Doru Costache - The Ecclesial Synaxis 4

[Published in The Greek Australian Vema, May 2009, p.8]

THE ECCLESIAL SYNAXIS EPITOME OF A LEARNING SOCIETY (Part 4)

Revd Dr Doru Costache The previous article in this series (see the English edition of The Greek Australian Vema, March 2009, p.8) has reviewed the main elements that indicate the Orthodox liturgy as the epitome of a learning society, emphasising the traditionally spiritual character of its educational dimension. My examples were taken from the Divine Liturgy attributed to St John Chrysostom and this article continues the exploration of the same source, presenting the context of the scriptural readings. This liturgical moment is perhaps the most significant to our topic. Before directly addressing the context of biblical reading/interpretation in the liturgy, a few remarks are in order with reference to the place the Scriptures hold within our ecclesial tradition. As an integral part of our liturgical space, the Bible is thoroughly read within the worshipping synaxis/congregation. The Orthodox people are literally immersed in the Scriptures. The vespers, matins and all the other offices (the mysteries/sacraments and the services of the daily cycle) contain various Psalms and large amounts of other biblical texts mostly from the Old Testament yet not exclusively. There is a weekly order of reading the Psalter (Book of the Psalms) from the beginning to end – in twenty stages or kathismata – and this cycle is repeated indefinitely throughout the year, both within the monasteries and in private devotion. It is not without reason, therefore, that the Psalter is considered as the true book of prayers for the Orthodox faithful. The spine of our ritual rhythm is constituted, however, by the cycles of New Testament readings within the Divine Liturgy. Indeed, besides the occasional readings dedicated to major feasts and saints, there can be identified two such cycles, that of the weekdays and that of the Sundays, respectively. Both cycles begin simultaneously on Pascha, and end on the next Saturday of Holy Week. Accordingly, on specific portions of the liturgical year God’s people read annually the same texts that are appropriate to the context. For instance, during the Great Lent we read almost exclusively from the Gospel of St Mark and the Epistle to the Hebrews, whilst during the Paschal season from the Gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles. The main difference between the weekday cycle and the Sunday cycle resides in that for the weekdays the readings of the Gospel and Epistle are unrelated (although there can be discerned a reason for reading in parallel, for example, Mark and Hebrews, rather than another combination of readings) whilst within the Sunday cycle the two readings are purposely associated (so that there is an obvious intersection between the two, which represents the actual message of the respective Sunday). Along with this impressive number of biblical readings, followed or not by a homily, there are indications that God’s people approach the Bible in a specific manner, within the parameters of a traditional mindset. For instance, in a symbolic context and way, almost on every Sunday matins after the appointed Gospel reading (within a cycle of eleven weeks, according to the number of the apostles in the interval between the Lord’s resurrection and ascension), the book of the Gospels is presented to the ecclesial synaxis for veneration. It is a sign of our commitment to the apostolic kerygma/proclamation concerning the risen Christ, as canonically handed on by the Lord’s first witnesses. This symbolic ritual illustrates that God’s people do not know

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Christ other than as the Saviour preached by the apostles – an important detail if we think of the sterile, if not utterly soul-destroying, versions of the so-called ‘historical Jesus’. This commitment points to the existence of a specific interpretive approach of God’s people to the Scriptures. Collated by the collective consciousness as represented by the Church, the Scriptures fully uncover their significance and message only when interpreted within the ecclesial community and in ways relevant to it. There is, in fact, a rapport of mutuality that engages the Church and the Bible: Scripture deciphers the life of God’s people, and the life of God’s people deciphers the meaning of Scripture. The motivation and goal of this interaction is to instrumentalise the Scriptures so that the biblical wisdom (expression of orthodoxy) may guide the experience of the Church (orthopraxy) according to canonical paradigms. To read the Bible ecclesially is therefore to discern the elements of a correct guidance in life, which bear witness to the educational and formative approach pertaining to the Church’s interests in the world. These aspects are perfectly embodied by the actual handling of the scriptural readings within the ecclesial synaxis. In the Orthodox tradition, the privileged space of reading and interpreting the Bible is the Divine Liturgy. This principle was consecrated by the early Church and reflected, for instance, in the famous saying of St Irenaeus of Lyon: ‘our opinion [concerning Scripture, faith, life etc] is in accordance with the eucharist and the eucharist confirms our opinion’ (Against the Heresies 4.18.5). Within the liturgical synaxis, indeed, the readings are followed by the exegetical or interpretive homily, whose function and purpose is to actualise the biblical message for both the congregation as a whole and each of its members. The teaching/learning dimension of this approach together with its traditionally formative aspect, are obvious in the prayer that accompanies the scriptural lectures, recited by the bishop or presbyter. The prayer reads: Make the pure light of your divine knowledge shine within our hearts, loving Master, and open the eyes of our mind to understand the message of your Gospel. Instil in us also the fear of your blessed commandments, so that having trampled down all desires of the flesh, we may pursue a spiritual way of life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to you. For you are the illumination of our souls and bodies, Christ our God, and to you we offer glory, with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. The structure of the prayer corresponds to that of any Byzantine prayer, consisting of an address, a request and a final doxology (glorification). More precisely, the prayer begins with the invocation of Christ, who is the message, the core and the substance of his Scripture (the Gospel belongs to Christ and speaks of him). The address is followed by a request for enlightenment to correctly understand the divine teaching of Christ’s Gospel; illumination is, however, conditioned by the fear, that is the reverence, for the wisdom from above. The right understanding (orthodoxy) of the Bible and its spiritual message features here as a prerequisite for the right way of living and doing (orthopraxy), or as guidance for walking the spiritual path. The desire to receive illumination cannot suffice, however; this is why the prayer teaches us to ask – through fear or reverence – for the power to observe the decision of living rightly. The doxology confirms Christ as the substance of the Gospel and the only one that can enlighten our lives on the way to perfection, given that he is one of the Holy Trinity.

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The message of the prayer is quite straightforward, and refers not only to the manner in which we approach the readings within the Divine Liturgy but to our general understanding, and handling, of the Scriptures. Reading the Bible ecclesially has as a main purpose to discern the necessary elements of a correct guidance in life, leading to a divine-human and transformative experience. Interpreting the Scriptures implies therefore a participatory dimension (synergy or interaction with God) and an existential dimension (transformation of our lives). Thus, reading the Scriptures in the Church entails more than the intention of acquiring information. The Church seeks the original intention of the Logos of God, through a process of assimilation that implies teaching and learning yet aims at spiritual (trans)formation. God willing, and to bring this series to a conclusion, in the next issue I will address the implicit manner of teaching/learning within the ecclesial synaxis through symbolic gestures and ritual dramatisation.

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