Sunday Prokimena and Alleluia (Tone 5/Plagal of Tone 1)

Matins Prokimenon

Ἀνάστηθι Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ὅτι σὺ βασιλεύεις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.
Στίχ. Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι, Κύριε, ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου.

Воскреснѝ гдⷭ҇и бж҃е мо́й, да вознесе́тсѧ рꙋка̀ твоѧ̀, ꙗ҆́кѡ ты̀ ца́рствꙋеши во вѣ́ки.
Сті́хъ. И҆сповѣ́мсѧ тебѣ̀ гдⷭ҇и, всѣ́мъ срⷣцемъ мои́мъ, повѣ́мъ всѧ̑ чꙋдеса̀ твоѧ̑.

Be raised up, O Lord my God, for thou reignest unto the ages.
[Church Slavonic: Arise, O Lord my God, let thy hand be lifted up, for thou reignest unto the ages.]
Verse. I will confess thee, O Lord, with all my heart.
[CS: Verse. I will confess to thee, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all thy wonders.]

Liturgy Prokimenon

Σύ, Κύριε, φυλάξαις ἡμᾶς καὶ διατηρήσαις ἡμᾶς.
Στίχ. Σῶσόν με, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐκλέλοιπεν ὅσιος.

Ты̀ гдⷭ҇и, сохрани́ши ны̀, и҆ соблюде́ши ны̀ ѿ ро́да сегѡ̀, и҆ во вѣ́къ.
Сті́хъ. Спаси́ мѧ гдⷭ҇и, ꙗ҆́кѡ ѡ҆скꙋдѣ̀ преподо́бный.

Thou, O Lord, protect us and keep us.
[CS: Thou, O Lord, shall preserve us and keep us from this generation and forevermore.]
Verse. Save me, O Lord, for the holy one hath failed.

Alleluia

Τὰ ἐλέη σου, Κύριε, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ᾄσομαι.
Στίχ. Ὅτι εἶπας· Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἔλεος οἰκοδομηθήσεται.

Ми́лѡсти твоѧ̑ гдⷭ҇и, во вѣ́къ воспою̀, въ ро́дъ и҆ ро́дъ возвѣщꙋ̀ и҆́стинꙋ твою̀ ᲂу҆сты̀ мои́ми.
Сті́хъ. Занѐ ре́клъ є҆сѝ: въ вѣ́къ ми́лость сози́ждетсѧ, на нб҃сѣ́хъ ᲂу҆гото́витсѧ и҆́стина твоѧ̀.

Thy mercies, O Lord, I will sing for ever.
[CS: Thy mercies, O Lord, I will sing for ever; I will proclaim thy truth with my mouth unto generation and generation.]
Verse. For thou saidst: Mercy shall be built up for ever.
[CS: Verse. For thou saidst: Mercy shall be built up for ever, thy truth shall be established in the heavens.

Order of Service for the Sacred Diaconate (Matins 2)

And the priest, having let down the phelonion, and bearing the holy gospel before his chest, goes forth and stands in the middle of the temple, the reader or server stands to his right holding the candle stand with the candle lit, and the customary veneration of the holy gospel is done by the brethren. However, the veneration of the gospel does not take place if the feast is not on a Sunday. When the veneration is completed, the usual troparia are chanted. And the deacon comes out and stands in the usual place and says in a loud voice:

Deacon: Save, O Lord, thy people, and bless thine inheritance. Visit thy cosmos in mercy and compassions, lift up the horn of Orthodox Christians, and send down upon us thy rich mercies. By the intercessions of our all-immaculate Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. By the power of the precious and life-giving Cross. By the protections of the honourable heavenly Bodiless Powers... and Lord, have mercy is chanted twelve times, and the priest makes the exclamation thusly:

Priest: By the mercy, compassion, and love for mankind... While the canons are being chanted, the priest exits and stands in the right choir in the customary place. The deacon, having first received a blessing for the incense, censes first the entire sanctuary. Then he exits through the north door and censes crosswise in front of the holy doors. He censes first all the icons standing on the right side, and goes to the icon of the monastery. Having censed it crosswise, he turns to the west. Standing in the middle of the church, he censes crosswise and goes to cense first the icon standing at the abbot's stall, then the abbot, and in order the brothers of the right choir.

After censing both choirs, he stands in the middle of the choir and facing south, censes crosswise. While censing, he is saluted by those he censes and returns a slight bow. After censing crosswise, he goes to the right choir. Having censed the holy icons there, he also censes the brothers, beginning from above from the icons and going towards the beautiful gates, being venerated similarly and returning a slight bow. Having completed that choir also, he again stands in the middle, facing north, and censing crosswise, he exits to the narthex. Having censed everyone there also, he enters through the beautiful gates and censing crosswise toward the east, he censes the abbot. Again in the middle he censes crosswise, and having censed the holy icons, he enters and puts away the thurible. Exiting, he venerates the abbot slightly from afar and stands in the customary place.

After the end of the third ode, the deacon says: Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord. Help us, save us, have mercy on us. Of our all-holy, pure, most blessed... and the priest exclaims: For thou art our God, and to thee we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. And after the sixth, the priest makes a short litany standing uncovered before the holy doors and exclaims: For thou art the King of peace and to thee we send up glory.

At the eighth ode, the priest along with the deacon makes a prostration to the superior, and they enter within the sanctuary, and he vests as usual. When the eighth ode is completed, the deacon chants in a loud voice: Let us magnify in hymns the Theotokos and Mother of Light, and the More Honorable is chanted in verses. If not, he chants the beginning of the irmos of the ninth ode of the feast. And thus exiting he stands in the usual place. The deacon censes everyone as usual, and returning stands in the appointed place. After the ninth ode, the deacon makes a small litany and the priest exclaims: For all the powers of heaven praise thee, and to thee we send up glory.

