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Why the prophet’s father was speechless and why the saint lived in the desert until he was thirty. What Christian feat did the martyr accomplish?

The Orthodox holiday of the Nativity of John the Baptist is celebrated on July 7, and the biography of the righteous man is found in only one biblical chronicler. This is described in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.

Saint John the Baptist (also called the Baptist) is one of the most revered righteous people. He accomplished a high feat of self-sacrifice and accepted the crown of martyrdom for the name of Christ, setting an example of long-suffering and meekness.

Mother of the Prophet

The parent of the future prophet, righteous Elizabeth, came from a royal family and was a cousin of the Virgin Mary, who became the mother of the Messiah. In iconography, Elizabeth is usually depicted as an elderly woman. After all, she conceived John when she was already in her old age. Her husband was the priest Zechariah, who died during the massacre of the infants ordered by King Herod.

The soldiers killed Zechariah right in the temple, and Elizabeth and her little son fled to the Sinai desert. A chase began after them, but the rock miraculously moved and hid the fugitives. The righteous woman died in the desert when John was still a boy, and a guardian angel looked after the boy. The Orthodox Church holds memorial services in honor of Elizabeth on September 5 and December 30 (Julian calendar), and the Catholic Church on September 23.

Father of the Saint

John's parent was the priest Zechariah, who led the service in the temple during the time of King Herod of Judah. Like his wife Elizabeth, he entered old age without having children, which was considered a great misfortune and disgrace among the Jews. Zechariah constantly prayed that heaven would grant him an heir and that his words would be heard.

One day, when he was burning incense in the temple, he saw the Archangel Gabriel. He told him that a son would soon be born, who should receive the name John. The priest also learned about the fate awaiting his child and that his son had a mission to prepare people for the coming of Jesus Christ.

The old priest doubted that he was still able to give birth to a son. For this, the archangel punished him with muteness. The gift of speech returned to Zechariah only when his wife, on the eighth day after the birth of the child, brought her son to him and he inscribed his name “John” on the tablet.

The Life of Zechariah was compiled by the Evangelist Luke on the basis of Byzantine legends, according to which the earthly existence of Father John the Baptist was cut short at the moment when the soldiers of King Herod burst into his temple and began to interrogate where his wife and baby were hiding. The priest said nothing and was killed. In church veneration he is mentioned together with the righteous Elizabeth.

Life of a Righteous Man in the Desert

The Nativity of John the Baptist is surrounded by many miracles, and they continued after the righteous Elizabeth fled with her son into the desert so as not to be killed by the soldiers of King Herod. After the death of his mother, until the age of thirty, he continued to be in the desert, eating locusts and wearing coarse home-woven clothes made of camel hair. Such a garment, a hair shirt, did not protect well from the rain, and when wet, it injured the skin. To top it all off, the prophet deliberately tied his stomach with a wide leather belt so as not to eat more than he should.

John constantly improved his ability to preach eloquently, for which he received from the prophet Isaiah the symbolic name “The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness.” Upon reaching thirty years of age, he left his solitude and went to the shores of the crowded Jordan to encourage people to get rid of sinfulness through confession and ablution.

The ascetic's sermons were so convincing that he turned into a people's favorite and even Jesus Christ himself came to the river bank to receive Baptism at the hands of John. During the ceremony, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and a voice from above confirmed that Jesus was the chosen one.

The feat of the prophet

Over time, rumors of the deeds of the righteous man reached King Herod Antipas. He invited the prophet to his place, listened carefully to the speech about repentance and promised to adhere to the true rules. However, Herod's wife is Herodias, who lived before with Herod’s brother Philip—she hated the Forerunner. She decided that her new husband could drive her away, because John strictly denounced unrighteous cohabitation. With her intrigues she managed to imprison the prophet.

Then came Herod's birthday. The king asked Salome, the daughter of Herodias, to dance one of her dances in front of the assembled nobles. He was so delighted with Salome’s skill that in front of everyone he promised to give any reward up to half the kingdom. After consulting with her mother, the young beauty asked to immediately bring her the head of the prophet on a platter.

The king was saddened, but he kept his word and sent squires to cut off the head of John the Baptist and bring it on a precious tray.

Thus, Salome got what she wanted and immediately gave the head to her mother. The disciples of the Forerunner received his body, which was buried in the Samaria city of Sebastia.

Herodias (according to biblical tradition) “kept the head of the prophet in a dishonorable place” until it was stolen by the wife of the royal steward named Joanna. The woman buried the vessel with her head on the Mount of Olives. Subsequently, the relics changed their location several times. As a result, the temple in Constantinople became their refuge.

Commemoration: January 7/20 (Cathedral of John the Baptist), February 24/March 9 (First and Second Finding of the Head of John the Baptist), May 25/June 7 (Third Finding of the Head of John the Baptist), June 24/July 7, August 29/11 September (Beheading of John the Baptist), September 23 / October 6 (Conception of the vice of John the Baptist), October 12 / 25 (Transfer of the gum of the hand)

Prophet John the Baptist is the most revered saint after the Virgin Mary. In his honor, the following holidays were established (according to the new style): October 6 - Conception, July 7 - Christmas, September 11 - Beheading, January 20 - Council of John the Baptist in connection with the feast of Epiphany, March 9 - First and second finding of his head, June 7 - Third discovery of his head, October 25 - Celebration of the transfer of his right hand from Malta to Gatchina (according to the new style).

