The Liturgical Diataxis of St. Philotheos Kokkinos: The Liturgy of Preparation

[WR: St. Philotheos Kokkinos (c. 1300 – 1379) was an Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in the 14th century. A disciple of St. Gregory Palamas, he was instrumental in the canonization of St. Gregory in 1368. His Diataxis is a set of liturgical directives, chiefly for the deacon, written when he was the abbot of the Great Lavra on Mount Athos. It enjoyed special prominence after the saint ascended the throne of the patriarchate, and in its basic structure was interpolated into the liturgical service books. This English translation was translated with machine assistance from Hai treis leitourgiai kata tous en Athinais Kodikas, ed. Panagiotes Trempelas. The original Greek outlines the service and does not include the full text of prayers; please consult your preferred service book. My notes are in brackets.]

Codex 6277-770 of the Holy Monastery of St. Panteleimon (14th century)

Order of the Divine Liturgy,

In which the diaconal parts were composed by my Most Holy Master of Heraclea, Lord Philotheus [Kokkinos], when we was called Abbot in the Holy and Pious and Pure Monastery of Lavra of Athanasius the Great on [Mount] Athos, where he also composed this:

The priest, when about to perform the divine mystagogy, must first be reconciled with everyone and not hold anything against anyone. He should, to the best of his ability, keep his heart free from evil thoughts, practice self-control from the evening, and stay vigilant until the time of the sacred service. When the time comes, after making the customary reverence to the Superior, he enters the temple. Joining with the deacon, they together make three obeisances towards the east and one each to the two choirs. [WR: I have translated the various forms of προσκυνέω as make obeisance since it can mean a full prostration or a bow from the waist, depending on the context.] And thus they depart. When they make their obeisances, they say this prayer to themselves:

Prayer said by both:

Lord, send forth your hand from the height of your dwelling place. And strengthen me for your service that lies before me, so that I may stand uncondemned before your dread tribunal and perform the bloodless sacrifice. For yours is the power unto the ages of ages. Amen.

[WR: The word translated as tribunal is bēma, which is a Greek word that both means a judgment seat and can refer to the raised platform where the sanctuary and solea are located in an Orthodox Church.

[WR: In contemporary practice, additional prayers are said, beginning with the Trisagion and continuing with the veneration of the icons of Christ and the Theotokos. The above prayer is only said by the priest.]

Having come to the sanctuary, each takes in their hands their sticharion and makes three obeisances towards the east, each saying to himself: God, be merciful to me [a sinner].

Then the deacon approaches the priest, holding in his right hand the sticharion with the orarion. And bowing his head to him, he says: Bless, Master, the sticharion with the orarion.

And the priest [says]: Blessed is our God always, now...

Then the deacon withdraws by himself to one part of the sanctuary. And he puts on the sticharion, praying thus: My soul shall rejoice in the Lord; for he has clothed me with the garment of salvation. And with the robe of gladness he has covered me; as a bridegroom he has set a crown on me, and as a bride he has adorned me with ornaments.

And putting on the cuffs on his hands, on the right he says: Your right hand, O Lord, has been glorified in strength; your right hand, O Lord, has shattered enemies, and in the multitude of your glory you have crushed the adversaries.

And on the left he says: Your hands have made me [and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.]

[WR: The text appears to omit the priest’s vesting prayers and the ritual ablutions.]

Then, going to the prothesis, he prepares the holy things, placing the holy diskos on the left side, the chalice on the right side, and the other things with them. Then, when the priest comes, they make together three obeisances before the prothesis, each saying: God, be merciful to me [a sinner] or You have redeemed us [from the curse of the law by your precious blood. Having been nailed to the Cross, and pierced by the lance, you have poured forth streams of immortality to humanity. O our Saviour, glory to you.]

[WR: Interestingly enough, a choice is offered here in the prayers; in contemporary practice, both prayers are said.]

And the priest makes the blessing. Then the priest takes in his left hand the prosphora, and in his right hand the holy lance, and making the sign of the cross with it three times over the seal of the prosphora, he says three times: In remembrance of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.

And immediately, he thrusts the lance into the right side of the seal. And as he cuts, he says: As a sheep he was led to the slaughter.

And on the left side: And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.

On the upper part of the seal: In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away.

And on the lower part: Who shall declare his generation?

And the deacon censes [at] each incision, saying: Let us pray to the Lord, also holding the orarion in his right hand.

[WR: In contemporary practice, no censing is made at the incision.]

After this, the deacon says: Lift up, Master.

And the priest, inserting the lance from the side of the right part of the offering, lifts up the holy bread, saying thus: For his life is taken up from the earth.

And placing it upside down on the holy diskos, when the deacon says: Sacrifice, Master, the priest sacrifices it in the form of a cross, saying: Sacrificed is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, for the life and salvation of the world. And he turns it right side up, the side having the cross [seal], lest it be hot and steaming [from being freshly baked]. Then let it lie face up so as not to create moisture underneath.

[WR: Directives regarding preventing moisture from the freshly-baked prosphora are not present in contemporary service books.]

Piercing it on the right side with the lance, [the priest] says: One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. And the deacon pours into the holy chalice from the wine and water likewise, saying to the priest: Bless, Master[, the holy union], and receiving a blessing from him.