When the doxology begins, the priest enters within the holy sanctuary, and when it is completed, the deacon says: Let us complete our morning supplication to the Lord, and the rest. And immediately the priest says: Peace be to all. The deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord. And the priest says the prayer mystically: O Lord who dwells on high. And he exclaims: For thine it is to show mercy and to save us, O Christ our God.

Deacon: Wisdom.

Priest: Blessed is He Who Is, Christ our God, always...

And is chanted: May God strengthen the kings. Priest: Most Holy Theotokos, save us. And it is chanted: More honorable. Then again he says: Glory to thee, O Christ our God, our hope, glory to thee. And the dismissal is made. If it is Sunday: He who rose from the dead, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure Mother, of the holy, glorious, and all-laudable Apostles, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, for he is good and the friend mankind.

If it is a feast of the Lord or the memory of a great saint, the holy oil is also given, thus: All gather and the deacon censes all around, beginning first from the superior, having first censed the icon of the saint. The priest stands beside the icon, holding the oil vessel, and anoints those approaching on the forehead, and blesses. When all have been anointed, he exclaims: Hearken unto us, O God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of those who are far off upon the sea, and be merciful, be merciful to us in our sins, and have mercy on us. And he exclaims: For thou art a merciful and loving God, and to thee we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Peace be to all. Deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord. And as the deacon holds the orarion as is customary, the priest, having lowered the phelonion, says this prayer from the Litia:

Priest: O Master, Lord Jesus Christ our God, through the intercessions of our all-blessed, glorious Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary... On the feast of the Annunciation, Palm Sunday, and the bright Sunday of Pascha, they take place outside the monastery, and in these it is done similarly to the previously described litia. There are also blessings of the waters on Theophany, both in the evening and morning, and on the first of August, where the deacon, carrying the cross, exits with the priest following. And the deacon censes. He says only in the prayers: Let us pray to the Lord. The priest does everything as is customary, and as is written in the typika.

The Great Litany

Here is my translation of the Great Litany, also known as the Great Synapte or the Litany of Peace, for my translation of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. One thing to note is that instead of placing the priest's ecphonesis on a separate line, I have simply put it into bold text so as not to separate it from the rest of the prayer.

Deacon: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
℟ Lord, have mercy, after each petition.

For the peace from above and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

For the peace of all the cosmos, the well-being of the holy churches of God, and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.

For this holy house, and for them that with faith, reverence, and the fear of God enter herein, Let us pray to the Lord.

For our Archbishop N., the honourable presbytery, the diaconate in Christ, and all the clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord.

For our President, all that are in authority, and the armed forces, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, let us pray to the Lord.

For this city, every city and countryside, and the faithful that dwell therein, let us pray to the Lord.

For fair weather, abundance of the fruits of the earth, and peaceable times, let us pray to the Lord.

For them that journey by sea, land, and air, the sick, the weary, the captives, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

For to deliver us from all affliction, wrath, peril, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.

Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by thy grace.

Calling to mind our most holy, immaculate, most blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves, one another, and all our life to Christ our God.
℟ To thee, O Lord.

Priest: O Lord our God, whose might is incomparable and glory incomprehensible, whose mercy is immeasurable and love toward man ineffable: O Master, after thine inward affection look thyself upon us and upon this holy house, and make us and those who pray with us rich with thy lovingkindness and tender mercies, for to thee becometh all glory, honour, and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.
℟ Amen.

Sunday Prokimena and Alleluia (Tone 4)

Matins Prokimenon (Ps. 43:26, 1)

Ἀνάστα Κύριε, βοήθησον ἡμῖν, καὶ λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς, ἕνεκεν τῆς δόξης τοῦ ὀνόματός σου.
Στίχ. ὁ Θεός, ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ἡμῶν ἠκούσαμεν, καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀνήγγειλαν ἡμῖν ἔργον, ὃ εἰργάσω ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν, ἐν ἡμέραις ἀρχαίαις.

Воскреснѝ гдⷭ҇и, помозѝ на́мъ, и҆ и҆зба́ви на́съ, и҆́мене твоегѡ̀ ра́ди.
Сті́хъ: Бж҃е, ᲂу҆ши́ма на́шима ᲂу҆слы́шахомъ, и҆ ѻ҆тцы̀ на́ши возвѣсти́ша на́мъ.

Arise, O Lord, help us and redeem us: For the sake of the glory of thy name.
[Church Slavonic: Arise, O Lord, help us: And deliver us for thy name’s sake.]
Verse: O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us the work that thou hast worked in their days, in the days of old time.
[Church Slavonic: O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us.]

Liturgy Prokimenon (Ps. 103:24, 1)

Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε· πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας.
Στίχ. Εὐλόγει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν Κύριον.

Ꙗ҆́кѡ возвели́чишасѧ дѣла̀ твоѧ̑ гдⷭ҇и, всѧ̑ премꙋ́дростїю сотвори́лъ є҆сѝ.
Сті́хъ: Бл҃гословѝ дꙋшѐ моѧ̀ гдⷭ҇а, гдⷭ҇и, бж҃е мо́й, возвели́чилсѧ є҆сѝ ѕѣлѡ̀.

How magnified are thy works, O Lord: In wisdom hast thou made all things.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
[Church Slavonic: Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, thou art greatly magnified.]

Alleluia (Psalm 44:4,7)

Έντεινε καὶ κατευοδοῦ καὶ βασίλευε ένεκεν αληθείας καὶ πραότητος καὶ δικαιοσύνης.
Στίχ. Ηγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ εμίσησας ανομίαν.

