The Byzantine Divine Liturgy: History and commentary 0813205026, 9780813205021

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MELETIUS MICHAEL SOLOVEY, O.S.B.M.

The Byzantine Divine Liturgy HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

Translated by DEMETRIUS EMIL WYSOCHANSKY, O.S.B.M.

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS, -INC. (

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20017

1970

Nihil obstat:

Basilius Wawryk, OSBM, Censor Deputatus

Imprimi potest: Nicholas M. Kohut, OSBM, Provincial, American Province of the Order of St. Basil the Great LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. Nr ISI/68, August 3, 1968 Nihil obstat:

Rev. William M. Bilinsky, Censor Deputatus

Imprimatu,·:

Jaroslav GABRO, D.D., Bishop of St. Nicholas Diocese of Chicago, Illinois, 2238 West Rice Street, Nr. 547 /68, September 24, 1968

Copyright © 1970 The Catholic University of America Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 70-119897 S.B.N. 8132-0502-6

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

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The book of which this is a translation, entitled BOZHESTVENNA LITURGHIA or THE DIVINE LITURGY was written in the Ukrainian language by Fr. Meletius Michael Solovey, O.S.B.M., and was published by the "ANALECTA" of the Basilian Fathers in Rome in 1964. This work, the product of five years of study and research (1947-1952), is a comprehensive study on the Byzantine Divine Liturgy (of St. John Chrysostom). ln reading the book one can note that every possible aspect of the Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Rite has been extensively treated. Father Solovey considers the subject of the Liturgy from the dogmatic, historical, homiletic, scriptural, philological and symbolic viewpoints. The result of this intensive research is a veritable encyclopedia. The book is also a critique. The author criticizes the method of interpretation used in the past, namely, the symbolic method. The author himself prefers to use the historical-genetic method of interpretation, although he does admit the symbolic interpretation when there is sufficient evidence to confirm the method as sound and veritable. Father Solovey shows clearly whether a rite of the Divine Liturgy was purely utilitarian in origin, esthetic, objectively symbolic or subjectively symbolic. He traces the origins of rites pointing out the weakness in the interpretations of earlier commentators who leaned too heavily on imagination. His commentary on the Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Rite strives to avoid purely symbolic interpretations and attempts to arrive at the essential meaning of the prayers and rites of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. We hope that ,this book will be welcomed not only by those who belong to the various branches of the Byzantine Rite, but also by those of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The Eastern Churches and their Liturgies are gaining more recognition today because they have retained the ancient and original forms of worship to a purer degree. Since this is the age of ecumenism and a period of "awareness," people everywhere are becoming more and more interested in the various ways the Church expresses her faith. This book has been long awaited by those of the Eastern Church-both Catholic and Orthodox. It is our sincere hope that the fruit of the labor shall be understanding. With a deep understanding, it is our wish that many more people may come to appreciate the Divine Liturgy and its significance in the life of the individual. But before one can appreciate, one must first come to know; may this book be effective in planting the seeds of knowledge. The translator of this book wishes to express his profound gratitude to the Father Basil Wawryk, O.S.B.M., Mundare, Alberta, Canada, for his sustained and kindly interest in the progress of this endeavor, for his encouragement anel his valuable suggestions. The deepest appreciation is also expressed to the Very Reverend Michael Skrincosky, Dean and Rector of St. Basil's College in Stam5

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Translator's Note

ford, Connec ticut, who took the time and care to read my transla tion and constructive criticism on the text, and to the Father James Enrigh t ;«er Catholi c Centra l High School English Depart ment, Detroi t, Michig an S~, assistance. To Miss Sonia Peczen iuk and Mrs. Olga Wojtys hyn, sincere gra,0 ~ hts • offered for the tire • 1ess and 1nva • 1uable ass1stan IS • • correct 1ng • ce 1n and ty . ti tude manusc ript of my English transla tion. ping the Finally, sincere thanks is express ed to any and all those person s who h in any manne r or form to make this transla tion a reality . e1ped

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May 28-th, 1969

Fr. Demet rius Emil Wysochansky, 0.S.B.M Basilia n Fathers , Hamtra mck. Michigan.'

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AUTHOR'S PREFACE Among the various riches of the Christian religion, the first place is, without question, occupied by the Divine Liturgy, which was instituted by Christ Himself and left to us as an everlasting "remembrance," a precious inheritance. The very dignity and meaning of the Liturgy as the unbloody sacrifice of the New Law demands that Christians esteem, honor and love it. But before one can appreciate the Liturgy, one must understand the meaning of the prayers and ceremonial actions that go to form it. This is why a~ explanation of the Liturgy is so important. It would be a mistake to think that it requires no interpretation, for just as Sacred Scripture requires a thorough exegesis, so does the Liturgy. Without such exegesis many of the ceremonies and prayers, and indeed the very internai structure of the Divine Liturgy itself would be difficult to understand. During the past severa! decades the Catholic world has become greatly interested in liturgics. Both in Europe and here in the Americas the liturgical movement has as its goal a better understanding of the Divine Liturgy and other liturgical services. Historians and liturgists alike are studying ancient liturgical documents in order to gain a deeper insight into the texts and correctly to explain them together with the ceremonies, rites, practices and customs which accompany them. Besides systematic investigation of the Liturgy and the publication of the results, the liturgical movement is concerned with making the Liturgy more meaningful for the largest possible number of Christians. Sermons, studies, conferences, lectures and translations of texts beyond numbering aim at giving the Christian world a more profound interest in the liturgical life of the Church, and at bringing Christians to take an active part in their liturgical worship so th.at they may receive more benefit from it-in a word, to make them Iive the liturgical Iife. ln the Western Church one basic motive for the liturgical movement lay in the fact that the services are in Latin, a language which most people do not understand. But in the past few decades this difficulty has been largely overcome, and the increased use of the vernacular has made the Liturgy more meaningful for the faithful. Is such a movement needed in the Eastern Churches where the Liturgy is already in the vernacular? Some-perhaps not a few-are convinced that there is no such need. Yet, Eastern Christians do not always understand the meaning of the prayers and ceremonies of the Liturgy despite the fact that it is celebrated in the vemacular or in a liturgical language (e.g., Church Slavonic) which closely resembles the vernacular and poses no problem for the understanding of the texts. , -~ning with the nine"têenth century, the literature on the Eastern i;,,

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A uth or s Pr eface

• l1·turg1es , a nd especially tha t on the By zan tin e-S lav on ic Ri te, be cam of spe cia l stu dy of bo th We e ath · e the subi·ect ste rn (C ath oli c) an d ~a ste rn ( ol1c an d Or tho dox) stu den ts. Ma ny ex cel len t wo rks on the L1turgy_ a~ pea ~e d a~ d _helped pread int ere st in the litu rgi cal life . Th e res ult s of sc1 ent1fic 1nvest1gattons o( ~e Liturgy, cre ate d the ne ed for ne w ex pla na tio ns, esp eci all y o( the Di vin e Lit urg y-h ist ori cal -sc ien tifi c ex pla na tio ns wh ich wo uld co rre spo nd to the pre sen t sta te of litu rgi cal stu die s. Th is wo rk is div ide d int o tw o pa rts . ln Pa rt I we tre at of the ori gin of the Di vin e Lit urg y, its his tor ica l de ve lop me nt an d the fac tor s wh ich cau sed thi s dev elo pm ent . ln Pa rt II we giv e a sys tem ati c tre atm en t of the pra yer s an d cer em on ies of the Di vin e Lit urg y, ba sed no t on ly on the tra dit ion al exp lan atio n, bu t on the res ult s of mo re rec en t stu die s. ln thi s Pa rt we ha ve tri ed to ben efi t fro m as wi de a sel ect ion of ma ter ial as po ssi ble . Ac tua lly , the pre s~n t bo ok was wr itte n ten yea rs be for e the Va tic an um II, an d its pu bli shi ng wa s co mp let ed in the ye ar 1963, wh en the "C on sti tut ion on the Sacred Litu.Tg;y,, was sol em nly pro mu lga ted . Th ese fac ts co ntr ibu ted mu ch in aro usi ng int ere st in the afo res aid wo rk, ma inl y am on gst the cle rgy , reg ula r an d sec ula r, nu ns, sem ina ria ns, can did ate s for the Ho ly Pri est ho od an d for the rel igi ou s life . Af ter the wo rk was pu bli she d in Uk rai nia n, it wa s sug ges ted by som e of my fri end s tha t a tra nsl ati on be ma de int o the En gli sh lan gu ag e. Th is difficult tas k was un de rta ke n by my Co nfr ate r, the Re ve ren d Fa the r De me tri us Em il Wy soc han sky , O.S.B.M. It too k him tw o yea rs to co mp let e the tra nsl ati on . I he reb y wi sh to exp res s my gra titu de to him for thi s dif fic ult un de rta kin g. Lik ew ise I wi sh to tha nk sin cer ely the Ve ry Re ve ren d Fa the r Re dm on d A. Bu rke , C.S.V., As soc iat e Di rec tor of the Ca tho lic Un ive rsi ty of Am eri ca Press, for his int ere st in the sai d tra nsl ati on an d for pre sen tin g it to the Co mm itte e of the sarne Pre ss for pu bli cat ion . Fin all y, I am gra tef ul to ali co nc ern ed in giv ing me he lp in reg ard to tra nsl ati on , tec hn ica l for m an d pri nti ng of my bo ok in En gli sh, esp eci all y to Mr . Aloysius Cr oft of Wa uw ato sa, Wi sco nsi n, for the final rev isi on an d cor rec tio n of thi s En gli sh ed itio n of my wo rk. lf it be pe rm itte d the Au tho r to exp res s an y wi sh on the occ asi on of thi s ed itio n of bis wo rk, it wo uld be sim ply thi s: tha t bis wo rk wo uld co ntr ibu te aomething to a be tte r kn ow led ge an d de ep er un de rst an din g of ou r be au tif ul Lit urg y. lf this wi sh is rea liz ed, the pu rpo se of the bo ok wi ll be acc om pli she d, an d the au tho r's lab ors wi ll be mo re tha n am ply rew ard ed . Ju ly 28-th, 1969 Me let i us Mi ch ael Solovey, O.S.B.M. St. Pa ul Un ive rsi ty, Ot taw a, On tar io, CA NA DA

CONTEN TS Transla tor's Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Author's Preface ............ ............ ............ .. • • • • • • • · · · · ·

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Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART ONE HISTORICA L DEVELOPM ENT OF THE BYZANTINE DIVINE LITURGY Chapter I. General Notions Regarding the Divine Liturgy ............ .. .

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The Term "Divine Liturgy" ............ ............ ......... . Institution of the Divine Liturgy ............ ............ .... . Essence of the Divine Liturgy ............ ............ ....... . The Character of the Divine Liturgy ............ ............ . . Purpose of the Divine Liturgy ............ ............ ....... . Sacrament of the New Testament ............ ............ .... . The Excellence and Value of the Divine Liturgy ............ ... .

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Chapter II. The Historical Development of the Divine Liturgy in the

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

First Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Last Supper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Apostolic Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Second and Third Cen turies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Fourth Cen tury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liturgical Rites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Rite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter III. The Historical Development of the Divine Liturgy of the

Byzantine-Slavonic Rite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l. Authenticity and Origin of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom . . 2. Historical Development of the St. John Chrysostom's Liturgy . . . . A. The first Formularies of the Divine Liturgy of St. John ChrySOS tom

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B. The Manuscript Liturgikons (Eighth-Sixteenth Centuries) . . . C. The Period of the Printed Sluzhebnyks (Sixteenth-Eighteenth Cen turies) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . •

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Chapte,· IV. The Comm entari es on the Byzan tine-S lavoni c Liturg y ..... . 1. Liturg ical Comm entari es of the Patris tic Age (Fourt l1-Eig hth Centu ries ...... ...... • • • • • . • • • • • ..... ..... ..... ..... .... . 2_ Byzan tine-G reek Com1 nentar ies on the Divin e Liturg y of St. John Chryso stom) (Ninth -Nine teenth Centu ries) ...... ...... .... . 3. Slavon ic Liturg ical C~mm entar~ es ~Twe lfth-T we~ti eth Centu ries) 4. The Scienc e of Liturg 1es and Sc1ent1fic Interp retat1 on of the Divine Lit11rgy ..•••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •..... ..

