What is the name of the bread consecrated for Easter. What is artos? How to use artos according to church rules? What does the word "prosphora" mean?
Among the Shrines Orthodox Church Artos occupies a significant place in its healing power. The yeast bread, which has been consecrated, contains an image of the Cross with a barely visible crown of thorns. Jesus Christ himself is not depicted on the artos - this is how the victory of Jesus over death and the attainment of the Resurrection are reflected in a symbolic way. In the monasteries of Athos, artos is baked in small sizes, while the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church indicates that artos should be prepared in the form of high bread. The very name "artos" came into Russian use from Greek sources, and literally the word is translated as "leavened bread", or "whole prosphora". The attitude towards artos as a powerful Shrine among Christians has been formed for a long time. Even in the Typicon of the 12th century, descriptions of the distribution of broken bread on the Sabbath day of Bright Week have been preserved. In the commentaries on the liturgy, artos is closely associated with the meals of the apostles after Jesus Christ was resurrected. The apostles and disciples continued to remember Christ and always left bread for him at the table. Thus, Jesus ascended into heaven was always next to the apostles on earth. The first Church shepherds continued the tradition of placing bread in the Church on the days of the Resurrection of Christ. This bread acquired many symbolic meanings, including becoming a reflection of the fact that the suffering and death of the Savior became life-giving food for all. In addition to bread for the risen Christ, the apostles also left a portion for the Mother of the Savior. Today, this rite also continues in the form of the Chin of Panagia - a rite of remembrance of the Mother of the Lord, which is carried out as part of the process of fragmentation of the artos. The artos is consecrated on the very first day of Pascha directly at the liturgy after the prayers beyond the ambo. Artos is sprinkled with holy water. This process is accompanied by the recitation of appropriate prayers. The consecrated artos is placed on a lectern, on a salt, or on a specially prepared table, where it is kept for a whole week. During the period of worship, holy bread is placed in front of the icon of Jesus Christ. Every day on Bright Week, a procession is made, and the artos is carried around the temple. On the Sabbath day, the artos is crushed with an accompanying prayer and distributed to those present in the temple as a revered and Shrine of great power.
Rules for the reception and storage of Artos
Modern Christians eat the received artos not in the temple, but at home. Previously, those present at the service took artos and prosphora on an empty stomach right in the temple in order to strengthen their strength. But today, services have become noticeably shorter in time, and it is customary to take particles of artos with you to your home, where it is reverently kept in case of illness or indisposition. Artos should be used in cases where a strong support of the soul and body is needed. In the acute course of the disease and in special cases, a piece of artos received in the Church once a year is used with indispensable prayer accompaniment: “Christ is Risen!”. Like other Shrines (antidor, prosphora), artos is preferably eaten on an empty stomach. At the same time, crushing the Shrine is strictly forbidden. Parts of the holy bread should not fall under your feet. To do this, it is advised to always put paper or a saucer under the artos so that the fallen crumbs are not trampled. The crumbled parts of the artos cannot be thrown away. They are placed together with the remains of the arthos and stored in a corner near the icons wrapped in paper or a special bag. When the artos runs out, the crumbs are burned. The same should be done with the paper where the Shrine was located, as well as with any object that was in contact with the Shrine. Spoiled artos and containers for its storage can be burned on their own, but it is better to take things for these purposes to the Church. To store artos, you can purchase special bags, which can be seen in variety in church shops. They are usually sewn on laces or braid and help protect the Shrine from moisture, dust and sun. Such bags were originally made for prosphora, and they were called prosphora, but there are also elegant samples with beaded embroidery and ribbon decorations especially for artos. If it was not possible to attend the distribution of artos, you can always ask for it in the temple to take it home with you.How does Artos heal?
The process of preparation, consecration, crushing and distribution of artos is accompanied by prayers in the temple and fills the Shrine with healing properties. Being holy bread, artos requires careful treatment and no less reverent and moderate use. The artos is consecrated in honor of the Resurrection of the Lord and to the glory of the memory of this event. The very prayer for the consecration of the artos contains requests to saturate the bread with the ability to heal the ailments and infirmities of the soul and body and protect all those who eat from diseases. The clergyman asks the Lord God for a blessing to saturate the bread with God's grace. Artos, like other Holy Bread, is filled with great power, but it would be a mistake to exaggerate the potential of artos particles. It would be a delusion to consider artos as soul-saving holy food, the eating of which replaces the serious Sacraments. Communion of the ill with the Blood and Body of Christ is not equivalent to the acceptance of arthos and Epiphany water. This should always be remembered. No Shrine can replace the Sacrament, but it is a vessel of grace, blessed to help the sick. Artos is a medicine that heals the soul and body in difficult cases, allowing you to relieve pain and calm passions. But it is important to remember that the acceptance of the artos cannot replace the acceptance of the Communion. Artos is similar in effect to the Epiphany water. By accepting the holy bread with prayer, faith and gratitude, one can expect an easing of the sufferings of the body, hope for a calming of the torments of the soul. And the entire saving effect will be ensured by constant attendance at the temple, participation in worship and acceptance of the Sacraments performed in the temple. Since the arthos is a Shrine with great potential, it is advised to keep it for special occasions and eat it less often than, for example, antidoron. Artos should be eaten every day only during rehabilitation after operations and long periods of illness. The maximum healing effect is provided by artos, coupled with other Shrines. So, for example, tasting arthos, holy water, particles of prosphora, along with anointing with oil and prayers to the icons of Orthodox Wonderworkers, contributes to a speedy recovery. Holy bread with rich symbolism combines everything a person needs for the health of the body and soul. When tasting arthos, it is recommended not to forget about its beneficial filling and to understand that holy bread is to a lesser extent bodily food, but plays an important role of spiritual food.Translated from Greek as “leavened bread” - consecrated bread common to all members of the Church, otherwise - whole prosphora. Throughout the entire Bright Week, Artos occupies the most prominent place in the temple, along with the icon of the Resurrection of the Lord, and, at the conclusion of the Easter celebrations, is distributed to believers.