Налѧцы̀, и҆ у҆спѣва́й, и҆ ца́рствꙋй, и҆́стины ра́ди и҆ кро́тости и҆ пра́вды.
Сті́хъ: Возлюби́лъ є҆сѝ пра́вдꙋ, и҆ возненави́дѣлъ є҆сѝ беззако́нїе.

Draw [thy bow] and prosper and reign for the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness.
Verse: Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity.

Order of Service for the Sacred Diaconate (Matins 1)

At Matins, if Vigil is after the end of the reading, the superior or the appointed monk recites the Six Psalms.

[Sunday Midnight Office]

But if there is no Vigil and it is Sunday, the Canon to the Trinity is chanted, and at the end, [the Hymns to the Trinity, which incipit is] It is truly meet. Note that in the Midnight Office, the great litany takes place outside the holy doors, and the priest standing before the holy doors performs the great litany for the protection of this city, and Lord, have mercy is chanted forty times; the dismissal takes place, and a reading is appointed.

[Matins]

[Royal Office]

And the priest, having entered the sanctuary and put on the epitrachelion, and opening only the sanctuary door, exclaims: Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. And the Trisagion prayers are chanted, and the customary psalms [19 and 20], and again the Trisagion prayers. And the priest censes while we chant these, both the sanctuary and the whole temple, coming out from the northern side [of the iconostasis], the brethren, and the narthex, and after each of the two Trisagions he exclaims: For thine is the kingdom and the power. The ones chanting and the one censing ought to have precision, so that when he may say the exclamations, they are found before the icon of Christ.

And after the censing of the whole temple and completion of the customarily chanted troparia, within the sanctuary the priest exclaims: Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving, and undivided Trinity.

[Six Psalms]

And at once the superior or the appointed monk says the Six Psalms. And when O Lord God of my salvation, is said, the priest comes and stands before the holy doors bare-headed, and says secretly the Matins prayers. And after the Six Psalms are read, then is chanted: The Lord is God and the rest of the customary order. At the completion of each kathisma, the priest does the Little Litany and exclaims for the first kathisma, For thine is the might, and thine is the kingdom and the power. And for the second: For a good God art thou, and the friend of mankind. And after that, for the Polyeleos, or the Blameless: For blessed and glorified is thine all-honorable and magnificent name.

[Gospel Sequence]

And while the Hymns of Ascent are being chanted, the priest together with the deacon enters within the sanctuary and, having blessed the sticharion, the deacon vests himself with it, as usual, and likewise the priest also vests himself with the epitrachelion and the phelonion. And after the completion of the antiphons, the Prokimenon of the feast or of Sunday is chanted. And after that, the deacon says, Let us pray to the Lord.

And the priest exclaims: For holy art thou, O our God, who restest upon the holy ones, and unto thee do we send up glory.

And Let every breath is chanted, and then the deacon: Wisdom! Be upright! Let us hear the Holy Gospel.

Priest: Peace be unto all, and immediately adds: The lesson from the Holy Gospel according to N.

People: Glory to thee, O Lord, glory to thee.

Deacon: Let us give heed.

And the priest reads the Gospel, which, after its completion, the brethren chant Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, if it is Sunday, as well as the Fiftieth Psalm with melody.

Credo, Redux

Since I am using more traditional language to translate liturgical texts, I decided to use the traditional translation of the Nicene Creed from the Book of Common Prayer as a base for a new translation. I changed the wording when it ws not in conformity with the Greek text, and arranged the text so that it is grammatically three sentences, as in the original Greek text:

The Symbol of Faith

I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages,¹ Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, consubstantial² with the Father, by whom all things came to be:³ Who for us men, and for our salvation came down from the heavens and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,⁴ and became man;⁵ And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures; And ascended into the heavens, sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end; And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father,⁶ who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets; And in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins. I watch for the Resurrection of the Dead, and the life of the World to Come.⁷ Amen.

Notes

1. Changed from before all worlds in the original text to make it a clearer translation of the Greek pāntōn tōn aiōnōn. I also removed God from God as it is not in the original Greek.
2. Changed from being of one substance in order to use the more technical term consubstantial.
3. Changed from were made to came to be in conformity with the original Greek word egeneto.
4. Changed from by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary to conform to the Greek ek Pneumatos Hagiou kai Marias tēs Parthenou.
5. Changed from and was made man to conform to the Greek enanthrōpēsanta.
6. Removed the Filioque clause.
7. Capitalized Resurrection of the Dead and World to Come to emphasize their singularity and eschatological significance.

Sunday Prokimena and Alleluia (Tone 3)

Note: Words in italics indicate translations from the Church Slavonic which are not present in the Greek.

Matins (Ps. 95:10; 95:2 LXX)

Εἴπατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ὅτι Κύριος ἐβασίλευσε· καὶ γὰρ κατώρθωσε τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἥτις οὐ σαλευθήσεται.
Στίχ. ᾌσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ᾆσμα καινόν.

Рцы́те во ꙗ҆зы́цѣхъ, ꙗ҆́кѡ гдⷭ҇ь воцр҃и́сѧ: и҆́бо и҆спра́ви вселе́ннꙋю, ꙗ҆́же не подви́житсѧ.
Сті́хъ: Воспо́йте гдⷭ҇ви пѣ́снь но́вꙋ, воспо́йте гдⷭ҇ви всѧ̀ землѧ̀.

