Diaconate in Christ

Diaconal Vesture: the Byzantine practice

By: Protodeacon David Kennedy

 

         Apart from clerical attire, which for deacons is generally the same as priests, there is one vestment, namely the sticharion.  It is worn with the orarion and the epimanikia which properly speaking are insignia.

 

         The sticharion is a tunic type garment that reaches to the ankles.  The Western equivalent is the alb. The dalmatic is a vestment proper to the Bishop of Rome and gradually by extension to the deacons of Rome, and eventually to other bishops, abbots and deacons.  It has never properly been the vesture of deacons in any of the liturgical rites of the Eastern Christian Churches.  (I am not taking into account Uniate liturgical aberrations.)

 

Originally, the sticharion of the deacon was of linen and white in colour.  Currently, most deacons’ sticharia are made of brocaded fabrics and are of the liturgical colour of the day or feast.  They are cut amply with wide sleeves and an A-line body. Usually, the edges are trimmed with decorative galloon or banding.  This same banding is used to make a yoke and a large embroidered cross is placed on the back of the vestment.  The deacon kisses the cross before donning it.

 

         Those in minor orders also wear the sticharion: namely readers, cantors, and subdeacons.  (By custom altar servers who do much but not all of the subdeacon’s liturgical role also wear the sticharion but not clerical attire.)  Priests and bishops likewise wear the sticharion.  However, the sticharion of the priest or bishop is not cut so amply and is usually of a light silk or satin fabric rather than the heavy brocade fabric of the deacon’s and those in minor orders.

 

         Thus, we can see plainly that the sticharion is the common vestment of all the orders.

(Photo: Nikita Tailor http://www.nikitatailor.net/  Here is the sticharion, the orarion on the left shoulder, and the epimanikia or cuffs seen below the sleeves.)

 

 

         The orarion is worn over the left shoulder (currently fastened in place by a button).  It is a narrow strip of fabric running from hem to shoulder to hem.  Currently, it is decorated with seven crosses and the ends often are fringed. The Western equivalent has been commonly known as the stole from about the 9^th century.  The orarion is the insignia of the diaconal order in the East.  Canons 22 and 23 of the Council of Laodikeia in the 4^th century speak of it as proper to the diaconate.  Possibly, its originates as a towel and as such is a typos of the service of Christ who girded with a towel washes and dries the feet of his disciples before his passion and death. (Isidore of Pelousion, PG 78:272C) This insignia, thus emphasizes the deacon’s role of service both in and outside of the liturgical assembly founded on a participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery wherein Christ reveals Himself but as the Servant of the Father’s will. St. John Chrysostom sees the orarion of the deacon as a typos of the angelic wings, for as the deacon moves throughout the church the orarion flutters.  (PG 59:520.17-27). 

 

         Sometime, following the 17^th century archdeacons and protodeacons were given a second orarion to wear as an honorific.  This double or extended orarion is also worn over the left shoulder as in the manner of the single orarion.  However, the other two ends are fastened on the right side below the arm about hip level.  In the last century the orarion of archdeacons and protodeacons has become quite wide and decorated with extensive embroidery.  In some Churches of the Byzantine rite all deacons wear the extended orarion and the single orarion has been given up.  Among the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox, the double orarion is bestowed as an honor usually sometime before elevation to the rank of protodeacon.

 

         Epimanikia are detachable cuffs, worn by bishops and priests over the sleeves of their sticharia, and by deacons over the sleeves of their inner rason (cassock).  Bishops have worn them for at least the 10^th century.  This use was granted first to archdeacons and protodeacons, and from the mid 14^th century deacons have worn them.  Epimanikia are attached by long cords and remind the wearer of how Christ was bound and lead to his crucifixion.  They are usually decorated with a cross.

 

         Before vesting for any service, the deacon approaches the principal celebrant with the sticharion folded so that the cross on the back is upright and facing the celebrant.  The orarion, which is also folded, and the epimanikia, are placed on the folded sticharion, but not to obscure its cross.  The deacon asks for a blessing.  At the Divine Liturgy but not at other services, there are prescribed prayers for the vesting.

 

Sticharion: My soul shall be joyful in the Lord; for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation; and the robe of gladness He has wrapped around me.  He has placed on me, as a bridegroom, a crown; He has adorned me, as a bride, with jewels.

 

    Having kissed the orarion, he lays it over his left shoulder.  (There is no prayer for the donning of the orarion in the current liturgical texts.  The vesting prayers developed between the 11^th and 14^th centuries, and there are various recensions of these prayers.  In some pre-Nikonian texts the deacon says the following while donning the orarion: Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabbaoth, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.  Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.  It is not uncommon for the double orarion of the archdeacons and protodeacons to have Holy, Holy, Holy, embroidered thereon.  There is a typological relationship between deacons and angels.)

 

 (Photo: Nikita Tailor.  This is a double orarion worn by protodeacons and archdeacons.  Notice the embroidered seraphim and  Sviat or Holy embroidered in Church Slavonic lettering.)

 

    Right epimanikion: Your right hand, O Lord, is glorified in strength; Your right hand, O Lord, has shattered the enemies.  Andin the multitude of Your glory You have crushed Your adversaries.

 

    Left epimanikion: Your hands have made me and formed me; give me understanding I will learn Your commandments.

 

         While singing the synaptes or litanies the deacon customarily raises the end of the orarion in his right hand.  This acts as an attention getter.  The deacon will use the orarion as a pointer to bring attention to a certain object or a direction to be faced or moved towards.  Before communion the orarion is bound in a cross saltire (St. Andrew’s Cross) in order that it may be out of the way.  If the deacon is not holding the end of it in the right hand, he drapes it over the left arm.  In the procession with the Gospel Book, the deacon drapes the orarion over the book itself.  During the anaphora when the celebrant sings the words of institution the deacon points to the bread and cup with the orarion.  He also does this during the epiclesis when he prompts the celebrant to call down the Holy Spirit upon the gifts and the assembly and make them into the Body and Blood of Christ.

