Akathist
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An Akathist or Acathist Hymn (
The Akathist is also known by the first three words of its prooimion (preamble), Têi hypermáchōi strategôi (Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ στρατηγῷ, "To you, invincible champion") addressed to Holy Mary (Panagia Theotokos, "The all-holy birth-giver of God").
During Byzantine Catholic and Orthodox Christian religious services in general, sitting, standing, bowing and the making of
Origin and History
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The akathist par excellence is the one written for the feast of
No certain ascription of its authorship can be made. It has been attributed to
Before the turn of the 21st century the Akathist was usually assigned to the 6th or 7th century but more recent scholarship, driven by the work of Leena Peltomaa, has argued for a 5th century origin on the basis of theological content.[5][6] Cunningham concurs with Peltomaa's analysis of the hymn's Christology but postulates, from its "highly developed poetic form" and elaborate invocations of Mary, a somewhat later provenance of the latter 5th/early 6th century.[7] In contrast, Shoemaker reasons that "Peltomaa's [arguments] for dating the Akathist hymn to the period before Chalcedon would seem to apply equally if not even more so" for a collection of Marian hymns within the Georgian Chantbook of Jerusalem that he contends are of primarily pre-Chalcedonian authorship. Following Renoux he argues that the hymns, which are colourful and invocatory, contain theology closest to mid-5th century homilists, bearing witness to a highly developed cult of Mary at an earlier period than previous generations of scholars had appreciated.[8] Reynolds summarises prevailing opinion as being in favour of a date for the Akathist "somewhere between the Councils of Epheus and Chalcedon."[9] Similarly, Arentzen observes that most scholars now favour an early provenance.[10]
Since the 14th century the Akathist moved from the menaion to the moveable cycle of the triodion, and the custom established that the whole hymn was sung in four sections throughout Lent. As such it became part of the service of the Salutations to the Theotokos (used in the Byzantine tradition during Great Lent).
Structure
Apart from its usual dedication to the menaion and the early custom to celebrate kontakia during the
When an akathist is chanted by itself, the
One of the exceptional features of this Akathist is its acrostic style; the Greek original consists of 24 oikoi, each one beginning with the next letter of the alphabet.[12] Due to the excessive length the kontakion became truncated like the others, but even the earliest chant books with musical notation (the Tipografsky Ustav, for instance) have the complete text of all 24 oikoi written out, but the last 23 oikoi without musical notation.[13] The hymn itself is divided into thirteen parts, each of which is composed of a kontakion and an oikos (Greek: οίκος, house, possibly derived from Syriac terminology). The kontakion usually ends with the exclamation: Alleluia, which is repeated by a choir in full settings or chanted by the reader in simple settings. Within the latter part of the oikos comes an anaphoric entreaty, such as Come or Rejoice.
For example, the Akathist to the Theotokos:[14]
- Queen of the Heavenly Host, Defender of our souls, we thy servants offer to thee songs of victory and thanksgiving, for thou, O Mother of God, hast delivered us from dangers. But as thou hast invincible power, free us from conflicts of all kinds that we may cry to thee:
- Rejoice, unwedded Bride!
- An Archangel was sent from Heaven to say to the Mother of God: Rejoice! And seeing Thee, O Lord, taking bodily form, he was amazed and with his bodiless voice he stood crying to her such things as these:
- Rejoice, thou through whom joy will flash forth!
- Rejoice, thou through whom the curse will cease!
- Rejoice, revival of fallen Adam!
- Rejoice, redemption of the tears of Eve!
- Rejoice, height hard to climb for human thoughts!
- Rejoice, depth hard to contemplate even for the eyes of Angels!
- Rejoice, thou who art the King's throne!
- Rejoice, thou who bearest Him Who bears all!
- Rejoice, star that causest the Sun to appear!
- Rejoice, womb of the divine incarnation!
- Rejoice, thou through whom creation becomes new!
- Rejoice, thou through whom the Creator becomes a babe!
- Rejoice, unwedded bride!
