Schema of the Syriac Šḥimo
George A.
Kiraz
Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton / Beth Mardutho: The Syriac
Institute
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
2022
Volume 25.2
For this publication, a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
license has been granted by the author(s), who retain full
copyright.
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/article/hv25n2kiraz
George A. Kiraz
Schema of the Syriac Šḥimo
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/pdf/vol25/HV25N2Kiraz.pdf
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, 2022
vol 25
issue 2
pp 455-483
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies is an electronic journal dedicated to the study
of the Syriac tradition, published semi-annually (in January and July) by Beth
Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. Published since 1998, Hugoye seeks to offer the
best scholarship available in the field of Syriac studies.
Liturgy
Prayers
Šḥimo
XML
TEI
File created by James E. Walters
Abstract
The current paper gives a schema of the liturgical book known as
the Book of Šḥimo with some historical remarks. It will be shown that the received
tradition goes back at least to the early modern period (ca. 1500s) and some
elements are attested in the literature in the Syriac renaissance period. At least
in one instance, it is argued that an element assigned to priests and bishops must
have originally been assigned to the deacon. Snippets from an XML-TEI encoding
demonstrate how digital humanities projects can encode liturgical texts.
The Book of Šḥimo [The Book of the
Prayers of the Simple (or Ordinary) Week] contains the
Liturgy of the Hours according to the West Syriac rite: the Syriac Orthodox Church
in the Patriarchate of Antioch and the Maphrianate of the
East (Mosul, Malankara), the Syriac Catholic Church in the Patriarchate of Antioch,
and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in India. It is closely related to the
tradition of the Maronite Catholic Church in the Patriarchate of Antioch, and
perhaps they share a common origin. I presented an earlier version of this paper at The
Vth (North American) Syriac Symposium at the
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 25–27, 2007. Sebastian
P. Brock and Mor Severus R. Akhrass kindly read the penultimate draft and
gave valuable suggestions. This study aims at providing a schema
of this text, based on the modern editions of the various rites, with remarks on
modern practices from the Syriac Orthodox rite. By schema, I mean an outline of the
elements that constitute the liturgical texts, how these elements are organized
sequentially, and the attributes (e.g., who is the speaker, what is the melody of a
hymn) assigned to these elements.
Our earliest manuscripts of the Šḥimo belong to the Early Modern period, but scholars
have found a few liturgical fragments from earlier periods. Barsoum notes fragments
preserved in the Damascus Museum dating from around the 8th century.
Barsoum, al-Luʾluʾ al-Manthūr p. 73-75. He
claims that their text is similar to the received tradition. Barsoum informs us that
some manuscripts credit Jacob of Edessa (d. 708) as the initial compiler. He also
tells us that he examined some manuscripts according to the traditions of Edessa.
While the literary content varies among manuscripts, the schematic structure remains
the same.
This study shows that all the main elements of the schema appear in various
commentaries dating back to the early second millennium. We can be confident that
the structure of the prayers found in the printed editions represents the schema of
the text as it stood in the Early Modern period (ca. 15th or 16th century), if not earlier. Indeed,
early fragments found in the Cairo Geniza contain texts that a young deacon today
might select and chant, though they do not reveal much about structure. G. Kiraz, “Learning
Syriac and Garshuni in Early Modern Egypt: Evidence from the Cairo Genizah”
in Geoffrey Khan, Sabine Schmitdke, and Sarah Stroumsa (eds.), Studies in Literary Genizot
(= Intellectual History of the Islamicate World
8 (2020): 1–26; G. Kiraz, “A Young Syriac Pupil in the Cairo Genizah:
Or.1081 2.75.30.” Fragment of the Month: Newsletter of the
Cambridge University Library Genizah Unit. August 2018. https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/departments/taylor-schechter-genizah-research-unit/fragment-month/fotm-2018/fragment-6.
Scholars have not analyzed the structure of the Šḥimo in any detail. The late Robert
Taft provides some brief observations on the present living tradition, R.
Taft, The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West
(1993) 239–247. and Christine Chaillot outlines the main daily
offices prepared by Sebastian P. Brock. Christine Chaillot, The Syrian Orthodox Church of
Antioch and All the East, a brief introduction to its life and spirituality
(Geneva: Inter-Orthodox Dialogue, 1998), pp. 99, 156-157. Eugene
Aydin (aka Mor Poloycarpus) produced an essay in Syriac detailing the sources of the
text with a discussion on the differences between the Orthodox, Catholic and
Maronite printed editions, Eugene Aydin, ܫܚܝܡܐ: ܟܬܒܐ ܕܨܠܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܫܒܬܐ ܫܚܝܡܬܐ in H
eto 3 (2001), no.
5: 46-35. and I have relied upon his helpful lists of editions
and translations. See
also A. Baumstark, “syr-Antioch” in Der Katholik 82
(401–427, 538–550) & 83 (43–54); A. Baumstark, Geschichte der syrischen Literatur 47, n.4; where he lists mss);
J. Tomajean, “La semaine liturgique dans le rite syrien” in Parole de l'Orient (1966) no. 1, 95–114. For the
Maronite Lilyo and Ṣafro, see J. Tabet, L'Office commun
maronite (Kaslik, 1972).
The text editors also provide us with further information. Barsoum, Konat, Griffith,
and Mnayyer introduce the faithful to using the text, with Konat’s introduction
being the most extensive. However, they all assume familiarity with the tradition.
Having said that, such instructional material is no more valuable than New Jersey’s
road signs which are helpful if you already know how to reach your destination. As
such, only the trained clergy can perform the prayers. Numerous parts are absent
from the printed texts (see, for example, the Sedro schema
below).
As far as I know, this article is the first attempt to describe the schema of a west
Syriac liturgical rite. Such an analysis is helpful for digital humanities projects
seeking to represent or encode the text. I will provide a conceptualization of the
main structures and their elements. I will begin with a description of the printed
editions upon which the study is based (I), an outline of the canonical hours (II),
a schema of the text (III-VI), observations on the thematic structure (VII), and
finally concluding remarks (VIII). An appendix gives snippets from an XML-TEI schema
for consideration in digital humanities projects.
Modern Editions and Translations
The Syriac Orthodox editions bear the title
ܟܬܒܐ ܕܨܠܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܫܒܬܐ
ܫܚܝܡܬܐ “The Book
of the Prayers of the Simple (or Ordinary) Week,” and the
Syriac Catholic editions bear the title
ܨܠܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܝܘܡ̈ܬܐ ܫܚܝ̈ܡܐ
ܕܫܒܬܐ “The Prayers of the Simple Days of the Week.” One observes that
the adjective ܫܚܝܡܐ “simple” is a modifier of ܫܒܬܐ “week” and
ܝܘܡ̈ܬܐ
“days,” not of the prayers themselves. In this terminology, a “simple” day is a
non-feast day and excludes Sundays. (The Konat edition is the exception giving
the title ܟܬܒܐ ܕܨܠܘܬܐ ܫܚܝܡܬܐ “The Book of the Simple Prayer.”) In his
introduction to an Arabic translation of the Šḥimo text, Yousef Mnayyer stresses
this referential property of the title. Mnayyer, al-ʾIšḥīm
(Damascus, 1994) p. 13.
The Syriac Orthodox church produced its first edition at the Deir al-Zaʿfaran
press in 1890. A second edition by Barsoum was produced at the same press in
1913 based on nine MSS (seven according to his introduction!), one of which is
by a certain monk named David (fl. 15th
century).
