The ecclesiology of Communion from the Eastern Perspective
Dr Martin Thomas Antony
Introduction
ܥܲܠ ܫܲܝܢܵܐ ܘܐܵܘܝܘܼܬܼܵܐ ܘܩܘܼܝܵܡܵܐ ܕܟܼܠܹܗ ܥܵܠܡܵܐ ܘܲܕܟܼܠܗܹܝ̈ܢ ܥܹܕܵܬܼܵܐܼ̈: ܒܵܥܹܿܝܢܲܢ ܡܸܢܵܟ.
(Al shaina u awyusa u khuyama d kolle alma w’d kolheyn edasa bayenan
mennak)
For the peace, unity and stability of the whole world and all the churches, we
pray to you. This prayer from the karozutha in the Holy Qurbana of the Syro
Malabar church is an example of the sense of communion of Churches from the
Eastern perspective.
Communion is a gift of God, the Ruha D Khudhsa himself. Through the
sacrament of initiation, with the seal of the Ruha D Khudsha, we all are
becoming children of God. This is a communion with God, a relationship with
God. In the same way, through the same communion, we are in a new
relationship with our fellow brothers and sisters who are also children of God.
Thus, communion is the new life in the Ruha D Khudhsa common to all
disciples of the M’shiha 1 .
Through baptism, we are formed in the likeness of the M’shiha. Through
partaking in the body of the Lord, in the Eucharist, all the Christians are taken
up into communion with the M’shiha and with one another 2 . ‘Because the bread
is one, we though many, are one body, all of us who partake the one bread’. (1
Cor 10:17)
Lumen Gentium views the Church as people made one with the unity of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ruha 3 . (LG4)
Different streams of Christianity
Christianity evolved in three streams- Syriac Orient, Greek East and the Latin
West. Aramaic was the language and culture of Isho M’shiha and his disciples.
It was the language in which Gawriel Malaka spoke to Marth Maryam and Mar
Yawseph. It was in the same language the words broke out from heaven at river
Yordanan at the time of Mamodeesa of our Lord Isho M’shiha. Palestinian
Aramaic was the language of the common people at the time of Isho M’shiha in
Jerusalem and Palestine. The Church that was founded on the Apostles (sleehe)
developed in Aramaic language and culture. This Palestinian Aramaic or
Christian Aramaic evolved as Syriac language in Edessa. Ashoka’s bilingual
edicts containing Aramaic from 260 BC found at Kandahar show that Aramaic
was the lingua franca from Edessa to Persia and Parthia during that period.
Thus, the Syriac stream of Christianity evolved around the Syriac schools in
Edessa and Nisbis, spreading to the east in Persia, Parthia and India.
Soon after Pentecost, the Church spread out to Greek cities like Antioch where
gentiles also became followers of M’shiha where they were called Christians for
the first time. Thus, the Greek Stream of Christianity evolved. At the time of
Isho M’shiha, Greek was the Imperial language, the universal language and the
language of the elite as the English language today. All the books of the New
Testament were written in Greek.
Later, Christianity developed in Rome in Latin language and culture and spread
out to the western lands.
Catholic Church- Communion of all particular Churches-Fullness of revelations
Isho M’shiha founded his church on the Sleehe(Apostles). The Church was born
on Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Ruha over the Sleehe(Apostles) and
the disciples. The Apostles and disciples became brave and started proclaiming
the Gospel thus the Church was born. The disciples were sent to different
nations to proclaim the gospel. They founded Churches in nations with various
languages and cultures existed. These churches and communities received the
gospel and interpreted the divine revelations in their languages, cultures and
perspectives.
These different streams of Christianity represent the interpretation of the divine
revelation from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and perspectives.
The fullness of revelation constitutes all these interpretations and related
doctrines and theologies.
These different churches and congregations existed all over the Roman Empire
and in the East in Persia, Parthia and up to India.
