the evolution of the byzantine liturgy_juan mateos

7/25/2019 The Evolution of the Byzantine Liturgy_Juan Mateos

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pri+itive entran"e that had no "orrespondent "hant. The people, priests and bishop si+plyentered fro+ outside the "hur"h ithout singing. 5fter the greeting, "lergy and people sat do nand listened to the s"ripture readings. 7uring the readings the "lergy sat on a platfor+ in the+iddle of the "hur"h, the an"ient be+a. The faithful also sat in the nave, along the sides of this

be+a, their "lergy right in the +idst of the+.The Trisagion, pro"essional hy+n

5fter the fourth "entury, other ele+ents ere gradually added. One of these ele+ents is the "hantof the Trisagion.

The Trisagion as an old troparion sung during penitential pro"essions. !n the fifth "entury itas not un"o++on to hold penitential pro"essions through the "ity of (onstantinople, to entreat6od to prote"t the to n fro+ earth9ua0es and other "ala+ities. The legend about the origin ofthe Trisagion a"tually "onne"ts the revelation of this hy+n ith an earth9ua0e that stru"0 the"apital before >'A 5. 7.

5""ording to this legend, the earth9ua0e as "atastrophi", and the people gathered in prayeroutside the to n, as0ing 6od to have +er"y upon the+: Cyrie, eleison 1Lord, have +er"y3.Suddenly a boy as ta0en up into heaven, here lie heard the "hant of the angels: =)oly is 6od,)oly and Mighty, )oly and !++ortal )ave +er"y on usD= The boy returned to earth and told the"ro d hat the angels ere singing at this, the people the+selves started singing the sa+e"hant, the Trisagion, and the earth9ua0e "eased.

5nd thereafter, the Trisagion as sung in penitential pro"essions, hi"h ent fro+ one "hur"h toanother here the Liturgy as then "elebrated. Before it arrived at the se"ond "hur"h, the

pro"ession ould +a0e one or several stops at appointed stations, to pray to 6od for the spe"ialfavor sought. One "usto+ary station as the *oru+ of (onstantinople, a large plaza in the to n.)ere as re"ited a spe"ial prayer, the E"tenes or !nsistent Litany, hi"h later as in"orporatedinto the Liturgy itself. So+eti+es, the patriar"h hi+self re"ited other prayers as0ing 6od to

prote"t the to n. On the +ost sole+n o""asions, su"h as the beginning of the year 1Septe+ber$st3 or the anniversary of the foundation of the "ity 1May $$th3, three antiphons ere sung theseere follo ed by the reading of the Epistle and 6ospel. The !nsistent Litany 1e"tenes3 ended the

prayer at the station, and the pro"ession +oved to ards the "hur"h singing a psal+ ith atroparion repeated after ea"h verse.

!n an"ient ti+es, the Troparion sung on the ay to the "hur"h as the Trisagion itself, repeated by the people after ea"h verse of the "hosen psal+. This as usually, it see+s, 4sal+ % 1FA3:=6ive ear, O shepherd of !srael, thou ho leadest Joseph li0e a flo"0,= be"ause to the present daythe bishop sings, inter"alated ith the Trisagion, verses $> $', of this sa+e psal+:

Turn again, O 6od of hostsD loo0 do n fro+ heaven and see have regard for this vine, the sto"0hi"h thy right hand planted.

Before the pro"ession started fro+ the first "hur"h, the =4rayer of the Trisagion= as re"ited bythe patriar"h. *ro+ its te2t e "an see its relationship to a pro"ession of penan"e:

G you do not despise the sinner, but ordain repentan"e for his salvation G a""ept, O Master,fro+ the lips of us sinners the thri"e holy hy+n, and deal ith us a""ording to your 0indness:forgive us every offense, hether of +ali"e or of ea0ness, san"tify our souls and bodies, andgrant that e +ay serve you in holiness all the days of our life G

5t the end of the pro"ession, as it entered the se"ond "hur"h, the singers, to "on"lude the psal+,intoned the =6lory be to the *ather, et".,= and the Trisagion as repeated t i"e +ore. This


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e2plains hy today the Trisagion is repeated after the =6lory be to the *ather.= Then, on"e the pro"ession as inside the se"ond "hur"h, the Liturgy began as usual ith the "elebrant@s greetingto the people: =4ea"e be to all,= and the s"riptural readings.The Trisagion in"orporated into the LiturgyThus e see that for+erly the Trisagion as sung during spe"ial pro"essions. But the si2th"entury do"u+ents fro+ (onstantinople sho us that even on days hen there as no

pro"ession, the Trisagion as sung. ?hen the "lergy +ade their entran"e into the "hur"h for the"elebration of the Liturgy, the Trisagion as used as the entran"e hy+n. 5 ne ele+ent then,for+erly belonging to the pro"essions, had been in"orporated into the Liturgy.

5long ith the Trisagion, but probably in a later epo"h, t o other pie"es ere ta0en fro+ the pro"essions and added to the Liturgy: the prayer before the Trisagion, and the !nsistent Litany,

hi"h as pla"ed after the reading of the 6ospel, ;ust as it as during the station at the *oru+< on spe"ial o""asions.The variable tropariaThe Trisagion, therefore, as used in the si2th "entury as the usual !ntroit 1Entran"e )y+n3 forSundays and feast days. 4robably to avoid +onotony, variable !ntroits ere gradually "o+posedto fit the parti"ular feast or Sunday@s "o++e+oration of the Hede+ption.

Every ne !ntroit as +ade up of a Troparion and an appropriate psal+. *or Sundays, they"hose 4sal+ %> 1%'3: =O "o+e, let us sing to the Lord= the Troparion as the ell 0no n =Oonly begotten Son= 1O Monogenes3, into hi"h the hole +ystery of the Hede+ption, fro+ the!n"arnation to the vi"tory over death, is highly "ondensed:

O only begotten Son and ?ord of 6odD /ou, being i++ortal, deigned for our salvation to ta0eflesh of the holy Mother of 6od and ever virgin Mary.

?ithout "hange you be"a+e +an, and ere "ru"ified, O (hrist our 6od, thus you "on9uereddeath by death.

/ou ho are one of the )oly Trinity, and are glorified ith the *ather and the )oly Spirit, saveusD

This Troparion as "o+posed at the ti+e of Justinian and introdu"ed into the Liturgy by thise+peror before '>A. 6radually it "a+e to be sung also on Saturdays, and finally on every daythat did not have its o n !ntroit Troparion.

5s the Troparion =O only begotten Son= is rather long, the hole of it as not sung after ea"h

verse of 4sal+ %>, but only the final phrase: =Being one of the )oly Trinity,= et". But the entireTroparion as sung at the beginning and at the end of the psal+.

There ere spe"ial Troparia and psal+s for feast days. On (hrist+as day, for instan"e, 4sal+$A% 1$$A3 as adopted: =The Lord said to +y Lord, @Sit at +y right hand@ = and thea""o+panying spe"ial Troparion as: =/our -ativity, O (hrist our Lord, has given rise to thelight of 0no ledge,= et".

5fter the tenth "entury, under 4alestinian influen"e, eight spe"ial Troparia of the Hesurre"tionere introdu"ed as !ntroits for eight su""essive Sundays 4sal+ %> as not "hanged. )ere is theTroparion of the se"ond +usi"al +ode:


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?hen you des"ended unto death, O life i++ortal, you destroyed death by the brightness of yourdivinity. 5nd hen you raised up the dead fro+ the 5byss, all the heavenly 4o ers "ried out: =O6iver of Life, (hrist 6od, glory to you.=

5s usual, the Troparion as sung in full at the beginning and end of the psal+, hile after ea"hverse only the final a""la+ation as repeated: =O 6iver of Life,= et".

The adoption of the ne Troparia of the Hesurre"tion "aused the old Troparion =O only begottenSon= to be transferred to the se"ond antiphon, here it is today. Therefore, e have to investigatene2t ho these antiphons originated.The three antiphonsThree antiphonal psal+s ere sung in (onstantinople not only at sole+n pro"essions, but also atthe #esperal Offi"e and other liturgi"al servi"es.

7uring the pro"essions, the singing of the antiphons too0 pla"e at a stop or station. These threeantiphons ere independent of the pro"essional Troparion and psal+ sung hile the pro"ession+ar"hed to the "hur"h.

?e sa already that the Trisagion ith its psal+, originally a pro"ession "hant, be"a+e the first!ntroit or entran"e hy+n of the Liturgy, and that in +ore re"ent ti+es, variable entran"e hy+nsere "o+posed, ithout suppressing the Trisagion.

Bet een the seventh and eighth "enturies a ne develop+ent too0 pla"e in the Liturgy: the preparation of bread and ine, hi"h until that ti+e had been done after the lessons and litanies1that is, at the beginning of the Eu"haristi" part of the Liturgy3, as transferred to the very

beginning, before the first entran"e. ?hile this rite of preparation as going on, it as ne"essaryto fill the ti+e ith so+e pious e2er"ise, and three antiphons, si+ilar to those sung in the *oru+on "ertain days, ere added to the beginning of the Liturgy. The already e2isting entran"e hy+n

be"a+e the third antiphon, thus losing its fun"tion as an !ntroit, and the t o ne antiphons ere pla"ed before it.

Thus for the third antiphon or entran"e hy+n, the old pro"essional 4sal+ %> 1%'3, =O "o+e, letus sing to the Lord ... let us "o+e into )is presen"e ith than0sgiving,= as 0ept. *or the firstand se"ond antiphons t o pre"eding psal+s ere "hosen, 4sal+ %$ 1%I3, =!t is good to givethan0s to the Lord= and 4sal+ %I 1% 3, =The Lord reigns )e is robed in +a;esty.= 4sal+ %1%>3, =O Lord, Thou 6od of vengean"e,= hardly suitable for a ;oyful "elebration, as happilyavoidedDThe prayers

Today there are four prayers interspersed bet een the singing of the antiphons. The first three are"alled the prayers of the first, of the se"ond and of the third antiphon. The fourth one is the prayer of the entran"e.

The prayer of the entran"e is "ertainly old and as re"ited before the "hur"h door, hen "lergyand people arrived in pro"ession for the "elebration of the Liturgy. 5s the dia"onal invitation1=Let us pray to the Lord=3 sho s, the prayer as re"ited aloud, and supposed a +o+entaryinterruption in the singing of the pro"essional hy+n.

But the origin of the three prayers of the antiphons poses a +ore diffi"ult proble+. !t isorth hile to point out in hat the proble+ "onsists and to propose a solution.

Let us begin ith the se"ond prayer:


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O Lord our 6od, save your people and bless your inheritan"e preserve the fullness of your(hur"h san"tify those ho love the beauty of your house glorify the+ in return by your divine

po er, and do not forsa0e us ho pla"e our hope in you.

There is no allusion in this te2t to the singing of a psal+. The prayer is "o+posed of phrasesithout any stri"t "onne"tion, a+ong hi"h the first phrase is pra"ti"ally a blessing of the

people.

