 | ||
Holy Leaven, also known as Malka (Syriac: ܡܲܠܟܵܐ, [' mal ka:]), is a powder added to the sacramental bread used in the Eucharist. Historically, Holy Leaven was used by the Church of the East and today by the Assyrian Church of the East. The Assyrian Church is the only one that considers the Holy Leaven one of its seven sacraments. There are two rituals associated with the Holy Leaven: its addition to sacramental bread before it is baked, and the annual renewal of the Holy Leaven itself by adding common ingredients. No Eucharist can be performed in the Church of the East without bread that has been consecrated with Holy Leaven.
Contents
The origin of the Holy Leaven supposedly goes back to the Last Supper. According to tradition, John the Apostle kept a piece of bread given to him by Jesus and later mixed it with Jesus' blood after his death. This substance was divided between the apostles to be used in preparing sacramental bread ever since and successfully brought to the Christians of the East.
The earliest historical mention of the Holy Leaven is from c. 900, and tradition that connects it with the Last Supper is fairly new, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. It is likely that the Holy Leaven was a symbol instituted by the Patriarchate of Seleucia-Ctesiphon during vast missionary expansion of the Church of the East to unify congregations.
The Holy Leaven serves as a connection between the Last Supper and each Eucharist. This has special importance in the Liturgy of Addai and Mari used by the Assyrian Church, which does not recount the Words of Institution that echo the words spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper. As such, the Holy Leaven serves as material link in lieu of words.
Preparation and use
The Assyrian Church of the East uses leavened bread for Eucharist, like most churches of Eastern Christianity, but it is the only Church to include the additional ingredient of Holy Leaven. Holy Leaven is a powder added to sacramental bread before it is baked. Despite the name, Holy Leaven does not actually contain a leavening agent. Instead, khmira, fermented dough from previously used sacramental bread, is added and acts as leaven. What the Holy Leaven does contain is remainder from the original Holy Leaven, renewed annually by mixing it with common ingredients. The original Holy Leaven is said to contain residue from the original bread used at the Last Supper, mixed with the blood of Jesus.
There are two rites associated with the Holy Leaven: its addition to sacramental bread being baked for the day's Eucharist, and the annual renewal of the Holy Leaven itself. When sacramental bread is baked for Eucharist, in the morning of a Holy Communion, the priest takes some of the Holy Leaven and says: "This dough is signed and hallowed with the old and holy leaven of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given and handed down to us by our holy fathers Mar Addai [Thaddeus of Edessa] and Mar Mari [Saint Mari] and Mar Thoma [Thomas the Apostle] the Apostles, who made disciples of this eastern region: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost ... This broken portion is signed and hallowed with this Holy Leaven in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." Holy Leaven is added to the dough before it is baked.
The Holy Leaven is renewed annually on Maundy Thursday by a bishop by mixing some of the old Holy Leaven with a new mix. The mix consists of fine wheaten flour, salt, olive oil, and water. There are many prayers associated with the renewal of the Holy Leaven. The newly renewed Holy Leaven is then distributed to each parish of his diocese to be used for sacramental bread baked by priests for the year to come.
History
The historical origins of the Holy Leaven are unknown, as is the time the rituals were first performed. Nonetheless, different versions of tradition about its origins exist. In any case, the traditions are fairly young, dating to 13th and 14th centuries.
One account is from the 13th century by Shlemon of Basra. According to it, John the Apostle had hidden a part of the portion of bread he had received from Jesus during the Last Supper. Then, after Jesus' resurrection during the Gospel account of Doubting Thomas, when Thomas the Apostle put his finger into one of the wounds of Jesus inflicted by the spear, blood dripped out. John then dipped the bread in the blood, and that mix became the Holy Leaven. According to this version, the Holy Leaven was taken to the Christians of the East by Thaddeus of Edessa and Saint Mari, but the other Seventy disciples of Jesus refused it, saying: "We will consecrate for ourselves whenever we wish."
Another account is from the 14th century and is written by Johannan Bar Zobi, based on an account supposedly originating from Peter the Apostle. According to it, John the Baptist collected some of the water that was dripping from Jesus after his baptism. Before John died, he passed the water on to John the Apostle. Then, during the Last Supper Jesus gave John two pieces of bread, asking him to eat one and keep the other. After Jesus had died and was taken down from the cross and pierced with the spear, John witnessed both blood and water running from the wound unmixed. John then mixed the blood with the piece of bread he had kept and the water with the baptismal water he had preserved. After resurrection, Jesus told his disciples to use these two substances as "leaven": the water to be used in baptisms and the mix of blood and bread to be used in preparing Eucharistic bread, the Holy Leaven. The Holy Leaven was crushed into powder, mixed with flour and salt and divided among the apostles.
According to 14th century writer Abdisho bar Berika, the Holy Leaven was brought to the East by Apostles Thomas and Bartholomew as well as Thaddeus of Edessa and Saint Mari of the Seventy disciples. Abdisho bar Berika also posits a challenge to Western Christians who do not observe the sacrament of the Holy Leaven: it is necessarily either the case that the apostles disagreed in their view of the Eucharist, or that either the Assyrian Church of the East or the Western Christians have abandoned the practice promoted by all of the apostles. The Church's position is that they have followed the example of the apostles and have changed nothing even in the face of persecution. As proof of the fact that Western Christians have altered tradition the Church presents that some Western Churches celebrate Eucharist with leavened bread while some use unleavened bread (azymites).
According to the Assyrian Church of the East, the Holy Leaven was taken to the Christians of the East by Thaddeus of Edessa. Apart from tradition that suggests continuity from the time of the ministry of Jesus, the earliest contemporary textual references to Holy Leaven are in two patriarchal canons of Yohanan bar Abgareh (died 905), one of which states: "A priest is obligated to prepare the Eucharistic bread for the Holy Qurbana [Eucharist in Syriac Christianity] and to mix the Holy Leaven with it, in addition to the simple leaven."
The missionary activities of the Church of the East, that reached as far as India, China, and Mongolia, provide a possible background. Such far and wide activities would have called for symbols that reminded them of the unity with the Church of the East. Thus it is possible that the Patriarchate of Seleucia-Ctesiphon instituted the rite of the Holy Leaven to serve as one.
According to a legend, Western Christianity antagonizes Nestorius because he took all the Holy Leaven with him upon leaving Constantinople, leaving them with none.
Significance
The Holy Leaven is a sacrament in the Assyrian Church of the East and no other Church recognizes it as a sacrament. With the Holy Leaven and the sacrament of the Sign of the cross, also unique to the Assyrian Church, its number of sacraments total seven. Canon law of the Church says that Holy Leaven must be added to sacramental bread for it to be consecrated. An Eucharist without the Holy Leaven is invalid.
The anaphora (Eucharistic prayer) of the Assyrian Church of the East – included in the Liturgy of Addai and Mari – does not recount the Words of Institution that recount Jesus' words at the Last Supper. The Holy Leaven thus serves as a physical link with the Last Supper in lieu of a verbal one.
Historically, Holy Leaven could have functioned much the same way as the Catholic fermentum – particles of Eucharistic bread carried from one diocese to another in Roman Rite to unite Eucharistic services with the one presided over by the Pope. In other words, the addition of the Holy Leaven materially connects each Eucharist celebrated in the Assyrian Church of the East to the Last Supper. Likewise, the Holy Leaven is similar to Holy anointing oil, which is renewed from the oil of the horn, that the Church believes is inherited from John the Baptist.