Šḥimo (Mardin, 1913) p. 6. A third edition was produced in
Jerusalem in 1934 and became standard. It has been used in subsequent editions
from Bar Hebraeus Verlag in Holland. The Barsoum text incorporates the western
tradition of the Patriarchate of Antioch and the eastern tradition of the
Maphrianate of Tikrit (now the Mosul and Nineveh Plains tradition). Barsoum, al-Luʾluʾ al-Manthūr p. 73-75. The
Malankara tradition produced an edition by Matta Konat in 1915. While Konat’s
edition contains many differences in textual renderings, Konat’s structure is
identical to Barsoum’s.
There are four Syriac Catholic editions: the 1696 edition produced by Athanasius
Safar ʿAṭṭār of Mardin; the 1787 edition by Elias Amirkhan, itself based on the
1696 edition; the 1835 edition by Patriarch Peter Shabadin through the
Propaganda Fide; the 1902 edition by Aphram Rahmani; and finally, the 1937
edition by Gabriel Tabbouni. Aydin, p. 41-42.
Although there are more Syriac Christians in the diaspora than in the homeland,
hardly any churches have produced translations of the Šḥimo. In parishes where the tradition is kept, mostly the Syriac
Orthodox of Europe, the Syriac text is used. While prose prayers appear in
translation here and there, poetry is far more difficult to translate for
liturgical purposes, and the musical component is not easy to bridge across
languages. However, a few translations exist. Mnayyer mentions an unpublished
French translation by “brother Kristian who belongs to the young brothers of
Jesus.”
Mnayyer, p. 19. Bede Griffiths produced an English
translation (n.d., reprinted by Gorgias Press in 2005), from which Madey
produced a German translation in 1995. Johannes Madey, S’himo Oder
Das Stundenlob der Syro-Antiochenischen Kirche an Wochentagen
(1995). Acharya, produced another translation based in
Griffith, but this version contains numerous adaptations. F.
Acharya, Prayer with the Harp of the Spirit. I, A Weekly Celebration of the Economy of Salvation
(Kurisumala Ashram, Vagamon, 1983). A few translations
appeared in Malayalam, in part or in full, between 1910 and 1998. Mnayyer
produced his Arabic translation in 1994. Finally, in 1969 Heinrich Husmann
produced an edition of musical notations of the main hymns based on recordings
by the late Qurillos Jacob Qas Girgis. Heinrich Husmann, Die
Melodien der Jakobitischen Kirche, Die Melodien des
Wochenbreviers (Wien: Hermann Böhlaus Nachf,
1969)
The Canonical Hours
The west Syriac canonical hours follow Psalm 118 [MT
119]:164—ܫܒܰܥ ܒܝܰܘܡܳܐ
ܫܰܒܰܚܬܳܟ “Seven (times) a day I praised you” and are hence seven. The
ecclesiastical day begins at sunset, following the Jewish tradition. As such,
(1)
ܪܡܫܐ (hereafter,
Ramšo) “evening” is the first of the prayers; it corresponds to Latin vespers.
Ramšo is usually indicated in liturgical texts with ܢܓܗ “dawn”
followed by the day, e.g., ܢܓܗ ܬܪܝܢ ܒܫܒܐ “the
dawn of Monday,” Monday being the day to come. One performs this prayer today on
Sunday evening, i.e., the eve of Monday.
The same applies to the next hour, (2)
ܣܘܬܪܐ (Sutoro)
“covering, protection,” which corresponds to Latin Compline. Its name derives
from Ps 91:1 (ܝܳܬܶܒ
ܒܣܶܬܳܪܶܗ ܕܰܡܪܰܝܡܳܐ “He who sits in the protection of the Most High”).
This Psalm, recited during this hour, is what the faithful associate with this
hour. Yet, its text does not appear in most of the editions considered here and
in none of the manuscripts under consideration, demonstrating the
interconnection between the written modality and orality.
The next hour is (3)
ܠܠܝܐ (Lilyo)
“night,” corresponding to Latin nocturnes. It consists of three ܩܘ̈ܡܐ (qawme) or “watches” (literally “standings”); some
manuscripts (e.g., MS1624 (should this be written MS
1624?) MS, for which see under III) use ܬܫܡܫܬܐ
(Teshmeshto) “service” instead of Qawmo. Then comes (4)
ܨܦܪܐ (Ṣaphro)
“morning,” which is the apposition of Ramšo; it corresponds to Latin matins.
Then, we have (5)
ܬܠܳܬܫ̈ܳܥܺܝܢ or
the Third Hour, corresponding to Latin terce. The numbering of hours is offset
by sunrise. Hence, the Third Hour—depending on the season—is approximately
around 9:00 AM. Then, (6)
ܫܶܬܫ̈ܳܥܺܝܢ or the
Sixth Hour, corresponding to Latin sext, approximates our noontime. Finally, (7)
ܬܫܰܥܫ̈ܳܥܺܝܢ or
the Ninth Hour corresponds to Latin none, sometimes in the early afternoon.
A few Syriac writers cite these hours from the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries. Jacob of Bartelleh (d. 1241) gives a list of them with additional
commentary in his Simotho. Mar Severios Yacoub Albartali, The Treasures. Translated into Arabic by Behnam Daniel
al-Bartali (Aleppo: Dar Mardin, 2007). The translation is based on three
mss: the first is in the Syriac Orthodox Bishopric of Mosul dated 1718,
the second belongs to bishop Saliba Shimoun of Mosul dated 1889, and the
third belongs to the translator dated 1912. Bar ʿEbroyo (d.
1287), in both his Hudoye (V, 5) and the Ethicon (I, 1, 8), states that the hours did not
initially include Sutoro; it was later added in order to comply with ܫܒܺܝܥܳܝܽܘܬܳܐ
“sevenness.” Ignatius bar Wahib (d. 1333), in a brief unpublished treatise on
liturgical prayers, Barsoum, Al-lulu 545,
citing mss Homs (might be in Damascus now), Berlin Sachaw 151, Cambridge
2887, and Mosul. counts the three qawme of Lilyo as individual hours, giving a total of ten canonical
hours. We can be confident that the canonical hours of the Šḥimo go back to at
least the early second millennium.
In earlier monastic settings, each hour was probably conducted independently at
its own time. The received tradition, however, groups them into two synaxes (ܣܽܘܢܰܟܣ̈ܺܝܣ). The
first is the evening synaxis, sometimes recited between 3:00 PM and 6:00
PM—depending on local traditions—consists of the Ninth Hour (of the current day
in modern reckoning), followed by Ramšo and Sutoro (of the following day). For
instance, on a Sunday evening, one begins with the Sunday Ninth Hour (the last
hour of Sunday), then moves to the Ramšo and Sutoro of Monday. The second is a
morning synaxis that is sometimes recited between 5:00 AM and 7:00 AM, depending
on local traditions. It consists of Lilyo, Ṣaphro, the Third Hour, and the Sixth
Hour, all of the current day. The following diagram outlines the hours
corresponding to modern times.