Prophet John the Baptist. Icon, 2nd quarter of the 15th century

The Prophet John the Baptist was the son of the priest Zechariah (from the family of Aaron) and the righteous Elizabeth (from the family of King David). His parents lived near Hebron (in the Highlands), south of Jerusalem. He was a relative of the Lord Jesus Christ on his mother's side and was born six months before the Lord. As Evangelist Luke narrates, the Archangel Gabriel, appearing to his father Zechariah in the temple, announced the birth of his son. And so the pious spouses, deprived of the consolation of having children until old age, finally have a son, whom they asked for in prayers.

By the grace of God, he escaped death among the thousands of murdered infants in and around Bethlehem. Saint John grew up in the wild desert, preparing himself for great service through a strict life of fasting and prayer. He wore rough clothes secured with a leather belt and ate wild honey and locusts (a genus of locust). He remained a desert dweller until the Lord called him at the age of thirty to preach to the Jewish people.

Obeying this calling, the prophet John appeared on the banks of the Jordan to prepare the people to receive the expected Messiah (Christ). To the river before the festival of purification in large quantities people gathered for religious ablutions. Here John turned to them, preaching repentance and baptism for the remission of sins. The essence of his preaching was that before receiving external washing, people must be morally cleansed, and thus prepare themselves to receive the Gospel. Of course, John's baptism was not yet the grace-filled sacrament of Christian baptism. Its meaning was spiritual preparation for the future baptism of water and the Holy Spirit.

According to the expression of one church prayer, the Prophet John was a bright morning star, which in its brilliance surpassed the radiance of all other stars and foreshadowed the morning of a blessed day, illuminated by the spiritual Sun of Christ (Mal. 4:2). When the expectation of the Messiah reached its highest degree, the Savior of the world Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to John to the Jordan to be baptized. The baptism of Christ was accompanied by miraculous phenomena - the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and the voice of God the Father from heaven: “This is My beloved Son...”

Having received a revelation about Jesus Christ, the prophet John told the people about Him: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Hearing this, two of John's disciples joined Jesus Christ. They were the apostles John (the Theologian) and Andrew (the First-Called, brother of Simon Peter).

With the baptism of the Savior, the prophet John completed and, as it were, sealed his prophetic ministry. He fearlessly and strictly denounced the vices of both ordinary people and the powerful of this world. For this he soon suffered.

King Herod Antipas (the son of King Herod the Great) ordered the prophet John to be imprisoned for denouncing him for abandoning his lawful wife (the daughter of the Arabian king Aretha) and for illegally cohabiting with Herodias. Herodias was previously married to Herod's brother, Philip.

On his birthday, Herod held a feast, which was attended by many noble guests. Salome, the daughter of the wicked Herodias, with her immodest dancing during the feast, pleased Herod and the guests reclining with him so much that the king promised with an oath to give her everything she asked for, even up to half of his kingdom. The dancer, taught by her mother, asked to be given the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod respected John as a prophet, so he was saddened by such a request. However, he was embarrassed to break the oath he had given and sent a guard to the prison, who cut off John’s head and gave it to the girl, and she took the head to her mother. Herodias, having outraged the cut off holy head of the prophet, threw it into a dirty place. The disciples of John the Baptist buried his body in the Samaritan city of Sebaste. For his crime, Herod received retribution in 38 after R. X.; his troops were defeated by Arethas, who opposed him for dishonoring his daughter, whom he abandoned for Herodias, and in next year The Roman Emperor Caligula exiled Herod to prison.

As the legend tells, Evangelist Luke, going around different cities and villages preaching Christ, took from Sebaste to Antioch a particle of the relics of the great prophet - his right hand. In 959, when the Muslims captured Antioch (under Emperor Constantine the Porphyrogenitus), the deacon transferred the hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon, from where it was transported to Constantinople, where it was kept until the conquest of this city by the Turks. Then the right hand of John the Baptist was kept in St. Petersburg in the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the Winter Palace.

The front part of the head of St. John the Baptist in the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Amiens

The holy head of John the Baptist was found by the pious Joanna and buried in a vessel on the Mount of Olives. Later, one pious ascetic, while digging a ditch for the foundation of the temple, found this treasure and kept it with himself, and before his death, fearing the desecration of the shrine by unbelievers, he hid it in the ground in the same place where he found it. During the reign of Constantine the Great, two monks came to Jerusalem to venerate the Holy Sepulcher, and John the Baptist appeared to one of them and pointed out where his head was buried. From that time on, Christians began to celebrate the First Finding of the Head of John the Baptist.

SACRED BOOKS

Liturgical Gospel

The Holy Gospel contains four gospels: from Matthew, from Mark, from Luke and from John, which is why it is sometimes called the Four Gospels.

According to the rules, the reading of the Gospel during worship is required every day, except for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday of Lent and Wednesday and Friday of Cheese Week. The entire Gospel is read over the course of a year.

Before each Gospel there is placed:

a brief description of the life of the Apostle-Evangelist;

index of parallel passages from other evangelicals.

In this index, events are arranged in chronological order - starting from the Nativity of Christ and ending with His resurrection and ascension. The numbers that indicate the Gospel events correspond to the black numbers on the outer margins.

The usual division of the text of the Holy. The Scriptures in chapters and verses are also preserved in the liturgical Gospel. The count of chapters is indicated in the top field. The count of verses is indicated in black numbers on the inner field. In addition to the division into chapters: (Matt. - 28 chapters, Mark - 16 chapters, Luke - 24 chapters, John - 21 chapters) and verses, each of the four gospels is divided for liturgical use into so-called conceptions . In the Gospel of Matthew conceived 116, Mark - 71, Luke. - 114, In. - 67. The division of the Gospels into concepts was made by St. John of Damascus and St. Theodore Studite.

