The Antiochene or Antiochian Rite refers to the family of liturgies originally used by the patriarch of Antioch . It includes the Liturgy of St James in Greek and Syriac , as well as other West Syriac Anaphoras .
100-662: The major source for the history of the Antiochene Rite is the Apostolic Constitutions . This text contains two liturgical outlines, as well as the oldest known complete liturgy . All Antiochene liturgies follow the same basic structure, including Syriac, Palestinian, and the related Byzantine liturgies. Key constants include: Two points in that of the Apostolic Constitutions should be noticed. No saints are mentioned by name and there
200-607: A "consistent, if none too clear, exponent of the longstanding Antiochene dogmatic tradition." Nestorius was greatly surprised that what he had always taught in Antioch without any controversy whatsoever should prove to be so objectionable to the Christians of Constantinople. Nestorius emphasized the dual natures of Christ , trying to find a middle ground between those who emphasized the fact that in Christ God had been born as
300-562: A Sacra calling for the metropolitan bishops to assemble in the city of Ephesus, which was a special seat for the veneration of Mary, where the theotokos formula was popular. Each bishop was to bring only his more eminent suffragans. The date set by the Emperor for the opening of the council was Pentecost (7 June) 431. McGuckin notes that the vagueness of the Sacra resulted in wide variations of interpretation by different bishops. In particular,
400-467: A body. The structure of the Apostolic Constitutions can be summarized: The best manuscript, Vatican gr 1506, has Arian leanings, which are not found in other manuscripts because this material would have been censured as heretical. The Apostolic Constitutions is an important source for the history of the liturgy in the Antiochene rite . It contains an outline of an anaphora in book two,
500-418: A council without the official reading of the Emperor's Sacra. A number of bishops, who were undecided between Nestorius and Cyril, did not want to give Cyril, as one party in the dispute, the right to chair the meeting and decide the agenda; however, they began to take Cyril's side for various reasons. Various circumstances including a detour necessitated by flooding as well as sickness and death of some of
600-458: A few. In the letters to the emperor and the pope which were then dispatched, the synod described itself as now consisting of 210 bishops. The long letter to Celestine gave a full account of the council, and mentioned that the pope's decrees against the Pelagians had been read and confirmed. At this session, the bishops approved Canon 7 which condemned any departure from the creed established by
700-628: A full anaphora in book seven (which is an expansion of the one found in the Didache), and the complete Liturgy of the eighth book of the Apostolic Constitutions , which is the oldest known form that can be described as a complete divine liturgy . In antiquity, the Apostolic Constitutions were mistakenly supposed to be gathered and handed down by Clement of Rome , the authority of whose name gave weight to more than one such piece of early Christian literature (see also Clementine literature ). The Apostolic Constitutions were rejected as apocryphal by
800-518: A man, and who insisted on calling the Virgin Mary Theotokos ( Greek : Θεοτόκος, "God-bearer"), and those that rejected that title because God as an eternal being could not have been born. Nestorius suggested the title Christotokos ( Χριστοτόκος , "Christ-bearer"), but this proposal did not gain acceptance on either side. Nestorius tried to answer a question considered unsolved: "How can Jesus Christ, being part man, not be partially
900-502: A messenger disguised as a beggar was able to carry a letter to Constantinople by hiding it in a hollow cane. Although Emperor Theodosius had long been a staunch supporter of Nestorius, his loyalty seems to have been shaken by the reports from Cyril's council and caused him to arrive at the extraordinary decision to ratify the depositions decreed by both councils. Thus, he declared that Cyril, Memnon, and John were all deposed. Memnon and Cyril were kept in close confinement. But in spite of all
1000-655: A modified form, included in the 81 book canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church . Even if the text of the Apostolic Constitutions was extant in many libraries during the Middle Ages , it was largely ignored. In 1546 a Latin version of a text was found in Crete and published. The first complete edition of the Greek text was printed in 1563 by Turrianus . William Whiston in the 18th century devoted
1100-618: A prayer before his Communion. The deacon communicates with the people. There is no such form as: "The Body of Christ"; he says only: "Approach in the fear of the Lord", and they answer, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." What is left of the Blessed Sacrament is taken by the deacon to the Prothesis; the prayers of thanksgiving are longer than those of the Apostolic Constitutions. The Liturgy of St. James as it now exists
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#17327808362481200-817: A re-wording of chapters 1–2, 4–5, 16–28, 30–34, 45-46 of the eighth book. The text was first published by Paul de Lagarde in 1856 and later by Franz Xaver von Funk in 1905. This epitome could be a later extract even if in parts it looks nearer to the Greek original of the Apostolic Tradition, from which the 8th book is derived, than the Apostolic Constitutions themselves. First Council of Ephesus Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: The Council of Ephesus