Say among the Gentiles that the Lord reigneth: For he hath set aright the world, which shall not be shaken.
Verse: Sing unto the Lord a new song, sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Divine Liturgy, Prokimenon (Ps. 46:6; 46:1 LXX)

Ψάλατε τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε, ψάλατε τῷ βασιλεῖ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε.
Στίχ. Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη κροτήσατε χεῖρας, ἀλαλάξατε τῷ Θεῷ ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως.

По́йте бг҃ꙋ на́шемꙋ, по́йте, по́йте цр҃е́ви на́шемꙋ, по́йте.
Сті́хъ: Всѝ ꙗ҆зы́цы восплещи́те рꙋка́ми, воскли́кните бг҃ꙋ гла́сомъ ра́дованїѧ.

Chant psalms unto our God, chant ye: Chant psalms unto our king, chant ye.
Verse: All ye Gentiles, clap your hands, shout unto God with a voice of gladness.

Divine Liturgy, Alleluia (Ps. 30:1; 30:2 LXX)

Ἐπὶ σοί, Κύριε, ἤλπισα, μὴ καταισχυνθείην εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
Στίχ. Γενοῦ μοι εἰς Θεὸν ὑπερασπιστὴν καὶ εἰς οἶκον καταφυγῆς τοῦ σῶσαί με.

На тѧ̀ гдⷭ҇и ᲂу҆пова́хъ, да не постыжꙋ́сѧ во вѣ́къ.
Сті́хъ: Бꙋ́ди мѝ въ бг҃а защи́тителѧ, и҆ въ до́мъ прибѣ́жища, є҆́же спасти́ мѧ.

In thee, O Lord, have I put my hope, may I not be ashamed for ever.
Verse: O God, become unto me a protector, and a house of refuge for to save me.

Translation Notes #4: The Cherubic Hymn

While translating the Diataxeis of St. Philotheos Cokkinos, I became interested in translating other liturgical texts, and started a very ambitious project to retranslate the Divine Liturgy. I am merely an amateur, and I am essentially learning Greek as I go along, but I have begun to formulate several principles of translation:

1. Precision: Use words that precisely capture the meaning of the source language. The words should be neither too precise nor too vague. For example, at the last verse of Psalm 50, the translation done by Holy Transfiguration Monastery has Then they shall offer bullocks upon Thine altar, but in the original Greek, the word translated as bullock is moschos, which can mean any kind of young animal, and even a plant shoot! Thus, bullock is actually too precise; in my yet-to-be-completed translation of Psalm 50, I used the word calves, which can refer to many kinds of young animals, even whale calves, and thus it fits the imprecision of the original Greek better, in my opinion.
2. Commonality: Use words that are in common use. Of the most precise words, it is important to choose the words that are most common, so that the text can be understood better. Of course, it is more important to be precise; a technical term such as consubstantial is preferable to the easier to understand but less precise one in being.
3. Antiquity: Of common and precise words, choose the words that are the oldest. I am translating the Liturgy into a traditional register (e.g. using thee/thy instead of you/your). I want to follow the translation style of Met. Kallistos Ware of blessed memory, who, with his co-translator, Mother Mary, based their translations of the Festal Menaion and Lenten Triodion on the language of the Authorised Version, that is, the King James Bible. In translating texts, I have made copious reference to Strong’s Concordance to see how the KJV translates specific words. I have also used the Early English Books Online database to look up whether a particular word or phrase was present in books published in the 16th and 17th centuries. Some contemporary-sounding expressions are actually quite old: for example, the imperative phrase, Come near, is found in many places in the King James Version, even moreso than the more archaic sounding Draw nigh. Old does not have to mean obscure!

As a demonstration of these principles, here is a translation of the Cherubic Hymn or Cherubikon. First, here is a common translation, taken from the Jordanville Prayerbook. It is a translation from Church Slavonic:

Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim, and chant the thrice-holy hymn unto the life-creating Trinity, now lay aside all earthly care. That we may receive the King of all, Who cometh invisibly upborne in triumph by the ranks of angels.

I went back to the original Greek and did a translation from scratch. I have checked most of the words against Strong’s Concordance, and other words not included were checked for their provenance on the Online Etymology Dictionary as well as the above sources. Below is the Greek, the Church Slavonic, and my translation:

Οἱ τὰ Χερουβεὶμ μυστικῶς εἰκονίζοντες, καὶ τῇ ζωοποιῷ Τριάδι τὸν τρισάγιον ὕμνον προσᾴδοντες, πᾶσαν τὴν βιοτικὴν ἀποθώμεθα μέριμναν, ὡς τὸν Βασιλέα τῶν ὅλων ὑποδεξόμενοι, ταῖς ἀγγελικαῖς ἀοράτως δορυφορούμενον τάξεσιν.

И҆̀же херꙋві́мы та́йнѡ ѡ҆бразꙋ́юще, и҆ животворѧ́щей трⷪ҇цѣ трист҃ꙋ́ю пѣ́снь припѣва́юще, всѧ́кое ны́нѣ жите́йское ѿложи́мъ попече́нїе, ꙗ҆́кѡ да цр҃ѧ̀ всѣ́хъ под̾и́мемъ, а҆́гг҃льскими неви́димѡ дорѷноси́ма чи́нми.

Let us, who mystically portray the Cherubim and chant the thrice-holy hymn unto the life-giving Trinity, cast off all worldly cares, so that we may receive the King of All, invisibly escorted by the angelic ranks.

