Women and Spirituality in the Syriac Orthodox Church

By Farida Boulos

Introduction

I have not studied theology but I am attempting to live theology, to answer Christ's call to love God and my neighbor. The Middle East, especially Syria displays a rich diversity of religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Religion is a living reality in the daily life of the people, and closely integrated into the very texture of the society. We have learned to live together and learnt and borrowed from each other, unconsciously accepted each other; first as human beings and second as Jews, muslims and Christians.

I was born into a Christian family, in a Christian area. I was the third daughter born into my family, and I think my parents were very disappointed as they had expected a son who would carry on the name of the family. I grew up under the influence of my mother, who was left a young widow with the responsibility of four daughters. She was a woman of great faith and devotion, who never gave up whatever the circumstances. She persisted in keeping her family together regardless.

My mother would take her four daughters to attend Sunday Mass services and send us to Sunday School. She always encouraged us to help each other in the family and help others outside the family. After high school I had to work and taught in our Church related school. With the help of a deacon and four young women, we restored the Sunday School of the Syriac Orthodox church. As a teacher I attended most of the services of the Church with my students including Matins and Vespers. We also participated in the Liturgy. I studied for my Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature while teaching in the elementary school, then I was transferred to a state high school. As a member of the charity committee, a member of the university students of my church and a teacher in the Sunday school, my interests in understanding theology has increased. In addition to my commitment to the Syriac Orthodox Church, I am involved in the ecumenical movement of the Middle East Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Women and Spirituality in the Syriac Orthodox Church

The community, built through cooperation, affirming reciprocity, independence and interdependence, asks women and men to work together in communion, sharing abilities and burdens, to create the vision that God intends for us (1Cor.12).

The Church

There are three aspects of the Church:
* The invisible church or the heavenly church which is the foretaste of the Kingdom of God;
* The interior church of the heart, where God abides in his temple (Cor.6:16) and
* The visible church on earth, which consists of all the baptized believers who are living or have passed away. All these are reunited around the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the Holy Spirit descended upon the assembly of the Pentecost, the Word made Him abide in them. They became the Church and began to proclaim the Word of God and to announce the Resurrection. The Church is the embodiment of the mysterious Body of Christ, its head is Christ Himself while its parts are the Lord's believers- the people of God throughout the age

The Church is not only a human association, it is the Koinonia of humankind and the Divine. Men and women are called to work together for their salvation and the salvation of the world. Women and men are sanctified and called priests in offering to the Lord their lives as living sacrifices in complete liberty. Some are chosen to be priests "icons of Christ" who Himself is the high priest of God the Father. Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice to the Father and commended that this should be done in memory of Christ at the Last Supper (Luke 22:9). Since Christ Himself identified the bread and the wine with His very flesh and blood, it follows that this sacrifice is actualised in a mystical, Divine way.

The church from the very beginning excluded women from participation in the Eucharistic priesthood, on the basis of the example of Christ, the apostles, the apostolic tradition and practice. Yet in the mystery of the whole Divine economy of Salvation, women are understood as being of equal honor with men, for the concept of the priesthood of all believers recognizes above all the power each person has, being created in the image of God. It also recognizes the mandate each has to act as creator after the likeness of God. 'Each person is capable of offering the world back to its Maker in thanksgiving, presenting themselves, body and soul together, as living sacrifices in the Holy Trinity (Rom.12:1).

Feminine Images in the Orthodox Church

Having in mind the scriptures, the Orthodox tradition and the culture of the Middle East, women feel content with their role in the church. They are aware of the esteemed place of the Virgin Mary, women saints, martyrs and ascetics in orthodox piety.

The Virgin Mary:

* She is the Theotokos, the mother of Christ, Word Incarnate and Son of God therefore Mother of God. As mother of God she is mentioned in the services almost every day except Fridays. In one of the invocations we praise her saying: "O St Mary, O Mother the pride of the Christians, the Word of God wanted to be born of you because of your chastity...."

* Mary is the mother of all humanity. When Christ on the cross entrusted John to her, he entrusted the whole of humanity to her; we sing "O compassionate mother, do ask from Christ your Son, mercy, forgiveness and grace for us all...." As the mother of all she is the advocate and mediator, she is continuously called to intercede and pray for us.