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
9th
Hr
Ramšo
Sutoro
Lilyo
Ṣaphro
3rd
Hr
6th
Hr
Evening
Synaxis
Morning
Synaxis
Note that the break of a new ecclesiastical day occurs during the evening synaxis. After the completion of the 9th Hour, which follows the melody set of the current
day, the melody will switch for Ramšo of the newly issued day. This cannot be
more pronounced than on Palm Sunday, which is followed by Passion Week with its
specific prayers and melodies. The faithful gather again on Sunday evening,
after the completion of Palm Sunday festivities, for the service of Nahire that
commemorates the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). They
begin with the 9th Hour with the festive melodies of
Palm Sunday. Then, the entire atmosphere changes as Ramšo issues a new day,
Monday, the beginning of Passion Week. The melodies become somber. The Trisagion
is replaced by unique passion phraseology. The large Phenqitho volumes of the
Lent season—used for the Liturgy of the Hours instead of the Šḥimo—are put away
and replaced with the Passion Phenqitho. Phenqithos have the text for the Lent cycle
and for passion week in different volumes. Some modern editions,
however, combine them in one volume.
In some monastic settings, an additional noon synaxis is observed during which
the 3rd, 6th, and 9th Hours are recited. In such cases, it would be a
repetition of the same hours, albeit using a different text. The first edition
of a noon synaxis was published by Abraham Konat
ܟܬܒܐ ܕܨܠܘܬܐ
ܕܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܠܦܘܬ ܥܝܕܐ ܕܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܐܪܬܘܕܘܟܣܝܝܬܐ ܕܡܝܠܝܒܐܪ (Mar
Julius Press, Pampakuda, n.d.). (n.d.). Çiçek then produced a
newer edition in 1989.
ܛܟܣܐ ܕܨܠܘ̈ܬܐ
ܘܒܥܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܠܝܘ̈ܡܝ ܫܒܘܥܐ ܕܡܬܐܡܪ̈ܢ ܒܥܕܢ ܛܗܪܐ ܕܟܠܝܘܡ ܐܝܟ ܛܟܣܐ
ܕܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܬܪܝܨܬ ܫܘܒܚܐ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ (Holland, 1989). The same
book was published at the same time in two trim sizes, large and
medium.
Schema of the Hour
The following discussion is based on the published texts
of the following editions:
C = Syriac
C
atholic ed.
H = Husmann,
Die Melodien der Jakobitischen Kirche,
Die Melodien des
Wochenbreviers
(1969)
OH
=
Syriac
O
rthodox
Holland ed. < O
J
OJ
= Syriac
O
rthodox Jerusalem ed.
< O
Z
OK
= Syriac
O
rthodox Konat
ed.
OZ
= Syriac
O
rthodox Zaʿfaran
ed.
In addition, when discrepancies are found, the following
MSS were consulted: I did not have access to an important early
manuscript, Charfet 5/1. According to Armalet, it is a Beth Gazo from
the 11th century. If true, this could be the
oldest existing Beth Gazo which contains the prayers of Šḥimo (item 9);
see Issac Armalet, Catalogue des Manuscrits de
Charfet (1937) 85 ff.
MSOsaka
A Beth Gazo from the Osaka collection, C942369413. Though undated, the first fragmentary portion of the MS, containing the Šḥimo text, is probably one of the earliest surviving Beth Gazo manuscripts. The paleography is from the first half (if not the first quarter) of the second millennium, judging from the squarish
ܡ
, the
ܬ
, and a good number of Estrangela-like
ܕ
and
ܪ
. I am grateful to Hidemi Takahashi for sharing the
images of this manuscript with me.
MS1624
A Beth Gazo in Library of the Syriac
Orthodox Archdiocese of the Eastern United States, Paramus, NJ, originally
from St. Mark’s library, Jerusalem. The scribe began in 1624 and came back
to complete the MS in 1651 (the Šḥimo portion is at the beginning of the
MS).
MSKiraz
A Šḥimo scribed by Giragos, son of
Daoud (Kiraz), 1900, in the G. A. Kiraz private collection.
Two of the canonical hours, Ramšo and Ṣaphro, are set apart by their length, not
only by the textual length of hymns but rather their inclusion of elements
absent in the other hours. I dub Ramšo and Ṣaphro as Major Hours, while all the
others as Minor Hours. The following table gives the elements found in each
type.
I. Major
Hours(Ramšo & Ṣaphro)
II. Minor
Hours(Sutoro, Lilyo, 3
rd
, 6
th
, & 9
th
Hrs)
I.1
Opening Prayer
I.2
Psalms
I.3 ܐ
Shubḥo in ʿEqbo
II.1
ʿEqbo (Lilyo qawme
only)
I.4
Ḥusoyo I
I.5 ܐ
Qolo of Incense (odd number of
stanzas)
I.6
Prayer of Incense
I.7 ܒ
Qolo after Incense (odd)
I.8 ܐ
Quqalion (even)
I.9 ܐ
Shubḥo in ʿEqbo
I.9
Ḥusoyo II
II.2
Ḥusoyo
I.10 ܐ
Qolo of Ramšo/Ṣaphro (even)
II.3
Qolo (even)
I.11 ܐ
Boʿutho (even)
II.4
Boʿutho (even)
As can be seen above, the schema of the Minor Hours is basically the tail of the
Major Hours. The relevance of odd/even stanzas and the sigla ܐ and ܒ are discussed
in the appendix.
I.1 A Major Hour service, i.e., Ramšo or Ṣaphro, commences
with ܨܠܘܬܐ ܕܫܘܪܝܐ
or an opening prayer. The texts of this prayer—or even any indication of its
existence—are absent in OZJH. This is indeed one of
the difficulties of determining the schemas of liturgical prayers without
knowing the practice itself. Texts typically do not indicate fixed aspects of
the liturgy. But we can be sure that the opening prayer is not a Malankara
characteristic (OK) or a Catholic addition (C). It
is indeed mentioned by Jacob of Bartelleh (d. 1241) concerning the Ramšo, Lilyo,
and Ṣaphro hours. Mar Severios Yacoub Albartali, p.
108-110.
I.2 Then follows a recitation of a psalm. It should be
stressed that “a Psalm” does not correspond to our modern Psalm divisions. An
ecclesiastical Psalm usually corresponds to one or more Psalms of the modern
divisions, and not always contiguously. Ramšo Ps. 140/141, 141/142, 118/119:105–112,
116/117 (simple); Ṣaphro Ps. 51 (simple), 63 (in ʿEnyoyo), and 113/158
(simple). A psalm may be recited in two different manners: 1)
ܦܫܺܝܛܳܐܺܝܬ
“simply” where the psalm is recited continuously by one or more deacons, one
“verse” after the next (again, “verse” does not correspond to modern divisions),
or 2) ܒܥܶܢܝܳܢܳܐ
“in response” where a response follows each “verse” of the psalm in the form of
a hymn stanza. There is disagreement with regards to the Ramšo psalm: OZJH prefixes the actual psalm text with ܥܶܢܝܳܢܳܐ ܕܪܰܡܫܳܐ
, but provides no hymn for the ܥܶܢܝܳܢܳܐ, while C
explicitly states that the psalm is recited ܦܫܺܝܛܳܐܺܝܬ
“simply,” and hence does not require a ܥܶܢܝܳܢܳܐ hymn.
MS1624 and MSKiraz
agree with OZJH.
