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The Anaphora is the most solemn part of the Divine liturgy
Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....
, Mass
Mass (liturgy)

The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used also of similar celebrations in Old Catholic Churches, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, and in some largely High Church Lutheranism Lutheranism regions, including the Scandinavian and Baltic states countries....
, or other Christian Communion
Eucharist

The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names, is a Christianity sacrament commemorating, by consecrating bread and wine, the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his arrest, and eventual crucifixion, when he gave them bread saying, "This is my body", and wine...
 rite where the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as the body and blood of Christ
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
. This is the usual name for this part of the Liturgy in Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
, but it is more often called the Eucharistic Prayer. When the Roman Rite
Roman Rite

The liturgy of the Catholic Church of Rome is called the Roman Rite. The quite distinct term Latin Rite usually refers not to a liturgical rite but to the particular Church within the Roman Catholic Church that was sometimes referred to also as the Patriarchate of the West....
 had a single Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora, it was called the Canon of the Mass
Canon of the Mass

Canon of the Mass is the name given in the Roman Missal, from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962, to the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that begins after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur....
.

"Anaphora" is a Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 word meaning a "carrying back" (hence its meaning in rhetoric
Anaphora

In rhetoric, an anaphora is emphasizing words by repeating them at the beginnings of neighboring clauses. In contrast, an Epistrophe is repeating words at the clauses' ends....
 and linguistics
Anaphora (linguistics)

In linguistics, anaphora is an instance of an expression referring to another.In general, an anaphoric expression is represented by a pro-form or some kind of deixis....
) or a "carrying up", and so an "offering" (hence its use in reference to the offering of sacrifice
Sacrifice

Sacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects , or the lives of animals or people to the deity as an act of propitiation or worship....
 to God).






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The Anaphora is the most solemn part of the Divine liturgy
Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....
, Mass
Mass (liturgy)

The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used also of similar celebrations in Old Catholic Churches, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, and in some largely High Church Lutheranism Lutheranism regions, including the Scandinavian and Baltic states countries....
, or other Christian Communion
Eucharist

The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names, is a Christianity sacrament commemorating, by consecrating bread and wine, the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his arrest, and eventual crucifixion, when he gave them bread saying, "This is my body", and wine...
 rite where the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as the body and blood of Christ
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
. This is the usual name for this part of the Liturgy in Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
, but it is more often called the Eucharistic Prayer. When the Roman Rite
Roman Rite

The liturgy of the Catholic Church of Rome is called the Roman Rite. The quite distinct term Latin Rite usually refers not to a liturgical rite but to the particular Church within the Roman Catholic Church that was sometimes referred to also as the Patriarchate of the West....
 had a single Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora, it was called the Canon of the Mass
Canon of the Mass

Canon of the Mass is the name given in the Roman Missal, from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962, to the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that begins after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur....
.

"Anaphora" is a Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 word meaning a "carrying back" (hence its meaning in rhetoric
Anaphora

In rhetoric, an anaphora is emphasizing words by repeating them at the beginnings of neighboring clauses. In contrast, an Epistrophe is repeating words at the clauses' ends....
 and linguistics
Anaphora (linguistics)

In linguistics, anaphora is an instance of an expression referring to another.In general, an anaphoric expression is represented by a pro-form or some kind of deixis....
) or a "carrying up", and so an "offering" (hence its use in reference to the offering of sacrifice
Sacrifice

Sacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects , or the lives of animals or people to the deity as an act of propitiation or worship....
 to God). In the sacrificial language of the Greek version of the Old Testament
Old Testament

In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christianity Bible Biblical canon. These works correspond to the Hebrew Bible , with some variations and additions....
 known as the Septuagint
Septuagint

The Septuagint , or simply "LXX", is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the 3rd century BC and 1st century BC in Alexandria....
, is used of the offerer bringing the victim to the altar, and is used of the priest offering up the selected portion upon the altar (see, for instance, , , , ).

