downloadTheology & History
The Byzantine Liturgy (Ninth Century) Part II
The Byzantine Liturgy is the product of a complex evolution that began before the time of Christ. Like its Western counterpart, the eucharistic service of the Eastern Orthodox churches consists of two parts. The first, the Liturgy of the Word, developed from the services of the Jewish synagogue. The second, the Liturgy of the Faithful, evolved from the prayer of blessing or bfrakah of the Passover and other Jewish religious meals.
The Readings
Commentary: There were originally readings from the Old Testament, the Epistles, and the Gospels. However, only the Epistle and Gospel remained by the ninth century. The Prokeimenon, a short verse from the Psalms sung before the Epistle, is a remnant of the Psalm sung between the Old Testament and Epistle readings. St. Germanus considered the Prokeimenon a symbol of the prophecies of the coming of Christ and the Gospel a symbol of the revelation of God through Christ. As the deacon carried the Gospel to the ambon, the faithful venerated the book as a way to venerate Christ Himself, symbolized by the elaborately decorated book.
Text:
Deacon: Let us attend!
Celebrant: Peace be to all.
People: And to your spirit.
The Reader then chants the Prokeimenon.
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: The Reading from the Epistle of the holy Apostle (N.) to the (N.).
Deacon: Let us attend!
The reader then reads the Epistle.
Celebrant: Peace be to you who read.
The People chant verses from the Psalms with the refrain:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Meanwhile the deacon censes the Gospel Book on the Holy Table and then carries it accompanied with incense, candles and the cross to the ambon for the reading of the Gospel.
Deacon: Wisdom! Let us listen to the holy Gospel.
Celebrant: Peace be to all.
People: And to your spirit.
Deacon: The reading from the holy Gospel according to St. (N.)
People: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.
Deacon: Let us attend!
The deacon then reads the Gospel.
People: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.
The Sermon
The Ektenia of Fervent Supplication
Commentary: This Litany is called "of Fervent Supplication" because of the triple response, "Lord, have mercy".
Text: A deacon stands outside of the sanctuary to lead the people in the Ektenia of Fervent Supplication.
Deacon: Let us say with our soul and with our mind, let us say: O Lord almighty, the God of our fathers, we pray thee, hearken and have mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Have mercy upon us, O God, according to thy great goodness, we pray thee hearken and have mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Again we pray for pious and Orthodox Christians; for our Celebrant (N.); for Priests, deacons, and all other clergy; and for all our brethren in Christ.
People: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Again we pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, and visitation for the servants of God (N.N.), and for the pardon and remission of their sins.
People: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Again we pray for the blessed and ever-memorable founders of this holy temple; and for all our fathers and brethren, the Orthodox departed this life before us, who here and in all the world lie asleep in the Lord; and for the Orthodox servant(s) of God departed this life (N.N.), and for the pardon and remission of their sins.
People: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Again we pray for those who bear fruit and do good works in this holy and all-venerable Temple; and for all the people here present who await thy great and rich mercy.
People: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) O Lord our God, accept this fervent supplication of your servants, and have mercy upon us according to the multitude of your mercy; and send down your compassions upon us and upon all your people, who await the rich mercy that comes from you."¨(aloud) For you are a merciful God who loves mankind, and to you we ascribe glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
The Litany of the Catechumens
A deacon stands outside of the sanctuary to lead the people in the Litany of the Catechumens.
Deacon: Pray to the Lord, you catechumens.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: You faithful, pray unto the Lord for the catechumens, that the Lord will have mercy on them.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: That He will teach them the word of truth.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: That He will reveal to them the Gospel of righteousness.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: That He will unite them to His Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help them; save them; have mercy upon them; and keep them, O God, by your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: You catechumens, bow your heads unto the Lord.
People: To you, O Lord.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) O Lord our God, Who dwell in the heavens and have regard for all Your works: Look upon your servants the catechumens, who have bowed their necks before You. Give them Your light yoke; make them honorable members of Your holy Church; count them worthy of the laver of regeneration, the remission of sins, and the robe of incorruption, in the knowledge of You, our true God."¨(aloud) That with us they may glorify Your all-honorable and majestic name, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
The Dismissal of the Catechumens
Deacon: Catechumens depart. As many as are catechumens, depart. Let none of the catechumens remain.
Commentary: Since ancient times, the church considered the Eucharist too sacred for non-Christians. Significantly, St. Cyril, the fourth-century Bishop of Jerusalem, did not describe either the rite or the significance of the Eucharist to those receiving instruction until after they had been baptized. Thus those preparing for baptism, the catechumens, left the assembly following the Liturgy of the Word.
