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 brakah of the Passover and other Jewish religious meals.
Introduction
Originally the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Faithful were two separate services. By the fourth century, the two services had been combined. This is possibly due to the influence of the church in Jerusalem where, according to the pilgrim Egeria, the people gathered at Golgotha for the Liturgy of the Word and processed to the tomb of Christ for the Liturgy of the Faithful. Since other communities had only one church building, they imitated the church of Jerusalem by celebrating both services in the same place.
The Byzantine liturgy belongs to the West Syrian family of liturgies and is related to the third-century Apostolic Tradition, the fourth-century service found in Book VIII of The Apostolic Constitutions, and the Liturgy of St. James in use in Jerusalem by the fifth century. Although its roots are in Antioch, it reached its final form in Constantinople, the capital of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. The great influence of the imperial city eventually led all churches of the East that adhered to the Council of Chalcedon to conform to its liturgical usage. In 1194 Theodore Balsamon, the Patriarch of Antioch and noted expert on canon law, declared that all Orthodox must follow the liturgical traditions of Constantinople. Today all but a few Western Rite Eastern Orthodox, as well as several groups of Eastern Rite Roman Catholics, follow the Byzantine liturgy. Since the liturgy of the Eastern church underwent only a few changes following the ninth century, much of the commentary below also applies to the contemporary eucharistic service of the Orthodox church.
By the end of the fourth century, the imperial church used two anaphoras, or prayers of consecration, the central prayer of the liturgy. One bore the name of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople (398–404), the other that of St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea (370–379). Although some scholars have questioned this tradition, contemporary scholarship leans toward the opinion that both played a major role in compiling the texts attributed to them. It is probable that St. Gregory of Nazianzus introduced the liturgy of Cappadocia as revised by St. Basil, his close friend when he became Bishop of Constantinople in 380. It is also likely that St. John Chrysostom revised the liturgy of Antioch, his home, for use in Constantinople when he became its Bishop in 398. During the ninth century, the church of Constantinople used the Liturgy of St. Basil on most Sundays, reserving the shorter Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for weekday celebrations. Thus our commentary will focus on the Liturgy of St. Basil.
Although it is possible to reconstruct the eucharistic service of Constantinople from the homilies of St. John Chrysostom or the seventh century Mystagogia of St. Maximus the Confessor, the Barberini Codex contains the earliest text of the Byzantine liturgy. Written in southern Italy between 788 and 789, this important document contains the text of the Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, and several other services. Unfortunately, the Barberini Codex only contains the prayers of the celebrant and omits the rubrics, litanies, antiphons, and other hymns. However, with the help of other sources such as a commentary on the liturgy written by St. Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople between 715 and 730, it is possible to obtain a fairly close picture of the Divine Liturgy as celebrated in the imperial church during the ninth century.
The major theme of the Byzantine liturgy is the entrance of the faithful into the kingdom of God. The clergy and faithful also considered the liturgy a sacrifice or offering. As the principal act of worship of the church, it was a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. It was also the offering of bread and wine as symbols of the offering of creation to God by a grateful people. The believers of ancient Byzantium also considered the Eucharist a remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ. Finally, the faithful offered themselves to God by their participation in the liturgy.
The biblical accounts of the worship of heaven contained in the sixth chapter of Isaiah and the book of Revelation had a great influence on the development of Byzantine worship, which conscientiously imitated the worship of heaven. The building itself became an image of heaven. The robes of the clergy became images of the robes worn by the elders or presbyters during heavenly worship as portrayed in Revelation. Since both Isaiah and Revelation mention incense, it played a prominent role in Byzantine worship as a symbol of the sweetness of the kingdom of God and of the prayers of the saints ascending to heaven.