Where did the tradition of using artos come from?
The use of artos begins from the very beginning of Christianity. On the fortieth day after the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven. The disciples and followers of Christ found comfort in prayerful recollections of the Lord, they remembered His every word, every step and every action. When they came together for a common prayer, they, remembering the Last Supper, partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. Preparing an ordinary meal, they left the first place at the table to the invisibly present Lord and put bread on this place.
What does artos symbolize?
Imitating the apostles, the first pastors of the Church established on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ to put bread in the temple as a visible expression of the fact that the Savior who suffered for us has become for us the true bread of life. The artos depicts a cross, on which only the crown of thorns is visible, but there is no Crucified One - as a sign of Christ's victory over death, or an image of the Resurrection of Christ.
An ancient church tradition is also connected with the artos, that the apostles left a piece of bread at the table - a share of the Most Pure Mother of the Lord - as a reminder of constant communion with Her, and after the meal they reverently shared this part among themselves. In monasteries, this custom is called the Chin o Panagia, that is, the remembrance of the Most Holy Mother of the Lord. In parish churches, this bread of the Mother of God is remembered once a year in connection with the fragmentation of the arthos.
How is artos consecrated?
The artos is consecrated by a special prayer, sprinkling with holy water and censing on the first day of Holy Pascha at the Liturgy after the ambo prayer. Artos relies on the solea, against the Royal Doors, on a prepared table or lectern. After the consecration of the artos, the lectern with the artos is placed on the salt in front of the image of the Savior, where the artos lies throughout the Holy Week. It is preserved in the temple throughout the Bright Week on a lectern in front of the iconostasis.
On all days of Bright Week, at the end of the Liturgy, a procession around the church is solemnly performed with the artos. On Saturday of Bright Week, after the ambo prayer, a prayer is read for the fragmentation of the artos, the artos is crushed, and at the end of the Liturgy, when the Cross is kissed, it is distributed to the people as a shrine.
How to store and take Artos?
Artos particles received in the temple are reverently kept by believers as a spiritual cure for illnesses and infirmities. Artos is used in special cases, for example in illness, and always with the words "Christ is risen!".
On the meaning of lithium - Priest Andrey Chizhenko.
The word "lithia" in Greek means "request, prayer", often it is also translated as "earnest prayer." In fact, in liturgical practice, two types of litia are served everywhere: at vespers and at the funeral (it is an abbreviated rite of requiem). Both ranks - Litium at Vespers and Litium for the Dead - are completely different and have nothing in common with each other. They are united by only one symbolic act - the procession from the temple to the narthex. According to the established priestly practice, due to the convenience of using the rite of the funeral litia, it is often performed in the cemetery at the grave of the deceased.
Today we will talk about lithium at Vespers. You often see her during Sunday All-Night Vigils or Vigils on the Great Twelfth or Temple Feasts. Almost at the end of Vespers, near the lectern with a temple or festive icon, a special quadruped (table) is placed with a metal lithic box in which three candles are lit (in honor of the Holy Trinity). On it lie five loaves, and in cups there are wheat, wine and firs (olive or sunflower oil). The priest, preceded by a priest-bearer (a sexton with a lit candle), goes out into the porch of the church, where certain prayers are served.