1300-562: A sinner as well, since man is by definition a sinner since the Fall?" To solve that he taught that Mary, the mother of Jesus gave birth to the incarnate Christ, not the divine Logos who existed before Mary and indeed before time itself. The Logos occupied the part of the human soul (the part of man that was stained by the Fall). But wouldn't the absence of a human soul make Jesus less human? Nestorius rejected this proposition, answering that, because
1400-478: A still more elaborate rite. The kiss of peace comes at the beginning of the Anaphora and after it, this Syriac liturgy follows the Greek one almost word for word, including the reference to Sion, the mother of all churches. But the list of saints is modified; the deacon commemorates the saints "who have kept undefiled the faith of Nicæa, Constantinople, and Ephesus"; he names "James the brother of Our Lord" alone of
1500-471: A synod in Rome convened by Celestine. The bishops asked Theodosius to allow them to go home since so many of them suffered from their presence at Ephesus. At the fourth session, Cyril and Memnon presented a formal protest against John of Antioch for convening a separate conciliabulum. The council issued a summons for him to appear before them, but he would not even receive the envoys who were sent to serve him
1600-476: A union of human and divine occurred, Nestorius believed that Christ could not truly be consubstantial with God and consubstantial with us because he would grow, mature, suffer and die (which Nestorius argued God cannot do) and also would possess the power of God that would separate him from being equal to humans. According to McGuckin, several mid-twentieth-century accounts have tended to "romanticise" Nestorius; in opposition to this view, he asserts that Nestorius
1700-400: A word that he disliked (Theotokos) but which could be interpreted as having an orthodox meaning especially in light of the fact that many saints and doctors of the church had sanctioned the word by using it themselves. John wrote to Nestorius, "Don't lose your head. Ten days! It will not take you twenty-four hours to give the needed answer.... Ask advice of men you can trust. Ask them to tell you
1800-631: Is a more developed form of the same use as that of the Apostolic Constitutions. The prayers are longer, the ceremonies have become more elaborate, incense is used continually, and the preparation is already on the way to becoming complicated service of the Byzantine Prothesis. There are continual invocations of saints, but the essential outline of the Rite is the same. Besides the references to the Holy Cross, one allusion makes it clear that it
1900-603: Is also a shortened Anaphora of St. James of Jerusalem. Renaudot prints the texts of forty-two of these liturgies in a Latin translation. They consist of different prayers, but the order is practically always that of the Syriac St. James Liturgy, and they are local modifications of it. A letter written by James of Edessa (c. 624) to a certain priest named Timothy describes and explains the Syriac Orthodox Liturgy of his time (Assemani, Bibl. Orient., I, 479–486). It
2000-486: Is classified among the Church Orders , a genre of early Christian literature , that offered authoritative pseudo- apostolic prescriptions on moral conduct, liturgy and Church organization . The work can be dated from 375 to 380 CE. The provenance is usually regarded as Syria , probably Antioch . The author is unknown, although since James Ussher it has been often considered to be the same author as that of
2100-672: Is curious and unique. It has at any rate nothing to do with relative antiquity. In the "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" (VIII, ii, 3) people are told to pray three times a day "as the Lord commanded in his Gospel: Our Father", etc. Of the Antiochene liturgies drawn up for actual use, the oldest one and the original from which the others have been derived is the Greek Liturgy of St. James. The reference to it in Canon xxxii of
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#17327808362482200-500: Is derived (543). The list of saints, however, varies considerably; sometimes they introduce a long list of their patrons (Renaudot, Lit. Orient. Col., II, 101–103). This liturgy still contains a famous clause. Just before the lessons, the Trisagion is sung. That of the Greek rite is: "Holy God, holy Strong one holy Immortal One, have mercy on us." The Syriac rite adds after "holy Immortal one" the words: "who wast crucified for us." This
2300-702: Is left out–the oblations are already consecrated as they lie on the Prothesis before the great Entrance (Brightman, op. cit., 494–501). The Oriental Orthodox in Syria and Palestine still use the Syriac Liturgy of St. James, as do also the Syriac Catholics . The Eastern Orthodox of the two Patriarchates, Antioch and Jerusalem, have used the Byzantine Rite for many centuries. Like most Christians in communion with Constantinople, they have adopted
2400-521: Is no Our Father . The mention of saints' names, especially of the "All-holy Mother of God", spread considerably among Catholics after the Council of Ephesus (431), and prayers invoking her under that title were then added to all the Catholic liturgies. The Apostolic Constitutions have preserved an older form unchanged by the development that modifies forms in actual use. The omission of the Lord's Prayer
2500-519: Is one of the many reasons for connecting this liturgy with Jerusalem. When the catechumens are dismissed, the deacon tells the faithful to "know each other", that is to observe whether any stranger is still present. The great Entrance which begins the Mass of the Faithful is already an imposing ceremony. The incense is blessed, and the oblation is brought from the Prothesis to the altar while the people sing