Just as the worship of Judaism and biblical texts describing worship in heaven greatly influenced the worship of the early church, the architecture of the biblical temple and synagogue also played a major role in the development of ecclesiastical architecture in the Eastern church. The earliest church buildings in Syria contain the same arrangement as the temple and synagogue. The area for the reading of the Scriptures became the pulpit or ambon. The seat of Moses evolved into the throne for the bishop. The Holy of Holies that contained the Ark of the Covenant in the temple and the scrolls of the Law in the synagogue became the sanctuary containing the altar or Holy Table. Significantly, Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians refer to the sanctuary as the Heikel, from the Hebrew word for the Holy of Holies. In Constantinople, ecclesiastical architecture reached its highest development in Hagia Sophia, the Church of the Holy Wisdom, built by Emperor Justinian in the sixth century. A vast domed structure, the Church of Holy Wisdom set the pattern for all subsequent churches in the Eastern church. There were no pews, only a few seats for the elderly and infirm, as the faithful stood during the service, the men divided from the women. A large platform, the ambon, for the reading of the Scriptures, stood at the center of the nave. At the eastern end of the cathedral, a waist-high barrier with three doors, the ancestor of the modern iconostasis, separated the sanctuary from the nave. A path, the bema, also separated from the nave by waist-high barriers, led between the ambon and the sanctuary. A marble table, the altar or Holy Table, stood at the center of the sanctuary, which ended in an apse containing a series of semicircular steps, the synthronon, which provided seating for the clergy during readings and sermons. A circular building, the skeuophylakion, or sacristy, stood northeast of the main church.
Believers in ancient Byzantium considered the church building an image or icon of the kingdom of God. The dome represented the vault of the heavens. The image of Christ the Almighty, or Pantocrator, in the dome symbolized Christ ruling over the universe, especially his church, an image of the kingdom of God. The mosaics and paintings portrayed the saints and the entire company of heaven, which mystically joined the faithful for the celebration of the Eucharist, the banquet of the kingdom of God. The barrier between the nave and the sanctuary symbolized the mystery of the Eucharist and the division between heaven and earth. The Holy Table at the center of the sanctuary, which represented heaven, was an image of the throne of God.
The bishop, or patriarch who presided over the Eucharist, symbolized Christ, the true minister of the sacrament. The priests symbolized the twelve apostles, and the deacons and altar servers, the angels of heaven. Originally the clergy wore formal attire of a gentleman of the fourth century. However, as styles changed, they continued to dress in the traditional manner for services, leading to the development of specialized vestments. By the ninth century, the robes of the clergy had gained symbolic meaning. The bishop and priests wore an inner gown, the sticharion, symbolizing the robe of baptism. Over it they wore a stole, the epitrachelion, with both ends fastened together with a hole for the head, signifying the robe of Aaron and the cloth by which Christ was tied as he was taken to the cross. The large cape-like vestment, the phelonion, symbolized the cross carried by Christ to his Passion. On this, as a symbol of his role as chief shepherd, the bishop wore a large woolen stole, the omophorion, wrapped over his neck as a shepherd would wrap a wounded lamb around his neck as he carried it to safety. Deacons wore the sticharion with a thin stole, the orarion, which symbolized the wings of angels. Thus the celebrant, whether patriarch, bishop, or priest, symbolized Christ standing before the throne of God, while the deacons symbolized the angels who act as messengers between heaven and earth.
By the ninth century, commentators began to interpret the liturgy as an icon in words and action of the mystery of salvation through Christ. St. Maximus the Confessor in the seventh century and St. Germanus built on earlier works by St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315–386) the Pseudo-Dionysius in the fifth or sixth century, and Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350–427), to interpret every part of the service as an image of some aspect of the saving activity of Christ. As a result of their veneration of pictorial icons as a manifestation of the presence of Christ or the saint on the icon, the believers saw the liturgy as a means to transcend time and space to enter the kingdom of heaven and the presence of the saving acts of Christ. When they entered the church, they mystically left the sinful world and entered the presence of God in heaven. When they kissed the Gospel Book, it was as if they had kissed Christ himself. When they touched the robes of the clergy during the Great Entrance, it was as if they had touched the seamless robe of the Savior. Thus, although we use the word “symbol” in English, it should be understood that to the clergy and faithful of ancient Constantinople, a symbol was not something unreal, but an image through which ultimate reality could be perceived.