67 67 70 76 94

PART TWO

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COM MENT ARY OF THE PRAY ERS AND RITE S OF THE DIVIN E LITU RGY

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Sectio n 1. The Prosk omide Chapt er I. Prelim inary Rema rks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... l. The N ame-- Prosk omide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 2. Origin of the Prosko mide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 3. Devel opmen t of the Prosko mide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 4. Role and Purpo se of the Prosko mide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 5. Place and Minis ter of the Prosk omide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 6. Rites and Texts of the Prosko mide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 7. Symbolism of the Prosko mide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 8. The Divisi on anel Plan of the Prosk omide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... Chapt er II. The Prepa ration of the Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... l. The Spiritu al Dispo sition of the Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2. Corpo ral Dispo sition of the Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 3. The Prayer s of the Priest before the Iconos tasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4. Entran ce of the Priest into the Sanctu ary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5. The Vestin g o( the Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. The Washi ng of the Hancls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

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Chapt er III. The Prepa ration of the Eucha ristic Gifts . . . . . . . .. . . .. .. ... l. The Offeri ng of the Eucha ristic Lamb ...... ...... ...... • · · · · · 2. The Ofieri ng of Wine and Water ...... ...... ...... .... • • · · · • • 3. The Comm emora tions of the Prosko mide ...... ...... .... • • · · · • 4. The Use of the Prosph oras in the Rite of Prosk omide ...... • • · · · • 5. The Rite o[ Veilin g or Cover ing the l-Ioly Gifts ...... .... • · · · · · 6. The Rite of Incens ing the Holy Gifts ...... ...... ...... . • • · · •• 7. The Pra yer of Prothe sis or Obla tion ...... ...... ...... .. ••· · •• 8. The Concl usion of the Prosko mide ...... ...... ...... .... • • · • ••

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Contents

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Section 2. The Liturgy o/ the Catechumens Chapter I. Preliminary Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. The Name-L iturgy of the Catechumens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Origin of the Liturgy of the Catechumens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Historical Development of the Liturgy of the Catechumens . . . . . . 4. Characte r of the Liturgy of the Catechumens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Role of the Liturgy of the Catechumens in the Divine Liturgy . . 6. Symbolism of the Liturgy of the Catechumens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Chapter II. The Beginning of the Liturgy of the Catechumens . . . . . . . . 1. The Rite of Incensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Introduc tory Prayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Dialogue Between the Deacon and the Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. The Doxology or the Glorification of the Holy Trinity . . . . . . . . . .

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Chapter III. The Great Ek.tene or Ektene of Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Origin and History of the Ektene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Content and Signification of the Ektene of Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. "Lord have Mercy" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Prayer of the Great_ Ektene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Characteristic Traits of the Great Ektene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Chapter IV. The Antiphon s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. The Origin and History of the Antiphons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Explanat ion of the Antiphons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Meaning and Role of the Antiphons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. The Small Ektenes and the Priva te Prayers of the Priest . . . . . . . . 5. The Hymn "Monogenes" or "Only Begotten Son" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter V. The Little Entrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Origin and History of the Little Entrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Prayer Qf the Little Entrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Symbolism of the Little Entrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Prayer of the Trisagion Hymn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. The H ymn of the Trisagion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter VI. The Reading of Holy Scriptures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. History and Development of the Reading of the Holy Scripture during the Liturgy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Procession to the "Throne " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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8. The Greeti ng of Peace ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... .... . 4. The Readi ng of the Epistl e ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... • • . . .• 5. Allelu ia ...... ...... ... · . · · · · ...... ...... ...... .. . 6. The Readi ng of the Gospe l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ...... • • . .. . •

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Chapt er 1'11.. The Concl usion of the Liturg y of the Catec humen s ...... . . I. The Ekten e of Suppl icatio n ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... .

2. The Ekten e for the Decea sed ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... • • • S. The Ekten e for the Catec humen s ...... ...... ...... ...... . • • • •

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Sectio n 3. The Liturg y of the Faithf ul

Chapte-r III. The Eucha ristic Sacrifi ce ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... • •••· · 1. Anaph ora of the Byzan tine Liturg y ..... ..... ..... ..... . • • • · · · 2. The Eucha ristic Dialog ue ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .... • • • · • • • 8. The Praye r of Praise and Thank sgivin g ...... ...... ... • • • · · · • • • 4. Serap hic Hymn ("Holy , Holy, Holy'' ) ...... ...... . • • • .. · · · • ••• 5. The Eucha ristic Praye r (Cons ecratio n) ...... ...... • • • · · • • • • • • • 6. The Anam nesis ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... • • • • • • • • • • 7. The Epiklesis ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. · • • • • • • • • • a) The Text of the Epikle sis in the Liturg y of St. John Chry.O ltom ............• b) Or-igin and Histor ical Devel opmen t of the Epikle sis • • • • • • • • e) Expla nation of the E pikles is ...... ...... ... • • • · • • • • • • • • • • d) Addi tions in the Epikle sis ..... ..... ..... ... • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Contents

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7. The Eucharistic Commemorations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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History of the Eucharistic Commemorations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Commemoration of the Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Commemoration of the Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Commemoration of the Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "The Service of words" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. Conclusion of the Anaphor a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

287 288 289 289 292

Chapter IV. The Consump tion of the Eucharistic Sacrifice . . . . . . . . . . . . I. Preparat ion for Holy Communion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a) The Prayer of the Ektene of Supplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b) The "Lord's Prayer" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . e) The Prayer with Bowed Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d) The Prayer "Look down" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Holy Commun ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

300

a) b) e) d) e)

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304 304 306 309 31 O 311

The Lifting Aloft of the Holy Lamb (Elevation) . . . . . . . . . . The Fraction or the Breaking of the Lamb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rite of Commixture and Zeon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commun ion of the Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Commun ion of the Faithful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

312 314 316 321 323

3. Prayers and Rites Following Holy Communion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a) The Transfer of the Holy Gifts to the Table of Prothesis . . . . b) The Prayers of Thanksgiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . e) The Prayer behind the Ambo. .. . . .. ... . ........ ........ d) The Prayer Accompanying the Consumption of the Holy Gifts e) The Apolysis and Conclusion of the Divine Liturgy . . . . . . . .

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I N D E X ........................................................

335

a) b) e) d) e)

326 327 330 331 332

PART ONE

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE DIVINE LITURGY

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Chapter I GENE RAL NOTI ONS REGA RDIN G THE DIVIN E LITU RGY

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Catholic doctrine regarding the Divine Liturgy is best embodied and summa1 rized in the definitions and canons of the Council of Trent which developed the doctrine in concise but clear terms to counteract the teachings of Protestantism. The whole teaching can be reduced to two fundam ental concepts: that of . sacrifice and that of sacrament. It is not the aim of this chapter to examine the entire Catholic dogma on the Divine Liturgy, but only the most importa nt truths that touch upon its nature, character, object and author. This chapter will help us form an adequat e idea of the Divine Liturgy, thus enablin g us to underta ke a proper exegesis or interpre tation of its text and rites. 1. The Term "Divine Liturgy "

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Very often, the name of a thing expresses its nature and essence. This is so with the term Divine Liturgy. The expression Divine Liturgy 2 is derived from the Greek words theia, meaning "of or pertaini ng to God," hence "divine," and leiturghia, meanin g "public service." Togethe r they mean "divine public service." We first come across the word leiturghia in the Greek classics. The ancient Greeks underst ood this word to denote any service to the state underta ken by a citizen for the general welfare of the people or public. The first part of the word leiturghia etymologically comes from leitos, meaning "public" and the second part stems from ergon, meaning "duty, deed, act, function or service." The word, then, referred to ali those acts or services which were performed for the benefit or welfare of the general public, as for example, military service, services of public officials and ali other services carried out in the common interest of the state. It also implied such things as the paying of taxes, the defending of the state against enemy attack, as well as services offered to the gods,_ especially in the forro of sac-

rifice. H. Denzinger-Umberg, Enchiridion Symbolorum (Freiburg in Br: 19!7), nos. 9!7a-956 (De sanctissimo Missae saaificio), n01. 878a-893 (Decretum de SS. Eucharistia). Liturghia and the Ukrainian 2 The Old-Slavonic term for Divine Liturgy is Bozhestvenna Byzantine (Greek)-Slavonic the with deals book colloquial term ia Sluzjba Bot.ha. Since this consistency in the use of for Ukraine), in eapecially aoil Slavic on Liturgy (Liturgy celebrated and finally here anel term terminology we shall give first the Greek word then the Slavonic with the liturgical reader the acquaint to is This there the Ukrainian colloquial equivalents. ). Ukrainian Slavonicand (Greek Rlte each nomenclature peculiar to 1

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The Term "Divine Liturgy"

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It was in this last meaning that the word f?un d its way into the Chri . vocabulary. Even in the Old Testament, the services or functions of the . Sti~n the temple were termed liturgies.• The word "liturgy" retained this me~~est ~n the New Testament writings (Heb 8:6; 9:21). lt meant the offering u ~ing 1~ fices. Again we find the word being used in a religious sense in the w! ~ 1 • Fathers and in the documents of the Church. By the fourth century th 0 e ºliturgy.. had become the technical term for the Eucharistic Saaifi e Word Divine Liturgy.' ce or the But why is the Divine Liturgy called "divine" ? ln what sense is the .. Liturgy a "d,v,ne service - t e service of Go or Go s service? Is it the 0 iv1ne, service to God or is it God's service to the peop O 1 le? lt is, • service • rendered to G d Th D. • Lº in fact both rutp e s dominantly it 1s o . ' ce pree 1v1ne Iturgy is a servi ,, h . ,, dered to ~ b~ the peo~1 beca_use th . ren. e w 1e -tak es part 1n 1t. The D1vine L1turgy, then, commun1t! -pr1 est and faithful is a commun1ty or public service b means of which God is paid supreme homage through a variety of prayers, son y and hymns, but abo~e all in the offering of the Unbloody Sacrifice of the Ne~ Testament. The Divine Liturgy is also to an extent "God's service to the people," because it is a sacrifice, an offering up of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, in reparation for the sins of mankind. There are also other names for the Divine Liturgy, as the "Table of the Lord," "Breaking of the Bread," "Th e Lor d's Supper," the "Holy Eucharist," etc. This latter name usually and popularly refe rs only to Holy Communion and, as a result, the "Divine Liturgy" in this usag e is seen as a sacrament rather than as a sacrifice. Other designations have only hist orical value 5 since they have now fallen into disuse. There is a marked difference between the wor ds "liturgy" and ..Divine Liturgy.' 8 Although they are really related in meaning, current textbooks on liturics use the two terms indiscriminately and, as a result, create confusion. Liturgists understand the word "liturgy' to mean not only the Eucharistic Sacrifice, that is, the Divine Liturgy, but also any kind of sacred service performed in the Church such as vespers, matins and, of course, the sacraments. ln this general sense, "liturgy" encompasses the totality of official ecclesiastical observances: all rites, ceremonies, prayers and sacraments of the Church. But in the less extended sense, "liturgy" is restricte d to the Eucharistic Sacrifice, or t~e "Divine Litijrgy." Although we may use the tenn "Eucharistic Sacrifice," we w~ll generally use the term "Divine Liturgy" beca use this is the correct term used in

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Essence of the Divine Liturgy