St Ignatius of Rome, a disciple of Mar Yohannan Sleeha in his Epistles to
Smyrneans, wrote in AD 110 that the Church is Catholic because it is the
communion of all the local churches with their Bishops 4 . Another document of
the Church of Smyrna on the occasion of the martyrdom of St Polycarp in AD
69-115 narrates that the Catholic church is the aggregation of all the local
churches and congregations 5 . Saint Cyril of Jerusalem of the fourth century
wrote that the Church is Catholic not just because it has spread all over the
world, but because it teaches all the doctrines fully without any defects 6 . Thus,
the Church Fathers who are the early witnesses of Isho M’shiha and the
disciples described the Church of Christ as Catholic in terms of communion of
all the local particular churches and congregations which represents the fullness
of revelations and teaches all these revelations as doctrines fully and without
any defect. There were several councils in the primitive church represented by
these different Churches and congregations to discuss disputes and
disagreements about faith matters. They were in communion.
Communion -Eastern Churches' perspective
For eastern Churches, especially the Syriac Orient, the Church was the liturgical
assembly and nothing more 7 . For Greek East and the Latin West, both represent
the political division of the Roman Empire as East and West, the Church was an
ecclesial organisation with a systematic hierarchical structure, discipline and
governance. Primacy and subjugation were important factors for communion for
the Western church. Therefore, the communion of churches became part of
juridical governance. But for the Syriac Orient, communion was taking part and
sharing in the same mysteries of salvation. For Syriac Fathers like Severus of
Antioch, John of Ephesus and John of Beth Aphtonia, communion was
participation in the same eucharist 8 . Confession of the true faith, general
agreement of Bishops and the faithful and the teaching of the fathers constitute
true communion, thus heretics were outside the communion. Communion was
always within the church.
Communion -East Syriac perspective
A sense of belonging to the Universal Church is a prominent theme, especially
in the East Syriac liturgical sources 9 .
Primacy of the Bishop was not a criterion for communion among the Syriac
churches but the East Syriacs always considered the Bishop of Rome as primus.
Even though the east Syriac church was separated from the Greco Roman
churches due to political strifes between the Persian and Roman empires and
thereby they could not attend the Council of Ephesus or Council of Chalcedon
or other councils, they always considered the Bishop of Rome as primus. This
can be seen in different historical events.
Narsai considered Rome as the head of faith. Because Peter, the prince of the
twelve as in the head fixed the eyes of faith in Rome 10 . The Nicean canons
(Arabic canons) were accepted by the Church of the East from the time of Mar
Isaac in AD 410 which narrates the primacy of Rome 11 .
In about AD 470, Mana, the east Syriac Bishop of Riwardashir translated the
works of Diodore and Theodore of Mopseustia from Greek into Syriac and sent
them to India and China as narrated in Chronicles of Seert suggesting the
communion with the western Greco Roman Churches 12 .
Even though many historians considered the church of the East as an anti-
Ephesian synod and out of Catholic communion, Babai the Great (551-628AD)
who is considered the author of the authentic Christology of the East Syriac
church in his hymn Breek hannana dawthyboose used in the liturgy of hours and
also in his work Book of Union, proclaims the Chalcedonian Christology in par
with the Greco Roman Churches.
Later, East Syriac Patriarch Isho Yahb II (628-643AD) visited Antioch to
reconcile with the Greco Roman Churches (Antioch was part of the Roman
Church then) with the appellation of faith ‘our belief in a Christ who, as Perfect
Man, was consubstantial with us; – and who, as Perfect God, was
consubstantial with the Father, in one “Personalitas” 13 .
Primacy of Rome- East Syriac Perspective.
Isho Yahb III of Adiabene
Patriarch Isho Yahb III of Adiabene (AD 650-660) affirms that ‘He that of Rome
shall be head according to the order of the Apostles which they have established
in their ecumenical canons. To the great Rome was given the primacy and
headship of the Patriarchate’ 14 .
Timothy I the Great
East Syriac Patriarch Timothy I the Great (778-823 AD) in a letter addressed to
the chief of the faithful in India preserved in the works of Ben Attibus of
Baghdad, a canonist of the East Syriac Church wrote ‘…and thus the obedience
is to be exhibited by all towards the Roman Patriarch, for he holds the place of
Simon Kepa…..’ acknowledging the primacy of Petrine See of Rome 15 .
