Eucharistic Prayer of Saint Basil Text for Consultation International Commission on English in the Liturgy A Joint Commission of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences
August 1985 Introduction With this booklet the International Commission on English in the Liturgy presents for study, discussion, and consultation a translation of the eucharistic prayer of Saint Basil. As part of its program to develop new eucharistic prayers beyond the nine eucharistic prayers already approved officially for use in English (Eucharistic Prayers I-IV, Eucharistic Prayers for Masses of Reconciliation I-II, Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children I-III), ICEL is preparing translations of a limited number of important ancient eucharistic prayers. The first of these, a translation of the eucharistic prayer of Hippolytus, appeared in January 1983. The eucharistic prayer of Saint Basil has been in preparation for the last several years. The antiquity of this text and its widespread use in earlier centuries, its present use by Byzantine Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, and its own intrinsic merits explain the choice of the anaphora of Saint Basil for consideration and study by the western Church. For such reasons the Consilium for the Implementation of the Constitution on the (Sacred) Liturgy seriously considered including this prayer with the other eucharistic prayers introduced into the roman Rite following Vatican II. The eucharistic prayer of Saint Basil possesses a number of features that recommend it to the western Church. These are its extensive use of acclamations for the assembly; its highly developed section of intercessions; its use of vivid biblical and traditional Christian images; its superb synthesis of salvation history (of which the present Roman eucharistic prayer IV is reminiscent); and its outstanding presentation of Christology. In typically Alexandrian fashion, this Christology emphasizes the transcendent while still retaining a fundamentally incarnational point of view. The anaphora of Saint Basil belongs to the Antiochene type of eucharistic prayer. It exists in several major versions: Byzantine, Syriac, Armenian, and Egyptian. In the course of time it came to be the chief eucharistic prayer of the Coptic Christians of Alexandria and of all Egypt, Orthodox as well as Catholic. Written originally in Greek, it was prayed for centuries in the Coptic tongue by Egyptians when Coptic was still in use as a spoken language. It is now more often prayed in Arabic, sometimes with the retention of some Coptic words or phrases. And, of course, it is normally sung. ICEL’s translation of this venerable text is based on the Coptic version, which has the merit of its antiquity and regular use by the Copts, both Orthodox and Catholic, and is considered by many experts to be the best modern version of the prayer. Thus it is not intended to be a
translation of the best available early Greek text, but rather an English equivalent of a liturgical text actually in use by an eastern Church. The translation was prepared in the light of modern translations from the contemporary Coptic or Arabic into English, French, German and Italian, and of the Greek and Latin versions found in E. Renaudot, Liturgiarum orentialium collectio (Paris, 1716: 2nd corrected edition, Frankfurt: J. Baer, 1847, 2 vols.). The translation has been carefully reviewed by Coptic and Arabic scholars against the Coptic and Arabic versions employed at present in Egypt. The English text is in no way intended to supplant existing English versions of the eucharistic prayer of Saint Basil currently being used by eastern Christians. ICEL’s purpose in preparing this text has been to transpose into western liturgical prayer some of the richness of the eastern liturgical tradition. With the goal of providing a version for consideration in the western Church, it has been necessary to accommodate the Coptic text in a few of its features to a western liturgical context, specifically, to the Order of Mass as revised by the decree of Vatican Council II and to similar eucharistic orders. The process over the centuries in which Churches have made their own the eucharistic prayers of other churches or traditions has often required the accommodation of the prayers to the order of service of the adopting Church. In order to accommodate this prayer to the Order of Mass in western use, certain additional elements associated with the eucharistic prayer in the liturgy of Saint Basil have not been included, for example, the two prayers of reconciliation and the hymn to Mary the Mother of God that immediately precede the preface dialogue, and the several prayers that follow the eucharistic prayer and serve as a transition to the rite of holy communion. Because the present Roman eucharistic prayers are, by comparison with this and other eastern prayers, sparing in their use of acclamations, some modification of the many acclamations in the anaphora of Saint Basil seemed necessary. Their number has been somewhat reduced and their content made more uniform. Still it is hoped that the rich element of acclamation in this text will deepen western understanding of the eucharistic prayer as the prayer of the whole assembly. Next, the intercessions have been shortened, in part because of the prominent place of the general intercessions in the liturgy of the word in the present Latin Order of Mass. But the intercessions of the eucharistic prayer of Saint Basil may serve to broaden western appreciation of the place of intercessory prayer within the eucharistic prayer. Of its nature, this translation is provisional. It is offered to the English-speaking conferences of bishops for the purpose of widespread consultation, and to others for study and comment. The text is not proposed or submitted for liturgical use, although, of course, a conference of bishops may approve the text of a new eucharistic prayer for use and request its confirmation by the Apostolic See. ICEL invites those who receive this text to submit their comments to the Secretariat by 1 September 1986. John R. Page Executive Secretary International Commission on English in the Liturgy 1275 K Street, N.W., Suite 1202 Washington, D.C. 20005-4097 U.S.A. August, 1985
Eucharistic Prayer of Saint Basil Priest People Priest People Priest People
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Priest
1 2 3 4
It is right, it is fitting, it is truly right and fitting to give you thanks and praise.