They have a somewhat mournful and repentant character. Why? The exit of the priest from the altar at the end of Vespers symbolizes the exit of Christ and His Church from that height of holiness in which God and the Church created by Him dwell, into a sinful suffering sick world. This is confirmed by the facts that in the Church of Constantinople, litias were often performed during public and natural disasters, when God's intercession was called and people, led by bishops, priests and the emperor himself, begged the Almighty to save them from trouble. On the other hand, often the priest (priests) going out to the litiya in the narthex united all those praying in the temple, since in ancient times catechumens (people awaiting baptism) and believers prayed in the narthex, on whom there were penances (from the Greek “punishment” or “special spiritual obedience” is a special measure imposed on a Christian who suffers from severe grave sin in order to help him, with God’s help, be healed from sin). In order not to leave those praying in the porch without church services and God's comfort, the Church, in the person of the priest, went out into the world and prayed for him. As Mikhail Skaballanovich writes in his book The Explanatory Typicon, quoting St. Simeon of Thessalonica: “We pray, standing before the gates of St. temple, as if before the gates of heaven ... like Adam, the publican, the prodigal son.
Therefore, being in a fallen and sinful world, the Church, in the person of the clergy, ejects from itself a prayer-lament for the intercession of God and for the patriarchs, and for the bishops, and for the priests, “and for every soul of Christians, grieving and embittered, God’s mercy and help demanding,” as one of the prayers says. The priest also prays for God's protection over this city or village in which the temple is located, for travelers, for the sick, grieving, deceased, captive, and for all Orthodox Christians. At the same time, the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, and the Most Holy Theotokos, and the temple with daytime saints, and in general all the saints. The choir, on behalf of the people, repeatedly (forty times after the first prayer, fifty times after the second, three times after the others) sings “Lord, have mercy”, begging God for forgiveness for sins and the grace of the Holy Spirit in order to live godly. It is not in vain that the priestly exclamation after this lengthy lithic prayer sounds like this: “Hear us, O God, our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and those who are in the sea far away: and be merciful, be merciful, Lord, about our sins, and have mercy on us.” The whole meaning of the litia is concentrated in this exclamation: so that the Lord hears us, because they trust in Him from all sides near and far of the earth-world, where the Church left the altar for prayer, and especially those who are far at sea, travel and cannot to be in the temple for prayer, and we all pray for the forgiveness of our sins and for mercy.
During the litia, the priestly blessing "Peace to all" is taught to those praying, as if on behalf of God. This means that the Lord accepts this nationwide repentance, seeing that people have bowed their heads, and hence their hearts, before the Almighty. And after the prayer of head bowing with the invocation again of the Honorable Life-Giving Cross, and Holy Mother of God, and all the saints, justified, favored by God, the people, led by the priest, enter the temple.
Batiushka stops in front of the lithium table. After certain prayers read by the reader, the touching New Testament song of the holy righteous Simeon the God-Receiver sounds “Now you release your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace ...”, which again confirms the reconciliation of God and man that took place on the lithium.
People gratefully read the Trisagion of Our Father and thus testify to their faith in the true God. After that, the choir sings a festive troparion three times (litia is most often timed to coincide with some kind of holiday), and the priest performs a three-time incense around the litiynik with the products on it, so that this sacrifice is “pleasant and fragrant” to God. These products have a symbolic meaning. Bread and wine are a hint of the Body and Blood of Christ, oil is an ancient symbol of God's mercy (in Greek, the words "oil" and "mercy" are similar in sound), wheat is a symbol of resurrection (an almost dead petrified body, after sowing it into the ground, throws green soft ear) and life in general. In addition, five loaves are a symbol of the miraculous saturation of five thousand people with five loaves and two fish by the Savior. Hence, in the priestly prayer over lithium products, there are such words: “Lord Jesus Christ our God, Blessing five loaves and satisfying five thousand, bless yourself and this bread, wheat, wine and oil: and multiply this in this city (or in villages ( "village, village" from the Church Slavonic language) this, or in this holy monastery (if the service is performed in a monastery), and in your whole world: and sanctify those who eat from them faithful. We send glory to you, with Your Father without beginning, and Your all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever.” The choir answers “Amen” (from Heb.
In this prayer, on behalf of all people, the priest asks that the Lord also grant us the earthly blessings necessary to satisfy our needs and health. Here we see an amazing relationship between repentance, prayerful approach to God and asking Him for material benefits for human life on earth. And the priestly blessing of lithium products (in the form of a cross-shaped overshadowing of other loaves with one bread and when reading a prayer of a cruciform alternately pointing with the palm of your hand at the products) marks that the Lord has mercy and multiplied earthly blessings for his faithful.
Here it is not superfluous to recall the verses from the New Testament: “Therefore do not worry and do not say: what shall we eat? or what to drink? Or what to wear? Because the Gentiles are looking for all this, and therefore your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31–33).
Therefore, of course, we must always remember this spiritual and material relationship: first, prayer and repentance, and then earthly labors, after which we must give thanks to God for their fruits. If only there are earthly labors, then they will be fruitless and will not bring either the desired result or joy.
Also, it seems to me that the consecration of lithium products at Vespers is an echo of the ancient agaps - the supper of love, at which the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the communion of believers were performed.