Metropolitan Elias Damasceneus, a canonist of the East Syriac Church in his
canons narrates ‘….and let him be the superior who is Rome as the Apostles
ordered’….. ‘The first patriarch is the Patriarch of Rome, who has so much
honour and eminence over all other patriarchs…’ 16
Elias of Anabara
Elias of Anabara-(AD 920), East Syrian Bishop of Anabara who was a
theologian wrote ‘…. our lord conferred upon Peter in what is built by Peter
might remain firm and stable to the end… 17
Abdallaha Benaatibus
Eminent canonist of the East Syrian church Abdallaha Benaatibus of 11 century
in his canons wrote ‘….like the number of four parts of the globe, the
Patriarchs are to be four and their chief, the Patriarch of Rome as the apostles
have ordained…’ 18
These show that the East Syriac church was in communion with the Greco
Roman Churches especially the Petrine See of Rome even though there were no
juridical relationships.
Since the time of the Crusades, there have been communications between
various Popes and the East Syriac church. Rev Dr Placid Podipara in his work
The Church of Selucia and its Catholic communion enumerates several
examples 19 .
East Syriac Church: Communion with Petrine See of Rome
Sabrisho V
Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254) sent Dominican Friars to the East Syriac and
Jacobite Patriarchs and the East Syriac Patriarch Sabrisho V gladly accepted
them. Patriarch's vicar Rabban Ara, representing the whole Selucian church
submitted a letter to the Pope along with a letter from Chinese Christians and
Metropolitan Isho Yahb of Nisbis and two other Archbishops and three Bishops.
Ramban Bar Sauma
A more illustrious story is that of the visit of Ramban Bar Sauma to Rome as
the Patriarchal visitor in AD 1288 20 . Ramban Bar Sauma and his disciple Monk
Markose were Mongols in ethnicity from Peking and travelled to Jerusalem as
pilgrims. They could not reach Jerusalem due to wars and reached Baghdad to
visit their Patriarch. Patriarch Denha I consecrated Monk Markose as a
Metropolitan for Catay and Ong(China) as Yahb Allaha (Jaballaha). But
Patriarch Denha I died soon and Jaballaha was elected as the next Patriarch of
the East Syriac Church as Jaballaha III(1281-1317AD)
Patriarch Jaballaha sent his teacher Ramban Bar Sauma as the Patriarchal
visitor to Rome and Europe to seek help to free Jerusalem.
Ramban Bar Sauma reached Rome in 1287. As Pope Honorius died on April 3
1287, they met the 12-member College of Cardinals and then proceeded to
Paris. On their return, they met Pope Nicholas IV who was one among the 12
cardinals they met earlier. Ramban Bar Sauma was cordially received. Ramban
Bar Sauma was allowed to celebrate East Syriac Liturgy in Rome on the V
Sunday of Lent in front of a great congregation who commented: the rite is the
same but the language is different. On Palm Sunday, Pope Nicholas celebrated
the rituals and the Holy Eucharistic liturgy and gave communion to Ramban
Bar Sauma first. After Easter, the Pope sent Bar Sauma back to Bagdad with
Holy Relics including that from the garment of Our Lord and poikile or bonnet
(silk head cover) of Marth Maryam. The Pope sent a golden crown of pure gold
adorned with precious stones for Patriarch Jaballaha III with vestments
including silk shoes embroidered with pearls for liturgical functions and a ring
from the Pope’s fingure. Pope Nicholas also gave letters of patent authorising
him as the Patriarch of all the Orient. Ramban Sauma was made Papal visitator
of all the Christians of the Orient.
There were further relations in the later years.
This shows that for the East Syriac Church, in every century, there were some
relations and communion with the Petrine See in Rome. This was not a juridical
communion but an ecclesial communion in faith, sacraments and love.