I.3 Then follows a ܥܶܩܒܳܐ (ʿEqbo),
literally “footstep, heel,” metaphorically meaning “to follow.” The ʿEqbo is
always prefixed with a Gloria, ܫܽܘܒܚܳܐ ܠܰܐܒܳܐ ܘܠܰܒܪܳܐ
ܘܰܠܪܽܘܚܳܐ ܩܰܕܺܝܫܳܐ “praise to the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit,” recited by the most senior priest present. Elsewhere, the Mosul
Phenqitho dubs this formula with ܫܽܘܒܳܚܳܐ “i.e.
saying the ܫܽܘܒܚܳܐ.” The Šuboḥo is followed by ܡܶܢ ܥܳܠܰܡ ܘܰܥܕܰܡܳܐ
ܠܥܳܠܰܡ ܥܠܳܡܺܝܢ ܐܰܡܺܝܢ “from now and forever, and ever, Amen,” recited
by the gudo. The rubric ܫܘܒ ܘܥܩܒܐ denotes
this entire exchange in OZJH, and the rubric ܫܘܒ ܘܡܢ ܒܥܩܒܐ in
C. The three qawme of Lilyo also begin with a ʿEqbo
(II.1).
Parenthetically, we know of (a now humorous) squabble over the Šuboḥo. It took
place in 1771 at the beginning of the Orthodox-Catholic split within the Syriac
Orthodox Church. The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch George IV entered the church in
Aleppo while a local priest, Joseph Hajjār, was already celebrating the liturgy.
It seems that Joseph had just joined the Catholic party. At the time of the
Šuboḥo, Joseph chanted the ܫܽܘܒܚܳܐ ܠܰܐܒܳܐ
phrase even though the Patriarch—the highest-ranking priest—was present. The
Patriarch was quite annoyed and shouted at the priest in Arabic, ورك انت تعطي
شبح وما تعرف من في واقف “Hey! You say the Šuboḥo? Don’t you know who is
standing here?”
MS Sbath 131, f. 48r; I am grateful to Feraz Krimsti for pointing out
this document.
I.4 Then follows the first Sedro, whose schema is best
described separately as this genre occurs in other liturgical texts.
I.5 The Sedro is followed by the First Qolo, or Qolo before
Incense. In MS1624 and MSKiraz, it is called the First Qawmo. The Qolo for the Ramšo of Monday
in the modern editions begins with four introductory stanzas, followed by four
stanzas for the Mother of God, another four for the saints, another four for
repentance, and one (four in OK) for the departed.
Other days may have different themes (to be discussed below), but all begin,
after the introductory stanzas, with the Mother of God and end with the
departed. Some stanzas are prefixed with a ܦܶܬܓܳܡܳܐ
(Phethghomo), a portion of a verse from the Psalms.
I.6 Then follows the Prayer of Incense. This prayer may go
back to the seventh century or even earlier. Bar ʿEbroyo quotes Jacob of Edessa
(d. 708), saying, “even if the time of the morning or evening prayer comes and
there is no incense, perform, O priest, the prayers without incense.” It is
mentioned more explicitly by Jacob of Bartilleh. Mar Severios Yacoub
Albartali, p. 108. Prior to this prayer, the deacon chants
the phrase ܡܳܪܝܳܐ
ܡܪܰܚܡܳܢܳܐ ܪܰܚܶܡ ܥܠܰܝܢ ܘܥܰܕܰܪܰܝܢ “Merciful Lord, have mercy upon and us
and help us,” which is only preserved in the oral tradition.
As far as I can tell, the entire Prayer of Incense is omitted in all the received
traditions. There is an implicit mention of it in OK
as the previous Qolo (I.5) is called the Qolo of Incense, and the following Qolo
(I.7) is called the Qolo after Incense; additionally, the two Qole are separated
by the word ܡܳܪܝܳܐ which starts the oral phrase mentioned above. There is no
indication of the Prayer of Incense in OZJH; the
preceding Qolo is simply called the First Qolo, and the following is the Second
Qolo. MSOsaka supports OK; Both MS1624 and MSKiraz are silent on the matter. This prayer is
explicitly mentioned in C, giving the full text of the prayer.
I.7 Then comes the Second Qolo, or Qolo after Incense. It
has a similar structure as I.5.
1.8 Then follows the Quqalion. It consists of short Psalm
verses interspersed with Hallelujah.
1.9 Next comes a second ʿEqbo.
1.10 A Second Sedro follows. But it is almost always omitted
in the received tradition.
1.11 Then follows a third Qolo. Depending on the service, it
is called the Qolo of Ramšo or Ṣaphro. It consists in the modern editions of
four stanzas only.
1.12 The service ends with a Boʿutho. It is always a mimro (metrical poem) composed either in the meter of St.
Jacob of Sarug (12 syllables per strophe), St. Ephrem (7 syllables per strophe),
or St. Balai (5-syllables per strophe). The Mimro begins with a ܫܽܘܪܳܝܳܐ
consisting of two strophes, each sung by a gudo, and ends
in a ܫܽܘܠܳܡܳܐ or
ܬܒܳܪ̈ܳܬܳܐ
which, like the ܫܽܘܪܳܝܳܐ, are two strophes. The main body consists of an even number
of stanzas. A multi-theme Boʿutho is marked as ܓܰܘܳܢܳܝܳܐ
“general” and covers four themes: Mary, the saints, repentance, and the
departed; in such a case, it is chanted in its entirety (i.e., stanzas cannot be
skipped in order not to skip a theme).
܀
Akhrass Personal
communication, 5/19/2022. observed that the schema of the
Major hours could be roughly divided into two qawme,
duplicating an almost exact structure: the first qawmo consisting of I.2–I.7 and
the second qawmo consisting of I.8–I.11. This point becomes apparent when one
considers that the Quqalion (I.8) consists of Psalm verses (cf. I.2). The ʿEṭro
(I.6) becomes the only element found in the first qawmo,
but not in the second. Only the first qawmo has an Opening Prayer (I.1). This
general schema of a service (Syriac ܬܶܫܡܶܫܬܳܐ) is
prevalent in all church rites.
The Minor Hours simply consist of a Sedro, Qolo, and Boʿutho. C begins the Sutoro
with Ps 4, followed by a fixed ʿEqbo. These are absent in OZJH, MS1624, and MSKiraz.
Before leaving this section, one needs to mention the schema of the ܡܥܺܝܪܳܢܳܐ
(Mʿirono), which precedes the first Qawmo of Lilyo. It begins with the Prayer of
Mʿirono, sometimes called the Opening Prayer, followed by Ps. 133/134,
118/9:169-176, 116/7 recited in ʿEnyono. Then follows the Prayer after Mʿirono,
itself prefixed with Kyrie-eleison three times. Both prayers are attested in
MS1624.
IV. Ḥusoyo Schema
I.4 The prayer of Ḥusoyo is
mentioned by Jacob of Barelleh as one of the elements in the Liturgy of the
Hours. Mar
Severios Yacoub Albartali, p. 108. The Ḥusoyo is a prose text
that consists of two main parts, a ܦܪܽܘܡܝܽܘܢ
(Promion), a Greek loanword meaning “preface,” and a longer ܣܶܕܪܳܐ (Sedro)
“list, array, items in a specific order.” While manuscripts—and printed
texts—typically give just these two elements, the entire Ḥusoyo consists of more
elements preserved only orally. These are outlined in the schema below.
Part
Speaker
Ḥ1
Proclamation
Ḥ1a
Deacon:
Stomen Kalos (Let us stand well)
Ḥ1b
People:
Kyrie eleison
Ḥ2
Šuroyo:
Ḥ2a
Priest:
ܢܨܠܐ ܟܠܢ ...
Ḥ2b
People:
ܡܪܝܐ ܡܪܚܡܢܐ ...
Ḥ2c
Priest:
ܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܘܬܘܕܝܬܐ ...
Ḥ3
Promion
Priest:
text
Ḥ4
Mḥasyono
Ḥ4a
Bishop (if present):
ܥܠ ܥܛܪܐ ܕܒܣ̈ܡܐ
Ḥ4b
Priest
ܡܚܣܝܢܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܡܕܟܝܢܐ ...
Ḥ4c
People:
ܐܡܝܢ
Ḥ5
Sedro
Deacon:
text (prefixed with
ܒܪܟܡܪܝ)
Ḥ6
Qubolo
Priest:
ܡܢ ܐܠܗܐ ܢܩܒܠ ...
People:
ܐܡܝܢ
Ḥ1 The entire thing commences with
the deacon proclaiming a Greek loan phrase, ܣܛܰܘܡܶܢ ܩܰܐܠܳܘܣ
(Ḥ1a), which corresponds to the Syriac
liturgical phrase ܢܩܽܘܡ ܫܰܦܺܝܪ “let us stand well.” The people are to respond with the
Greek loan ܩܽܘܪܝܶܠܰܝܣܳܘܢ
keyrieleson
(Ḥ1b), which also corresponds to a Syriac
liturgical phrase, ܡܳܪܰܢ ܐܶܬܪܰܚܰܡ ܥܠܰܝܢ . These could have entered Syriac from Greek
during the Byzantine reconquest of Asia Minor in the tenth century. Apart from
the Malankara tradition, Ḥ1a and Ḥ1b are collapsed. A single deacon chants them
as one unit. It is not clear when this occurred. M1624 already gives the entire thing without space, ܣܛܽܘܡܝܢܩܲܠܘܿܣܩܘܪܝܠܠܝܣ. For further discussion on this phrase, see G.
Kiraz, “A Proclamation Out of Place, ‘Stomen Kalos, Kyrie-Eleison’ and
the Nicene Creed.” In Ktheeboth hago: Festschrift in Honour of His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I
Iwas, ed. Roy Thomas, 417–31. Chicago: St. George Syrian
Orthodox Church of Malankara, 2005.
Ḥ2 The oral portions continue with
the Šuroyo (I borrow the term from Mushe of Mardin, see below). The priest
proclaims ܢܨܰܠܶܐ ܟܽܠܰܢ
ܘܪ̈ܰܚܡܶܐ ܘܰܚܢܳܢܳܐ ܡܶܢ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܢܶܒܥܶܐ “let us all pray and beseech the
Lord for mercy and compassion” (Ḥ2a) to which
the faithful respond with ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܡܪܰܚܡܳܢܳܐ ܪܰܚܶܡ
ܥܠܰܝܢ ܘܥܰܕܰܪܰܝܢ “Merciful Lord, have mercy upon us and help us” (Ḥ2b). The priest then recites (Ḥ2c),
ܬܶܫܒܽܘܚܬܳܐ ܘܬܰܘܕܺܝܬܳܐ ܘܗܶܕܪܳܐ ܘܩܽܘܠܳܣܳܐ
ܘܪܽܘܡܪܳܡܳܐ ܛܳܒܳܐ ܕܠܳܐ ܒܳܛܶܠ ܐܰܡܺܝܢܳܐܺܝܬ ܒܟܽܠܙܒܰܢ ܘܰܒܟܽܠܥܶܕܳܢ ܢܶܫܬܘܶܐ
ܕܢܰܣܶܩ.
May we be worthy to
offer up continually, at all the time and in all seasons, praise,
thanksgiving, glory, adoration, and never-ceasing exaltation.
In the received tradition, apart from Malankara, the
entirety of Ḥ2 is collapsed into one element and
is chanted by the priest alone. If a bishop is present, he recites the entire
thing.
But one must pause here and question if the received tradition is a corruption of
an earlier tradition. Is it possible that Ḥ3 was
initially assigned to the deacon? The use of the jussive, expressed in the
prefixed (imperfect) form ܢܨܰܠܶܐ is typical
in proclamations made by the deacon. It is ubiquitous in the Qurobo, or
Eucharistic, liturgy. Before the reading of the Gospel, the deacon proclaims, in
the jussive, ܢܨܽܘܬ
ܘܢܶܫܡܰܥ ܠܰܣܒܰܪܬܳܐ ܕܡ̈ܶܠܶܐ ܚܰܝ̈ܳܬܳܐ “let us give heed and listen to the
Gospel full of life.” His subsequent proclamation in the pre-Anaphora is the
exact words of Ḥ2a, just after he declares to
the faithful that the celebrating priest is placing incense “before the merciful
Lord” (ܩܕܳܡ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ
ܡܪܰܚܡܳܢܳܐ ). Here too, the faithful respond with the exact words of Ḥ2b. The deacon’s subsequent proclamation is
just before the recitation of the creed, again with a jussive, ܢܩܽܘܡ ܫܰܦܺܝܪ ܟܽܠܰܢ
ܒܰܨܠܽܘܬܳܐ “let us all stand well in prayer.” At the beginning of the
Anaphora proper, the deacon instructs the faithful, again in the jussive, ܢܶܬܶܠ ܫܠܳܡܳܐ
ܠܰܚ̈ܕܳܕܶܐ “let us give peace to one another” and right after the giving
of the peace, ܩܕܳܡ
ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܡܪܰܚܡܳܢܳܐ ܪ̈ܺܝܫܰܝܢ ܢܰܪܟܶܢ “let us bow down our head in front of
the merciful Lord.” The thurifer also uses the jussive when calling upon the
people, ܢܩܽܘܡ
ܫܰܦܺܝܪ “let us stand well.” During the diptychs, deacons instruct the
faithful, ܢܨܰܠܶܐ
ܘܢܶܬܟܰܫܰܦ “let us pray and beseech” and later ܠܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܢܶܬܟܰܫܰܦ
“let us beseech the Lord.” With almost every proclamation, there is a response
by the people. H2a must have once belonged to the deacon rather than the priest,
let alone the bishop.
While the Šuroyo never appears in manuscripts or printed editions, we know about
it—and indeed its text—from Mushe of Mardin, the monk who traveled to Europe to
print the New Testament in 1555. After collaborating with Johann Albrecht
Widmanstad (1506–1557) to produce the editio princeps of
the NT, the two men put together a primer for the Syriac language. Widmanstad [and
Mushe of Mardin], Primo Elementa
(1555). After introducing the alphabet with some exercises, they
published a few prayers for which Mushe must have been the source. A Ḥusoyo is
given with the full text of the Šuroyo. It is most likely that Mushe included
the text of the Šuroyo explicitly, as Europeans would not be familiar with the
oral elements of the liturgy.
Ḥ
3,5 The Promion
(Ḥ3) and the Sedro (Ḥ5) are the only elements known from the written
text. The two elements form a set, the former recited by the priest and the
latter by the deacon. In the case of the Šḥimo, an appendix contains all the
Ḥusoyo texts in the form of Promion-Sedro pairs. One cannot read a Promion of
one Ḥusoyo and follow it with the Sedro of another.
Ḥ
4 The ܡܚܰܣܝܳܢܳܐ
(Mḥasyono) is interspersed between the Promion and the Sedro only if the deacon
offers incense and is usually omitted in the daily offices. This text is long
and survives orally. Here too, Mushe of Mardin gives us a version of the
text.
The Mḥasyono is prefixed with the phrase ܥܰܠ ܥܶܛܪܳܐ
ܕܒܶܣ̈ܡܶܐ “by the fragrance of incense” (Ḥ4a), chanted by the bishop if present. It is more likely that this
phrase is associated with the action of placing incense in the censor by the
highest-ranking priest, which would explain why the bishop would say this phrase
if present.