Meanwhile, an emphasis on mystery spread from Syria to Constantinople. Curtains in the ancient Syrian churches hid the high points of the service from the eyes of the people, to show the sacred and mysterious nature of the Eucharist. Although there apparently was no curtain in Constantinople during the ninth century, this stress on mystery led the clergy to say many prayers of the service in a low voice. By the fourteenth century, this practice would lead to the expansion of the barrier between the sanctuary and the nave into the modern iconostasis. As a result, the deacon assumed an important role as a bridge between the faithful and the mystery taking place at the altar by standing outside the sanctuary as he called the faithful to pay attention during important parts of the service and led them in a series of hymns and litanies while the celebrant said the prayers inside the sanctuary.
By the ninth century, the Divine Liturgy consisted of several sections. These were
I. The Rite of Preparation
II. The Liturgy of the Word or Synaxis
a. The Antiphons
b. The Entrance of the clergy
c. The Readings
d. The Dismissal of the catechumens
III. The Liturgy of the Faithful
a. The Prayers of the faithful
b. The Great Entrance
c. The Kiss of Peace and Creed
d. The Anaphora
e. The Lord’s Prayer and Communion
f. The Final Prayers and Dismissal
The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil
The text below is a reconstruction of the Liturgy of St. Basil as celebrated in Constantinople in the ninth century. Since the ancient texts and commentaries are incomplete, some parts of the contemporary Orthodox liturgy are included although they are not found in ninth-century manuscripts. It is highly possible that they were a part of the liturgy by the ninth century, although they may have been added later. The translations used to come from texts authorized for use by the Antiochian Evangelical Orthodox Mission, with additions from other service books of the Antiochian Archdiocese.
THE RITE OF PREPARATION
Before the beginning of the Liturgy, the clergy gather in the sacristy to vest and prepare the bread and wine. After a deacon gives the bread to a priest, he cuts it with the lance and then makes the sign of the cross over it with the lance and says:
He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. And as a spotless lamb is dumb before his shearer …
As he puts the bread on the diskos, the priest says:
… so opened he not his mouth. In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. And for his generation, who shall declare it? For his life is taken away from the earth.
As he pours water and wine in the chalice, the priest says:
One of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and immediately there came forth blood and water, and he that saw it bore witness, and his witness is true.
The priest then says:
There are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are one. Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The priest censes the gifts and says:
O God our God, who did send forth the heavenly Bread, the food of the whole world, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer and Benefactor, blessing and sanctifying us: Bless this Oblation and receive it upon your altar above the heavens. Remember, as you are good and love mankind, those who brought this offering, and those for whom they brought it; and preserve us blameless in the celebration of your holy Mysteries; for sanctified and glorified is your most honorable and majestic name, of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Commentary: Originally a deacon prepared the gifts. However, by the ninth century, a priest prepared them. The church considered Isaiah 54:7–8 a prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ. The small lance symbolized the spear that the soldier thrust in the side of Christ. By the ninth century, the water and wine symbolized the water and blood that flowed from the side of Christ as is seen by the quote from St. John 19:34–35. Thus the Rite of Preparation had become a symbol of the sacrificial death of Christ. The Rite of Preparation, or Proskomedia, became more elaborate until it reached its present form by the fourteenth century.
THE ANTIPHONS
While the faithful wait for the entrance of the celebrant, they sing the antiphons. Before each antiphon one of the priests prays the prayer of the antiphon.
Commentary: At times, the faithful gathered at a church or other suitable site in the city for a short service of prayers and intercession and processed to the church being used for the liturgy. During the procession, chanters sang psalms and the people responded with short, easily remembered refrains. Eventually, they began to chant psalms and refrains, pausing for three prayers as they waited for the arrival of the clergy and the beginning of the liturgy. By the ninth century, the Psalms were considered a commemoration of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of Christ.