The consecrated foods are then used in Matins. The believers are anointed with oil during the polyeleos, and bread dipped in wine is also distributed after the anointing. They can not be eaten on an empty stomach, since, according to the ancient practice of the Church, they were consecrated especially for believers who came from afar on foot and stood vigil all night to strengthen their strength. You just need to remember that this is a consecrated, and not an ordinary product that needs to be eaten with the fear of God and reverence.
Let us, dear brothers and sisters, pray, repent of our sins before God and remember that everything is from Him. And that our main life task is to draw closer to the Lord, since our earthly existence is a school for the soul, and in it we must make efforts specifically for our spiritual life, and everything else that we need will be added and given by the Creator.
Priest Andrei Chizhenko
Or all-night service, - such a service that is performed in the evening on the eve of especially revered holidays.
It consists of a combination of Vespers with Matins and the first hour, and both Vespers and Matins are celebrated more solemnly and with greater illumination of the temple than on other days.
This worship is called all-night because in ancient times it began late in the evening and continued all night long until dawn.
Then, out of indulgence for the infirmities of the believers, they began to start this service a little earlier and make shortenings in reading and singing, and therefore it does not end so late now. The former name of its all-night vigil has been preserved.
Vespers
Vespers in its composition recalls and depicts the times of the Old Testament: the creation of the world, the fall of the first people, their expulsion from paradise, their repentance and prayer for salvation, then, the hope of people, according to the promise of God, in the Savior and, finally, the fulfillment of this promise.
Vespers, during the all-night vigil, begins with the opening of the royal doors. The priest and the deacon silently cense the altar and the whole altar, and clouds of censer smoke fill the depth of the altar. This silent incense marks the beginning of the creation of the world. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". The earth was formless and empty. And the Spirit of God hovered over the primeval matter of the earth, breathing life-giving power into it. But the creative word of God has not yet been heard.
But now, the priest, standing before the throne, with the first exclamation glorifies the Creator and Creator of the world - Holy Trinity: "Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial, and Life-Giving, and Inseparable Trinity, always, now and ever and forever and ever." Then he calls the believers three times: “Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ, our King God. Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Him." For “through Him everything came into being, (that is, to exist, to live), and without Him nothing came into being that came into being” (John 1:3).
In response to this invocation, the choir solemnly sings the 103rd psalm about the creation of the world, glorifying the wisdom of God: “Bless my soul, the Lord! Blessed are you, Lord! Lord, my God, thou hast exalted zealously (i.e., very much) ... thou hast created all wisdom. Wonderful are thy works, Lord! Glory to Thee, Lord, who created everything!
During this singing, the priest leaves the altar, passes among the people and burns the whole temple and the worshipers, and the deacon precedes him with a candle in his hand.
| Incense |
This sacred rite reminds those who pray not only of the creation of the world, but also of the original, blissful, paradise life of the first people, when God Himself walked among people in paradise. The open royal doors signify that at that time the doors of paradise were open to all people.
But people, tempted by the devil, violated the will of God and sinned. His fall people have lost their blissful paradise life. They were expelled from paradise - and the doors of paradise were closed for them. As a sign of this, after the censing in the temple and after the singing of the psalm is over, the royal doors are closed.
The deacon comes out of the altar and stands in front of the closed royal doors, as Adam once did in front of the closed gates of paradise, and proclaims great litany:
After the great litany and the exclamation of the priest, selected verses from the first three psalms are sung:
Then the deacon proclaims small litany : « Packs and packs(more and more) Let's pray to the Lord in peace...
After a small litany, the choir calls out in verses from the psalms:
During the singing of these verses, the deacon burns the temple incense.
This moment of worship, starting from the closing of the royal doors, in the petitions of the great litany and in the singing of psalms, depicts the plight that the human race underwent after the fall of the forefathers, when, along with sinfulness, all sorts of needs, illnesses and sufferings appeared. We cry out to God: “Lord, have mercy!” We ask for peace and the salvation of our souls. We lament that we have obeyed the ungodly counsel of the devil. We ask God for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from troubles, and we place all our hope on the mercy of God. Deacon burning at this time means those sacrifices that were offered in the Old Testament, as well as our prayers offered to God.
To the singing of the Old Testament verses: “Lord, I cried:” join stichera, i.e. New Testament hymns, in honor of the holiday.
The last verse is called theotokion or dogmatist, since this stichera is sung in honor of Mother of God and it sets out the dogma (the main doctrine of faith) about the incarnation of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary. On the Twelfth Feasts, instead of the theotokos-dogmatics, a special stichera is sung in honor of the feast.
When singing the Mother of God (dogmatics), the royal doors open and the evening entrance: a priest comes out of the altar through the northern doors, followed by a deacon with a censer, and then a priest. The priest stands on the pulpit facing the royal doors, blesses the entrance crosswise, and, after the deacon utters the words: "wisdom forgive!"(meaning: listen to the wisdom of the Lord, stand upright, stay awake), enters, together with the deacon, through the royal doors into the altar and stands on a high place.
