christ ...is sealed with the Holy Chrism of Christ our God...receives the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for everlasting life".
Select bibliography
Beck, E., "Le Bapteme Chez Saint Ephrem", L’Orient Syrien v.1 (1956) pp 111-36.
Botte, B., "Le Bapteme dans l'Eglise Syrienne", L’Orient Syrien v.1 (1956) pp 137-55.
Brock, S., (trans.) “Harp of the Holy Spirit”, studies supplementary to Sobornost, n. 4 (1975).
_________, The Epiklesis in the Antiochene Baptismal Ordines". Orientalia Christiana Analecta, vol. 197. pgs 183-215.
_________, "World and Sacrament in the writings of the Syrian Fathers", Sobornost, vol. 6.10 (1974) pgs. 685-96.
Connolly, R.H. and Codrington, H.W., Two Commentaries of the Jacobite Liturgy (London: Williams and Norgate, 1913).
De Vries, W., "Theologie des sacraments chez les Syriens monophysites", L'Orient Syrien, vol. 8 (1963) pgs. 261-88.
Khoury, E., "Les Canons sur l"Eucharistie dan 'Kitab al-Huda'", Melto (1966 n.2) pgs. 251-71.
Khoury-Sarkis, G., "Priers et ceremonies du bapteme, selon le rituel de l'Eglise Syrienne d'Antioche", L'Orient Syrien, vol. 1 (1856) pgs. 156-84.
Murray, R., Symbols of Church and Kingdom, A Study in Early Syriac Tradition, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1975).
_________, "St. Ehprem's Dialogue on Reason and Love", Sobornost, vol. 2 (1980) pgs. 26-40.
Raes, A., "Ou se trouve la confirmation dans le rite syro- oriental?" L'Orient Syrien, vol. 1 (1956) pgs. 239-54.
Rahner, K., "Theology of Symbol", Theological Investigations, vol. 4 (Baltimroe: Helicon Press, 1966) pgs 225ff.
Verghese, P., "Relation between Baptism, 'Confirmation" and Eucharist in the Syrian Orthodox Church", Studia Liturgica, vol. 4 (1965) pgs 81-93.
Wainwright, G., Christian Initiation (Richmond: John Knox Press, 1969).
_________, "The Baptismal Eucharist before Nicea", Studia Liturgica, vol. 4 (1965) pgs 9-36.
Zaide, I., "Syrienne (Eglise) Theologie Sacramentaire", Dictionaire de Theologie Catholique, vol.XIV,2, cols. 3047-70.
The Ritual of 1942 published by the Maronite Patriarch.
The liturgical Seasonal Booklets published by the Diocese of St.Maron, Brooklyn.
1. All Scripture quotes taken from The New American Bible, (Camden, New Jersey: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1971).
2. For a sampling of Ephrem's poetry in English translation, especially regarding wood, the olive and the pearl see The Harp of the Spirit, studies supplementary to Sobornost, n. 4, (1975) trans. and intro, by Sebastian Brock.
3. Ibid., pg. 10 (Hymns Against Heresies, 28:11).
4. With the discovery of the importance of symbols by the Jungian psychologists, and the reawaking of theologians to the symbolic and ritual elements of our faith, we arrive today only where the Fathers, especially the Syriac Fathers, left off.
5. See Karl Rahner's article, "Theology of Symbol" in his Theological Investigations, vol. 4, (Baltimore: Helicon Press, 1966), and Sebastian Brock in his article, "World and Sacrament in the Writings of the Syriac Fathers", Sobornost, vol. 6, 10 (1974) pgs. 685-96.
6. S. Brock, "Jacob of Serugh on the Veil of Moses", Sobornost, vol. 3, n. 1, (1981).
7. Announcement to Mary Sunday, the Sedro, published by the Diocese of St. Maron, Brooklyn.
8. R. H. Connolly and H. W. Codrington, Two Commentaries of the Jacobite Liturgy, (London, Williams and Nogate, 1931) see "An Exposition on the Mysteries of the Church made by a certain Bishop named George:, pgs. 11-23. See especially his treatment concerning the consecration of the Chrism, pgs. 22ff.
9. Ibid., pgs. 23-23.
10. Ibid.,
11. W. DeVries, "Theologie des sacraments chez les Syriens monophsites", L"Orient Syrien, vol. 8, (1963), pgs. 264-5.
12. This prayer, and all subsequent prayers from the Maronite ritual were translated by Rev. Michael Thomas and Rev. George Saad from the 1942 Ritual published at Bkerke.
13. It would be of interest to study whether the eucharist was reserved in the same place, or near the holy oils.
14. S. Brock, "The Epiklesis in the Antiochene Batismal Ordines", Orientalia Christiana Analecta, vol, 197, pgs. 183-215.
15. The Short Form of the Anaphora for the Consecration of the Baptismal Water; from the 1942 Ritual, op. cit.
16. Connolly and Codrington, op. cit., pg. 14.
17. Maronite sacramental practice and theology almost always tends toward St. John in the Syriac traditions.
18. E. Khoury, "Les canons sur L'Eucharistie dans "Kitab al-Huda'" Melto (1966 n.2) pg.252.
19. Ibid., pg. 254.
20. Moses bar Kephr, Bishop of Bet Remman, Bet Kiyonaya and Mosur about 863. He left us a commentary on the Liturgy, see Connolly and Codrington op. cit.