Ḥ6 After the recitation of the Sedro,
the highest-ranking priest recites the ܩܽܘܒܳܠܳܐ
(Qubolo), the formula being ܡܶܢ ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ ܢܩܰܒܶܠ
ܚܽܘܣܳܝܳܐ ܕܚܰܘܒ̈ܶܐ ܘܫܽܘܒܩܳܢܳܐ ܕܰܚܛܳܗ̈ܶܐ ܒܰܬܪ̈ܰܝܗܽܘܢ ܥܳܠ̈ܡܶܐ ܠܥܰܠܰܡ
ܥܳܠܡܺܝܢ “May we receive from God remission of debts and forgiveness of
sings in both worlds, forever and ever.” Jacob of Bartilleh mentions the Qubolo
when he refers to the Sedro of the Lilyo hour. Mar Severios Yacoub Albartali, p.
110.
The entirety of the Ḥusoyo is delivered today in three different methods. At Mor
Gabriel Monastery, southeast Turkey, the entire thing is recited explicitly in some hours, especially those of Lilyo. In
many of the Tur Abdin parishes, and those in the Diaspora that originate from
Tur Abdin, the Ḥusoyo (Šuroyo + Promion + Sedro) is recited in silence by a priest while the gudo goes on with
what follows. In most parishes, the entire Sedro is omitted, but the proclamation Ḥ1 is retained as part of chanting the
adjacent hymns.
V. Qolo Schema
It is worth providing some comments on the structure of the
Qolo. A Qolo is basically a stanzaic poem (kind of a Madrosho) with a specific
metrical structure. The basic unit is the syllable or vowel count, called in
Syriac ܗܶܓܝܳܢܳܐ.
Stress does not play any role in Syriac poetry because Syriac syllables are all
of the same weight (bimoraic) as unstressed short vowels in open syllables
(which would be monomoraic) are absent.
The next unit is the poetic phrase denoted by an unmarked caesura, a break or a
pause in a line of verse. The poetic phrase is bound because it cannot stand
alone in a line. Typically, long lines of seven or more syllables have such
caesurae. Syriac does not have a technical term for the poetic phrase, and some
poets are unaware of it. For example, it is commonly known that the qolo
ܥܰܡܳܐ ܘܥܰܡ̱̈ܡܶܐ
—used often in dialog poems—consists of lines with seven syllables each. It is
less known that each line consists of two poetic phrases, 4+3 syllables, for the
melody to work smoothly. There is sometimes an intended discourse between the
poetic phrases. The next unit after the line is the stanza itself. This point is
illustrated with the qolo named ܩܽܘܩܳܝܳܐ whose
meter, given from right to left, is:
5+4 5+7 5+7 5+4 5+4 5+7 4+7
Here is an actual stanza. I use the punctuation ‘܇’ to denote a
caesura break. A colon denotes a line break. A period denotes the end of a
melodic section (to be discussed next).
ܫܽܘܪܳܝܳܐ
: ܟܽܠܳܗ̇ ܐܰܪܥܳܐ
ܕܶܐܦܶܣܳܘܣ܇ ܛܰܠܳܐ ܪܶܣܡܰܬ݂: 4+7
ܟܰܕ݂ ܐܰܝܬܺܝ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܝܽܘܚܰܢܳܢ܇ ܟܬ݂ܳܒ̈ܶܐ ܕܰܒܬ݂ܽܘܠܬܳܐ.
5+7
ܡܶܨܥܳܝܳܐ
: ܕܰܪܫܺܝܡ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ ܒܗܽܘܢ܇
ܕܢܶܗܘܶܐ ܕܽܘܟ݂ܪܳܢܳܐ: 5+4
ܕܰܡܒܰܪܰܟ݂ܬܳܐ܇ ܬܠܳܬ݂ ܙܰܒ̈ܢܺܝܢ ܒܫܰܢ̱ܬܳܐ. 5+4
ܫܽܘܠܳܡܳܐ
: ܒܟܳܢܽܘܢ ܢܶܗܘܶܐ ܥܰܠ
ܙܰܪ̈ܥܶܐ܇ ܘܒܺܐܝܳܪ ܥܰܠ ܫܶܒ̈ܠܶܐ: 5+7
ܘܒܳܐܒ
ܝܰܪܚܳܐ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܓܽܘ̈ܦܢܶܐ܇ ܕܐ̱ܪܳܙ ܚܰܝ̈ܶܐ ܨܺܝܪ ܒܗܶܝܢ: 5+7
ܗܰܠܶܠܽܘܝܰܗ܇ ܨܠܽܘܬ݂ܳܗ̇ ܬܥܰܕܰܪܝ̱ ܠܰܢ. 4+5
The musical layer adds another complication. Each stanza consists of a ܫܽܘܪܳܝܳܐ
“beginning,” an optional ܡܶܨܥܳܝܳܐ
“middle,” and a ܫܽܘܠܳܡܳܐ “end.” Typically, the poetic (and melodic in the case of
chanting) structure of the ܫܽܘܪܳܝܳܐ and ܫܽܘܠܳܡܳܐ is
either exact or very similar. Notice that each poetic phrase corresponds to a
grammatical phrase in terms of discourse. It is seldom that a grammatical phrase
crosses over poetic phrases. A further melodic subdivision, not shown above,
could split words. For instance, all 7-syllable caesurae are divided melodically into 2+5 syllables. The boundary in line 2
occurs in the middle of ܐܰܝܬܺܝ
:
ܟܰܕ݂ ܐܰܝـ ـܬܺܝ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܝܽܘܚܰܢܳܢ܇ ܟܬ݂ܳܒ̈ܶܐ ܕܰܒܬ݂ܽܘܠܬܳܐ.
5+(7 = 5 + 2)
The same occurs with ܝܰܪܚܳܐ in line 6:
ܘܒܳܐܒ ܝܰܪ
ܚܳܐ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܓܽܘ̈ܦܢܶܐ܇ ܕܐ̱ܪܳܙ ܚܰܝ̈ܶܐ ܨܺܝܪ ܒܗܶܝܢ: 5+(7 = 5 + 2)
Such subdivisions could vary across regional musical traditions, a topic that is
beyond the scope of the current paper.
VI. Hour Delimiters
As a syntaxis consists of more than one hour, how
does one determine where one hour ends and where the next begins?
Thus far, we have encountered elements known from two modalities: written and
oral. A third modality, usually ignored in multimodal frameworks, is at play
here: silence. Long pauses of silence—or what seems to be silence—mark the end
of an hour and the beginning of the next.
But here, silence is associated with actions. In silence, the recitation of a
Qawmo is associated with making the sign of the cross a few times. Until quite
recently—around the end of the twentieth century—the silence was sometimes a
form of incoherent mumbling. In the last decade or two, especially during events
when many of the faithful are present, the mumbling turns into full-fledged oral
action.
The qawmo consists of the Trisagion (ܩܰܕܺܝܫܳܬ ܐܰܠܗܳܐ
...) followed by the Lord’s prayer (ܐܰܒܽܘܢ ܕܒܰܫܡܰܝܳܐ
...). The Trisagion is audible with specific melodies in some hours, but the
Lord’s Prayer is silent. The only exception is the qawme
of Lilyo where the entire thing is replaced with ܒܪܝܟ ܗܘ ܐܝܩܪܗ
...
which is mentioned by Jacob of Bartelleh. Mar Severios Yacoub Albartali, p.
