Introduction to the Divine Liturgy: The Eucharist Reenacted
Rev. George Mastrantonis
THE DIVINE
LITURGY is considered the most significant ancient Christian service, not so
much for its phrasing and words as for its meaning. In fact, the Divine Liturgy
was in practice right after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples of
Christ on the 50th day after His Resurrection, as the sacred writer of the Acts
of the Apostles records (Acts 2:46 ff). The Divine Liturgy in its swaddlings at
the beginning of the Christian era consisted of free hymns and prayers for the
officiating of a certain framework of faith. It was officiated long before the
beginning of the writings of the New Testament. The Divine Liturgy as such was
the center of the inspiration of the first Christians in their communion with
God and with one another.
In upper rooms
and catacombs the Apostles and later the Presbyters and Bishops of the
primitive Christian Church offered the Divine Liturgy for its sacred Mysteries.
It seems that relics and reminiscences of that time were preserved in the
Divine Liturgies of the 2nd century and especially of the 4th century when the
Liturgies took their final form. But whatever were the various forms of the
Divine Liturgy of the primitive Church, as well as of the Church of the final
formation of the Divine Liturgy, the meaning given to it by both the celebrants
and the communi cants was one and the same; that is, the belief of the
awesomechange of the sacred Species of the Bread and Wine into the precious
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Lord.
The Apostle
Paul refers to the meaning of the Divine Liturgy (1 Cor. 11: 23-30) quoting the
words of the Lord, saying, "This cup is the new testament in my blood;
this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." And the Apostle
admonishes, saying, "For as often as ye eat this Bread, and drink this
cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come" (v. 25, 26). He also
stresses the point that he who draws near the cup "unworthily" will
be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord (v. 27), and orders a
thorough examination before receiving Holy Communion because otherwise the Holy
Communion will be "damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's
body" (v. 29). It leaves not the slightest doubt that the Apostle Paul
stated in his writings that the strongest belief of the primitive Church was
that of the awesome change of the Species, which initiated new members into the
sacred Mysterion of the Christian religion, that is, the Holy Communion of the Body
and Blood of Jesus Christ.
It is not our
purpose in this pamphlet to refer to all the witnesses and practices of the
Apostles and the Church in order to prove this great truth of the Church. It is
inscribed in stone, and it is written on sheepskins and papyri so as to leave
no doubt as to the meaning of the belief of the Church. Our purpose in this
pamphlet is to introduce the faithful reader into the Divine Liturgy consisting
of: 1.
the original Act of the Holy Eucharist; 2.
its enactment by the Church which formulated the words
and order of the Divine Liturgies; 3.
the established Divine Liturgies of today, and the
full participation of the faithful ones.
THE EUCHARIST
REENACTED
THE INSTITUTION
of the Eucharist, that is, of the Mystic Supper by the Lord, is recorded by St.
Matthew 26: 26-28; St. Mark 14: 22-24; St. Luke 22: 19-20, and the Apostle
Paul, 1 Cor. 11: 23-25. The Eucharist took place after the "Last
Supper." This "Last Supper" was not the ritual passover. Further
more it seems to have been eaten only by the Disciples of Christ. Matthew and
Mark read: "And as they (the Disciples) did eat" (esthionton afton),
which stresses distinctions indicating that Jesus Christ was doing something
else at that moment; "He reclined at the table" and was telling them
indirectly and directly of His betrayal, arrest and crucifixion which was to
take place soon after ward, but He did not eat any Supper. He came to this
moment, the last moment of his free life on earth, to create the Holy Eucharist
and leave His own Being to the Church.
"It is a
hard saying" the people had said on another occasion long before this
moment, but this is what He did, and the Apostles and the Church accepted,
preserved and cherished for centuries the visible Gifts of His presence in the
Church. It seems that He did not eat even from the Bread nor drink from the Cup
He gave to His Apostles. In the form of these Species He has given Himself:
"This is my Body"; "This is my Blood." That is what He said
then, and the Church believes it and has practiced it ever since.
What did the
primitive Church and especially its first leaders do to embody and enact the
deep meaning and belief of the Holy Eucharist? They appointed certain days and
places, selected the Species to be used, formulated meaningful prayers and
hymns, and determined the order as to the service, the celebrants and the
communicants.