!f e "o+pare the te2t of this prayer ith that of the opistha+bonos 1prayer behind the a+bo3re"ited at the end of the Liturgy, e see that the beginning of the opistha+bonos is very si+ilarto the prayer of the se"ond antiphon. Moreover, if e "onsult the old +anus"ripts, it appears thatthe te2t of our prayer is not only si+ilar, but e2a"tly the sa+e, as the beginning of theopistha+bonos. ?e have here, therefore, t o re"ensions of the sa+e prayer, but one of the+, asit is still re"ited in the prayer of the se"ond antiphon, is the +ore pri+itive the se"ond one,found in today@s opistha+bonos, is a prolonged re"ension of the sa+e te2t.

5s the prayer behind the a+bo as for+erly the final blessing of the Liturgy, e "an "on"ludethat the present prayer of the se"ond antiphon as also a final blessing and as not "o+posed toa""o+pany the singing of a psal+.

The prayer of the third antiphon has 9uite a different style:

/ou, ho have given us these "o++on prayers in hi"h e unite our voi"es, and ho pro+isedto grant the petitions of t o or three that unite their voi"es to invo0e your na+e: grant no the

petitions of your servants for their benefit, giving to us in this orld the 0no ledge of your truthand, in the future orld, life eternal.

The =prayers= +entioned in the te2t are "ertainly not the singing of a psal+. To hat prayers,then, does it refer8 To prayers +ade in "o++on, here +any voi"es ;oin to pray prayers that"ontain petitions. 5ll these hints lead us to onder hether this "ould be in "onne"tion ith alitany prayer, in hi"h the dea"on proposes the petitions and all the people, ith one voi"e,ans er in "o++on.

The prayer of the first antiphon reads:

O Lord our 6od, hose +ight is beyond "o+parison, hose glory surpasses all understanding,hose +er"y is ithout li+its, hose love for +en is beyond e2pression: do you, O Master, inyour 0indness, loo0 do n upon us and this holy "hur"h, and besto upon us and upon those

praying ith us your abundant +er"ies and your benefits.)ere again, no phrase of the te2t +a0es the prayer apt to pre"ede the singing of a psal+. On the"ontrary, e find in it a distin"tion bet een "lergy 1=on us=3 and people 1=those praying ithus=3, although both are united in a "o++on prayer. 5 prayer of "lergy and people together, saidaloud, is probably again a litany of suppli"ation. !f e "o+pare this third prayer, ith the so"alled =se"ond prayer of the faithful= in the Liturgy of St. John (hrysosto+, e find in both, inal+ost the sa+e ords, the sa+e distin"tion bet een "lergy and people 1 e K "lergy those ho

pray ith us K people3. 5s the se"ond prayer of the faithful is ithout any doubt the final prayerof a litany, this parallelis+ "onfir+s our hypothesis.

5s a "on"lusion lo these "onsiderations, e see that the three prayers no in the Liturgy underthe title of =prayers of the antiphons= ere not "o+posed for su"h a purpose a"tually, t o ofthe+


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a final blessing. On the other hand, the three prayers for+ a definite group, so that they +usthave on"e been together, but in a different pla"e in the Liturgy. Sin"e t o of the+ +a0e allusionto a litany, let us "onsider the pla"e of the litanies in the Liturgy and the relation bet een litaniesand prayers.

!n the do"u+ents of the fourth and fifth "enturies, the litanies of suppli"ation are al ays found at

the end of the offi"es so +u"h so, that in Jerusale+ the bishop used to attend only the last part of the #esperal Offi"e, pre"isely be"ause it as there that the litany suppli"ation as +ade.

-o the Liturgy, as e 0no , is "o+posed of t o parts. The first part, or Liturgy of the ?ord, is"onstru"ted li0e an offi"e the se"ond part is the Eu"haristi" Sa"rifi"e. Thus, the litanies in theLiturgy had their pla"e at the end of the first part, after the readings and the dis+issal of the"ate"hu+ens.

5 litany as al ays a""o+panied by one or several prayers in this +atter, e find t o differenttraditions: that of 5ntio"h, hi"h had one prayer that follo ed the litany, and that of 5sia Minor1the oldest do"u+ent of this tradition "o+es fro+ the Synod of Laodi"ea3 hi"h had t o

prayers, one before or during the litany and one after, plus a final prayer of blessing.

!n the Byzantine Hite e +ust distinguish "arefully bet een the Liturgy, hi"h belongs to the5sia Minor tradition 1(onstantinople3, and the 7ivine Offi"e, hi"h follo s the 4alestiniantradition, related to 5ntio"h. !lon"e in the Liturgy e find t o prayers under 1he na+e of prayersof he faithful. The first prayer as to be said silently during the re"itation of the litany 1greatsynapte, +irnaya3, the se"ond as to be said aloud, as the "on"lusion of the litany suppli"ation.The old (onstantinopolitan +orning and evening servi"es, no defun"t, follo ed si+ilarly the5sia Minor tradition: t o prayers of the faithful, plus the prayer of in"lination or blessing.

So, if e ant to identify the present day =prayers of the antiphons,= hi"h, as e sa , have norelation hatever to the singing of psal+s, e should "onsider the+ as an an"ient triplet of=prayers of the faithful= 1prayer during the litany, prayer after the litany, prayer of blessing3,

belonging to the old (onstantinopolitan rite. !n our opinion, hi"h "annot be fully e2plained atthis +o+ent, they ere the old prayers of the faithful of the Liturgy of St. Basil. The present

prayers of the faithful in this Liturgy +ust have so+e different origin, and ere "o+posed not toa""o+pany a litany, but as a preparation for the Eu"haristi" "onse"ration.The great synapte5ll during the pre"eding dis"ussion e have been presupposing that the great synapte 1+irnaya3,"alled also =prayer of the faithful= or litany suppli"ation or si+ply =litany,= hi"h is foundno adays at the very beginning of the Liturgy, before the first antiphon, as for+erly pla"ed

else here.!n fa"t, in the do"u+ents of the fourth and fifth "enturies, the synapte as re"ited after the6ospel, on"e the "ate"hu+ens and all the other "ategories of people not in full "o++union iththe (hur"h had been dis+issed 1energu+ens K those ho ere possessed by the devil or sufferedfro+ various 0inds of nervous diseases illu+inandi K those ho had to re"eive Baptis+ thesa+e year penitents K those ho ere te+porarily e2"luded fro+ the e""lesiasti"al "o++union

be"ause of so+e grave publi" sin3. Later on, probably in the eighth "entury, the great synapteas transferred to a ne pla"e, before the Trisagion, i++ediately after the Entran"e there itre+ained in the "elebration until the t elfth "entury. Only after this epo"h, at least in(onstantinople, as the great synapte put in the pla"e it o""upies no , at the beginning of the

Liturgy.


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?hat "ould have been the reason hy the synapte as transferred fro+ after the dis+issals to before the Trisagion8 4robably the introdu"tion into the Liturgy, i++ediately alter the 6ospel, of the e"tenes or =!nsistent Litany,= that for+erly belonged to the pro"essions.5 pastoral ;udg+ent!n this "hapter, e have seen +any "hanges being +ade in the si+ple pri+itive stru"ture of theEntran"e "ere+ony. By ay of "on"lusion e +ight as0 hether these "hanges have i+proved

the pastoral +eaning of this first part of the Byzantine Liturgy.

!n the very beginning, hen the Liturgy started dire"tly ith the readings, the theologi"al+eaning as "lear: in (hristian life 6od has the initiative. ?e +ust first of all listen to )i+, be"alled by )i+, learn fro+ )i+, and only then as0 for a re+edy lo our ne"essities.

The subse9uent develop+ents that "reated before the readings a pro"essional hy+n, first theTrisagion, later the psal+ and Troparion 1no "alled the third antiphon3, respe"ted the old line of thought they 0ept 6od as the "enter of the "elebration the Liturgy still opened ith )is praiseand glorifi"ation. These Entran"e )y+ns are, e +ay say, the e2pli"it a"0no ledge+ent of6od@s presen"e, and they "ontain a"ts of praise and adoration hi"h this presen"e de+ands. Thisas i+pli"it hen the Liturgy began ith the readings, for e "annot listen to the ?ord of 6odithout being a are of )is presen"e. ?ith the adoption of the Entran"e )y+ns, ho ever, this

presen"e as +ore deeply and easily felt. ?e +ust say then that this develop+ent brought real progress in the building of the Liturgy.

The addition, sin"e the eighth "entury, of the first and se"ond antiphons follo ed the sa+e line, but it had already so+e in"onvenien"es. The opening praise of 6od be"a+e unduly long andobs"ured the fa"t that the "apital point in the Liturgy of the ?ord as the ?ord of 6od itself. 5tthe sa+e ti+e, the Old Testa+ent reading as dropped and, probably, the old responsorial psal+,the 4ro0ei+enon, as shortened. So, an"ient, variable and pastorally valuable ele+ents ere puta ay, hile ne ones fi2ed and less pastoral ere introdu"ed.

The "hange of the synapte@s pla"e to the very beginning of the Liturgy, that too0 pla"e in thet elfth "entury, put the e+phasis on +an@s needs rather than on 6od@s praise. ?e thin0 that thisanthropo"entri" opening has less religious value than the old theo"entri" one. The very"elebration of the Liturgy is a s"hool of (hristian spirituality the faithful should be edu"ated to"onsider 6od +ore i+portant than the+selves and their needs.4art !!: *ro+ the s"riptural readings to the 5naphoraThe Liturgy of the ?ord is "o++only presented as the instru"tional part of the Liturgy. ?ithoutdenying its evident instru"tional "hara"ter, e +ay as0 hy the instru"tion ta0es pla"e before theEu"haristi" Sa"rifi"e, and, further+ore, hy the (hur"h never allo s the Sa"rifi"e to be

"elebrated ithout being pre"eded by the readings of the )oly S"ripture8!t ould see+, then, that the interpretation of the Liturgy of the ?ord as an instru"tional servi"eis not ade9uate. The instru"tion "ould be done at any other offi"e. There +ust be so+e spe"ifi"lin0 bet een ?ord and Sa"rifi"e that +a0es the+ inseparable. ?e see the foundation of su"h alin0 in John@s 6ospel 1$', 3: =/ou are already +ade "lean by the ord hi"h ! have spo0en toyou.= (hrist@s ?ord purifies those ho listen to it and our need for purifi"ation ill never bestronger than hen e are to re"eive )is Body and Blood.

The Liturgy of the ?ord, besides being an instru"tion, is "hiefly a purifi"ation, a "onversion to6od, an opening of the heart for a greater do"ility to the Spirit. !n the various Eu"haristi"

Liturgies, this is often e2pressed in the prayers or invo"ations found before or after the readings.!n the Latin Mass, for instan"e, on"e the 6ospel is finished the priest 0isses the boo0 and says:=By the 6ospel ;ust read, +ay our sins be effa"ed.= 5nd in the prayer before the 6ospel that is


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found no adays in the Byzantine Liturgy, the priest prays 6od that as an effe"t of the evangeli"reading, ="urbing the desires of the flesh, e +ay enter into a life a""ording to the Spirit,

pleasing you in all our thoughts and a"tions.= -u+ber of readings?e have no in the Byzantine Liturgy t o readings, the Epistle and the 6ospel. ntil theseventh "entury there ere, ho ever, three: one fro+ the Old Testa+ent 14rophe"y3, plus the

Epistle and 6ospel. This as also the tradition of the Spanish, 6alli"an, Ho+an, Milanese and5r+enian Liturgies.

The three readings of the Liturgy are still present in the great vigils of the Byzantine Liturgy: On(hrist+as Eve, vigil of the Epiphany and )oly Saturday.

