Unchanging parts of the Syro-Jacobite daily cycle of church service

This article deals with the stable elements within the daily cycle of worship in the Western Syriac (Syro-Jacobite) tradition, namely, the initial and final prayer texts. Depending on a particular service, the composition of these “framing” prayers is heterogeneous; they can consist of either only a short sequence (“Trisagion to Our Father”) or a multi-layered complex (of psalms, prayer addresses, etc.). Since these texts (and their configuration in worship) represent for the most part an oral layer, not recorded specifically in liturgical books, their publication in the original language (classical Syriac), as well as my translation of them into Russian, carry a certain scientific novelty. The author offers an overview of the composition, order, place and performance of these prayers. Syriac and Arabic concepts associated with this oral tradition are introduced into scientific circulation. The article is based primarily on the information collected during my internship at the Mar Aphrem Syro-Jacobite Seminary in honor of St. Ephraim the in Maarat Sednaya (Syria) in 2020.