saint

Sts. Addai and Mari, Apostles of the East

Apostles of the East — traditionally counted among the seventy, sent by St. Thomas to evangelize Edessa, Mesopotamia, and Persia. The ancient Eucharistic anaphora that bears their names is still served by the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church, and may preserve the oldest extant pattern of the Christian liturgy.

Orthodox icon of Addai and Mari, Apostles of the East.

Addai and Mari, Apostles of the East — CC0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

1st–2nd century

Traditions

EdessaMesopotamia

Feast day

August 5 (Addai); August 3 (Mari)

Topics

Apostleship

Works in library

Readings and commentaries

treatisemedium

The Divine Liturgy of the Blessed Apostles (Addai and Mari)

The East Syriac anaphora of Saints Addai and Mari — possibly the oldest extant Christian eucharistic prayer. Still served by the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church. The original form famously contains no explicit Words of Institution; the Catholic Church affirmed its sacramental validity in 2001.