Elements of an anaphora

The oldest, complete, extant anaphora is usually agreed to be the Anaphora of Hippolytus
Anaphora of Hippolytus

The Anaphora of Hippolytus is arguably the oldest known complete Eucharistic prayer or communion liturgy, having been written in the early to mid 3rd century by Hippolytus of Rome....
 from the third century. If this is used as a norm, there are 5 major sections that comprise an anaphora: Sursum Corda
Sursum corda

The Sursum Corda is the opening dialogue to the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora in the liturgies of the Christian Church, dating back to the third century and the Anaphora of Hippolytus....
, Anamnesis
Anamnesis

Anamnesis...
, Oblation
Oblation

Oblation, an offering [Late Latin oblatio, from offerre, oblatum, to offer], a term, particularly in ecclesiastical usage, for a solemn offering or presentation to God....
, Verba or Words of Institution
Words of Institution

The Words of Institution are those used, inserted into a narrative of the Last Supper, in Christian Eucharistic liturgies to recall those used by Jesus on that occasion....
 and the Epiclesis
Epiclesis

In most Christian churches, the epiclesis is that part of the anaphora, or Eucharistic prayer, by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit . Some Eastern Orthodox theologians hold that the epiclesis is essential to the Eucharist, since the entire Sacred Mysteries is based on the action of the Holy Spirit....
. Scholars typically add a sixth section, the Sanctus Benedictus
Sanctus

Sanctus is the Latin word for holy or saint, and is the name of an important hymn of Christianity liturgy.In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface_ of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine....
, however the Sanctus is not included in the Anaphora of Hippolytus. Beginning with the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement

The Oxford Movement or Tractarianism was an affiliation of High Church Anglicans, most of whom were members of the University of Oxford, who sought to demonstrate that the Church of England was a direct descendant of the Church established by the Twelve apostles....
 of the 1840s and after the Liturgical Reform Movement of the 1950s, a systematic examination of historic anaphora began and this in turn has caused the reform of many Eucharistic prayers within mainline denominations.

The introductory dialogue that generally begins an anaphora opens with a liturgical greeting by the priest (for instance, "The Lord be with you" in the Roman Rite, or "The grace of our Lord Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
 Christ, and the love of God the Father
God the Father

In many religions, the supreme deity is given the title and attributions of Father. In many forms of polytheism, the highest god has been conceived as a "father of gods and of men"....
, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit

In Christianity, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. The term Christ , is also used to refer to this presence. That is, the Spirit is considered to act in concert with and share an essential nature with God the Father and God the Son ....
 be with you all" in the Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite

The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite, is the liturgy used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches and by the Greek-Catholic Churches ....
) and the response of the congregation or choir. Classic call and response ties together the response of the priest and congregation to the Glory of God. Then the priest exhorts those participating in the liturgy to lift up their hearts. When they express their agreement ("We lift them up to the Lord"), he then introduces the great theme of thanksgiving, in Greek (eucharistia), saying: "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God." This is the classic Sursum Corda
Sursum corda

The Sursum Corda is the opening dialogue to the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora in the liturgies of the Christian Church, dating back to the third century and the Anaphora of Hippolytus....
 but can take a variety of forms.

Next comes an expression of thanksgiving to God which in some rites is variable, changing according to the liturgical season called the Proper Preface
Preface (liturgy)

In liturgical use the term Preface is applied to that portion of the Eucharistic Prayer that immediately precedes the Canon_of_the_Mass or central portion of the Eucharist ....
. It concludes with a hymn of praise adapted from beginning Holy, Holy, Holy which is known as the Sanctus Benedictus
Sanctus

Sanctus is the Latin word for holy or saint, and is the name of an important hymn of Christianity liturgy.In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface_ of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine....
.

Other parts of an anaphora include (not always in the same order) the priest's pronouncing, within the framework of a short account of the Last Supper
Last Supper

In the Christian Gospels, the Last Supper was the last meal Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles and Disciple before Crucifixion of Jesus. The Last Supper has been the subject of many paintings, perhaps The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci....
, the words of Jesus Christ who changed the bread and wine into his body and blood (the "Words of Institution
Words of Institution

The Words of Institution are those used, inserted into a narrative of the Last Supper, in Christian Eucharistic liturgies to recall those used by Jesus on that occasion....
"); the Anamnesis
Anamnesis

Anamnesis...
, a remembrance of Christ of the mysteries of his death, resurrection and ascension; the Oblation
Oblation