The beginning is the part of the text of the New Testament designated for reading during worship on a given day. An asterisk is placed before the conception, and the date of reading the conception is indicated under the line. There, under the line, the words are indicated with which to begin the reading of the conception: “At the time it is,” “The Lord speaks...” The end of the Gospel reading is indicated in the text itself with cinnabar, for example: “end of the week,” “end of the heel.” Sometimes the Gospel reading consists of several passages selected from different chapters and even different evangelists; such a transition in the text itself is indicated as follows: “presence the Cross,” and “honor the Cross,” and similarly: “honor Monday, or transgress...”

At the end liturgical Gospel There is an index of regular readings for each day of the week of the entire year and all weeks (Sundays) starting from Easter and ending with cheese week.

From Easter to All Saints Sunday there are 8 weeks. Then follow 32 weeks and preparatory weeks for Lent - the 33rd week About the Publican and the Pharisee, the 34th week about the Prodigal Son, the 35th week of Meat, after which Great Lent begins. (For the evangelical transgression and apostasy required in this case, see class III note).

Liturgical Apostle

The book of the Apostle contains:

a) Acts of the Holy Apostles;

b) seven Council Epistles;

c) fourteen Epistles of St. ap. Paul and, in some editions

d) Apocalypse.

All of the indicated New Testament books have their own division into chapters and verses and conceptions, but the account of the latter is general. All conceptions go in continuous order from the 1st chapter of Acts to the 13th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews - a total of 335 conceptions, and the only deviation from it is the presence of two 50th and 51st conceptions: some of them relate to the Acts of the Apostles, and others - to the Epistle of St. ap. James, the 50th and 51st conceptions are the last in the book of Acts, and in the Epistle of St. Jacob 50th and 51st conceived - first. The reason for this numbering of the beginnings is as follows: the book of Acts is divided into 51 beginnings, but of them the 33rd and 49th are not read in a row, but are used during divine services on special days of the year (33 on August 29 - on the day of the Beheading of St. John Forerunners, and 49 conceived on May 21 - on the day of memory of St. Constantine the Great). So, the ordinary ones were conceived in Acts, without two it turns out that in fact it is not 51, but 49, and therefore the following ordinary ones were conceived in the Epistle of St. Jacob are designated by the numbers 50 and 51.

In the book of Acts there are also conceptions that are read on the days of special saints, but they are also included among the ordinary conceptions. In the Apostle, just as in the Gospel, the statutory readings have cinnabar notations and interlinear characters. In addition to the division of the Apostle into conceptions, there is a special division into certain divisions. Before the beginning of each such section there is a special sign (in the form of a medallion), in the middle of which the name of the day of the week is written: “week”, “Monday”, “Tuesday”, etc.

The division into the indicated sections is made for cell reading and for that reading, which, according to the Rules, should be at the all-night vigil after the blessing of the loaves, when the Acts, Epistles and Apocalypse are supposed to be read. (Typicon, chapter 2). The number of such departments is close to the number of vigils per year prescribed by the Typikon in Chapter 6. There are about 70 vigils, and 72 departments.

At the beginning and end of the Liturgical Apostle there are articles similar to those in the Gospels, which provide a number of introductory information and so on.

Before the book of the Acts of the Apostles and before each Epistle there are the following “articles”:

1) "Signs". This article contains an indication of the subjects of the New Testament book.

Black (sometimes small) numbers indicate the item, and red (sometimes large) numbers indicate some detailed additions to the item.

"Tales". It talks about the purpose, reason and purpose of writing the Message.

At the end of the Apostle are placed:

1. Index of the apostolic readings by week, starting from Easter and ending with Holy Saturday, with prokeemnas, antiphons, troparions, kontakia, alleluaries and sacraments of the feast days.

2. Monthsword.

3. Sunday prokeimnas of eight voices.

4. Prokeimnas of the seven days.

5. Index of readings for the “common saints” and for “every need.”

6. Daily antiphons.

Directions for reading the Apostle

The reader must receive a blessing from the serving priest to put on the surplice and to read the Apostle, after which he goes to the indicated place to read the appointed Apostle.

After the choir sings the Trisagion and the priest exclaims: “Peace to all,” the reader says: “And to your spirit.” Deacon: “Wisdom”, the reader pronounces the prokeimenon. The choir sings the prokeimenon, then the reader recites the verse, and the choir sings the prokeimenon a second time. Next, the reader pronounces the first part of the prokeimna, and the choir sings the second part. At the end of the singing of the prokeemna, the deacon exclaims: “Wisdom,” and the reader pronounces the inscription of the apostolic reading, for example: “Reading the Acts of the Apostle,” “Reading the Catholic Epistle of John,” “Reading the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Galatians.” Deacon: “Let us hear,” the reader reads more appropriately the conception of the Apostle.

At the end of the reading of the Apostle, the priest quietly pronounces “Peace be upon you,” the reader answers him in the same tone: “And give Thy spirits to him.” Deacon: "Wisdom." The reader, after saying: “And to Your Spirit,” immediately says: “Alleluia” (three times). The choir sings: "Alleluia" (three times). The reader recites the verse, the xop sings a second time: “Alleluia,” then the reader recites the second verse, and the choir sings a third time: “Alleluia.” The reader, having crossed himself, enters the altar through the southern doors, takes a blessing from the serving priest and then unmasks himself.

On some days there are two apostolic readings and two prokemenas. The order of singing the prokeimenon is as follows: the reader pronounces the first prokeimenon, the choir sings this prokeimenon, then the reader recites the verse of the prokeimenon, and the choir sings the prokeimenon a second time. Next, instead of the first half of the prokeimenon, the reader pronounces the second prokeimenon. The choir also sings the second prokeimenon.