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to the Unbl oody Sacrifice the Byzantine Rite, and because it applies exclusively and not to other services of the Chur ch. 2. Instit ution of the Divin e Liturgy rning the Divin e The first and most impo rtant teaching of our faith conce instit uted by man nor by Liturgy is that it is of divin e instit ution . It was not elf. This can be deterthe Chur ch nor by the Apostles, but by Jesus Christ Hims where we read that, on mined from the Gospels and from the letters of St. Paul His passion and death on the eve of the Jewish Passover, Christ, shortly before Last Supper. We read the cross, sat with His Apostles for the last time at the His disciples, and said, how Jesus took bread,· blessed and broke it, gave it to Chris t adde d these ''Tak e ye, and eat.. This is my body.'' (Mt 26:26) Then (Lk 22: 19) memorable words, "Do this in commemoration of Me." gy which He gave to With these words Chris t established the Divine Litur and that it be offered in the Apostles and to the Chur ch with the express comm will and testam ent of His memory. The Divine Liturgy, therefore, was the Iast itance, for in the Divine our Lord. He left to the Chur ch an invaluahle inher and Blood. That is why Liturgy we have our Lord Himself, His most holy Body t Himself, their most Christians consider the Divine Liturgy to be, after Chris priceless treasure. of the Divin e LitThe motive unde rlying the establishment or instit ution earth to the end of time urgy was Christ's desire to rema in with man here on The Egyp tian Phara ohs and to leave mank ind a memorial of the redemption. scholars, artists and musileft lasting memoriais in their pyramids. Poets, writers, But even these remarkadans immortalize themselves by creating masterpieces. the Divine Litur gy in ble memp.rials are insignificant when comp ared. with . This means of perpetwhich Chrii t perpe tuate s the memory of His redemption potence and love of uation coul~ have stemmed only from the wisdom, omni that "He loved His own, God. ln instit uting the Divine Liturgy, Christ showed gy was to remin d man to the end He loved them." Qn 13:1) The Divine Litur His endless, mysterious constantly of what Christ did for his salvation and of love for mank ind. · 8. Essence of the Divine Litur gy Sacrifice of the New Christ instit uted the Divine Liturgy as an Unbloody icial gifts are the Body Testament. It is a true saaifice offered to God. The sacrif and wine. To unde rand Blood of Jesus Christ unde r the appearances of bread know what sacrifice stand bette r this significant truth of our faith, we must means in general and how it applies to the Divine Liturgy. essential conditions: Catholic theologians tel1 us that sacrifice involves three a sacrificial act by 2) e; 1) a saaificial gift, i.e. something material and visibl tion of paying supre me which the gift is offered to God: and 3) the inten

Essence of the Divine Liturgy

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three conditions must be h oma. ge to Gocl with the gift offered. These f d • . present constitute a true sa~i~~e. anel they are oun 1n a 1l sacr1fices of every reli _ to both primitive and c1vil1zed. . gi 0 n, T he history of religions shows that sacr1fice was a. universal phenomen ong ali peoples, even the most savage. N o man o f sc1ence has ever d. on am •h 1· • h isproved this fact or discovered a people w1t a re ig1on w ose supreme act of . • 1·ity an d u b"1qu1ty • o f o ffer1ng • Worsh1p was not sacrifice. The un1versa sacrifices prove th thc need to offer them is natural to man. Man everywhere and alway . . at • . s instinc tively has worshipped a Supreme B e1ng, and no matter 110w d1storted . 80 • ·11 • me ideas b of thc Supreme Being may have een, 1t stt rema1ns true that a Suprem B . was worshipped and that the highest act performed in that worship : eing . very nature l • d at th . offcring of gifts. Man by h1s 1as arr1ve e not1on of sacrifias the use of bis reason, man concludes that God is the First Cause, the su;:~!! Bcing, the Supreme . .Judge, . .the Supreme Good. Man then . perceives, and natu.. rally expresses, h1s 1nfer1or1ty and dependence by pay1ng due homage. One cannot believe in God, the Lord and M~ster, and s~ill deny the obligation of paying Him due homage. God and worship are two 1nseparable ideas. One su _ gests the other. Sacrifice means an act of worship It implies active faith in Go:. Through sacrifice man expresses ~is faith in G?d, acknowledges His supremacy; and gives Him due homage. Th1s act of pay1ng homage to God is the most important and most essential condition of sacrifice. ln the Old Testament God Himself gave the Chosen People fundamental rules for offering sacrifice to Him, thus shielding them against the errors and aberrations of the pagan sacrifices in which even human beings, including children, were offered as burnt offerings. The Old Testament sacrifices which were offered only in the temple, the center of the religious life of the Chosen People, were types or forerunners of the New Testament sacrifice. The offering of sacrifices consisted in the priest officially taking the gift presented to him by the people, and offering it up, to be burned or destroyed in some manner. Gifts such as fruit and bread which were not destroyed or bumed, became the property of the temple or the priest. • Applying the notion of sacrifice together with its essential characteristics to the Di~ine Liturgy, we see that the Divine Liturgy possesses ali the constituent •ela:oents necessary for a sacrifice. First of all, we have in the sacrifice of the Divine Liturgy a physical, mate• rial, visible gift or offering, which, in this case, is not the fruits of the eai:th, an animal, or something similar, but Jesus Christ Himself. ln the Divine Liturgy, • offered under the appearances of bread an d wine. Hia Body •and Blood 1s • Sec?ndly, this gift ia offered by an officially authorized person called a priest, whoÍ 10 the act of 1aaificing, takes the place of Jesus Christ. Finally, the purpose; offering the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is to offer supreme worship to Gth~ Co~parcd to the Old Testament sacrifices which were only weak symbols of . l). i lá iv ne turgy, we filid that the sacrifice of the N ew Testament is far su~er1or the 15 an~ that it is true saaifice having ali the essential sacrificial elements. It ,

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of greatest and m~st perfect of sacrifices ever offered by man. It is the h_ighest act worship by wh1ch man renders the greatest homage and honor poss1ble to God. and The Divine Liturgy is, as we have mentioned, the service of God Himself, an God-M the of not only a service rendered by people to God. It is the sacrifice for His people.

4. The Character of the Divine Liturgy Another fundamental teaching of the Catholic faith relating to· the Divine Liturgy is that it is essentially one and the sarne sacrifice as that of Jesus Christ on the cross. This teaching identifies the character of the Divine Liturgy. Like other mystical teachings of our faith, this doctrine may seem contradictory and the abstruse. At first sight, a comparison of the two sacrific es-the sacrifice of n betwee ion distinct cross and the Eucharistic Sacrifice-seerns to point up a atthem rather than an absolute identity. On the cross, our Lord suffered excruci suffer, ing pain; He shed His blood and died. ln the Divine Liturgy He does not die nor shed His blood. How, then, are these two sacrifices one and the sarne? ln what does their identity consist? According to the teaching of the Church, the identity Iies in the fact that both sacrifices have the sarne sacrificial rninister, the sarne purpose and the sarne gift. The rninister in both sacrifices is Christ Himself. The sacrificial purpose is the redemption of mankin d and the rendering to God of the highest act of worship. The sacrificial gift is also the same Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This in sarne Christ, shortly before He offered up His Body and Blood on the cross, . anticipation, gave this sarne Body and Blood to His Apostles at the Last Supper in r The only difference existing between these two sacrifices is the manne the which the. gifts are offered. On the cross Christ offered Himself up; in Divine Litµrgy He offers Himself through the priest who represents Him. Then, He offered Himself only once; now He offers Himself more than once. so Then, He offerd Hirnself physically in a bloody manner; now He does sacramentally and mystically. Then, He offered Himself in His own person; now He offers Himself under the appearances of bread and wine. It follows, therefore, that it is one and the sarne sacrifice, the identical Body and Blood of Christ which Christ gave ;to His Apostles at the Last Supper. (Mt. 26:26-28; Lk 22: 19) Toe Divine Liturgy is a representation, a memorial, an application and a renewal of the saaifice of the cross. St. Paul clearly emphasizes this fact when he says: "For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until He comes." (1 Cor 11:26) Looked at from this point of view, it is much more than any human drama. ln a drama, a historical event is reproduced in an artificial manner, whereas in the Divine Liturgy the work of salvation, which reached its fulfillment in Golgotha, is really, and truly reproduced and representeei. It is a Divine Drama -a drama of the redemption of mankind.

Pu.rpose of the Divine Liturgy

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5. Purpose of the Divine Liturgy . Ordinarily, we distinguish four ~ain purposes and four corres of saaifice, The fint and pr1mary purpose for offering po~d•ng lllan. His creatures As sacrifice is to ockers lcdge God's supreme dominionff over a resu1t • . . a now • All other reasons for o er1ng saadice can be red d \Ve offer adoration. • Him uce to th·1s one th • th 1 . f ~-justas the aim o man on ear 1s e g orification of God t0o, the purnn.~ of sacrifice is the glorification of God. This type of sacrifi : socauA~ ce lS "" the ) • . (1 purr-- of praise or adorauon atreutlc purpose . •fit"C fi . SIa 1 The second end of sacri ce 1s to express our gratitude to God rior the b ) h • • us (_euc ar_1suc /;rr;se. T~is flows from the fits He h~ best~wed but there IS a shghtfi h"er~nce d1n_ mGotod1ve.H' e lfrslt moht1ve for sacrifice, that o 1mse . n t e second moti adoration, is "unsel s ; 1ts en 1s thanksgiving, man offers sacrifices because of personal, selfish reaso ve, ~hat of ns, i.e., he thanks God for the benefits he has received from Him. The third motive for sacrifice, called the sacrifice of propitiation is IsO sonal (cxpiatory end). The object of this sacrifice is to placate God'; anger, per. and h . f . . f . to mau amends, 1n a sp1nt o sorrow, or t e s1ns manhas committed 8 . • pardon for •sinIStoryd • • of sacri'fices were offered to ob ta1n shows that the ma1onty s an to appcase God '.s anger. s·1n was cons1"dered the cause of all calamities and . fortunes: O.oods, drought, plague, sickness and enemy attack. Thus, man off: saaifices of reconciliation and reparation to God. The final_ purpose of sacrifice is to ask God for help (impetratory end). This motive springs from man's belief that everything is subject to the Providence of God, and that mati is incapable of doing anything without His divine help and blessing. This is why sacrifices of petition are offered before any public or private undertaking. These four objects of sacrifice are fulfilled ideally in the Divine Liturgy which is the most perfect sacrifice of adoration, thanksgiving, propitiation and petition. First of all, the Divine Liturgy is the perfect sacrifice of adoration. ln the Divine Liturgy we glorify and adore God, through His Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ It is not we alone who praise God, but Christ prays with us and for us, since we are offering His prayers, merits, suffering and death to God. No human adoration, not even that of the saints, will ever equal this act of adoration per· • formed in the Divine Liturgy. The same can be said of the sacrifice of thanksgiving. ln the Divine Liturgy "th What d we o not ourselves alone offer thanks• to God but Christ does so w1 us. more perfect way is there to express thanks to God for His countless benefits than to offer up the Unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass? We are incapable of tbank· • Liturgy, •ing God 1' or a11 the benfits He has conferred upon us; so, in the D.ivine . •we offer to God all the merits of Christ in order to repay our debt of graut~~e. onoli~ . • . . •. .And what can we say about the Divine Liturgy as a sacnfice of rec tion? Has there ever been, or is there now, a sacrifice that would or could sur

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y in reconciling manki nd with God? ln this respect ali tlie Divine Liturg • P- •fices have been less than perfect because they were too weak to merit God's sacr1 dOn and too weak to remove the great gulf that separated God from mane p~d The Divine Liturgy is a sacrifice of peace and reconc iliatio n-a sacrific

again ~t ·has become the source of_ God's grace, salvation and blessing. Never in ~eed we offer the blood of anu~als to make ourselves pleasing to the Deity; effective sacrifice of the Holy Eucha nst we have the most perfect and most • tiie d on for our s1ns. os of obtaining par . .fi . f b. rnea there a Finally, if the o 1ect o sacn ce 1s to obta1n help from God, is Littter and more effectiv. e means of obtain ing it than through the Divine be God. urgy? ln the Divine L1turgy not we alone, but Christ with us, pray to Christ's infinite merits give our prayers infinite value. 6. The Divine Liturg y-A Sacrament of the New Testm ent