Text:
THE LITURGY OF THE FAITHFUL
The First Prayer of the Faithful
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Celebrant: You, O Lord have shown us this great mystery of salvation, You have accounted us, the humble and unworthy servants, worthy to be ministrants of your holy Altar. Enable us with the power of your Holy Spirit for this service, that standing uncondemned before your holy glory, we may offer unto you a sacrifice of praise; for you are he that works all things in all men; grant, O Lord, that our sacrifice may be acceptable and well pleasing in your sight, for our own sins, and for the errors of the people; for unto you are due all glory, honor, and worship; to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
The Second Prayer of the Faithful
Commentary: Until the Middle Ages, a deacon repeated the Great Litany in its original location.
Text:
Deacon: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this holy house and for all who enter with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our Bishop (N.) for the honorable priests and deacons in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this country and for every authority and power within it, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For this city, for every city and country, and for the faithful living in them, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For seasonable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For those who travel by land, air, and sea, the sick and suffering, those under persecution and for their deliverance, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For our deliverance from all affliction, anger, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us and keep us, O God, by Your grace.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: Remembering our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God, and Ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commit ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
People: To You, O Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) O God, who in pity and compassion has visited our lowliness; who has set us, thy humble and sinful and unworthy servants, before your holy glory, to minister at your holy Altar: Strengthen us by the power of your Holy Spirit for this service, and grant us utterance in the opening of our mouth, to invoke the grace of your Holy Spirit upon the gifts about to be set before you."¨(aloud) That guarded always by your might we may ascribe glory to you: to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
Meanwhile, the clergy leave their seats and gather around the Holy Table, over which they spread a large cloth, the eiliton.
Commentary: By the ninth century the eiliton had become a symbol of the winding sheet placed on the body of Christ for his burial.
Text:
The Great Entrance
The Hymn of the Cherubim
The people chant Psalm 24:7–10 with The Hymn of the Cherubim as a refrain.
Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim, and who sing the Thrice-Holy Hymn to the Life-creating Trinity, lay aside all earthly cares that we may receive the King of all, who comes invisibly upborne by the Angelic Hosts. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Commentary: The Hymn of the Cherubim is another indication of the view of the Eucharist as a participation in the worship of heaven. The Emperor Justinian II ordered its singing in about 573.
Text: The celebrant washes his hands and says the Prayer of The Hymn of the Cherubim.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) No one bound by fleshly desires and pleasures is worthy to approach or come near or minister before You, the King of glory. For to serve You is great and awesome, even to the Heavenly Powers themselves. Yet because of Your unspeakable and immeasurable love for mankind, You became man without undergoing change or alteration. And taking the title High Priest, You, as Lord of all, have committed to us the celebration of this liturgical and unbloody sacrifice. For You alone, O Lord our God, rule over all things in heaven and earth, You Who are seated upon the throne of the Cherubim and are Lord of the Seraphim and King of Israel, Who alone are holy and rest in the saints. Therefore I implore You, Who alone are good and ready to hear: Look upon me, Your sinful and unprofitable servant, and cleanse my soul and heart from an evil conscience. And enable me by the power of Your Holy Spirit, clothed with the grace of the priesthood, to stand before this, Your holy Table, and to consecrate Your holy and spotless Body and precious Blood. For to You I come bowing my neck, and I pray to You: Do not turn away Your face from me, nor reject me from among Your children, but make me, Your sinful and unworthy servant, worthy to offer these Gifts to You. For You alone are the Offerer and the Offered, the Receiver and the Distributed, O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with Your Father Who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Meanwhile, the deacons bring the bread and wine in procession through the nave to the sanctuary, escorted by candles, incense, and the liturgical fans. After they place them on the Holy Table, the veils are placed over them, and they are censed.
Commentary: Originally a simple utilitarian act, the Great Entrance had assumed major significance by the ninth century. The elaborate procession became one of the high points of the Liturgy. When present, the emperor met the procession and escorted it to the sanctuary. The faithful touched the vestments of the clergy, as the woman with the hemorrhage touched the robe of Christ. Sometimes, parents would place their children in the path of the procession so that the clergy would step over them. Popular devotion during the Great Entrance was so great that Patriarch Eutychinus (552–555) warned the faithful lest they worship unconsecrated the bread and wine. By the ninth century, the faithful considered the Great Entrance an image of the procession of Christ to Calvary. The liturgical fans symbolized the Seraphim. The placing of the vessels on the Holy Table represented the entombment of Christ. The small veils symbolized the burial cloths of Christ and the large veil, the stone before the tomb of Christ. The incense symbolized the Holy Spirit and the spices used to anoint the body of the dead Savior.
Text:
Celebrant: (in a low voice) Remember me, brother and fellow minister.
Commentary: The dialogue following the Entrance did not take its modern form until the Middle Ages. However, from ancient times the celebrant asked for the prayers of his fellow ministers.
Text:
Deacon: (in a low voice) May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His Kingdom.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) Pray for me, my fellow minister.