On (hrist+as Eve, hen the Liturgy is "elebrated after the #esperal Offi"e, e find no eightreadings of the Old Testa+ent and, after the singing of the Trisagion, the Epistle and the 6ospel.But if e "onsult the old Typi"a, it appears that the Trisagion as sung bet een the seventh andeighth prophe"y. So the #espers had seven readings, hile the Liturgy three: 4rophe"y, Epistle,6ospel.

The sa+e stru"ture, though ith so+e pe"uliarities, e2ists in the Epiphany vigil. The vesperalreadings ere si+ilarly seven but, a""ording to the Typi"a, five other readings ere available in"ase the patriar"h retired for so+e ti+e to his pala"e and did not return in ti+e for the Trisagion.5fter the Trisagion, e had again a 4rophe"y 1the thirteenth in today@s vigil3, Epistle and 6ospel.

On )oly Saturday, there as a repertoire of seven other prophe"ies in addition to the usualseven, be"ause hile the readings too0 pla"e in the +ain "hur"h, the patriar"h baptized in the

baptistry outside. !f the nu+ber of "ate"hu+ens as very great and there as not ti+e to finishthe baptis+ during the reading of the seven ordinary lessons, seven other lessons ere availableto fill the ti+e. The last one 1no the fifteenth3, belonged to the Liturgy, ith the Epistle and the6ospel.The "y"le of the lessonsToday e have a proper Epistle and 6ospel for ea"h day of the year, e2"ept in Lent, hen ehave readings only for Saturday and Sunday. The reason for this e2"eption as that the Liturgyas al ays "elebrated in a spirit of ;oy and than0sgiving. Therefore, it as not "onsidered fittingto "elebrate the Eu"harist on days of stri"t fasting and sorro .

The "y"le of readings for the year, ho ever, as not organized all at one ti+e, nor do all of its parts have the sa+e anti9uity. The oldest "y"le as fi2ed for the readings of Sundays and Easter?ee0. Then "a+e a spe"ial "y"le of readings for Saturdays. Later on, in the +onasteries here

the Liturgy as "elebrated every day, the +on0s sele"ted fro+ the rest of the -e Testa+ent passages for the ordinary days. This e2plains the differen"e in the order of readings in theByzantine le"tionary. There is a distin"t order for the Sunday readings, ea"h passage "o+ingafter the pre"eding passage of the previous Sunday. The sa+e holds for Saturdays the sa+e forferial days. )en"e e have a"tually three different orders of readings.The psal+s bet een the readings?hen the Byzantine Liturgy had three readings, in the t o intervals responsorial psal+s eresung: bet een the 4rophe"y and the Epistle, the psal+ "alled 4ro0ei+enon bet een the Epistleand the 6ospel, the 5lleluia. The sa+e as true in the Ho+an Liturgy. But, hile in theByzantine Liturgy the suppression of the 4rophe"y respe"ted the pla"e of the 4ro0ei+enon,hi"h is still al ays found before the Epistle, in the Ho+an Liturgy, hen the 4rophe"y as

suppressed, the first psal+ 1Hesponsoriu+ 6raduate3 as transferred to after the Epistle and so,today, there are t o psal+s bet een the Epistle and the 6ospel of the Latin Mass.


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?e +ight perhaps "larify hat is +eant by a responsorial psal+ and ho it differs fro+ anantiphonal psal+.

*or the e2e"ution of a responsorial psal+ t o perfor+ers are needed: the soloist 1psal+ist3, hointones the refrain 1K responsoriu+3 and sings the verses of the psal+, and the "hoir, "onstituted

by the +ass of the faithful, repeat the refrain after ea"h verse or group of verses sung by the

soloist. The refrain is al ays a sele"ted verse of the sa+e psal+, and is "alled in 6ree04ro0ei+enon, that is, 1verse3 pla"ed before 1the psal+3 to be intoned by the soloist and thenrepeated by the people. -oti"e that the responsorial psal+ never ends ith the singing of the=6lory be to the *ather.=

The antiphonal e2e"ution of a psal+ re9uires four perfor+ers: t o soloists and t o "hoirs of people. The soloists sing alternatively the verses of the psal+. Ea"h "hoir ans ers to a soloist,singing the antiphon, or antiphons. The antiphon, generally "alled Troparion, in the Byzantine(hur"h, "an be the sa+e for both "hoirs or different it is not ta0en fro+ the psal+ itself, but isan e""lesiasti"al "o+position, or si+ply the 5lleluia. The antiphonal psal+ al ays ends ith thedo2ology =6lory be to the *ather.=

The responsorial psal+ is +ore "ondu"ive to spiritual re"olle"tion and +editation therefore thisay of e2e"ution is used for the psal+s bet een the readings. The antiphonal psal+, here t o"hoirs alternate, is used +ostly for pro"essions.The prayer before the 6ospelThe nu+ber and pla"e of prayers in "onne"tion ith the readings differ a""ording to the differentrites. !n the Ho+an Hite, for e2a+ple, there is no proper prayer before the lessons, for the Munda"or +eu+, said before the 6ospel, is only a re9uest of purifi"ation for the dea"on ho is to readit, not a prayer for the "o++unity that is going to listen.

!n the present Byzantine Liturgy the prayer before the 6ospel is re"ited on behalf of the holeasse+bly:

O gra"ious Master, +a0e shine in our hearts the spotless light of your divine 0no ledge, andopen the eyes of our +inds, so that e +ay understand your evangeli"al +essage. !nstill in usalso a respe"t of your blessed "o++and+ents, so that, "urbing all the desires of the flesh, e+ay enter into a life a""ording to the Spirit, pleasing you in all our thoughts and a"tions,

!n this beautiful prayer e beg 6od to give us the fruits of the 6ospel, na+ely, to live a lifea""ording to the Spirit. ?e e2pe"t everything fro+ 6od, nothing fro+ ourselves: it is )e ho+a0es shine in our hearts )is light, and then opens the eyes of our +inds to see that light and to

understand )is evangeli"al +essage. *ro+ )i+ e re"eive respe"t for )is "o++and+ents, andthe fruit of this respe"t is a life that pleases )i+ in everything.

This prayer, though, does not belong to the (onstantinopolitan tradition. !n fa"t, the ByzantineLiturgy, li0e the Ho+an, had no prayer before the 6ospel. This prayer belongs to the Liturgy ofSt. Ja+es, used in Jerusale+, and does not appear in the Byzantine Liturgy before the t elfth"entury.The e"tenes or insistent litany5fter the reading of the 6ospel e have the re"itation of the !nsistent .Litany. ?hy the9ualifi"ative insistent8 !t is the translation of the 6ree0 ord e0tenes, +eaning insistent, fervent1Slavi" sugubaya3. ?e find the adverbial for+ e0tenos in the 5"ts of the 5postles 4eter as in

prison and the hole (hur"h prayed insistently for hi+.


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The litany begins ith the e2hortation: =Let us say ith our hole soul and our hole +ind, letus say.= ?hy the repetition of the verb8 Be"ause in this e2hortation are +erged t o different

phrases. 5""ording to the old +anus"ripts, the dea"on began by tea"hing the people hat theyhad to ans er: =Let us say, @Lord, have +er"y@=. Then, he began again: =?ith our hole soul andour hole +ind let us say.= The people had already been instru"ted, so they responded: =Lord,have +er"y.=

The dea"on "ontinues, beginning ith the suppli"ation, =O Lord al+ighty, 6od of our *athers,e pray you, hear and have +er"y.= ?e begin to see hy this litany is "alled insistent. !n thelitany of pea"e 1synapte3, the dea"on e2horts the people: =Let us pray to the Lord.= But here, headdresses 6od dire"tly. Besides, he insists ith the three verbs, = e pray you, hear and have+er"y.=

5gain the dea"on "ontinues: =)ave +er"y on us, O 6od, a""ording to your great +er"y=1inspired by 4s. 'A3, e pray you, hear and have +er"y.= 5t this +o+ent, the people ans er=Lord, have +er"y= three ti+es. 5 ne reason hy the litany is "alled insistent.

The prayer of the litany is "onne"ted ith this latter petition, as it appears in the 6ree0 liturgi"al boo0s, for it is a develop+ent of the suppli"ation for +er"y:

5""ept, O Lord our 6od, this insistent suppli"ation fro+ your servants, have +er"y on usa""ording to your great +er"y and send do n your benefits upon us and upon all your people,ho e2pe"t fro+ you great and abundant +er"y.

5fter the prayer the dea"on begins a ne style of petitions, beginning =?e also pray= and notending ith the three verbs "hara"teristi" of this litany, = e pray you, hear and have +er"y.= Thenu+ber and "ontents of these petitions vary in the different lo"al usages of the Byzantine Hite.

(onsulting the old do"u+ents, e see that the petition before the prayer, =)ave +er"y on us, O6od,= et"., as the last petition of the litany, but also that other petitions, hi"h have nodisappeared, ere inter"alated bet een this one and the first, =O Lord al+ighty,= et". T o ofthose petitions ere typi"al: =/ou, ri"h in +er"y and abundant in "o+passion, e pray you, hearand have +er"y,= and =/ou, ho do not ant the death of the sinner, but that he repent and findlife, e pray you, hear and have +er"y.= Several petitions for the "ity, good eather, et".,identi"al ith those re"ited in the synapte, "ould also be inter"alated.

5fter the last petition, =)ave +er"y, on us, O 6od,= the people sang the =Lord, have +er"y= notonly three ti+es, but nine or t elve ti+es, ith their hands raised. Thus, the insistent litany

ended ith a +oving petition for +er"y. ?hile the bishop re"ited the do2ology, =*or you are a+er"iful and gra"ious 6od,= he turned to the people and gave three blessings.The origin of the e"tenesThe e"tenes, either in its old for+ulary or in its present one, proposes universal intentions. -o ,is it possible, a""ording to tradition, that su"h a litany "ould be re"ited before the dis+issal of the"ate"hu+ens8 ?e +ust ans er no. !n the 5postoli" (onstitutions and other an"ient des"riptionsof the Liturgy, e find that i++ediately after the ho+ily the dis+issal of all those ho ere notad+itted to the Eu"harist too0 pla"e. Thus "ate"hu+ens, energu+ens, illu+inandi 1those soon to

be baptized3 and penitents ere dis+issed before any "atholi", universal prayer as +ade by thefaithful in "o++on.

5s e have seen before, the e"tenes as a penitential litany re"ited at the stations of penitential pro"essions. The an"ient petitions, no o+itted, that e 9uoted in the pre"eding paragraph,sho perfe"tly this penitential "hara"ter. 5long ith the antiphons and the Trisagion, the e"tenes


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did not belong to the Liturgy, but to the pro"essions, and as re"ited on the +ost sole+no""asions right after the 6ospel read in the *oru+.The su""essive dis+issalsThe dis+issal of the "ate"hu+ens as pre"eded by a litany prayer on their behalf and as"on"luded by a prayer of blessing said by the bishop ith his hands e2tended over the"ate"hu+ens ho bo ed their heads at the invitation of the dea"on. 5s blessing 16ree0: eulogeo

Latin: benedi"o3 +eans to ish so+ething good to so+ebody, the bishop as0s 6od to grant to the"ate"hu+ens the se"ond birth through Baptis+, ith its effe"ts: the re+ission of sins and therobe of in"orruption.