2600-418: Is that of St. James (Probst, op. cit., II, i, ii, 77-106). This liturgy appears to have been used in either language, Greek in Antioch, Jerusalem, and in the chief cities where Greek was commonly spoken, Syriac in the country. The oldest form of it now extant is the Greek version. Is it possible to find a relationship between it and other parent uses. There are a number of very remarkable parallel passages between
2700-689: Is the Syriac St. James. The Liturgy of the Presanctified of St. James (used on the weekdays of Lent except for Saturdays) follows the other one very closely. There is the Liturgy of the Catechumens with the little Entrance, the Lessons, Liturgy of the Faithful and great Entrance, litanies, Our Father, breaking of the Host, Communion, thanksgiving, and dismissal. Of course, the whole Eucharistic prayer
2800-861: Is the addition made by Peter the Dyer (gnapheús, fullos) Syriac Patriarch of Antioch (458-471), which addition was rejected by the Eastern Orthodox and which was adopted by the Non-Chalcedonians as a kind of proclamation of their faith. In the Syriac use a number of Greek words have remained. The deacon says stômen kalôs in Greek and the people continually cry out "Kurillison", just as they say "Amen" and "Alleluia" in Hebrew. Short liturgical forms constantly become fossilized in one language and count almost as inarticulate exclamations. The Greek ones in
2900-567: Is then seen to be practically that of St. James: indeed, whole passages are quoted word for word as they stand in St. James or in the Apostolic Constitutions. The Catechisms of St. Cyril of Jerusalem were held in 348; the first eighteen are addressed to the Competentes ( photizómenoi ) during Lent, the last six to the neophytes in Easter week. In these he explains, besides Baptism and Confirmation,
3000-634: The Arian , Apollinarian and Eunomian heresies and condemned Memnon for inciting violence. The bishops at this council deposed both Cyril and Memnon. Initially, the emperor concurred with the actions of John's council but eventually withdrew his concurrence. The second session was held in Memnon's episcopal residence. Philip, as papal legate, opened the proceedings by commenting that the present question regarding Nestorius had already been decided by Pope Celestine as evidenced by his letter, which had been read to
3100-597: The Cherubikon , ending with three Alleluias. (The text is different from the Byzantine Cherubikon.) Meanwhile, the priest says another prayer silently. The creed is then said; apparently, at first, it was a shorter form like the Apostles' Creed. The Offertory prayers and the litany are much longer than those in the Apostolic Constitutions. There is as yet no reference to an Iconostasis (screen dividing
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3200-659: The Council of Chalcedon . Persia had long been home to a Christian community that had been persecuted by the Zoroastrian majority, which had accused it of Roman leanings. In 424, the Persian Church declared itself independent of the Byzantine and all other churches, in order to ward off allegations of foreign allegiance. Following the Nestorian Schism, the Persian Church increasingly aligned itself with
3300-654: The Decretum Gelasianum , and the 692 Quinisext Council rejected most of the work as heretical interpolations. Eastern Christianity accepted only part of Book 8, known as the Canons of the Apostles . Nevertheless, the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia describes the Constitutions as held in "high esteem" in antiquity, and as the basis for significant amounts of canon law . The Apostolic Constitutions were accepted as canonical by John of Damascus and, in
3400-584: The Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II to call a council in which all grievances could be aired, hoping that he would be vindicated and Cyril condemned. Approximately 250 bishops were present. The proceedings were conducted in a heated atmosphere of confrontation and recriminations and created severe tensions between Cyril and Theodosius II. Nestorius was decisively outplayed by Cyril and removed from his see , and his teachings were officially anathematized . This precipitated
3500-469: The First Council of Nicaea , in particular an exposition by the priest Charisius. According to a report from Cyril to Celestine, Juvenal of Jerusalem tried and failed to create for himself a patriarchate from the territory of the Antiochene patriarchate in which his see lay. He ultimately succeeded in this goal twenty years later at the Council of Chalcedon . At this session, the council approved
3600-723: The Greek Orthodox Church began to use the Byzantine Rite whereas the Syriac Orthodox Church continued using the Liturgy of St James . The Syriac Liturgy of St. James now extant among Syriac Orthodox is not the original one used before the schism still used by the Maronites, but a modified form derived from it by the Syriac Orthodox for their use. The preparation of the oblation has become
3700-1041: The Nestorian Schism , by which churches supportive of Nestorius, especially in the Persian Empire of the Sassanids , were severed from the rest of Christendom and became known as Nestorian Christianity , or the Church of the East , whose present-day representatives are the Assyrian Church of the East , the Ancient Church of the East , the Chaldean Syrian Church , and the Chaldean Catholic Church (which restored communion with Rome ). John McGuckin cites