In the Acts (2:
46-47) St. Luke writes that the believers "daily ... (were) breaking bread
from house to house" in relation with the practice of the Agapae, the
loving-feasts, in the very first Christian years. The African Apologist
Tertullian (3rd Century; Apol. 39; Migne PL 1, 538-541) describes the Agapae as
an act of Christian brotherhood, worship and sobriety, thus de fending the
Christian standard of life. The Agapae, the common supper, took place after the
Lord's Mystic Supper. Later, how ever, they were separated from each other
because of discrepancies. Clement of Alexandria (3rd Century; in Paidagogos
3,1; Migne 8, 384) uses austere language to criticize and condemn the practice
of Agapae, loving-feasts, as a parody and desecration of the Christian Agape -
love. Basil the Great states in the 31st oros that, "neither the common
supper (Agapae) to be eaten and drunk in the Church, nor the Lord's Supper (the
Divine Eucharist) to be desecrated in homes." He stresses the same opinion
of the Synod in Laodicia (364 A.D.) that issued the canon 28 that "not in
the Lord's Supper nor in Churches the so-called agapae take place".
THE ANCIENT
"ORDER" OF THE LITURGY
THE MOST
ANCIENT DESCRIPTION of the order and time of the Holy Eucharist (Divine
Liturgy) is preserved in the 1st Apology by Justin the Martyr, Ch. 67, written
in 138 A.D. (Migne 6, 429-432). The space in this pamphlet does not allow the
text to be printed here in its entirety. In brief, he refers to the day, which
he calls the day of the sun (the Lord's Day, the day of Kyrios, that is
Kyriake, Sunday, the first day of the week, in memory of the Resurrection of
the Lord.) On this day the Christians gathered together to participate in the
Divine Liturgy.
As to the order
of the diagram of the Liturgy, Justin refers to: 1.
the reading of the Scriptures; 2.
the exhortation by the Notable, Proestos; 3.
the offering of prayers; 4.
the offering of bread, wine and water; 5.
the long thanksgiving, eucharistic, prayer of
sanctification by the Notable; 6.
the partaking of Holy Communion; 7.
the collection for charity.
It is the same
order that St. Chrysostom follows in his Liturgy used today. Justin the Martyr
gives us only a diagram and not the actual prayers and words. At that time,
although the meaning and significance of the Divine Liturgy had been determined
as to the change of the Species into the Precious Body and Blood of Christ, the
prayers were recited freely by the Notable.
"We
pray," writes Tertullian, "without a prompter, sine monitore, praying
by heart" (Apol. C, 30 Migne PL 1,504). "It was allowed to the
prophets (the Notables) in whatever way they would like to give thanks (to
God)." Only the Dedache of the Apostle, (a writing contemporary to Justin;
cpt. 9-10) cites two Eucharistic prayers and a prayer after the Holy Communion.
In these prayers Jesus Christ is called "the Vineyard of David," and
it is stated that "the Lord is near ... let the Grace come and the world
may disappear."
THE VARIOUS
DIVINE LITURGIES
THE FREE
EUCHARISTIC PRAYERS used at the beginning by the Notable for the Divine Liturgy
formed in later times the various types of the established Liturgies. They are
many.
Some of them
were created in the East, others in the West. But there are similarities which
reflect one original source, that of the Apostles. There are the Syriac,
Egyptian, Persian, Byzantine, Spanish and Roman types of Liturgies. Among them
are those which are ascribed to Clement (see Decrees of Apostles, Book 8, Chpt.
5-15) and St. Jacob (James, very ancient), both in Greek.
Another,
ascribed to St. Mark, is that of the Presanctified Gifts by St. Mark. Of the
Byzantine type are those of Basil the Great, of St. Chrysostom, and that of the
Presanctified Gifts. In Alexandria, the Liturgy of Mark was used yet in the
12th century as Theodore Balsomon instructed in the 32nd canon of the Synod in
Troulo.
The Liturgy of
the "Brother of God," James, is very ancient. The Penthecte Synod
(Quinisext 692 A.D.) decreed that James handed down the mystic service (Divine
Liturgy). It is true least in its basic prayers and diagram, which are in line
with the same thoughts the 5th catechism of Cyril of Jerusalem. In the Eastern
Orthodox Church this Liturgy of James is seldom officiated.