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| Evening entry |
The choir at this time sings a song to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ: “Quiet light, holy glory of the Immortal Father, Heavenly, Holy, Blessed, Jesus Christ! Having come to the setting of the sun, having seen the evening light, let us sing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. Thou art worthy at all times not to be the voices of the reverend. Son of God, give life, the same world praises You. (Quiet light of holy glory, the Immortal Father in heaven, Jesus Christ! Having reached sunset, seeing the evening light, we sing of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of God. You, the Son of God, who gives life, are worthy to be sung at all times by the voices of the saints. Therefore, the world glorifies You).
In this hymn-hymn, the Son of God is called a quiet light from the Heavenly Father, for He did not come to earth in full Divine glory, but the quiet light of this glory. This hymn says that only by the voices of the saints (and not by our sinful lips) can His worthy song be lifted up to Him and due glorification be performed.
The evening entrance reminds believers of how the Old Testament righteous, according to the promise of God, the types and prophecies, expected the coming of the Savior of the world and how He appeared in the world for the salvation of the human race.
The censer with incense, at the evening entrance, means that our prayers, at the intercession of the Lord Savior, like incense, ascend to God, and also means the presence of the Holy Spirit in the temple.
The cruciform blessing of the entrance means that through the cross of the Lord the doors of paradise are again opened to us.
After the song: "Quiet light ..." is sung prokeimenon, i.e. a short verse from the Holy Scriptures. At Sunday Vespers, the following is sung: “The Lord hath reigned, clothed in splendor (i.e., beauty),” and other verses are sung on other days.
At the end of the singing of the prokimen, on major holidays they read proverbs. Paroemias are the chosen places of the Holy Scriptures, which contain prophecies or indicate the prototypes related to the celebrated events, or give instructions that come as if from the face of those saints, whose memory we are commemorating.
After the prokeimenon and paroemia, the deacon pronounces purely(i.e. reinforced) litany: “Rtsem (let’s say, we’ll talk, let’s start praying) all, with all our soul and from all our thoughts, rtsem ...”
Then a prayer is read: “Vouchee, Lord, in this evening, without sin, be preserved for us ...”
After this prayer, the deacon pronounces a petitionary litany: “Let us fulfill (bring to fullness, bring in fullness) our evening prayer to the Lord (to the Lord) ...”
On major feasts, after the special and petitionary litany, lithium and blessing of loaves.
lithium, the Greek word means common prayer. Litiya is performed in the western part of the temple, near the entrance western doors. This prayer in the ancient church was performed in the vestibule, with the aim of giving the catechumens and penitents who stood here the opportunity to take part in the common prayer on the occasion of the great feast.
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| lithium |
Following lithium happens blessing and consecration of the five loaves, wheat, wine and oil, also in memory of the ancient custom of distributing food to those praying, who sometimes came from afar, so that they could refresh themselves during a long service. The five loaves are blessed in remembrance of the Savior feeding the five thousand with five loaves. Sanctified oil(with olive oil) the priest then, during Matins, after kissing the festive icon, anoints the worshipers.
After the litia, and if it is not performed, then after the supplicatory litany, "stichera on the verse" are sung. This is the name of special, poems written in memory of a remembered event.
Vespers ends with the reading of the prayer of St. Simeon the God-bearer: “Now you release your servant, Master, according to your word in peace: as my eyes have seen your salvation, if you have prepared before the face of all people, light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of your people Israel”, then reading the trisagion and the prayer of the Lord : “Our Father ...”, singing the Angelic greeting to the Mother of God: “Our Lady of the Virgin, rejoice ...” or the troparion of the holiday and, finally, by singing the prayer of the righteous Job three times: “Be the name of the Lord blessed from now on and forever”, the final blessing of the priest: “Blessing the Lord upon you with that grace and love for mankind - always, now and forever, and forever and ever.
End of Vespers - Prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver and the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos (Our Lady, Virgin, rejoice) - point to the fulfillment of God's promise about the Savior.
Immediately after the end of Vespers, during the All-Night Vigil, the matins by reading six-psalmia.
Matins
The second part of the all-night vigil - matins reminds us of the times of the New Testament: the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world, for our salvation, and His glorious Resurrection.
The beginning of Matins directly points us to the Nativity of Christ. It begins with the doxology of the angels who appeared to the Bethlehem shepherds: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men."
Then read six psalms, i.e., six selected psalms of King David (3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142), which depict the sinful state of people, full of troubles and misfortunes, and fervently express the only hope expected by people in God's mercy. The worshipers listen to the Six Psalms with special concentrated reverence.
After the Six Psalms, the deacon says great litany.
Then a short song, with verses, is sung loudly and joyfully about the appearance of Jesus Christ into the world to people: “God is the Lord and appear to us, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” i.e. God is the Lord, and he appeared to us, and he who goes to the glory of the Lord is worthy of glorification.
