Pentecostarion

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Photina), meeting Jesus by the well. Note that the well is cross-shaped; most of the Sundays of the Pentecostarion deal with the subject of water, a reference to Baptism
.

The Pentecostarion (

Church Slavonic: Цвѣтнаѧ Трїωдь, Tsvyetnaya Triod, literally "Flowery Triodon"; Romanian: Penticostar) is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches during the Paschal Season which extends from Pascha (Easter) to the Sunday following All Saints Sunday (i.e., the Second Sunday After Pentecost
).

The name means the Book of the "Fifty Days", referring to the period of time from Pascha to

liturgical season
covered by the book.

The Pentecostarion is part of the

ecclesiastical year
. This cycle is dependent upon the date of Pascha and continued throughout the coming year until the next Pascha.

Pascha (Easter) is the most important feast of the entire year, outranking by far all others. Each week of the Pentecostarion is named after the

Sacred Mysteries
of the Christian religion for the "Newly Illumined" (i.e., the newly baptized).

The two Sacred Mysteries of

Gifts of the Holy Spirit is naturally reflected in Pentecost. Because of this, the imagery of water figures prominently in the hymns of the Pentecostarion.[1]

The services of the Pentecostarion begin during the

Paschal Vigil starting at the stroke of midnight on Easter Sunday. The service for Pascha is radically different from the services of any other time of the year. Throughout the course of the Pentecostarion, they gradually return to normal (see Canonical hours and Divine Liturgy
).

Afterfeast of Pascha

The Afterfeast of Pascha lasts for 40 days, beginning on the Sunday of Pascha and concluding with the Apodosis ("leave-taking") of Pascha on the day before the Ascension of the Lord.

Bright Week

Main article: Bright Week

The seven days beginning on the Sunday of Pascha are referred to as "Bright Week" or "Renewal Week". On these days the services are completely different that the rest of the year. Everything is

Daily Offices
, is completely omitted.

In the

Holy Table (altar), representing the burial cloths (John 20:6) which, according to Christian tradition, bore witness to the Resurrection of Jesus
.

The

physical presence of Jesus
after his Resurrection, and is venerated by the faithful when they enter or leave the temple as a way of greeting the Resurrected Christ.

At the end of either

crucession (procession headed by the cross), during which the Paschal Canon is chanted, and the priest blesses with holy water
.

Unique to Vespers and Matins during Bright Week is the use of the singing of the verse of Psalm 67 responsorially with the Paschal Troparion in place of the usual Psalm 104 at Vespers and the Hexapsalms at Matins.

Only on

feast day of a local patron saint, or for important feast days such as Saint George
, which may be combined with the paschal celebration.

If it becomes necessary to celebrate a funeral during Bright Week, even this service is radically different, and follows for the most part the format for Paschal Matins, with only a few funeral hymns being chanted.[2]

Thomas Sunday

Main article:
Thomas Sunday

The Sunday which follows Pascha (the Second Sunday of Pascha) is called "Thomas Sunday", because it recounts the

Apostle Thomas eight days after his resurrection.[b]

Thomas Sunday is also called "Antipascha" (literally, "in the place of Pascha") because those who for honorable reason were not able to attend the Paschal Vigil, may attend services on this day instead. In middle Greek, "anti" Pascha also means "enter" Pascha. Pascha is a unique feast in the church year; being the "Feast of Feasts" it follows a format unlike any other day. Those liturgical elements normal to a Great Feast of the Lord which were displaced by Pascha's unique elements are instead chanted on Thomas Sunday.

Radonitza

Main article:
Radonitza

Radonitza

resurrection of the dead
.

Sunday of the Myrrhbearers

Main article: Myrrhbearers

The Third Sunday of Pascha is dedicated to the 'Myrrhbearing Women' (the

Tomb of Jesus) and also to Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who cared for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion
.

The placement of this feast is based upon the idea of the

feasts
are celebrated on the day after. However, since Bright Week is devoted exclusively to the celebration of the Resurrection, and Thomas Sunday falls logically on the eighth day of the Resurrection (according to its biblical source), this day becomes the first Sunday on which these persons can be commemorated.