 

         The sticharion and its accompanying insignia of orarion and epimanikia make the deacon easily identifiable during the Divine services.  When a deacon is buried he is fully vested but more on that in a future post.

Woodfin, Warren T. The Embodied Icon: Liturgical Vestments and Sacramental Power in Byzantium (Oxford University Press) 2012.

 

Diaconate: Where are we now?

By: Protodeacon David Kennedy

 

(Protodeacon Joseph, Metropolitan Hilarion, Archdeacon Eugene of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Photo: Eastern American Diocese  ROCOR)
 

 The holy council wishes the institution of the permanent diaconate to be restored where it has fallen into disuse, in order that the ancient discipline of the Sacrament of Orders may flourish once more in the Eastern Churches. (Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 21 November, 1964, No. 17)

 

The holy council (Vatican II) refers to the following, in a footnote to No. 17, as sources of the “ancient discipline”: Synod of Nicaea I, canon 18; Synod of Neocaesrea, 314-325, canon 12; Synod of Sardica, 343, canon 8; Leo the Great, letter Omnium quidem,13 Jan. 444; synod of Chalcedon, canon 6; Synod of Constantinople IV, canons 23 and 26.

 

It is clear from the language of No. 17 of Orientalium Ecclesiarum, that Vatican II did not command a restoration of the diaconate in the Eastern Catholic Churches.  The rational of its restoration is clear, “in order that the ancient discipline of the Sacrament of Orders may flourish once more.”  Thus, without the diaconate as a permanent order, the ancient discipline of the Sacrament of Orders does not flourish.  Law seems only to be able to set a minimum standard.  Law is not the motivator for a flourishing sacramental life.  This is not to disparage law but rather to recognize that “desire” is the motivator: a desire that the ancient discipline of the Sacrament of Orders may flourish.

 

How attentive have the Eastern Catholic Churches been to this “desire” of Vatican II to restore the institution of the permanent diaconate?  Ronald G. Roberson, CSP has culled through Annuario Pontificio 2010 and provides us with the numbers.  http://www.cnewa.ca/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat10.pdf

 

A Short Summary:

Armenian             4           Coptic               2            Ethiopian/Eritrean  3

Syro-Malankara     0           Syrian             11            Maronite               43

Chaldean           122          Syro-Malabar     1            Melkite                 69

Ukrainian           105          Ruthenian       67            Romanian               2

Former Yugoslavia 0           Greek              1            Bulgarian                0

Slovak                  4           Italo-Albanian  5            Hungarian               0

Albanian              0           Ordinariates     2

 

There are some 441 deacons listed as permanent.  As can be seen most of these are found among the Syrians, Maronites, Chaldeans, Melkites, Ukrainians and Ruthenians.  78% or 346 are outside of the “traditional” homelands, primarily in North America.

 

It should also be noted that some of these “permanent” deacons will at some point be ordained to the presbyterate.

 

Why this North American phenomena? 

1. The majority of Latin rite deacons are in North America – is there some influence here in the Eastern Catholic Churches?
2. Generally, these deacons are non-stipendiary and this requires the deacon to have a stable income, along with enough “free time” to devote to ministerial duties.
3. Generally, these deacons fund all or most of their education and formation for the diaconate.

 

Why might this restored diaconate not be realized? 

 

Possible suggestions:

1. The non-stipendiary phenomena.  (Deacons must have considerable financial stability.)
2. A wholesale imitation of the theology and practice of orders in the Latin rite.
3. A loss of understanding of the “ancient discipline of the Sacrament of Orders”.
4. A primary understanding of Orders in relation to “powers”.
5. The diaconate is only a step to the priesthood.  Why not be a priest instead?
6. The priest can do everything that the deacon does and more.
7. Priests are still deacons, so if a deacon is needed for “liturgical solemnity”, a priest can do it.  (Note: this practice is prohibited, but that doesn’t seem to matter.)
8. A real lack of desire and of will to restore the diaconate.
9. A lack of understanding of the diaconate as essential to the apostolic ministry and of Divine institution.

10.  Etc.

 

Liturgical Role of the Deacon in the Constantinopolitan Tradition, Part 4 of 4

[Part 4 of 4]

By: Protodeacon David Kennedy

The diaconal liturgical roles of Rome and Constantinople

 

            One of the most fruitful reforms of Vatican II was the restoration of the diaconate as a permanent rank in the hierarchy of the Church.  Let us be clear, however, this was not a restoration of the diaconate but of the diaconate as a permanent rank.  In the communion of the Catholic Churches this has had a far-reaching effect not only on the Roman Rite but also on the Eastern Catholic Churches.  What comparison can be made of the liturgical functions of the deacon in the Roman and Constantinopolitan traditions?  The Byzantine deacon can be said to serve and assist while it can be said that the bishop or priest presides.  The current liturgical texts as well as those of the past bear a common consensus and witness to this.  Quite simply the Byzantine tradition does not know a presidential role for the deacon.  When a priest is not present, the deacon does not serve.  The deacon never substitutes for the bishop or priest.  The tradition is obvious; the Eucharistic or Divine Liturgy is not celebrated without a bishop or priest who presides.  And this is true of all other Byzantine rite services. 

