I begin entering liturgical description and commentary on up-coming commemoration-days according to the Typikon of Orthodox Christian worship. This description will consist of the rubric for the celebration of the regular services (???????? ??????????); namely, Vespers and Orthros, with variables for the Divine Liturgy. I intend to present a historically transparent description, making reference to early typika and lectionaries. It is not possible to establish any clear distinction between monastic and parochial practice, as this way of discriminating between services is subject to considerable variation. At first, this material will be selective to certain days, but eventually it will include almost every day. This will take some time to bring up to full speed!
This site is not an official site of any ecclesiastical jurisdiction and carries no hierarchical authorization, implicit or explicit. Everything here is presented “for educational value.”
The resources I use in compiling my liturgical rubric for any given day are the following:
1. ???????, of George Rigas, 1908. [???????????? ?????? ????????? ???????] (very conservative, hews closely to the Sabbaite and Athonite way)
2. ??????? ???????, of Konstantinos Papagiannes, 2006. [?????????? ????????] (exhaustive; critical treatment of many typika, including several Athonite, along with the usual TME)
3. ???????, of George Biolakis, 1888. [Commonly referred to as TME]. This is considered the “typikon in force” among churches subject to, or in concert with, Constantinople. In short, many consider it the reference typikon for “Greek Orthodox” churches, including the Church of Antioch. However, there are considerable inconsistencies in its rubrics, as well as some deformities.
4. The important historical typika:
a. Typikon of the Great Church (10th century cathedral usage of Constantinople), edited by Juan Mateos, Le Typikon de la grande Eglise.
b. Typikon of St Sabbas (I refer to various manuscripts edited by Dmitrievsky, in his Opisanie Liturgitseskich Rukopisej, Vol III). This typikon is strictly monastic. It assumes the monastic all-night vigil (????????) as the norm for festal days, including the Lord’s Day.
c. Witnesses to the Studite typikon: Le Typicon du Monastere du Saint-Sauveur a Messina, (A.D. 1131), Miguel Arranz; Rome, 1969.
And others sources will be noted where necessary.
It is due to a rather intense love for, and involvement in, the daily cycle of divine worship in my own church, day in and day out, which has served to stimulate my desire to do this work. If you make use of the material presented here with any profit, I humbly ask that you say a prayer for my salvation as the reward due to the laborer!
The priest, Fr Patrick B. O’Grady. Feast of Mid-Pentecost 2012.