Sunday of the Paralytic

The Sunday of the Paralytic

Sheep's Pool in Jerusalem
for thirty-eight years. The first one to enter the pool after an angel troubled the water would be healed of his infirmities; but because the man was paralyzed, someone else always entered the pool before him. According to the Gospel account, Jesus had pity on the man, seeing he had no one to put him into the pool, and healed him.

The

Son of Man, the Messiah
) to come and raise it up.

The feast of the Paralytic is unusual in the Pentecostarion in that it does not last a full week, but ends on the day before Mid-Pentecost.

Mid-Pentecost

Main article: Mid-Pentecost

The Wednesday following the Sunday of the Paralytic is the Feast of Mid-Pentecost This is a "feast within a feast", and

propers of the Resurrection are combined with propers for Mid-Pentecost. The hymns of the feast speak of it drawing together the themes of Pascha and Ascension. The Apodosis
(leave-taking) of Mid-Pentecost comes one week later, on the following Wednesday.

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

The Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

Photina in Greek or Svetlana in Russian), as recounted in the Gospel reading for the day, John 4:5-42.[d]
Like the Paralytic, the Samaritan Woman is commemorated only on Sunday and half the week (in this case, the second half), the first half of the week being dedicated to the afterfeast of Mid-Pentecost.

Sunday of the Blind Man

The Sixth Sunday of Pascha is the Sunday of the Blind Man,[7] commemorating Jesus' healing of the man born blind in John 9:1-48,[e] recounted in the Gospel lesson for this day's Divine Liturgy.

The Pentecostarion's theme of water is continued by the fact that Jesus sent the man to wash the clay from his eyes in the Pool of Siloam (the name 'Siloam' is interpreted as "sent", implying that the blind man's cure was bestowed for his obedience to Jesus).

The miracle of the blind man (traditionally named

creation of man in Genesis 2:7.[f] This indicates the traditional Christian teaching that in the act of salvation Jesus makes his disciples a "new creation".[g]

The second remarkable aspect of the miracle is that not only did Jesus give the man physical sight, but he bestowed upon him

spiritual sight as well. In the blind man's dialogue with the Pharisees
, he holds his own in the dispute, engaging in reasoned theological discourse as though he were educated.

These three Sundays of the Paralytic, of the Samaritian Woman and of the Blind Man are characterized by their reference to the Sacrament of Baptism, each illustrating a different dimension or aspect of the Sacrament.

Apodosis of Pascha

The Week of the Blindman is the last week in the Afterfeast of Pascha, and the Apodosis of Pascha

Typicon of the Great Church") the Apodosis of the Blind Man is chanted on Tuesday, while all of the services of Wednesday (Vespers on Tuesday evening; Matins, Little Hours and Divine Liturgy
on Wednesday morning) are chanted in the special Paschal form that was used during Bright Week.

Ascension

Main article: Ascension of Jesus

The

Holy Table since the Paschal Vigil, is removed before the beginning of this service as an indication that the Ascension marked the end of Jesus' physical presence with his disciples after the Resurrection. The Afterfeast
of Ascension lasts for eight days until the Apodosis on the following Friday.

Sunday of the Holy Fathers

The Seventh Sunday of Pascha,

First Ecumenical Council (325 AD). In addition to defending Christianity against Arianism, the Council also passed a number of canons concerning church discipline, and also decreed that the date for celebrating Pascha both be reckoned independently from the Jewish Passover and be uniform throughout the world.[11]

The hymns and readings in the Pentecostarion are very rich in drawing out relevant symbolism from biblical texts. The Epistle for the Divine Liturgy is from Acts 20:16-18[h] and Acts 20:28-36.[i] The Gospel is from John 17:1-13.[j]

Saturday of the Dead

The Seventh Saturday of Pascha, the day before Pentecost, is a

resurrection of eternal life."[12] Two Epistles (Acts 28:1-31,[k] 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17[l]) and two Gospels (John 21:14-25,[m] John 5:24-30[n]) are appointed to be read at the Divine Liturgy. On this day, the readings from Acts and the Gospel of St. John, which began on Pascha, are concluded. Traditionally, St. John Chrysostom's homily "On Patience and Gratitude" is appointed to be read in church (the same homily is also appointed for funerals
).

