Anaphora of St Cyril (St Mark)

In Brief

The Anaphora of St Cyril is the most Egyptian of the Coptic anaphoras and the least used: Cody calls it "the most typically Egyptian of the three anaphoras retained in the euchologion of the Coptic church".¹ It is the only one that keeps the Alexandrian order: the intercessions come before the Sanctus, where Basil and Gregory, both Antiochene in shape, place them after the epiclesis.² In modern times it is rarely prayed in full: "In modern times the Anaphora of Saint Cyril is rarely used", some use its prayers inside the Basil anaphora, and "some efforts are made to restore its" integral use.¹ Burmester agrees that it is "now very rarely used", "sometimes used in Lent", and traditionally it was "especially apt for use in Lent and in the Coptic month of Kiyahk".³¹ The Coptic recension is ascribed to St Cyril of Alexandria; behind it stands the Greek Liturgy of St Mark.¹

The Shape of the Liturgy

Part by Part

Authorship & Date

The double name is the whole problem. The Coptic books ascribe the anaphora to Cyril; the Greek liturgy behind it bears the name of St Mark the Evangelist, founder of the Alexandrian see. Brightman prints the two in sequence: the Greek Mark (pp. 113–143) and then the Coptic Cyril in English (pp. 144–188).² No synthesis of the Cyril–Mark relationship was found in the sources read for this entry; the double naming is traditional, and the entry reports it without resolving it. What is established is the text's Egyptian character, in Cody's judgment the most typical of the three, and its liturgical fate: displaced by the Antiochene-shaped Basil and Gregory, surviving in parts and in efforts at restoration.¹

Witnesses & Editions

The Greek witnesses are medieval: the Rossano codex (Vat. gr. 1970), the Rotulus Vaticanus (1207) and the Rotulus Messanensis (12th c.) among them, critically edited by Cuming.⁴ Swainson had printed the Mark liturgy from the Rossano codex and other witnesses in the previous century.⁷ The Coptic witnesses are later: Brightman's base is Bodl. Huntington 360 (13th c.).² There is no published critical edition of the Coptic text.⁵ The early papyri belong to the same tradition: the Strasbourg papyrus is an early witness to the Mark anaphoral stratum, and Cuming judged that "Sarapion and the Alexandrian anaphoras known to us are but the tip of the iceberg".⁸

Verification 2026-09-20 (Mike): the Coptic preface opening and the Father-address are quoted from the opened 2024 Daniel Girgis article.⁹ The remaining Coptic wording was not verified from an opened source, so the parts outline renders those incipits by English descriptor.

Theology & Spirit

The preface opens "ⲕⲉ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲁⲗⲏⲑⲱⲥ ϥⲉⲙⲡϣⲁ" ("For truly it is worthy") and addresses the Father as "Ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲫⲛⲏⲃ ⲡ⳪︦ ⲫϯ ⲫⲓⲱⲧ", "O You, Who-Is, Master, Lord God, the Father", whom the Church praises, hymns, serves, worships, glorifies and confesses "night and day".⁹ The shape's signature follows: the great intercession is prayed inside the preface, before the Sanctus. This is the Alexandrian order, and among the Coptic anaphoras only Cyril keeps it.²

The anaphora then shows the Alexandrian double epiclesis: an invocation before the institution narrative as well as the invocation of the Holy Spirit after the anamnesis. The pre-Sanctus is the point where Sarapion, the Coptic Mark and Deir Balyzeh agree, the shared stratum of the Egyptian tradition; after the Sanctus, Sarapion prays "Fill this sacrifice with your power and participation".⁸ The anamnesis recalls the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, and the offering of the bread and the cup follows it.²

Relations

Basil's is the anaphora that displaced it: the ordinary prayer of the same euchologion, into which some celebrants now fold Cyril's prayers.¹ Gregory's is its festal companion, Antiochene like Basil, addressed to the Son.¹⁰ The early witnesses are its relatives: the Strasbourg papyrus and Sarapion stand in the same Alexandrian stratum, the pre-Sanctus they share locating Cyril in the oldest Egyptian eucharistic tradition.⁸ The three Coptic anaphoras share one order of the liturgy; only Cyril keeps the old order of the prayer.