Oblation, an offering [Late Latin oblatio, from offerre, oblatum, to offer], a term, particularly in ecclesiastical usage, for a solemn offering or presentation to God....
, an expression of offering of the sacrifice of Christ, usually tied with the offerings of the congregation; the Epiclesis
Epiclesis

In most Christian churches, the epiclesis is that part of the anaphora, or Eucharistic prayer, by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit . Some Eastern Orthodox theologians hold that the epiclesis is essential to the Eucharist, since the entire Sacred Mysteries is based on the action of the Holy Spirit....
, asking God the Father to send the Holy Spirit for the consecration of the bread and wine and for the sanctification of those who will receive them; the Intercessions or Diptychs, praying for the living and the dead, and also expressing communion
Communion (Christian)

The term Communion is derived from Latin language communio . The corresponding term in Greek language is ???????a, which is often translated as "fellowship"....
 with the chief pastors of the Church on earth and the saints in heaven; and a concluding doxology.

The Anaphora or Eucharistic Prayer of the Roman Rite

An account of this is given within the articles Mass (liturgy)
Mass (liturgy)

The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used also of similar celebrations in Old Catholic Churches, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, and in some largely High Church Lutheranism Lutheranism regions, including the Scandinavian and Baltic states countries....
 and Canon of the Mass
Canon of the Mass

Canon of the Mass is the name given in the Roman Missal, from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962, to the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that begins after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur....
. For its history, see also Pre-Tridentine Mass
Pre-Tridentine Mass

The term Pre-Tridentine Mass here refers to the variants of the liturgy rite of Mass in Rome before 1570, when, with his bull Quo primum, Pope Pius V made the Roman Missal, as revised by him, obligatory throughout the Latin Rite, except for those places and congregations whose distinct rites could demonstrate an antiquity of 200 years or...
 and Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass

The Tridentine Mass is a common name for the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962....
.

The Anaphora of the Byzantine Rite

The anaphora is where the most significant differences are found between the two Divine Liturgies most commonly celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
, those of St. John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom

'Saint John Chrysostom' , archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in Sermon and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St....
 and St. Basil the Great; but within each Liturgy the text of the anaphora is invariant, with the exception of the hymn to the Theotokos
Theotokos

Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
 near its close. Alternative prefaces and so forth that change with the liturgical season are not used.

The anaphora is introduced with a threefold dialogue between priest and choir/congregation:
The priest chants: "The grace of our Lord Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
 Christ, and the love of God the Father
God the Father

In many religions, the supreme deity is given the title and attributions of Father. In many forms of polytheism, the highest god has been conceived as a "father of gods and of men"....
, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit

In Christianity, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. The term Christ , is also used to refer to this presence. That is, the Spirit is considered to act in concert with and share an essential nature with God the Father and God the Son ....
 be with you all."
The choir/congregation respond: "And with thy spirit."
Priest: "Let us lift up our hearts."
Choir/Congregation: "We lift them up unto the Lord."
Priest: "Let us give thanks unto the Lord."
Choir/Congregation: "It is meet and right to worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity
Trinity

In Christianity doctrine, the Trinity is the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in monotheism. The doctrine states that God is the Triune God, existing as three persons, or in the Greek hypostasis , but one being....
 one in essence
Ousia

Ousia is the Greek language noun formed on the feminine present participle of ; it is analogous to the English participle being, and the Greek ontic....
 and undivided."


While the above response is sung, the priest begins to pray the first part of the anaphora quietly, although in some places this is said aloud. This section, corresponding to the preface in the Roman Rite, gives thanks to God for the mysteries of creation, redemption, and sanctification. It is followed by the choir and congregation singing the Sanctus
Sanctus

Sanctus is the Latin word for holy or saint, and is the name of an important hymn of Christianity liturgy.In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface_ of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine....
, the "hymn of victory".

After the Sanctus follows a recapitulation of salvation
Salvation

In religion, salvation is the concept that God saves humanity from death. As commonly conceived, He has both Will of God and omnipotence to realize human salvation....
 history, especially the Incarnation
Incarnation

Incarnation which literally means embodied in flesh, refers to the Conception and birth of a Sentience creature who is the material manifestation of an entity or force whose original nature is immaterial....
, and leads into the words of Jesus over the bread and wine at the Mystical Supper, as Eastern Christians often refer to the Last Supper
Last Supper

In the Christian Gospels, the Last Supper was the last meal Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles and Disciple before Crucifixion of Jesus. The Last Supper has been the subject of many paintings, perhaps The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci....
: "Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you, for the forgiveness of sin
Sin

Sin is a term used mainly in a religion context to describe an act that violates a morality rule, or the state of having committed such a violation....
s." and "Drink ye all of this; this is my blood of the New Testament
New Testament

The New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christianity Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins." The priest always says these words aloud, and the congregation and choir respond: "Amen."