    Yet, there is an exception for a liturgical president is not always available and it appears that only a bishop or priest can function as such.  The Praises or Liturgy of the Hours found in the Horologion may be taken without a bishop or priest.  The presidential prayers that are said by the bishop or priest are not taken.  This means that the synaptes so characteristic of the services are also dropped.  They are replaced by a cantor/reader chanting “Lord, have mercy” 40, 12 or 3 times, according to prescription.  The presidential ecphoneses are replaced with the following: “By the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord, Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.  Amen.”  This is taken by the senior person present but this person is not presiding as no presidential prayers are said.  In monasteries, and convents where there is no priest, and in homes of deacons and any of the laity, this is the manner in which the Liturgy of the Hours is taken. 

    The only sacrament that a Byzantine rite deacon may perform is baptism and only in case of necessity: “In case of necessity, baptism can be administered by a deacon or, in his absence or if he is impeded, by another cleric, a member of an institute of consecrated life, or by any other Christian faithful; even by the mother or father, if another person is not available who knows how to baptize.” Canon 677 - §2 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.  It would be extremely rare for this to happen, and of course chrismation which is to accompany baptism would need to be completed by a bishop or priest as soon as possible.  In comparison the Roman rite deacon like the Byzantine rite deacon also assists and serves, but following Vatican II, he also presides in certain circumstances.  When no bishop or priest is available the Roman rite deacon presides i.e. he represents the bishop in his function of liturgical presidency.  This may be done at baptisms, marriages, funerals, burials, the Liturgy of the Hours, services of the Liturgy of the Word, and various blessings of persons and objects. 

    Why these differences?  A careful reading of liturgical texts prior to Vatican II will show that the Roman rite deacon did not preside. [Richard E. Zenk,The Office of the Deacon in Ecclesiastical Law, Rome, 1969.]  Very simply, it was the desire of the Fathers of Vatican II for pastoral reasons, to allow a limited role of liturgical presidency to the deacon in the Roman rite. [Lumen Gentium, 29.] However, this was not their desire or intention for the Eastern Catholic Churches. [Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 17.] The Pontifical Commission for the Interpretation of the Decrees of Vatican Council II wrote in a commentary found in Notitiae 11 (1975) pp36-39 in reply to a query on the powers of the deacon regarding blessings and sacramentals and we quote in part:

 

    “Admittedly with the reform of the liturgy profound changes have come about relative to earlier discipline: deacons have been placed on a par ritually with priests in regard to the administration of some of the sacraments and sacramentals.  Even for baptism the deacon has become an ordinary minister, whereas before he was the extraordinary minister.  On the other hand, there are some sacramentals that it seems a deacon cannot administer: for example, the blessing of an abbot, consecration to a life of virginity, institution to ministries.  This is because of the status of the persons who through these blessings are consecrated to divine worship and to the Church’s worship.  The tradition of the Eastern Churches contrasts sharply with the concessions made in the Latin rite to deacons: blessings are reserved exclusively to the bishop and the priest; the deacon assists the priest at the eucharist and – except in an emergency – is not the minister of baptism, since its administration is conjoined with that of confirmation.”  [Documents on the Liturgy, 1963-1979 Conciliar, Papal and Curial Texts, The Liturgical Press, 1982, pp803-804.]

 

 

St. Ephrem the Syrian, Deacon

Harp of the Holy Spirit

(North Deacon's Door: St. Elias Parish, Brampton. Photo: A. Komar) 

 

A theological reflection 

 

    How does the deacon’s liturgical role, reveal and make what the deacon is?  We have seen him performing a variety of functions.  He can be styled the angel of prayer for it is his duty to invite the Church to pray.  As the regular minister of the litanies, he articulates in prayer the needs of the Church and acts as the voice of the assembly suggesting the petitions.  He is the general sacristan of the Church and the keeper of its vessels.  As master of ceremonies, he oversees the ritual action maintaining good order and a rhythmic flow throughout the service.  He directs and sets the mood of prayer, both by words and actions, shaping the piety of the assembled community.

    The deacon is the personal assistant to the bishop functioning as his valet and master of ceremonies.  By extension he assists the presbyter.  The deacon can be described as a hinge or link.  He addresses the assembly on behalf of the presiding celebrant and the presiding celebrant on behalf of the assembly. He admonishes and directs the liturgical assembly, and at times his role as master of ceremonies is extended to that of choir director.  Through his exhortations and commands he orders the service and keeps it moving.  He is a link between the presiding celebrant at the altar and the assembly in the nave.

     In the Constantinopolitan tradition, the liturgical role of the deacon is explicitly clear: the deacon is the attendant to the president of the liturgical assembly.  The deacon serves the bishop or priest so that the bishop or priest might preside at the Church’s liturgical prayer.  The prayers assigned to the liturgical president generally are in the plural and thus are the prayers of the whole assembly.  They usually are addressed to God the Father.  They receive the consent of the whole assembly by means of its Amen.  The deacon’s voice is generally directed not to God but to the assembly.

    As an attendant and assistant to the bishop, the deacon’s ministry of service is also extended in a diakonia to the Church and to the world.  Let us look at this as a cosmological vision in which it is the nature of the Church to reflect the divine or heavenly reality.  Within this cosmology the deacon is the sacramental image of Jesus Christ who is the diakonos of his Father.  He also is a type of the angel, the heavenly servitor, the messenger of glad tidings, and the creature whose entire life is given over completely to praising, adoring, and singing the glory of God, the Holy One.  The double-orarion worn by protodeacons/archdeacons is frequently embroidered with seraphim and the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy.

