The epiclesis and the holy Eucharist.

[Xeno.of.athens]

In orthodoxy would you who are Orthodox Christians agree that this is an accurate summary of the Epiclesis in the divine liturgies.

The epiclesis is a central part of the liturgy in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. In Orthodox liturgies, the epiclesis is often recited by the priest or bishop in a loud voice, and it invokes the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Here are a few examples of the epiclesis in Orthodox liturgies:

1. From the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Eastern Orthodox): "Send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here presented, and make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen. Changing them by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen."
2. From the Anaphora of St. Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox): "And make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen. Changing them by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen."
3. From the Liturgy of St. James (Oriental Orthodox): "Send down, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that being overshadowed by His grace and sanctified by His power, we may be made worthy to partake of this divine and holy mystery of the Body and Blood of Your Christ."

In all of these examples, the epiclesis is a prayer for the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

In the Catholic liturgy, the epiclesis is traditionally considered to be a part of the consecration prayer, which is known as the Eucharistic Prayer. The epiclesis in the Catholic Eucharistic Prayer typically refers to the invocation of the Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine, and the prayer asks that the Spirit transform the elements into the body and blood of Christ.

Here are a few examples of the epiclesis in Catholic liturgies:

1. From Eucharistic Prayer II: "Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."
2. From Eucharistic Prayer III: "Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."
3. From Eucharistic Prayer IV: "Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."

In all of these examples, the epiclesis is a request for the Holy Spirit to come down upon the bread and wine, so that they may be transformed into the body and blood of Christ, which is the central belief of the Catholic Eucharist.

 

[PsaltiChrysostom]

Yes, the Epiclesis is the main prayer of the Anaphora, which is the set of prayers, songs and pronouncements during the Eucharistic portion of the Liturgy.

 

[hedrick]

It is not restricted to Catholic and Orthodox. Here's the PCUSA version


Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these your gifts of bread and wine,
that the bread we break
and the cup we bless
may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ. By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
that we may be one with all who share this feast,
united in ministry in every place.
As this bread is Christ’s body for us,
send us out to be the body of Christ in the world.

 

[coorilose]

In the Malankara (Oriental Orthodox) Church, the priest says the prayer of Epiclesis silently as can be seen this video at 1:39:29

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

In orthodoxy would you who are Orthodox Christians agree that this is an accurate summary of the Epiclesis in the divine liturgies.

The epiclesis is a central part of the liturgy in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. In Orthodox liturgies, the epiclesis is often recited by the priest or bishop in a loud voice, and it invokes the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Here are a few examples of the epiclesis in Orthodox liturgies:

1. From the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Eastern Orthodox): "Send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here presented, and make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen. Changing them by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen."
2. From the Anaphora of St. Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox): "And make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen. Changing them by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen."
3. From the Liturgy of St. James (Oriental Orthodox): "Send down, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that being overshadowed by His grace and sanctified by His power, we may be made worthy to partake of this divine and holy mystery of the Body and Blood of Your Christ."

In all of these examples, the epiclesis is a prayer for the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist.

We offer unto Thee this rational and bloodless worship, and we ask of Thee, and we pray Thee, and we entreat Thee: Send down Thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these Gifts set forth.” “And make this Bread the precious Body of Thy Christ. Amen.” “And that which is in this Cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ. Amen.” “Changing them by Thy Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen!”

 

[Philip_B]

Accept, we pray, our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, and send your Holy Spirit upon us and our celebration that all who eat and drink at this table may be strengthened by Christ's body and blood to serve you in the world.​

An Australian Prayer Book - 2nd Order​

Personally, I see the Epiclesis as important and central, however, I am a member of the Church whose liturgy is a little softer and nuanced on this issue, none the less there is a sense of the Epiclesis expressed in our liturgies, often more focussed on the people rather than the elements, and focused on the service empowered after the liturgy.

 

[eleos1954]

In orthodoxy would you who are Orthodox Christians agree that this is an accurate summary of the Epiclesis in the divine liturgies.