The priest continues with the anamnesis or oblation in that it references Jesus' command, at least implicitly, to "do this in memory of me" and states that the gifts of bread and wine are offered to God in memory of Jesus' life, death, resurrection
Resurrection

Miraculous resurrection of one sort or another has been a recurrent theme or central doctrine of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and other Abrahamic religions....
, and second coming
Second Coming

In Christian theology, the Second Coming is the anticipated return of Jesus from Heaven to earth, an event to fulfill aspects of Claimed Messianic prophecies of Jesus, such as the general resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment of the dead and the living and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth , including the Messianic...
. It culminates in the priest or deacon elevating the bread and wine while the priest exclaims: "Thine own of thine own we offer unto thee on behalf of all and for all."

While the people sing a hymn of thanksgiving and supplication, the priest prays the epiclesis
Epiclesis

In most Christian churches, the epiclesis is that part of the anaphora, or Eucharistic prayer, by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit . Some Eastern Orthodox theologians hold that the epiclesis is essential to the Eucharist, since the entire Sacred Mysteries is based on the action of the Holy Spirit....
. God the Father is invoked to send down the Holy Spirit in order to, according to the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....
 of St. John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom

'Saint John Chrysostom' , archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in Sermon and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St....
, "...make this bread the precious Body of thy Christ... And that which is in this cup the precious Blood of thy Christ... Changing them by thy Holy Spirit." This is the most solemn point of the anaphora, as it is from that point on the bread and wine are considered to be the literal body and blood of Christ and not from the Words of Institution
Words of Institution

The Words of Institution are those used, inserted into a narrative of the Last Supper, in Christian Eucharistic liturgies to recall those used by Jesus on that occasion....
 as in some other traditions.

The rest of the anaphora consists of a lengthy set of intercessions for the Church, its bishops and other clergy, the leaders of nations, the faithful departed, and the Church as a whole, as well as commemorations of the Saints, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, the saint being commemorated that day, and "Forefathers, Fathers, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Preachers, Evangelists, Martyrs, Confessors, Ascetics, and for every righteous spirit in faith made perfect." In the Byzantine Rite the anaphora, whether that of St. John Chrysostom or St. Basil, ends with the following doxology sung by the priest: "And grant us with one mouth and one heart to glorify and hymn thine all-honorable and magnificent name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages." The congregation and choir respond: "Amen."

Oriental Anaphoras

Among the Oriental Orthodox and Oriental Catholic churches, there are a great variety of Anaphoras. The Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church

The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest national church and one of the most ancient Christianity communities.The official name of the church is the One Holy Universal Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church ....
 uses the Anaphora of St. Athanasius. The Coptic Orthodox Church makes use of three Anaphoras: St. Basil, St. Mark, and St. Gregory. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which makes use of no less than 14 official anaphoras. Some Ethiopian monasteries
Monastery

Monastery , a term derived from the Greek language word ???ast?????, neut. of ???ast????? - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of Monk, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in Cenobium or alone ....
 use additional Anaphoras as a local practice. The Antiochene Maronite Catholic Church is one of the richest if not the richest in the number of anaphoras contained in its Liturgy. There are at least seventy-two Maronite Anphorae.

Historical Anaphoras

Many ancient texts of anaphoras have survived, and even if no more in use, they are useful to trace the history of the anaphoras, and in general the history of the Eucharist during the centuries. Most of these texts became parts of anaphoras still in use.