St. Basil's
Liturgy is attested to not only by the Penthecte Synod (692 A.D.) but also by
his friend Gregory of Nazianzos, who in his Funeral Oration said that Basil
wrote "provisions of prayers, decencies of the Altar;" also by
Leontios the Byzantios who put the Prayer of Oblation of Basil together with
that of the Apostles; thirdly by the letter of the Monks of Skythia to the
African Bishops (520 A.D.) reporting that almost the entire East repeated the
Liturgy of St. Basil. Those are a few documents, among many others,
establishing St. Basil's Liturgy as a genuine work. St. Basil's Liturgy is
celebrated about 10 times a year, including the Sundays of Lent.
The Liturgy of
the Presanctified Gifts is very ancient, "known to the Church before the
initiators Basil and Chrysostom" as Patriarch Michael (12th century)
infers. It is ascribed rather to Apostle James or Peter. The information that
Pope Gregory, the Dialogos, wrote this Liturgy is untrue for many reasons,
among them that he did not know the Greek language. As for the use of this
Liturgy the 52nd canon of the 6th Ecumenical Synod refers to it, decreeing that
"in all the fasting days of Lent, save Saturday, Sunday and the day of
Annunciation, the sacred celebration of the Presanctified Gifts should take
place." This Liturgy is celebrated in connection with the vesper service
during the evenings. It keeps its venerable character even now whein it is
officiated during the mornings. It is called that of the Presanctified Gifts because
the Sacred Gifts have been sanctified previously in the Liturgy of St. Basil or
St. Chrysostom. This Liturgy is not officiated for the awesome change of the
Gifts, but rather for the partaking of the Presanctified Gifts by the faithful
Christians.
St.
Chrysostom's Liturgy is well known and very common in the Eastern Orthodox
Church. It may be celebrated every day of the year except the ones of St. Basil
and those of the Presanctified Gifts, and on Good Friday. It is shorter than
that of St. Basil and much reduced compared to St. James'. St. Chrysostom's
Liturgy put an end to the free prayers and hymns in the officiation of the Holy
Eucharist. This Liturgy placed a seal on the free forms of the re-enactment of
the Mystic Supper of the Lord, depicting it in its finest form with a destiny
of enduring far into the future. Despite the addition of hymns at later times,
the St. Chrysostom Liturgy remains the same majestic religious masterpiece with
grandeur and dramatic appeal matching the human expression and the divine act.
St. Chrysostom (345-407A.D.) was an eloquent preacher, writer and one of the
Fathers of the Orthodox Church, whose writings have been translated into many
languages and have nourished the Christian Church throughout the centuries.
The Celebrant
and Communicants during the Liturgy are bound to participate and respond to
each other and among them selves in the name of the Lord. It is not a scene of
a vigorous actor with an inactive audience. All of them have an important part
in the Divine Liturgy, both for its officiation and for their participation in
it. It is a corporal worship of the whole body of Christ - His Church. Each
member has an active part in it. The faithful should be there prepared to act.
Self-examination and purity of the body and soul constitute the good
"soil" of the parable for accepting the seed of the word and the
communion, and for giving hundredfold in one's response. The Divine Liturgy is
not a mere prayer offered to God; it is a real communion with God. At this moment
takes place an exchange of human and divine personalities, whatever the great
difference between them.
OFFICIATING THE
DIVINE LITURGY
SUCH BEING THE
IMPORTANCE of the active participation of the faithful in the offering of the
Divine Eucharist, the knowledge of the Divine Liturgy as to its meaning and
form usually is adequate. For this reason we will refer in brief manner to
various phases of the performance of the Divine Liturgy as it is seen today.
THE OFFICE OF PREPARATION. The office of
Preparation of the Divine Liturgy, the Prothesis, is now a separate service.
