Prosphora Ingredients & Canon Law

[Ad_Orientem]

Canon 706 of the 1990 Eastern code states:

Canon 706 - In the Divine Liturgy the sacred gifts which are offered are bread made of wheat alone and recently made so that there is no danger of corruption and natural wine of the grape and not corrupt.

Wheat alone? This does not seem to provide for the yeast (and sometimes salt and maybe oil) used in prosphora, but in fact is nearly identical to Canon 924 of the Latin code. Is there another document that qualifies, appends, replaces, or otherwise addresses Canon 706?

 

[MorEphrem]

I think it is just demonstrative of who wrote the EECC.

 

[SyroMalankara]

Canon 706 of the 1990 Eastern code states:

Canon 706 - In the Divine Liturgy the sacred gifts which are offered are bread made of wheat alone and recently made so that there is no danger of corruption and natural wine of the grape and not corrupt.

Wheat alone? This does not seem to provide for the yeast (and sometimes salt and maybe oil) used in prosphora, but in fact is nearly identical to Canon 924 of the Latin code. Is there another document that qualifies, appends, replaces, or otherwise addresses Canon 706?

The particular law of each Church would have to address that, since your Byzantine does make the same bread as my Syriac, or our sister Armenian Church.

 

[dans0622]

I think that may not be the best translation but would also say that we can’t be that literal: water is always needed, too.

The translation of panis mere triticeus in my copy of the Code says that “pure wheat bread” is required. That seems more accurate.

Canon 707 of the Eastern Code says “the particular law of each Church sui iuris must establish accurately norms regarding the preparation of the Eucharistic bread.”

Dan

 

[Neofight]

Canon 706 of the 1990 Eastern code states:

Canon 706 - In the Divine Liturgy the sacred gifts which are offered are bread made of wheat alone and recently made so that there is no danger of corruption and natural wine of the grape and not corrupt.

Wheat alone? This does not seem to provide for the yeast (and sometimes salt and maybe oil) used in prosphora, but in fact is nearly identical to Canon 924 of the Latin code. Is there another document that qualifies, appends, replaces, or otherwise addresses Canon 706?

Another reason Canon Law should be left to canonists, and for the clergy to make sure it is being held to in their liturgical practices…the faithful (well, at least this one), has enough to worry about in adhering to what many might consider the more mundane, less exciting aspects of obedience.

 

[malphono]

I think it is just demonstrative of who wrote the EECC.

I’d say “demonstrative of who **promulgated **…” but even so,

 

[Ad_Orientem]

The particular law of each Church would have to address that, since your Byzantine does make the same bread as my Syriac, or our sister Armenian Church.

Interesting. So I looked up, as an example, the Particular Law for the Byzantine-Ruthenian Church in the USA, Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pittsburgh, and found this:

Canon 707 §1 §1. Bread for the Eucharist is to be made of wheaten flour, water, and yeast only.

Now it makes more sense.

 

[Vico]

Canon 706 of the 1990 Eastern code states:

Canon 706 - In the Divine Liturgy the sacred gifts which are offered are bread made of wheat alone and recently made so that there is no danger of corruption and natural wine of the grape and not corrupt.

Wheat alone? This does not seem to provide for the yeast (and sometimes salt and maybe oil) used in prosphora, but in fact is nearly identical to Canon 924 of the Latin code. Is there another document that qualifies, appends, replaces, or otherwise addresses Canon 706?

Ukrainian Catholic particular law (April 2015):

1. CCEO: 707 § 1,
   § 1. Concerning the preparation of the Eucharistic bread, prescriptions of the liturgical books are to be observed by the priests reciting the prayers before the Divine Liturgy.
   § 2. The rite of proskomidia is only celebrated with prosfora bread fermented only with flour, yeast and water. A fresh prosfora should be used to avoid deterioration. The lamb is cut out with a stamped seal in the form of an imaginary cross with the inscriptions IC– XC –HI – KA.

 

[babochka]

Interesting. So I looked up, as an example, the Particular Law for the Byzantine-Ruthenian Church in the USA, Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pittsburgh, and found this:

Canon 707 §1 §1. Bread for the Eucharist is to be made of wheaten flour, water, and yeast only.

Now it makes more sense.

This is interesting. I use salt in my recipe, and I learned to make prosphora from my priest, who also uses salt. I’ve read that salt tends to be a Slavic addition.

 

[5Loaves]

This is interesting. I use salt in my recipe, and I learned to make prosphora from my priest, who also uses salt. I’ve read that salt tends to be a Slavic addition.

The recipe used for our Russian Greek Catholic parish has salt. I know Greeks use it, too.

Salt does affect the taste but that would not be the reason for it in our prosphora. Salt is important for gluten development- it strengthens the gluten. It also helps control the rise. Without salt bread dough is slack and sticky, hard to shape etc.