And the priest, taking in his hands the second prosphora, says: In honor and memory of our most blessed Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, through whose intercessions accept, O Lord, this sacrifice upon your heavenly altar. And taking a portion with the holy lance, he places it to the left of the holy bread.

For the third prosphora he says: By the power of the precious and life-giving cross; of the honorable heavenly bodiless powers; of the honorable, glorious prophet, forerunner, and Baptist John; of the holy, glorious, and all-laudable apostles; of our fathers among the saints and hierarchs, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Athanasius, Cyril, Nicholas of Myra, and of all the holy hierarchs; of the holy apostle, protomartyr, and archdeacon Stephen; of the holy great-martyrs George, Demetrius, Theodore, and all the holy martyrs; of our venerable and God-bearing fathers Anthony, Euthymius, Sabbas, Onuphrius, Athanasius of Athos, and all the venerable ones; of the holy and wonder-working Unmercenaries; of the holy and righteous ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; of Saint [Name] whose memory we celebrate today, and of all the saints; through whose supplications visit us, O God. And thus, taking the portion, he places it in the same part, that is, on the left side, and below, he places the rest in order.

Then taking another prosphora, he says: For every Orthodox episcopate; for our Archbishop [Name], for the honorable presbytery, for the diaconate in Christ, and for every priestly order. For our most pious and God-protected rulers. For the servant of God (Name), that is, the Abbot. For the brothers who serve with us, priests and deacons, and all our brothers who have been called to your service through your compassion, O all-good Master. Then the priest says each name of the living, and for each [of the departed], he takes a portion from the other prosphora, saying thus: For the memory and forgiveness of the

sins of the blessed founders of this holy monastery. Then he commemorates the bishop who ordained him and others whom he wishes among the departed by name. And finally he adds: Remember, O Lord, all those who in hope of resurrection to eternal life have fallen asleep in your communion, our Orthodox fathers and brothers, O Lord who loves humankind. And he takes a portion.

[WR: In contemporary practice, the priest commemorates the hierarch who composed the liturgy [e.g. St. John Chrysostom] as well as himself.]

And the deacon, taking also a prosphora and the holy lance, says thus: Remember, O Lord, my unworthiness according to the multitude of your compassions and forgive me every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary. Then he also commemorates whom he wishes among the living and in another prosphora the departed likewise. And he places the portions in the lower part of the holy bread, just as the priest does, and taking the sponge he gathers the portions on the holy diskos under the holy bread, so that they may lie securely and nothing may fall off.

[WR: The deacon does not participate in the commemorations in contemporary practice. It could be expedient to bring back this practice so that a) the deacon has a more active role in the Liturgy of the Preparation and b) the priest can attend to other matters, such as hearing confessions.]

Then, taking the censer and putting incense in it, he says to the priest: Bless, Master, the incense. Let us pray to the Lord.

And the priest [says] the prayer of the incense: We offer incense to you, Christ our God, as a fragrance of spiritual sweetness, which you have received into your heavenly altar; send down upon us in return the grace of your All-Holy Spirit.

The deacon [says]: Let us pray to the Lord. And the priest censes the asterisk and places it over the holy bread saying: And the star came and stood over where the child was.

The deacon [says]: Let us pray to the Lord. The priest, censing the first veil, covers the holy diskos saying: The Lord is king…

And the deacon [says]: Let us pray to the Lord. Cover, Master. And the priest, censing the se-

cond veil, covers the holy chalice saying: Your virtue has covered the heavens, O

Christ…

The deacon [says]: Let us pray to the Lord. Cover, Master. The priest, censing the third veil, that is, the aer, covers both the holy [gifts] saying: Shelter us in the shelter of your wings…

Then both (the priest and deacon) join their hands and, making an obeisance reverently, say thus: Blessed is God, who has thus willed… Always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

The deacon says: For the offering of the precious gifts, let us pray to the Lord. And the priest [says] the prayer of the prothesis: O God, our God… After this, the priest himself censes the prothesis and makes a dismissal there. Then the deacon takes the censer, comes and censes the holy altar in a cross-wise manner, saying to himself the troparion: In the tomb bodily…

And after this, [he censes] the whole sanctuary and the whole church. He enters again into the holy sanctuary and again censes the holy altar and the priest. He then puts the censer in its proper place. They themselves come and stand together before the holy altar, making an obeisance three times, praying to themselves and saying: O Heavenly King… or Glory to God in the highest… twice, and Lord, open my lips… once. Then the priest kisses the Gospel and the deacon the holy altar.

[WR: Again, two options are offered here, but both prayers are said in contemporary practice.]

And after this, the deacon, bowing his head to the priest and holding his orarion with three fingers of his right hand, says: It is time for the Lord to act. Master, bless.

And the priest blesses him, saying: Blessed is our God, always…

Then the deacon: Pray for me, Master.

And the priest: May the Lord God direct your steps.

And again the deacon: Remember me, Holy Master.

And the priest: May the Lord God remember you in His kingdom…

The deacon, having said Amen and having made an obeisance, goes out and stands in the customary place opposite the holy doors. He makes three obeisances with devotion, saying to himself: Lord, open my lips… and after this he begins: Bless, Master.