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Lord and Master, God of all truth, you existed before time began and will reign through endless ages. Your dwelling place is in the heights, yet you are mindful of the lowly. You made the heavens, the earth, and the sea, and all they contain.
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Father of our Lord, our God and Savior Jesus Christ, through whom you made all things, seen and unseen: you are seated on the throne of your glory, worshiped by all the heavenly hosts. Angels and archangels, principalities and powers, thrones, dominions, and virtues serve you; the many-eyed cherubim keep watch, and the six-winged seraphim surround you, for ever singing and proclaiming and shouting your praise:
Deacon
22
Let us be attentive!
People
23 24
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Priest
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
Holy, holy, all-holy are you, our Lord and God. You formed and created us and placed us in the garden of delight. But deceived by the serpent we disobeyed your command; cut off from eternal life we were driven from the garden.
33 34 35 36 37 38
Yet you never abandoned your own; again and again through the holy prophets you visited your people. And in the fullness of time, as we sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, you revealed yourself to us
39 40
through your only-begotten Son, our Lord, our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
41 42 43 44
Through the Holy Spirit and the holy Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, he took flesh and became one of us.
People
45
Amen.
Priest
46 47 48 49
He taught us the ways of salvation; he brought new birth from on high by water and spirit, embracing us as his own; and through your Holy Spirit he sanctified us.
50 51 52 53 54 55 56
Having loved his own who were in the world, he delivered himself up for us and ransomed us from the death that held us captive because of our sins. By way of the cross he went down into the realm of the dead, and on the third day he rose again.
People
57
Amen. We believe.
Priest
58 59
He ascended into heaven and took his place in glory at your right hand.
60 61 62 63
He has fixed a day of judgment when we shall see him come to judge the world with justice and to render to all according to their works.
People
64 65
Judge us, Lord, according to your mercy, and not according to our sins.
Priest
66
Christ has left us this great mystery of our faith.
67 68
When he was about to give himself up to death, a death for the life of the world,
People
69
We believe.
Priest
70
he took bread into his holy, blameless, and life-giving hands,
People
71
We believe. Amen.
People
72 73 74 75
raised his eyes to heaven to you, his Father, God and Lord of the universe, and gave thanks and praise.
People
76
Amen.
Priest
77
He blessed the bread,
People
78
Amen.
Priest
79
sanctified it,
People
80
Amen. We believe.
Priest
81 82
broke it, and gave it to his holy disciples and apostles, saying:
83 84 85 86
Take and eat, all of you: this is my body, broken for you and for all, and delivered up for the forgiveness of your sins.
87
Do this in memory of me.
People
88
Amen. We believe.
Priest
89 90 91
In the same way, after they had eaten, he took the cup of wine mixed with water and gave you thanks and praise.
People
92
Amen.
Priest
93
He blessed it,
People
94
Amen.
Priest
95
sanctified it,
People
96
Amen. We believe.
Priest
97
tasted it, and once again gave it to his holy disciples and apostles, saying:
98 99 100 101
Take and drink, all of you, this is my blood of the new covenant, shed for you and for all, and delivered up for the forgiveness of your sins.
102 Do this in memory of me. People
103 Amen. We believe.
Priest
104 105 106 107
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim my death and confess my resurrection and remember my until I come.
People
108 109 110 111
Amen. Amen. Amen. We proclaim your death, Lord, and confess your holy resurrection and ascension. We praise you, we bless you, and give you thanks, Lord; we pray to you, our God.