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to overOur concept of the Divine Liturgy would be incomplete were we the ered Iook still another impor tant aspect of its nature. So far we have consid y is not nivine Liturgy as a sacrifice, but the content of the Divine Liturg a sacrifice, exhausted when looked upon from this viewpoint, for it is not only but also a sacrament of the New Testament. e of Christ wished to establish the Divine Liturgy as the Unbloody Sacrific source the New Testament and also as a sacrament which was to be an endless of Jesus of God's grace, help and consolation. The most holy Body and Blood for the food and Christ are not only elements of sacrifice but also nourishment where soul This spiritual food is given to the Christian at Holy Communion Christ r, manne this the saaifiá al gifts are distributed to the communicant. ln permits unites Himself with His chosen one, gives Himself entirely to him and him to share in His divine life. invisiThe Holy Eucharist, like the other sacraments, is an outward sign of atural supern is ble grace; it is the fountain and storehouse of God's grace which Other saclife--the life of God. It is above all other sacraments in every respect. m, for Baptis it. raments either confer grace upon the soul, restore it or increase removes instance, confers the grace that makes us adopted children of God and d forfeite been original sin. The saaain ent of Penance restares grace which has by the soul. The saaam ents of Holy Orders and Matrimony bestow upon those ive.states. who receive them the grace and help to fulfill the duties of their respect the soul. The sacrament of Last Anointing increases grace and gives strength to life atural supern Ali sacraments, therefore, are sources and channels of the • which is the life of God. of ln Holy Communion, however, we receive not only the particular graces Himself. that sacrament, but also the Giver of ali graces, our Lord Jesus Christ lf with Himse unite to At Holy Communion He comes to dwell within us and us in order to make us partakers of His divine life. Holy Communion is a spiritChrist. lt ual banquet wher the spiritual food in the Body and Blood of Jesus

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Y alue of the Divine Liturgy

draws us into a very dose and intimate union with God, a un·ion s carceJy conceivable.. Human reason cannot plumb the depth of this divine m 5 • • d om, omn1potenc • God's w1s e and love couldY lery•• it stands powerless bcfore 1t. more. It is small wonder that this sacrament was considered by ~t have done stumbling blod. •• Christ, long before the establishme nt of the H ; Jews as "a promised to give His Body and Blood to the world, and the peo Y Eucharist, ing this dcparture from Him munnuring that His words were h!: upon hearBut Christ did not recall His words. On the contrary, at the Last S • On 6: 10;) fillcd this promise and gave the Apostles His Body and Blood wi:P~r lle fu}. c:ommand that they do likewise in His memory by renewing and re e ~XPlicit peating this Banquet. , • . .• D1vinc . Long ago people dreamed of union with God, and expressed th. s through saaifice. Externally this union with the divinity was express : bde ire lhe consumptio n of the victim (the Paschal Lamb among the Jews) . The 5: the Divine Liturgy answers the craving of the human heart for union :-~ :ethof divinity. At Holy Communio n this union is achieved. Holy Communi0 it_lS thee n ld f l • • • , . re-enactmen t o f Chr1st s com~ng mto t 1e wor , or the God-Man, Jesus Chr·lSl, IS . e 1 H f h th • • born aga1n 1n e earts o men at o y ommun1on. He comes to the soul d repeats and renews the mission which he has already fulfilled on earth. comes ~th His teaching, enlightenin ? tl~e m~nds of men and performing tho; sarne uurades He once performed wh1le 1n th1s world. He cures sicknesses, opens thc eyes of sinners, strengthens the weak, raises the dead to a new life and sends the Holy Spirit with graces and assistance. ln short, at Holy Communion we receive every grace necessary for our salvation.

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7. The Excellence and Value of the Divine Liturgy ln light of the previous observation s on the nature of the Divine Liturgy, we can see clearly its great significance and infinite value. In ali respects it is superior to all the other sacrifices mankind had ever offered, whether of pagan or of Jewish (Old Testament) origin. Jewish sacrificial offerings were not only a natural expression of the worshi~ rendered by the Jewish people, but they were also more perfect than pagan sacrifices. The J ews, who possessed the true fai th·, sacrificed to the true God and not th to false gods as the pagans did. Of all the nations then existing, they were : ones chosen to be the bearers of true faith in God, of the first revelations of Go . and of the promise of a redeemer of the world-the Messiah. G0 d 8 un. the Some sacrifices, such as the paschal sacrifice, were prescr1bed. b! 1 aelf and, therefore, carried the seal of divine approval. ln the divine ra:ifice. "fices. Paschal Lamb was a forerunner, although a weak one, of the Unbloody sa~:hadpagan ali than For this reason, Jewish sacrifices were far more perfect Yet, they were at the same time imperfect since they were only figures an oses of ows of the Divine Liturgy and did not completely fulfill the ends or purp

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Value o/ the Divine Liturgy

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•fice ln themselves, they were incapable of reconciling mankin d with God or • d • • • l G d hº h h d b • saai restoring the un1on w1t 1 o w 1c a een estroyed by sin. of All these imperfect, temporary and weak sacrifices have been replaced by l of the Bloody Sacrific~ of the ??d-M ~n on the cross and the unbloody renewa real this sarne sacrifice 1n the D1v1ne Luurgy . St. Paul clearly demonstrates the tiness and incomplete nature of all sacrifices offered before Christ: "For it is ~~ib le that sins should be taken away with the blood of bulis and of goats." of (:eb 10:4) He adds th~t Christ had to come in order to obtain the remission •ns by offering up H1s Body and Blood as a sacrifice: "Therefore, in coming I • d 'S ºfi SI into the world, he says, acn ce an oh atton Thou wouldst not, but a body Thou hast fitted to me: in holocausts and sin-offerings Thou hast had no pleasure.' Then said I, 'Behold I come- (in the head of the book it is written of me)-,' ly to do Thy will, O God.'" (Heb 10:5-7) Fulfilling the wish of His Heaven of Father, He died on the cross, thus offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins theworld. By dying on the cross, Christ nullified all sacrifices that had been thus far of offered, and in their place He inaugurated a new sacrifice, a "pure offering" Lord wbich the Prophet Malachias spoke: "I have no pleasure in you, saith the the of hosts: and I will not receive a gift of your hand. For from the rising of sun evento the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every my place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts." (Mal 1:10-11) These prophetic words found their fulfillment in the sacrifice o~ the Divine Liturgy. The Divine Liturgy is, therefore, that new, perfect, holy, universal and • pure off~ring. From all that has been said of the Divine Liturgy, we may conclude, first of all, that we Christians have no greater nor more precious treasure than the , Divine Liturgy which is a memorial of our salvation. ln the Divine Liturgy His of ial memor unique God continues to manifest His love for us. He left us a ial death- a memorial "more lasting and durable than bronze," the only memor perHe it ln ttable. of its kind, a memorial immortal,· imperishable and unforge petuates His death on the cross for the salvation of mankin d and He demonstrates, over and over again, His endless love for us. Secondly, if the Divine Liturgy is our greatest treasure, it follows that we should cherish it. The Divine Liturgy, as the sacrifice par excellence and the highest act of divine worship should be the heart and soul of our Christian religion. It must cease to be merely an ordinary Sunday formality, a spiritless and monotonous ritual. A more intimate knowledge of its nature, its rites, its prayers is and its symbolism will help us to appreciate the Divine Liturgy more, for it ate appreci only by knowing and understanding that we can truly and sincerely and cherish it, and derive spiritual benefit from it.

'

.

l'alut o/ lhe Divine Liturgy SELECT BIBUOGRAPHY b: 1919.

ladloL p, Ltp ,u sur 1. M,su. Par 1940 sima Eucharls1l1. ld td. Roma: ... ... .. J. Dt Sanctls ' :l. 192 g: bur Fttl n. Gar. N. DaJ ltri litt M,uo/'/ lt p Ku m m Jf't.sen und ihrt • rc1burg: 19'l6. lna p. J.1J. E11r1t,rütwa-1'0P1loilihr, 6. 190 v: L\'l im.,ulJ. A. N,Mh o S/.,&Jtbi tiy.

J

Chapter II THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIVINE LITlJRGY IN THE FIRST CENTURIES ln the first chapter we examined the nature of the Divine Liturgy. Now we shall consider the Divine Liturgy from the viewpoint of its historical setting and . . . . . development. Historical knowledge of the D1v1ne L1turgy, at least 10 1ts general aspects, is ecessary not only for experts, but also for those who wish to derive benefit from ~ prayers and rites. Without such knowledge, the present-day form of the 15 Divine Liturgy cannot be adequately understood. The Divine Liturgy as we know it today, besides being a divine institution, is also the product of many centuries of evolution. Like the Bible, it is the work of both God and man. Jesus Christ is its true author, but its extemal form is the work of the Church. ln the Old Testament God gave Moses a plan for the making of the tabernacle and minute prescriptions regarding the place, time and manner of offering sacrifice. Christ could have done likewise: He could have arranged and formulated the words, prayers, hymns, rites and ceremonies of the Divine Liturgy. But instead, Jesus Christ gave the Church a "free hand" in determining the vehicle of the Divine Liturgy, in selecting prayers and in formulating detailed prescriptions governing the various ri tes. The Divine Liturgy can be truly compared to the mustard seed which Christ spoke about in His parable of the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ planted this seed at the Last Supper and from it sprung an enormous tree adorned with liturgical prayers, rites, customs and symbolism. Documents still extant help us to trace development of this "seed" through the centuries. We shall especially consider, in general, the first centuries of the Christian era, the most important period in this Iong development. 1. The Last Supper-The First Divine Liturgy

ln treating the development of the Divine Liturgy, we must begin with the Last Supper, for it was then that the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated by our Lord. . How was this first Divine Liturgy celebrated? ln what forro did our Lord tute it? The Evangelists did not leave us any detailed description of the course or text of the Divine Liturgy. Nevertheless, we can, from their scant :counts of the Last Supper, form a fairly good, though incomplete, picture of e manner of celebration. ln reading the Gospel accounts we note only the .