The epiclesis is a central part of the liturgy in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. In Orthodox liturgies, the epiclesis is often recited by the priest or bishop in a loud voice, and it invokes the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Here are a few examples of the epiclesis in Orthodox liturgies:

1. From the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Eastern Orthodox): "Send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here presented, and make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen. Changing them by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen."
2. From the Anaphora of St. Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox): "And make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this cup, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen. Changing them by Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen."
3. From the Liturgy of St. James (Oriental Orthodox): "Send down, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that being overshadowed by His grace and sanctified by His power, we may be made worthy to partake of this divine and holy mystery of the Body and Blood of Your Christ."

In all of these examples, the epiclesis is a prayer for the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist.

The Holy Spirt works in the heart of man ..... not transferred to and turned into something poured into a cup. The work of the Holy Spirit has the power to transform human lives and that's done in the heart not in or through something a cup.

1 Corinthians 2:10-11​

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

 

[Jipsah]

I am a member of the Church whose liturgy is a little softer and nuanced on this issue​

Sydney Anglican?

 

[Jipsah]

The Holy Spirt works in the heart of man ..... not transferred to and turned into something poured into a cup.

'Take, eat. This is my body."

 

[eleos1954]

'Take, eat. This is my body."

Metaphorical/symbolic my friend ....... are we cannibals? I am the bread of life .... was Jesus a loaf of bread? When He said that .... did the apostles start chewing on him?

 

[Philip_B]

Sydney Anglican?

Anglican. I am not in the Diocese of Sydney, and not a member of GAFCON either, nor likely to be. I wouldn't see the Sydney position on the Epiclesis as nuanced at all.

 

[The Liturgist]

The Epiklesis is actually my favorite part of the Anaphora. I have an entire book just on the subject of this specific part of the Anaphora. The traditional Roman Canon does have an epiclesis, albeit a weak one which precedes the institution narrative.

Interestingly the Divine Liturgy of St. Mark, also known as the Divine Liturgy of St. Cyril, or rather, perhaps it is a family of closely related Alexandrian Rite liturgies with similiar wording including the above, the Divine Liturgy in the Euchologion of St. Serapion of Thmuis, and the Strasbourg Papyrus, dating from the second century making this along with the Liturgy of Saints Addai and Mari one of the two best contenders for the oldest liturgy based on attestation, features two Epiklesis prayers, except in the Syriac Orthodox adaptation, which restructured it to follow the Antiochene pattern.

 

[The Liturgist]

In the Malankara (Oriental Orthodox) Church, the priest says the prayer of Epiclesis silently as can be seen this video at 1:39:29

Strange, because in the Syriac Orthodox Church he doesn’t.

 

[The Liturgist]

In the Catholic liturgy, the epiclesis is traditionally considered to be a part of the consecration prayer, which is known as the Eucharistic Prayer. The epiclesis in the Catholic Eucharistic Prayer typically refers to the invocation of the Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine, and the prayer asks that the Spirit transform the elements into the body and blood of Christ.

Here are a few examples of the epiclesis in Catholic liturgies:

1. From Eucharistic Prayer II: "Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."
2. From Eucharistic Prayer III: "Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."
3. From Eucharistic Prayer IV: "Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."

In all of these examples, the epiclesis is a request for the Holy Spirit to come down upon the bread and wine, so that they may be transformed into the body and blood of Christ, which is the central belief of the Catholic Eucharist.

I wonder if it was Bugnini or another member of the Concilium who came up with the Dewfall language, which I have only seen in the Novus Ordo anaphorae.

 

[coorilose]

Strange, because in the Syriac Orthodox Church he doesn’t.

It is exactly the same way in SOC. The priest is silent while the deacon talks.

Here is a sample. It starts at 44:49

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

I wonder if it was Bugnini or another member of the Concilium who came up with the Dewfall language, which I have only seen in the Novus Ordo anaphorae.

I believe it is derived from the language of scripture relating to the manna that came with the dew each night. And since the Lord Jesus Christ is the true bread from heaven the language is rather fitting.

 

[The Liturgist]

It is exactly the same way in SOC. The priest is silent while the deacon talks.

Here is a sample. It starts at 44:49

Not quite. The priest directly intones the Epiclesis in the liturgy you linked to, after a silent prayer which is epiclectic in nature, but not the whole epiclesis. Here are the actual rubrics, using as a reference the Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles*:


Deacon: Barekhmor, How awful is this hour and how dreadful is this moment, my beloved, wherein the Holy Spirit from the topmost heights takes wing and descents and hovers and rests upon this Eucharist here present and sanctifies it. Be in calm and awe, while standing and praying. Pray that peace may be with us and for all of us tranquillity.