Deacon: (in a low voice) May the Holy Spirit descend on you, and the power of the most High overshadow you.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) May the Holy Spirit Himself minister together with us all the days of our life.
Deacon: (in a low voice) Remember me, holy Master.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) May the Lord God remember you in His Kingdom always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The celebrant then prays the prayer of the Prothesis.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) O Lord our God, Who have created us and brought us into this life; Who have shown us the ways to salvation, and have given us the revelation of heavenly mysteries; You have appointed us to this service in the power of Your Holy Spirit; graciously grant us, O Lord, to be ministers of Your New Covenant, and servants of Your holy mysteries. Through the greatness of Your mercy, accept us as we approach Your holy altar, so that we may be worthy to offer to You this spiritual and unbloody sacrifice for our own sins and for the errors of the people. Receive it upon Your holy and ideal altar above the heavens as sweet fragrance, and send down upon us in return the grace of Your Holy Spirit. Look upon us, O God, and behold this our service. Accept it as You accepted the gifts of Abel, the sacrifices of Noah, the whole burnt offerings of Abraham, the priestly offices of Moses and Aaron, and the peace offerings of Samuel. Even as You accepted this true worship from the hands of Your holy apostles, O Lord, so now in Your goodness, accept these gifts from the hands of us sinners. Count us worthy to serve without offense at Your holy altar, so that we may receive the reward of wise and faithful stewards on the awesome day of Your just retribution. Through the mercies of Your Only-begotten Son, with Whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The Kiss of Peace
Celebrant: Peace be to all.
People: And to your spirit.
Deacon: Let us love one another that with one accord we may confess:
People: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Blessed Trinity, Consubstantial, Co-eternal, Undivided Trinity.
The clergy and people then exchange the kiss of peace.
Commentary: The clergy and faithful exchanged the kiss of peace within their own rank: clergy with clergy, men with men, and women with women. The kiss of peace is a symbol that all must leave all animosity behind them as they unite in love with the company of heaven as they worship at the throne of God.
Text:
The Creed
Deacon: The Doors! The Doors! In wisdom, let us attend!
Commentary: The cry, "The doors, the doors," is a reminder that the doors to the church must be closed as only the faithful may experience the mystery of the Eucharist. By the ninth century, the removal of the veils had become a symbol of the removal of the stone before the tomb of Christ. As all sang the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, the clergy waved the aer over the elements. Originally a utilitarian act to keep insects away, this became a symbol of the earthquake that accompanied the resurrection of Christ.
Text: The celebrant removes the veils over the gifts. The clergy then wave them over the gifts while the people recite the Creed.
People: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all worlds; Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose Kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets; And I believe in One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the Resurrection of the dead and the Life of the world to come. Amen.
Commentary: Peter the Fuller, the Monophysite Patriarch of Antioch (470), introduced the Creed in the Liturgy in Antioch as a sign of his orthodoxy. Patriarch Timothy of Constantinople (511–518), also a Monophysite, added the Creed to the Liturgy as a demonstration of his own orthodoxy.
Text:
The Anaphora of St. Basil
Deacon: Let us stand well! Let us stand with fear! Let us attend that we may offer the holy offering in peace.
People: An offering of peace! A sacrifice of praise!
Celebrant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
People: And with your spirit.
Celebrant: Let us lift up our hearts.
People: We lift them up unto the Lord.
Celebrant: Let us give thanks unto the Lord.
People: It is fitting and right.
Commentary: This dialogue dates at least as far back as the third-century Apostolic Tradition. It may stem from the dialogue at the beginning of the prayer of blessing (bÆ’rakah) of the Passover and other religious meals in the Jewish tradition. The faithful are reminded that they must leave behind the concerns of the world as they elevate their hearts and minds to heavenly things, as they prepare for the most sacred moments of the Liturgy. The celebrant invites the faithful to give thanks to the Lord, as the Eucharist is the great thanksgiving for the mystery of salvation.