• Anaphora of St Basil (Egyptian)siblingThe ordinary anaphora of the same euchologion; some celebrants use Cyril's prayers within Basil¹
• Anaphora of St Gregory the TheologiansiblingShares the common Coptic order of the liturgy that frames all three anaphoras⁶
• Strasbourg PapyrusrelatedAn early witness to the Alexandrian (Mark) anaphoral tradition⁸
• Anaphora of SarapionrelatedSarapion, Coptic Mark and Deir Balyzeh agree in the pre-Sanctus: the shared Alexandrian stratum⁸

Disputed Questions

The Cyril–Mark relation is the open question: how the Coptic recension ascribed to Cyril relates to the Greek liturgy ascribed to Mark has not been synthesized in the sources read, and the entry does not synthesize it.¹ A second open item is the precise location of the intercessions-before-Sanctus in Brightman's Greek Mark (pp. 113–143); the shape is cited here to his English of the Coptic (pp. 144–188) and to the established regression. The entry's position is conservative: the traditional double name, the Alexandrian shape, the rare modern use.

Go Deeper

The anaphora's fate is a small history of the Coptic rite. The liturgy of St Mark, once the historical liturgy of the Copts, was supplanted by the Byzantine-type liturgies; the anaphora of St Cyril is what survives of that older order inside the euchologion, and even it survives mostly in parts.¹ The efforts Cody notes "to restore its integral use" are the latest chapter: a Church trying to pray again, whole, the most Egyptian of its anaphoras.¹

Recommended reading

• Brightman, F. E., Liturgies Eastern and Western, vol. 1: Eastern Liturgies, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1896.The English of the Coptic text (pp. 144–188) and of the Greek Mark (pp. 113–143). Read online
• Cuming, Geoffrey J., The Liturgy of St Mark, Edited from the Manuscripts with a Commentary, Orientalia Christiana Analecta 234, Rome: Pontificium Institutum Studiorum Orientalium, 1990.The critical edition of the Greek Liturgy of St Mark.
• Cody, Aelred, “Anaphora of Saint Cyril”, The Coptic Encyclopedia, ed. Aziz S. Atiya (New York: Macmillan, 1991), 1991, 123b-124a.The concise scholarly conspectus. Read online