?e +ust e2plain the apparently opposite sense of the t o first e2hortations in the litany for the"ate"hu+ens. The dea"on starts by saying: =(ate"hu+ens, pray to the Lord,= and i++ediatelyafter: =*aithful, let us pray for the "ate"hu+ens.= 5"tually, the "ate"hu+ens, as is sho n by the5postoli" (onstitutions, ere e2horted to a silent prayer, 0neeling, hile the faithful, ho arethe (hur"h, inter"ede for the+ before 6od by ans ering to the intentions proposed by thedea"on. 5t the end, the "ate"hu+ens ere given a sign to stand up and in"line their heads tore"eive the bishop@s blessing, or final prayer.

Si+ilar 7is+issals, ith a litany and blessing, ere +ade for the other three "ategories,energu+ens, illu+inandi and penitents.The prayers of the faithful!++ediately after ards, the dea"on began the litany of the faithful: =5ll e faithful, in pea"e letus pray to the Lord.= The Byzantine Liturgy has no t o litanies and t o prayers of the faithful,

be"ause it as thought that ea"h prayer had to have its o n litany. !n the first le"ture, though, ehave already seen that t o prayers, one said during the re"itation of the litany and one after, erein the true (onstantinopolitan tradition. The

litany e are spea0ing about 1oratio fuleliu+ K prayer of the faithful3 as nothing else but thegreat synapte that no is pla"ed at the very beginning of the Liturgy. !t is "alled the prayer of thefaithful, not be"ause they pray for their needs, but be"ause it is the "o++unity of the faithful,na+ely the (hur"h, that prays for the universal needs. Therefore, this litany prayer is also "alled="atholi",= i.e. universal another na+e for the sa+e is =ireni"= 1+irnaya3 or litany of pea"e,

be"ause in the first three petitions e pray for this gift.

!t is interesting to note that in the first prayer of the faithful the priest says: =?e than0 you, OLord, 6od of 4o ers, for having dee+ed us orthy to stand at this ti+e before your holy altarand to prostrate ourselves before your +er"y, for our sins and for the people@s transgressions.=5nd in the se"ond prayer: =5gain and again e fall do n before you.= This +eans that at the

beginning of the litany the "o++unity +ade a prostration and re+ained 0neeling until the end.Cneeling during the litany appears in the 5postoli" (onstitutions and in the ritings of St. John(hrysosto+. !s it possible that these prayers ere used in the Sunday Liturgy, hen it asforbidden to 0neel8 ?e +ust re+e+ber that these prayers belong to the Liturgy of St. John(hrysosto+, and e 0no that this Liturgy as not used on Sundays. The Liturgy of St. Basilas the Sunday servi"e, as it still is no on the Sundays of Lent.The Eu"haristi" sa"rifi"eThe transfer of the 6iftsOn"e the Liturgy of the ?ord is finished the "hoir starts singing the (herubi" )y+n: =Let us,ho +ysti"ally represent the (herubi+, and sing the thri"e holy hy+n to the life "reatingTrinity, no set aside all earthly "ares that e +ay el"o+e the Cing of all, invisibly es"orted

by angeli" hosts. 5lleluia.=


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This troparion, repeated three ti+es in the old days, is a pro"essional hy+n, "orresponding to theHo+an antiphona ad offertoriu+.

7uring the singing of the (herubi" )y+n, the priest re"ites the prayer that appears in the+anus"ripts as belonging to the Liturgy of St. Basil. !n literary genus it is a prayer of apology for the priest ho is about to "elebrate the 7ivine Sa"rifi"e, a prayer in hi"h he "onfesses his utter

un orthiness to perfor+ this a eso+e honor of offering the unbloody sa"rifi"e. The divine presen"e and servi"e is terrible and a eso+e for the angels, let alone for +en bound by "arnaldesires and pleasures. But (hrist, 6od be"o+e +an, has been appointed our )igh 4riest. )e hasthus given us the possibility of "elebrating this Sa"rifi"e. The priest, a are of his un orthiness,

begs to be purified, so that he +ay be +ade orthy to stand before 6od@s holy altar and"onse"rate )is sa"red Body and Blood. (hrist, the true priest and vi"ti+, +ust +a0e up for hisrepresentative@s defi"ien"ies.

5fter saying the prayer, the priest, together ith the dea"on, re"ites the (herubi" )y+n that is being sung by the "hoir. This needless repetition by the priest of parts sung by the people as prevalent in the Ho+an Hite until the re"ent refor+. 5"tually the "elebration of the Liturgy+eans a "ooperation of +any a"tors, ea"h ith his assigned part it is pointless for t o personsto do the sa+e thing at the sa+e ti+e.

Then the priest and the dea"on go to the side table and, ta0ing the paten and the "hali"e, go outof the san"tuary through the side door and enter again through the "entral doors. 7uring the

pro"ession, the singing of the (herubi" )y+n is interrupted, and the dea"on and the priest greetthe people saying: =May 6od, the Lord, re+e+ber you in )is 0ingdo+.= These greetings ere+ade in an"ient ti+es in a soft voi"e, ithout interrupting the hy+n gradually the greeting "a+eto be sung aloud. !n the Slavi" "hur"hes, other inter"essions, for the authorities and otherintentions, are added.

Entering the san"tuary, the "on"elebrants deposit the paten and "hali"e on the altar, hile re"itingthe troparion: =The noble Joseph too0 do n fro+ the (ross your +ost pure Body, rapped it in a"lean shroud, and ith fragrant spi"es laid it in burial in a ne to+b.=

?hy is this troparion sung at this ti+e8 Theodore of Mopsuestia as the first to say that thedeposition of the gifts on the altar signifies the deposition of our Lord in the sepul"her.

So+e people "all su"h an interpretation =sy+bolis+.= ?e prefer to "all it =allegory.= 5 sy+bol isso+ething that naturally leads us to so+e superior reality and in so+e ay "ontains it. 5nallegory is a +eaning so+e hat arbitrarily i+posed upon an a"t or ob;e"t, and thus the ob;e"t

leads us to so+e other reality only be"ause e ourselves atta"h to it a signifi"ation that does notarise fro+ the thing itself. Let us give another e2a+ple. !t ould be sy+boli"al to interpret thefirst entran"e into the "hur"h as an approa"h to 6od, as an entering into )is presen"e. !t ould

be allegori"al to interpret it as signifying the "o+ing of Our Lord into the orld through )is!n"arnation the sa+e a"tion "ould also apply to )is entran"e into Jerusale+ on 4al+ Sunday orto so+e other +ystery.

Si+ilarly, the lin0ing of the pla"ing of the gifts on the altar ith the deposition of the Body of(hrist in the sepul"her is an allegory. Theodore "ontinued his allegori"al e2planation of theLiturgy, applying the Epi"lesis to the Hesurre"tion. !n our ti+es, it see+s that the sy+boli"ala"tion to signify the Hesurre"tion is the "o++i2tion of the Body and Blood after the fra"tion,

and that the death is signified by the double "onse"ration. Thus, the old allegory of Theodoresee+s to "reate "onfusion.


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Let us point out that it is not ne"essary to loo0 for allegori"al +eanings all through the Liturgy.The hole of it is a +ystery and every part of it parti"ipates in this +ysterious "hara"ter su"has (hrysosto+@s idea in his e2planations of the Liturgy. )e never indulges in the elaborate andfor"ed e2planations of Theodore.

More har+ than good as done pastorally hen liturgists forgot the sense of the entire +ystery

of die Liturgy as a "o++e+oration of our rede+ption through the death and resurre"tion of ourLord and sought to find personal edifi"ation and devotion in ea"h single part of the Liturgy as aseparate entity. One loses thus the "entral unity of the single +ystery, and ends ith his attentiondispersed and s"attered about dis;ointed parts of the Liturgy.The dialogue bet een the "on"elebrantsThe dialogue bet een the bishop and the "on"elebrating priests


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The title =prayer of the offering= +eans =prayer of the anaphora= be"ause the ord pros0o+ide isused in this sense the prayer is thus the opening prayer of the Eu"haristi" Liturgy.

?as there in the Liturgy an offertory prayer8 (ertainly, and it as introdu"ed by the e2hortationof the dea"on still found in the litany: =*or the pre"ious gifts here present, let us pray to the

Lord.= The prayer "orresponding to this e2hortation is found presently at the end of the preparation of the gifts, before the Liturgy: =O 6od, our 6od, ho have sent forth the heavenlyBread G bless these gifts pla"ed here before you and a""ept 1he+ on your heavenly allar.He+e+ber G those ho brought the offerings and those for ho+ they offered the+G=

?e 0no that before the eighth "entury, the preparation of the gifts as +ade i++ediately before the Eu"haristi" Liturgy began, so+e hat li0e the preparation still +ade by the bishop inthe pontifi"al Mass of today. 5ll the a"tual prayers and "o++e+orations did not e2ist they ereintrodu"ed fro+ the tenth "entury on. Only the prayer for the gifts e2isted, and as re"ited afterthe deposition of the gifts on the altar.The litanyThe te2t of the litany no re"ited after the entran"e ith the gifts is very old it is found alreadyin the ritings of St. John (hrysosto+ and in the 5postoli" (onstitutions. !ts petitions, beginningith, =That this hole day +ay be perfe"t, holy, pea"eful and ithout sin, let us pray to theLord,= are on behalf of the "o++unity present it differs fro+ the litany of pea"e or synapte,here the petitions are for the +ost part universal.

This litany as never re"ited independently, but only as an appendi2 to the synapte. Sin"e thefourth "entury e find it at the end of the +orning and evening servi"es, ;ust as it is no in theByzantine Offi"e. 6enerally, the litany of pea"e as said 0neeling, hile this litany of parti"ularneeds as re"ited standing. The lin0 bet een the t o litanies as the phrase: =)elp and save us,have +er"y on us...,= in hi"h there as usually a +ention to =raise us, O 6od, by your gra"e,=and at that +o+ent the people stood up.

!n the old do"u+ents, this litany ends the hole "elebration it is follo ed only by the final blessing. !ts s"ope as to +a0e the passage fro+ orship to the "on"rete living of the "o+ingday or night. This e2plains hy it as not re"ited in the Liturgy of the ?ord at the end of thesynapte, be"ause the faithful did not go out, but re+ained in the "hur"h. On the "ontrary, it asadded to the litany for the "ate"hu+ens, ho after the bishop@s blessing had to leave the"elebration. This litany, then, does not belong to a Liturgy here only faithful are present.The old entran"e to the san"tuarySu++ing up the ideas e have e2posed, e "an des"ribe the Entran"e to the san"tuary as it as

pra"tised in an"ient ti+es.The Liturgy of the ?ord, up until the end of the =prayer of the faithful,= that is, the synapte orlitany of pea"e, as "elebrated in the nave of the "hur"h the "lergy ere in the "enter, fa"ing thesan"tuary. On"e the litany as finished, the "hoir started the offertory hy+n, no the (herubi")y+n. The bishop and priests ent fro+ the "enter of the "hur"h to the san"tuary, re"iting the

prayer of the Entran"e 1prayer of the pros0o+ide: =O Lord 6od al+ighty, ho alone are holy...=3,hile the dea"ons brought the gifts fro+ the dia0oni0on or side sa"risty here they had been

prepared. The bishop pla"ed the gifts on the altar and re"ited the prayer: =O 6od, our 6od, hohave sent forth the heavenly Bread hi"h as introdu"ed by the dea"on ho said: =*or the

pre"ious gifts here present, let us pray to the Lord.= Then the 5naphora began.

