SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY OF THE SYRIAN
ORTHODOX CHURCH
(Revd.Dr.B.Varghese)
The word mysterion
The liturgical celebrations
known as ‘sacraments’ in modern languages are called ta mysteria (=mysteries)
in Greek or roze (=mysteries) in Syriac. The corresponding Hebrew word
is sodh, which has been rendered as mysterion in the Septuagint. The Hebrew word sodh
means secret or confidential speech or an intimate conversation between God and
man or between man and man. Sodh
also refers to the ‘heavenly assembly’ where decisions and decrees concerning
the destiny of ma are made. Prophets are admitted to this secret heavenly
assembly to hear its decrees. Thus sodh conveys the notion of intimate
friendship and corporate existence.
The corresponding Aramaic word is rash, a Persian loan word, which
appeared first in the Aramaic sections
of the Book of Daniel, and rendered into Greek as mysterion.(Dan. 2:18;
27; 28; 29; 30; 47 etc). In Daniel, rash
is the secret meaning of a dream that God reveals to Daniel. It is an
eschatological mystery, a veiled announcement of future events, pre-destined by
God, hose unveiling and real meaning are reserved to God alone and one who is
inspired by God.
In the Wisdom of Solomon
(2:22), the expression “ secret purposes of God “
refers to the saving designs of God, and idea reflected in the New Testament.
The Old Testament ideas associated to sodh or rash were influential in shaping the New testament
concept of mystery.
In the New Testament, mysterion
(rozo) refers to the nature and experience of the Kingdom of God, which
is above all a corporate existence. Togetherness in Christ. However, the reality of this life with God is
manifested only to those who are redeemed in Christ; and to those who are
outside of Christ, it still remains as a mystery: “ To you has been given the
mystery of the kingdom of God, for those outside everything in parables “ (Mk.
4:11; cfr. Lk. 8:10; Math 13:11).
St Paul
uses the word more than 20 times and three texts are representative: Rom.
16:25-26; Eph. 1:9-10; Col. 1:10.
(1). The revelation of the mystery which was
kept secret for long ages, but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic
writings, is made known to all nations (Rom. 16:25-26).
(2). ‘For he has made known to us in all wisdom
and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set
forth in Christ as plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him,
things in heaven and things on earth’ (Eph. 1:9-10).
(3). ‘The mystery hidden for ages and
generations, but now made manifest to his saints’ (Col. 1:26).
Thus for Paul, ‘mystery’ refers to God’s plan ‘hidden for ages and generations,
but now made manifest to his saints. The mystery consists of God’s will
revealed in Christ, ‘to unite all things in him’ (Eph
1:9-10). Thus mysterion refers to
God’s plan for man’s salvation as well as its revelation.
Mystery in New Testament expresses the ‘drama
of redemption’, ‘the drama of truth’, to use the words of Clement of
Alexandria. The apostles are “the ministers of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1), because through the preaching of the Gospel and
celebration of the mysteries of the Eucharist and baptism, they continue the
ministry of Christ, that is, bringing
humanity into one community.
Mystery implies an intimate union with Christ. Thus in Ephesians(5:32),
it has been used to designate the intimacy of the relationship between Christ
and the Church.
Mysterion – Sacramentum
In the Latin Vulgate, the word sacramentum
is used to translate ‘mysterion’. The Latin word sacramentum is
derived from sacrare (= to dedicate or sanctify). With its meaning “to
dedicate” it came to be used to mean ‘an oath’. Thus the oath taken by soldiers
was designated as sacramentum, as they called upon gods in binding
themselves to service.
Tertullian was the first to use it for Christian rites and applying it
to the Christian’s oath of Baptism, by which he becomes a soldiers of Christ.
[Tertullian understood the meaning of baptism in terms of a military oath.].
The Indo-European root s-kar implies the idea of bringing
something to perfection, especially by performing a ritual act. Thus the
Sanskrit word samskara (root: s-kar)
means ‘bringing to perfection. It is interesting to note that
Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite (c.500) spoke of mysteria as ‘perfections’ (telotys).
However, it is to noted that the Latin word sacramentum does not
convey the rich meaning of the Greek mysterion or the Syriac rozo.
Definition of the ‘Sacrament’
No definition of the concept of mysterion
or sacrament is found in the early Chrristian writings. None of the Ecumenical Councils had provided a
definition. In the Malankara Orthodox Church, Vattasseril Geevarghese Mar
Dionysius gives the following
definition: Sacraments are visible signs of invisible grace’ instituted by
Christ for the salvation of humanity (Mathopadesha Sangathikal :
‘Elements of the Religious Teachings’). As this booklet was used as a catechism
in the Malankara Church for a few decades, this definition had taken deep roots
in the minds of the bishops, clergy and the lay people until a few years ago.