The First Antiphon
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O Lord our God, Whose power is unimaginable and Whose glory is inconceivable, Whose mercy is immeasurable and Whose love for mankind is beyond all words, in Your compassion, O Lord, look down on us and on this holy house, and grant us and those who are praying with us the riches of Your mercy and compassion. For to 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 people then sing Psalm 91 with the following refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Savior, save us.
The Second Antiphon
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O Lord our God, save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Guard the fullness of Your Church, sanctify those who love the beauty of Your House, glorify them by Your divine power and do not forsake us who hope in You. For Yours is the dominion and the Kingdom and the power and the glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
The People then sing Psalm 92 with the following refrain: O Son of God, Who rose from the dead, save us who sing to You, Alleluia!
The Third Antiphon
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: O Lord, Who has given us the grace to pray together in peace and harmony, and Who promise to grant the requests of two or three who agree in Your Name, fulfill even now the petitions of Your servants as is best for us, giving us in this age the knowledge of Your truth, and in the age to come, eternal life. For You are good, O our God, and You love mankind, and we send up glory to You, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
The People then sing Psalm 93 with the following refrain: O Only-begotten Son and Word of God, who is immortal, yet did deign for our salvation to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, and without change was made man; and was crucified also, O Christ our God, and by your death did Death subdue; who is one of the Holy Trinity, glorified together with the Father and the Holy Spirit: save us.
Commentary: Although usually attributed to the Emperor Justinian, (483–565) some consider Severus (c. 465–538) the Monophysite Patriarch of Antioch, the author of the hymn “Only-begotten Son of God.” In any case, it entered the service around 536 and is a summary of the doctrine of the incarnation of Christ as perfect God and perfect man.
Originally, the faithful waited outside the church or in the narthex for the arrival of the clergy. When the clergy entered the nave, the faithful followed, symbolizing the entrance into the kingdom of God. By the ninth century, the faithful had already gathered in the nave before the beginning of the service. The clergy, led by a deacon carrying the Gospel Book, began the Liturgy with a solemn entrance through the nave into the sanctuary accompanied by altar servers bearing the cross, candles, and incense during the chanting of the Third Antiphon. By the ninth century, this Entrance, the origin of the contemporary Little Entrance, symbolized the beginning of the public ministry of Christ. The deacon placed the Gospel on the Holy Table, symbolizing the enthronement of Christ. The clergy then assumed their seats on the synthronon, a symbol of the ascension of Christ.
The Entrance. While the people sing the third antiphon, the celebrant and other clergy stand before the doors leading from the narthex into the nave for the prayer of the Entrance:
Celebrant (in a low voice): O Sovereign Lord, our God, Who appointed in heaven the orders and armies of angels and archangels for the service of Your glory, grant that the holy angels may enter with us, to serve and glorify Your goodness with us. For to 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.
Then led by a deacon carrying the Gospel Book, the clergy enter in procession through the nave into the sanctuary accompanied by altar servers bearing the cross, candles, and incense as the people complete the hymn, “O Only-begotten Son.… ” The celebrant and other clergy enter the sanctuary and take their seats on the synthronon.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
The Liturgy of the Word is also called the Synaxis, which means “gathering” or “assembly.” Orthodox considered the church a eucharistic assembly. By entering the church building to assemble for worship, the faithful symbolically left the sinful world to enter the kingdom of God.
The Great Litany and Trisagion
Ultimately stemming from the Prayer of Intercession of the Jewish service, the litany form of prayer was fully developed by the time of the Apostolic Constitutions. Originally chanted by the deacon with responses by the faithful, following the readings and sermon, the Great Litany had moved to a position following the Entrance and before the Trisagion sometime during the ninth century. Meanwhile, the clergy prayed the prayer of the Trisagion.
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.
