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Catechism of The COE
#16
Hi Chuck, I hope you've been well.

Exciting isn't it?

There are many wonderful treasures within the Church of the East, however if there's one thing I've learnt during my time as a son of the Church it's that she doesn't boast. If the Church of the East was to convey to the world those things which make her beautiful, it would be the things which would unite rather than things which would divide. If I'm not being clear, what I mean is this; Let's not look for things that make the Church of the East a "truer" Church than the rest but rather let's find the things which unite the body of Christ, without compromise, and thus fulfilling the Lords will that they all may be one.

As I am to understand it from what I've been taught, salvation is found in the Body and Blood of Christ, regardless if there's Malka.

God bless you and guide you.
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#17
Lector Robert,

Do you know if the Malka was found in any other Church?
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#18
Alan G77 Wrote:Lector Robert,

Do you know if the Malka was found in any other Church?

I'm not too sure if it was found in any other Church.

As Shamasha Paul mentioned earlier, it may have been initially given to them but it has not been maintained as it has in the Church of the East. We're the only ones who maintain this tradition from the original piece handed to us.
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#19
Thirdwoe Wrote:Can you expound on what you said here? "It's kept in a jar on the altar and mixed in with the offering, and renewed once a year."

How is it "renewed"? Does it just increase by itself, or is it taken from a larger portion from another place maybe? Are we talking about a miracle of each jar, or the larger portion, from which each jarfull orginally came from?

Shlama Chuck,

Once a year, on Holy Thursday, the Bishop "renews" the Holy Leaven by mixing a portion of the old with new wheat, oil, and salt. It's kept in a jar within a nook in the sanctuary. The Qasha then uses a portion of this Holy Leaven each Sunday morning when he bakes the bread used for the offering. And that portion will last until the next year's renewal.

+Shamasha
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#20
Brother Paul, I am trying to understand how it is that the Malka never runs out in the jar, as it is used to mix in with the other portion. Does each jar of Malka ever depleat, or is there a miracle that keeps it from depleating? Or if each jar from each Parish does depleat through use, is it refilled from a larger portion which does not depleat by a miracle? Just wondering how this substance is maintained all these centuries.
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#21
I understand the question now. I have thought about that from time to time. Well I guess it does deplete at the molecular level, short of a miraculous intervention.

Perhaps if the legend is accurate there are a few atoms of the original left somewhere in one of those jars. Scientifically speaking it's been nearly 2,000 years and many millions of divisions probably. I wouldn't be surprised if all the original atoms are gone and have been recycled into more wheat, maybe.

I find this topic very interesting. I recently got into brewing beer. Did you know some of the monasteries in Europe have the same strain of yeast for hundreds of years? They save the live cells from the trub on the bottom and culture them to use in the next batch. Gives a unique taste to their brew, and many are patented. I bought some Belgian Trappist monk yeast, and for the last few batches at home I've been recapturing the yeast to use for the next brewing session. Don't mean to compare beer yeast to the Holy Leaven, I'm just babbling on.

Sourdough bread is the same thing I guess.

Aren't we all just recycled atoms from the moment of the Creation?

Anyway the subject matter is one that, like so many things, makes combining faith and science frustrating. How could the Creator that even the universe cannot contain, use the cherubim on the ark as a throne? How can I build a house for You?, asked Solomon.

Getting off the soapbox now.
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#22
Thanks for that document on the Malka, Brother Rafa...very interesting. The plot thickens.... I have never heard about any of this before, and it is pretty fantastic really, kind of blows my mind as I ponder it.

And Brother Paul, I think I understand better, thanks. I was thinking that the original portion that was 1st given to the 1st Church of the East, by one of the Apostles, had never been depleated, but by a miracle had been kept from depleating, or increased whenever some was taken from it...like the widows oil in Elijah's day, or the fish and bread that feed the 5000.

So...I guess what you are saying then, is that the original portion that was given to the 1st Church of the East's Bishop, by the Apostle, was used, being mixed in with the flour for making the communion bread...then, what ever was left of that mixture of the Malka and the flour was later added to some new flour...and so on...so that the original Malka, is not still remaining by itself alone, un-mixed, but may still be in the flour mixture that is perpetuated year by year.