Notes

• Portray: The most common translation for eikonizontes is represent, but the most common meaning of to represent is to speak on behalf of someone, which is not the meaning here. The meaning of eikonizontes as one can guess from the root word eikon or icon, is to represent something or someone visually. The singers here are portraying the angelic host singing the thrice-holy hymn, which is, in this context, the Sanctus: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Sabaoth: Heaven and earth are full of thy glory”(Cf. Isaiah 6:3).
• Cast off: Most translations say lay aside, which is a common translation of the verb apotithēmi in the King James Version but lay aside now has the meaning of putting something aside temporarily, whereas the Greek verb (literally meaning to put away) means to discard or renounce something. Thus, I went with the more forceful cast off, which is also an acceptable translation in the KJV, found in Romans 13:12.
• Worldly cares: The literal translation of biotikēn merimnan is care/anxiety of life. I originally intended to translate this as cares of this life to match with the reference to cares of this life in Luke 21:34, but I was concerned that care would be misconstrued as meaning responsibility instead of anxiety. Thus, I went with worldly cares. Not only is this phrase more concise and singable, but it is also more prevalent in the Early English Books Online database than either care of this life or earthly care. In English, cares seems to be used more in the plural, so I opted to translate the singular merimnan to the plural.
• Who cometh (omitted): Not present in the original Greek or Church Slavonic, and I think the Cherubic Hymn sounds fine without it.
• Escorted: A common mistranslation of doryphoroumenon via the macaronic Church Slavonic translation dorynosima is upborne in triumph, but the actual meaning of the verb doryphoreō, which literally means to bear a spear, is to escort or attend as a guard. Thus, the image should be of a royal procession, with the King of All being invisibly escorted by the angels.

Translation Notes #3: Capitalisation

For my goal of translating liturgical texts, I have tried to keep to consistent principles of capitalization, which are detailed here:

Capitalize:

• Proper Names
  • Names of individuals (Joachim, Anna)
  • Place names (Alexandria, Constantinople)
  • Names of sacraments (Baptism, Confession)
• Proper Nouns
  • Categories of saints (Martyrs, Confessors, Apostles)
  • Epithets (the Great, the Trophy-bearer)
  • Objects of veneration when used as proper nouns (the Cross)
  • Titles when directly connected to a proper name without intervening commas (Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Gregory)
• Adjectives when directly connected to a proper name (Great and Holy Pascha, Holy Baptism)

Note: Words are directly connected when there is no intervening punctuation or words except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. For example, in "St. Basil the Great," "St.," "Basil," and "Great" are directly connected.

Do not capitalize:

• Common nouns, including names of objects in the temple (altar, sanctuary)
• Pronouns, including those referring to God
  • The capitalization of divine pronouns is relatively late, beginning in the 19th century.
• Adjectives when not directly connected to a proper name (holy and glorious Great-martyr George)
• Titles when not directly connected to a proper name (our archbishop, Gregory)

Here is an example text that follows these principles:

Save, O God, thy people, and bless thine inheritance, visit thy cosmos with mercy and compassion, exalt the horn of Orthodox Christians, and send down upon us thy rich mercies. Through the intercessions of our all-immaculate Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary; through the power of thy precious and life-giving Cross; through the protections of the honourable and heavenly Bodiless Powers; through the supplications of the honorable and glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John; of the holy, glorious, and all-praised Apostles; of our Fathers among the Saints, Great Hierarchs, and Œcumenical Teachers Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom; of Athanasius, Cyril, and John the Merciful, Patriarchs of Alexandria; of Nicholas of Myra in Lycia, Spyridon the Bishop of Tremithus, and Nectarios of Pentapolis, the Wonderworkers; of the holy and glorious Greatmartyrs George the Trophy-bearer, Demetrius the Myrrh-streamer, Theodore the Recruit, Theodore the Commander, and Menas the Wonderworker; of the Hieromartyrs Charalambos and Eleutherius, of the holy and glorious Greatmartyrs Thecla, Barbara, Anastasia, Kyriake, Photine, Marina, Paraskeve, and Irene; of the holy and victorious Martyrs, of our venerable and God-bearing Fathers, of the holy [patron saint of the temple], of the holy and righteous Ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, of the holy [saint of the day], and of all thy saints we beg thee, O only greatly-merciful Lord, hearken unto us sinners who pray unto thee, and have mercy on us.

Order of Service for the Sacred Diaconate (Vespers, Part 2)

[Prokimenon]

After the end of Gladsome Light, the deacon says, Let us attend, and the priest, Peace be with all. And again, the deacon: Wisdom, let us attend. And the Prokimenon of the day is chanted.

When it is completed, the deacon, going out and standing in the usual place, says: Let us all say with our whole soul and with our whole mind, let us say, and the rest.

And after the exclamation, the priest says, Peace be with all. The deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord, and the priest says the prayer: Lord our God, who bowed the heavens, And he exclaims: Blessed be the might of thy kingdom.

[Litë]

And after the exclamation, the Litë Stichera are chanted. While these are being chanted, the deacon enters, and taking the thurible, putting incense in it, and asking for a blessing as usual, he goes out together with the priest through the north side, the Holy Doors being closed, and with lamps going before them, and passing through the Beautiful Gates, and after them all the brothers, they stand in the narthex. While the brothers are chanting, the deacon censes everyone as usual.

After the completion of the stichera, standing in the usual place, the deacon says: O God, save thy people and bless thine inheritance until the end. And Lord, have mercy is chanted forty times.

Then again he says: Again we pray for our most pious and God-protected emperors, and Lord, have mercy is chanted three times.

And again he says: Again we pray for the remission of sins of the servant of God (name), the hieromonk, and all our brotherhood in Christ.

And the remaining two petitions: For the protection of this holy monastery, and For every Orthodox Christian soul.

Then thus the priest says: Peace be with all.

The deacon: Let us bow our heads to the Lord.

And the priest, turning towards the west, says this prayer in a loud voice: O Master, most merciful Lord Jesus Christ our God, while the deacon stands on his right, holding the orarion with three fingers of his right hand.