    The eucharist creates the Church, just as the Church creates the eucharist.  It is the summit and source of its life.  If we are to have an understanding of the diaconal ministry, we must see that ministry within the context of the Church’s liturgical celebrations.  A theology of the diaconate which fails to make the eucharist the basis of its reflection cannot be considered within the given framework of the Constantinopolitan tradition.  Although the Church is only a faint reflection of the Heavenly Kingdom, during the Divine Liturgy the reign of God becomes present in a mystical reality.  In this reality, the deacon reveals the diakonia of Christ to the Father: the Only-Begotten Son, the pre-eternal Word of the Father is the diakonos of the Father.  As the personal attendant of the president of the liturgical assembly, the deacon in the Constantinopolitan liturgical tradition sacramentally manifests the hierarchical divine relationship of the Son to the Father.

Liturgical Role of the Deacon in the Constantinopolitan Tradition, Part 3 of 4

Part 3 of 4

By: Protodeacon David Kennedy

 

            The reading of the gospel is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word in the Divine Liturgy.  It is preceded by a censing done by the deacon of the Gospel Book on the Holy Table, the icons in the altar, the iconostasis, the bishop or priest, and the assembly.  At the Divine Liturgy, the deacon sings the gospel as well as at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.  However, the bishop or priest reads the gospel at all other services.  Among the Orthodox Russians and Ukrainians when more than one deacon serves at Divine Liturgy, the apostle reading (usually a New Testament letter or a reading from the Act of the Apostles) is sung by the second deacon.    The deacon receives a solemn blessing from the bishop or priest before reading the gospel.  He is given the Gospel Book by the priest. (This book contains only the four canonical gospels and is bound in metal and decorated with icons. It is usually quite large in size and visually impressive.)   The deacon is the herald of the good news, the angel that brings the glad tidings of salvation.  The gospel is sung according to a prescribed intonation. 

    Once the gospel is read, the deacon presents the Gospel Book to the presiding bishop or priest for veneration and it is returned to the Holy Table. At this point the homily is given.  While a deacon may act as the homilist, this is not a usual practice.  Typically, the presiding bishop or priest gives the homily.  This action appears to be liturgically a presidential function and therefore more suited to the one who presides.  In practice, many deacons simply have not received the theological education and homiletic training to enable them to preach well. 

    While the Typikon usually prescribes that the cantor/reader sings the prokeimenon (a scriptural verse and response, similar to the gradual in the Roman Rite), in practice at Vespers and Matins the deacon usually sings it.

 

(Photo: M.L. Turi) 

    One of the most characteristic functions of the deacon is to be the minister of incensing.  In current practice the deacon censes at Divine Liturgy, Vespers, Matins, Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, Baptism & Christmation, the Betrothal & Crowning, the Anointing with Holy Oil, the Blessing of Waters, the Funeral Offices and Molebens.  If the deacon does not cense, he accompanies the bishop or priest who does by preceding him while holding a large candle (about a meter in length) in his hand.

    The use of incense in Christian worship usually serves one of three purposes: the domestic use which is chiefly fumigatory in nature, i.e. to create a pleasant odour; the honorific which is used to ‘honour’ either a person or a thing; and the sacrificial which is used as an oblation or offering to God.  Besides these three common uses a fourth also takes place.  This is as a ‘demonifuge’ which is used to purify the place of evil spirits. [Gregory Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy,2^nd Edition, A&C Black, 1979, p429. Robert F. Taft, The Great Entrance, OCA 200, 1975, p151.] These censings are done in a prescribed hierarchical order: first the holy table, then icons, then clergy according to order, and then the laity.  Usually nothing is said during the censings, however, at the incensing following the Rite the Proskomeidia at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, and at the Transfer of the Gifts, the deacon recites Psalm 50 (51), Have mercy on me O God… which clearly gives these censings a penitential tone.  In the Rite of Ordination for a Deacon, after t he newly ordained is vested by the bishop with the orarion (stole) and epimanikia (cuffs), the bishop presents him with a censer, and a ripidion (which is used by the deacon to fan the Holy Gifts). (Unlike the Latin Rite, the Book of the Gospels is not presented.)  [ АРХІЄРАТІКОН, Rome 1974, p242.]

 

    The deacon also functions as the master of ceremonies of the liturgical services.  Throughout the liturgical services the deacon prompts the principal bishop or celebrant with imperatives, e.g. “Master, give the blessing.” “Master, command.” “Master, proceed.”  “Master, cut.”  “Master, pierce.”   During the Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer) the deacon prompts the celebrant at the epiclesis: “Bless, Master, the holy bread.” “Bless, Master, the holy cup.”  “Bless, both Master.”   He commands the attention of the assembly and the reader/cantor with phrases such as “Let us be attentive” and “Wisdom.”  He reminds the assembly of the proper postures for prayer by commanding them to stand, bow their heads, or bend their knees.  In this role of master of ceremonies the deacon has a responsibility for the assembly, for its good order and its piety.  A deacon needs to know the order of service so well that he knows not only his functions, but that of everyone else. 

    A good deacon can anticipate what will come next, and he can anticipate the needs of the celebrant even before the celebrant can anticipate them himself.  This function of master of ceremonies is probably the most challenging and difficult of all the diaconal liturgical roles to master.  It requires an excellent memory not only of the structure and content of the liturgical texts but also of the way in which the liturgical actions are best carried out.  The deacon needs to be able to visualize in his mind not only what is to be said and done but how it is to be said and done, not only for him, but for all others ministers including the assembly.  This can be a very daunting task especially for a newly ordained deacon.  This is only compounded when a deacon serves with an impatient, intolerant or arrogant bishop or priest, especially one who has very little understanding of the deacon’s liturgical role.  Unfortunately, this is a serious pastoral liturgical problem for many deacons in the Eastern Catholic Churches.  Bishop Basil (Osborne) of the Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Western Europe comments on this, “…in fact there are very few good deacons.  It is much easier to be a priest than to be a deacon.  This is because to be a deacon you not only have to know what is going on but you have to be ahead of the game.  While the priest is doing one thing, you have to be aware of what he should do next.  Thus you have constantly to be a bit ahead.  This is a very difficult thing to do well.  There are a few good deacons liturgically speaking.” [“The Deacon in the Orthodox Tradition”, Distinctive Diaconate Study 13, no date, p2.]