Some prokeimnas have inserted words, for example: prokeimnas for the feasts of the Mother of God. "Song of the Mother of God", prokeimenon on the Sunday of Sts. Fathers: "Song of the Fathers".

The alleluary is always sung only three times. Some alleluaries have one verse instead of two; in this case, it must be divided into two parts or repeated. If two alleluaries are prescribed, the first verse should be taken from one, the second verse from the other. At the Liturgy, more than two apostolic readings are not read, two began. If on any day you have to read three apostolic conceptions, then they are read as two, i.e. one conception is read “under conception” with the other.

Note: The expression “under conception” means that the two Apostles are read as if they constitute one conception, i.e. There is no long pause between the readings of two conceptions.

When reading the two apostolic principles, the following order is observed:

First, the conceptions of the day (i.e., ordinary ones) are read, then to the saints:

a) on all days of the week, except Saturday;

b) on Saturdays from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee to the Sunday of All Saints, i.e. during the period of singing the Lenten and Colored Triodion.

c) on all Sundays (except for the weeks before the Exaltation and after the Exaltation, the week after the Nativity of Christ),

d) on the days of the dedication of the Mother of God holidays, first the ordinary conception is read, and then to the Mother of God.

2. The apostle is read first to the saint, and then to the ordinary on Saturdays from the Sunday of All Saints until the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee.

Note: In the Apostle there are conceptions designated by the word “from the floor,” i.e. from half.

Psalter

The Psalter is printed in two ways: firstly, with the appendix of the Book of Hours and other “sequences” - the so-called “Psalter with succession”, “Psalter with succession”, “Psalter followed”, secondly, only the Psalter without “sequences” ", in church language called the "Little Psalter", "The Cell Psalter".

The Psalter is sometimes called the “Teaching Psalter,” since of all the church hymns contained in liturgical books, the psalms are predominantly edifying, teaching, and hymns. In the psalms, the entire Church and every believer can express their reverent experiences, feelings of repentance and joy. According to St. Basil the Great, “The Psalter prophesies about the future, recalls the past... It is a kind of treasury of good instructions; it heals old mental ulcers, and gives quick healing to those who have received a fresh wound; it strengthens the weak, protects healthy, destroys passions. It brings calm to the soul, produces peace, tames stormy and rebellious thoughts. The Psalm softens an angry soul, calms a lustful soul... What will the Psalter not teach you from it - excellent courage, and strict justice, and constant abstinence, and perfect generosity, and the form of repentance, and complete patience, you will learn from it everything good..." (Conversation on the 1st Psalm).

In ancient Rus', the Psalter was one of the subjects of education and was educational book. Therefore, in the Psalter, as a teaching book, “articles” are published that teach the truths of faith in the One God, glorified in the Trinity. These include:

a) The symbol of St. Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria;

b) An account of the faith of Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch and Cyril of Alexandria in question-and-answer form;

c) an account of the faith of St. Maximus the Confessor;

d) a short lesson on the sign of the cross and the folding of fingers to perform it, etc.

The Psalter is divided into 20 kathismas, and each kathisma into three “Glories”, or parts; ending with the words: "Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

"Glories" are sometimes called "articles", "antiphons:". The 17th kathisma is divided not only into three “Glories”, but also into two halves. In it, before verse 94 (“I am yours, save me”) the word is printed: “Wednesday, i.e. the middle.” Since the Psalter is used during Divine services throughout the year, at the beginning of it there is an index of readings. Kathismas are followed by “Prophetic songs ", currently used only in Lent, and "Selected Psalms". At the end of the Lesser Psalter there are "Following the departure of the soul from the body" and "Commemoration", and in more complete editions - "The Order of 12 Psalms" and instructions "From eldership about the cell rule."

Followed by Psalm 9

The following Psalter is divided into 5 parts: Psalter, Book of Hours, Book of Months, Canon, Semidnev 10.

The first part of the Followed Psalter included psalms that the Church established to be read in church during divine services during each week. Kathismas are read at Vespers and Matins.

After the 20th kathisma, the Followed Psalter contains selected psalms and magnifications for them, which are sung on great holidays after “Praise the name of the Lord.” They are performed antiphonally, by two choirs; which choir should sing which verse is indicated in the margin opposite the psalm with the letters “a” and “c”. The greatnesses are arranged in the order in which the holidays follow according to the Monthly Dictionary. In addition, between the magnifications of the Flower-bearing and Fomina weeks, praises with the 17th kathisma are placed, sung at the burial of the Savior on Holy Saturday.

The first part of the Followed Psalter ends with the third chapter, containing the text of troparia and prayers read after each kathisma during cell prayer. (In the Small Psalter, tro-paris and prayers are printed in a row after each kathisma). Since ancient times, in the Orthodox Church there has been a pious custom of reading the Psalter over the body of a deceased monk, layman, as well as a deacon (the Gospel is read over a bishop and priest, and only by clergy). Reading the Psalter is required while standing. The one who first begins to read the Psalter over the body of the deceased must first of all read “The Sequence on the Exodus of the Soul from the Body.”