After that it is sung troparion, i.e., a song in honor of a holiday or a celebrated saint, and are read kathismas, i.e. separate parts of the Psalter, consisting of several consecutive psalms. Reading kathisma, just like reading the Six Psalms, calls us to think about our disastrous sinful state and put all our hope in God's mercy and help. Kathisma means sitting, since one can sit while reading kathisma.
At the end of the kathisma, the deacon says small litany, and then it is done polyeles. Polyeleos is a Greek word and means: "many mercy" or "much illumination."
Polyeleos
The Polyeleos is the most solemn part of the Vespers and expresses the glorification of the mercy of God revealed to us in the coming of the Son of God to earth and His accomplishment of the work of our salvation from the power of the devil and death.
The Polyeleos begins with the solemn singing of laudatory verses:
Praise the name of the Lord, praise the servant of the Lord. Alleluia!
Blessed be the Lord from Zion, who lives in Jerusalem. Alleluia!
Confess to the Lord, for it is good, for His mercy is forever. Alleluia!
i.e. glorify the Lord, because He is good, because His mercy (to people) is forever.
When these verses are sung in the temple, all the lamps are lit, the royal doors open, and the priest, preceded by the deacon with a candle, leaves the altar and performs incense throughout the temple, as a sign of reverence for God and His saints.
After singing these verses, special Sunday troparia are sung on Sundays; i.e. joyful songs in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, which say how angels appeared to the myrrh-bearing women who came to the tomb of the Savior and announced to them about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On other great holidays, instead of Sunday troparions, it is sung before the icon of the holiday magnification, i.e., a short laudatory verse in honor of a holiday or saint.
(We magnify you, Saint Father Nicholas, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us Christ our God)
After Sunday troparia, or after magnification, the deacon pronounces a small litany, then the prokeimenon, and the priest reads the Gospel.
At the Sunday service, the Gospel is read about the Resurrection of Christ and about the appearances of the risen Christ to His disciples, and on other holidays the Gospel is read, relating to the event being celebrated or to the glorification of the saint.
After reading the Gospel, in the Sunday service a solemn song is sung in honor of the risen Lord:
“Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We worship Thy Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Thy holy Resurrection: Thou art our God; unless (except) you know no other, we call your name. Come, all faithful, let us worship the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Behold (here) for the joy of the whole world has come by the cross, always blessing the Lord, we sing of His resurrection: for having endured the crucifixion, destroy death by death.
The gospel is brought to the middle of the temple, and the faithful venerate it. On other holidays, believers venerate a festive icon. The priest anoints them with blessed oil and distributes consecrated bread.
After singing: “The Resurrection of Christ: a few more short prayers are sung. Then the deacon reads the prayer: "Save, O God, Thy people"... and after the exclamation of the priest: "By mercy and bounty"... the singing of the canon begins.
Canon at Matins, a collection of songs is called, compiled according to a certain rule. "Canon" is a Greek word and means "rule".
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| Canon Reading |
The canon is divided into nine parts (song). The first verse of each song that is sung is called irmos which means connection. These irmos, as it were, bind the entire composition of the canon into one whole. The remaining verses of each part (song) are mostly read and called troparia. The second ode of the canon, as penitential, is performed only in Great Lent.
In compiling these songs, especially worked: St. John of Damascus, Cosmas of Mayum, Andrew of Crete (great canon of repentance) and many others. At the same time, they were invariably guided by certain hymns and prayers of sacred persons, namely: the prophet Moses (for 1st and 2nd irmos), the prophetess Anna, the mother of Samuel (for the 3rd irmos), the prophet Habakkuk (for the 4th irmos), the prophet Isaiah (for 5 irmos), the prophet Jonah (for the 6 irmos), three youths (for the 7th and 8th irmos) and the priest Zechariah, Father John the Baptist (for the 9th irmos).
Before the ninth irmos, the deacon proclaims: “Let us exalt the Mother of God and Mother of Light in songs!” and burns the temple incense.
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The choir at this time sings the song of the Virgin:
“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ... Each verse is joined by the refrain: “The most honest cherub and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the Mother of God, we magnify Thee.”
At the end of the song of the Virgin, the choir continues singing the canon (9th song).
The following can be said about the general content of the canon. Irmos remind believers of the Old Testament times and events from the history of our salvation and gradually bring our thoughts closer to the event of the Nativity of Christ. The troparia of the canon are dedicated to New Testament events and represent a series of verses or hymns to the glory of the Lord and the Mother of God, as well as in honor of the celebrated event, or the saint glorified on this day.
After the canon, psalms of praise are sung - verses in praise- in which all God's creations are called to glorify the Lord: "Let every breath praise the Lord ..."
After the singing of laudatory psalms, a great doxology follows. The Royal Doors open with the singing of the last stichera (on the Sunday of the Theotokos) and the priest proclaims: “Glory to Thee, who showed us the light!” (In ancient times, this exclamation preceded the appearance of the solar dawn).