    What makes all of this an even greater challenge is that the deacon is a minister of the assembly’s prayer.  He must pray with the assembly as we have seen in his role in the synaptes.  During the Divine Liturgy, the deacon does five to six times aloud the amount of text that is allotted to the presiding bishop or priest.  (Some celebrants and concelebrants resent the deacon’s role and would rather serve without a deacon for this would give the priests more to say and do.  Of course this is reflective of a dysfunctional understanding of liturgy and church.)  The deacon must be able to execute his functions well and this includes being able to sing his parts in such a way to lead the assembly in prayer.  He must be a man of prayer for he, himself, must be praying while he serves. He must also be able to direct the service and attend to the celebrant, the assembly, and the other liturgical ministers while he prays. 

    It is of essential importance to keep in mind at all times that the deacon’s liturgical functions always take place in conjunction with the rest of the assembly’s liturgical life.  The liturgical assembly should consist of a bishop (or his representative a priest) who presides, deacons who serve and assist, subdeacons (or altar servers) who serve and assist, readers/cantors and the gathering of the baptized communicants who act through and with Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father.  The deacon’s liturgical functions are not to be analyzed outside of the liturgical assembly, which is the Church, the Body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Liturgical Role of the Deacon in the Constantinopolitan Tradition, Part 2 of 4

Part 2 of 4

By: Protodeacon David Kennedy

 

The Liturgical Setting

Before examining the texts, it is good to get a sense of the place in which most of the services occur, namely, the church building.  We should keep in mind that Byzantine liturgy is a manifestation of the heavenly liturgy.  The church is divided into three major sections on an east-west axis.  Through the western doors one enters into the narthex (the world that has fallen into sin, the world that needs to be redeemed and yet is still within the economia of God’s saving plan). 

(St. Elias Parish, Brampton. Photo: A. Komar)

From the narthex one proceeds eastward into the naos or nave.  This is the central body of the church.  In the dome above is an icon of Christ Pantocrator, surrounded by the angelic beings.  Further down the walls are icons of the Prophets who prophesized the coming of the Messiah, and other Old Testament figures, often ancestors of Christ. In the vaults are depicted many of the Great Feasts of the Calendar.  In the pendentives are found the four evangelists. Also on the walls are found scenes of the miracles of Christ and finally near the floor of the nave, local saints.  The nave is the place in which the baptized are gathered.  It is the world that is being redeemed, being sanctified, being divinized. Here, the visible Body of Christ gathers in the world to re-enact the paschal mystery. 

At the east end of the nave is the solea raised a few steps above the nave floor.  The semi-circle located directly before the holy doors of the iconostasis is known as the ambo.  When in the nave, the deacon usually stands on the ambo facing eastward, and from it, he recites the synaptes or litanies. (Originally the ambo was in the centre of the nave, and from there the deacon recited the synaptes and read the scriptures.) [Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, pp75-76.]

(Photo: M.L. Turi)

East of the ambo is the chancel barrier or iconostasis.  It is pierced by three doors; the holy doors in the centre, and deacon’s doors on the north and south.  To the right of the holy doors is an icon of Christ, to the left an icon of the Mother of God.  On the deacon’s doors are portrayed either angels or saintly deacons.  The altar or sanctuary is also depicted with icons.  The dome of the altar usually depicts the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  The walls have scenes of the heavenly and mystical Eucharistic Supper, involving the apostles and hierarchs, deacons and angels.  At times there are Old Testament types of the Eucharistic, e.g. the sacrifice of Isaac.  [A. J. Philippou, editor, Leonid Ouspensky, The Orthodox Ethos, Vol. 1, Holywell Press, 1964, “The Symbolism of the Church”, pp155-168; Constantine Cavarnos, “Iconographic Decoration in the Orthodox Church”, pp169-185.] The Holy Table or altar table is centered in the middle of the sanctuary under the dome of Pentecost, for the Holy Spirit is continually descending upon the Church to sanctify her.  In the eastern apse is found the cathedra of the bishop and the synthronon or bench for the presbyters. It should be noted that deacons do not sit when they are serving and thus, no place is allotted to them for seating.  The nave of a traditional church is also free from pews, although one will find benches along the walls for the infirm and elderly.  Generally, the posture for prayer is standing, clergy and laity alike.  Byzantine liturgy is a complex of persons, (bishop, priest, deacon, subdeacon, cantor/reader, laity) hierarchically structured in a setting that has cosmic, paschal and eschatological significance.

 

 

 

Liturgical Textual Sources

 

            What sources can help us understand the deacon’s liturgical ministry in the Byzantine rite?  The Byzantine rite makes use of a number of large volumes.  These texts are used by the bishop, priest, deacon, cantor/reader and the assembly.  The books that are needed by the deacon are the Ευαγγέλιον (Evangelion or Books of the Gospels); the Ευχολόγιον (Euchologion or Book of Blessings) – this contains the fixed parts or ordinary of the Divine Liturgy, Vespers, Matins, the mysteries or sacraments and various other services (e.g. funerals) and blessings; the Αρχιερατικόν (Archieratikon or Pontifical or Bishop’s Service Book) and the Τυπικόν (Typikon) which contains the rules and rubrics for ordering the various services.  The Typikon exemplifies the neo-Sabaitic synthesis of the Byzantine rite.  For some of the propers (changeable parts), the deacon must consult with the cantor’s unique set of books. There is another text that contains only the deacon’s ordinary and some propers, namely, the Ιεροδιακόνικον (Ierodiakonikon or Book of the Deacon).  [Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware, The Festal Menaion, St. Tikhon’s Press, 1990, Appendix II, “The Service Books of the Orthodox Church”, pp535-543.] All of this can prove somewhat daunting to a newly ordained deacon.  But as we will see many of the ordinary texts are repeatable from one service to the next and many of the ordinary texts, e.g. the Great Synapte or Litany of Peace use a repeating structure and insert proper petitions for special services such as the Great Blessing of Water.