The order of reading the Psalter for the dead is as follows:

"Through the prayers of the Holy Father... Amen. Trisagion according to "Our Father..." Troparion: "Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us...", "Glory", "Honorable triumph of Thy prophet, O Lord...", " And now,” “Many multitudes...”, “Lord, have mercy” - 40 times, the prayer “All-Holy Trinity...”, “Come, let us worship” (three times) and the 1st kathisma. On each “Glory” a prayer is read: “Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope, the life of your eternal servant (name of the rivers) who passed away... or your handmaid...” This prayer is at the end of the sequence after the exodus of the soul. For each kathisma, the Trisagion is read according to the “Our Father,” the troparia and the prayer prescribed for each kathisma.

The next kathisma begins with the words: “Come, let us worship.” The Psalter is read for all the dead, except for those who committed suicide.

2nd part of the Followed Psalter: Book of Hours.

The second part of the Followed Psalter is the Book of Hours, which contains the rites of the daily cycle of worship, mainly with those prayers and hymns that are sung and read by readers and singers,

The daily circle of Divine services consists of Vespers, Compline (small or great), Midnight Office, Matins, 1st hour, 3rd hour, 6th hour and 9th hour, which serve as preparation for the main Divine service - Divine Liturgy.

In ancient times, these sequences were performed separately from one another at hours appointed by the Church, but later, out of condescension to the weaknesses and needs of Christians, the Church allowed them to be performed at three times of the day: in the evening, in the morning and around noon.

The Church begins its daily worship service in the evening. The evening services of the Orthodox Church include: the 9th hour, Vespers and Compline.

The morning service includes: Midnight Office, Matins and the first hour. Daytime services consist of: 3rd, 6th hour and Liturgy (or pictorial).

In the Book of Hours these services are arranged in a slightly different order. The Book of Hours begins with the Midnight Office. This service is called so because the Charter prescribes it to be performed at midnight. The Book of Hours contains three separate sequences of the Midnight Office: daily, Saturday and Sunday. Before the Midnight Office, at the very beginning of the Book of Hours, there are the initial morning prayers. The daily midnight office is celebrated from Monday to Friday inclusive.

Saturday - on Saturday. The main difference between the Saturday midnight office and the daily midnight office is that at the daily midnight office the 17th kathisma is read, and at the Saturday midnight office the 9th kathisma is read. According to the Rule, the Sunday Midnight Office is supposed to be celebrated on Sunday. Weekly, i.e. Sunday Midnight Office has a special rite. The canon of the Holy Trinity (according to the voice), located in the Octoechos, is based on it.

Sunday Midnight Office is followed by Matins. It begins with two psalms with troparions and a litany, which are read before the Six Psalms, when there is no vigil. Then follows the Six Psalms, i.e. six selected psalms. Next - “God the Lord with verses.” During Great Lent and in those cases when there is no Liturgy, instead of “God the Lord” “Alleluia” is sung with special verses. Next are the Trinity Troparions. They are sung during Great Lent, from Monday to Friday inclusive, and replace those troparions to the saints that are supposed to be sung with “God the Lord.” The Trinity troparia are arranged according to the voices. I ate the Trinity Troparions and there are luminaries and exapostilaria 8 chapters of owls. Luminaries are read after the 9th canto during Great Lent, and exapostilaria are read on all weekdays.

In the 9th song of the canon, the song of the Most Holy Theotokos is sung: “My soul magnifies the Lord...” with the refrain: “The most honorable Cherub...” This hymn to the Mother of God is included in its entirety in the Book of Hours.

The lamps and exapostilaries are followed by psalms of praise - 149, 150. They are called praiseworthy because their content is the glorification of God not only by man, but by all creation. These psalms are included in both holiday and daily services. At the festive service, they begin with singing from the words: “Let every breath praise the Lord at the daily - reading from the words: “Praise the Lord from heaven.”

At the end of the last psalm there is an indication of cinnabar - “for 6”, “for 4”. This means that from a given verse one should add a stichera to each verse (from the Menaion, Octoechos or Triodion). The singing of psalms ends with the prayer: “Blessed are you, the Virgin Mother of God...” and great doxology. Then there is a daily doxology, which is preceded by the prayer: “Glory befits you, O Lord our God...”

Thus, at daily matins, when the great glorification is not sung, one must read the psalms of praise from the words “Praise the Lord from heaven, a song befits you to God...” to the end (“Let every breath praise the Lord”) and immediately move on to to sing on “Glory befits you...” and daily praise. Further in the Book of Hours there are verses for the morning verse stichera: “We will be filled with Thy mercy in the morning, Lord...”, “And be lordship...” Next - “It is good to confess to the Lord...” Verse stichera and “It is good.. ." read at Matins in those cases when the doxology is read and not recited. At the end of the rite of Matins, according to the Book of Hours, there is the rite of the end of Lenten.

After Matins, the Book of Hours begins the service of the Hours (1st, 3rd and 6th) with interhours. Between hours depart in Palestinian monasteries and on Mount Athos.

After the interhour of the sixth hour there is a rite of the Fine, which includes chants from the beginning of the Liturgy: Psalm 102 “Bless my soul the Lord” and Psalm 145 - “Praise my soul the Lord”, then “The Only Begotten Son...”, “In Thy kingdom...", then come the kontakia, sung at the Liturgy at the small entrance, and the 33rd psalm: "I will bless the Lord..."

Behind the Fine Arts is placed the “Rite of Panagia,” performed in monasteries (usually in holidays, after the Liturgy at the meal). Next comes the 9th hour with its inter-hours. Then - Vespers, which includes Psalm 103, the so-called pre-initial; 140, 141, 129, 116 psalms under common name"The Lord cried..."