3800-558: The Quinisextum Council , which quotes it as being composed by St. James, the brother of Our Lord. The Council appeals to this liturgy in defending the mixed chalice against the Armenians. St. Jerome (died 420) seems to have known it. At any rate at Bethlehem he quotes as a liturgical form the words "who alone is sinless", which occur in this Liturgy (Adv. Pel., II, xxiii). The fact that the Syriac Orthodox Church uses
3900-598: The School of Antioch , largely revolved around his rejection of the long-used title Theotokos ("Carrier of God") for the Virgin Mary . Shortly after his arrival in Constantinople, Nestorius became involved in the disputes of two theological factions, which differed in their Christology . McGuckin ascribes Nestorius' importance to his being the representative of the Antiochene tradition and characterizes him as
4000-728: The Septuagint , 26 books of what is now the New Testament (excludes Revelation ), two Epistles of Clement , and the Apostolic Constitutions themselves, also here attributed to Clement, at least as compiler. It is also known as the Epitome , and usually named Epitome of the eighth Book of the Apostolic Constitutions (or sometime titled The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles concerning ordination through Hippolytus or simply The Constitutions through Hippolytus ) containing
4100-704: The Syriac Orthodox Church continued using the same rite. The Syriac Orthodox used only Syriac (their whole movement being a national revolt against the Emperor), originally, the Levantine and Egyptian Melkites used the Anaphora of St. James alongside their Jacobite counterpart, until the Crusades indirectly caused liturgical reform in the Antiochene Church due to Byzantine influence. From that point,
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4200-775: The Virgin Mary may be called the Christotokos , "Christ-bearer" but not the Theotokos , "God-bearer". It met from 22 June to 31 July 431 at the Church of Mary in Ephesus in Anatolia . Nestorius' doctrine, Nestorianism , which emphasized the distinction between Christ's human and divine natures and argued that Mary should be called Christotokos (Christ-bearer) but not Theotokos (God-bearer), had brought him into conflict with other church leaders, most notably Cyril , Patriarch of Alexandria . Nestorius himself had requested
4300-456: The "elevated intellectual argument about christology" as ultimately one and the same as the "validity and security of the simple Christian life". Even within Constantinople, some supported the Roman-Alexandrian and others supported the Nestorian factions. For example, Pulcheria supported the Roman-Alexandrian popes while the emperor and his wife supported Nestorius. Contention over Nestorius' teachings, which he developed during his studies at
4400-437: The "fervent and unquestioned loyalty" of the local populace and thus could count on the support of local factions to counterbalance the military might of Candidian's troops. In view of the verdict of Rome against Nestorius, Memnon refused to have communion with Nestorius, closing the churches of Ephesus to him. Cyril brought with him 50 bishops, arriving only a few days before Pentecost. There were very few bishops representing
4500-403: The "innate rivalry" between Alexandria and Constantinople as an important factor in the controversy between Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius. However, he emphasizes that, as much as political competition contributed to an "overall climate of dissent", the controversy cannot be reduced merely to the level of "personality clashes" or "political antagonisms". According to McGuckin, Cyril viewed
4600-759: The 6th to the 13th centuries, it is unquestionably the liturgy most closely resembling that used by the earliest Christian communities. The Roman Church recognized the importance of preserving this earliest form of the universals church by establishing the Maronite College of Rome in 1584. Apostolic Constitutions Jus novum ( c. 1140 -1563) Jus novissimum ( c. 1563 -1918) Jus codicis (1918-present) Other Sacraments Sacramentals Sacred places Sacred times Supra-diocesan/eparchal structures Particular churches Juridic persons Philosophy, theology, and fundamental theory of Catholic canon law Clerics Office Juridic and physical persons Associations of
4700-405: The Anaphora of this liturgy and the Canon of the Roman Mass. The order of the prayers is different, but when the Greek or Syriac is translated into Latin there appear many phrases and clauses that are identical to ours. It has been suggested that Rome and Syria originally used the same liturgy and that the much-disputed question of the order of our Canon may be solved by reconstructing it according to
4800-452: The Apostles and "most chiefly Cyril who was a tower of the truth, who expounded the incarnation of the Word of God, and Mar James and Mar Ephraim, eloquent mouths and pillars of our holy Church." Mar James is Baradaï , who helped preserve the church during the sixth century, and from which the name "Jacobite" (considered offensive by the Syriac Orthodox community, although used for purposes of identification by their associated churches in India)
4900-424: The Byzantine Rite (expect for the small number in canonical jurisdictions who use reconstructed Western liturgies). It is not possible to say exactly when the older uses were forsaken for that of Byzantium. Theodore Balsamon says that by the end of the twelfth century the Church of Jerusalem followed the Byzantine Rite. By that time Antioch had also doubtless followed suit. There are, however, two small exceptions. On