The thirteenth kontakion (which, unlike the preceding twelve, does not have a corresponding oikos) is usually followed by the repetition of the first oikos and kontakion. After the thirteen kontakia and oikoi, additional prayers are added, such as a
Another characteristic feature of the Akathist is the extraordinary length of the refrain or ephymnion which consists of a great number of verses beginning with χαῖρε (“Rejoice”) which are called in Greek Chairetismoi (Χαιρετισμοί, "Rejoicings") or in Arabic Madayeh, respectively; in the Slavic tradition these are known as Khayretizmy (Хайретизмы). The chairetismoi are only repeated in every second oikos, and from a musical point of view the ephymnion consists just of a short musical phrase, either about the last χαῖρε verse or about allelouia.
Various ways of celebration
When the word akathist is used alone, it most commonly refers to the original hymn by this name, the 6th century Akathist to the Theotokos. This hymn is often split into four parts and sung at the "Salutations to the Theotokos" service on the first four Friday evenings in Great Lent; the entire Akathist is then sung on the fifth Friday evening.[15] Traditionally it is included in the Orthros (Matins) of the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent, which for this reason is known as the "Saturday of the Akathist". In monasteries of Athonite tradition, the whole Akathist is usually inserted nightly at Compline.
The four sections into which the Akathist is divided correspond to the themes of the
The hymn itself forms an alphabetical acrostic—that is, each oikos begins with a letter of the Greek alphabet, in order—and it consists of twelve long and twelve short oikoi. Each of the long oikoi include a seven-line stanza followed by six couplets employing rhyme, assonance and alliteration, beginning with the greeting Chaíre and ending with the refrain, "Rejoice, Bride without bridegroom!" (also translated as "Rejoice, thou Bride unwedded!") In the short oikoi, the seven-line stanza is followed by the refrain, Alleluia.
The Salutations to the Theotokos service, often known by its Greek name, the Χαιρετισμοί/Chairetismoí (from the Χαίρε/Chaíre! so often used in the hymn), consists of Compline with the Akathist hymn inserted. It is known in Arabic as the Madayeh.
Salutations of the Theotokos
On the First Four Fridays of Lent
- Usual Beginning
- Psalms 50, 69 and 142
- Small Doxology
- Nicene Creed
- It is truly meet
- Canon to the Mother of God
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Portion of the Akathist:
- First Friday: Ikos 1-Kontakion 4
- Second Friday: Ikos 4-Kontakion 7
- Third Friday: Ikos 7-Kontakion 10
- Fourth Friday: Ikos 10-Kontakion 13 (+ Ikos 1)
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Trisagion Prayers
- Kontakion:
- First Friday: St Theodore the Recruit
- Other Fridays: Martyrs
- Prayers to the Theotokos, Christ and the Holy Trinity
- First Friday only: Gospel: John 15:1–7
- Dismissal
- Mutual forgiveness
- Litany: "Let us pray for the peace of the world"
- Sessional Hymn: "Gabriel stood amazed"
On the Fifth Friday of Lent (Greek parish use)
- Usual Beginning
- Psalms 50, 69 and 142
- Small Doxology
- Nicene Creed
- It is truly meet
- Troparion: "Taking knowledge of the secret command" (thrice)
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Ikos 1-Kontakion 4
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Canon to the Theotokos Odes 1 & 3
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Ikos 4-Kontakion 7
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Canon to the Theotokos Odes 4-6
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Ikos 7-Kontakion 10
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Canon to the Theotokos Odes 7-9
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Ikos 10-Kontakion 13 (+ Ikos 1)
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Trisagion Prayers
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Prayers to the Theotokos, Christ and the Holy Trinity
- Dismissal