[Aposticha Stichera]

Then, while the Aposticha Stichera are being chanted verse by verse, with lamps going before, all enter the temple. And the candle stands are placed on either side of the prepared tetrapod, on which lies a plate with wheat and five loaves, which we have the custom of offering in the church, and on either side of the plate, two vessels full, one of wine, the other of oil. The wine is placed on the left, and the oil on the right.

[Nunc Dimittis, Trisagion and Apolytikion]

The priest and deacon stand inside the Beautiful Gates. When the stichera verses are completed, the Lord, now let your servant depart is said, along with the Trisagion. After the Our Father, the priest exclaims: For thine is the kingdom.

Then the Apolytikion of the day is chanted.

If it is Sunday, Hail Virgin Mother of God is chanted three times.

If it is the feast of a great saint, the troparion of the saint is chanted twice, and Hail Virgin Mother of God once.

If it is a feast of the Lord or the Mother of God, the troparion of the feast is chanted three times.

[Blessing of the Loaves]

While the final Apolytikion is being chanted loudly and slowly, the deacon, having first asked the priest's blessing for the incense and received it, censes around the loaves in the form of a cross, then the abbot, and then the loaves again only in front. As the priest approaches, the deacon stands at his right side, holding the censer in his left hand and the orarion with three fingers of his right hand. When the troparion is finished, he points to the five loaves with the orarion and says: Let us pray to the Lord. The priest says the prayer: Lord Jesus Christ our God, who blessed the five loaves...

As the brothers say I will bless the Lord, the priest and deacon enter the sanctuary. The brothers recite the psalm up to they shall not want any good thing. The priest, from inside the sanctuary, exclaims: The blessing of the Lord be upon you, by his grace and love for mankind, always, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Then he removes his priestly vestments and they exit.

[Conclusion of Great Vespers]

If there is a reading, the priest says the verse: By the prayers of our holy fathers.

If there is no All-Night Vigil, after the completion of the stichera verses, the priest enters the sanctuary and after the Trisagion exclaims: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. The Apolytikion is chanted, and the deacon standing outside exclaims after the Trisagion: Bless, master. The priest from inside says: Blessed be the One Who Is, Christ our God, always, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.

They chant May God strengthen the Emperors. The priest says quietly: Most Holy Mother of God, save us. The brothers: More honorable than the Cherubim. Again the priest quietly: Glory to thee, O God our hope, glory to thee. The brothers say: Glory, now and ever. Lord, bless.

The priest opens the Holy Doors, lowers his phelonion, with the deacon standing outside on the right holding the orarion as usual, and says this dismissal: May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of his all-pure mother, of the holy, glorious and all-praised apostles, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, for he is good and the friend of mankind. If it is a feast of the Lord, he gives the dismissal appropriate to the feast. If it is the feast of a great saint, he also mentions the saint's name in the dismissal.

If there is a procession, after the dismissal the deacon takes the thurible and exits with the priest, with lamps going before them, just as described previously for Great Vespers.

Translation Notes #2: Hail Virgin Mother of God

One of the most well-known hymns to the Mother of God is Theotoke Parthene, which is the Orthodox version of the Hail Mary, which of course references the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin. Here are the Greek and Church Slavonic translations below, with transliterations:

Θεοτόκε Παρθένε,
Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη Μαρία,
ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.
Εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξί,
καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου,
ὅτι Σωτῆρα ἔτεκες τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν.

Theotoke Parthene,
Chaire kecharitōmenē Maria,
ho Kyrios meta sou.
Eulogēmenē sy en gynaixi,
kai eulogēmenos ho karpos tēs koilias sou,
hoti Sōtēra etekes tōn psychōn hēmōn.

Бцⷣе дв҃о ра́дꙋйсѧ,
бл҃года́тнаѧ мр҃і́е, гдⷵь съ тобо́ю,
бл҃гослове́на ты̀ въ жена́хъ,
и҆ бл҃гослове́нъ пло́дъ чре́ва твоегѡ̀,
ꙗкѡ сп҃са родила̀ є҆сѝ дꙋ́шъ на́шихъ.

Bogoroditse Devo raduysya,
blagodatnaya Marie, Gospod s toboyu,
blagoslovena ty v zhenakh,
i blagosloven plod chreva tvoego,
yako Spasa rodila esi dush nashikh.

A whole post could be written on the meaning of κεχαριτωμένη (perfect passive participle of the verb χαριτόω, which would literally mean She who has been graced); бл҃года́тнаѧ (an adjective derived from the word for grace, blagodat’) does not quite capture it.

This post, however, is about the first two lines. The first thing that I notice is that the beginning words are grouped differently. In the Greek text, Θεοτόκε Παρθένε (O Theotokos Virgin) in the first line is somewhat independent of Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη Μαρία (Hail Mary, full of grace) in the second line. In contrast, the Church Slavonic groups together ра́дꙋйсѧ (rejoice) with Бцⷣе дв҃о (O Theotokos Virgin).

Another important note is the very literal translation of the Church Slavonic, which translate Χαῖρε, which literally means rejoice, into ра́дꙋйсѧ, the Church Slavonic equivalent. As a result, many English translations of the hymn begin, “O Theotokos and Virgin Rejoice.”

Although it is true that the Annunciation was a joyous occasion, Χαῖρε in this context is simply how Greek-speaking people said Hello to each other. If we translated Shalom! as Peace! or Konnichiwa! as As for today! it would be technically accurate, but would make for bad English.

For this reason, Hail is preferable to Rejoice here. But where does one put the greeting? One could simply do a word-by-word translation,¹ which could come out like this:

O Theotokos Virgin,
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.