Celebrant (in a low voice): O Holy God, Who rests in the saints, Who with the Trisagion Hymn are praised by the Seraphim, glorified by the Cherubim and worshipped by all the heavenly powers, Who out of nothing brought all things into being, Who created man in Your image and likeness and adorned him with every gift of Your grace, Who give wisdom and understanding to anyone asking for them, and Who does not disregard the sinner, but have appointed repentance for salvation, Who has made us Your humble and unworthy servants, even at this hour, to stand before the glory of Your holy altar, and to offer You the worship and praise due to You: Accept, O Lord, from the mouths of us sinners the Trisagion Hymn and visit us in Your goodness. Forgive us every transgression, whether voluntary or involuntary. Sanctify our souls and bodies, grant that we may worship You in holiness all the days of our life, through the intercessions of the Holy Mother of God and of all the saints who have pleased You from the beginning. For You are holy, O our God, and we send up glory to You, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever …
Deacon: … and unto ages of ages.
People: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.
Commentary: Originally sung during the Entrance, the Thrice-Holy Hymn, or Trisagion, dates at least back to the time of Patriarch Proclus (434–446). According to popular legend, while the patriarch led the people in prayers for deliverance from an earthquake, a young boy was carried up into heaven, where he heard the angels singing this hymn. Thus, the faithful believed that they joined the choirs of heaven when they sang the Trisagion, another indication of the view of the Eucharist as an ascent to heaven and participation in the worship of the angels.
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.
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 clergies; 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 lies 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 compassion 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. 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.
Deacon: 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.
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
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. 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.
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.
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.
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 has 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.
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.
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 (brakah) 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.
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 for 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 everyone 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.
People: We praise You. We bless You. We give thanks to You, O Lord. And we pray unto You, our God.
The Epiklèsis
While the celebrant said the Anaphora in a low voice, the people sang hymns related to the meaning of the central prayer of the Liturgy.
Celebrant (in a low voice): Therefore, all-holy Master, we also, Your sinful and unworthy servants, whom You have considered worthy to serve at Your holy Altar, not because of our own righteousness, for we have nothing good on earth, but because of Your mercies and compassion, which You have so richly poured out on us, now approach Your holy altar with boldness, and presenting the signs of the holy Body and Blood of Your Christ, we beg You and call upon You, O Holy of Holies, by the favor of Your goodness, to cause Your Holy Spirit to descend upon us and upon these gifts now offered,
Deacon: Bless Master, the Holy Bread.
Celebrant: That He may show us this Bread to be the precious Body of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Deacon: Amen. Bless Master the Holy Cup.
Celebrant: And this Cup to be the precious Blood of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.
Deacon: Amen. Bless both, Master.
Celebrant: Shed for the life of the world.
Deacon: Amen. Amen. Amen.
Commentary: All stood or prostrated themselves in silent awe as the celebrant prayed the Epiklesis, an invocation of the Holy Spirit to descend and transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Although the Eastern church, which emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in the mystery of the Eucharist, avoided a rationalistic explanation of the exact nature of the change, all believed that the bread and wine became the actual body and blood of the risen Christ.
The Commemoration of the Departed and Living
Celebrant (in a low voice): And unite all of us to one another, who partake of the one Bread and the one Cup in the communion of the one Holy Spirit. Grant that none of us will partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Your Christ for judgment and condemnation. Instead, may we find mercy and grace with all the saints that have been pleasing to You in all the ages: the ancestors, the fathers, the patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles, the preachers, the evangelists, the martyrs, the confessors, the teachers, and every righteous spirit perfected in the faith, (aloud) especially with our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious lady, the Mother of God, Ever-virgin Mary.
Commentary: The commemorations are a remnant of the diptychs, originally read by a deacon.
Text: A deacon censes the gifts, while other deacons wave the fans. Meanwhile the celebrant blesses the antidoron.