5000-430: The Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East marked the resolution of a dispute between those two churches that had existed since the Council of Ephesus. They expressed their common understanding of doctrine concerning the divinity and humanity of Christ, and recognized the legitimacy and rightness of their respective descriptions of Mary as, on the Assyrian side, "the Mother of Christ our God and Saviour", and, on
5100-409: The Eastern Council in Trullo in 692 but rejected by Pope Constantine . In the Latin Church only fifty of these canons circulated, translated to Latin by Dionysius Exiguus on about 500 AD, and included in the Western collections and afterwards in the Corpus Juris Canonici . Canon n. 85 is a list of canonical books: a 46-book Old Testament canon which essentially corresponds to that of
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#17327808362485200-422: The Emperor to convene the council, hoping that it would prove his orthodoxy ; the council in fact condemned his teachings as heresy . The council declared Mary as Theotokos ( Mother of God ). Nestorius' dispute with Cyril had led the latter to seek validation from Pope Celestine I , who offered his support for Cyril to request that Nestorius recant his position or face excommunication . Nestorius pleaded with
5300-461: The Gospels in the centre of the church, as a symbol of Christ's presence among the assembled bishops. Despite three separate summons, Nestorius refused to acknowledge Cyril's authority to stand in judgment of him and considered the opening of the council before the arrival of the Antiochene contingent as a "flagrant injustice". The 68 bishops who opposed opening the council entered the church in protest, arriving with Count Candidian who declared that
5400-548: The Holy Ghost in Nicæa". It quoted the Nicene Creed as adopted by the First Council of Nicaea in 325, not as added to and modified by the First Council of Constantinople in 381. Although some scholars, such as Norman Cohn and Peter Toon , have suggested that the Council of Ephesus rejected premillennialism , this is a misconception, and there is no evidence of the Council making any such declaration. The bishops at Cyril's council outnumbered those at John of Antioch's council by nearly four to one. In addition, they had
5500-424: The Maronites use the Syriac St. James with significant modifications, and that the Byzantine Rite as well as the Armenian Orthodox liturgies, are derived from that of Antioch. The so-called modifications are, however, primarily translation from the original Aramaic to the evolved Arabic dialect common to Lebanon. Given the near total isolation (the North Lebanon Mountain region) of Maronite Catholic adherents from
5600-408: The Nestorian heresy. The Lord's Prayer follows with an introduction and Embolismos. The Host is shown to the people with the same words as in the Apostolic Constitutions, and then broken, and part of it is put into the chalice while the priest says: "The mixing of the all-holy Body and the precious Blood of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ." Before Communion Psalm xxxiii is said. The priest says
5700-420: The Nestorians, a measure encouraged by the Zoroastrian ruling class. The Persian Church became increasingly Nestorian in doctrine over the next decades, furthering the divide between Christianity in Persia and in the Roman Empire. In 486 the Metropolitan of Nisibis , Barsauma , publicly accepted Nestorius' mentor, Theodore of Mopsuestia , as a spiritual authority. In 489 when the School of Edessa in Mesopotamia
5800-408: The Pope's commission, Cyril convened a synod of Egyptian bishops which condemned Nestorius as well. Cyril then sent four suffragan bishops to deliver both the Pope's commission as well as the synodal letter of the Egyptian bishops. Cyril sent a letter to Nestorius known as "The Third Epistle of Saint Cyril to Nestorius." This epistle drew heavily on the established Patristic Constitutions and contained
5900-549: The Syriac liturgy show that the Greek language is the original. Besides the Syriac Liturgy of St. James, the Syriac Orthodox have many other Anaphoras, which they join to the common Preparation and Catechumen's Liturgy. The names of sixty-four of these Anaphoras are known. They are attributed to various saints and Syriac Orthodox bishops; thus, there are the Anaphoras of St. Basil, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Peter, St. Clement, Dioscurus of Alexandrian, John Maro, James of Edessa (died 708), Severus of Antioch (died 518), and so on. There
6000-400: The Syriac use (Drews, Zur Entstehungsgeschichte des Kanons). Duchesne and most authors, on the other hand, are disposed to connect the Gallican Liturgy with that of Syria and the Roman Mass with the Alexandrine use (Duchesne, Origines du culte chrétien, 54). After the Monophysite schism and the Council of Chalcedon (451), The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch , the proto- Maronites and
6100-540: The West, as the papal representatives would not arrive until July. The Palestinian delegation of 16 bishops and Metropolitan Flavian of Philippi arrived 5 days after the date that had been set for opening the council, and aligned themselves with Cyril. At this point, Cyril announced his intention to open the council; however, Candidian enjoined him from doing so on the grounds that the Roman and Antiochean delegations had not arrived yet. Cyril initially acceded to Candidian's injunction knowing that he could not legally convene
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#17327808362486200-480: The agreement of the papal legates and the support of the population of Ephesus who supported their bishop, Memnon. However, Count Candidian and his troops supported Nestorius as did Count Irenaeus. The emperor had always been a firm supporter of Nestorius, but had been somewhat shaken by the reports of the council. Cyril's group was unable to communicate with the emperor because of interference from supporters of Nestorius both at Constantinople and at Ephesus. Ultimately,