Sources

1. ReferenceCody, Aelred, “Anaphora of Saint Cyril”, The Coptic Encyclopedia, ed. Aziz S. Atiya (New York: Macmillan, 1991), 1991, 123b-124a, 123b–124a; 123b–124a; Cuming1990. LinkVerified 2026-09-18 · Claremont text read in full: 'the most typically Egyptian of the three anaphoras retained in the euchologion of the Coptic church'; 'In modern times the Anaphora of Saint Cyril is rarely used', some use its prayers in Basil, and 'some efforts are made to restore its' integral use; traditionally 'especially apt for use in Lent and in the Coptic month of Kiyahk'
2. Primary textBrightman, F. E., Liturgies Eastern and Western, vol. 1: Eastern Liturgies, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1896, 144–188. LinkVerified 2026-09-12 · archive.org full text; pp. lxxxiii, lxxxv, lxxxviii–lxxxix checked; order locators spot-checked 13 Sep 2026 (pp. 362, 377–378, 393, 394; glossary s.v. Zeon, Cancelli, Ektene). Checked 19 Sep 2026 for the Ge'ez entry: Preface p. xiii, the Ethiopic translations are the Rev. C. J. Ball's ('the Rev. C. J. Ball for the Ethiopic (including the collation of the British Museum manuscripts)'); p. lxiii, the Egyptian rite; pp. lxxii-lxxiii, the Rome printing of 1548 ('Testamentum novum.. Missale') and the Lord's anaphora there; pp. 194-244, the Ethiopic Liturgy of the Apostles from BM Or. 545 (1670-75); p. 232, 'THIS bread… IS MY BODY' (a rubric between) and 'DRINK… THIS CUP'
3. ScholarshipHadji-Burmester, O. H. E., “Rites and Ceremonies of the Coptic Church, Part II: The Service of the Hallowing (Synopsis)”, Eastern Churches Quarterly 8, no. 1 (January-March 1949), 1949, pp. 1-39, 2. LinkVerified 2026-09-18 · archive.org full text read, pp. 1-39 (the synopsis runs to p. 37; pp. 37-39 are bibliography), signed 'Alexandria. Feast of St. Stylianos, 26th November 1948'; p. 14 checked on the page image. A synopsis of the Liturgy of St Basil with its Arabic rubrics translated. p. 1: 'The Liturgy of Saint Basil is that in general use in the Coptic Church throughout the year', Gregory 'reserved for the Feasts of Christmas, the Epiphany and Easter, when the Liturgy is celebrated at night'; p. 2: Cyril 'now very rarely used', 'sometimes used in Lent'; p. 4: the priest 'careful not to taste anything at all before the Liturgy'; p. 5 and n. 8: 'three or five or seven or more loaves', 'always presented in uneven numbers'; p. 6: the procession of the Lamb; p. 7: the water 'not less than a quarter or not more than a third', and the Prayer of Thanksgiving, n. 4 also said at the Offering of Incense; p. 8: the Prayer of the Prothesis with three signs, 'bless them… sanctify them… purify them'; p. 9: 'In actual practice this Prayer of Absolution is omitted and in its place shall be read May Thy servants ministering this day'; pp. 9-13: the incense and the four readings, one verse 'in Coptic' then the reading 'in Arabic'; p. 12: the Synaxarium 'generally by the priest'; p. 13: 'Stand with the fear of God. Let us hear the Holy Gospel'; p. 14: the prayer of the veil; p. 16: 'In the wisdom of God let us attend', 'the people recite the Creed'; the kiss, n. 4, 'to touch the hand of one's neighbour and then kiss one's own hand'; 'the choir sings, to the accompaniment of cymbals, the Aspasmos Hymn'; p. 17: 'Look to the east'; pp. 18-19: the people answer the institution 'We believe that this is so indeed. Amen', and the priest 'breaks the Oblation into two thirds and into one third, slightly and without separating'; p. 20 n. 2: a rubric of the Cairo Euchologion of 1932, 'Now indeed the Oblation has become the Body of Christ and the Wine the Blood of Christ'; pp. 21-22: the seasonal petitions for the waters of the river, the seeds and the fruits, by Coptic month; p. 22: the commemoration of 'the principal Saints, and especially the Saints of Egypt'; p. 24 n. 1: the 1932 Euchologion 'contains eighteen Prayers of the Fraction'; pp. 24-27: the fraction, the Lord's Prayer, the absolution and the elevation; pp. 27-28: the Confession, 'The Body and the Blood of Emmanuel Our God, this is it in truth'; p. 29: Communion with 'The Body of Emmanuel Our God, this is It in truth. Amen'; p. 30: the dismissal and the eulogia; pp. 31-32: the loaf, leavened, made by a man, with five holes that 'represent the five nails', not fit 'after the expiration of three hours from the time of baking', and wine 'from dried raisins'; pp. 33-37: Communion, the Blood given 'with the spoon'