10sti

•

27

28

T he Last Supper

most e~ential elements of the Divine Liturgy: the rite of consecrating and th rite of consuming the bread and wine. We read in the Gospels that Christ fi e • an d tl1en gave 1t • to the Apostles as food rSl blessed the bread and w1ne M 26:26-28) We also note some non-essential rites which were later incor~J in the Divine Liturgy. For instance, we read that Christ washed the feet of :. Apostles. This rite of washing or cleansing was retained in all the Liturgies. T;s priest, at the beginning of the Liturgy, performs the sarne rite; however, instea~ of bis feet, he washes his hands to symbolize the ~ecessity of spiritual purific . tion when offering the unbloody Sacrifice. The Evangelists further relate th:t Christ delivered a touching farewell speech. Qn 14: 17) From this developed th custom of preaching the Word of God at the Divine Liturgy. The Evangelis~ also tel1 us that, at the end of the Last Supper, Christ sang with the Apostles a hymn of praise composed of Psalms (Mt 26:80), a practice which is common to ali Liturgies. Another important fact worth noting and emphasizing is that Christ instituted and celebrated the Divine Liturgy. in a manner parallel to the Paschal sacrifice of the Old Testament. This fact is very important both from the doctrinal and developmental point of view. From the doctrinal point of view, in instituting the Divine Liturgy within the framework of the Passover sacrifice of the Old Testament, Christ revealed its redemptive character. The Divine Liturgy is the New Testament sacrifice which was prefigured by the Old Testament Paschal offering. The sacrifice and the consumption of the Paschal Lamb were instituted by God through Moses to remind the Jewish people of God's beneficence shown in delivering the Jews from Egyptian bondage. The Divine Liturgy likewise is a commemoration of the work of redemption which was accomplished by the "Lamb of God," Jesus Christ Himself, who voluntarily assumed the role of the sacrificial Lamb to atone for the transgressions of mankind. Un 1: 29) From the developmental point of view, the Old Testament Paschal saaifice and other Old Testament rites exerted considerable influence upon the structure of the Divine Liturgy. Certain rites, customs and even prayers in our modero Liturgy found their way into the Divine Liturgy according to the pattern of the Old Testament sacrifices and other Old Testament services. Christ did not form a new or special rite; however, the fact that He modelled the Divine Liturgy on the Old Testament Paschal sacrifice gave His Apostles the opportunity and occasion to borrow from the Old Testament forms of divine worship. We shall say more about this later. Here, we only wish to show what influence the Last Supper had on the further development of the Divine Liturgy. 1 1 Select Bibliography: A. Arnold, Der Ursprung des christlichen Abendmahles (Freibd~rg: • hl, "Theol 1957); M. Barth, Das Abendmahl-Paschamahl, Bundesmahl und Messaasma . . • Stu 1en, ter: Heft 18" (Zurich· 1945) • W Beming Die Einset:.ung der heiligen Eucharast,e (Muns • • ' • ' • • nd ihr ge1901); G., Bickell, Messe und Pascha. Der apostolische Ursprung der. Messhturgie u eh itU!i nautr AnJChJu11 an die Einsetzungsfeier der hl. Eucharistie durch Chr1stus aus dem;as t ª:ngsnachgewieaen~(Mainz: 1872): K. G. Goetz, "Die Entstehung der Liturgie aus der '" st .i

The Apostolic Period

29

2. The Divine Liturgy in Apostolic Times (First Century) The Last Supper was the beginning of the gradual development of all other Liturgies. The first stage or phase of development dates back to the Apostolic Period. What did the Divine Liturgy look like in this period? We have two sources of information concerning the Apostolic Divine Liturgy: the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of St. Paul. ln the Acts of the Apostles, the Divine Liturgy is called the "breaking of bread." We read "And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayers....And continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they took their meat with gladness and simplicity of heart." (Acts 2:42-46) Unfortunately, we are unable to ascertain from Acts the details and sequence of this "breaking of bread." We can, however, say that the "breakin g of bread" was somewhat reminiscent of the Last Supper which served as a model for the Apostles. It was a very simple ritual. Since the Jews persecuted the first Christians and forced them to meet in the evenings in private homes to celebrate the "breakin g of bread" in secret, the Divine Liturgy had to remain short and simple in forro. The Liturgy of the Apostles was of a domestic nature not only because it was celebrated in private homes, but primarily because it was like a family ~air. The Acts tel1 us of a Divine Liturgy celebrated by St. Paul in Troas (Asia Minor) during his third mission. "And on the first day of the week, when we were .assembled to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, being to depart on the morrow. . . .Then going u p, and breaking bread and tasting, and having talked a long time to them, until daylight, so he departed." (Acts 20:7-11) From this we learn that the "breaking of bread" took place in the evening, in the presence of all the congregation and during the community supper. As an introduction to the "breaking of bread, '' a sermon on the Gospel was usually delivered and the Apostles or their immediate successors in the priesthood explained the Holy Scripture to the assembly, recalling especially the death of Christ. After the explanation of the Scriptures they recalled the words of Christ's command: "Do this as a memorial to me." Then bringing the bread and wine they began the .. breaking of bread" or the Eucharistic Sacrifice. It is very probable that the course of this sacrifice was similar to that of the Last Supper and that it contained ~.11 the essential elements of the Last Supper: the rites of consecrating the gifts and the consuming of these gifts. gsfeirer," Zeitschrift f. kath. Thoologie, IV (1880); Fr. Hamm, Die liturgischen Einsetzun "Percoma, ultima in ci eucharisti et paschales Ritus Hanssens, M. ~erfchte (Munster: 1928); J. Das iod1ca de re morali, Uturgica ct canonica''. XVI (1927), pp 238-257: F. Dibelius, LoyE. 1926): (Bonn: hl Herrenma und Abendmahl (Leipzig: 1926): H. Lietzmann, Messe

.a

168-277: meyer, Yom urchristlichen Abendma hl, "Theol. Rundschau", Neue Folge, 1937, pp. 278-814; 1988, pp. 81-99.

j

!O

The Apostolic Period

St. Paul, in bis First Epistle to the Corinthiaos, ioforms us about th o( arranging the repast of lave, the agape. 2 Some, especially the wealth· e custoni • • the "breakin ier Christians, who attended t l1e meet1ngs an d took part 10 f elass o( O • an d otl1er v1ctua • ls, 1n • ord er t h at 10 • the spirit gf bread brought bread, w1ne . ,•· • • l th • li th Chr1st· love they could share 1t w1t 1 o ers, espec1a y e needy aod poorer Ch . . •an The Acts allude to this great love of the first Christiaos. ,.And the m ~bans. 1 believers had but one heart aod one sou1: oe1.ther d.1d aoy ooe say th ut t1tude 0 f · • the things wh1ch he possessed , was h..1s own; b ut ali th1ogs were coma aught 0 f Unt0 thcm. " (Acts 4:82) The repast of love, or the agape, which eithermon foU immediately or, more frequently, preceded the Eucharistic Sacrifice owed • love and sp1r1tua • • 1 un1ty. • I n t h e course of time, howev ' Wasth an ex~ion of th1s r--d · · 1 er, love meals or banquets prove 1mpract1ca , for they led to maoy abuses hºese . . w tch SL Paul v1gorously decr1ed. ln the same letter to the Coriothiaos, St. Paul rebukes them for th . e unproper maooer io which they cooducted these love baoquets. Some of the rich class, instead of sharing their food with the poor, would eat it themselves. Th er even ate and drank to excess. "For first of ali I hear that when you co~! together in the church, there are schisms among you; aod io part I believe it. For there must be also heresies: that they also, who are approved., may be made manifest among you. When you come therefore together into one place, it is not now to eat the Lord's supper. For every one taketh beforehand bis own supper to eat. And one indeed is hungry and another is drunk. What, have you not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God; and put them to sharoe that have not? What shall I say to you? Do I praise you? ln this I praise you noL" (1 Cor 11: 18-22) These abuses of the agape must have crept into the other Christian communities as well for we read in the Epistle of St. Jude: "These men are stains on their feasts, banqueting together without fear, feeding themselves; clouds withou..t water, which are carried about by winds, trees of the autumn, unfruitful, twice dead, plucked up by the roots." Oude 1: 12) Already in the first century we discover that the agape was separated from the Eucharistic part and was held in this manner until finally, in the later centuries, it ceased to be a custam and disappeared completely. From what has been said we may conclude that in the Apostolic Period, the Eucharistic Sacrifice in its externa! form and domestic nature was similar to that of the Last Supper. Its characteristic features were simplicity and domestic inti-

°

2 Select Bibiography: P. Batiffol, L"agape, ªEludes d'histoire et Theologie positive•: ~Par!s~ 19'l6), pp. 28!-S25; - - L'agape, DTC, 1 (1980), cols. 551-556; Baumgart~n, Euchans!•~ ~ ; 9 .4gope im Ur-Christentum, (Solothurn: 1909); F. Cirlot, The Early Euchara.st (Lo~donh 9. ti~ 1 E.nnoni, L'A.gape dans l'Eglise primitive (Paris: 1907): J. M. Hanssens, L'A.gape et E:; .ª~':at~ 9 :'Ephemnides Liturgicae"' (Roma: 1927), 525-548; 1928, 545-571; 1929, 177-198, 520- L:A ape., mg, The .4gape and the Eucharist in the Early Cliurch (London: 1901); H. Lederc~,,. nflcom DACL, I (1907), col. 775-848; P. Sokolov, Agapi ili vecheri l>:ubvi v? drevne:.:,r~slz;;~era der myerye, Ser. (Posad: 1906) ; K. Võlker, Mysterium und A.gape. Dae gemeansamen alten Kirche (Gotha: 1927).

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The Apostolic Period

81

Because of lack of documen ts, however, we have no complete or detailed macy.l dge of how the Liturgy was celebrated at that period.3 Yet, we do know . . know e the customs of the Jew1sh synagogue pia yed a great role in the fonnatton of tbato•vine Liturgy, a role which we will now investigate:' th e ;hen speaking of the services of the synagogue, we have in mind those servhich were conducted on the Sabbath. The Apostles and the first Christian . . • f J .h ices w munity, who were o ew1s extract1on, st1ll frequented the synagogue and •• • even after th e d escent of th e Holy Sp1nt-the • services comt'cipated 1•n 1ts Pente1 part lt was only for the "breaking of bread," or the Eucharistic Sacrifice, that ':; assembled in private homes. This state of affairs did not last long. The l ews began shunning the Christians whom they considered heretics and traitors !nd would not associate with them. As a result the Christians were forced to segegate themselves from the Jews and to meet in private homes. Even after this ~paration, however, they still adhered to the order of services observed in the synagogue: a community prayer, followed by readings from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, which in turn were explained. These readings were interrupted with songs taken from the Psalms. After the explanation of the Old Testament selections, they again prayed in common, thus ending the services. Liturgists refer to this type of service as the homiletic-didactic service. Already in the Apostolic Period, this homiletic-didactic service was conducted in con3 Select Bibiography: Andersen, Das Abendmahl in den zwei ersten ]ahrhunderten nach Christus (Giessen: 1904); P. Cagin, L'Eucharistia-Canon primitif de la messe (Rome: 1912); _ _ L'Anaphore apostolique et ses temoins, (Paris: 1919); F. Cirlot, The Early Eucharist (London: 1939); O. Cullmann, Urchristentum und Gottesdienst, "Abhandlungen zur Theologie des Alten and Neuen Bundes," No. 3, 1944; M. Goguel, L'Eucharistie des origines a ]ustin Mar,tyr (Paris: 1910); J. Hoffmann, Das Abendmahl im Urchristentum, ºZeitschrift f. neutest. W'~nschaft," V (1904); A. Golubtsov, Liturghia v perviya vyeka khristiayanstva, "'Bog. Vyestnik," 1915, iyul, pp. 621~43, noyabr 332-356, dekabr 779-802; Juelicher, Zur Geschichte der Abendmahlsfeier in der aeltesten Kirche (Freiburg in Br.: 1892) ; H. Lietzmann, Messe und HerrenmttHl (Bonn: 1926); A. Krasovsky, Bogosluzheniye khristiyanskoye so vremeni apostolov do chetve/iho vyeka, "Trudy Kiev. Dukh. Akad.," 1874, 11, pp. 15~250; 1875, 5, pp. 560-426, 7, pp. 42-~. 8, pp. 290-321, li, pp. 169-201, 12, pp. 426-454; 1876, 2, pp. 350-558, !, pp. 405-451, 4, :~. 92-142, 6, pp. 425-471; A. Petrovsky, A.postolskiya liturghii vostochnoy Tserlcvi (Spb: 1897);~. Smirnov, Bogoslu%heniye apostolskaho vremeni, "Trudy K. D. A.", 187!, pp. 495-560, 5, pp. 77-155; - - Bogosluzheniye khristianskoye so vremeni apostolov do chetvertoho vyeka, "Trudy K.D.A.", 1874, 4, pp. 155; Spitta, Die urchristliche Tradition über den Urst,rung des Abendmahles (Goettingen: 1893).