In this case, O Theotokos Virgin feels tacked onto the front of the hymn. Moreover, it doesn't sound very natural, at least to my ears. I think the Church Slavonic text had the right idea of putting rejoice with Theotokos Virgin. Since I generally prefer translating Theotokos as Mother of God, this is my proposed translation:

Hail Virgin Mother of God,
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
For thou hast borne the Saviour of our souls.

---

1. Though an even more literal translation could be: “O Virgin Birthgiver of God, Hail Mary, who hast been graced, the Lord is with thee.” ↩

Order of Service for the Sacred Diaconate (Vespers, Part 1)

Introduction

St. Philotheos also composed the Diataxis tēs hierodiakonias, which gives the order for Vespers and Matins. Given that the introduction refers to the Liturgy, perhaps the Diataxis for the Liturgy was meant to be Part 3 of this work. The Latin translation of the title is Ordo Sacri Ministerii (Order of Sacred Ministry), but given the content of the text, I think that Order of Service for the Sacred Diaconate would be a better translation. This text is translated from Goar's Euchologion (1730).

[Title]

Order of Service for the Sacred Diaconate,

That is, how the deacon serves with the priest in the Great Vespers, Matins, and the Liturgy, compiled and arranged by the Most Holy and Ecumenical Patriarch, Lord Philotheos.

[General Instructions]

It should be known that the deacon never vests at any other time during Vespers and Matins, except for the Saturday Vespers and Sunday Matins of the entire year, and likewise, for the Vespers and Matins of Dominical feasts and feasts of the Mother of God. Likewise, he vests for the Vespers and in the Presanctified Liturgies of the Holy and Great Lent. And for the feast of the Annunciation and for the vigil of the Holy Passion, and in short, for all Vespers services that have an entrance. Similarly, for Matins services when the Great Doxology is chanted. And for all the Liturgies of the entire year if he wishes to serve.

[Order of Great Vespers at an All-Night Vigil]

When the time comes, namely for the Great Vespers, the priest goes with the deacon, and they make three obeisances before the icon of Christ the Master, while all the brothers are seated. Similarly, they make three obeisances before the icon of the Theotokos, one in the middle, and one towards each choir. Then they enter the sanctuary.

The deacon takes his sticharion and orarion, and after bowing to the east three times, approaches the priest and says, Bless, Master, the sticharion with the orarion. The priest blesses them, saying, Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Then each puts on their own vestments.

This is not done this way now; instead, the priest alone bows and puts on only the epitrachelion and phelonion, and begins to cense, while a reader or an orderly holds the lamp and exclaims, Command. Preceding him with a lamp, the priest censes the entire church as usual, exiting through the doors. When the orderly exclaims Command in front of the holy doors, everyone stands up.

After censing the entire church, the priest goes out to the narthex, censes there as well, then enters through the beautiful gates and chants, O Lord, bless. After censing the holy icons again, he enters through the holy doors, and while censing the holy table, he exclaims, Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving, and undivided Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

After the Amen, the superior or the appointed monk chants the Proemial Psalm. The priest, having closed the holy doors, stands inside the sanctuary. When they begin to chant When thou openest thy hand, he comes out with the Canonarch, and they make one obeisance in the middle. Then the priest goes to his own place, while the Canonarch recites the verses standing in the middle of the church.

When they chant In wisdom thou hast made them all, the priest goes and says the prayers of the Lamp-lighting, standing uncovered before the holy doors. After completing them, he says the Great Litany. The deacon vests at the third antiphon of the Psalter and says the Little Litany. If there is no reading from the Psalter, he vests while the Proemial Psalm is being said and says the Great Litany.

[Instructions for Great Vespers celebrated separately from the All-Night Vigil]

These things are done in this way when there is a Vigil. But if there is no Vigil, none of these things are done: they do not make obeisances, the priest does not cense first, and the holy doors are not opened. Instead, standing uncovered before the holy doors, wearing the epitrachelion, the priest exclaims: Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. And the superior, or the appointed monk, says the Proemial Psalm straight through. And the priest says the prayers of the Lamp-lighting; after the completion, the priest or the deacon, standing in the usual place, says the great litany: In peace let us pray to the Lord, and the rest.

[Opening of the Holy Doors]

It should be known that the holy doors are never opened, except at the beginning of Great Vespers, when the priest alone censes, and at all the entrances that is, of Vespers and, in the Liturgy, of the Holy Gospel. Likewise, they are opened from Come near until the completion of the Divine Liturgy.

[Vesting of the Deacon]

It should be known that if the deacon does not vest at the beginning of Vespers, he vests while the third antiphon of the psalter is being chanted, if there is a reading, but if not, while the opening psalm is being chanted, as was said. He vests in this way: he makes an obeisance to the superior and enters the sanctuary through the side door, where he finds the priest standing, for the latter precedes him; and the deacon, taking his sticharion, approaches the priest and says: Master, bless the sticharion with the orarion. The priest blesses it, saying: Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

And thus the deacon, putting it on, at the completion of the reading, goes out and stands in the usual place. And he says the Little Litany: Again and again, in peace let us pray to the Lord, and the rest. And the priest exclaims: For thine is the dominion, and thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

[Lord, I Have Cried]

And then Lord, I have cried is chanted; while it is being chanted, the deacon, taking the thurible and putting incense in it, approaches the priest, who is also inside the sanctuary, and says: Master, bless the incense. And the priest blesses it, saying: Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

And the deacon censes the sanctuary and the entire church, and returning to the sanctuary, puts away the thurible and waits there. When they chant Glory, both now, the priest enters and puts on the epitrachelion and phelonion, and the entrance takes place.