6300-409: The argument for Christ's integrity" and concede the "ill-advised nature of Nestorius' immoveability." Concerned at the potential for a negative result at a council, they urged Nestorius to yield and accept the use of the title Theotokos when referring to the Virgin Mary. For example, John of Antioch wrote to Nestorius urging him to submit to the Pope's judgment and cease stirring up controversy over
6400-484: The assembled bishops in the first session. He indicated that he had a second letter from Celestine which was read to the bishops now in attendance. The letter contained a general exhortation to the council, and concluded by saying that the legates had instructions to carry out what the pope had decided on the question and expressed Celestine's confidence that the council would agree. The bishops indicated their approval by acclaiming Celestine and Cyril. Projectus indicated that
6500-467: The assembly was illegal and must disperse. He urged Cyril to wait four more days for the Syrian delegation to arrive. However, since even the bishops opposed to opening the council were now present, Cyril maneuvered Candidian by means of a ruse to read out the text of the Emperor's decree of convocation, which the assembly then acclaimed as recognition of its own legality. When John of Antioch and his Syrian bishops finally reached Ephesus five days after
6600-489: The choir or place of the clergy). The beginning of the "Anaphora" (Preface) is shorter. The words of Institution and Anamimnesis are followed immediately by the Epiklesis; then comes the Supplication for various people. The deacon reads the "Diptychs" of the names of the people for whom they pray; then follows a list of Saints beginning with "our all-holy, immaculate and highly praised Lady Mary, Mother of God and ever-virgin." Here are inserted two hymns to Our Lady directed against
6700-471: The claim of the bishops of Cyprus that their see had been anciently and rightly exempt from the jurisdiction of Antioch. The council also passed five canons condemning Nestorius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics and a sixth one decreeing deposition from clerical office or excommunication for those who did not accept the Council's decrees. Eight canons were passed: The Council denounced Nestorius' teaching as erroneous and decreed that Jesus
6800-410: The council's actions. The events created a major schism between the followers of the different versions of the council, which was only mended by difficult negotiations. The factions that supported John of Antioch acquiesced in the condemnation of Nestorius and, after additional clarifications, accepted the decisions of Cyril's council. However, the rift would open again during the debates leading up to
6900-414: The council, they met with Candidian who informed them that Cyril had begun a council without them and had ratified Celestine's conviction of Nestorius as a heretic. Angered at having undertaken such a long and arduous journey only to have been pre-empted by actions taken by Cyril's council, John and the Syrian bishops held their own Council with Candidian presiding. This council condemned Cyril for espousing
7000-422: The council. Theodosius appointed Count Candidian as the head of the imperial palace guard to represent him, to supervise the proceedings of the Council, and to keep good order in the city of Ephesus. Despite Nestorius' agenda of prosecuting Cyril, Theodosius intended for the council to focus strictly on the christological controversy. He thus gave Candidianus strict directions to remain neutral and not to interfere in
7100-423: The delegates seriously delayed John of Antioch and his bishops. It was rumored that John might be delaying his arrival in order to avoid participating in a council which was likely to condemn Nestorius as a heretic. Two weeks after the date set for the council, John and the bulk of his Syrian group (42 members) had not yet appeared. At this point, Cyril formally opened the council on Monday, 22 June by enthroning
7200-607: The efforts of the Antiochene party, the representatives of the envoys whom the council was eventually allowed to send, with the legate Philip, to the Court, persuaded the emperor to accept Cyril's council as the true one. Seeing the writing on the wall and anticipating his fate, Nestorius requested permission to retire to his former monastery. The synod was dissolved in the beginning of October, and Cyril arrived amid much joy at Alexandria on 30 October. Pope Celestine had died on 27 July but his successor, Sixtus III , gave papal confirmation to
7300-492: The facts, not just what they think will please you.... You have the whole of the East against you, as well as Egypt." Despite this advice from his colleagues, Nestorius persisted in maintaining the rightness of his position. On 19 November, Nestorius, anticipating the ultimatum which was about to be delivered, convinced Emperor Theodosius II to summon a general council through which Nestorius hoped to convict Cyril of heresy and thereby vindicate his own teachings. Theodosius issued
7400-506: The faithful Pars dynamica (trial procedure) Canonization Election of the Roman Pontiff Academic degrees Journals and Professional Societies Faculties of canon law Canonists Institute of consecrated life Society of apostolic life The Apostolic Constitutions or Constitutions of the Holy Apostles ( Latin : Constitutiones Apostolorum ) is a Christian collection divided into eight books which