Originally it constituted a part of the Liturgy when the deacon exclaimed:
"Let us attend, that we may offer the Holy Oblation in peace," and
where the prayer of the Oblation continues "to enable us to offer Thee
Gifts." In the Liturgy of St. James the prayer of the Preparation is read
during the Liturgy. In the Liturgy of Clement the prayer of Preparation took
place after the dismissal of the Catechumens. St. Athanasios found untimely the
practice of the preparation before the Divine Liturgy. St. Chrysostom put the
Oblation and its prayer in the Liturgy after the kiss of peace and the
exhortation, "Let us love one another," probably to remind us of the
Bible's determination that "if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there
remembrest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift
before the altar and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, then come
and offer thy gift" (Matt. 5: 23-24).
Later in the
6th century the office of the Preparation was set apart, elaborated, and
officiated before the Divine Liturgy, as it is now. At the same time the
Cherubic hymn was inserted into the Liturgy against the protest of Patriarch
Eutyhios (582). Symbol ism and allegory entered this office of Preparation and
somehow confused the coherence of the thoughts of the Liturgy by prescribing
them in anticipation. The office of Preparation took its final shape in the
14th century.
The Priest
wears vestments - sticharion (robe), epitrachelion (stole), girdle, epimanica
(cuff) and phelonion (the outer cape); he washes his hands and reads the
prayers of Preparation. On the table of Preparation are the sacred utensils:
Paten (disc), Cup (Chalice), spoon, spear, asterisk, two small covers, and one
large overall cover (Aer). Also on the table are the sacred Species - the loaf
of Bread and the Wine and water to be mixed in the Chalice.
The Bread is
impressed in the center with the stamp "IC-XC, NI-KA", on its left
has nine small elevations for the Saints, and on its right a portion for the
Virgin Mary. All these portions are cut with the spear and placed on the Paten
with prayers and commemoration. Portions also are added in the name of the
faithful, both the departed and the living. Both the Paten and Chalice are
covered with the two small covers and over all is placed the Aer. The Priest
censes them and reads the prayer of Preparation.
THE DIAGRAM OF THE DIVINE LITURGY
The Divine
Liturgy of St. Chrysostom consists of readings from the Scriptures and of
solemn hymns and prayers. Its spoken words are chanted by the priest and sung
by the "people", who are now replaced by the cantor or the choir.
Besides the spoken words, the main part of the Liturgy is read inaudibly by the
priest, a custom which now prevails. It is a matter of fact that most of the
"exaltations" of the priest are the ends of the prayers inaudibly
read, and have not a complete meaning apart from the prayers. It is to be remembered
that the Divine Liturgy is offered to enact the Holy Eucharist. Eucharist, from
the Greek verb, Eucharistein, and the noun, Eucharistia, has not only the
meaning of thanksgiving but, more so, that of sacrifice.
Whenever Holy
Communion is offered, the partaking by all the faithful is intended. As a
prelude there are petitions, Bible readings, exhortations and the confession.
They open the awesome drama in which all the faithful participate. This
participation includes singing, reading, listening, some gestures and the par
taking of Holy Communion.
The following
is a diagram of the Divine Liturgy:
Beginning: The Liturgy starts with a blessing
of the Kingdom of God, which includes the Sacred Body of Christ on earth; His
Church.
Petitions: They are small prayers which the
priest offers especially for the peace of the world, with the people
responding, Kyrie eleison; Lord, have mercy.
Antiphons: These are readings from the Old
Testament, especially from Psalms 102 and 145, with refrains of Christian meanings
and specifically references to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Entry with the Gospel: This entry
represents the ancient practice when the priest took the Gospel by the light of
torches from the crypt, an underground safeguard to protect the Gospel from
destruction by the pagans, bringing it up to the Church. The priest lifts up
the Gospel and exclaims: "Wisdom," which means Christ, and calls the
people to worship and bow down to Christ.
Trisagion: A short prayer praising the
Holiness of God.
Readings from the New Testament: (1) A part of
the Book of Acts or the Epistles of the Apostles read by the reader. (2)
Another section from the Gospels read by the priest. (The specific sections
read are determined by the Church and are the same every year.)
Sermon: It is incorporated as an
exhortation from the priest to the people on the Good News of salvation. (The
part of the service for the Catechumens is now omitted).
