Primary source · Syriac
The Anaphora of Addai and Mari
Liturgy of the Church of the East · text c. 3rd century; attribution traditional
What this text is
The most ancient eucharistic prayer still in continuous use, bearing the names of the apostles of the East in its traditional title — celebrated for lacking an explicit institution narrative.
Public-domain translations
Summarized (from the Syriac)
[The Hallowing of the Apostles Mar Addai and Mar Mari, who discipled the East: the church's thanksgiving 'for the great grace of thy mercy toward us' — a third-century prayer shape preserved living to this day.]
Manuscript witnesses
Mar Eshaya text (Mosul)
10th–11th c.The oldest manuscript of the anaphora, edited by W. F. Macomber (1966).
Hudra liturgical tradition
medieval onwardThe prayer as transmitted in the service books of the Church of the East.
Provenance
Edessa and Mesopotamia; still in use in the Assyrian Church of the East
Editions & scholarship
Critical editions and standard translations behind the text above.
- The Eucharistic Prayer of Addai and MariAnthony Gelston, 1992Critical text, translation, and study of the prayer's early shape.
- The Oldest Known Text of the Anaphora of Addai and MariW. F. Macomber, 1966Edition of the Mar Eshaya manuscript (OCP 32).