The pea"eToday, after the litany, the priest turns to the people and says: =4ea"e to all,= the introdu"torygreeting to the "ere+ony of pea"e. The dea"on invites the people: =Let us love one another so


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that ith one +ind e +ay profess 1our faith3= and the people ans er: =1!n3 the *ather, Son and)oly Spirit, Trinity, one in substan"e and undivided.=

!n this e2hortation and ans er, e find t o things ;oined together one is the invitation to the0iss of pea"e: =Let us love one another,= as it is found in the +ost an"ient +anus"ripts of theByzantine Liturgy the se"ond part: =So that ith one +ind ...= is of +u"h later addition and

introdu"es the (reed.

The (reed, as is 0no n, is not a pri+itive ele+ent in the Liturgy. The faith, espe"ially the+ystery of the Hede+ption, as e2posed in the 5naphora itself. The (reed or Sy+bol of thefaith is a for+ula to be re"ited by the "ate"hu+en ho as to re"eive Baptis+ this is the reasonhy, being an individual profession of faith, it begins in the singular: =! believe.= The Syria" andSpanish Liturgies, hen the (reed as introdu"ed into the Liturgy, adopted the plural for+: =?e

believe,= +ore adapted to the profession of faith of a "o++unity. The Sy+bol as introdu"edinto the Byzantine Liturgy by 4atriar"h Ti+othy 1'$I '$F3, but the allusion to the (reed in thedia"onal e2hortation to the 0iss of pea"e as added only to ards the eleventh or t elfth "entury.

!n the fourth "entury, the 0iss of pea"e as the seal of every e""lesiasti"al servi"e. !n the Liturgy,it too0 pla"e, at the end of the Liturgy of the ?ord, before the translation of the gifts. The5postoli" (onstitutions, in the eighth boo0, indi"ate this dearly: everyone 0isses his neighbor,the +en the other +en, and the o+en the o+en and then the dea"ons bring the bread andine.T o interpretations of the pea"e!n spite of its pertaining to the end of the Liturgy of the ?ord, (hrysosto+ sa in the 0iss of

pea"e a preparation for the Eu"haristi" Sa"rifi"e. )e +a0es allusion to the passage of St.Matthe 1', I I>3: =So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there re+e+ber that your

brother has so+ething against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go first bere"on"iled ith your brother, and then "o+e and offer your gift.= Thus this se"ondary sense

be"a+e the dire"t preparation for the offering of the 5naphora.

5"tually, the idea of =pea"e= in the Liturgy "an be "on"eived in t o ays. The first ay, that of(hrysosto+, "onsiders the pea"e as a preli+inary "ondition to the a""eptation of our offering by6od. The pea"e does not des"end fro+ the altar to the faithful, through the priest and thedea"ons, but is given a+ong ea"h "ategory of those ho attend the Liturgy: the priests ith the

priests, the dea"ons ith the dea"ons, the faithful ith the faithful. This pea"e has the sense of are"on"iliation ith ea"h one@s neighbor. Su"h is the predo+inant idea of pea"e in the ByzantineLiturgy this separated re"on"iliation a+ong the different "ategories e2plains also hy the pea"ea+ong the faithful disappeared, for there as no distin"t person in "harge of initiating the

"ere+ony.The other "on"ept of pea"e is present in the Ho+an Liturgy. (hrist is our pea"e, )e ?ho hasre"on"iled heaven and earth and +en ith the heavenly *ather. )en"e the pea"e is given after thegifts have been "onse"rated, as a fruit of the e2piation perfor+ed by (hrist. So the "elebrantta0es the pea"e fro+ the altar, trans+its it to the dea"on, and so forth do n to the faithful.The invitation to the (reedToday, the invitation to the (reed is +ade ith a strange phrase: =The doors, the doors $ !nisdo+ let us be attentive != Many thin0 it is be"ause of the sy+bol of faith that is no about to

be re"ited by the faithful, that the doors are to be barred to all non (hristians.

5"tually, the phrase has t o parts of different origin. The first: =The doors, the doorsD= as said before the transfer of the gifts, after the sub dea"ons had gone through the "hur"h "he"0ing tosee that all those previously dis+issed had a"tually left. The doors ere "losed, so that no one


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"ould enter. The fa"t that this ad+onition is pronoun"ed after the pea"e is understandable if e"onsider that the pea"e as the final a"t of the Liturgy of the ?ord, and the "losing of die doorsthe first of the Eu"haristi" Liturgy. Both the ad+onition and the pea"e ere transferred together.

The se"ond part of the phrase: =!n isdo+, let us be attentiveD= appears in older ti+es si+ply as=Let us be attentiveD.= ?hat is the +eaning or rather the liturgi"al purpose of the e2"la+ation

=?isdo+=8

!n the Liturgy it o""urs for the first ti+e hen the dea"on, "arrying the 6ospel at the firstentran"e, says =?isdo+.= So+e +ay thin0 this refers to die ?isdo+ of 6od "ontained in the6ospel, but in the tenth "entury e find it said also before the e"tenes it is also said today at theend of the +orning and evening servi"es, ithout any "onne"tion ith the 6ospel.

Before the pro0ei+enon the dea"on says su""essively: =Let us be attentive,= =?isdo+,= =Let us be attentive,= =?isdo+,= to introdu"e the =4ea"e to all,= the pro0ei+enon, the title of the=5postle= and the reading itself. !t is "lear that in this "ase the purpose is to 0eep alive thefaithful@s attention it is, then, an e9uivalent of =Let us be attentive.= The sa+e +ust be said forits use on other o""asions. 5t the first Entran"e, the dea"on "alls for attention so that the peopleill rise at the entran"e of the patriar"h. =?isdo+= is a beautiful ord, full of bibli"alre+inis"en"es, and it is used to avoid the +onotony of a too fre9uent repetition of =Let us beattentive.=

?e "an "on"lude this se"ond "hapter ith a ord about the aving of the veil over the giftsduring the re"itation of the (reed. This "ere+ony see+s usually to perple2 an O""idental. !n the6ree0 te2t of the Liturgy e find t o rubri"s for this a"tion. The first one says: =The priest,lifting the veil, sha0es it open over the holy 6ifts.= The se"ond one, before the blessing, =Thegra"e of our Lord Jesus (hristG,= rules: =The priest, lifting the veil fro+ the 6ifts, pla"es itaside.= Thus a""ording to the rubri"s, there are t o pla"es here the veil should be lifted.5"tually, sin"e the (reed is not pri+itive in the Liturgy, both rubri"s for the re+oval of the veilare one and the sa+e. !++ediately before beginning the 5naphora, hile the dea"on says thead+onition, =Let us stand arightG,= the priest lifts the veil fro+ the 6ifts. The 0rainians 0eepthis old "usto+ and lift the veil after the (reed. The rubri" of aving the veil is very re"ent anddoes not appear in so+e pla"es until the nineteenth "entury.(on"lusion!n this se"ond se"tion of the Liturgy, fro+ the first Entran"e to the 5naphora, e have seen so+einteresting liturgi"al develop+ents.

One i+portant highlight is the "o++unity as a hole listening to the ?ord of 6od in the first

part of the Liturgy. The platfor+ in the +iddle of the "hur"h, "alled a+bon or be+a, aroundhi"h the people stood, helped to "reate a unity bet een "lergy and the faithful. !n this initial part of the Liturgy there is no re+ar0able differen"e bet een bishop, priest and laity. 5ll need tohear the ?ord of 6od and be purified by it. The Liturgy see+s to point out to us the i+portantlesson that in its initial part, all, regardless of any dignity or ordination re"eived, are e9ual as"on"erns their personal need for instru"tion in the ?ord of 6od, and for purifi"ation, before thea eso+e +ystery of the Eu"haristi" Sa"rifi"e begins. This is the reason hy so+e olddo"u+ents indi"ated that the bishop put on the liturgi"al vest+ents only at the offertory, henthe "lergy advan"e to the altar as "hosen +inisters after this purifi"ation has been attained.

The stage is no set for the sole+n unfolding of the 5naphora or (anon of the Byzantine

Liturgy.4art !!!: 5naphora < Epi"lesis


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The Byzantine Liturgy 5naphora is introdu"ed, as in the Ho+an Hite 1(anon3 and the otherLiturgies, ith a dialogue bet een bishop or priest and people.

Before the dialogue starts, the dea"on ad+onishes the people to stand properly: =Let us standaright, let us stand in a e, let us be attentive to offer the holy oblation in pea"e.= To thisinvitation, the people respond ith a phrase that has "aused so+e +isunderstanding: =Mer"y of

pea"e, sa"rifi"e of praise,= translating literally llie 6ree0 te2t, but hat "ould this +ean8 ?e arehelped by the 5r+enian Liturgy, here e find this translation: =Mer"y, pea"e, sa"rifi"e of

praise.= Those three ter+s are in apposition to the ord =oblation= in the pre"eding phrase of thedea"on thus, the +eaning of the people@s response is: =1The holy oblation hi"h is3 +er"y, 1is3

pea"e, 1is3 sa"rifi"e of praise.=

Then the "elebrant gives a sole+n blessing to the people present: =The gra"e of our Lord Jesus(hrist, the love of 6od the *ather and the "o++union of the )oly Spirit be ith you all,= ta0enfro+ I (or. $ , $ . ?e ill e2plain later the +eaning of these ords, hen dis"ussing the fruitsof (o++union.

5fter the invitation to lift their hearts, the "elebrant e2horts the people to give than0s to the Lord,and the people agree saying: =!t is proper and ;ust.= 5fter this brief response, still used in 6ree0"hur"hes, the follo ing prayer, hi"h begins ith the sa+e ords, as said aloud. Only in laterti+es, hen the prayer be"a+e to be re"ited silently, a phrase as added to the original response,to stret"h the singing throughout the re"itation of the prayer. The phrase as: =G to orship the*ather, the Son and the )oly Spirit, the Trinity, one in substan"e and undivided.= By thisaddition, ho ever, the sense of the response is "hanged, for the thought of orshipping the )olyTrinity repla"es the original sense of giving than0s to the Lord.

-o e "o+e to the a"tual 5naphora. The first prayer, before the San"tus, is "alled in theHo+an Hite the 4refa"e. The liturgi"al +eaning of this ord is a sole+n pro"la+ation,so+ething said aloud before an asse+bly.

The San"tus does not appear in the very old anaphoras, so that the prayer as one hen theSan"tus as added, the single prayer as divided into t o parts. The present prayer before theSan"tus praises and gives than0s to 6od for )is +arvels, for "reation and rede+ption in general.5fter the San"tus, the praise "ontinues espe"ially for the "o+ing of (hrist, and ends by narratingthe institution of the Eu"harist.

