Pre-Office Uploaded

So the first item to be downloaded is the pre-office. The link can be found at the end of this post or in the tab marked above as 'Office Texts.' Anyway, the prayers said in preparation for an office should seem more or less familiar to most Christians, especially those of the East.

The pre-office begins with the Our Father, as this prayer takes a particular prominence in Syriac piety. In fact, it is traditionally said first by Syriacs upon entering a church (in combination with other prayers) and was usually prayed three times in the course of a traditional Maronite liturgy: the office prior to Qurbono (the Syriac word for mass, meaning offering), during Qurbono itself in the anaphora (Eucharistic prayer) and at the end of liturgy. What might seem unfamiliar to Greeks and Latins is that we include the doxology; the doxology is always included by Syriacs. It goes without saying the prominence of this prayer is because Jesus taught it to us Himself.

The second prayer is that of the Shlom Lekh, Mariam (Hail Mary). Unbeknownst to many people of the Western Church is the great devotion to the Virgin Mother of God in the East. She is the greatest saint and is the most invoked human being in Syriac liturgy. One minor difference between the Syriac version of the Hail Mary and the version known in the West is that we refer to Jesus as "Our Lord" instead of "the Lord," but that could simply be due to the fact that in Semitic languages a respectful form of address is in plural possession (e.g. Moran Mor Beshara = our lord, lord Antoun referring to Patriarch Beshara).

The third prayer is the Creed. In Syriac, unlike Greek and Latin, it was written, again, in plurality. It is a statement that this is what we believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church and anyone who is in disagreement with it is outside the Church. There shouldn't be any great surprises in the Creed to anyone, but there are some idiomatic difference (like "was crucified in the days of Pontius Pilate"). Also, the Syriac version of the Creed should omit the filioque and reads something to the effect of "[the Holy Spirit] goes/proceeds forth from the Father and with the Son is adored and glorified." It is not that we believe the Father is not adored and glorified, but it gives poetic symmetry to the fact that the Spirit does not eternally proceed from the Son as well.

Finally is the Trisaigon followed by what some might refer to as a metanoia. The Trisaigon is common to all apostolic Churches and simply sings the fact that God is thrice holy, powerful and immortal. It is concluded with asking for mercy, as is a focus of Syriac liturgy, because every blessing is a dispensation from the economy of God's mercies.

Pre-Office Prayers Link

Our Lord, accept our service, our prayers, come to our aid and have mercy on us!