7500-483: The holy liturgy. The allusions to the liturgy are carefully veiled in the earlier ones because of the disciplina arcani; they became much plainer when he speaks to people just baptized, although even then he avoids quoting the baptism form or the words of consecration. From these Catechisms, we learn the order of the liturgy in Jerusalem in the middle of the fourth century. Except for one or two unimportant variations, it
7600-518: The human soul was based on the archetype of the Logos, only to become polluted by the Fall, Jesus was "more" human for having the Logos and not "less". Consequently, Nestorius argued that the Virgin Mary should be called Christotokos , Greek for "Carrier of Christ", and not Theotokos , Greek for "Carrier of God". Nestorius believed that no union between the human and divine was possible. If such
7700-429: The island of Zakynthos and in Jerusalem itself the Greek Liturgy of St. James was used on one day each year, 23 October, on the feast of St. James the "brother of God". It is still so used at Zakynthos, and in 1886 Dionysios Latas, Metropolitan of Zakynthos published an edition of it for practical purposes. At Jerusalem even this remnant of the old use had disappeared. But in 1900 Patriarch Damianos revived it for one day in
7800-469: The letters of Pseudo-Ignatius , perhaps the 4th-century Eunomian bishop Julian of Cilicia . The Apostolic Constitutions contains eight books on Early Christian discipline, worship, and doctrine, apparently intended to serve as a manual of guidance for the clergy, and to some extent for the laity. It purports to be the work of the Twelve Apostles , whether given by them as individuals or as
7900-480: The moral and religious conditions, as well as the liturgical observances of 3rd and 4th centuries . They are part of the Ante-Nicene Fathers collection. The forty-seventh and last chapter of the eighth book of the Apostolic Constitutions contains the eighty-five Canons of the Apostles , which present themselves as being from an apostolic Council at Antioch . These canons were later approved by
8000-551: The most famous article of Alexandrian Orthodoxy: "The Twelve Anathemas of Saint Cyril." In these anathemas , Cyril excommunicated anyone who followed the teachings of Nestorius. For example, "Anyone who dares to deny the Holy Virgin the title Theotokos is Anathema!" Nestorius however, still would not repent. McGuckin points out that other representatives of the Antiochene tradition such as John of Antioch , Theodoret and Andrew of Samosata were able to recognize "the point of
8100-469: The neighbouring Dorylaeum was the first to accuse Nestorius of heresy, but his most forceful opponent was Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria . Cyril argued that Nestorianism split Jesus in half and denied that he was both human and divine. Cyril appealed to Pope Celestine I , charging Nestorius with heresy . The Pope agreed and gave Cyril his authority to serve a notice to Nestorius to recant his views within ten days or else be excommunicated . Before acting on
8200-563: The papal letter enjoined the council to put into effect the sentence pronounced by Celestine. Firmus, the Exarch of Caesarea in Cappadocia, responded that the pope's sentence had already been carried out in the first session. The session closed with the reading of the pope's letter to the emperor. Having read the Acts of the first session, the papal legates indicated that all that was required
8300-452: The perception that Candidian's troops were, in fact, there to support Nestorius. Candidian ordered all monks and lay strangers to leave the city; he further instructed the bishops not to leave on any pretext until the council was concluded. Several sources comment that the purpose of this injunction was to prevent bishops from leaving the council to appeal to the emperor directly. According to McGuckin, Memnon, as bishop of Ephesus, commanded
8400-502: The priest and deacon and a blessing of incense. Then begins the Mass of the Catechumens with the little Entrance. The deacon says a litany ( ’ekténeia ), to each clause of which the people answer "Kyrie Eleison". The priest meanwhile silently recites a prayer, raising his voice only for the last words, when the litany has ended. The singers say the Trisagion , "Holy God, holy Strong One, holy Immortal One, have mercy on us." The practice of
8500-494: The priest saying one prayer silently while the people are occupied with something different is a later development. The Lessons follow, still in the older form, that is, long portions of both Testaments, then the prayers for the catechumens and their dismissal. Among the prayers for the catechumens occurs a reference to the cross (lift the horn of the Christians by the power of the venerable and life-giving cross) which must have been written after St. Helen found it (c. 326) and which
8600-535: The same liturgy in Syriac shows that it existed and was well established before the Chalcedonian schism. The oldest manuscript is one from the tenth century formerly belonging to the Greek monastery at Messina and is now kept in the University library of that city. The Greek Liturgy of St. James follows in all its essential parts that of the Apostolic Constitutions. It has preparatory prayers to be said by
8700-526: The summons. Next day the fifth session was held in the same church. John had set up a placard in the city accusing the synod of the Apollinarian heresy . He was again cited, and this was counted as the third canonical summons. He paid no attention. In consequence the council suspended and excommunicated him, together with thirty-four bishops of his party, but refrained from deposing them. Some of John's party had already deserted him, and he had gained only