!++ediately there follo s the 5na+nesis, or the spe"ifi" "o++e+oration of the +ysteries +ore"losely related to our rede+ption, and the @Epi"lesis, or invo"ation to obtain the des"ent of the

)oly Spirit, hi"h "losed the an"ient type of anaphora.Thus, the 5naphora, hi"h is really one single prayer, has t o parts: the prayer of praise andthan0sgiving for the +arvels of 6od on our behalf, divided into t o se"tions by the San"tus, andthe 5na+nesis Epi"lesis hi"h +ust be "onsidered together. The "o++e+orations of the deadand the living hi"h no follo the Epi"lesis ere added later.The 5naphora of )ippolytus5s an e2a+ple to sho the basi" stru"ture of the old 5naphora, ! ould li0e to 9uote that of theLiturgy of )ippolytus, dating fro+ the third "entury. 5fter the fa+iliar introdu"tory dialogue the

bishop re"ited the hole 5naphora aloud, as a single prayer, ithout interruption. ?e put in thetitles "orresponding to the division adopted above:

=?e render than0s unto you, O 6od, through your beloved "hild Jesus (hrist, ho+ in the lastti+es you did send to us to be a Savior and a redee+er and the Messenger of your "ounsel.


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=)e is your ?ord, inseparable fro+ you, through ho+ you +ade all things and in ho+ /ouere ell pleased.

=)i+ /ou did send fro+ heaven into the #irgin@s o+b, and )e as "on"eived ithin her andas +ade flesh, de+onstrating to be /our Son by being born of the )oly Spirit and a #irgin.

=)e fulfilled /our ill and prepared for /ou a holy people, stret"hed forth )is hands to suffer,that )e +ight release fro+ suffering the+ ho have believed in /ou.

=)e, hen )e as betrayed to voluntary suffering, that )e +ight abolish death and rend the bonds of the devil and tra+ple do n )ell and enlighten the righteous and restore order by )isresurre"tion, ta0ing bread and giving than0s to /ou, said:

=Ta0e, eat, this is My Body, hi"h is bro0en for you for the re+ission of sins.

=Li0e ise, also, the "up, saying:

=This is My Blood, hi"h is shed for you.

=?hen you do this, you do it in My "o++e+oration.

15na+nesis3

=7oing, therefore, the "o++e+oration of )is death and resurre"tion, e offer to /ou the Breadand the (up, giving than0s to /ou be"ause /ou have bidden us to stand before /ou and +inisteras priests to /ou,

1Epi"lesis3

=and e pray /ou that /ou ould send /our )oly Spirit upon the oblation of /our )oly (hur"h,and grant to all ho parta0e to be united, that they +ay be filled ith the )oly Spirit for the"onfir+ation of their faith in truth, that e +ay praise and glorify /ou, through /our beloved(hild, Jesus (hrist, through ho+ glory and honor be unto /ou, ith the )oly Spirit in /our)oly (hur"h, no and forever and orld ithout end. 5+en.=

?e see that the San"tus does not e2ist yet and that the 5na+nesis Epi"lesis is built li0e a singleele+ent.

(hrysosto+@s 5naphora!n (hrysosto+@s 5naphora, the first part starts by "onsidering the hole of salvation: "reation,sin, rede+ption and future eternal life in the Cingdo+ of 6od. Li0e the entire anaphora, it isaddressed to 6od the *ather. ?e also offer our than0s for all the benefits )e has besto ed uponus and for the present Liturgy, that 6od deigns to a""ept fro+ our hands, although )e has inheaven the great Liturgy of all the angels, ho a""lai+ )i+ singing the triu+phal hy+n: =)oly,holy, holyG=

!n the Ho+an Hite, the =)oly, holy...= is attributed to the angels and +en together in theByzantine Liturgy it is des"ribed as the angels@ hy+n only after the San"tus the (hur"h ;oins her voi"e to the heavenly "hoirs. The prayer "ontinues by "onsidering 6od@s love for +an0ind, that

+ade hi+ send his Son in order to a""o+plish the divine plan of salvation hi"h startedi++ediately after Original Sin. 5n indire"t allusion to the Lord@s 4assion introdu"es the narrationof the Last Supper and the institution of the Eu"harist.


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The "o++and!t is s"ar"ely understandable ho the "o++and, =7o this in "o++e+oration of +e,= is not+entioned after the ords about the (hali"e. This is the only 5naphora, a+ong both Orientalsand O""identals, in hi"h su"h ords are +issing. ?e find it naturally in the Liturgy of St. Basil.

On the other hand, the "o++and is re9uired by the te2t of the follo ing 5na+nesis.

=(o++e+orating, therefore, this "o++and of the Savior G and all that as done in our behalfG e offer to /ou G and e i+plore and pray and entreat /ou: send do n /our )oly SpiritG .=

This "o++and, in the singular, "annot be the double one: =Ta0e, eat,= =ta0e, drin0.= Besides, ifthe "o++and referred to these ords, its fulfill+ent ould "onsist in ta0ing the bread and ineand re"eiving the+. So, if the fulfill+ent of the "o++and, a""ording to the 5na+nesis Epi"lesis,"onsists in "o++e+orating, in doing the offering and in as0ing for the "onversion of the giftsinto the Body and Blood of (hrist, the "o++and itself +ust refer to the ords, =7o this in"o++e+oration of +e.=

!n this "o++and, our Savior tells us to "o++e+orate and to do. Therefore, in the 5na+nesisEpi"lesis e find both ele+ents: "o++e+oration and a"tion. The "o++e+oration is "lear thea"tion "onsists in the offering and the epi"leti" as0ing for the Spirit to transfor+ the gifts.The ana+nesis?e noti"e that in the 5na+nesis not only the +ysteries of the 4assion and Hesurre"tion are"o++e+orated, but also the 5s"ension, the sitting at the right of the *ather and the final "o+ingof the Lord. Thus, the hole +ystery of our rede+ption is in"luded, up to the resurre"tion of our

bodies only then ill the rede+ption be "o+plete, for = e ourselves G groan in ardly as eait for adoption as sons, the rede+ption of our bodies= 1Ho+. F, I 3 this rede+ption is ourresurre"tion, the ne"essary "onse9uen"e of (hrist@s resurre"tion, be"ause =if there is noresurre"tion of the dead, then (hrist has not been raised G but in fa"t (hrist has been raisedfro+ the dead ... as in 5da+ all die, so also in (hrist shall all be +ade alive= 1$ (or. $', $ , IA,II3 but it is the Eu"harist that gives us that eternal life: =)e ho eats +y flesh and drin0s +y

blood has eternal life, and ! ill raise hi+ up at the last day= 1Jo. &, '>3.The epi"lesisEarlier in the Liturgy, e have already seen so+e allusions to the Epi"lesis in the prayer beforethe (reed 1prayer of the pros0o+ide or preparation of the 6ifts3: =G that the good Spirit of /ourgra"e +ay rest upon us, upon these gifts here present and upon all your people.=

!n this prayer, the des"ent of the )oly Spirit is spo0en of as a future event in the Epi"lesis, thee2pli"it petition is +ade to the heavenly *ather: =G send do n your )oly Spirit upon us and

upon these gifts lying before us, and +a0e this bread the pre"ious Body of /our (hrist, and thathi"h is in this "hali"e, the pre"ious Blood of /our (hrist, "hanging the+ by your )oly Spirit.=

?estern theology holds that the "onse"ration o""urs hen the ords of !nstitution are pronoun"ed in the Mass. -o doubt it so happens in the Ho+an Liturgy, but is it ne"essary that"onse"ration ta0es pla"e al ays through su"h ords8The "onse"ration of the Last Supper?e +ust first of all "onsider hether Our Lord "onse"rated ith the present ords of !nstitution.!f )e "onse"rated ith these ords, @Ta0e, eat, this is +y Body,= and )e anted us to do thesa+e, there ould be no possibility of "hange.

!n the Synopti" 6ospel te2ts 1Matt. I&, I& I% Mar0 $>, II I' Lu0e II, $% IA3 along ith4aul@s a""ount in ! (or. $$, I I&, e find three verbs repeated: (hrist pronoun"ed the blessing


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1or gave than0s3, bro0e, gave. 5round these three a"tions of (hrist in the Last Supper the Eu"haristi" part of all the Liturgies is built.

The blessing a"tion as by +eans of a pronoun"ed prayer of blessing and than0sgiving hi"h,a""ording to the Je ish usage, began: =Blessed are /ou, Lord our 6od, Eternal Cing.= To this"orresponds our (anon or 5naphora. The verb bro0e +eans the fra"tion of the bread gave refers

to (o++union. So in every Liturgy e find the three a"tions: the (anon or 5naphora, then the*ra"tion, finally the (o++union.

!f the early (hristians had understood that Our Lord had "onse"rated after the fra"tion, that is,after =)e bro0e,= every (hristian Liturgy ould have the (onse"ration after the *ra"tion,

be"ause the Eu"harisli" Liturgy as built to i+itate the a"tions of Our Lord in the Last Supper.But there is no (hristian Liturgy, neither Eastern nor ?estern, that has the (onse"ration after the*ra"tion. The pri+itive (hur"h thought that the ords, =Ta0e, eat, this is +y Body,= pronoun"edafter the brea0ing of the bread, hen )e gave it to the 5postles, ere +eant for the distributionof (o++union.

5"tually, these ords are si+ilar to any for+ula for distributing (o++union, as, for instan"e,the (atholi" priest says: =The Body of (hrist.= (hrist )i+self had naturally to say: =This is MyBody.=

This is "onfir+ed by Mar0@s 6ospel, spea0ing about the (hali"e: =)e too0 a "up, and hen )ehad given than0s )e gave it to the+, and they all dran0 of it. 5nd )e said to the+, @This is MyBlood of the "ovenant hi"h is poured out for +any@.= !t is "ertainly i+possible that (hrist usedthese last ords to "onse"rate, after the 5postles had already drun0 of the "hali"e. 5nd even ife ad+it that Mar0@s reda"tion of the s"ene "ould have rearranged the order of the events e+ust at least ad+it that the Evangelist, ho reda"ted the passage, did not intend to "onvey to thereaders that the ords, =This is My Blood,= ere "onse"ratory.

!n the histori"al fra+e or0 hi"h designates the events of the Last Supper, the ByzantineLiturgy says: =On the night hen )e as to be betrayed, or rather, hen )e as to surrender)i+self for the life of the orld, )e too0 bread into )is holy and pure and i++a"ulate hands,gave than0s and said the blessing, "onse"rated, bro0e and gave to )is holy 7is"iples and5postles, saying: Ta0e, eat,G@= !n the histori"al narration the "onse"ratory a"tion is pla"ed

before the *ra"tion. Thus the Liturgy e2pli"itly asserts that the (onse"ration loo0 pla"e in theLast Supper before the *ra"tion. This ord, agiasas, +eaning "onse"rated or san"tified, asadopted by the Liturgy of St. John (hrysosto+ fro+ the 5naphora of St. Basil. ?e find it also inall the Syrian anaphoras.

The pla"ing of the "onse"ration before the fra"tion at the Last Supper is not e2"lusively anEastern tradition, but is also found in the ?est. So, 6audentius of Bres"ia 1". >AA 5. 7.3 in hisse"ond ho+ily on the boo0 of E2odus 14L IA, F'F %3 says: =*or hen )e 1(hrist3 offered the"onse"rated bread and ine to )is dis"iples, )e said thus: This is My Body, this is My Blood@.=

Su"h belief is found even in the Middle 5ges. 4ope !nno"ent !!! 1$I $ th "enturies3, in histreatise, 7e Sa"ro 5ltaris Mysterio 1lib. >, "h. & 4L I$ , F'%3, fully agrees ith those ho in hisepo"h thought that (hrist had "onse"rated before the fra"tion, be"ause, as he says, =it isunthin0able that )e ould have given 1the bread3 before having "onse"rated.= )e, ho ever,sustains the opinion that (hrist ith the ords, =This is +y Body,= e2pressed the for+ula for the

future "onse"rations.