Priest
112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120
We remember now his holy sufferings and his resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, his enthronement at your right hand, Father, and his awesome coming again in glory. And so, from the gifts you have given us we offer you what is yours, in the name of every creature and for the sake of all the world.
People
121 We praise you, we bless you, and give you thanks, Lord; 122 we pray to you, our God.
Deacon
123 Bend low before God in fear and trembling.
Priest
124 125 126 127 128 129 130
Deacon
131 Let us be attentive!
People
132 Amen.
Priest
133 134 135 136 137
People
138 Amen.
Priest
139 140 141 142 143
People
144 Amen. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Though we are sinners and unworthy servants, we make our petition to you, O good and loving God, and we worship you by reason of your goodness: we ask that your Holy Spirit come upon us and upon these gifts to sanctify them, renew them, and manifest them as the holiest of all things holy.
May the Holy Spirit make this bread become the sacred body of our Lord, our God and Savior Jesus Christ, given for the remission of sins and life everlasting to all who partake of it.
And may he make this cup become the precious blood of the new covenant of our Lord, our God and Savior Jesus Christ, given for the remission of sins and life everlasting to all who partake of it.
Priest
145 146 147 148 149 150 151
Make us all worthy, O Lord, to partake of your holy mysteries. May they make us holy, body, soul and spirit, so that we become one body and one spirit and share in the inheritance of all your saints, who have been your delight since the world began.
152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159
Remember, Lord, your one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. You have redeemed it through the precious blood of Christ: grant it peace. Remember N. our pope, N. our bishop, together with all true-believing bishops, priests, and deacons; uphold them in your ministry that they may faithfully preach your Gospel and tend your flock with loving care.
People
160 Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Priest
161 162 163 164 165 166
People
167 Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Priest
168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175
People
176 Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Priest
177 178 179 180 181 182
People
183 Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Priest
184 185 186 187
Remember, Lord, those who offer this sacrifice, all who minister in your service, and all your people. Give them your grace so that with joy in their hearts they will devote themselves to every good work.
Remember above all her whom you filled with grace, the most holy, most glorious, and ever-virgin Mary, our Lady, the Mother of God. Remember also Saint Mark, Saint Athanasius, and all your saints. Through their intercession have mercy on us all.
Bless the earth, Lord, and make it bear fruit in abundance for the sake of the poor, whom you love so much: the widows and the orphans, the strangers and the homeless; and for the sake of us all who call upon your name.
Remember, Lord, your servants who have preceded us in death. May they find rest in the company of Abraham, our father, and of all the saints.
188 Feed them in green pastures 189 beside still waters in the garden of delight. People
190 Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Priest
191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198
People
199 Now, as in the beginning, and for ever. Amen.
Keep us and all your pilgrim people firm in your faith; guide us into your kingdom and grant the peace which has no end, so that always and in all things your most holy name may be glorified and exalted with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Notes on the Text Lines 1-3:
The original simply has “It is right and fitting, it is right and fitting, it is truly right and fitting...” The present version is suggested for stylistic reasons.
Line 12:
This triple title of Christ is found repeatedly throughout the text.
Line 21:
“shouting” – Greek, βοῶντα; Latin, clamantis. The exuberance of the Greek text is captured and reflected by the use of this one word.
Lines 41-43:
A common manner of expression in early Christianity. See, for example, Eucharistic Prayer of Hippolytus, Text for Consultation (ICEL, 1983), p. 8. “Born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin, he was revealed as your Son” (“ex spiritu sancto et virgine natus...”); and Tyrannius Rufinus, Commentarius in symbolum apostolorum (PL 21, 335-86): “Qui natus est de Spiritu sancto et Maria virgine...”; or Marcellus of Ancyra (see Denz-Sch no. 11): “τὸν γεννηθέντα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ Mαρίας τῆς παρθένου...”
Line 77:
“he blessed the bread” – “the bread” is not expressed in the original, but seems called for by parallelism with the subsequent two verbs: “sanctified” and “broke.”
Lines 118-120:
These lines remain obscure in the original as well as in the translations consulted.
Line 144:
The Greek Kyrie eleison has been retained here and elsewhere in the acclamations, as in both the Coptic and Arabic versions.
Lines 152 to end:
These intercessions, though reduced in length, nevertheless capture the cosmic scope as well as the imagery of the original.