This definition was certainly borrowed from the Anglican Book of Common
Prayer (BCP). In fact we find the following definition in the BCP:
“Sacrament is a outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given
unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same and
a pledge to assure us thereof”.
This definition of Latin origin, could be traced back to Augustine, who
defined sacrament as ‘visible sign of invisible grace’ (signum visible
gratiae invisibilis). Augustine’s idea of sacrament includes Creed and the
Lord’s Prayer. The scholastic definition
of sacraments always revolves around the words
‘sign’ and ‘grace’.
Syriac tradition
In the east, one cannot find a clear and systematic definition of
‘sacrament’ as in the West. Since the sacraments are divine mysteries, the
Eastern Church fathers preferred to abstain from giving any rational
definition. In their understanding, sacrament is not a ‘thing’, but it is
primarily an act, a celebration. It is a liturgical celebration or a liturgical
act of the Body of Christ.
The Syriac word rozo does not mean merely a ‘mystery’ or a hidden
thing. Its root raz means ‘to celebrate’, ‘to symbolize’. A sacrament is
a ‘celebration’ or a ‘symbolization’ of a hidden and invisible reality. The
anamnesis of the Anaphora of Mathew the Shepherd (Mathai Royo) reads: “
Whenever you celebrate (ܡܬܐܪܙܝܢ ܐܢܬܘܢ ) these (mysteries), you perform the remembrance of my
death and resurrection”.
A Sacrament is the celebration
of the mystery of the death and resurrection of our Lord. It is celebration of
our salvation in Christ. A prayer of the benediction of the baptismal water
provides another example of the use of the word raz:
ܚܘܐ ܐܢܘܢ.... ܡܝ̈ܐ ܕܡܬܐܪܙܝܢ ܒܡܘܬܗ ܘܩܝܡܬܗ ܕܝܚܝܕܝܐ ܒܪܐ
ܕܝܠܟ.
“Show forth this water,
that which symbolizes the death and resurrection of your only-begotten Son”.
In the sacrament, Church, the body
of Christ, symbolizes or re-presents the death and resurrection of our Lord. The
mysteria or sacraments are
‘symbols’ (raze) that represent realities. The celebration or ‘the
showing forth’ is the sacrament, not the elements, though the elements are an
integral part of the mystery. Sacraments are corporate liturgical acts of the
Body of Christ. Rozo (mysterion) is primarily an act of Christ
through His Body, the Church. It is a ‘symbolic act’ of the Body of Christ.
For the Church fathers, each mysterion
is a reflection of the prototype; it is an antitype. Through the antitype we
gaze upon and experience the prototype, the divine realities, which are
otherwise beyond sensual perception . Thus St John Chrysostom says: “ This is
called a mystery, because we look at one thing and believe another” (Hom. On
1 Cor. 7:1).
A Sacrament is the
re-presentation of an eschatological reality in time and space. Theodore of
Mopsuestia (+428) underscores the eschatological dimension of a sacrament.
“Every sacrament (rozo)
is an indication in signs (othwotho) and symbols (roze) of invisible and
ineffable things” (Hom. 12,2: On Baptism).
Again Theodore says: “ In
the sacrament (rozo), there are the signs of things which already
happened and those which will happen” (Hom. 12:1, On Baptism).
A sacramental celebration
is rooted in the incarnation, death and resurrection of our Lord. At the same
time it is oriented towards the future; towards its fulfillment in the coming
Kingdom of God. The incomprehensible and ineffable mystery of the incarnation
is re-presented and celebrated in a sacrament. In a sacramental celebration, we
are either initiated into that mystery or we participate in it.
The great mystery of our incorporation
into Christ and our participation in the death and resurrection of Christ are
expressed through baptism. The baptismal water is manifested as the tomb in
which the old man of sin dies and is buried, and the tomb from which the new
man is risen. The baptismal water becomes the womb from which we are ‘born from
water and spirit’. Through Chrismation, we participate in the anointing of
Christ and we receive the Holy Spirit as our own anointing. Baptism and the
Eucharist are the sacraments which manifests our participation in the life of
Christ and our abiding in Christ.
Church itself is the
manifestation of the kingdom of God. The Foretaste of the life in the kingdom
is made available in the sacraments . Our oneness in Christ, the life of the
new man, Christified and pneumatized is experienced in the sacramental
celebrations. In the sacramental celebration we see everything in relation to
our ultimate destiny, our life with and in the presence of the Triune God.
Sacraments represent twofold
movement between God and man. In the Church, the Body of Christ, through the
Sacraments, our human nature enters into a union with the divine nature. They
are divino-human actions which transform and purifies our human nature.