'Information on the inftuence of the Jewish synagogue services on the development of Ch~istian wonhip, especially on the liturgical-ritual development of the Divine Liturgy is c~p1o~s. Here we ~ve only select literature: A. Baumsta1·k, Das eucharistische Hochgebet und d~ Lateratur des nàchexilischen Judentums, "Theologie und Glaube", II (1910), 353-370; G. Bickel, Messe und Pascha (Mainz: 1872); A. Dmitrievsky, Drevne-Yudeyskaya synagoga i yeya bogosluzhebniya formi v otnosheniyu k drevne-khristianskomu khramu i yeho bogosluzhebnim formam (Kazan: 1895); I;>rach, Harmonie entre l'eglise et la synagogue (Paris: 1844); Dugmore, The lnfluence of the Synagogue upon the Divine Office (l..ondon: 1945); F. Gavin, The Jewish Antecede~ts of the Christipn Sacraments (London: 1928); J. Leitpold, Der Gotttsdienst der ael~ st~n .Kirche juedisch, grlechisch, christlich (Leipzig: 19!7); G. Loeschke, Juedisches und Cea~n~ches im christlichen Kult (1910) ; W. O. E. Oesterley, The Jewish Baclcground of the :n:stian Liturgy (Oxford: 1925); W. F. Skene, The Lord's Supper and the Passover Ritual ( danburgh: 1891). Gregory Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy, (London: 1964).

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82

The Apostolic Period

junction with the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and in the second ccntury we find the two services merging to form one liturgical whole. We shall learn more about the infl.uence of the synagogue services and other Old Testament elements of divine worship on the Divine Liturgy, in the second part of this book. Another factor that affected the development of the Liturgy was the nonChristian cultural atmosphere, which was that of Hell~nism.15 Even in the first years of its existence the Church óf Christ had spread beyond the boundaries of Palestine into other areas of the world and had come. into contact with the prevailing culture and thought. The Apostles and the1r followers had to adapt Christian doctrine to the mentality of their new environment. St. Paul, the great champion o( Christian doctrine, said of himself: "To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save ali." (1 Cor 9:22) He did this in order to bring all to Christ and His doctrine. He was a Greek to the Greeks and a Jew to the Jews. Undoubtedly, the other Apostles and their followers who were converts had to adjust to the new circumstances and, in preaching the doctrine of Christ, had to take into consideration the mentality and mores of non-Jewish peoples. The mentalities of the Jews and the non-Christians were foreign to each other; hence, both had to be considered and respected. The influence of Hellenism can best be seen in the fact that the Greek language was used among non-Jewish Christians, since the Aramaic, spoken by the Jews was not understood by the Greeks or Romans. We also find Hellenistic thought expressed in the prayers and rites of the Divine Liturgy. ln their studies of the origin of each individual prayer, rite and symbolic action of the Divine Liturgy and other Christian services, liturgists frequently detect the influence of Hellenism and discover that many elements in the Christian cult were taken from non-Christian religions and mysteries which had no small infl.uence upon the rites of the Christian Liturgy. To a certain extent, the heresies of the first centuries also contributed to the development of the rites and prayers of the Liturgy. To justify their erroneous doctrines, the heretics did not hesitate to falsify the Scriptures. Even in their cults they gave expression to their heretical convictions especially the Christological heresies of the fourth and fifth centuries: Arianism, which taught that Christ was not God nor the eternal Son of God nor of the sarne substance; NesG The following are the more important works dealing with the influence of Hellenism on Christian services: A. Baumstark, Yom geschichtlichen Werden der Liturgie (Freiburg in Br.: 1925); Odo Casei, Altchristliche Kult und Antike, ..Jahrbucb f. Liturgiewissenschaft", _IV (19'l5), 1-7; G. Loeschke, Juedisches und Heidnisches im christlichen Kult (1910); A. Lmsy, Les Mysteres paiennes dans le culte juif et dans le culte chretien (Paris 1919); H. Pl~tschb~er, Hellenismus und Christentum, "Theologie und Glaube", 21 (1929), 697-709; H. Pmard, r,;DJ.trations paiennes dans le culte chretien (Bruxelles: 1909); K. Schneider, Studium ium Uríf,fung liturgischer Einulheiten oestlicher Liturgien, "'Kyrios, I (1986), 57-78; 3,. (19~8), J4g.,..lj0, 239-311; - - Das Fortleben der Gesamtantike in clen griechischen L~turgaen, ''Kyrfos," 4, (1989) 185-221; P. Wendland, Die hellenistisch-roemische Kultur und Chrastentum (fübingcn:· 1907).

The Apostolic Period torianism, which said th at ~n. Jesu_s Christ there were two persons, a divine rson and a human person J01 necl 1n perfect harmony of action but not in the pe um•ty of a single .individual; Monophysitism ' which held that Christ had but a single nature wluch. was composed of Lwo natures, human and divine. These 1nto the already-existing prayers of the Liturgy heretical heretics introduced • . ovations and d'1storuons. inn Hence, Ch • • 1 d true nsuans ia • to guard against and counteract these heretical f lsifications and innovations by giving expression to the true faith in the prayers :d rites of the Liturgy. Thus, new prayers of an antiheretical nature were ; nnulated, prayers which contained in short but clear words the true Christian b:lief. An example of an antiheretica l prayer is the Monogenes (The Hymn o( the Jncarnate Word) or the "Only-begotten Soo" which is a refutation of the teachings of Arius, Nestorius and Eutychius. The Divine Liturgy was also influenced by Neo-Platonic philosophy which manifested itself in the arrangemen t and style of certain prayers, especially in symbolism. Glancing back at the liturgical evolution throughout the centuries, we observe that each century, with its peculiar mentality and culture, left its mark on Christian services.6 It is now apparent why the Divine Liturgy is the work both of God and of man, for in essence it is of Divine origin while in its externa! form it is the work of man. 3. Development of the Divine Liturgy in the Second and Third Centuries There is not much to be said about the historical development of the Divine Liturgy in the second and third centuries, the period of rigorous persecutions of the Christians. '\i\Te have but few historical documents and testimonies regarding the forro and course of the Divine Liturgy of that time, especially regarding the text of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Because of the conditions of the times, the~Eucharistic Sacrifice could not develop freely and normally. The persecu ted Chris tians were forced to safeguard their religious practices against the desecration of the pagans. This was particularly true of the Eucharistic Sacrifice which, after Christ Himself, was their most precious treasure. They used symbols to conceal their faith, practices and rites even from those who after long indoctrination proven, 14 " 111 ' ish,nev: , IS60. . l't Kievskiy: Pribavl. k tvor. sv. Otsov, IV (1846), p. 40 I • h m'k 1.· op· · A Gorsk)'· Petr"ªf og•·111 .m1tropo l't Petr Mogila i yeho spo dviz it 1storicheskah· . . Golubev, Kieiisky m,tropo . 1898. o •x.slyedova . S. K' . 188, II Kiev. . . ""' k niya, I., ,cv. ,;enie v russkoy tserkvi za perviye r.rªt vye ov, "Pravoslav Sob A. Dmitricvsky. 252_296 ; li, pp. M6-373; III, pp. 149-167, 372-394; 188 II Yes" (IS82), 1' p. 198-229, 47o-485. ' Pp. ,45-,74; III, P~· k tserkvi v XVI v., Kazan: 1884. _ Bogosluxhe?•ek~ r;:~ 0~ i tsar Aleksyey Michaylovich, I, Sergiev Posad: 1909; II, Setviev N. Kapterev. Patnar • -o• 912 P~d: ~ · N'L .1 yeho protivniki v dyelye ispravlyeniya tserkovnykh obryadov _ Patnarkh II\On ' -~•5iev p~d· 191, (2 izd.). · l d · kh · ·n. Obzor nyekotorykh osobennostey v chmopos ye ovamya rukopisnykh trebnik.cn, N. K;.~fiezhashchikh rukop, bibliotekye Speterburgskoy Dukhovnoy Akademi i, "Khryst'. Chtenie" (1877), I. . . . K tayev. opisanie slavyanorusskikh kmg, Spb .. 1883. ~- :~anskiy . Ocherk istorii liturghii nashey pravoslavnoy tserkvi, "Khrist. Chtenie" (1868), II,

Bi°t:~li ;,

PP· H5 .... .. , 525 ... · · · ··

3,

.

N. Krasnoseltsev. K istorii pravoslavnaho bogosl~zhemya. Po povodu nyekotorykh tserkovnyk .h sluzhb i obryadov ninye ne upotreblyayushchikhsr~, K~za~: 1889. . E. Krizhanovsky. Plvrezhdenie tserkovn~y obrya~no~!' •. rel,ghioznykh obichayev v yuzhnorus sk.oy mitropolii: "Rukovodstvo dlya selskikh .pas~1~ey, Kiev: 1860, 12. M. Llsitsin. Pervonachalnyj slavyano-russk,y t,p,kon, Spb.: 1911. A. Milovidov. Staropechatnyya slavyano-russkiya izdaniya, vyshedshiya iz zapadno-russkikh tipografiy XVI-XVIII vv., "Chteniya Istor. i Drevn. Mosk." (1908), 1, p. 27. N. Mansvyetov. Kak u nas pravilis tserkovniya knighi: Pribavl. k tvor. sv. Otsov 1883, pp. 536-542, Prilozheniya: 1884, pp. 273-320. K. Nikosky. O sluzhbakh russkoj tserkvi, byvshikh v pervykh pechatnykh bogosluzhebnykh lcnigakh, Spb.: 1885. L Ohienko. The History of the Ukrainian Press, written in the Ukrainia n language, Lviv: 1925. Malcariy, mitr. Patriarkh Nikon v dyelye ispravleniya tserkvonykh knig i obryadov: Pribavl. k tvor._sv. Otsov: 1882, pp. 1-116. 1. S~kharov. Obozryenie slavyano-russkoy bibliografii, Spb.: 1849. I. Svyentsitsky. Katalog knig tserkovno slavyanskoy pechati, Zhovkva: 1908. T. Titov. Tipografia Kievo-Pecherskoy Lavri, Kiev: 1918. V. Prilutsky. Chastnoe bogoslyzhenie v russkoy tserkvi v XVI v. i v pervov polovinye XYII v., Kiev: 1912. Undolskiy. Ocherk slavyano-russkoy bibliografii, Moskva: 1871. Philaret Opit slicheniya chinoposlyedovaniy po izlozheniyu. tserkovno-bogosluzhebnykh knig

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moskavskoy pechati, izdannykh pyervimi pyatiyu russkimi patriarkha mi, Bratskoe Slovo: 1875, 1-3. Chin liturghii Zlatousta po drevnym staropechatnym novoispravlenomu l drevnepisme71 nym sluzhebnikam, Bratskoe Slovo: 1876,2-3. '

Chapter IV VARIOUS COMMENTARIE S ON THE · BYZANTINE-SLAVONIC LITURGY Liturgical commentaries are very important sources for understanding the Divine Liturgy. It appears that, next to the Bible, there was no other subject writers were so fond of explaining or commenting on as the Divine Liturgy. Evidence of this is found in the numerous liturgical commentaries handed down to us from the Patristic Age to the present day. Liturgical commentaries .are valuable because they tel1 us how the various liturgical functions or rites were interpreted in former centuries. To-day they give us a better understanding of the Liturgy. Ancient manuscripts and printed Liturgikons and Sluzhebnyks provide us only with the texts and rubrics of the Divine Liturgy, but the liturgical commentaries describe the ritual forms of each part of the Liturgy and provide us with the meanings given them by the anáent Church writers and liturgists. The Byzantine-Slavonic Liturgy has a great number of valuable commentaries, the authors of which have given us the traditional symbolic interpretations of the texts and rites of the Divine Liturgy, many of which are used even today. Scientific research, however, does not always confirm certain of these interpretations. To date, we do not have a complete survey of the Byzantine-Slavonic commentaries on the Divine Liturgy although attempts at this have been made by the liturgists, Krasnoseltsev (Orthodox) and Salaville (Catholic). 1 ln this chapter we shall present as complete a survey as possible of these commentaries, of which we shall later avail ourselves in our commentary on the texts and rites of the Divine Liturgy. I. Liturgical Commentaries of the Patristic Age