The end has cinnabar marks “by 10”, “by 8”, “by 6”, “by 4”, this means that depending on the holiday, a certain number of stichera are added to these verses. Next comes: “Quiet Light...”, “Alleluia” with verses for Great Lent and daily Vespers prokemenas with verses for the weekly circle. Then the prayer: “Lord grant...”, which is read at every Vespers. After all the hymns there are verses for the verse stichera of daily vespers: “My eyes have lifted up to you...”, “Have mercy on us. Lord”... The beginning follows: “Now dost thou let go...”, “Rejoice, Virgin Mary” and the rite end of Lenten Vespers. Following the rite of Vespers, prayers are read, said before and after the evening meal. Below is the rite of Great Compline. It is sent on the eve of the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Annunciation, as well as during Lent from Monday to Friday inclusive. It is followed by Small Compline, which, according to the Rule, is supposed to be celebrated after the evening meal every day throughout the year, on days when Great Compline is not supposed to be celebrated.

At the end of the Book of Hours there is a statutory article “On the signs of the Lord’s and Theotokos’ feasts, and the saints.” The ending of the "Teaching Book of Hours" is much more extensive. There they also place troparia and kontakia for Sundays, the twelfth feasts of great saints, etc.; in the Followed Psalter they are found at the end of the Month.

Part 3: Monthly Words

The Book of Hours in the Followed Psalter is followed by the Month of Words. A monthly word is a brief listing of holidays and saints in order of months and days of the year, starting from September 1st. For each number, a troparion and kontakion of the saint are given here.

The month calendar is otherwise called the calendar. In addition to the Followed Psalter, the Book of Months is also included in other liturgical books, such as the Gospel, Apostle, Typikon, Great Book of Hours, etc., and is also published as a separate book. The Book of Months in the Followed Psalter is preceded by the article: “On the signs of the Master and Mother of God Feasts and Saints,” i.e. about the holiday signs, which we have already become familiar with while studying the holidays of the Holy Orthodox Church.

Unlike the Gospel and Apostolic, the Psalter Month against numbers has a statutory holiday sign. In many of the Followed Psalms, after indicating the memory of the saint, a brief account of his life is given.

Looking in detail at the contents of the Monthly Word, it is easy to notice that the names of the days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.) are not shown here. In the margins we see only letters: some with a title, others without a title. The latter are mostly printed in red font. The letters under the title are the dates of each month. There are only seven letters without titles in the Monthly Word: A, B, D, D, S, Z. They are arranged in reverse alphabetical order. These seven letters are called vrucelet letters and serve to determine the days of the week for a given date in any year. To do this, you only need to know which day in a given year corresponds to at least one letter.

Under each date in the Church Monthly Book the name of a saint is mentioned. In the ranks of saints, the Orthodox Church glorifies angels, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, saints and righteous people.

Saints are called pastors-teachers of the Church, glorified in the rank of bishop. Most of them bear the names of the churches in which they served as priests. For example: Nicholas of Myra, i.e. bishop in the city of Myra, in Lycia (in Asia Minor); Tikhon of Voronezh; Dimitry Rostovsky; Theodosius of Chernigov, etc.

Martyrs and martyrs are called saints who endured suffering and death for the truth of the faith of Christ. Martyrs of persons holding holy orders are called holy martyrs. Holy martyrs or martyrs of the monastic order are called venerable martyrs and venerable martyrs. Lay Christians who died in agony for Jesus Christ are simply called martyrs and martyrs. Saints who died in especially great suffering for the Christian faith are called great martyrs and great martyrs. All Christian martyrs in general are often called passion-bearers, i.e. having endured suffering.

Reverends Orthodox Church names saints who lived away from the world, i.e. monastics. The name “father”, which appears quite often in the Monthly Book, is adopted by the abbot of the monastery, canonized as a saint, as well as by presbyters and bishops (due to the fact that they receive from God the grace to spiritually revive and educate people), and mainly by those who attended the Ecumenical Councils . The title of “mother” is adopted by the abbess of the monastery or, in general, by the venerable one.

Righteous The Orthodox Church names saints who, living in the world and performing worldly duties, pleased God.

After the Month of the Month, troparia and kontakia of the moving days of the annual circle are placed, i.e. Weeks about the publican and the Pharisee, about the prodigal son, meat and cheese, and the seven weeks of Great Lent. A full service has been given for Easter so that this service can be performed where for some reason there are no other liturgical books.

The Easter service is followed by troparia and kontakia of the following weeks: Antipascha, Myrrh-Bearers, the Paralytic, the Samaritan, the Blind, the Feast of the Ascension of Christ, Pentecost, the Sunday of Sts. Fathers, All Saints. Next are the tro-paris, kontakia, Theotokos and Sunday hypak in 8 voices. (Ipakoi is a short chant that is placed at Sunday Matins after the polyeleos before the reading of the Gospel. Its purpose is to focus our attention on the upcoming Gospel reading).

After the Sunday troparions in 8 tones there are troparions sung at Sunday matins after the polyeleos with the refrain: “Blessed art thou, Lord, teach me by thy justification.” Then troparia of the same purpose are given, sung on Saturday - they are called deathly, because... relate in their content to the funeral service. Next comes chapter 27 (25th in the Small Format Psalms), which contains “Theotokos of Dismissal.” This is the name of the hymns “sung throughout the summer along the troparia at Vespers, for God the Lord at Matins, and again at end of Matins." These Theotokos are arranged according to the voices and they are attached according to the voice and day to the troparion, which has a black sign or does not have a sign.

Saints with a red sign are given the Sunday Mother of God instead of these Mother of God.

The next chapter contains troparia for the seven-day circle; further - kontakia common to the saints.

First place in number Liturgical books occupy: Gospel, Apostle And Psalter. These books are taken from the Holy Scriptures - the Bible - and therefore are called sacred and liturgical.