* Mary is the icon of the church. Both Mary and the Church received the Holy Spirit; Mary through the birth of Christ and the Church through Pentecost.

* Mary is the fulfillment of the Old Testament manifestation of the Divine: We sing: "Hail, you through whom was incarnate the Divine Word; " Hail, you who Moses beheld in the burning bush which was not consumed. Hail, you Ark of the Covenant, Jar of Manna, the locked door, the rod of Aaron which broke forth in flowers".

* Mary is the New Eve, the mother of true life, the new beginning of the human race. Mary corrects the work of Eve, "because just as Eve in disobeying... becomes the cause of her own death and that of human kind so did Mary... she became, in obeying, the cause of salvation of herself and for all humankind". St Ephrem says in one of his poems about the Nativity "in her virginity Eve put on leaves of shame, your Mother put on, in her virginity, the garment of glory that suffices for all". And we sing: "blessed be you for by you the curse of Eve is abolished and gain salvation...".

* Mary is not only the second Eve she is also a second Sarah, Rachel, Anna: she is even compared with Tamar, Ruth and Rahab (Ephrem, hymn of the Nativity)

* In Mary the aim of Christian life is attained. It is the image of such a woman that Orthodox believers, men and women carry with them. It is true that the Virgin Mary, mother of God represents the perfect image of a woman, yet she does not represent an individual role. She represents the feminine figure in the life of the Christian community and inspires women and men to carry their vocation as members of the royal priesthood. 

For all these aspects, icons of Mary with the child adorn the altars. In one of the prayers we sing: "What tongue can tell forth thy praise, a mother of blessing, a fountain of joy, a blessed field, a measure of all human purity. We beseech thee to plead our cause before thy Beloved Son... ".

The Women of the Bible

There are many women from the Old Testament who are mentioned in our Liturgy such as Eve, Sarah, Mary - Moses' sister, Ruth, Hannah and many others mentioned in sermons, in St Ephrem's hymns and by other modern church fathers such as Bishop Boulabani. The women of the New Testament are also mentioned in addition to the Virgin Mary, such as Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha, the Samaritan woman at the well. Prisca and others whose stories and parables are read during services.

Women saints, martyrs, preachers, evangelists and ascetics

The Orthodox believe that the lives of both male and female saints have much to teach us. The saints show us that they followed the Lord within the context of the circumstances of life. They remind us that we too are called in this life to avoid sin and to live a life of virtue to the glory of God. Jesus Christ frees women definitively and completely. Womanhood henceforth becomes a representation- an "icon" of the church. Instead of Adam and Eve, we are faced with Christ and his Church "the woman garbed in the Sun". (Rev.12:1). A reading of the history of the Orthodox Church will show the important place women had in the life of the early church. Women have continued to participate in the spiritual as well as physical aspects of the life of the Church.

Women had the opportunity to express their perspectives of the Godhead; St Macrina, a sister to two great Orthodox theologians, St Basil the Great and St Gregory of Nyssa. She is referred to by her brothers as the "teacher". It was she who raised them in faith and instructed them in the theology of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. St Nina, the evangelizer of the Georgians, converted her entire nation by her teachings of Christ and of the Holy Trinity. And there are many other women such as St Barbara, Anastasia, Euphemia, Queen Theodora...

Both Eva Topping and Sebastian Brock emphasize that those women were not "weak vessels" as described in 1 Peter 3:7 but were strong of character and faith, assertive and sometimes aggressive when they needed to be. They were leaders of men and women, of religious and lay communities, courageous, firm, honest, compassionate, creative and wise. Their actions speak far louder than the words said about them. In the stories of saints and martyrs, women preached the Gospel or fought alongside men to defend their faith from non-Christian invaders. The presence of such women has continually inspired Orthodox women throughout the centuries. Whenever Orthodox communities found themselves under persecution, women assured the continuity of the church by teaching the young generation at home, as happened in the southern part of Turkey in the beginning of the twentieth century. Women saints have inspired women as role models. They are called to intercede before God by men and women. This shows the universality of sanctity of the people of God and it also shows that there is no competition in prayer.