(Fourth-Eighth Centuries) The Patristic Age provides us with very few liturgical commentaries, and those few, predominantly brief and very general. They

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uo M. llighetti, Manuale di stor ia liturgica, Vol. I., Introduzion e gene-rale (Milano-Geneva: 1945) , pp. 55-«>. 111 R. H. Connoly and W. Co nin gto . . b n, Two Commentaries on Georg, bishop of the Arab Tribes the jacobate Laturg1, 1 , and Mo Bar Kepha ... ... . , (London: 191 172 D. • J. Bar Salibi, Exposition litusesrgia !): ") Scrpt, e f'C orp w Scriptorum Christa Syri, aeries 2, Vol. 9'l) (Parisiis anorum ' et Rom ae: 191 5). ·· 1.n J. B~r. Shakako, &posi . t tio de tio offeciorum et orationum (Vi d. Th . J. Lamy, Das.serª •Syrorum fide, et disciplina in re eucharistica, Louvain: 1859). lH A. Bar Liphen, lnte . . . Chabot· rpretatio ofliciorum, (in Corpw Scrip. Christ. onentalaum [ lyv cm at] ), Scriptores Syri, Ser . 2., Vol. 92, (Parisiis et Rom • ae: 1915). t.H Choaroea, Explicatio . 'bus r.fissat), precum missae (P. Vetter, Com mentariw de orataona , tri illt m in Br.: 1880). _~; ?rlt l~e nes Lampronensia, . . des Histories Explicatio liturgiae Armenae (E. Dulaur1er, Recue• 1 Cfolaades. Hi&toriens Ârmeniens , Vol. I.), (Paris: 1869), pp. 569-57 8.

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Shams-al-Riasah-Barakat ibn Kabar. 1 n ln short, the symbolistic interpretation of the Liturgy was for many centuries the only correct and traditionally sanctioned method. But with the progress of liturgical studies carne a complete renaissance in interpretation. Scientific investigations into the history and evolution of the Liturgy itself actually began in the second half of the nineteenth century. Although previously some attempts had been made at historical-scientific research on the Liturgy, as in Goar, Lebrun, 178 and other liturgists of the eighteenth centrury, the real renaissance carne in the second half of the nineteenth century. This century tends to be called the "saeculum historicum," i.e., the historical age for, like other branches of science, liturgics also had recourse to history and to investigation of primary sources. 179 Not only in' the West did the scholars begin examining aricient manuscripts and focusing their attention on the history and evolution of th~ Liturgy, but also in the East, the Byzantine Liturgy especially had its own untiring researchers among whom were the Russian scholars, Krasnoseltsev, Muretov, Petrovsky, Golubtsov, Orlov, Karabinov and especially A. Dmitrie~sky. Through their works, these scholars aroused interest in the Liturgy. ln the light of ancient liturgical monuments, the symholic method of interpreting the Divine Liturgy began to lose its popularity and to make room for a new method-the historical-genetic method. The mystical-symbolical theory, which had been considered throughout the centuries. to be the only correct and estalr lished theory, could not satisfy the minds that began to seek a historical-genetic analysis of the rites and prayers of Christian church services. The development of the science of liturgics was, therefore, responsible for introducing a new method of interpreting the Divine Liturgy-a method which produced wonderful results. Twentieth-century commentators on the Roman Liturgy have Iong ago abandoned the symbolic-mystical interpretations and have interpreted the rites and ptayers of the Divine Liturgy in te.nns of their historical development and their intrinsic meaning.180 The interpretation of the Byzantine Liturgy in terms of the historical-genetic method is still in an infant stage of development. To many interpreters, the symbolism of the old Byzantine commentators still retains its chann and, consequently, they enjoy using this method without realizing that it has no solid foundation. The historical-genetic method, however, is now being applied in some new works as in the commentary of Bessarion which is free of the traditional symbol111 Lampas tenebrarum et expositio mysterii, (Vid. Villecourt-Tis.,erant-Wiet, Livre de la lampe des ténebres et de l'éxposition [luminewe] du seroice [de l'Eglise], Patrologia Orientalis [Graffin-Nau], Vol. 20, pp. 575-734, Paris: 1929). Cf. L. Villecourt, Les obseroances liturgiques et la discipline du jeune dans l'tglise copte, .. Museon," 56 (1925), pp. 249-m: 57 (1924), pp. 201-280. 11s P. Lebrun, Explication litterale, historique, et dogmatique des prieres et des ceremonies de la messe (Paris: 1716-1726), 4 Vol. . . 110 P. Oppenheim, lntroductio historica in litteras liturgicas, 2•da ed., p. 56 ss (Torino: 1M5). 110 P. Parsch, Messerklaerung (Klosterneuburg b. Wien: 1957): A. Jungmann, Mis.sarum 1olemnia. Eine genetische Erklaerung der roemishchen Messe, (2 Baende) (Wien: 1948); J. Brlnktrlne, Die heilige Messe in ihrem Werden und Wesen (1951).

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ism, and in the liturgical commentary of T. Myshkovsk y. Amon W ers on the Byzantine Liturgy, who strove to explain it from the h~ ~stern lYt' . • f • . aspect, the (ollow1ng are deserv1ng o ment1on. P. De Meester istori F cal·genetlt,i Salaville, M. Han~ens and A Raes.181 ' • Moreau, se ln our commcntary we will employ the histo rical-critical • intcrpreting thc rites and texts of the Divine Liturgy. We wiU av ?1eth0d in bolic interpretative methods of the past because today they are co ~td the SYJn, • ct1ve • and • • ent. TI lete, sub1e 1ncons1st 1e mystagogues of the past centuns1de . red obso. • ested 1n • the sub"1ect1•ve-ascet1c man•ly 1nter • aspect of 1nter • pretation.nes h were Pri, endowed every rite with a mystical meaning, in arde r to impress ence, they inàtc him to mediate upon the events of the redem ption. Such in: reader ~nd undoubtedly were edifying and increased devotion, but at the sam:~retations caused the historico-practical aspect of the rites of the Divine Litu~rne, they neglected.181 gy to he A greater part of the liturgical rites derived their origin from • fluence of th needs and the 1n e synagogue and even the hellenistic-orienpracti t cal teries. Only later did the mystagogues attach a myst ical-symbolical sense 1 1 rites.181 Hence, the liturgical researchers should, abov e all, strive to ascertat the historical origin and development of a given rite in orde r to determine its n . nal purpose, and then proceed to the interpretation of ongi. its sense. The historical method has been wholly vindicated and currently established· hence there is no need to defend its principies here. The historical-geneti~ method of interpreting the Divine Liturgy has yet to complete the great task which the symbolic interpretations of the past centu ry failed to accomplish, i.e. to discover the proper and original sense of the rites of the Liturgy, to explain these rites in relation to their intrinsic connection with the Eucharistic Sacrifice, to indicate the source of ritual practices, to explain its historical background, and thus, to widen our knowledge of the Divine Litur gy. Every interpretation of the Divine Liturgy not based on history or on critic ai analysis is likely to be exposed to subjectivism.1u If history is to be calle d "magistra vitae"-the "teacher of life" -the n the liturgical commentaries, if they are to be fruitful and practical, must rest upon solid historical data.

th

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181 PL. De Meester, "Les origin es et les developpements" pp. 245-!57;-(Liturgies ~ vrH11ues DACL1 VI cols. 1591-1662· F. Moreau, Lts liturgies eucharistiques. Notes sur leur on· • ' ' gine ct 'leur developpem ent (Bruxclles: 1924) ; S. Salaville. Liturgies orientales, N0 (ion gtnt· rales, tlements principaux (Paris: 1932) , II, La Messe , lnstitutiones liturgicae de ritibus orientalibus, De (2 parties) (Paris_: l 94~) : M.t01Ha:i~;: Missa rituum onentahum, s. (Romae: 1930-1932): A. Raes, Introductio in liturgiam orientaltm (Romae: 1947). 182 J. Botsyan, Liturhia na skhodi; "Nyva," IV (1907), p. 345. us Ibid., pp. 172-175, 845. . lt in itself and 184 .. A theory on the church servic es not based on historical data 15 fa~a Y he mind and damaging in its effects, here we have arbitrarincss nd runni ~ ;t used in the heart to be obscured. We find one and lhe sarne rite ng rampant a causa~ and one and the sarne O Je by Simeon of performance of a rite being interpretcd in five or six different wayS, one ,~y nce the reasou Thessalonica, another by Cabasilas, and still others for a historical inquiry into the divine services." by other com~entt~o1 rs.lst:ricliesliy obz.or (Philarct Gumilevs Y• 1',esnopyevtsev, Spb.: 1902, (5 izd.) p. 5). 0

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SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY Brightman, F. E. The Historia mystagogica and other greelr. commentaries on the byzanitne lit• urgy, "Joumal of Theological Studies," Vol. IX. (1908), pp. 24S-267, 887-897. Borgia, N. ll commentario liturgico di S. Germano Patriarca Constantinopolitano e la versione latina di Anastasio Bibliotecario. Grottaferrata: 1912. Zhivkovich, I. Kratld pregled ·knizhevnosti nauke o bogoslu%henu, (Otlomak iz liturghike): Bogoslovski Glasnik, VI (1904), 5, pp. 545-555; 6, pp. 429-442. Krasnoseltsev, N. "Tolkovaya Sluzhba'' i drughiya sochineniya otnosyashchiyasya k obyasneniyu bogosluzheniya v drevnei Rusi do XYIII v. (Pravoslav. Sobes.: 1878 II., pp. 8-43). Krasnoseltsev, N. O drevnikh liturghicheskikh tolkovaniyakh. Odeua: 1894. Krasnoseltsev, N. Drevniya tolkovaniya liturghii kak istochnik yeya istorii (See the Prilozhenie II. of the work by the same author: "Svyedyenniya o nyekotorykh liturghicheskikh rukopisakh vatikanskoy biblioteki," Kazan: 1885, p. 505 .... ). Muretov, N. Grecheskiy podlinnik Nikonovskoy Skrizhali. (Bibliograf. Zapiski, n. 7). Moskva: 1892. Oppenheim, P. Introductio historica in litteras liturgicas. Torino: 1945 (2-da). Petrides, S., Traites liturgiques de S. Maxime e de S. Germain traduis par Anastase le Bibliothecaire, ºRevue de l'Orient Chretien," X. (1905), pp. 287-809. Salaville, S. Indication sommaire des principales "Explications de la Messe orientale" anciennes et modernes, (II.) Appendix in "Liturgies Orientales," La M~, II. Paris: 1942 PP· 185-148). Solowij, M. De commentario liturgico s. Sophronio attribuito. Romae: 1949.