People: In you rejoices, O full of grace all creation, the angelic hosts, and the race of men, O hallowed Temple and super-sensual Paradise, the glory of Virgins of whom God was incarnate and became a little child, even our God who is before all ages; for he made your womb a throne, and yours he made more spacious than the heavens. In you rejoices, O full of grace, all creation. Glory to you.
Commentary: Originally a utilitarian act to drive away insects, the fans became a symbol of the seraphim and cherubim, who fly around the throne of God in heaven. The hymn to the Theotokos (“God-bearer”), or Megalynarion, entered the Byzantine Liturgy around the turn of the sixth century. The people began to sing it to fill the time taken for the commemorations when the celebrant began to say the anaphora in a low voice. The antidoron, which means “instead of the gifts,” is the bread that remained after the preparation. It was blessed for distribution to the faithful.
Celebrant (in a low voice): May we also find grace and mercy with the holy prophet, forerunner and baptist John, the holy apostles worthy of all praise, St. (N.) whose memory we celebrate, and with all Your saints. Through their prayers, be pleased to protect us, O God. We offer You this spiritual worship for the salvation, protection, and remission of sins of the servants of God (N.N.). Remember all those who have fallen asleep before us in the hope of resurrection to eternal life, especially (N.N.), and grant them rest, O our God, in a place of light where there is no sighing or sorrow, where the light of Your countenance shines. Again we entreat You: Remember, O Lord, Your Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, from one end of the inhabited earth to the other, and grant peace to her whom You have purchased with the precious Blood of Your Christ, and strengthen this holy house until the end of the world. Remember, O Lord, those who have brought You these gifts, those for whom, by whom, and in whose intention they were brought. Remember those who bring tithes and offerings and do good works in Your holy churches and those who remember the poor; grant them in exchange Your heavenly riches and gifts: give them heavenly things in return for earthly things, incorruptible things for corruptible things. Remember, O Lord, those who are in the deserts, mountains, caves and pits of the earth. Remember, O Lord, those who live in virginity, godliness, asceticism, and holiness of life. Remember, O Lord, this country and all those in civil authority: grant them a secure and lasting peace; speak good things to their hearts concerning Your Church and all Your people, so that in the serenity they will provide us, we may live a calm and peaceful life in all godliness and holiness. Remember, O Lord, every principality and authority, our brethren who serve in the government and the armed forces. Preserve the good in their goodness, and make the wicked good through Your goodness. Remember, O Lord, the people here present and those who are absent for an honorable reason. Have mercy on them and on us according to the multitude of Your mercy. Fill their houses with all good things; preserve their marriages in peace and harmony; bring up their children, guide their youth; strengthen their elderly; encourage the faint-hearted; reunite the separated; lead back the wayward and unite them to Your Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Deliver those who are afflicted by unclean spirits; sail with those who are at sea; accompany those who travel by land or by air; defend the widows; protect the orphans; free the captives; heal the sick. Remember, O God, those who are under persecution, in courts, in mines, in exile, in harsh labor, and those in any kind of tribulation, need, or distress. Remember, O Lord our God, all those who have need of Your great compassion, those who love us, those who hate us, and those who have asked us in our unworthiness to pray for them. Be mindful of all Your people, O Lord our God, and pour out Your rich mercy upon all of them, granting them all the petitions which are for their salvation. And remember O God, all those whom we have not remembered through ignorance, forgetfulness, or the multitude of names, for You know the name and age of each, even from his mother’s womb. For You, O Lord, are the help of the helpless, the Savior of the afflicted, the haven of the voyager, the physician of the sick. Be all things to all men, for You know each one and his request, his household, and his need. Deliver this city, O Lord, and every city, land, town from famine, plague, earthquake, and shipwreck, flood, fire, sword, foreign invasion, and civil war. (aloud) Among the first, remember O Lord, Our Bishop (N.) and grant him to Your holy churches for many years in peace, safety, honor, health, and in rightly teaching the word of Your truth.
