Sunday, 24 February 2019

Book Preview: "Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy" by Rany Makaryus



“The Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy: Meditations on the Coptic Orthodox Liturgy of Saint Basil”
By Rany Makaryus
Price: £6.95  (Amazon UK)
ISBN: 1732891818

Today’s blog post will be slightly different to the usual. Instead of reviewing a book, we have the blessing of hearing from the author. Rany Makaryus’ book “The Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy” is a wonderful introductory text to liturgical studies, exploring the scriptural links between the Liturgical prayers of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Scripture, as well as the origins of our Liturgical practice found therein.

So here is what Rany had to say:

“Do you remember the last time you focused on what was being recited in church before taking communion? It is very hard to focus on that. We always have so much on our minds as we stand there stressed out about work, conflicts with others, problems we are facing, and pending tasks we need to complete. Besides the stress, any little thing happening around us so easily distracts us¾just a small alert from our phone can send our minds off in many different directions. Worse is that it seems we have become rather immune to the many prayers that are recited on a weekly basis.

Growing up going to church on a weekly basis and being the smart aleck kid that I was, I liked to ask annoying questions such as, “If Jesus said that we should not use vain repetitions in our prayers, then why do we repeat prayers so many times during the liturgy?” Similarly, we might ask why the prayers in church are so long and drawn out. This might be the case in many different churches, but it is particularly true about the Coptic Orthodox Church. If you've ever been to one of our liturgies, you will realize just how long this could take. The shortest I’ve ever seen is at least 2 hours from when the service begins to when we heard the words “Go in peace.” Much happens in that time, and if we really care to know the answers to these questions, we should diligently try to understand what is being said and done.

The Coptic Orthodox Church presents us with many rich traditions and prayers that are meant to keep us rooted in the true faith.  In fact, as much as the liturgy is meant to prepare us for receiving Holy Communion, it is also a way for us to learn about our faith. There is so much that a believer can learn about Christianity simply by attending and paying attention during the liturgical prayers on a weekly basis.

When I started to dig deep into understanding why there are so many prayers, why they are all so important in preparation for receiving this sacrament, and how they were all put together in the form that we now have, it became very clear that these prayers have one main source, and that is the Holy Bible. I was most intrigued by the words of Saint Paul to the church in Corinth about their church gatherings saying, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you...” (1 Cor 11:23). This phrase indicates that this tradition of breaking the bread and sharing in communion with one another¾receiving the Body and Blood of Christ¾was instituted by Christ Himself. We can further extrapolate from this that this tradition was preserved by the church and passed down to us through the past 2 millennia. Further evidence of this is that different churches throughout the world, many of which have not maintained much communications for centuries, currently have very similar phrases used in their prayers.

How is it that these prayers can be preserved, not only through time, but also throughout many different cultures and traditions around the world? The reality is that this is mainly because these prayers have their roots in the scriptures that we all hold so dear to our faith. This was the principle inspiration for me as I put together my findings, leading to writing the book Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy: Meditations on the Coptic Orthodox Liturgy of Saint Basil. Though it might be hard to focus on the prayers during the liturgy, if we really want to take our faith seriously, we should strive to understand the meaning behind these prayers that we hear on a weekly basis. Hopefully, with this new year, we can take a renewed focus on the liturgy and the depth of meaning we gain from it. “

Scriptural Basis of the Divine Liturgy is available now on Amazon UK:



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