The choir sings a great doxology, which begins with the words:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we bow down, we glorify Thee, we thank Thee, great for Thy glory ... "
In the "great doxology" we thank God for daylight and for the gift of spiritual Light, that is, Christ the Savior, who enlightened people with His teaching - the light of truth.
The “Great Doxology” ends with the singing of the Trisagion: “Holy God…” and the troparion of the feast.
After this, the deacon pronounces two litanies in succession: purely and pleading.
Matins at the All-Night Vigil ends vacation- the priest, addressing the worshipers, says: “Christ our true God (and on Sunday service: Risen from the dead, Christ our true God ...), through the prayers of His most pure Mother, the holy glorious apostles ... and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, as if good and philanthropist."
In conclusion, the choir sings a prayer that the Lord will preserve the Orthodox Bishopric, the ruling bishop and all Orthodox Christians for many years.
Immediately, after this, the last part of the all-night vigil begins - first hour.
Probably, ever since the existence of human language, the word "bread" has been heard and thought not only in its proper meaning. This great word meant everything that ensures the existence, life activity of a person, everything necessary, without which a normal, full life is impossible. Thus, initially bread was not only a food product, it contained both great meaning and high symbolism.
Pronouncing upon our forefather Adam, who had sinned, a sentence as immutable as it was righteous, the Lord said: "In the sweat of your face you will eat bread" (Genesis 3:19). And in these lofty words, "bread" also means everything necessary for both the body and the soul.
Bread is one of the most important sacrifices to the One True God from the people of Israel. A special place was assigned for the bread offering - a table in the sanctuary before the Holy of Holies. “And put the showbread on the table before Me continually” (Ex. 25:30). The table with the twelve showbreads, as well as the incense altar, was located in the sanctuary of the Old Testament tabernacle. In the Jerusalem temple the table was gilded.
Millennia have passed, and we, Orthodox Christians, have been honored to partake of the supernatural bread of the Body of Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. However, even this bread is given to us in the sweat of our faces: to eat it, we need to work hard in repentance and fasting, and if God wills, shed tears. But Christians themselves can and do become spiritual bread for this world.
The bread, which by the power of God is transubstantiated into the Body of Christ, is the church prosphora. The Old Testament showbread is a type of it. Translated from Greek, the word "prosphora" means "offering". In ancient times, the best bread was brought to the temple. Some of them were intended for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, while the other part was eaten at the fraternal evening (agape).
Prosphora in the current Church is a small, round loaf made only from leavened wheat dough. It is two-part (has an upper and a lower part) as a reminder of the unity of two natures, Divine and human, in the Lord Jesus Christ. The upper part of the prosphora is sealed with a four-pointed cross with the words "IC.XC.NI.KA" meaning "Jesus Christ conquers". The prosphora had approximately the same appearance already in the 4th century, as mentioned by Epiphanius of Cyprus and the North of Alexandria. In the Russian Orthodox Church, the type of prosphora has remained unchanged since 1667.
So, prosphora is church bread used for worship and therefore requires especially reverent treatment. During the proskomidia, notes (speaking in church terms, commemorations) are transferred to the altar along with the prosphora, where the clergy, reading - commemorating - them, take out particles from the prosphora. At a certain moment of the Divine Liturgy, these particles are immersed in the Chalice with the Body and Blood of Christ; at the same time, the priest pronounces the following words: "Wash (wash), Lord, the sins of here (here) who are remembered by Your Honorable Blood by the prayers of Your saints." Thus, the special grace of God is given to the souls of those who are remembered for health and repose. The prosphora, from which a piece was taken out for the celebration of the Eucharist, consecrated in the altar, is a great shrine. This shrine - our small sacrifice to the Lord our God - brings spiritual and bodily health to Christians who partake of it, enlightenment of the mind.
During the Divine Liturgy, a rectangular part is cut out in a special way from one prosphora (lamb) - the Lamb, which will subsequently be transubstantiated into the Body of Christ. The cut parts of the lamb prosphora are called antidoron and are distributed to the worshipers at the end of the Liturgy. The Greek word "antidor" comes from the Greek words "anti" - "instead of" and "di oron" - "gift", that is, the exact translation of this word is "instead of a gift."
"Antidore," says St. Simeon of Thessalonica, "is the sacred bread that was brought into the offering and whose middle was taken out and used for the sacrament; this bread, as sealed with a copy and having received divine words, is taught instead of the terrible Gifts, that is, the Mysteries, to those who did not partake of them."
The custom of distributing antidoron arose, apparently, at a time when the ancient tradition of communion of all those present at the Liturgy disappeared. In the ancient Church, everyone present at the Liturgy considered it a duty to receive communion. Even those who could not attend the Divine Supper considered it too hard for them to be deprived of the Holy Gifts. But later such zeal weakened, as the love for the Lord Jesus Christ also became impoverished. Many left the Divine Liturgy altogether, and of those who came, for the most part did not take part in the Divine Supper.
