- The Judaistic Basis of Christian
Liturgical Worship
The Liturgy of the Christian Church is structured in a similar manner to the prayer
service of the synagogue. For example, Fr. Alexander Schmemann noted in Introduction to
Liturgical Theology, that each service is structured with the order of the blessing of the
name of God, praise, confession of sins, intercession and finally the glorifying of God
for his work in history. "The early Christian communities continued and preserved the
traditional forms of synagogue worship to which the people who made up these communities
were accustomed . . . So that when the time came for the creation of an independent
Christian worship it was only natural that it should be influenced- both in form and
spirit- by that traditional worship which was so close to the first Christians"
(Oesterley, The Jewish Background of the Christian Liturgy, p. 90) -
- The
Origin of Christian Liturgical Worship
"In the Temple and from house to house..." best describes the dynamic of the New
Testament Church. The early Christians were the products of and the strict adheres to the
Temple. Yet, with the coming of Christ, the Messiah, the one in whom all the prophecies of
the Old Testament was fulfilled, the traditional worship of the Jews was new. Christianity
is then the fulfillment and the ultimate perfection of the one true religion, founded in
the Covenant between God and His people.
This newness of the Christian community was emphasized in two significant liturgical acts
: baptism and the Eucharist. These actions affirmed and actualized the coming of the
Messiah and the beginning of a new life and salvation in Christ, the Son of the Living
God. They served as the identifying "acts" of this community and the
"acts" by which his community would be perpetuated even to this day!
The Divine Liturgy
As it has been noted previously, the term Divine Liturgy implies the work of the people
that pertains to God. By the fourth century though, the term Divine Liturgy became the
technical term for the mystery of the Eucharist, the crux of the liturgical celebration.
The word Eucharist is taken from the great prayer of the consecration (the Anaphora) and
in turn means thanksgiving.
The Development of the Divine Liturgy - The early Christians practiced the celebration of the Passover meal
shared by Christ and His disciples on Saturday evenings in a home of one of the members of
this community. This is well attested in the Acts of the Apostles. However, it was not
long before the community's common meal in remembrance of Christ became both impractical
and in some cases scandalous as Paul suggests in his epistles.
To best meet the needs of the infant churches, the remembrance of Jesus was made in bread
and wine alone with a certain formality by the end of the first century. It was still
celebrated in the private homes of the faithful, however it was now celebrated on Sunday
mornings instead of Saturday evenings. As the Eucharist was ordered into a brief service,
it was complimented with readings from Scripture, sermons, prayers, etc., developing into
"the Liturgy of the Catechumens" and "the Liturgy of the faithful."
The Divine Liturgy that we celebrate today is divided into these two distinct yet
complimentary elements "the liturgy of the Catechumens", and "the liturgy
of the Faithful". "The Liturgy of the Catechumens" roots our liturgical
practice in the Temple while "the Liturgy of the Faithful" establishes the
newness of life that can be found only in Christ. Together, they actualize the living
Covenant existing between God and man since the beginning.
The Liturgy of the Catechumens - The Word of God is a focal point in the gathering of the Christian
people. This liturgical act is the continuation of the rite of the Synagogue. The Word of
God is read and then explained and applied in the preaching. In this way, it is the crux
of the first half of the Divine Liturgy, that is, the divine work of the people.
The Liturgy of the Faithful - The Liturgy of the faithful begins with the Anaphora. Its focal point
is the Eucharist, that is, the consecrated body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist is a
distinguishing factor in Christian worship. It is founded in the actions of our Lord of
our Lord who "on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given
thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in
remembrance of me.' In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the
new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me'"
(1 Cor. 11.23-5).
Service of Proskomide
Taken from On the Divine Liturgy by Augoustinos N. Kantiotes, Bishop of Florina Greece)
The Offertory (Proskomide) takes place as follows :
1. The priest stands before the Beautiful Gate of the Iconostasion and
strengthens himself with a series of prayers, beginning with
"Lord have mercy on me, a sinner."
