The Moral Perspectives of the Anaphora of Addai and Mari in the Syro-Malabar Liturgy

Abstract

Liturgical prayers comprise a myriad of moral concepts. This is obvious in the anaphora of Addai and Mari, one of the earliest liturgies in the East Syrian tradition. Prayers of this anaphora are a source of Christian moral tradition. This article argues that there are fundamental moral concepts, moral values, and special moral cases in the anaphora of Addai and Mari. The prominent moral themes of this anaphora include conscience, justice, love, communion, holiness, gratitude, mercy, peace, and eco-theology. Moreover, participation in the Holy Qurbana incites moral imagination and subsequently helps one to arrive at good moral decisions. The result is the moral response (counter-gift) of the participation in the Holy Qurbana. The article also explores the similarities between the moral concepts of Acts of Thomas, Ephrem's hymns, Aphrahat's Demonstrations and the anaphora of Addai and Mari. This article reasons that a deep relationship exists between liturgy and morality, and one can obtain mature moral perspectives from the anaphora of Addai and Mari in the present context.