8800-523: The theological proceedings. It is generally assumed that Candidian initially maintained his neutrality as instructed by the emperor and only gradually became more biased towards Nestorius. McGuckin, however, suggests that Candidian may have favored Nestorius from the start. Celestine sent Arcadius and Projectus, to represent himself and his Roman council; in addition, he sent the Roman priest, Philip, as his personal representative. Cyril Patriarch of Alexandria
8900-555: The third volume of his Primitive Christianity Revived to prove that "they are the most sacred of the canonical books of the New Testament; "for "these sacred Christian laws or constitutions were delivered at Jerusalem , and in Mount Sion , by our Saviour to the eleven apostles there assembled after His resurrection." Today the Apostolic Constitutions are regarded as a highly significant historical document, as they reveal
9000-419: The vastness of John of Antioch's ecclesiastical territory required a lengthy period to notify and gather his delegates. Because the overland trip from Antioch to Ephesus was long and arduous, John composed his delegation of his metropolitan bishops who were restricted to bring no more than two suffragans each. By doing so, he minimized the number who would have to travel to Ephesus. Neither of the emperors attended
9100-701: The year, not 23 October but 31 December. It was first celebrated again in 1900 (on 30 December as an exception) in the church of the Theological College of the Holy Cross. Archbishop Epiphanios of the River Jordan, celebrated, assisted by a number of concelebrating priests. The edition of Latas was used, but the Archimandrite Chrysostomos Papadopoulos has been commissioned to prepare another and more correct edition (Échos d'Orient, IV, 247, 248). Note finally that
9200-592: Was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey ) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II . This third ecumenical council , an effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom , confirmed the original Nicene Creed , and condemned the teachings of Nestorius , Patriarch of Constantinople , who held that
9300-528: Was already present with his 52 bishops. Nestorius and his 16 bishops were the first to arrive shortly after Easter. As archbishop of the imperial city of Constantinople, he traveled with a detachment of troops who were under the command of Count Candidian. McGuckin notes that the troops were not there to serve as Nestorius' bodyguard but to support Candidian in his role as the emperor's representative. However, McGuckin theorizes that Candidian's progressive abandonment of neutrality in favor of Nestorius may have created
9400-524: Was closed by Byzantine Emperor Zeno for its Nestorian teachings, the school relocated to its original home of Nisibis, becoming again the School of Nisibis , leading to a wave of Nestorian immigration into Persia. The Persian patriarch Mar Babai I (497–502) reiterated and expanded upon the church's esteem for Theodore, solidifying the church's adoption of Nestorianism. In 1994, the Common Christological Declaration between
9500-470: Was no less dogmatic and uncompromising than Cyril, and that he was clearly just as prepared to use his political and canonical powers as Cyril or any of the other hierarchs of the period. Nestorius's opponents charged him with detaching Christ's divinity and humanity into two persons existing in one body, thereby denying the reality of the Incarnation . Eusebius, a layman who later became the bishop of
9600-462: Was one person ( hypostasis ), and not two separate persons, yet possessing both a human and divine nature. The Virgin Mary was to be called Theotokos , a Greek word that means "God-bearer" (the one who gave birth to God). The Council declared it "unlawful for any man to bring forward, or to write, or to compose a different (ἑτέραν) Faith as a rival to that established by the holy Fathers assembled with
9700-511: Was originally drawn up for the Church of Jerusalem. The first supplication after the Epiklesis is: "We offer to thee, O Lord, for Thy holy places which Thou hast glorified by the divine appearance of Thy Christ and by the coming of Thy holy Spirit, especially for the holy and illustrious Sion, mother of all churches and for Thy holy Catholic and apostolic Church throughout the world." This liturgy
9800-455: Was president of the council. Celestine had directed the papal legates not to take part in the discussions, but to give judgment on them. Bishops arrived in Ephesus over a period of several weeks. While waiting for the other bishops to arrive, they engaged in informal discussions characterized as tending to "exasperate rather than heal their differences". The metropolitan of Ephesus, Memnon ,
9900-474: Was that the council's condemnation of Nestorius be formally read in their presence. When this had been done, the three legates each confirmed the council's actions, signing the Acts of all three sessions. The council sent a letter to Theodosius indicating that the condemnation of Nestorius had been agreed upon not only by the bishops of the East meeting in Ephesus but also of the bishops of the West who had convened at
10000-585: Was used throughout Syria and Palestine, that is throughout the Antiochene Patriarchate (Jerusalem was not made a patriarchal see till the Council of Ephesus , 431) before the Nestorian and Monophysite schisms. It is possible to reconstruct a great part of the use of the city of Antioch while St. John Chrysostom was preaching there (370-397) from the allusions and quotations in his homilies (Probst, Liturgie des IV. Jahrh., II, i, v, 156, 198). It
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