The first evidence of the distribution of particles of antidoron to those who did not partake of the Holy Mysteries refers to 7th century and is contained in the canons of the IX Kamnetsky Council in Gaul.
In the Eastern Church, the mention of antidoran first appears no earlier than the 11th century. The most ancient can be considered the testimony of the "Explanations on the Liturgy" by Herman of Constantinople according to the list of the XI century. According to the instructions of the Pilots, the antidor is not taught to the infidels and those under penance.
The word artos (in Greek - “leavened bread”) is a consecrated bread common to all members of the Church, otherwise it is a whole prosphora.
Throughout the entire Bright Week, Artos occupies the most prominent place in the temple, along with the image of the Resurrection of the Lord, and, at the conclusion of the Easter celebrations, is distributed to believers.
The use of artos begins from the very beginning of Christianity. On the fortieth day after the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven. The disciples and followers of Christ found comfort in prayerful memories of the Lord - they remembered His every word, every step and every action. When they came together for a common prayer, they, remembering the Last Supper, partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. Preparing an ordinary meal, they left the first place at the table to the invisibly present Lord and put bread on this place. Imitating the Apostles, the first pastors of the Church established on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ to lay bread in the temple, as a visible expression of the fact that the Savior who suffered for us has become for us the true bread of life. The artos depicts a cross, on which only the crown of thorns is visible, but there is no Crucified One - as a sign of Christ's victory over death, or an image of the Resurrection of Christ. An ancient church tradition is also connected with the artos, that the Apostles left a piece of bread at the table - a share of the Most Pure Mother of the Lord as a reminder of constant communion with Her - and after the meal they reverently shared this part among themselves. In monasteries, this custom is called the Chin o Panagia, that is, the remembrance of the Most Holy Mother of the Lord. In parish churches, this bread of the Mother of God is remembered once a year in connection with the fragmentation of the arthos.
The artos is consecrated by a special prayer, sprinkling with holy water and censing on the first day of Holy Pascha at the Liturgy after the ambo prayer. On the salt, against the Royal Doors, on the prepared table or lectern, an artos is placed. If several artos are prepared, then all of them are consecrated at the same time. After burning incense around the table with the artos set, the priest reads a special prayer. Then he sprinkles the artos with holy water. The lectern with the artos is placed on the salt in front of the image of the Savior, where the artos lies throughout the Holy Week. It is preserved in the temple throughout Bright Week on a lectern in front of the iconostasis. On all days of Bright Week, at the end of the Liturgy, a procession around the church is solemnly performed with the artos.
On Saturday of Bright Week, after the ambo prayer, a prayer is read for the fragmentation of the arthos. Artos is broken up and at the end of the Liturgy, when the Cross is kissed, it is distributed to the people as the greatest shrine.
Another type of consecrated bread is the one that is distributed to those praying during the all-night vigil on the eve of major holidays. Earlier, evening services lasted quite a long time, and Christians ate bread to strengthen their strength. Now, although the duration of the services has been reduced, this custom has remained.
About eating prosphora, antidorus and arthos
Prosphora is consumed in the morning, on an empty stomach, with prayer and reverence so that not a single crumb falls.
According to the rules of the Church, antidoron should be eaten in the temple, on an empty stomach and with reverence, because it is holy bread, bread from the altar of God, part of the offerings to the altar of Christ, from which it receives heavenly sanctification.
Artos particles received in the temple are reverently kept by believers as a spiritual cure for illnesses and infirmities. Artos is used in special cases, for example, in illness, and always with the words "Christ is risen!".
Prosphora and artos are kept in the holy corner near the icons.
We must certainly remember that everything that comes into contact with the shrine requires special, careful and careful handling. So, paper, in which prosphora or artos is wrapped, must be burned. At home, we must store the consecrated bread with due care, in a certain place. And yet - forgive us, Lord! - how often, due to negligence, forgetfulness, or a sort of "habit" in handling shrines, we allow both their careless storage and improper consumption, we forget in the Temple. If the prosphora or a piece of arthos cannot be consumed (mold has appeared or for some other reason), you need to bring it to the Temple and give it to be burned.
For a long time there has been a pious tradition of sewing special small bags with laces or narrow braid for carrying and storing prosphora. If there is such a handbag, then the need for some temporary bags disappears, the fear disappears that the prosphora may be accidentally dropped, and so on. Handbags are often called "prosphora" or "prosphora", exquisitely decorated with beads, embroidery, ribbons. You can buy them in church shops.
Let all of the above serve as another reminder to us that reverent care is not just a duty. We must nurture in ourselves a sincere desire, a good will to both keep and consume the holy thing in the way that it befits the holy thing.
Prayer for the adoption of prosphora and holy water
Lord, my God, may Your holy gift be: prosphora and Your holy water, for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my spiritual and bodily strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities according to the boundless Thy mercy, by the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints. Amen.