Since the Apodosis of the Ascension fell on the previous day, there are no hymns appointed for this day which speak of either the Ascension or of Pentecost. Instead, the hymns are devoted to

Ektenia
(litany) for the Departed is chanted at the Liturgy.

Pentecost

Main article: Pentecost

Pentecost

Great Feast lasts for seven days, with its Apodosis
falling on the following Saturday.

It is celebrated with an

Basil the Great, during which everyone makes a full prostration
, touching their foreheads to the floor (prostrations in church having been forbidden from the day of Pascha up to this point).

The churches are decorated with greenery, and among the

Monday of the Holy Spirit", and Tuesday of Pentecost week is called the "Third Day of the Trinity."[14] The whole week following Pentecost is an important ecclesiastical feast, and is a fast-free week
, during which meat and dairy products may be eaten, even on Wednesday and Friday.

Theologically, the Orthodox do not consider Pentecost to be the "birthday" of the Church; they see the Church as having existed before the creation of the world (cf.

Twelve Apostles seated in a semicircle (sometimes the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) is shown sitting in the center of them). At the top of the icon, the Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, is descending upon them. At the bottom is an allegorical figure, called Kosmos
, which symbolizes the world. Although Kosmos is crowned with glory he sits in the darkness caused by the ignorance of God. He is holding a towel on which have been placed 12 scrolls, representing the teaching of the Twelve Apostles.

Day of the Holy Spirit

The Monday of the Holy Spirit, also called Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday, falls on the day after Pentecost Sunday. This day commemorates the Holy Spirit's role in the feast of Pentecost. Churches named after the Holy Spirit and, in Western Christianity, those named after the Holy Trinity, commemorate their feast on this day (In Eastern Christianity, churches named after the Holy Trinity, commemorate their feast on Pentecost Sunday).

All Saints Sunday

Main article: All Saints' Day

The First Sunday After Pentecost is dedicated to the commemoration of All Saints.

The next day (Monday) is the beginning of the

Revised Julian Calendar
("New Calendar") which uses the modern Gregorian Calendar to calculate their fixed feasts. Since there is currently a difference of thirteen days between the two calendars, the Apostles' Fast will be almost two weeks shorter for New Calendar churches, or in some years non-existent.

All Saints of Local Church

All-Saints of Local Commemoration. This will differ from one national church to another. For instance, in Romania, the commemoration will be "All Saints of Romania", on Mount Athos the commemoration will be "All Saints of the Holy Mountain", etc. In the Orthodox Church of America, the commemoration is "All Saints of America".

Different traditions

In the edition of the Pentecostarion used by the Old Believers and those who follow the Ruthenian recension, the contents of the Pentecostarion begin with the service of Palm Sunday and contain the services of Holy Week.

See also

  • Paschal cycle
  • Triodion — the Lenten Triodion, for services of the moveable cycle prior to the Pentecostarion

Notes

  1. ^ Romans 6:, 1 Corinthians 15:4, Colossians 2:12
  2. ^ John 20:19–29
  3. ^ John 5:1–15
  4. ^ John 4:5–42
  5. ^ John 9:1–38
  6. ^ Genesis 2:7
  7. ^ 2 Corinthians 5:17
  8. ^ Acts 20:16–18
  9. ^ Acts 20:28–36
  10. ^ John 17:1–13
  11. ^ Acts 28:1–31
  12. ^ 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17
  13. ^ John 21:14–25
  14. ^ John 5:24–30

References

  1. ISBN 0-943405-02-5
    .
  2. Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
    . pp. 435–6, 610.
  3. ^ "Radonitza". Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
  4. ISBN 1-928920-32-2
  5. ^ "Sunday of the Paralytic". Archived from the original on May 14, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
  6. ^ "Sunday of the Samaritan Woman". Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2008.
  7. ^ "Sunday of the Blind Man". Archived from the original on May 29, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  8. ^ "Apodosis of Pascha". Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  9. ^ "Ascension". Archived from the original on June 13, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  10. ^ "Seventh Sunday of Pascha". Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  11. ISBN 0-8028-8129-7 (http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-14/Npnf2-14-27.htm
    )
  12. ^ Pentecostarion, op. cit., p. 383.
  13. ^ "Pentecost". Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  14. ^ "Trinity Week - 3rd Day of the Trinity". Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  15. Patrologia Graecae
    , 35:1108–9.

External links

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