Then follow the books: Service Book, Book of Hours, Breviary Book, book of prayer songs, Octoechos, Menaion Menaion, General Menaion, Festive Menaion. Lenten Triodion, Colored Triodion, Typikon or Charter, Irmologium and Canon. These books were compiled on the basis of Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, by the fathers and teachers of the Church. And they are called church services.

Gospel- this is the Word of God. It consists of the first four books of the New Testament, written by the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospel contains a description of the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ: His teaching, miracles, suffering on the cross, death, glorious resurrection and His ascension to heaven. The liturgical Gospel has the peculiarity that, in addition to the usual division into chapters and verses, it is also divided into special sections called “conceptions.” At the end of the book there is an index: when to read this or that.

Apostle, this is the name in church language of a book containing the subsequent books of the New Testament: the Acts of the Holy Apostles, the conciliar epistles and the epistles of the Apostle Paul (except for the book of the Apocalypse). The book of the Apostle, like the Gospel, is divided, in addition to chapters and verses, into “conceptions,” with an indication at the end of the book of when and which “conception” to read.

Psalter- book of the prophet and king David. It is so called because most of the psalms in it were written by St. Ave. David. In these psalms, St. the prophet opens his soul to God, all his joys and sorrows, repents of his sins, glorifies God’s endless perfections, thanks Him for all His mercies and good deeds, asks for help in all his undertakings... That is why the psalter is used during Divine services more often than any other liturgical books.

The book of Psalms for use in Divine services is divided into twenty sections called “kathismas,” and each “kathisma” is divided into three parts, called “glories.”

In addition to the simple Psalter, there is also a Psalter “followed”; it is distinguished by the fact that it contains three appendices: a) Book of Hours, b) troparia and kontakia selected from all liturgical books and c) all prayers that should be read by those approaching the Holy Sacrament Communions.

Missal- a book for priests and deacons. It contains the order of Vespers, Matins and Liturgy. At the end of the service book there are: dispensations, prokemenyas, magnifications and months, i.e. a list of saints commemorated daily by the church.

The Bishop's Service Book (or "Bishop's Official") is distinguished by the fact that it also contains the rite of consecration of the antimension and the rite of ordination to the rank of reader, deacon, priest, etc.

Book of Hours- a book that serves as a guide for readers and singers in the choir. The Book of Hours contains the order of all daily services, except for the Liturgy.

Breviary- a book containing the rites of the Holy Sacraments (except for the sacraments of Holy Communion and Priesthood) and other requirements - the rite of funeral and burial of the deceased, the rite of the blessing of water, prayers for the birth of a baby, at the naming of the baby and his churching, etc.

Book of Prayer Songs contains rites of prayers (prayer chants) for different occasions.

Octoechos or Osmiglasnik contains hymns (troparia, kontakia, canons, etc.), divided into eight tunes or “voices.” Each voice, in turn, contains hymns for the entire week, so that the services of the Octoechos are repeated once every eight weeks. The division of church singing into voices was accomplished by the famous hymnist of the Greek Church, St. John of Damascus (VIII century). The Octoechos is attributed to him and compiled, although it should be noted that St. took part in the composition of the Octoechos. Mitrofan, Bishop of Smyrna, St. Joseph the hymnographer and others.

Menaea Menses contains prayers in honor of saints for every day of the year and solemn services for the feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, falling on a specific day of the month. According to the number of 12 months, it is divided into 12 separate books.

Minea General contains hymns common to a whole group of saints, for example, in honor of prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, etc. It is used during Divine services in the event that a separate service has not been compiled for any saint in the Menaion of the Month.

Minea Festive contains the services of the Great Holidays, extracted from the Menaion of the Month.

Lenten Triodion contains prayers for the days of Great Lent and for the preparatory weeks for it, starting from the week of the Publican and the Pharisee and until Easter. The word: "Triod" is Greek and means three songs. This book and the following “Triod Tsvetnaya” received this name because they contain incomplete canons, consisting of only three songs, instead of the usual nine songs of the canon.

Triodion Colored contains hymns from the day of Holy Easter to the Week of All Saints (i.e., until the 9th Resurrection, counting from the day of Easter).

Typicon or Charter contains detailed instructions: on what days and hours, during what Divine services and in what order the prayers contained in the service book, book of hours, octoechus and other liturgical books should be read or sung.

Irmology contains chants selected from various canons, called irmos (irmos is the initial chant of each song of the canon).

To determine and find the Gospel conception for a given day, you must use the Gospel appendices, which contain all the necessary instructions. In total, the following four applications can be distinguished in the Gospel:

1. “The saying of the hedgehog every day should be an honor to the Gospel of the weeks of the whole summer”- ordinary readings of the moving circle of worship. This application begins on the day of Holy Easter and ends on Holy Saturday. The period of Lent stands out in particular. Here are the ordinary or daily readings for all Sundays and weekdays of the year, with the exception of Wednesday and the heel of Cheese Week, as well as the weekdays of Holy Pentecost (that is, days when the Gospel is not supposed to be read). At the end of the appendix are 11 Sunday morning Gospels, which are read sequentially on Sundays throughout the year at matins.

2. “Collegiate of the 12th month”- reading the fixed circle of worship (months of words). Here are readings for every day of the year. Since the beginning of the church year falls on September, the month begins on September 1 and ends on August 31. It should be noted that on the days of remembrance of some minor saints, the Gospel reading is not indicated at all in the monthly text (September 10, October 15, etc.). In these cases, only ordinary readings are read at the liturgy.