Cherubic Hymn and Entry with the Holy Gifts: This is a
procession with the yet unsanctified Species taken from the table of
Preparation and brought to the Altar during which the Cherubic hymn is sung:
"Let us put away all worldly care so that we may receive the King of
all." (An addition made in the 9th century)
Ectenia of the Oblation: They are small
prayers completing "our supplications to the Lord". To these
supplications the people respond, "Grant this, O Lord". The Prayer of
Oblation is now inaudibly read by the Priest saying: "Enable us to offer
to Thee gifts and spiritual sacrifices for our sins."
A Short Creed: This is a
proclamation of the Holy Trinity in connection with brotherhood. It is chanted
now before the Nicaean Creed.
Creed: This is the concise and accurate
confession of the Christian faith in 12 articles formulated by 1st, 2nd Ecumenical
Synod at Nicaea in 325 A.D. (The Nicaean Creed is recited during every Liturgy,
an addition made in the 9th century; prior to that time it was recited only
during the Liturgy at Easter).
Prayer of Sanctification: It includes
dialogues of excerpts from the long prayer of sanctification which is now read
inaudibly by the priest and which, in fact, is the very heart of the
significance of the Divine Liturgy. The dialogues start with the offering of
the Oblation (the Species, Bread and Wine), continues with blessings and the
actual words of the Lord, "this is my body ... this is my blood," and
climax in the sanctification of the Species. Now the Bread and Wine are lifted
by the priest, who exclaims, "Thine own of Thine own we offer to Thee, O
Lord." At this time, generally the people kneel, and the choir sings:
"We praise thee... we give thanks to thee, O Lord". In continuation,
the priest commemorates the Saints and especially the Virgin Mary, as well as
the faithful ones.
Petitions: These are small prayers referring
to the spiritual welfare of the city, the nation, the Church and the
individual.
Lord's Prayer: It is recited
by the people; the priest follows it with the exaltation.
Breaking the Lamb: At this point
the priest elevates the Lamb (the consecrated Bread) saying: "The Holy
things for those who are holy," and breaks it in commemoration of the
actual Eucharist. Also at this time the priest pours warm water, zeon, into the
Chalice, a reminiscence of the very primitive Church (see, Justin the Martyr).
Prayers before Holy Communion and Partaking of the
Holy Gifts by the Priest: Now the doors of the Altar are generally closed and
the priest partakes of the Holy Gifts separately and then combines both
Elements into the Chalice; a later practice of the Church.
Holy Communion: Both the Holy
Body and Precious Blood of Christ, combined in the Chalice, are given to the
prepared faithful when the priest calls them to "draw near with
reverence." In ancient times the Holy Gifts were given to the faithful
separately, first the Body and then the Cup, from which the faithful drank in
turn, as is the continued practice for the clergymen today.
Thanksgiving Prayers: These are
prayers of gratitude to Almighty God for the privilege which is given to the
faithful to commune with Him.
Dismissal Hymn: The priest
calls the people to depart with a prayer by which he asks the Lord to
"save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance." In conclusion he
blesses the people, saying, "May the blessing of the Lord come upon
you." The people seal the Liturgy by responding, "Amen." Blessed
bread, antithoron, which means "instead of the Gift," is given to all
at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy.
THE DIVINE
LITURGY - CHERISHED HERITAGE
THE SPOKEN
WORDS of the Divine Liturgy are 15 minutes of reading material which perpetuate
the most cherished thoughts of our Christian heritage. They should be studied
literally once and for all in the life of the faithful. There are books with
the Divine Liturgy in the ecclesiastical languages - Greek, Slavonic, etc., and
with translations into English to help the English-speaking people learn and
follow the Divine Liturgy in its ecclesiastical language. There is no dogma
forbidding the translation of the Divine Liturgy or even the Bible into
venacular language; for many centuries, however, the ecclesiastical language
carried on the traditional thoughts and meanings of the Divine Liturgy to the
extent that a translation into English may not render the full meaning and
grandeur of the ecclesiastical language.
Whatever the
language and form of the Divine Liturgy, the subject matter re-enacted in it is
one and the same, that is, the awe some change of the Sacred Species into the
Precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Holy Communion which nourishes and
strengthens the faithful's communion with God in his remission of sins and
promise of everlasting life.
Source: http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7117
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