Women Diakonia in the Church

It could be called the ministry of women in the Syriac Orthodox Church. The Syrian families attend the liturgical services. They all, women, men and children participate in the liturgy and the Eucharist. The Church has encouraged women to practice together with men, in accordance to their nature and personal inclinations and vocations, a whole variety of ministries which have been in the areas of liturgical, pastoral, catechetical didactic, missionary and social work. In the fourth century St Ephrem encouraged women to participate in the congregational chanting during the services:

O daughters of the nations...
You put on the rope of praise from the Font, as did your brothers, 
and from the single Chalice did you receive new life along with them... 
Up till now you women have been cast down because of Eve,
but henceforth through Mary you are restored again to sing glory...
so uncover your faces to sing praise, without feeling ashamed,
to Him who, by being born, caused you to acquire freedom of speech".

Nowadays in some Syriac Orthodox Churches women chant not only in a choir during the liturgical services but they also exercise the function of the deacon chanters and readings in the antiphonal readings (Kamishli & Hassake). Women have active and valuable collaboration in various fields of social and philanthropic activity in the parishes; such as raising funds for charity, visiting and taking care of the sick, elderly people and needy children. For it is known to them, that receiving the poor, the neglected, the oppressed is receiving God through them and ministering to God. This is the service of the second altar of which St Ephrem and St John Chrysostom spoke: "That which can be found everywhere, even in the alleys and streets". What is important is not the material gift but rather the bond of love which is established in the heart of him/her to whom we give.

Today women are involved in many tasks in the church such as:
* Education and Christian nurture at all levels
* Pastoral counseling of married couples, family preparation for marriage and care of people in situation of distress
* Church administration and partipation in decision-making bodies at the level of the parish, diocese and the national church
* Social services
* Choir directors, readers, singers
* Leading youth groups
* Representation in the various aspects and areas of ecumenical movement
* Publications and communication/media

In addition to these tasks women are looking forward to the revival of the Apostolic Order of Deaconess, and this would emphasize in a special way, the dignity of women and give recognition to their contribution to the work of the Church

The diaconate in many ways may be seen as the Orthodox expression of ordained "ministry" outside the ordained priesthood. It includes men and women. It is written in the Didascalia and the Apostolic Constitutions that the liturgical rite for the laying on of hands received by the deaconess is exactly parallel to that of the deacon. Whilst this order of deaconess flourished in the East until the middle Ages it was generally discouraged in the West. The Syriac Orthodox called their deaconesses "Beth Kiomo" - the covenant's daughter; even the priest's wife was so called "priestess". The deaconesses made their contributions in the liturgical, educational and other activities in the church such as ministering at the baptism of a woman, visiting the sick and infirm, taking Holy Communion to them, speaking to the bishop on behalf of other women who were in need, and cleaning the house of God.

Conclusion

The Orthodox understanding of both God and human beings is found in the fact of the Divine Revelation which is centered upon the incarnation of our Lord. God is the Creator of both men and women. Each has her or his origin with God, and Christ has come to save women and men equally, and to restore both of them to communion with God (Col.1:20). And every believer has been called by the Lord to a life of discipleship which is characterized by love of God and of neighbor (Mat.22: 36-40).

The process of sanctification begins in this life through Baptism and Chrismation; it is celebrated in the Eucharist, it is nurtured through the Holy Scriptures and Tradition, it is strengthened through prayer. The activity of discipleship is manifested by each, both in the liturgical assembly and in the liturgy of daily life in the world. Every faithful believer is called by the Lord to follow Christ within the daily responsibilities, relationships and obligations of life.

Sources

Saka Severios, The history of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, Pb. Aleppo, Syria, 1983.
St James Divine Liturgy, used in the Syrian Orthodox Church, Translated from Syriac, 1967.
St Ephrem the Syrian. Hymns on Paradise, Translated by Fr S. Brock, New York, 1990.
S Brock (Oxford), Spirituality in the Syrian Tradition, SEERI: Kerala,India 1989.
Thomas Hopko (ed.), Women and Priesthood, St Vladimir's Seminary Press: New York, 1983.
Gennadios Limouris (ed.), The place of the Women in the Orthodox Church and the Question of the ordination of Women, Rhodes, Greece 1988.
Teny P Simonian, Presentation paper at conference - The Orthodox Women in United Europe, Greece, 1994. 

 

By Farida Boulos (Syria)

 

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