[Vespers Entrance]

The deacon, taking the thurible and putting incense in it and asking a blessing, as we said, goes out together with the priest through the north side, and when the holy doors are opened with two readers going before with lamps, and after them, the deacon with the censer, the priest also comes out behind, having loosened his phelonion, and they proceed to the usual place.

There, the readers place the candle stands in the middle of the church on either side. The priest stands opposite the holy doors. The deacon also stands to the right of the priest at a slight angle, and bowing slightly, holding his orarion with the three fingers of his right hand, he says quietly, only so that the priest can hear: Let us pray to the Lord.

The priest says this prayer quietly: Evening and morning and at noon. After the prayer, they stand up, and the deacon says to the priest, pointing at the same time to the east with his orarion, holding it with the three fingers of his right hand: Master, bless the holy entrance. And the priest blesses towards the east, saying: Blessed is the entrance of thy saints, O Lord.

Then the deacon goes and censes the holy icon, the one on the stall of the superior, and the superior himself, and again stands in the place where he stood before, waiting for the completion of the verse. When it is completed, the deacon enters the middle, and having made the sign of the cross with the censer, he exclaims: Wisdom! Be upright!

And immediately, the superior, or the appointed monk, chants O Gladsome Light. The readers, taking up the lamps again, proceed to the holy doors, and the deacon, having entered within the sanctuary, censes the holy table. The priest, having made an obeisance before the holy doors and having kissed them, enters, and the holy doors are closed.

Translator Notes #1: A Sweet-Smelling Savour

In my effort to translate the Diataxis of St. Philotheos Kokkinos, I have gained a greater appreciation of the words of the prayers of the Divine Liturgy. One such prayer is the Prayer of the Incense.

Whenever the deacon censes, he first holds up the thurible to the priest and asks for his blessing. The priest blesses the incense, saying the Prayer of the Incense. The original Greek text is:

Θυμίαμά σοι προσφέρομεν, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας πνευματικῆς, ὃ προσδεξάμενος εἰς τὸ ὑπερουράνιόν σου θυσιαστήριον, ἀντικατάπεμψον ἡμῖν τὴν χάριν τοῦ παναγίου σου Πνεύματος.

The translation of the prayer in Church Slavonic is a very literal rendering of the Greek:

Кади́ло тебѣ̀ прино́симъ хрⷭ҇тѐ бж҃е на́шъ, въ воню̀ благоꙋха́нїѧ дꙋхо́внагѡ, є҆́же прїе́мъ въ пренбⷭ҇ный тво́й же́ртвенникъ, возниспослѝ на́мъ бл҃года́ть прест҃а́гѡ твоегѡ̀ дх҃а.

The translation of the prayer in English by Isabel Hapgood (1906) is:

Unto thee, O Christ our God, do we offer incense for an odour of spiritual fragrance: which do thou accept upon thy most heavenly Altar, and pour forth upon us in return the grace of thine all-holy Spirit.

The phrase «εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας πνευματικῆς» is translated above as “for an odour of spiritual fragrance.” A similar translation is found in the Jordanville Service Book. The OCA Hieratikon says “as a sweet spiritual fragrance.”

The phrase «εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας» is taken from the Pauline epistles, especially Ephesians 5:2: «καὶ περιπατεῖτε ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας», which is translated in the King James Bible as “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

To find the best translation, let’s look at each word:

• εἰς is a preposition that commonly means into, but in this context, it has the connotation of purpose, so arguably, the best word would be for, since as has a slightly different connotation of the incense playing the function of the spiritual fragrance, rather than it being offered for the purpose of making a spiritual fragrance.
• ὀσμὴν is the accusative form of the noun ὀσμή, which means a smell, scent, or odor. The 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary defines these three as:
  • Smell: The quality of any thing or substance, or emanation therefrom, which affects the olfactory organs.
  • Scent: That which, issuing from a body, affects the olfactory organs of animals.
  • Odor: Any smell, whether fragrant or offensive.

All three of these words are ostensibly neutral, but in contemporary English, both smell and odor seem to have more negative connotations. “This food has an odor/smell” would not be construed positively. Of the three words, scent seems to be the most neutral, so perhaps scent is the best translation of ὀσμή if we intend to translate the word in a neutral way.

On the other hand, if we take the phrase as a whole, it is obvious that ὀσμή is meant to mean a good smell. I think the best translation is actually aroma, since an aroma is, according to the 1913 edition of Webster’s, “The quality or principle of plants or other substances which constitutes their fragrance; agreeable odor; as, the aroma of coffee.” Since we are offering incense, which is derived from plants, aroma seems to be most fitting.

Thus, the whole phrase «εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας πνευματικῆς» would literally translate to “for a scent of spiritual fragrance,” or “for an aroma of spiritual fragrance.” If the translator were not bound to a strictly literal translation, they could translate the phrase simply as “for a spiritual fragrance,” since fragrance captures the meaning of ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας.

Besides exactness in translation, however, one should also consider the provenance of other traditional translations, especially of liturgical phrases derived from the Scriptures. Although the King James Bible's translation of the original verse is not completely literal, it is still a version of the Bible that is commonly read and also forms the basis for the liturgical language in many traditional translations of liturgical texts. Thus, in consideration of the preëminence of the King James Version, I would translate the phrase as “for a sweet-smelling and spiritual savour,” adding and for the sake of euphony. Here is the final translation of the entire prayer:

Incense we offer unto thee, O Christ our God, for a sweetsmelling and spiritual savour. Having received it unto thine altar above the heavens, send down in return to us the grace of thine All-Holy Spirit.