Local Particular Churches- Sister Churches
In the early Church, different Particular churches coexisted as sister churches.
The Western church has amply drawn from the treasury of these Eastern
churches for its liturgy spirituality and jurisprudence. The basic dogmas of the
Christian faith concerning the Trinity, and God’s word made flesh of the Virgin
Mary were defined in the councils held in the East 21 .
These sister churches were equal in dignity. In the early period of the Pentarchy,
it did not exclude the primacy of Rome, but the primacy was never exercised in
the same way among the four Patriarchs of the East as it was during the Latin
centralisation of the Middle Ages 22 . Professor Emmanuel Lanne, who was a
Professor of Saint Anselmo and Pontifical Oriental Institute Rome and was a
member of the secretariat for promoting Christian unity, Consultor of
Councilium for liturgy, Congregation for Eastern Churches, Commission for
Faith and order, member of the international commission for the theological
dialogue with the Orthodox churches and also that for the Reformed churches
comments, in the West, there were only one Apostolic Church, the Roman
Church while in the East, the Oriental Churches live the communion among
themselves as sister churches and not as mother and daughters in faith and love 23
Post Vatican Council II- Concept of One Church of Christ
After the Vatican Council II, the Roman Church recognised the importance of
the Eastern Churches. Various conciliar and post-conciliar documents exhort the
richness of the Eastern traditions and that they are invaluable treasures in the
catholic church as different expressions of faith.
Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, the president of the Vatican Secretariat for
Promoting Christian Unity in his speech at the National Workshop for Christian
Unity on May 5, 1987, in Atlanta said that the change of wording from the
Church of Christ is Catholic Church to the Church of Christ subsists in the
Catholic Church is fundamental to the ecclesiology of the Vatican Council II 24 .
Cardinal Willebrands explained Christ’s one Church goes beyond the visible
limits of the Catholic Church. These words are seen in Lumen Gentium No 8
and No 4 of the Decree of Ecumenism promulgated by Saint Pope Paul IV on
November 21, 1964.
The Catholic Church accepts that the one Church of Christ is seen even outside
Catholic Communion. Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic constitution of the Church
solemnly promulgated by His Holiness Saint Pope Paul IV acclaims many
elements of sanctification and truth can be found outside the visible structure of
the Catholic Church governed by the successor of Peter 25 .
Unitatis Redintegratio, the Decree on Ecumenism of the Vatican Council II
narrates: ‘Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and
endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can
exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church: the written word of
God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the
Holy Spirit, and visible elements too. All of these, which come from Christ and
lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ’ 26 .
Universal Church- the mother Church; Roman Church a sister Church
Through an authoritative and binding note on 30 June 2000, Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger clarified that sister churches are, exclusively particular churches
among themselves. But the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Universal Church is
not a sister Church but the mother of all the Particular Churches. Thus, the
Particular Church of Rome can also be called a sister Church of all other
Particular Churches 27 . This expresses that the Catholic Church is not the Roman
Church but the communion of all Particular Churches- Roman Church, other
Eastern Catholic Churches and even non-catholic Eastern Churches that have
preserved a valid episcopate and Eucharist 28 .
Unitatis Redintegratio also confirms that ‘the heritage handed down by the
Apostles was received with differences of form and manner so that from the
earliest times, of the Church, it was explained variously in different places
owing to diversities of genius and conditions of life 29 ’. This validates the
authenticity of different traditions and thereby the existance of different
Particular Churches.
Synodality
Pope Francis’s Synod on Synodality in which, the Roman Church is seeking to
listen to others and to have communion, participation and mission with the
people of God. Pope Francis is asking the Church to go to the deepest roots of
her synodality, a venerable tradition of the Church. Thus, the Church intends to
walk together with other churches and communities to the common
eschatological vision of the Church.