I was picturing in my mind, that the ORIGINAL Holy Malka, was always, since the start, un-mixed in a seperate jar by itself, and that a small portion was taken of it, each time and mixed in with the flour to make the bread. And that the Original Holy Malka was never used up, but remains to this day the same as it was given by the Apostle...or do I still have that wrong in my mind....lol <!-- sConfusedtupid: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/withstupid.gif" alt="Confusedtupid:" title="Stupid" /><!-- sConfusedtupid: -->
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#23
You've got it right. I see the jar every Sunday and I can assure you it gets lower as the liturgical year progresses.

There's also the Oil of Unction as well, similar process. This oil is used for anointing during baptism, ordination, etc.

Shamasha
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#24
I've never actually attended the renewal ceremony. It's kind of a low key event. I may just participate next time as my curiosity has been piqued.
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#25
Third Woe, I just scanned over your posts and would like to throw in a few things which might help to clarify things for you even more.

WHAT IS MALKA?

First of all, Malka is not the wheat or the bread. Malka is the yeast. The COE believes that the yeast in the present bread is the yeast from the very same bread which was used at the last supper. This is called the "Continuity Factor." This factor can be found in the Roman Catholic "Apostolic Succession", the Rabbinical "Semikhah", the Rabbinical "Ashes of the red heifer", etc.

"There is a traditional Jewish mitzveh that when making challah one should separate and set aside part of the dough. Some Jewish people remove a small piece of the challah dough (the word challah means to remove) and give it away to someone else as a challah starter.[18] In one Jewish custom a portion of the challah is set aside (refrigerated) until the making of new challah when the old is added to the new, thus maintaining the continuity of the challah. The Churches of the East keep back a portion of their liturgical bread, called the Holy Malka, and when new bread is made the old is added to the new. It is claimed this continuity reaches back to the original loaf used by Christ and his disciples at the last supper.[19] They also add a portion of the old anointing oil to the newly made anointing oil to establish a continuity of the oil, believed to reach back to the early disciples." <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://curtisdward.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/the-holy-anointing-oil-2/">http://curtisdward.wordpress.com/2010/0 ... ing-oil-2/</a><!-- m -->

There are ancient sources which refer to Holy Malka. Since the continuity factor seems to be a part of the Jewish mind-set, and since the Jewish people have been so consistent in keeping their rituals intact, it is not at all inconceivable that the COE actually DOES have a continuity reaching back to the last supper. We can be most certain that it reaches back several centuries.

WHO HAS HOLY MALKA?

The COE is not the only church which has Holy Malka. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of the East ALSO has Holy Malka. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.indian-orthodox.co.uk/faith.htm">http://www.indian-orthodox.co.uk/faith.htm</a><!-- m --> They also have the Holy Myron. However, keep in mind that the COE, and the MOSC came from the same stump in India?the Saint Thomas Christians. No other churches in the world have the Holy Malka. No other churches in the world, except for the Armenian Church and the Coptic church, have the Holy Myron.
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#26
The COE uses "leavened" bread as opposed to "unleavened" because according to one of the synoptic gospels the last supper was observed just outside of the legal perimeters of passover. During this time they would have used unleavened bread.
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#27
"The actual contents of the Holy Leaven are: wheat flour, salt, olive oil, and a few drops of water and then it is dried. Obviously there is no actual leavening agent. The real act of leavening the Eucharistic bread is accomplished by the addition of baker?s yeast, traditionally taken from a previous preparation and reserved for the next baking. So the nomenclature Holy Leaven seems to be a bit misleading. However, as we shall see both the Oil of Unction and the Holy Leaven are referred to as ?leaven? as they have a special function with regard to their respective sacraments."

Fifth PRO ORIENTE Non-official Consultation on Dialogue within the Churches of the Syriac Tradition: ?Sacraments in the Syriac Tradition ? Part II? 26th February to 1st March 2002; Vienna (Austria)
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#28
Hi CW,

Do you gather with the Church of the East, or have you ever?
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#29
I will be attending my first service in two weeks. I have been intrigued with them for several years but their churches are so far away from my area.

I have an avid interested in all of the Nazarinis, but especially the Assyrian Church of the East and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. The more I dig into the history of the Holy Malka and the Holy Myron the more persuaded I am that they actually have the real thing (the continuity factor reaching to the time of Christ).
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#30
I have a great interest in church history.
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