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Shoria

WWJD86WWJD86
edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church
I need alot of information on the shoria. does anyone know anyplace where i can find information on it.

thanks

Comments

  • Christ4LifeChrist4Life
    what is the shoria?
  • Unknown
    Dear Christ4life,

    A Shoria is simply the censor in which the priest burns and offers incense. You can find more about it in H.H.Pope Shenouda's book "Comparative theology", although it is more a polemical work.

    Peace.
  • Christ4LifeChrist4Life
    Thank you, Iqbal. Can I find that book online?
  • WWJD86WWJD86
    yeh i need that book too plz
  • mmatt95mmatt95
    here u go

    http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/theology/index.html
  • tifoutifou
    There was a topic on the shoria on Coptichymns.net last year.

    Here it is:
    http://www.coptichymns.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=2059

    Hope it helps.
    May God bless you.
  • Christ4LifeChrist4Life
    thanks Hos Erof and tifou. :)
  • mikegmikeg
    Hello in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ
    The Peace and Love of God be with us

    The censer is itself a single item constructed out of several pieces for a particular purpose. It is convenient to describe the censer from its construction from the bottom up. The bottom piece of the censer symbolizes the Mother of God Saint Mary, and the opening on the top of the bottom piece of the censer symbolizes the womb of the Holy Virgin which carried the Lord Jesus Christ. The bottom of the censer has a piece on top of the womb which symbolizes Heaven, and the piece of burning coal which lies in the womb symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ who came down from Heaven above to be conceived as a man by Saint Mary for the salvation of mankind. The coal is burning to symbolize the fiery Spirit and Word of Jesus Christ, and it lies in the womb without harming it to symbolize the Lord being conceived by Saint Mary without harming her virginity. The womb and the Heaven symbolic parts of the censer are held up by three separate chains equidistant from each other around the womb and connected into one chain at the top; from the top, a single chain connects down to the top of the Heaven segment of the censer. The three chains represent the three persons of our Lord, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three chains are equidistant from each other to symbolize the equivalence of the three persons of the Lord, and the connection of these three chains represents the oneness of the three persons of the Lord. The single chain that runs down to connect to the Heaven segment of the censer symbolizes that the oneness of the Lord is confirmed in Heaven. Three bells are attached to each of the three outer chains plus the center chain, a total of 12 bells. These bells represent the 12 disciples which in turn represent the church. The bells make a distinctive sound to symbolize the disciples and thus the church calling and reaching out to the world. The center of the church and its teachings is Christ, the burning coal. The incense, before being placed onto the coal to be burned and give off scented smoke, is representative of the sacrifice of the church, namely the hearts of the people. The sacrifice of the people symbolized by the incense, when sacrificed to and through Jesus Christ, the coal, are lifted up and accepted into the Heavens to our Lord by our Lord Jesus Christ, symbolized by the coal burning the incense and releasing scented smoke into the Heavens. The scent given off by the incense when burned by the coal is representative of the sweet blessings of the product of our sacrifices for the Lord. It is also important to note that as the priest carries the censer around the church, the prayers of the congregation are accepted before the priest and symbolically carried up into the Heavens along with the prayers of the saints by the scented smoke rising into the Heavens.

    May the blessings of the Church and its great symbolic and Heavenly beauty truly benefit all of its members.

    Glory be to our Lord!
  • Unknown
    Excellent mike, is there a source for that or did you type that yourself?

    Peace.
  • mikegmikeg
    The Peace of the Lord be with us

    Regarding the information and analysis of the censer, there are several different sourses in which all of this is explained and described. One main source is the Holy Bible, especially the Old Tetament (in particular, the book of Exodus and some of the prophesies) and the New Tetament book of Revelation. Also many acknowledged scholors of the Faith have written several books that include a discussion of the subject. Of the ones I am aware of: "Christ in the Eucharist" and "The Church House of God" by Father Tadros Malaty, "The Spirituality of the Rites of the Holy Liturgy in the Coptic Orthodox Church" by HG Bishop Mettaous, and many more.

    It pleases me greatly to know of such spiritual persons as yourself who are very enthusiastic to learn and appreciate the extremely beautiful spirtualities of our Orthodox Church. I urge you to study and increase your knowledge of such spiritual matters brother in Christ.

    May the Lord be with and bless us all
  • SafaaSafaa
    Hello,

    I learned lately that the name of “ Mary “ means The Royal Incense, which is a befitted description of her life as a model of offering sacrifice to God.

    We call her "Te shury" that is the censer in Coptic; and sometimes "the censer of Aaron".......... As for the fire which it contains inside her, coal in it symbolises the human nature of Christ, and fire symbolises His divine nature, as it has been said in the Holy Bible: "our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).

    So when the Coptic Church teaches us that the “ Shoria “ symbolizes the Theotocos, we humbly accept and try with the grace of God to emulate her life in offering our “ bodies a living and holy sacrifice “ Romans 12:1
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