In Christianity there are many concepts that are very difficult for an ordinary person to make out. So, trying to figure out what an anaphora is, many people confuse it with the word “anathema”, which is similar in pronunciation. But these are completely different words that differ fundamentally and in meaning. So what is anaphora? What are its features?
What is an anaphora?
This term refers to a special type of prayer, which is also called "Eucharistic". From the ancient Greek "anaphora" is translated as "ex altation". In fact, this is part of the liturgy among Christians, which occupies a central place in the action. It is one of the most ancient and is the most important among the other prayers. During the Anaphora, the transubstantiation or transposition of wine and bread into the Blood and Body of Christ is carried out.
Main parts of anaphora
To understand what an anaphora is, you can only understand its general features. Why common? Because it has a variety of Christian liturgical rites. But at the same time, common parts can be distinguished in all of them.
The first part -this is the opening dialogue, which consists of the exclamations of the priest, as well as the responses of the people. The second part - the preface, that is, the introduction - is the initial prayer, which contains thanksgiving to God and doxology. As a rule, it is an address to the Father-God and usually precedes the sanctus through a recollection of the ministry of the saints and the angelic ministry. Sanctus is the third movement, which is the hymn "Holy, holy…". "Staging and Anamnesis" - the fourth part of the anaphora - is a recollection of the Last Supper, at which the sacramental words of Christ are pronounced and recollections of the dispensation of salvation. The fifth part - the epiclesis - is an invocation to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit or another prayer that contains a request that the gifts be consecrated. Intercession is the next stage of anaphora. In it prayers-intercessions are pronounced for all the dead and the living, the Church and for the whole world. At the same time, the Mother of God and all the saints are remembered in it.
Types of anaphora in Christian and other worship services
Doxology is the final part of the doxology. This is what Anaphora is and what it consists of. Different Anaphoras may contain a different order of these parts. So, if we conditionally designate the preface with the letter P, the sanctus - S, the anamnesis - A, the epiclesis - E, and the intercession - J, then different anaphoras can be conditionally divided into the following formulas:
- Alexandrian or Coptic - PJSAE.
- Armenian – PSAEJ.
- Chaldean (East Syriac) – PSAJE.
- Roman anaphora can be distinguished in two versions -PSEJAJ and PSEJAEJ. The first contains two intercessions, and the second also contains a second, sacramental epiclesis. However, an anaphor forum can give a better definition.
A bit of history
The earliest anaphoras belong to scientists in the second or third century, although there is an assumption that it was already used in worship by the first Christians. At first, her words were not recorded, but over time, the best of the anaphoras were selected. In the Latin liturgy, in addition to the traditional Roman anaphora, there was also the second from the tradition of Hippolytus of Rome, the Western Syriac and the anaphora of St. Basil the Great. Western anaphoras have great variability, which directly depends on the festival, day of the week, and other factors. Therefore, the anaphora has a definition only in general terms.