- Mutual forgiveness
- Litany: "Let us pray for the peace of the world"
- Sessional Hymn: "Gabriel stood amazed"
Matins of the Akathist (Slavic and Greek monastery use)
- Usual beginning
- Psalms 19 and 20
- Trisagion Prayers
- Troparia: "O Lord, save Thy people" Glory... "Lifted up willingly" Both now... "O protectress of Christians"
- Short Litany
- Blessing: "Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity"
- Six Psalms: Psalms 3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142
- Great Litany
- "God is the Lord" in Tone 8
- Troparion: "Taking knowledge of the secret command" (thrice)
- Psalter Reading: Sixteenth Kathisma
- Little Litany
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Ikos 1-Kontakion 4
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Psalter Reading: Seventeenth Kathisma
- Little Litany
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Ikos 4-Kontakion 7
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Psalm 50
- Canons to the Patron Saint and the Theotokos Odes 1 & 3
- Little Litany
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Ikos 7-Kontakion 10
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Sessional Hymn: "Coming to the city of Nazareth"
- Canons to the Patron Saint and the Theotokos Odes 4 & 5
- Canon to the Theotokos and Four-Ode Canons Ode 6
- Little Litany
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Ikos 10-Kontakion 13 (+ Ikos 1)
- Kontakion: "To Thee the Champion Leader"
- Canon to the Theotokos and Four-Ode Canons Odes 7 & 8
- Magnificat
- Canon to the Theotokos and Four-Ode Canons Ode 9
- Little Litany
- Exapostilarion: "The mystery hidden from all ages"
- Lauds in Tone 4 with 4 stichera:
- "A mystery hidden" (twice); "A pavilion full of light is prepared for Thee"; "Gabriel the Archangel shall come to thee openly"
- Glory... Both now... "The Theotokos heard a voice she knew not"
- Great Doxology
- Troparion: "Taking knowledge of the secret command"
- Litany of Fervent Intercession
- Morning Litany with Bowing of Heads
- Dismissal
The writing of akathists (occasionally spelled acathist) developed within the Slavic traditions as a genre of its own as part of the general composition of an
Indulgence
The
Icons
There are three miraculous icons of the Theotokos on Mount Athos, which are known by the title of "Akathist":[18]
Dionysiou
This icon "Panagia of the Salutations the Myrrhgusher" is in a chapel of the
Hilandar
The icon of the Theotokos "Of the Akathist" is on the iconostasis of Hilandar Monastery. In 1837 a fire occurred at this monastery, and the monks were chanting the Akathist Hymn in front of this icon. Though the fire caused great destruction around it the icon itself remained untouched by the flames.
The
Zographou
A similar icon is venerated in the Monastery of Zographou. The feast day of the Icon of the Theotokos "Akathist-Zographou" is celebrated on October 10 (October 23).
References
- OCLC 47771920.
- ^ Greek Lexicon of the Roman and Byzantine Periods, s. v.
- ^ P.G. 92, 1333 sqq.
- ^ in Cabrol, Dictionnaire d’archéologie chrétienne et de liturgie, s.v. "Acathistus"
- OCLC 248019313.
- ISBN 978-3-7001-7602-2.
- ISBN 978-1-108-84569-4.
- ^ Shoemaker, Stephen J. The First Christian Hymnal: The Songs of the Ancient Jerusalem Church: Parallel Georgian-English Texts. Brigham Young University. pp. xxii–xxxi.
- ISBN 978-1-56548-449-8.
- ISSN 2574-4968.
- ^ Alexander Lingas (1995).
- ^ See the majuscules in ET-MSsc Gr. 925, ff.80r-87r.
- State Tretyakov Gallery, Ms. K-5349, ff.58v-64r (about 1100). The second folio (between 58 and 59) with the continuation of the notated prooimion and the text of the first three oikoi is missing.
- ^ St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney (Dallas area) Texas. "Akathist". Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ "Learn to Chant - The Akathist".
On the first four Fridays of Lent, we chant the Service of the Salutations to the Theotokos at Small Compline. On the fifth Friday of Lent, we chant the Canon of the Akathist in its entirety.
- ISBN 88-209-2785-3.