Commentary: When the deacon ceased to read the diptychs aloud, the commemoration of the chief bishop of the see evolved to fill the void.
Deacon: And remember also those men and women whom each of us has in mind.
People: And all Your people.
Celebrant (in a low voice): Remember, O Lord, every Orthodox bishop who rightly teaches the word of Your truth. Remember me also, O Lord, in my unworthiness, according to the multitude of Your mercies; forgive my every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary. Do not take away the grace of Your Holy Spirit from these gifts here presented on account of my sin. Remember, O Lord, the presbytery, the diaconate in Christ, and every order of the clergy. Let none of us who stand about Your holy altar be put to confusion. Visit us with Your goodness, O Lord; manifest Yourself to us in the richness of Your mercies. Grant us seasonable and healthful weather; send gentle showers upon the earth so that it may bear fruit. Bless the crown of the year with Your goodness. Cause schisms in the churches to cease. Put an end to the attacks of the unbelievers; quickly bring to an end the rise of heresy by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Receive us all into Your Kingdom, consecrating us as children of the light and children of the day. Grant us Your own peace and Your own love, O Lord our God, for You have given all things to us.(aloud) And grant that with one mouth and one heart we 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.
Celebrant: And may the mercies of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
People: And with your spirit.
The Litany Before the Lord’s Prayer
A deacon stands outside of the sanctuary to lead the people in the Litany Before the Lord’s Prayer.
Deacon: Calling to remembrance all the Saints, again and again in peace, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: For the precious Gifts that have been offered and sanctified, let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: That our God, who loves mankind, receiving them upon his holy, heavenly, and ideal Altar for an odor of spiritual fragrance, will send down upon us in return his divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord.
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: That this whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Deacon: For an angel of peace, a faithful guide and guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord.
Commentary: The mention of the angels during this litany is yet another indication of the belief that the clergy and faithful joined in the worship of heaven during the Liturgy.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Deacon: For pardon and remission of our sins and transgressions, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Deacon: For all that is good and profitable for our souls and for peace in the world, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Deacon: That we may spend the remainder of our life in peace and repentance, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Deacon: For a Christian end to our life, painless, blameless, and peaceful, and for a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask of the Lord.
People: Grant this, O Lord.
Deacon: Asking for the unity of the Faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
People: To you, O Lord.
Celebrant: And make us worthy, O Lord, that with boldness and without condemnation, we may dare to call upon You, the heavenly God as Father and say:
People: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Celebrant: For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
The Prayer at the Bowing of the Head
Celebrant: Peace be to all.
People: And to your spirit.
Deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.
People: To You, O Lord.
Celebrant (in a low voice): O Master, Lord, the Father of compassion and God of every consolation: Bless, sanctify, guard, strengthen, and defend those who have bowed their heads to You. Withdraw them from every evil deed; apply them to every good work; and graciously grant that without condemnation, they may partake of these, Your most pure and life-creating Mysteries, for the remission of their sins, and unto the communion of the Holy Spirit. (aloud) Through the grace and compassion and love for mankind 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.
People: Amen
The Elevation
Commentary: Sometime after the fifth century the celebrant began to elevate the consecrated bread. Originally a call to the faithful to prepare for communion, the elevation became a symbol of the lifting up of Christ’s body on the cross. The celebrant then broke the bread to prepare it for distribution during Holy Communion. A part of the Eucharist from the very beginning, this too took on a symbolic meaning as an image of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Text:
Celebrant (in a low voice): Hear us, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, from Your holy dwelling place and from the glorious throne of Your Kingdom, and come to sanctify us, You Who sit on high with the Father and are here invisibly present with us. And make us worthy by Your mighty hand to be given Your most pure Body and precious Blood and through us to all Your people.
Deacon: Let us attend!
Celebrant: The holy Gifts for holy people!
People: One is holy. One is holy. One is the Lord Jesus Christ. To the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Celebrant (in a low voice): For the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
The celebrant then pours warm water, the zeon, into the Chalice.