The Orthodox Church always
emphasizes the centrality of the Eucharist. Dionysius the Areopagite says, it
is “the sacrament of the sacraments”, because all other sacraments are
celebrated in the Eucharistic context.
Church as the Body of Christ,
shares in the mystery of God. Therefore the mystery of God is manifested in
every aspect of the life of the Church.. Sacraments are the manifestations of
the unique mystery of the Church, in which God shares divine life with
humanity, redeeming man from sin and death and bestowing upon him the glory of
immortality.
Sacramentality cannot be
limited to some special liturgical acts. Worship itself is a sacramental act.
Every aspect in the life of the Church, manifests the unique mystery of Christ.
It is because of this broader understanding of the sacramentality that the
Orthodox Church is reluctant to limit the number of sacraments to seven.
Number of
Sacraments in the East
In the Patristic period,
there was no technical term to designate ‘sacraments’ as a specific category of
Church acts. The term mysterion was used primarily in the wider and
general sense of mystery of salvation. Only in a secondary manner, this term
was used to designate the particular actions which bestow salvation. In this
secondary sense, it was used concurrently with such terms as ‘rites’ or
‘sanctification’. However, the term was never used a limited number of rites
(‘seven ‘sacraments’, for example). The
noted Byzantine scholar Timothy Ware (Bishop Kallistos Ware) has rightly noted:
“ The Orthodox Church never formally committed itsef to any strict limitation
of the number of sacraments”.
It was the Latin West that
first limited the number of Sacraments to seven. This was mainly because of
historical and theological reasons. The Scholastic theologians suggested
various lists of sacraments, often disregarding the liturgical context in which
the sacraments are celebrated. Under the influence of the Medieval fascination
for symbolic numbers, leading scholastic theologians argued for a list of seven
sacraments, which was finally accepted by the Council of Trent (1545-675). The
concerns of the Council of Trent was to counter the theological issues raised
by the Protestant Reformers, who generally accepted only Baptism and Eucharist
as the Sacraments instituted by Christ. Under the Latin influence, the Eastern
theologians also began to speak of seven sacraments. In fact no Ecumenical
Council has limited the number of Sacraments to seven.
The early Church fathers never
made systematic theological treatises on the ‘sacraments’. Fathers like Cyril of Jerusalem was
interested on giving a Mystagogical exposition of baptism, Myron and Eucharist.
St John Chrysostom’s Catechesis was an
exposition of the meaning of baptism, of which anointing was an integral part. Their
exposition of the sacraments was mainly catecheses addressed to the Catechumens
or the neophytes. Their comments on the other sacraments were to be understood
in the pastoral context in which they were made.
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
was the first to compose a theological treatise on the sacraments (or
“perfections”). He comments on six “perfections” of the Church without limiting
the number. Dionysius comments on them in the following order: Baptism,
Eucharist, Consecration of Myron,
Ordination, Monastic Tonsure and Funeral service. The list of Dionysius was
widely accepted in the East, both among the Chalcedonians and the
Non-Chalcedonians. Among the six perfections, Dionysius underscores the
importance of the Eucharist, which he calls ‘Perfection of the perfections’ (or
‘Sacrament of the sacraments’). The Byzantine theologians like Theodore the
Studite (+ 826) followed the list of Dionysius.
During the Middle Ages, the
Greek theologians also began to speak of seven sacraments, obviously under
Latin influence. The doctrine of ‘seven sacraments’ appears in the Byzantine
East for the first time in the Profession of faith required from the Emperor
Michael Paleologus by the Pope Clement IV in 1267. This profession of faith was
drafted by Latin theologians.
The strict numbering of the
sacraments was widely accepted among the Eastern Christians after the 13th
century. According to John Meyendorff, this acceptance was not only due to the
influence of Latin theology, but also because of the medieval and Byzantine
fascination with symbolic numbers. The number seven was usually associated with
the seven gifts of the Spirit in Isaiah 11:2-4 (LXX). But among the Byzantine
authors who accept the ‘seven sacraments’ we find different competing lists.,
with some differences.
Towards the end of the 13th
century, the monk Job (“Job the Sinner”- Hamartolos) gives a list of
seven sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, Myron, Ordination, Marriage, Monastic
Profession, Anointing of the Sick and Penance. He considered the anointing of
the sick and penance as one sacrament, and included the Monastic tonsure in the
list.
In the 15th century,
Simeon of Thessalonica ( +1429) wrote a treatise on ‘the Seven Holy Sacraments” (PG. 155, 175-696): There
are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, says Isaiah (11:2); therefore there are
seven churchly mysteries, through which
the Holy Spirit works; they are Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance,
Ordination, Marriage and the Anointing of the Sick”. Simeon admits the
sacramental character of the monastic tonsure, but classifies it together with
penance.