4. ScholarshipCuming, Geoffrey J., The Liturgy of St Mark, Edited from the Manuscripts with a Commentary, Orientalia Christiana Analecta 234, Rome: Pontificium Institutum Studiorum Orientalium, 1990.Verified 2026-09-20 · Catalogued: the Alexandrian canon records it as the modern critical edition of the Greek Liturgy of St Mark (Rossano codex Vat. gr. 1970, Rotulus Vaticanus, Rotulus Messanensis); the book itself was not opened
5. ScholarshipMikhail, Ramez, “A Preliminary List of Bohairic Liturgical Manuscripts with a Focus on the Divine Liturgy and the Liturgy of the Hours”, Journal of the Canadian Society for Coptic Studies 15, 2023.Verified 2026-09-20 · Seen (FT): the numbered Bohairic liturgical manuscripts including Vat. copt. 17; fn. 3 notes that no critical edition of the Coptic text of the Cyril anaphora exists
6. ReferenceSamaan, Moses (Fr); Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Liturgies of the Coptic Orthodox Church, 2012. LinkVerified 2026-09-18 · an article posted on the diocese's website, read: 'The Liturgy according to St. Basil is the one used most of the year; St. Gregory's Liturgy is used during the feasts and on certain occasions; only parts of St. Cyril's Liturgy are used nowadays'; 'the Liturgy was first used (orally) in Alexandria by St. Mark and that it was recorded in writing by St. Cyril I', and from it 'the other two liturgies… are derived'; the Basilian liturgy 'drew heavily on the Liturgy of St. Mark the Evangelist'; St Gregory's 'is addressed to the Son'; 'Vespers and Matins prayers always preceede the service'
7. Primary textSwainson, Charles Anthony, The Greek Liturgies, Chiefly from Original Authorities, Cambridge, 1884, 2-72, 2–72.Verified 2026-09-20 · Catalogued: the Alexandrian canon records pp. 2-72 as the Liturgy of St Mark from the Rossano codex (Vat. gr. 1970) and other witnesses; the book itself was not opened
8. ScholarshipCuming, Geoffrey J., “Thmuis Revisited: Another Look at the Prayers of Bishop Sarapion”, Theological Studies 41, 1980, 568-575.Verified 2026-09-20 · Seen (FT): 'I suspect that Sarapion and the Alexandrian anaphoras known to us are but the tip of the iceberg' — the Sarapion–Mark agreements in the pre-Sanctus and the two prayers 'Fill this sacrifice'
9. ReferenceGirgis, Daniel, “As He Was — On the Name of God in Coptic Liturgy”, Living Tradition (danielgirgis.com), 2024. LinkVerified 2026-09-20 · Article page opened and read 2026-09-20 (Mike): the Coptic preface openings of St Basil ('Ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲫⲛⲏⲃ ⲡ⳪︦ ⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ϯⲙⲉⲑⲙⲏⲓ', 'O You, He Who Is, Master, LORD, God of Truth'), St Cyril ('ⲕⲉ ⲅⲁⲣ ⲁⲗⲏⲑⲱⲥ ϥⲉⲙⲡϣⲁ', 'For truly it is worthy'; the address 'Ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲫⲛⲏⲃ ⲡ⳪︦ ⲫϯ ⲫⲓⲱⲧ', 'O You, Who-Is, Master, Lord God, the Father') and St Gregory ('ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲫⲛⲏⲃ ⲡ⳪︦ ⲫϯ ⲛ̀ⲧⲁⲫⲙⲏⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗϧⲉⲛ ⲟⲩⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲛ̀ⲧⲁⲫⲙⲏⲓ', 'O You, He Who Is, Master, LORD, true God of true God'), plus the Gregory incarnation-segment opening ('ⲛⲑⲟⲕ [ⲡⲉ] ⲫⲏⲉⲧϣⲟⲡ ⲛ̀ⲥⲏⲟⲩ ⲛⲓⲃⲉⲛ ⲁⲕⲓ ⲛⲁⲛ ϩⲓϫⲉⲛ ⲡⲓⲕⲁϩⲓ ⲁⲕⲓ ⲉⲑⲙⲏⲧⲣⲁ ⲛ̀ϯⲡⲁⲣⲑⲉⲛⲟⲥ', 'You, He Who Is at all times, have come to us on the earth. You have come to the womb of the Virgin'), all quoted in Coptic with the author's English translation
10. ReferenceCody, Aelred, “Anaphora of Saint Gregory”, The Coptic Encyclopedia, ed. Aziz S. Atiya (New York: Macmillan, 1991), 1991, 124a-125a, 124a–125a. LinkVerified 2026-09-18 · Claremont text read in full: the anaphora 'shows the structure of an Antiochene or Syrian anaphora' and 'is presumably of Syrian origin'; it is addressed to the Son; 'Traditionally, the Anaphora of Saint Gregory is used on major feasts such as Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter, and on PALM SUNDAY, because it is addressed to Christ'; in modern times some celebrants do not use it at all, and some use parts of it in Basil