The Late Patriarch of the Church of the East, Mar Dinkha IV

By Bp. Joseph

In the far eastern church of Persia and India, the Assyrian Church of the East, which developed from Jewish Christianity in Edessa and Nisibis, formed the Patriarchate of Babylon and created a different understanding of Eucharistic theology than that which was developed in the West. In the East, the iconic and mysteriological function of covenantal "anamnesis", baptismal and eucharistic life that was lived within the community of faith, was understood as something that did not require Aristotelian philosophy of nature and accidents.

"Lofty, in truth, and exalted is this mystery that the priest performs in the midst of the sanctuary mystically. Mystically the Church depicts the glorious Mysteries; and as by an image she shews to all men those things that have come to pass. Those things which came to pass is the death of the Son she commemorate by the Mysteries; His resurrection also from the dead she reveals before all. A mystery mystically shews that which has come to pass and that which is to come about: but the Church shews mystically in her Mysteries only that which has come to pass." – Mar Narsai the Great, (d. 502) Homily XVII, An Exposition on the Mysteries (Quoted within "Mysteries of the Kingdom", Mar Awa Royel, p. 290)

The Common Architectural Layout of the Assyrian Church

The Syriac understanding of "Raza", which is what the Church of the East calls the Sacraments, is not the same thing as "Mysterion" in Greek. The Greek has very clear, subtle definitions. The Syriac was intentionally unclear. It obscures, rather than makes subtly and philosophical explicit. This is also shown in the multiple veils used in the sacraments. The gifts are veiled. Incense is used as a veil, or a covering, as it was in the Old Testament. The "Holy of Holies" is veiled for sacramental action, and the whole interaction with the sacramental aspect of the church is "otherized" – It is set outside of comprehension and made apart to represent a God who cannot be comprehended or defined. It is very much in line with the ancient Hebrew way of interacting with the sacred. But, this culture is hard to communicate, because it is a lived experience, emotionally comprehended, so the Church of the East ends up using negatory language to counterpoint Roman theological language.

Eucharistic Veils in the Indian Syriac Style, Influenced by Both the Church of the East and the Syriac Orthodox Church

Such a theology is both interesting and relevant to discussions today, as traditional philosophical language has begun to fall apart under Postmodern deconstruction, and insists on a marriage of Roman Cataphatic theology and Orthodox Apophatic Theology, united in the Gospel Narrative itself. The language used by the Fathers often employs analogies. These analogies harden over time and people take them literally, rather than remembering their analogous function. Different communities use different analogies in their different languages, and theology develops differently across time and space. Thus, the definitions and theological paradigms change over time and become difficult to reconcile. In the synodality of the Apostolic Churches, the Church of the East provides a baseline, allowing us to see how the various cultures have developed and defined the understanding of Godʼs sacraments within the Church. This is why the study of the Syriac Christian Tradition is so important to Western Christians today, especially those from an Anglican background.

The Holy of Holies Behind the Veil