Then reciting certain troparia (hymns), he venerates and kisses in succession the Holy
Icons of Christ, the All-Holy Virgin Mary, St. John the Forerunner, and the Patron Saint
of the Church. He ends with a special prayer, in which he beseeches the Lord to enable him
to celebrate the Divine Liturgy blamelessly, without accusation by his conscience for any
serious offense.
2. He then enters the Holy Sanctuary, where he makes three acts of
reverence before the Holy Altar an kisses both the Book of the Gospel and the Altar,
saying again
"Lord have mercy upon me, a sinner."
He then puts on his vestments, blessing and kissing each one of them and reciting verses
from Scripture that stress the virtues with which the priest should be adorned.
3. After vesting himself, the priest goes to the washstand and washes his
hands, saying :
"I will wash my hands among the innocents, and
so will I go around Thy Altar . . . "
4. As the service of the Matins (Orthros) continues, the priest moves on
the Holy Credence. The Credence is a niche in the wall to the left of the holy cave in
which the Savior of the world was born under the poorest conditions. And, so as we prepare
to offer the Divine Liturgy, we call to mind the birth of our Holy Religion.
5. The priest then takes one of the loaves of oblation or prosfora
offered by the faithful. The prosforon symbolizes the Mother of God, for it was by way of
her body that Christ was born in the flesh. Holding the loaf in his left hand and the
lance in his right, and touching the lance to the seal stamped on the prosforon, the
priest elevates them both to the level of his head, saying
"You have redeemed us from the curse of the Law
by Your precious blood . . ."
then he makes the sign of the Cross over the Credence with the loaf and the lance,
reciting
"Blessed is our God, always, now and forever and
from all ages."
He then makes the sign of the cross three times over the prosforon, saying each time :
"In remembrance of our Lord, God, and Savior
Jesus Christ."
He then thrusts the lance into the right side of the central square of the seal, then into
the left, then above, then below, reciting with each thrust the corresponding prophecy of
Isaiah :
"He was led as the sheep to the slaughter."
"And as a lamb dumb before his shearer, He opens not His mouth." "In His
humiliation His judgment was taken away." "Who shall declare His
generation?"
Then he inserts the lance beneath the seal and lifts up the cubic portion of the bread,
the "Amnos" or "Lamb," on which are stamped the letters IC-XC NIKA,
"Jesus Christ Conquers." This he places on the Holy Paten, pierces it crosswise
with the lance, reciting verses from the Bible, which call to mind Christ's crucifixion.
The priest then pours wine and water into the Holy Chalice, covers it, and puts it aside.
6. Next, he cuts from the prosforon a triangular piece in honor of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, and this is placed at the right side of the Lamb. Then three rows of
three small pieces are placed on the other side of the Lamb in honor of the apostles,
martyrs, and other saints. In front of the Lamb, two rows of smaller pieces are arranged
in memory of the living and the dead... The priest then puts the asterisk, symbolizing the
star of Bethlehem, on the Paten, and covers with veils both the Paten and the Chalice. He
censes the Covered Holy Gifts three times, and finally chants the beautiful closing prayer
of the offertory service.
A. The Holy Chalice
B. The Paten
C. The Covers
D. The Asterisk
E. The Lance
1. The Theotokos
2. The Lamb
3. The Living
4. The Dead
5. Archangels Michael & Gabriel and all the heavenly bodiless powers.
6. John the Baptist, the prophets, the three holy Children.
7. The Apostles
8. The Holy Fathers & Holy Hierarchs
9. The Martyrs
10. The Ascetic Fathers
11. The Wonderworking Unmercenaries
12. Joachim & Anna, Joseph the Betrothed & Symeon the Theodochos, & the
particular saints of the day
13. Either St. John Chrysostom or St. Basil the Great (depending on which liturgy is
celebrated)
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