Commentary: The origin of the warm water, or zeon is unknown. Some believe that it began in Cappadocia to keep the wine from freezing. Others argue that it stems from the Aphthartodocetae, an extreme form of Monophysitism, that taught that the blood and water that flowed from the side of Christ was warm because the body of Christ remained incorrupt even in death. In any case, it was an established custom by the middle of the sixth century, when the Armenian Catholicos Moses II stated that he would not drink warm wine in Constantinople.
The Communion
Celebrant: O God, save Your people and bless Your inheritance.
People: Amen. Let our mouths be filled with your praise, O Lord, that we may sing of your glory: for you have permitted us to partake of your holy, divine, immortal, and life-giving Mysteries. Establish us in your Sanctification, that all the day long we may meditate upon your righteousness. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Commentary: The faithful of ancient Constantinople took Holy Communion very seriously. They believed that they received the actual body and blood of the risen Christ. Therefore they prepared themselves by strict fasting and through special prayers. In time they would consider the sacrament so sacred that they began to receive Holy Communion only a few times a year. Originally the clergy placed the consecrated bread in the crossed hands of the faithful and then gave them the chalice. By the ninth century, the clergy placed the consecrated bread in the chalice and administered Communion to the laity with a spoon.
The Ektenia of Thanksgiving
A deacon stands outside of the sanctuary to lead the people in The Ektenia of Thanksgiving.
Deacon: Let us attend! Having received the holy, most pure, immortal, heavenly, life-giving, and awesome Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks 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: Asking that the whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.
Celebrant (in a low voice): We thank You, O Lord our God, for the participation in Your holy, pure, immortal, and heavenly Mysteries, which You have given us for the welfare and sanctification and healing of our souls and bodies. O Master of all, grant that the communion of the Holy Body and Blood of Your Christ may be for us unto a faith which cannot be put to confusion, a love unfeigned, an increase of wisdom, the healing of soul and body, the repelling of every adversary, the fulfillment of Your commandments, and an acceptable defense at the awesome judgment seat of Your Christ. For You are our sanctification, and we give 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.
Celebrant: Let us go forth in peace.
People: In the Name of the Lord.
The clergy then process out of the Church. When they reach the ambon, the celebrant pauses for the Prayer Behind the Ambon.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Celebrant: O Lord, Who blesses those Who bless You, and sanctify those who put their trust in You: save Your people and bless Your inheritance. Protect the whole body of Your Church, and sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house. Glorify them by Your divine power and do not forsake us who hope in You. Give peace to Your world, to Your churches, to the priests, to our civil authorities, and to all Your people. For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from You, the Father of Lights; and to You, we send up glory, thanksgiving, and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen.
(Adapted from the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Service Book of the Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church and Apostolic Church [New York, 1975].)
Conclusion
Although it had reached most of its present form by the ninth century, the development of the text of Byzantine Liturgy continued through the Middle Ages. The preparation of the bread and wine was expanded and proceeded by the Kairon, or prayers of the clergy, before entering the sanctuary and a set of vesting prayers. The Great Litany moved to the beginning of the service and disappeared from the Prayers of the Faithful. Little Litanies introduced the second and third prayers of the antiphons. The Litany before the Lord’s Prayer was duplicated following the Great Entrance. The text of the Liturgy reached its contemporary form by the publication of the Diataxis by Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople (1354–1376). Changes in architecture also influenced the development of the Byzantine Liturgy. In smaller churches, the sacristy moved from outside the building to an area in the sanctuary to the left of the Holy Table. Thus the Entrances became processions from inside the sanctuary through the nave and back to the sanctuary. The barrier between the nave and the sanctuary became the iconostasis as icons were placed on the barrier, reaching its final form in Novgorod in the fourteenth century. The symbolic interpretation of the Liturgy also developed further, especially through the commentary of St. Nicholas Cabasilas, also in the fourteenth century.