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PART TWO

A COMMENTARY ON THE PRAYERS AND RITES OF THE DIVINE LITURGY

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INTRODUC TION Having reviewed the historical background of the Divine Liturgy, we now come to the systematic interpretation of its prayers and rites. This interpretation or commentary of the Divine Liturgy is divided into three principal parts: I. the Proskomide, II. the Liturgy of the Catechumens (or the Liturgy of the Word), and III. the Liturgy of the Faithful (or the Liturgy of Sacrifice). This division, which is ancient and traditional, is based upon the structure of the Divine Liturgy itself. Ali three principal parts have their own constituent elements, origin and distinct causes and factors underlying their development. The first part of the Divine Liturgy is the Proskomide, the purpose of which is to prepare for the Divine Liturgy. It includes the preparation of the priest and of the sacrificial gifts: bread and wine. The second part, the Liturgy of the Catechumens or of the Word, begins with the doxology or invocation of the Holy Trinity, "Blessed be the Kingdom etc.," and terminates with the dismissal of the catechumens: "Catechumens, depart, etc." Because of its content and character, the Liturgy of the Catechumens is frequently called the homiletic-didactic service or the service of the word. Its origin dates back to the time of the Apostles and it is an adaptation of the Jewish synagogue services. The last part of the Divine Liturgy is called the Liturgy of the Faithful or Liturgy of Sacrifice. It is the most important part of the entire Divine Liturgy, since in this part the eucharistic sacrifice is consummated. It begins with prayers for the faithful and the Great Entrance and concludes with the dismissal of the faithful. Not only is the Liturgy of the Faithful the most significant part of the Divine Liturgy, but it is also the ol

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1 The N ame-Proskomide Etymologically, the name Proskomide comes from the Greek word proskomidzo" which means, "I offer," "I bring," "I sacrifice." The Proskomide is a rite of offering up gifts. This offering applies to the eucharistic gifts or elements, bread anel wine. ln other words, the Proskomide is the offering of bread and wine, which later in the course of the Divine Liturgy is changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ by virtue o( the words of Consecration pronounced by the priest. The Proskomide goes by another name also, one very often met with in the old texts of the Divine Liturgy, i.e. "Prothesis." ln the Slavonic Sluzhebnyks the word prothesis is translated as predlozhenie and in English, "oblation or proposition.'' The term "prothesis" has survived to our day, signifying, however, not the whole Proskomide, but only its last part, namely, the prayer, which terminates the rite. This prayer is called "the prayer of prothesis," and the place where the rite of Proskomide is performed is called the Table of Prothesis. ln the Liturgies of other Rites, both Eastern and Western, we find other terms designating the preparation of the eucharistic gifts, but all have the sarne meaning. ln the Latin Rite, the Proskomide is called the O/jertorium or "Offertory."

2. Origin of the Proskomide The ong1n of the Proskomide can be traced back to the Apostolic Age. Since it was a preparation of the eucharistic gifts, it was part of the original Liturgy. However, in the original Liturgy it had a slightly different form and character. The Proskomide, as we have it today, originated and evolved from the old Christian ceremony of community gift-offering. From the earliest liturgical documents we learn that the faithful, gathering to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, brought bread and wine and offered them to the Lord. Part of these offerings were intended for Iiturgical purposes, i.e. for the eucharistic gifts; the remainder were set aside for the !ove banquet, the so-called agape. ln their generosity and love for sacrifice, the faithful were accustomed to bringing more than was needed for the Divine Liturgy and the love banquet. Besides bread and wine, they also brought oil, honey, fruit, wool, wax, silver, gold and other valuable articles. 3 s We find in the Old Tcstament shewbread some clcmcnts of our Proskomide. ln dcscribing thc various offerings the Jewish pcople made to God, Father Roland De Vaux, in his Ancient Israel its Li/e and lnstitutions, says: "Rather similar to the offerings just described is the shewbread, called in Hcbrcw lehem happanim ('the bread of the face' (of God), or 'the bread of lhe Presence') or lehem hamma'areketh (the 'shewbread')." Ace'ording to Lv 24:5-, twelve cakes of pure wheaten flour were laid out in two lines on a lable which stood in front of the Holy of Holies; they were rencwed every sabbath day. They were a pledge of the Covenant betwcen the twelve tribes and Yahweh. These cakes, or loaves, were eaten at the end of thc week by the priests, but they were not placed on the altar; incense, however, was placcd alongsidc each line of loaves as an azkarah, and was burnt (on the altar of perfumes) whcn lhe loaves were changed. The fact that incense was placed there justifies us in regarding the loavcs as something like a sacrificial offering, and Ezechiel himself likens the table on which lhey wcre put to an altar (Ez 41 :21-22). (De Vaux, Ancient Israel, its Li/e and lnstitutions, New York, 1961, p. 422).

104

The Proskomide to the deacons, who placed them . 1.he faithful presented these . gifts h in 1 • •

th

e table of preparauon. T . e m1n1ster . (the b'ishop 0 . or. ce ebrant . sanetuarY On a · the priest) then recited a prayer over the g1fts, 1n wh1ch he 1mplored the Lor~ t accept the offering from those who brought them and those who bl essed h a • • o them. During the ceremony of commun1ty ouenng, t e names of those Who offered wer read oifts to be offered and those for whom .they were brought the o· e ' . ln the course of time, the custom of commun1ty offenng, from which th • rite of Proskomide originated and developed, underwent a. change in charactere and forro. First, the Iove banquet was separated from the L1turgy proper because it became an occasion for sundry abuses and excesses. Later, all other offeri • d . For 1nstance, • • were e1·1m1nate the th'ird and fourth Ruings except bread and w1ne of the Apostles forbade bishops and priests to accept and to bring to the alt~ r such gifts as honey, milk, fruit, animais, or spirits instead of wine. The new circumstances under which the Christians in the first centuries were forced to live also contributed to the modification of the form and character of the Proskomide. During the severe persecutions, the Church was not Iegally recognized as a religious institution. The faithful themselves had to sup. port the Church, the clergy and in general the poorer Christians. The ancient Christian custom of community gift offering, besides providing gifts for purely liturgical purposes, had also provided gifts for charitable purposes. Thus, the gifts which were presented in the rite of gift-offering, served the needs of the Church as well. A portion was given for the support of the priest, and a portion was set aside for the destitute, widows, orphans and the sick. After securing religious freedom (313 A.D.), the economic status of the Church and its clergy improved considerably. Churches were now able to secure their own possessions, and the clergy were eventually supported by the income of the Church. Sources of support were the benefices of the faithful and the state; this meant that the clergy no longer had to depend for support on the liturgical gift-offering as they had during the persecutions. As a result of this economic growth, the custom ot community gift-offerings slowly disappeared. Gift-offering was no longer a neces.1iity nor an obligation. 3. Development of the Proskomide Jt is difficult to determine exactly when the ancient Christian cus tom of community gift-offering ceased to be practiced. It probably happened about th e fif th and sixth centuries. It must have occun·ed slowly and gradually, for we learn from ccrtain documents that, even after the custom had ceased to be ª general praoke, it was still retained by the Emperor's family and by the more • ·1 of • • and afftuent people. The Emperors enjoyed the spec1al pnvi eg.e promrnent enterin~ the sanctuary and prescnting their gifts there. \IVith the gradual chsap· 10st ve.arance uf thc community gift-offering, che rites of the original Proskoruide much uí tl1eir solemity and pristine meaning. The Proskomide ceased to be ronuouuity ritc ín which all the failth(ul took an active part, and becarne ex du~ively tht ptivatc function of Lhe pricst and the deacon.

The Proskomide

105

After losing its original meaning, the rite of Proskomide was transferred from its original place in the Liturgy, i.e., from the beginning of the Liturgy of the Faithful, to the beginning of the Liturgy of the Catechumens. That the original place of the Proskomid e was at one time at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Faithful can be substantiat ed by certain testimonies and allusions found in liturgical documents . One of the oldest documents in which we find many liturgical prescriptio ns, the so-called "Testamen t of Our Lord Jesus Christ," contains, among other things, a prescriptio n that forbids any acceptance of gifts from the catechumens: "It is not allowed to accept bread from a catechume n, even though he has a believing son or wife for whom he would Iike to offer gifts; his gifts shall not be accepted until he is baptized." From this restriction we may deduce that the gift-offering among the ancient Christians was part of the Liturgy of the Faithful, since the catechumens were not allowed to take part in it. The rite of gift-offering was the initial rite of the Liturgy of the Faithful (the Liturgy of the Sacrifice). After the rite of gift-offering followed the Anaphora or Eucharistic Canon. The transpositi on of the Proskomide to the beginning of the Liturgy of the Catechume ns most likely occurred at the time when the catechume nate ceased to be a practice, i.e., about the sixth and seventh centuries. When the catechume nate ceased to exist as a distinct class, there was no longer a need to continue the practice of community gift-offering in the Liturgy of the Faithful. ln any event, the Proskomid e is the initial rite of the Liturgy in the oldest manuscrip t of the Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Rite-the Barberini Codex of the eighth-nin th centuries. 4. Role and Purpose of the Proskomide When the Proskomid e ceased to be a rite of community gift-offering and when it was moved from its original place in the Liturgy of the Faithf ul and became the initial rite of the Liturgy of the Catechumens, it also lost its original character, its original role and purpose. As we have mentioned , the original rite of the Proskomide was not only a preparatio n of the eucharistic matter (bread and wine), but it was also a public act of Christian charity. This community gift-offering was an exterior manifestation of the love the Christians had for their Church, their clergy and for all those who were under the protection of the Church. The rite of gift-offering was considered a natural obligation of all the faithful. It was even customary to sacrifice the offerings for those unable to come to church, the persecuted, members of the family, relatives, the deceased, etc. ln this ancient community gift-offering the whole Church was symbolically represented. The whole community participated in the offering of gifts which were symbols of their love for the Church community and an externa! sign of their gratitude for God's gifts-the Holy Eucharist, which the faithful received during the Unbloody Sacrifice of the Liturgy.

106

The Proskomide

It is clear, then, why the orig inal cha ract er of the rite of Proskomid h change. Now it is no long er a pu bl • • ate 1c act b ut str1•ctIy a pnv e ad to one -a rt . act of the priest. It is not an ove rt act of cha rity or an out war d sign of ~hu~gi_cal love but exclus1•vely a pre par auo • n o f t11e •fi eia • l or euc han• • sac n ristian , stic mat t . sary for the Consecrauo • n. The ro1e o f t h e p rosk om1•d e 1s er now tha t of a necesliturgical rite, in which the fait hfu l as a whole do not actively participate. purely 5. Place and Minister of the Prosko mide The Proskomide, as we kno w it toda y, takes place at the side altar calle d the Tab le of Prothesis, whi ch is loca ted to the left of the mai n alta r (the nonh side of the sanctuary). ln its new place (i.e., at the beg inn ing of the Liturgy) the Proskom ide becomes a secondary rite, in the sens e tha t no exte rna l solemnity accompa nies it. One of the priests assisting or con cele bra ting at the Div ine Litu rgy perform s the rite which is sho rt and simple. The Pro sko mid e in St. Joh n Chrysostom 's Liturgy (eig hth- nint h cen turi es), as reco rde d in the Bar ber ini Codex includes a prayer of prothesis or obl atio n wit h a pre scri ptio n stat ing tha t this prayer be recited "in the sacristy whe n the prie st places the pro sph ora or altar-bread s upon the diskos." ln the oldest commentari es on the Div ine Litu rgy of the Byz antine Rite we discover tha t the rites of the Proskomide were not fully deve lope d. According to thei r descriptions, the Proskomide consisted of the rites of preparing the sacrificial bre ad, the pou ring of wine and wat er into the poterion or chalice and the prayer of Prothesis. The earliest man usc ript s of the Byzanti ne Liturgy do not men tion oth er ritu al add itio ns whi ch we have today in the mod ern Proskomide. 6. Rites and Tex ts of the Proskomid e Not unt il after the nin th cen tury do the litu rgic al documents reveal a deve lopm ent in the rites and texts of the Proskomide. ln the tent h and eleventh -cen tury manuscripts of the Byzantine Litu rgy, various new formulas and texts begin to app ear in company wit h the rite of pre par ing the brea d. Thu s, for st in ªnce, the rite of cutt ing the bre ad is give n a symbolic meaning, because the accompanying text alludes to the dea th of the Lam b, Jesus Christ, on Golgotha. ln the liturgical documents of the elev enth century, we find various shor t prayers taken from the psalms tha t distinctly suggest a symbolic meaning . ln ~he Proskom1'de commemorat1on · s and , late r, the prayers accompany1•ng the covenng fth or veiling of the diskos and chalice are men tion ed. ln the eleventh ao