The more ancient text is chapter 9 and 10 of the Didache
Didache

The Didache is the common name of a brief Early Christianity treatise . It is an anonymous work not belonging to any single individual, and a pastoral manual "that reveals more about how Jewish Christianity saw themselves and how they adapted their Judaism for gentiles than any other book in the Christian Scriptures." The text, parts of whic...
. We have next the Anaphora of Hippolytus
Anaphora of Hippolytus

The Anaphora of Hippolytus is arguably the oldest known complete Eucharistic prayer or communion liturgy, having been written in the early to mid 3rd century by Hippolytus of Rome....
, the Liturgy of the seventh book of the Apostolic Constitutions and the Liturgy of the eighth book of the Apostolic Constitutions
Antiochene Rite

Antiochene Rite designates the family of liturgy originally used in the Patriarch of Antioch: that of the Apostolic Constitutions; then that of Liturgy of St James in Greek language, the Syriac language Liturgy of St....
 that developed in the famous Byzantine Anaphora now part of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, through the lost Greek version of the Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles (of which we have a later Syrian version).

The more ancient text of the Basilean family of anaphoras was found in 1960 in a Sahidic Coptic
Coptic language

Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the final stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic languages language spoken in Egypt until at least the seventeenth century....
 version , and recent scholars believes that this text, united with the anaphora described in The Catechisms of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, has been the base for the Anaphora of St. James
Antiochene Rite

Antiochene Rite designates the family of liturgy originally used in the Patriarch of Antioch: that of the Apostolic Constitutions; then that of Liturgy of St James in Greek language, the Syriac language Liturgy of St....
 included in the Liturgy of St James
Liturgy of St James

The Liturgy of Saint James is the oldest complete form of the Divine Liturgy still in use among the Christian churches.It is based on the traditions of the ancient rite of the Early Christian Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem#Bishops of Jerusalem, as the Mystagogic Catecheses of St Cyril of Jerusalem imply....
. The present Byzantine text of the Anaphora included in the Liturgy of Saint Basil
Liturgy of Saint Basil

The Liturgy of Saint Basil or, more formally, the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, is a term for several Eastern Christian celebrations of the Divine Liturgy , or at least several anaphoras, which have been attributed to St....
 is the final development of this anaphoric family.

In the East the more ancient text is probably the ancient form of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari
Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari

The Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari belongs to the East Syrian liturgical family and is in regular use in the Assyrian Church of the East, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church....
, followed by the Maronite Third Anaphora of St. Peter (said also Sharar) and by the Anaphora of Mar Theodore. Another important source is the anaphora described in the Mystagogical Cathecheses of Theodore of Mopsuestia
Theodore of Mopsuestia

Theodore the Interpreter , was bishop of Mopsuestia from 392 to 428 AD. He is also known as Theodore of Antioch, from the place of his birth and presbyterate....
 .

In the North Africa area we have the Strasbourg papyrus
Strasbourg papyrus

The Strasbourg papyrus is a papyrus made of six fragments on a single leaf conserved at the Strasbourg National University Library, cataloged Gr....
, the so-called British Museum Tablet, the Prayer into the The Euchologion of Serapion, the Deir Balyzeh Papyrus, the Louvain Coptic Papyrus and the ancient St. Mark's Liturgy .

Very important for the History of the Roman Canon
History of the Roman Canon

From the seventh century the Canon of the Mass has remained relatively unchanged.It is to Pope Gregory I the great organiser of all the Roman Liturgy, that tradition ascribes its final revision and arrangement....
 is the Anaphora of Barcellona that includes an epiclesis
Epiclesis

In most Christian churches, the epiclesis is that part of the anaphora, or Eucharistic prayer, by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit . Some Eastern Orthodox theologians hold that the epiclesis is essential to the Eucharist, since the entire Sacred Mysteries is based on the action of the Holy Spirit....
 before the Words of Institution
Words of Institution

The Words of Institution are those used, inserted into a narrative of the Last Supper, in Christian Eucharistic liturgies to recall those used by Jesus on that occasion....
. The earlier form of the Roman Canon
Text and rubrics of the Roman Canon

Before the 1970 revision of the Roman Missal, the Mass had, in the Roman Rite, only one Anaphora or Eucharistic Prayer, which was referred to as the Canon of the Mass....
 is found in the fourth book of the De sacramentis of Ambrose of Milan
Ambrose

Saint Ambrose was a Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century. He is counted as one of the four original doctors of the Church....
 before the 397 AD.

See also

  • Divine Liturgy
    Divine Liturgy

    The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....


External links

  • Discusses the 14 official Anaphoras