(Photo: M.L. Turi)

            Now back to the liturgical texts.  They instruct the deacon when to serve, what he recites, and generally through the rubrics, what to do and how and where to do it.  The evidence of the liturgical books tells us that it is the norm of liturgical law for the deacon to serve at the following: Divine Liturgy (Mass), Pontifical Divine Liturgy (Mass served by a bishop), Great and Daily Vespers (Evening Prayer), Great Compline but not Daily Compline or the Midnight Office, Matins (Office of Readings and Morning Prayer), Royal Hours but not the Daily Little Hours, Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (Vespers with Communion from the Reserved Sacrament, served on the Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent), Baptism and Chrismation (Confirmation) which are usually served as one service together, Betrothal and Crowning (Marriage), Holy Oil (Anointing of the Sick), Holy Orders, Funeral Offices, Great and Lesser Blessings of Water, Monastic Tonsure, The Order for the Founding of a Church, The Consecration of a Church, The Consecration of Holy Antimensia, The Consecration of Holy Chrism, The Blessing and Consecration of an Iconostasis, The Blessing of a Bell Tower, The Blessing of Bells, The Blessing of a Cemetery, The Blessing of Icons, The Blessing of Various Liturgical Objects, The Blessing of Various Foods, Services of Supplication or Molebens. There are a few small blessings that the bishop or priest does without a deacon but the most conspicuous service that does not include a deacon is Confession. 

 

Generally, when a liturgical service takes place in the Byzantine rite, the deacon serves. What liturgical role is assigned to the deacon?  We will first examine what he says.  One of the distinctive characteristics of Byzantine liturgy is the litanic prayer know in Greek as συναπτή (synapte), εκτένια (ektenia), αίτησις (aitesis).  It consists of a series of petitions, in most cases addressed to the entire liturgical assembly and sung by the deacon.  To each petition, the assembly gives its consent and affirmation through a sung response, e.g. “Lord, have mercy” or “Grant it, O Lord.”  While the deacon sings the petitions and the assembly responds, the presiding bishop or priest silently recites a prayer that is usually addressed to God the Father.  When the last response of the assembly is completed, the bishop or priest sings the concluding doxology aloud (e.g. For unto Thee do we render glory, to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages) of the prayer that he recited silently while the litany was being sung by the deacon, and the assembly responds with its Amen.  In the Divine Liturgy there are assigned to the deacon eleven litanies.  The number of petitions in each litany varies from two to fourteen or more.  Generally, most of the petitions are being directed by the deacon to the assembly as a whole.  However, there are exceptions to this rule: in the Ektenia of Fervent Intercession a number of the petitions are addressed to God.  The deacon at the Lytia of Great Vespers and at Matins is assigned the prayer, “O God save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance…” Yet in this petition, it is through the prayers of the saints that the Church hopes to be heard.  The structure of those petitions in which the deacon addresses God does not resemble the structure of the presidential prayers assigned to the bishop or priest.  These litanies reveal and involve the whole Church in prayer: the presiding bishop, the serving deacon and the responding laity.  If you have been baptized into Christ, you are a member of the praying Church and you have a liturgical role in the Church’s prayer.  While there as a diversity of ministries, as there is a diversity of charisms, they are all given by the same Holy Spirit for the building up of the Body of Christ unto the glory of the Father. 

Litanies are very characteristic of the deacon’s involvement in Byzantine liturgical prayer.  The litanies are corporate and hierarchical in structure revealing the corporate and hierarchical nature of the Church.  Generally, the petitions are fixed and thus are well know to all.  The familiarity of the petitions with the common response allows the whole body of the faithful to easily participate in this type of prayer, which focuses on the needs of the Church, the world and the assembly.  The petitions enunciated and articulated by the deacon focus on peace, the salvation of souls, the good of the Church, the union of all, the worshiping assembly, the hierarch of the Church, the civil authorities, the armed forces, the city and dwelling places of the faithful, seasonable weather, abundance of food, those who are travelling, those who are captives, deliverance from all affliction, that the day or evening may be peaceful and without sin, that each of the faithful may be guarded and guided by an angel of peace, on the pardon and remission of sins, on what is profitable for soul and body, on a life of peace and repentance, on a Christian ending to life, on a good judgement before Christ, on the departed, on the catechumens, and various other needs. 

The litanies are sung in a style known as ekphonesis.  Johann von Gardner describes ekphonesis as “[A] constant level of pitch with likely deviations at the beginnings and especially the ends of phrases and texts; level of median pitch somewhat higher than in psalmody; more extensive elongation of vowels but still without a clearly distinguishable rhythm; small changes in dynamics possible; occasional short melismas, especially at ends of phrases.” [Johann von Gardner, Russian Church Singing. Volume I, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1980, p57.]  Von Gardner, also says that the litanies are “a point of repose” in the services, except for the Litany of Fervent Supplication (and I would add the litany, “O God, save Thy people…” which is sung in an ascending style where the musical scale is chromatic). [Russian Church Singing, Volume I, p75.]  These periods of repose provide a familiar calm in the services. When no deacon is present, the bishop or priest must sing the litany and silently recite the accompanying prayer (usually at another part of the service) or take the prayer aloud.  This tends to create a liturgical disharmony and ignores the litanic structure both from a literary and more importantly an ecclesial perspective for it distracts the bishop or priest from his role of presiding.  The point is that when a deacon is not present, there is a liturgical lacuna in the assembly’s prayer.  And this results in both a liturgical and ecclesial dysfunction.