- ^ The recitation of the entire hymn is not required, while the continuous recitation of a suitable part according to legitimate custom is sufficient. Among the faithful of the Eastern Churches, among whom the practice of these devotions does not exist, the same indulgences apply to the pious practices that the patriarchs indicate in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- ^ Sanidopoulos, John (19 February 2010). "Three Miraculous Athonite Akathist Icons". Orthodox Christinity Then And Now. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
Sources
- "Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery, Ms. Gr. 925". Kontakarion organised as a menaion, triodion (at least in part), and pentekostarion (10th century).
- "Saint-Petersburg, Rossiyskaya natsional'naya biblioteka, Ms. Q.п.I.32". Nižegorodsky Kondakar' of the Blagoveščensky [Annunciation] Monastery, introduced, described and transcribed by Tatiana Shvets (about 1200).
- "Moscow, Russian State Library (Российская государственная библиотека), fond 304 Ms. 23". Troitsky Kondakar’ of the Trinity Lavra of Saint Sergius (about 1200).
- "Moscow, Gosudarstvenniy istoričesky muzey (Государственный исторический музей), Ms. Sin. 777". Sinodal’ny Kondakar’ (13th century).
- "Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery, Ms. Gr. 1280". Psaltikon (Prokeimena, Allelouiaria, Hypakoai, Anti-cherouvikon for the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts) and Kontakarion (menaion with integrated movable cycle) with Middle Byzantine round notation written in a monastic context (about 1300).
- "Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery, Ms. Gr. 1314". Psaltikon-Kontakarion (prokeimena, allelouiaria, kontakarion with integrated hypakoai, hypakoai anastasima, rest of the complete Akathistos hymnus, kontakia anastasima, appendix with refrains of the allelouiaria in oktoechos order) written by monk Neophyte (mid 14th century).
- "Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery, Ms. Gr. 1262". Oikematation written at the scriptorium of the Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos (1437).
Editions
- Papagiannis, Gregorios (2006). Ακάθιστος Ύμνος. Άγνωστες πτυχές ενός πολύ γνωστού κειμένου. Κριτικές και μετρικές παρατηρήσεις, σχολιασμένη βιβλιογραφία. Thessaloniki.
- Uspenskiy, Boris Aleksandrovič, ed. (2006). Типографский Устав: Устав с кондакарем конца XI — начала XII века [Tipografsky Ustav: Ustav with Kondakar' end 11th-beginning 12th c. (vol. 1: facsimile, vol. 2: edition of the texts, vol. 3: monographic essays)]. Памятники славяно-русской письменности. Новая серия. Vol. 1–3. Moscow: Языки славянских культур. ISBN 978-5-9551-0131-6.
- Wellesz, Egon, ed. (1957). The Akathistos Hymn. Monumenta musicae Byzantinae. Transcripta. Vol. 9. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
Studies
- Churkin, Aleksandr (2007). “Русский акафист середины XIX – начала XX века, как жанр массовой литературы. Доклад [The Russian Akathist in the middle of 19th – beginning 20th century as a mass literature genre. Report]”. In Bolsheva, A. O. (ed.). Материалы XXXVI Международной филологической конференции 12 – 17 марта 2007 г. St. Petersburg. pp. 23–33.
- Gove, Antonina F. (1988). The Slavic Akathistos Hymn (PDF) (Peter Lang: reprint ed.). Munich: Otto Sagner. ISBN 9783954792160.
- Lingas, Alexander (1995). "The Liturgical Place of the Kontakion in Constantinople". In Akentiev, Constantin C. (ed.). Liturgy, Architecture and Art of the Byzantine World: Papers of the XVIII International Byzantine Congress (Moscow, 8–15 August 1991) and Other Essays Dedicated to the Memory of Fr. John Meyendorff. Byzantino Rossica. Vol. 1. St. Petersburg. pp. 50–57.
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External links
- Some material for this article taken from Akathist, an OrthodoxWiki article.
- Akathist Hymn
- The Akathist Hymn and background
- Acathistus article from The Catholic Encyclopedia
- Saturday of the Akathist Orthodox icon and synaxarion
- Icon of the Theotokos of the Akathist-Hilandar
- Icon of the Theotokos of the Akathist-Zographou
- Article with akathists to different saints