In the 15th century,
Metropolitan Joseph of Ephesus said: “ I believe that the sacraments of the
Church are not seven, but more”. He gives a list of ten. In addition to the
traditional seven, he adds consecration of the church, funeral ad Monastic
tonsure in his list.
Obviously the Byzantine Church
never committed itself formally to any specific list. Many authors accept the
standard series of seven sacraments, while others emphasize the exclusive and
prominent importance of baptism and the
Eucharist. Thus Gregory Palamas (+ 1359) says that “in these two (sacraments)
our whole salvation is rooted, since the entire economy of the God-man is
recapitulated in them”. Nicholas Cabasilas (+1365) composed his famous book The
Life in Christ as a commentary on Baptism, Chrismation and the Eucharist.
Syrian
Orthodox tradition:
There is no official or
authoritative list of sacraments in the Syrian Orthodox Church. In the modern
times, leading prelates usually speak of seven sacraments, certainly under the
Roman Catholic influence. Generally speaking, the list of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite was widely
accepted, as Syriac writers has translated the Dionysian corpus several times and
his influence was decisive in shaping the Syrian Orthodox Sacramental theology.
The 13th century polymath Gregorios Abu’l Faraj Gregorios
(1226-1286), in his theological compendium Mnarez kudshe (Light of the
Sanctuary, sixth base) spoke of five sacraments in the following order:
Ordination, Consecration of Myron, Baptism, Eucharist and Funeral. In his work
called Zalge (‘Rays’), which
is in fact a summary of the previous work, Bar Hebraeus added benediction of
the church as the sixth sacrament. Thus,
it is evident that Bar Hebraeus, who is still one of the greatest authorities
in the Syrian Orthodox tradition, was less concerned on the strict numbering of
the sacraments. In his famous Nomocanon (ktobo d-hudoyo) he has
collected the ancient canons on the sacraments and gives directions concerning
their administration and celebrations. He presents the sacraments in the
following order: Consecration of the Church (ch.1:16), Baptism (ch.2), Myron
(ch. 3), Eucharist (ch. 4), Funeral (ch.6), Ordination (ch.7) and Marriage
(ch.8).
East Syrian
tradition:
In the East Syrian tradition, we
find list of sacraments only in the later writers. Abdiso ( or Ebed Jesus (+
1318) was probably the first to give a list of seven sacraments. Though the
number seems to have been inspired by the teachings of the Latin missionaries,
the list is not at all identical with that of the Latins. Thus in the small
treatise: Marganita (‘Book of the Pearl”) Abdisho gives the following
list: Ordination, Baptism, Oil of anointing, Eucharist, remission of sins, Holy
Leaven (Malka) and the Sign of the Cross. This list has no parallel in
the East Syrian tradition as witnessed by Abdisho’s predecessors.
Abdisho’ contemporary Patriarch
Timothy II (1332) wrote a book called The Seven Pillars of the Rites of the Church
and gives a different list of seven mysteries: Laying on of hands, Consecration
of altars, Baptism, Eucharist, Monastic Tonsure, Funeral, Betrothal and
Marriage. Timothy does not say why he prefred the list of seven. However, he
puts distinction between principal sacraments and secondary sacraments. In the
principal sacraments, the Holy Spirit operates directly. They are four in
number: laying on of hands, consecration of the altar, baptism and Eucharist.
Conclusion:
“Even today, the number seven
has no absolute dogmatic significance for Orthodox theology; but it is used
primarily as a convenience in teaching” ,
says Kallistos Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church, p. 282). While all seven are true s
sacraments, they are not all of equal importance. There is a certain
“hierarchy” among them. The Eucharist stands at the heart of all Christian life
and experience in a way that the Anointing of the Sick does not. Among the
seven, baptism and Eucharist occupy a special position.
On the other hand, when we talk of “seven
sacraments”, we must never isolate the seven from many other actions in the
Church, which also possess a sacramental character.The Latin Church calls them
‘sacramentals’, which include the rites such as monastic profession, the
blessing of water at Epiphany, funeral, and the anointing of a king.
The Orthodox Theology
does not distinguish between Sacraments and sacramentals. There are a great
number of minor blessings which are also of a sacramental nature: Blessing of a
house, blessing of corn, wine, oil, of any object or element. ‘Seven
sacraments’ could signify that God is bound to bestow grace only through them.
Limiting the number of sacraments, could limit the grace and the work of God.
The whole Christian life
must be seen as a single mystery, or one great sacrament, whose different
aspects are expressed in a great variety of acts, some perfomed but once in a
man’s life, others perhaps daily.
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