We can summarize the structure of the litanic prayer:

1. A serious of petitions, usually addressed to the assembly but at times to God by the deacon.
2. A response to each petition by the assembly, e.g. Lord has mercy.
3. A presidential prayer by the bishop or priest usually recited silently with the doxology of the prayer aloud.
4. A response to the prayer by the assembly, i.e. Amen.

The deacon does not serve when the litanic prayer structure is absent.  This is the case at the First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours, as well as at Small Compline and the Midnight Office.  Although, Small Compline, the Midnight Office and the Royal Office at the beginning of Matins, all have litanies, these litanies have no presidential prayer.  They do not follow the structure of the litanic prayer.

To be continued....

 

 

Liturgical Role of the Deacon in the Constantinopolitan Tradition, Part 1 of 4

Protodeacon David Kennedy

[Originally published in Diaconia Christi, 42/2007, and later published in New Diaconal Review, Issue 3 2009 and Issue 4 2010.]

Part 1 of 4 

Liturgical Foundations

            Over the last fifty years there has been a substantial amount of inquiry concerning the nature of the diaconate and the specific role and identity of the deacon, primarily in the Western Christian world. [One source for an accumulated bibliography is Distinctive Diaconate Study Number 22. To order DDS cf. www.distinctive-diaconate.org.uk A sample of recent publications from Paulist Press includes: Owen F. Cummings, William T. Ditewig, Richard R. Gaillardetz, Theology of the Diaconate: The State of the Question, 2005; Kenan B. Osborne, The Permanent Diaconate: Its History and Place in the Sacrament of Orders, 2006; James Keating, editor, The Deacon Reader, 2006.] The literature reveals an ongoing search to articulate who and what the deacon is.  The International Theological Commission of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in its 2003 study attempted to bring some clarity to the situation. [International Theological Commission, From the Diakonia of Christ to the Diakonia of the Apostles, Hillenbrand, 2004.] It seems that much of the question focuses on the meaning of diakonia and its cognates: what does the New Testament tell us about this word and how it was used in early Christian literature? [John N. Collins, Diakonia: Re-interpreting the Ancient Sources, Oxford,1990; Collins, Deacons and the Church: Making connections between old and new, Morehouse, 2002.] It should be noted that these questions and the overwhelming literature on the topic has almost been exclusively from the perspective of Western Christianity.  This is not in itself a fault, but it certainly gives a particularly nuanced perspective.

    This paper will look at the diaconate from a different point of view, namely, the liturgical tradition of the Byzantine or Constantinopolitan rite.  It is the underlying premise of the author that liturgy is theologia prima. [Alexander Schmemann, Introduction to Liturgical Theology, Faith Press, 1975; Aidan Kavanagh, On Liturgical Theology, Pueblo, 1981; David W. Fagerber, Theological Prima: What Is Liturgical Theology, Hillenbrand, 2004.]  Liturgy is not just a source of theology but it is theology in action.  Sacrosanctum Concilium speaks of the liturgy as both the summit and the fount of the Church’s life or activity, “from which all her power flows.” [Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10.] And while it does not exhaust the “entire activity of the Church” [Sacrosanctum Concilium, 9.] no other activity “of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree.” [Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7.] The liturgy manifests the Church, the sacrament of unity, for “the holy people are united and arrange under their bishops.” [Sacrosanctum Concilium, 26.] Liturgy is a complex action of Christ and the Church. Through signs and words, the liturgy makes real the paschal mystery of Christ and reveals the eschatological reality of the Kingdom. 

    “Do this in memory of Me; for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim My death and confess My Resurrection.  Therefore, Master, as we too remember his saving passion, the life-giving Cross, the burial for three days, the resurrection from the dead, the ascension into heaven, the sitting at Your right hand, O God and Father, and His glorious and dread second coming; We offer to You, Yours of Your own, in behalf of all and for all. [While this is being said, the deacon, having crossed his hands, elevates the holy diskos (a paten with a foot) and the holy chalice.]” [From the anamnesis of the Byzantine anaphora or Eucharistic prayer of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great.]

(Photo: A. Komar)

 

            What Christians do, what the Church does, what is unique to them and therefore their unique claim in and for the world, is that they celebrate the paschal mystery of Christ.  And their celebration is the action of Christ, for they are his Body and he is the head of the Body, [Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7.] without him they can do nothing and with him they can do all.  From this perspective founded in the Church’s liturgical life, the life in Christ, there is simply no other place to begin a reflection on the diaconate for without the liturgy there is no Church.

    Broadly speaking what does the deacon do liturgically?  The answer is clear: the deacon does what the Church does and that is the celebration of the paschal mystery of Christ.  The specific question is how does the deacon do it?  This paper will explore some of the specifics of how the deacon does it.  While a short paper cannot examine every textual and rubrical detail, a summary can be made of the textual and rubrical paradigms derived from the diaconal liturgical role.  It should be remembered that the liturgy does not exhaust the life of the Church, so likewise the liturgy will not provide an exhaustive vision of the diaconate but it should, and will give us an essential vision of the diaconate in relationship to the paschal mystery of Christ. Without this essential liturgical vision, we are simply lost, for what we have lost is the paschal mystery, for the pre-eternal Word became incarnate to make present this mystery, which was hidden from before the ages.