110. The full texts of these delimiter prayers are given in
Barsoum’s al-Tuḥfa al-Rūḥiyya, a guide to the faithful in
Arabic that has been translated into many languages. A. Barsoum, al-Tuḥfa al-Rūḥiyya (Aleppo, 1956, 5th ed.), with many editions and translations.
VII. Themes
Before closing, it is worth noting the thematic
organization of the Šḥimo. Each day/hour has a theme. These themes range from
glorifying Mary (ܝܳܠܕܰܬ ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ ), calling upon the apostles (ܫܠܺܝܚ̈ܶܐ), and
sometimes the evangelists (ܐܶܘܰܢܓܶܠܺܣ̈ܛܶܐ),
remembering the saints (ܩܕܝ̈ܫܐ)—or one
particular saint (ܚܰܕ
ܩܢܽܘܡܳܐ ), or remembering the martyrs (ܣܳܗ̈ܕܶܐ) and the
departed (ܥܰܢܺܝ̈ܕܶܐ). Another theme is commemorating the cross (ܨܠܺܝܒܳܐ) during
the resurrection season. Repentance (ܬܝܳܒܽܘܬܳܐ) is
another central theme. A multi-theme hymn is called ܓܰܘܳܢܳܝܬܳܐ
“general, common.” The table in Appendix 1 gives the days of the week, the
hours, and the themes assigned to each hour.
In order to remember this complex arrangement, the Malphone came up with a poem,
cited by Konat, that spells out the various themes, Konat ed., intro p.
II.
ܝܽܘܡ ܚܰܕ ܒܫܰܒܳܐ ܕܰܩܝܳܡܬܳܐ܆ ܬܪܶܝܢ ܒܫܰܒܳܐ ܕܰܬܝܳܒܽܘܬܳܐ܆
ܘܗܳܟܘܳܬ ܒܰܬܠܳܬܳܐ ܒܫܰܒܳܐ܆ ܐܰܪܒܥܳܐ ܒܫܰܒܳܐ ܕܰܒܬܽܘܠܬܳܐ܀
ܚܰܡܫܳܐ ܒܫܰܒܳܐ ܕܰܫܠܺܝܚ̈ܶܐ܆ ܘܡܰܠ̈ܦܳܢܶܐ ܕܥܺܕܰܬ ܩܽܘܕܫܳܐ܆
ܥܪܽܘܒܬܳܐ ܕܰܨܠܺܝܒܳܐ ܚܰܝܳܐ܆ ܘܣܳܗ̈ܕܶܐ ܓܒ̈ܰܝܳܐ ܘܩܰܕܺܝ̈ܫܶܐ܀
ܝܽܘܡ ܫܰܒܬܳܐ ܕܶܐܬܬܢܺܝܚ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ܆ ܡܶܢ ܟܽܠܗܘܢ ܥܒܳܕܰܘ̈ܗ̱ܝ ܕܰܥܒܰܕ܆
ܕܟܳܗ̈ܢܶܐ ܙܗ̈ܰܝܳܐ ܘܩܰܕܺܝ̈ܫܶܐ܆ ܘܟܽܠܗܘܢ ܥܰܢܺܝ̈ܕܶܐ ܡܗܰܝ̈ܡܢܳܐ܀
Sunday is for the Resurrection; Monday is for
repentance;
Likewise on Tuesday (i.e., repentance); Wednesday for
the Virgin.
Thursday for the Apostles and the Doctors of the Holy
Church;
Friday for the Living Cross and the chosen martyrs and
the saints.
Saturday, during which the Lord rested from all the
deeds that he accomplished, is for the reverend priests and the saints; and
all the faithful departed.
This thematic structure also goes back to at least the beginning of the second
millennium. Jacob of Bartelleh mentions that the Qolo of Sutoro is for
repentance, agreeing with the above table. Mar Severios Yacoub Albartali, p.
108 The themes of the Ramšo Quqalion and
Boʿutho seem to represent an earlier thematic
arrangement known from Bar Salibi’s treatise against the Melkites, A. Mingana, Woodbrook I, p. 33.
Sundays are consecrated to the festival
of the Resurrection; Mondays and Tuesdays are devoted to prayers and
repentance; Wednesdays are to the Mother of God, to the martyrs, and the
dead; Thursdays to the Apostles and Doctors, to the Mother of God, to the
martyrs, and to the dead; Fridays to the Cross; and Saturdays to the Mother
of God, to the martyrs, and the dead.
VIII. Concluding Remarks
This paper argues that the schema of the Šḥimo goes back to
at least the early modern period (ca. 15th century)
if not to the first quarter of the 2nd millennium,
as many of its elements are mentioned by writers of the Syriac renaissance
period. It has also been shown that a complete understanding of the liturgical
genre requires a close familiarity with the received tradition, where the
written text engages quite intimately with orality, not to mention silence.
Indeed, the written-oral-silence interface has not been addressed by scholarship
to the best of my knowledge.
Another remark also argues that “corruption” is part of a living tradition. It
has been proposed, for example, that the Šuroyo of the Ḥusoyo prayer (viz., ܢܨܠܐ
ܟܠܢ) must have belonged once to the deacon on the bases of philological
analogy with the Qurobo liturgy.
Digital Humanities projects may find this study helpful in representing
liturgical texts. Some snippets appear below.
Appendix: TEI-XML Schema
The following are TEI-XML snippets for encoding the text
of Šḥimo. The main <
TEI
> section includes one <
text
> element (lines 2–12) and another <
body
> element (lines 3–11). The main division
element (<
div
>, line 4) under the body has two attributes.
The first, type, states that the content is a
book. The second, subtype, defines the genre as
šximo. It is proposed that the rest of the
schema is dependent on this value, šximo. It
determines the schema of the rest of the XML. Other liturgical books would have
other values for subtype; the rest of the XML will
look differently.
1 <
TEI
>
2 <
text
xml:lang
="syr">
3 <
body
>
4 <
div
type
="book" subtype
="šximo">
5 <
div
type
="day" n
="xad bšabo">
6 <
div
type
="hour" n
="7">
7 <!--
Liturgical elements here
-->
8 </
div
>
9 </
div
>
10 </
div
>
11 </
body
>
12 </
text
>
13 </
TEI
>
A Qolo, such as ܩܽܘܩܳܝܳܐ mentioned above, can be encoded with the following snippet.
The entire thing is a division of type
qolo (line 1 below). Again, this type determines
the schema that follows. The <
sp
> element (line
2) designates the speaker, which gudo is to chant the qolo. The two gude are designated
by ܐ and ܒ. The odd number
of stanzas in a qolo ensures that the gude alternate in starting the hymns.
The <
rubric
> element (lines 3–7) gives the qolo name with
a link to a bethgazo encoding (line 4) and also designates the tune number (line
5).
The actual stanza is encoded as a line group (<
lg
>, lines 8–22) of type
stanza. Again, the type determines the schema that
follows. The three subdivisions of the stanza (šuroyo,
meṣʿoyo, and šulomo) are each
encoding with a line group as well. Then each line of the stanza is encoded with
a line element (<
l
>).