3. “The Gospel is common to the saints”- readings are common for each face of saints. This application is used in the same cases when the book of the General Menaion is used: if a vigil or polyeleos service is performed to a saint who does not have a sign in the Rule (for example, in the case of a temple holiday), or when services are performed for newly glorified saints.

4. “There is a different gospel for every need.” Here are the Gospel readings during the celebration of the Sacraments and other private services.

Gospel reading scheme

The usual scheme for reading the Gospel during worship is as follows:

Deacon: “And we pray that we may be worthy to hear the Holy Gospel of the Lord God.”

Choir: "Lord have mercy" (three times).

Deacon: “Wisdom, forgive me, let us hear the Holy Gospel.”

Priest: "Peace to all."

Choir: "And to your spirit."

Priest: "From… (names the evangelist) Reading of the Holy Gospel."

Choir:

Deacon: “Let’s hear it.”

Priest reads the Gospel.

Choir(after finishing reading): “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee.”

On liturgy this scheme is somewhat different in the sense that the Gospel is read by a deacon on the pulpit, and therefore, if there is no second deacon, the words of the deacon (“Wisdom, forgive ...” and “Let us remember”) in the dialogue before the Gospel are spoken by the priest, and the deacon calls the name of the evangelist. In addition, during the liturgy the initial prayers “And may you be considered worthy to us...” and “Lord, have mercy” are always omitted, so the transition to reading the Gospel begins immediately with “Wisdom, forgive...”. Also, “And about us being considered worthy...” is not said in the following two cases:

At the Great Hours (always), at Vespers of the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany and Good Friday and at the matins of Great Saturday, when the Gospel follows the Apostle;

At the 3rd, 6th and 9th hours in the first three days of Holy Week in those cases where the reading of the same Gospel that was started in the previous hour continues. In particular, the Gospel of Luke is divided into three parts, and only at the beginning of the reading of the first part is it said “And we are counted worthy...”, while before the beginning of the second and third parts it is said immediately “Wisdom, forgive...”.

Charter for reading the Gospel

At the beginning of each beginning there is an asterisk (if there are two beginnings on one page, then at the beginning of the second there are two asterisks), which plays the role of a link and correlates with the interlinear. At the bottom of the page, the day of reading of this concept is indicated interlinearly, and here is an introductory phrase with which to begin reading the concept. The phrases most often used in the Gospels are “At the time it was...” and “The Lord spoke...”.

Thus, when reading the Gospel during the service, one should, firstly, use the appendices to determine the Gospel and the number of the conception that is assigned for reading on that day. Then, having opened the desired beginning, you should immediately make sure, based on the interlinear translation, that it is really intended to be read on a given day. Next, you need to completely take the introductory phrase from the interlinear translation and then read from the very words that appear after the asterisk (that is, the words that appear before the asterisk in the main text of the Gospel are omitted in this case). The reading ends not where the next beginning begins, but only in the place indicated by the words “end...” (for example, “the end of the Epiphany” or “the end of the Sabbath”). If, in the middle of reading one beginning, the beginning of another reading is encountered, then in this case it is necessary to follow the main text, not paying attention to the interlinear text.

Some Gospel readings have a break in the text, or crime , when a certain passage in the middle of a given beginning is omitted. In this case, it is necessary, having reached the mark “transcend ...”, skip the next passage, find the note “honor ...” and immediately continue reading from this point. As an illustration, we give the most famous and frequently used reading with “crime” - conception 4th from Luke(Luke 1:39–49, 56), which is read at matins on all the feasts of the Mother of God:

In those days, Miriam arose and went to the mountains with diligence, to the city of Judah. And Zechariah went into the house and kissed Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard Mary kissing, the baby leaped in her womb: and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And you cried with a great voice and said: Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb. And where do I get this from, so that the Mother of my Lord may come to me? Behold, as if the voice of Thy kiss came into my ear, the baby leaped with joy in my womb. And blessed is She who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of what was spoken to Her by the Lord. And Mariam said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior: for I have looked upon the humility of My Handmaid: behold, from now on all my kindred will bless Me. For the Mighty One has done great things for Me, and holy is His name.

Transgress the Mother of God.

And His mercy endures throughout all generations of those who fear Him. Create power with Your arm: squander the proud thoughts of their hearts. Destroy the mighty from their thrones and lift up the humble. Fill those who hunger with good things; and those who are rich, let go of their vanities. They will remember His servant Israel, remembering His mercies, just as He said to our fathers Abraham and his seed forever. this passage is omitted].

Honor the Mother of God:

So Miriam remained with her for three months and returned to her home.

The end of the Mother of God.

In this case, immediately after the sentence “For the Mighty One has done great things for Me, and holy is His name,” it reads “Mariam abide with her for three months and return to her home,” and the intervening passage is omitted.

Due to the fact that many readings have “crimes,” it is necessary in advance (preferably before the service) to look through the entire beginning and note where and with what introductory phrase it begins, which passage is skipped (in the case of a “crime”) and where the beginning ends. In some cases, reading with a “crime” ends not in the present beginning, but several beginnings or chapters later. A typical example here is the Gospel for the feasts of the Mother of God at the liturgy - from Luke the 54th was conceived:

During this time, Jesus came into the whole place: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister, called Mary, who even sat at the foot of Jesus and heard His word. Martha, speaking of much service, began to say: Lord, are you not delusional, because my sister has left me alone to serve? Thank you so much, let me help you. Jesus answered and said to her: Marfo, Marfo, worry and say about the multitude: There is only one thing that is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, and it will not be taken away from her.

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