The One and only Church of Christ
The Church of our Lord Isho M’shiha is
one and only one which constitutes the communion of all the particular
Churches which represents different traditions which are different
interpretations of divine revelations. This communion ecclesiology is reflected
in the vision of heaven of Yohanna Sleeha where the almighty God is sitting on
the throne. Around this, 24 thrones on which 24 elders wearing white robes with
golden crowns on their heads. These 24 elders cast their crowns before the
throne of God singing ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and
honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and
were created’ 30 . These 24 elders before the throne of God are the heads of the 24
particular Churches in the Catholic communion. One of them represents the
Reesh Methrapolitha of the Syro Malabar Church in the Catholic communion.
End notes
1 Emmanuel Lanne, Inter ecclesial communion,according to the eastern point of view, in Xavier
Koodapuzha Ed., Oriental Churches theological dimensions, OIRSI, 1988 Kottayam p18-19
2 Marc Cardinal Ouellet, The Ecclesiology of Communion, 50 years after opening of Vatican Council II
Adoremus Sept 2012, Vol XVIII, No 6
3 Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic constitution on the Church solemnly promulgated by His Holiness Pope
Paul VI on November 21, 1964, No 4
4 J H Srawley The Epistles of saint Ignatius, London 1900, p 97 foot note 1
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/srawley/index.html online version accessed on 30 May 2024.
Saint Ignatius argued that Bishop is the centre of each individual Church and Jesus Christ is the centre of
Universal Church.
5 H B Swete, The Apostolic creed, its relation to primitive Christianity, 1894 p 75
6 J H Srawley The Epistles of saint Ignatius, London 1900, p 97 foot note 1
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/srawley/index.html online version accessed on 30 May 2024.
7 Thomas Koonamakkal, The Church in the Churches: A Syriac ecclesiology p86
8 Thomas Koonamakkal, opus cit p 89
9 Thomas Koonamakkal opus cit p 91
10 Rev Dr Placid Podipara, The church of Selucia and its Catholic Roman Communion in Rev Dr
Thomas Kalayil, Ed. Collected works of Rev Dr Placid J Podipara, Vil I p 109
11 Rev Dr Placid Podipara opus cit p 110
12 Alphons Mingana, The early Spread of Christianity in India, Bulletin of the John Ryland’s library,
Manchester vol 10, No 2 July 1926, p 460
13 W A Wigram, An introduction to the history of Assyrian church 1910,p 97)
14 Rev Dr Placid Podipara opus cit p 110
15 Rev Dr Placid Podipara opus cit p 112-113
16 Placid opsus cit p 113
17 Placid Podipara opus cit p 114
18 Placid Podipara opus cit p 114
19 Rev DR Placid Podipara, The church of Selucia and its Catholic Roman Communion in Rev Dr
Tghomas Kalayil, Ed. Collected works of Rev Dr Placid J Podipara, Vil I pp136-150
20 James A Montgomry, The history of Yaballaha III, Nestorian Patriarch and of his vicar Bar Sauma,
Columbia University Press, 1927, pp26-72
21 Unitatis Redintgratio, The decree on Ecumenism of the Vatican Council II given in Rome at Saint
Peter’s, 21 November 1964, no 14.
(https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-
ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html accessed on 08 June 2024)
22 Emmanuel Lanne, Inter ecclesial communion,according to the eastern point of view, in Xavier
Koodapuzha Ed., Oriental Churches theological dimensions, OIRSI, 1988 Kottayam, p 45
23 Emmanuel Lanne opus cit p 30
24 Johannes Cardinal Willebrands, https://docslib.org/doc/10152314/vatican-ii-s-ecclesiology-of-
communion accessed on 08 June 2024
25 Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church solemnly promulgated by His Holiness Saint
Pope Paul IV, 21 November 1964, No 8
(https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-
ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html accessed on 08 June 2024)
26 Unitatis Redintegratio, opus cit. No 3
27 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect, Congregation for the Doctrine of faith, a letter to the presidents
of the Conferences of Bishops, 30 June 2000, note no 8-12,
https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000630_c
hiese-sorelle_en.html#_ftn2 accessed on 08 June 2024
28 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, opus cit no 12
29 Unitatis Redintegratio, opus cit. No 14 para 3
30 Revelations 4:4-8