1 <
div
type
="qolo">
2 <
sp
><
speaker
>ܓܘܕܐ ܐ</
speaker
></
sp
>
3 <
rubric
>
4 ܥܠ ܩܠܐ ܕ
<
ref
type
="bethgazo" target
="...">
ܩܽܘܩܳܝܳܐ
5 <
num
type
="tune" value
="1">
ܩܕܡܝܐ
</
num
>
6 </
ref
>
7 </
rubric
>
8 <
lg
type
="stanza">
9 <
lg
type
="šuroyo">
10 <
l
>
ܟܽܠܳܗ̇ ܐܰܪܥܳܐ ܕܶܐܦܶܣܳܘܣ܇ ܛܰܠܳܐ ܪܶܣܡܰܬ݂:
</
l
>
11 <
l
>
ܟܰܕ݂ ܐܰܝܬܺܝ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܝܽܘܚܰܢܳܢ܇ ܟܬ݂ܳܒ̈ܶܐ ܕܰܒܬ݂ܽܘܠܬܳܐ.
</
l
>
12 </
lg
>
13 <
lg
type
="meṣʿoyo">
14 <
l
>
ܕܰܪܫܺܝܡ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ ܒܗܽܘܢ܇ ܕܢܶܗܘܶܐ ܕܽܘܟ݂ܪܳܢܳܐ:
</
l
>
15 <
l
>
ܕܰܡܒܰܪܰܟ݂ܬܳܐ܇ ܬܠܳܬ݂ ܙܰܒ̈ܢܺܝܢ
ܒܫܰܢ̱ܬܳܐ.
</
l
>
16 </
lg
>
17 <
lg
type
="šulomo">
18 <
l
>
ܒܟܳܢܽܘܢ ܢܶܗܘܶܐ ܥܰܠ ܙܰܪ̈ܥܶܐ܇ ܘܒܺܐܝܳܪ ܥܰܠ
ܫܶܒ̈ܠܶܐ:
</
l
>
29 <
l
>
ܘܒܳܐܒ ܝܰܪܚܳܐ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܓܽܘ̈ܦܢܶܐ܇ ܕܐ̱ܪܳܙ
ܚܰܝ̈ܶܐ ܨܺܝܪ ܒܗܶܝܢ:
</
l
>
20 <
l
>
ܗܰܠܶܠܽܘܝܰܗ܇ ܨܠܽܘܬ݂ܳܗ̇ ܬܥܰܕܰܪܝ̱ ܠܰܢ
</
l
>
21 </
lg
>
22 </
lg
>
23 </
div
>
One can, of course, choose to fine-tune this encoding further to encode the
caesura breaks or even the melodic breaks within words that were mentioned
above.
Texts that appear elsewhere, or the oral liturgical elements described above, can
be encoded once and referred to with the <
ref
> element.
Here is an example for linking to a ḥusoyo text.
1 <
div
type
="ḥusoyo">
2 <
p
><
ref
type
="ḥusoyo" target
="...">
ܣܕܪܐ
ܕܥܢܝ̈ܕܐ
</
ref
></
p
>
3 </
div
>
One can explicitly states all of the oral aspects of the liturgy in the XML
encoding.
<
colophon
>
<
p
>
܀
ܘܟܕܘ ܗܠܝܢ
ܠܦܪ̈ܘܫܐ
܀
</
p
>
</
colophon
>
Bibliography
Acharya, F. Prayer with the Harp of the Spirit. I, A Weekly
Celebration of the Economy of Salvation (Kurisumala Ashram, Vagamon,
1983).
Armalet, I. Catalogue des Manuscrits de Charfet
(1937).
Aydin, E.
ܫܚܝܡܐ: ܟܬܒܐ ܕܨܠܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܫܒܬܐ
ܫܚܝܡܬܐ
in
H
eto
3 (2001), no. 5: 46-35.
Barsoum, A. al-Luʾluʾ al-Manthūr (Aleppo, 1956 2nd ed.).
Barsoum, A. al-Tuḥfa al-Rūḥiyya (Aleppo, 1956, 5th ed.), with many editions and translations.
Baumstark, A. “syr-Antioch” in Der Katholik 82 (401–427,
538–550) & 83 (43–54).
Baumstark, A. Geschichte der syrischen Literatur
(1922).
Chaillot, C.
The Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
and All the East, a brief introduction to its life and
spirituality
(Geneva: Inter-Orthodox Dialogue, 1998).
Kiraz, G. “A Proclamation Out of Place, ‘Stomen Kalos, Kyrie-Eleison’ and the
Nicene Creed.” In Ktheeboth hago: Festschrift in Honour of His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, ed. Roy
Thomas, 417–31. Chicago: St. George Syrian Orthodox Church of Malankarra,
2005.
Kiraz, G. “A Young Syriac Pupil in the Cairo Genizah: Or.1081 2.75.30.”
Fragment of the Month: Newsletter of
the Cambridge University Library Genizah
Unit
. August 2018.
https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/departments/taylor-schechter-genizah-research-unit/fragment-month/fotm-2018/fragment-6
.
Kiraz, G. “Learning Syriac and Garshuni in Early Modern Egypt: Evidence from the Cairo Genizah” in Geoffrey Khan, Sabine Schmitdke, and Sarah Stroumsa (eds.),
Studies in Literary
Genizot
(=
Intellectual History of the Islamicate World
8 (2020): 1–26.
Mnayyer, Y.
al-ʾIšḥīm
(Damascus, 1994).
Severios Yacoub Albartali. The Treasures. Translated into
Arabic by Behnam Daniel al-Bartali (Aleppo: Dar Mardin, 2007).
Tabet, J. L'Office commun maronite (Kaslik, 1972).
Taft, R.
The Liturgy of the Hours in East and
West
(1993).
Tomajean, J. “La semaine liturgique dans le rite syrien” in Parole de l'Orient (1966) no. 1, 95–114.
Appendix 1: Table of Daily Prayers
Su
Mo
Tu
Ramšo
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
Quqalyon
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܐܘ ܪܡܫܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܐܘ ܪܡܫܐ
Boʿutho
"
"
Sutoro
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
Lilyo, Q I
ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ
Lilyo Q II
ܩܕܝ̈ܫܐ
ܩܕܝ̈ܫܐ
Lilyo Q III
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
Lilyo Q IV
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ ܘܟܢ ܚܕ ܩܢܘܡܐ
Boʿutho
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
Ṣaphro
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
Quqalyon
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܐܘ ܨܦܪܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܐܘ ܨܦܪܐ
Boʿutho
"
"
3rd Hr
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
6th Hr
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
9th Hr
ܥܢܝ̈ܕܐ
Appendix 1 : Table of Daily Prayers (cont.)
We
Th
Fr
Sa
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܐܘ ܪܡܫܐ
ܣܗ̈ܕܐ
ܥܢܝ̈ܕܐ
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
"
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
"
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ
ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܐܘ ܨܠܝܒܐ*
ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ
ܩܕܝ̈ܫܐ
ܫܠܝ̈ܚܐ
ܣܗ̈ܕܐ
ܩܕܝ̈ܫܐ
ܥܢܝ̈ܕܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
ܥܢܝ̈ܕܐ
ܥܢܝ̈ܕܐ/ ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ ܘܟܢ ܚܕ ܩܢܘܡܐ
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
ܫܠܝ̈ܚܐ ܘܐܘܢܓܠܣ̈ܛܐ
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ ܐܘ ܨܦܪܐ
ܨܠܝܒܐ
ܟܗ̈ܢܐ
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
"
"
"
ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ
ܬܝܒܘܬܐ
ܨܠܝܒܐ
ܟܗ̈ܢܐ
ܓܘܢܝܬܐ
ܥܢܝ̈ܕܐ