People: May peace be with us and tranquillity to all of us.

The Invocation of the Holy Spirit

The celebrant waves his hands over the Mysteries, and bowing down his head, says silently:
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us and send from Your holy heavens Your Life-giving Spirit to hover upon this offering and make it a life-giving Body. And may He absolve and sanctify us.

The celebrant stretches out his hands and, looking upward, says aloud:
Answer me, O Lord; answer me, O Lord; answer me, O Lord; O Good One, have compassion and mercy upon me.

People: Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.

The celebrant stretches out his left hand and waves his right hand over the Body and says aloud:
So that He may, by His descent, make this bread the Body + + + of Christ our God.

People: Amen.

The celebrant waves his right hand over the chalice, saying:
And the mixture in this cup to the Blood + + + of Christ our God

People: Amen.


This entire structure I would argue counts as the liturgical unit of the Epiclesis, but the specific Epiclectic prayers that seek to accomplish the Real Change of the Gifts are said aloud, with the people responding Amen. The silent prayer said while the Deacon intones “How awful is this hour and how dreadful this moment, my beloved” is what I would call a pre-Epiclesis, in that it is essentially a prayer that the Holy Spirit will do what the Priest asks him to.

* I for one am sick of parishes only using the Anaphora of Mar Dionysius bar Salibi because its perhaps five minutes shorter in length, out of at least four anaphoras that exist in English and Arabic translation, and at least fourteen in English, especially when the rubrics require St. James to be used (the Western Archdiocese gets around that by replacing the paraphrase of the Institution Narrative and the Epiclesis in Mar Bar Salibi with those from the Liturgy of St. James). It represents a dangerous neglect of Suroye cultural and liturgical heritage, and the same thing caused the Armenian church to go from having 13 anaphorae to having one, about 700 years ago. The Syriac Orthodox Church has a particularly solemn responsibility to curate and actively use the wealth of anaphoras bestowed on it, which with an estimated total of 86, exceed those of all other ancient churches combined, except for the Maronites, who pre Vatican II had a large subset of the Syriac Orthodox anaphorae in addition to a few specific to them, such as the Anaphora of Peter (Sharar), which has been suppressed since Vatican II, leaving only around six which are rotated seasonally, but still using six anaphorae on a seasonal basis is better than using only the shortest and possibly the most recently composed anaphora.

 

[The Liturgist]

I believe it is derived from the language of scripture relating to the manna that came with the dew each night. And since the Lord Jesus Christ is the true bread from heaven the language is rather fitting.

Forgive me but I really dislike the Novus Ordo Missae.

And I am scandalized that Pope Francis pulled the rug out from under the Diocesan Latin Mass community fostered by his then-ailing predecessor, in an act which seems even more callous given we now know that Pope Benedict was nearing the end when Pope Francis issued Traditiones Custodes and the various follow-on bits, destroying what would have been the legacy of his predecessor and also dismantling the Congregation Ecclesia Dei whose function was to reconcile the schism with the SSPX.

If Pope Francis hadn’t done that, but had instead aggressively suppressed Medjugorje and worked to suppress the Synodal Way movement in Germany with greater force, there is an 79% chance I would have joined the RCC in the next five years.

 

[The Liturgist]

By the way, I am happy as a clam that for once thanks to my friend @Xeno.of.athens we are talking about the Epiclesis, which is the part of the Anaphora, in turn the part of the subject (Liturgics) that interests me the most in all of theology, rather than some pointless sectarian issue. I feel I must be dreaming. Pinch me, someone.

By the way, the book The Eucharistic Epiclesis by John H. Mckenna, CM, is to my knowledge the most exhaustive treatment of this specific subject, although alas McKenna does spend rather too much time on the unanswerable issue of whether the Epiclesis or the Institution Narrative is consecratory. Which is to say not much, but my preference would be that he glossed over it entirely and limited himself to a liturgiological, historical, and textual analysis of the prayers themselves.