Text:
Celebrant: (in a low voice) O truly existing One, Master, Lord, God, almighty and adorable Father, how right it is, and befitting the majesty of Your holiness, to praise You, to sing to You, to bless You, to worship You, and to glorify You. You alone are truly God, and we offer You this spiritual worship with a humble spirit and a contrite heart. You have given us the knowledge of Your truth. Who is worthy to speak of Your mighty deeds, or make all Your praises heard? O Master of all things, Lord of heaven and earth, and of all creation, both visible and invisible, You are seated upon the throne of glory and behold the depths. You are without beginning, invisible, incomprehensible, indescribable, changeless. O Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the great God and Savior, our Hope, Who is the image of Your goodness, the seal equal to its model, Who shows You in Himself: the Father, Living Word, true God before all ages, Wisdom, Life, Sanctification, Power, true Light: Through You the Holy Spirit was manifested, the Spirit of truth, the gift of adoption, the pledge of our future inheritance, the first-fruits of eternal good things, the life-giving Power, the fountain of holiness; through whom every rational and spiritual creature is made capable to worship You and give You eternal glorification, for all things are Your servants. You are praised by the angels, the archangels, the thrones, the dominions, the principalities, the authorities, the powers, and the many-eyed cherubim. The seraphim are around You, each having six wings: with two they veil their face, with two their feet; and with two they fly, continually crying out to one another with mouths that do not grow tired, in praises which are never silent,"¨(aloud) singing, proclaiming, shouting the hymn of victory:
People: Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord of Hosts! Heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
Commentary: The reference to the company of heaven and the Thrice-Holy Hymn, stemming in part from Isaiah 6:3, are manifestations of the belief that the clergy and faithful join the worship of the angels around the throne of God in heaven during the Liturgy. It ends with the words "the crowd shouted," from Psalm 118:25–26, as Christ entered Jerusalem, as the faithful prepare to welcome Christ who comes through the Eucharist.
Text:
Celebrant: (in a low voice) With these blessed powers, O Master and lover of mankind, we sinners also cry aloud and say: You are Holy, truly most Holy, and there is no limit to the majesty of Your holiness. You are just in all Your works, for in righteousness and true judgment, You have ordered all things for us. When You had created man by taking dust from the earth and honored him with Your own image, O God, You placed him in the paradise of delight, promising him eternal life and the enjoyment of everlasting good things in the observance of Your commandments. But when man disobeyed You, the true God Who created him, and was led astray by the deceit of the serpent, and died in his own transgressions, You banished him, in Your righteous judgment, from paradise into this world. You caused him to return to the earth from which he was taken, yet provided for him the salvation of regeneration in Your Christ Himself. For You did not turn away forever from the creature You made, O Good One, and You did not forget the work of Your hands. Through the tender compassion of Your mercy, You visited us in manifold ways: You sent us the prophets; You worked mighty wonders through Your saints who were pleasing to You in every generation. You have spoken to us through the mouths of Your servants the prophets, foretelling to us the salvation to come. You gave us the law to help us; You appointed angels to guard us. And when the fulness of time came, You spoke to us through Your Son Himself, by Whom You also made the ages. He is the Radiance of Your glory and the Image of Your Person. He upholds all things by the word of His Power. He did not think it robbery to be equal to You, God and Father. He was God before the ages, yet He appeared on earth and lived among men. He took flesh from a holy Virgin; He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave. He conformed Himself to the body of our lowliness in order to conform us to the image of His glory. For as by man sin entered into the world, and by sin, death, it pleased Your Only-begotten Son, Who is in Your bosom, God and Father, Who was born of a woman, the holy Mother of God and Ever-virgin Mary, Who was born under the law, to condemn sin in His flesh, so that we who died in Adam might be brought to life in Him Your Christ. He lived as a citizen in this world, and gave us commandments of salvation. He released us from the waywardness of idols and brought us into the knowledge of You, the true God and Father. He won us for Himself as His own chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. After purifying us with water and sanctifying us with the Holy Spirit, He gave Himself over in exchange to death, in which we were held captive, sold by sin. After descending into hell through the cross, that He might fill all things with Himself, He loosed the bonds of death; He rose on the third day and opened to all flesh the path of resurrection from the dead, since it was not possible for the Author of Life to be dominated by corruption. So He became the firstfruits of those who sleep, the firstborn from among the dead, that He might truly be the first of all things. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of Your majesty on high, and He will come to render to every one according to his works. And as a memorial of His saving passion, He has left us these things, which we have presented to You according to His command. For when He was about to go forth to His voluntary, blameless, and life-giving death, on the night in which He gave Himself for the life of the world, He took bread into His holy and spotless hands, and when He had presented it to You, His God and Father, He gave thanks, blessed, sanctified, broke it, and"¨(aloud) gave it to His holy disciples and apostles, saying: Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you, for the remission of sins.
People: Amen.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) Likewise He took the cup of the fruit of the vine and mingled it, gave thanks, blessed and sanctified it, and gave it to His holy disciples and apostles, saying:"¨(aloud) Drink of this, all of you! This is my blood of the new covenant, shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins.
People: Amen.
Celebrant: (in a low voice) Do this as a memorial of Me, for as often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you announce My death and confess My resurrection. Therefore, O Master, mindful of His saving passion and life-giving cross, His burial for three days and resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven and sitting at Your right hand, O God and Father, and His glorious and awesome second coming,"¨(aloud) we offer You Your own, from what is Your own, for everyone and for everything.
Commentary: The memorial of the sacrifice of Christ, or amamnesis, is a feature of all ancient liturgies. It is a reminder that the Eucharist is a memorial of the passion of Christ.