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Thus e "an safely "on"lude that in the Last Supper, the ords of @!nstitution belonged to(o++union, not to the (onse"ration.The "onse"ration in the liturgy5nother 9uestion "o+pletely different is: =By hat ords is the (onse"ration effe"ted today inthe Liturgy8= !f the ords of !nstitution ere not +eant by (hrist for (onse"ration, the early(hur"h "ould deter+ine hi"h ords ere going to effe"t it. So the O""idental (hur"h, for

+any "enturies, has appointed the ords of !nstitution as "onse"ratory ords, and there is nodoubt that it is through the+ that the Latin priest "onse"rates.

But hat about the Eastern Liturgies8 The (atholi" (hur"h has never denied the validity of theOrthodo2 Liturgy, and e have re"ently seen, in the +eeting of 4ope 4aul #! and 5th"nagoras !,that the 4ope presented the 6ree0 4atriar"h ith a "hali"e for the Eu"haristi" (elebration. ButHo+e, hile she re"ognizes the validity of the 6ree0 Eu"harist, 0no s that the 6ree0s "onsiderthe ords of institution as a part of the histori"al narration and the Epi"lesis as effe"ting the"onse"ration so, pra"ti"ally, Ho+e a""epts the possibility of a "onse"ratory Epi"lesis.

On the other hand, no ?estern theologian "an be naive enough to ob;e"t that the 6ree0s validly"onse"rate be"ause they a"tually do say the ords of !nstitution. 5 hu+an a"tion su"h as"onse"ration in the Liturgy depends not only on the ords, but at the sa+e ti+e on the intentionof the "elebrant. !f the Orthodo2, a""ording to an old tradition, ant to "onse"rate ith theEpi"lesis, and the Ho+an (hur"h a"0no ledges the validity of their Liturgy, Ho+e +ust be alsoapproving of their ay of "onse"ration.

5 part at least of the patristi" tradition held the "onse"ratory for"e of the Epi"lesis, seeing at thesa+e ti+e in our Lord@s ords, at the !nstitution, the pri+ary sour"e of the "onse"rating po er.

5+ong the +any available te2ts, e "an 9uote (hrysosto+@s treatise on the priesthood 1#!, >46 >F, &F$3: =But hen 1the priest3 "alls for the )oly Spirit and perfor+s that dread sa"rifi"e,and 0eeps on tou"hing the "o++on Master of all, tell +e, ho shall e ran0 hi+8= 5nd in thesa+e treatise, "o+paring the priest ith Elias the prophet, he says: =The priest stands, bringingdo n not fire, but the )oly Spirit= 1!!!, >3.

Before (hrysosto+, (yril of Jerusale+ says in his "ate"hesis 1I , 46 I, $$$&3: =?e "allupon 6od the lover of +an0ind to send forth )is )oly Spirit upon the gifts lying before )i+:that )e +ay +a0e the bread the Body of (hrist, and the ine the Blood of (hrist for hatsoever the )oly Spirit has tou"hed is san"tified and "hanged.=

!n the sa+e fourth "entury, St. 5+brose of Milan thought that the "onse"ration happens through

the ords of !nstitution. So e see that the different (hur"hes, being in union ith ea"h other,used different for+ulas for "onse"ration all those usages ere "onsidered as legiti+ate.

The differen"e of opinions "ontinued in the follo ing "enturies. )en"e, 4ope 6elasius 1>%I %&3:=)o ill the heavenly Spirit hen invo0ed "o+e for the "onse"ration of the divine +ystery, ifthe priest ho i+plores )i+ to be present be re;e"ted as full of "ri+inal deeds8= This passagesho s the e2isten"e of an epi"lesis in the Ho+an Mass at the ti+e, and that it as "onsidered as"onse"ratory.

St. John of 7a+as"us, ho died about &A, follo ing the do"trine of St. John (hrysosto+ saysin his treatise on the Orthodo2 *aith 146 %>, $$>'3: =The bread of the prothesis 1preparation3 and

the ine and ater, are supernaturally "hanged into the Body and Blood of (hrist, through theEpi"lesis and the "o+ing do n of the )oly Spirit.=


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Still a+ong the ?estern *athers, St. !sidore of Seville, "o++enting on the Mozarabi" Mass,rote this ay 14L F , 'I ' 3 about the prayer follo ing the ords of the !nstitution, in hi"hthe Epi"lesis is "ontained: =The si2th prayer follo s after this, the @"onfor+ation@ of thesa"ra+ent, that the oblation hi"h is offered to 6od, having been hallo ed by the )oly Spirit,+ay be @"onfor+ed@ to the Body and Blood of (hrist.= 5nd farther on, he says 1ibid. ''3: =Thesethen are visible things, yet hen hallo ed by the )oly Spirit they pass into the Sa"ra+ent of the

divine Body.=

This differen"e of opinion still holds bet een the (atholi" and the Orthodo2 (hur"hes, the(atholi" asserting their "onse"ration to ta0e pla"e at the ords of the !nstitution, the Orthodo2on their side, at the Epi"lesis. 7o these t o positions e2"lude ea"h other8 The latestdevelop+ents in the relations bet een the t o (hur"hes sho rather, as e said before, ana""eptan"e on this point of ea"h other@s position. So, by ay of fa"t, it see+s that a solution isgiven to the old "ontroversy, ea"h (hur"h respe"ting the freedo+ and the authority of the otherto deter+ine the sa"ra+ental ords.

This point reveals in itself a different nuan"e of religious psy"hology bet een the Eastern andthe ?estern +ind. !n the ?estern sa"ra+ental for+ulas the person of the priest appears in theforeground: =! baptize you,= =! "onfir+ you,= =! absolve you,= =This is +y Body = in all of the+there appears an identifi"ation of the priest ith (hrist. The Eastern priest never assu+es su"h a

pla"e, and his presen"e, though ne"essary, is not e2pressed in the ords: @The servant of 6od is baptized,= he says in Baptis+ =The 6ift of the )oly Spirit,= in (onfir+ation =May 6od forgiveyour sins,= in (onfession.

Si+ilarly, in the Eu"harist, a""ording to the sa+e spirituality, the priest, the 9ualified +ediator bet een 6od and the people, as0s 6od to send )is Spirit and perfor+ the "hange of the breadand ine into the Body and Blood of (hrist the priest 0no s that, in virtue of his ordination, his

prayer ill have infallible effe"t.

Thus in "on"lusion e see that the 9uestion of the Epi"lesis and the e2a"t +o+ent of"onse"ration is not a real, theologi"al proble+. The tea"hing (hur"h has the po er ithin "ertainli+its to spe"ify the ords and gestures that "onstitute the for+ of a sa"ra+ent. She has done soon +any o""asions the last one as the deter+ination by 4ope 4ius !! that the only gesturene"essary for valid priestly ordination as the i+position of hands by the ordaining bishop, evenif in for+er ti+es +any thought that the trans+ission of the instru+ents to the ordinandi asne"essary for validity.The "o++e+orations of dead and livingToday, the 5naphora "ontains as an appendi2 t o +e+entos, or a "o++e+oration of the dead

and the living.!n the first one, a+ong the dead the first re+e+bered are the saints. The +e+ento is built as a

prayer in their favor. But, e +ight as0, hy do e pray for the saints that have already enteredinto heaven8 )o "an our prayers help the+8

T o old 6ree0 "o++entators of the Liturgy have tried to solve the theologi"al proble+.Theodore of 5ndida 1 ! "entury3 "ould not see a solution to the diffi"ulty unless e suppose thatthe priest is here spea0ing in the na+e of (hrist )i+self and identifying this liturgi"al"elebration ith the sa"rifi"e of the (ross. !t is "ertain that all san"tity "o+es fro+ (hrist@ssa"rifi"e )e offered it to the eternal *ather for all +an0ind, but so+e persons have parta0en

+ore fully of the fruits of (hrist@s rede+ption, so as to be"o+e favorites of 6od and +odels ofthe (hristian life su"h are the saints, and in the first pla"e Mary, (hrist@s Mother. !n this ay,


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(hrist "ould offer his sa"rifi"e first of all for those ho ould be the +ost sele"ted fruits of )isrede+ption.

!n the fourteenth "entury, -i"holas (abasilas offers this e2planation. Eu"haristi" Sa"rifi"e +eansa sa"rifi"e of than0sgiving one of its ai+s is to than0 6od. So e "an offer this sa"rifi"e for thesaints, in the sense of giving than0s to 6od for the saints )e has given us.

The "o++e+oration of the saints is very an"ient, and e thin0 that the original theology"ontained in it as very different. !n early ti+es, the )oly *athers thought that eternal life asnot fully obtained until the resurre"tion of the dead. Even the souls of saints did not arrive in)eaven before the final resurre"tion, but re+ained in a pla"e often "alled 4aradise, here theyen;oyed in"o+plete beatitude. The prayer in the Liturgy had probably the sense of as0ing 6od togive the+ the final resurre"tion and full happiness. This "on"eption, ho ever, is so+ehoobsolete in our day, as it as already in Theodore of 5ndida@s or in -i"holas (abasilas@ ti+e. Soany of these authors@ interpretations "ould be a""eptable in our day.

Su"h evolution in es"hatologi"al ideas too0 pla"e also in the ?estern= (hur"h. There is forinstan"e the antiphon, =May the 5ngels bring you to 4aradise,= used in Ho+an funerals, but this

paradise is probably not )eaven, be"ause later on in the sa+e antiphon die te2t follo s: =5nd+ay you have eternal rest ith Lazarus, the poor +an,= ho a""ording to the 6ospel, as in the

boso+ of 5braha+, not in )eaven.Stru"ture of the "o++e+orations)aving e2posed the theologi"al proble+, let us loo0 at the stru"ture of these "o++e+orations.The first one, for die saints and dead, has three parts: the general enu+eration of "ategories,ithout proper na+es the e2pli"it "o++e+oration of so+e saints, beginning ith Our Ladyand the variable "o++e+oration of the dead.

!n the first part, e find no ten "ategories of saints: forefathers, fadiers, patriar"hs, prophets,apostles, prea"hers, evangelists, +artyrs, "onfessors, as"eti"s. 5"tually, the "ategory=forefathers= is an addition that does not appear in the old +anus"ripts so the "ategories arenine, parallel to the nine hierar"hies of angels.

5fter the se"ond part, here the Blessed #irgin, St. John the Baptist, the 5postles and the saintof the day are "o++e+orated, the dea"on used to read aloud the na+es of the departed

belonging to the "o++unity fro+ die dipty"hs of the dead that for+ the variable part of the+e+ento. 7uring the "o++e+oration, the priest first, and then the dea"on ta0es the "enser andin"enses the sa"red table. The in""nsation at this pla"e is not done in honor of the )olySa"ra+ent, nor e2"lusively of Our Lady, but for all the dead. !n"ense represents the prayers of

the saints, a""ording to 5po"alypse F, and at the sa+e li+e has a propitiatory sense that is hereapplied for the departed souls.