 

The Constantinopolitan Tradition

            The array of Churches in Eastern Christendom often appears complex and bewildering, especially to those who have had little contact with Eastern Christians.  Mistakenly, all of these Churches are frequently put into the same category.  An excellent guide through this maze is Ronald Roberson’s The Eastern Christian Churches. A Brief Survey.  [ http://www.cnewa.org/home.aspx?ID=26&pagetypeID=12&sitecode=CA  On the upper menu bar click “Eastern Churches”.]

 

    What is the Byzantine rite? Very briefly, it is that liturgical tradition which was synthesized in the City of Constantinople between the ninth and fourteenth centuries. [Robert F. Taft, The Byzantine Rite: A Short History, Liturgical Press, 1992, p16.] It draws upon the cathedral uses of the Cities of Constantinople and Jerusalem along with the monastic practices of the same regions.  Byzantine liturgy has its own ritual celebration, setting and interpretation: it is a complex of text, ceremonial, music, setting, architecture, iconography and various minor arts. [The Byzantine Rite, p17.] Robert Taft, S.J. describes the Symbolgestalt or symbolic matrix:

 

    “The impact of this Symbolgestalt is forever enshrined in the legend of the delegation sent to Constantinople in 987 by Prince Vladimir of Kiev “to examine the Greek faith.” The emissaries were led to Hagia Sophia for the liturgy, “so that the Russes might behold the glory of the God of the Greeks.”  On returning home they reported what they had experienced in terms that have become emblematic for the Erscheinungsbild, or unique impact created by the sensible splendours of the Byzantine Rite: “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth.  For on earth there is no such splendour or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it.  We know only that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations for we cannot forget that beauty.”  “Heaven on earth.”  This classic phrase, repeated so often it has become a topos, actually derives from the opening chapter of the earlier liturgical commentary (ca 730) of Patriarch St. Germanus I of Constantionople: “The church is heaven on earth, where the God of heaven dwells and moves.”” [The Byzantine Rite, pp17-18.]

 

We should note here, that the deacons of the Hagia Sophia, played a significant liturgical role in the conversion of the Rus’, for we read in the Primary Chronicle from which Taft quotes above:

 

            “…The emperor sent a message to the patriarch to inform him that a Rus’ delegation had arrived to examine the Greek faith, and directed him to prepare the church and the clergy, and to array himself in his sacerdotal robes, so that the Rus’ might behold the glory of the God of the Greeks.  When the patriarch received these commands, he bade the clergy assemble, and they performed the customary rites.  They burned incense, and the choirs sang hymns.  The emperor accompanied the Rus’ to the church, and placed them in a wide space, calling their attention to the beauty of the edifice, the chanting, and the offices of the archpriest (i.e. the patriarch) and the ministry of the deacons, (italics are the author’s) while he explained to them the worship of his God.” [Serge A. Zenkovsky, Medieval Russia’s Epics, Chronicles, and Tales, Dutton Paperback, 1974, p67.]

 

    Because liturgy manifests the paschal mystery of Christ in the midst of the Church, which is hierarchically structured, it reveals who Christ is, it proclaims the good news of the Kingdom of God and thus can lead us to repentance, to a change of mind, to the putting on of the mind of Christ. [Sacrosanctum Concilium speaks to this experience in §26 “Liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations of the Church which is “the sacrament of unity”, namely, “the holy people united and arranged under their bishops.”  The diversity of ministries are also manifested in this experience of the envoys and again Sacrosanctum Concilium addresses this in §28 “In liturgical celebrations each person, minister, or layman who has an office to perform, should carry out all and only those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the norms of the liturgy.” When the envoys of Prince Vladimir experienced the liturgy as celebrated in the Hagia Sophia, the whole complex of liturgical elements worked on their hearts to bring them to conversion, to bring them into the Body of Christ.  And we can see that the liturgical ministry of the deacons played no small part in this conversion.  We should not underestimate the power of liturgy to change lives and bring us to Christ.

 

             Taft “divides the history of Byzantine liturgical synthesis into five, sometimes overlapping phases:

1. the paleo-Byzantine or pre-Constantinian era, about which we know little;
2. the “Imperial phase” during the Late Antique or patristic period, especially from the reign of Justinian I (527-565) and his immediate successors, creating a system of cathedral liturgy that lasted until some time after the Latin conquest (1204-1261), thus overlapping with phases 3-4;
3. the “Dark Ages” from 610 to ca. 850, and especially the struggle against Iconoclasm (726-843), culminating in the Studite reform;
4. the Studite era itself, from ca. 800-1204;
5. the final, neo-Sabaitic synthesis after the Latin conquest (1204-1261).  [The Byzantine Rite, pp18-19.]

 

(The reader who wishes to explore the history of the Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine rite would do well to consider these texts: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford, 1991; Juan Mateos, La célébration de la parole dans la liturgie Byzantine. Étude historique, Orientalia Christiana Analecta 191, Roma 1971; Robert F. Taft, The Great Entrance. A History of the Transfer of the Gifts and other Pre-anaphoral Rites, OCA 200, 1978; Robert F. Taft,The Diptychs, OCA 238, 1991; Robert F. Taft, The Precommunion Rites, OCA 261, 2000; Robert F. Taft, The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West. The Origins of the Divine Office and Its Meaning for Today, 2^nd Revised Edition, Liturgical Press, 1993. Hans-Joachim Schulz, Die byzantinische Liturgie, Paulinus-Verlag, 1980. (All of these texts have extensive bibliographies.)

To be continued...