The "o++e+oration of the living has also three parts: enu+eration of the different "ategoriese2pli"it "o++e+oration of the e""lesiasti"al authority and one variable group of those ho

belong to the "o++unity and find the+selves in so+e diffi"ult trial, su"h as the si"0.

The third part or variable "o++e+oration of the living as +ade by die dea"on out of thedipty"hs, and finished by die phrase, =5nd for all +en and o+en,= hi"h as repeated by the"hoir.

?e +ay no su++arize the 5naphora in a fe ords. The first part, after die dialogue, is dieEu"haristi" prayer and "ontains praise, blessing to 6od, and than0sgiving for )is benefits. This prayer is interrupted by the San"tus and ends ith die institution of the Eu"harist.


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Then "o+es the e""lesiasti"al a"tion, hi"h is bound to the pre"eding prayer "arrying out theSavior@s "o++and, =7o this in "o++e+oration of Me.= !n it, the (hur"h +a0es +e+ory of the+ysteries of the Hede+ption, offers the gifts to 6od and as0s )i+ to transfor+ the+ by )is)oly Spirit, BO that all ho re"eive the+ +ay also re"eive the re+ission of sins and be united

by die )oly Spirit into a uni9ue body


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ith you all.= ?e have already referred to this passage as the sour"e of the sole+n greeting thatintrodu"es the 5naphora.

!t should be noted that the genitive "ase "an have a sub;e"tive or an ob;e"tive sense. The Englishords, the love of 6od, "an +ean either that love that 6od has for us 16od being the sub;e"t3 orthe love that e have for 6od 16od being the ob;e"t3. !n 4aul@s phrase the genitive is sub;e"tive

so that the )oly Spirit is the effi"ient "ause of the "o++union the sense ould be elle2pressed by the paraphrase the "o++union effe"ted by the )oly Spirit. !f e ant a "on"isetranslation, perhaps the best one ould be the "o++union in the )oly Spirit, as e rote above.The sense of ="o++union=Both St. 4aul and St. John use the 6ree0 ord 0oinonia in the sense of inti+ate union, hi"h etranslate by "o++union.

St. John, in his *irst Epistle 1$, 3, says: =That hi"h e have seen an heard e pro"lai+ also toyou, so that you +ay have fello ship 10oinonia3 ith us and our fello ship 10oinonia3 is iththe *ather and ith )is So Jesus (hrist.= So the (hristians, by their union ith the 5postles, illobtain union ith 6od, *ather and Son, through the a"tion of the )oi Spirit, as St. 4aul e2pli"itlysays.

This union ith 6od is a"hieved, a""ording to St. 4aul, by ay of filial adoption: =?hen theti+e had fully "o+e, 6od sent forth his Son born of o+an, born under the la ... so that e+ight re"eive adoption as sons= 16al. >, > &3. 5nd it is the infusion of the )oly Spirit that +a0esus sons of 6od and brothers of (hrist: =5ll ho are led by the Spirit of 6od are sons of 6od Ghen e "ry, @5bbaD *ather,@ it is the Spirit )i+self bearing itness ith our spirit that e are"hildren of 6od, and if "hildren, then heirs, heirs of 6od and fello heirs ith (hrist= 1Ho+. F,$> $ 3.

The )oly Spirit that +a0es us sons of 6od is sent to the (hur"h by (hrist, risen fro+ the deadand glorified. )e is the 6iver of the Spirit, but it is the resurre"ted (hrist e re"eive in theEu"harist, and the per+anent gift )e pours into us is pre"isely the )oly Spirit.

To signify that e re"eive the risen (hrist, the (hur"h, in all the Liturgies, instituted a spe"ial"ere+ony before )oly (o++union, the "o++ingling of the spe"ies of the bread, the Body of(hrist, ith the spe"ies of the ine, the Blood of (hrist, sy+bol of life. 5s the separation of

bread and ine served as a sy+bol of the Lord@s death, so their +ingling is a sy+bol of )isresurre"tion. The Byzantine priest uses this for+ula hen he puts the parti"le of "onse"rated

bread into the "hali"e: =The fullness of the )oly Spirit= for it is be"ause of the fullness of theSpirit that d ells in )i+, that (hrist be"a+e a life giving spirit 1! (or. $', >'3.

The Byzantine Liturgy added a ne "ere+ony to the ordinary +ingling, to stress the presen"e ofthe risen (hrist in the Eu"harist: e +ean the +ingling of hot ater ith the "onse"rated ine.The priest blesses the boiling ater by saying: =Blessed is the ar+th of your holy 16ifts3.= Thear+th "an be either the sy+bol of life or that of the )oly Spirit, +eant in St. John@s 6ospel bythe living ater possibly both signifi"ations are intended: life given by the )oly Spirit.

4utting in order the different aspe"ts e "onsidered, e "an say that in )oly (o++union ere"eive the resurre"ted (hrist, the 6iver of the Spirit )e infused in us again )is )oly Spiritho, +a0ing al ays deeper our divine adoption, unites us +ore and +ore inti+ately to 6od our*ather, to (hrist our (hief and Brother, and to all those ho li0e us are sons of 6od )e

a""o+plishes the unity of the faithful, ho be"o+e a single body, the (hur"h, the Cingdo+ of6od in this orld, hose bond is divine love, infused in our hearts by the Spirit.


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The instru+ental role of the priesthood in this des"ent of the )oly Spirit is put in eviden"e by the prayer of the offering: =G that the good Spirit of /our gra"e +ay rest upon us 1the "elebrants3,upon these gifts here present and upon all /our people.= There are not three independentdes"ents, but one the )oly Spirit des"ends into the 6ifts through the bishops and priests, ho bytheir ordination possess a spe"ial plenitude of the Spirit, and by parta0ing of the gifts, upon the

people. So, the "elebrants re"eive, e "an say, t o effusions of the Spirit: the first effusion, a

+inisterial one, for the "onse"ration of the 6ifts the se"ond, as all the faithful, for the="o++union in the Spirit= ith 6od and +en. But even if in the first effusion, the Spirit does notdes"end for the sa0e of the individual priest, but for the hole (hur"h, nobody, ho ever, oulddeny that this passing through of the Spirit ould produ"e fruits of san"tity in the priest.

The other fruits of the Eu"harist enu+erated in the Epi"lesis are only adu+brations of the "entralfruit: =the union in the )oly Spirit,= as also the =fullness of the Cingdo+.= !n the present 6ree0te2t the ords are: =the fullness of the heavenly Cingdo+,= but the ord heavenly does notappear in the old +anus"ripts. !n fa"t, if the prayer is as0ing for a fruit of the present Eu"harist,fruit that should be obtained by re"eiving the Body and Blood of (hrist, it is "lear that this fruit"annot be the fullness of the heavenly Cingdo+, hi"h ill ta0e pla"e only at the end of ti+e.The petition about the heavenly Cingdo+ is found in the prayer before the Our *ather, in a futurefor+: =die inheritan"e of the heavenly Cingdo+,= hose to0en is the Eu"harist. This being so,hat is the +eaning of the petition, =the fullness of the Cingdo+8= The Cingdo+ here, hi"h"annot be dire"tly and in the first pla"e the Cingdo+ of heaven, +ust be the (hur"h itself, a+anifestation of the Cingdo+ of 6od in this orld. ?e as0, therefore, to be penetrated anddeeply rooted in the life of the (hur"h (o++unity, so that e +ay parti"ipate +ore fully in itslife and a"tivity. Our fraternal love, the union in the )oly Spirit, is first +anifested in a fully

parti"ipated life in the (hristian "o++unity. This e""lesiasti"al fraternity and "ooperation is the pledge of the future hope and right to the inheritan"e of the heavenly Cingdo+.

The last +entioned fruit of the Eu"harist is =for assuran"e in /our presen"e,= a""ording to the+eaning of the 6ree0 ord parrhesia. The ord +eans a"tually freedo+ fro+ fear. !t appears inthe 5"ts of the 5postles, for instan"e, hen 4eter and John return to the little (hristian"o++unity to narrate hat the "hief priests and elders had said during their trial the "o++unity

prays to 6od that the 5postles +ay = ith all "onfiden"e= prea"h the ?ord of 6od 1+eta parrhesias 5"ts >, I%3. This (hristian attitude of assuran"e is the natural "onse9uen"e of ourfilial adoption. The )oly Spirit tea"hes us to "all 6od =5bba,= *ather e live in )is house, the(hur"h, and e are heirs of his Cingdo+. ?e 0no 6od so loved this orld that )e gave )isonly Son, so that e "ould through faith, es"ape perdition and obtain eternal life. Thus, ithoutany fear, e trust "o+pletely in )is paternal love for us.

The last petition of the series, =5nd not for ;udg+ent or "onde+nation,= if sub;e"ted to logi"alanalysis, see+s to have its proper pla"e no here, but in the prayer before the Our *ather, here itis repeated Obviously, the a"tual des"ent of the )oly Spirit upon the 6ifts "annot be a sour"e of"onde+nation


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"o++e+orations. The ord saints is probably understood here in the ar"hai" sense of all the(hristians, alluding to both "o++e+orations of the dead and of the living.

The t o follo ing e2hortations are really one: =*or the pre"ious 6ifts that have been offered and"onse"rated, let us pray to the Lord, that our 6od, the Lover of +an0ind G +ay send do n uponus in return )is divine gra"e and the 6ift of the )oly Spirit.@ )ere e find an old +anner of

building litany petitions, "o+posed of three parts: firstly, the intention 1=*or the pre"ious 6iftsG=3 se"ondly, the e2hortation 1@=let us pray to the Lord=3 and thirdly, the purpose 1=that our6od G the 6ift of the )oly Spirit=3. !n the third part is +entioned again the 6ift of the )olySpirit, that is, the )oly Spirit, 6ift of 6od, as the fruit of the Eu"harist.

5ll the other petitions of the litany are ta0en fro+ the synapte or the attests 1prayer petition3 anddo not belong to this pla"e. The only original e2hortation is the last one, hi"h ends the litanyand introdu"es the prayers =5s0ing for unity in faith and "o++union in the )oly Spirit, let us"o+ +end ourselves and one another and our hole life to (hrist our 6od.= This part of theLiturgy, preparatory to )oly (o++union, insists +ore and +ore on the +otive of unity: here eare e2horted to as0 for a double unity


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infli"ted on us. The Eu"harist ill not produ"e its fruit unless e forgive beforehand everyoffense. ?e thin0 these t o petitions of the Our *ather have been the +otive hy it has beenintrodu"ed in all the Liturgies and pre"isely as an ele+ent of the preparation for )oly(o++union. !t is a prayer that for"es us to forgive others and to repent of our sins, in order to

benefit fro+ the fruits of the Eu"harist e are going to re"eive. So the Our *ather is the "enter of a penitential a"t before )oly (o++union.

The do2ology at the end of the Our *ather, though it does not belong to the "riti"al te2t of the6ospels, is found in the 7ida"he< ithout the Trinitarian interpolation


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So the +eaning of the petition "ontained in the troparion ould be to be 0ept in that holinesshi"h 6od has "o++uni"ated to us through the sa"ra+ent, and to persevere in a spirit of hu+blegratitude, 0no ing that e do not deserve su"h a gra"e.

!n the prayer of than0sgivin

the evolution of the byzantine liturgy_juan mateos

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