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Synodikon of Orthodoxy (843)

Local councils, tr. King, 1772; the Russian office

Chapter 1

The Office of Orthodox Sunday¹

THE hours being read, the bishop, dressed in his pontifical vestment, stands in the customary place. The archimandrites, hegumens, priests and deacons, go out of the altar; the priests carrying the pictures of our Saviour and the Virgin, lay them upon analogions in the middle of the church.

The proto-deacon begins. Give the benediction, Sir.

Bishop. Blessed be our God:

Choir. Amen. And sing: O heavenly King:

Reader. Trisagion: Lord have mercy upon us. Twelve times. O come let us worship.

Psalm 75.

Glory: Both now: Allelujah. Thrice.

The deacon reads the usual ectinia to the petition, for all that travel: and then adds the following.

Let us pray unto the Lord to look upon his holy church with a merciful eye, to preserve it safe and unconquered by heresies and superstition, and to keep it in his peace.

Let us pray unto the Lord to deliver it from all division, and by the power of the holy Spirit to convert all who have erred to the knowledge of the truth, and to join them to his chosen flock.

Let us pray unto the Lord, to enlighten those whose understandings are obscured by infidelity, with the divine light of his wisdom; and to confirm his faithful servants and preserve them stedfast in orthodoxy.

After the ectinia, Deus Dominus nobis apparuit. Tone IV.

We, thine unworthy servants, O Lord, in the deepest sense of thy great favours bestowed upon us, praise thee and glorify thee; we bless thee, we give thanks unto thee, we sing unto thee, and magnify thy mercy, and as thy servants celebrate thee: O our benefactor and Saviour, glory be to thee.

Glory: Tone III.

We, thine unprofitable servants, O Lord, whom thou hast thought worthy of thy free goodness and grace, with eagerness betake ourselves to thee, offering thee all possible thanks and praise; and glorifying thee as our benefactor and creator, we cry out: Glory be to thee, O God most merciful.

Both now: Tone IV.

Thou, O Lord, who didst shew forth the magnificence of the firmament above, and the beauty of the holy tabernacle of thy glory below, establish this for ever and ever: and receive our prayers which are incessantly presented unto thee therein, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, O thou who art the resurrection and the life of all.

Proto-deacon. Let us attend.

Bishop. Peace be with you all.

Reader. And with thy spirit.

Proto-deacon. Wisdom. Let us attend.

Reader: Prokimenon. Tone IV.

Such as be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of the house of our God.

Verse. The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall put his trust in him.

Epistle.

Rom. chap. xvi. ver. 17 to 21.

Gospel.

Matt. chap. x. ver. 10. to 19.

Then the ectinia, Have mercy upon us, O God, after thy great goodness; we beseech thee hear us, and have mercy upon us.

After the petition for the holy legislative synod:

O thou, who wouldest not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and repent, convert all apostates to thy holy church. We beseech thee, O merciful Lord, hear us, and have mercy upon us.

O thou, who didst create this world for thy glory, lead all those to repentance who are averse to thy word, that together with all the faithful they may worship thee our God with faith and true piety. We beseech thee, O almighty Creator, hear us, and have mercy upon us.

O thou, who didst give us thy commandment to love thee our Lord, and our neighbour, grant that this day enmities, injuries, unrighteous gain, violence, swearing, and all wickedness may be extirpated, and that true love may reign in our hearts. We beseech thee, O our Saviour, hear us, and have mercy upon us.

Bishop, Exclamation. Hear us, O God our Saviour:

Choir. Amen.

Proto-deacon. Let us pray unto the Lord.

Choir. Lord have mercy upon us.

Prayer.

O most high God, the Lord and maker of the whole creation, who fillest all things with thy greatness, and upholdest them by thy power; we thine unworthy servants offer up our thanks to thee, our Lord, the giver of all things, that thou dost not turn away thy face from us because of our sins, but dost prevent us with thy mercy: thou hast sent thine only begotten Son to deliver us, and to declare to us thy boundless love to mankind; that with desire thou desirest that we should be converted and be saved. Thou considerest the infirmities of our nature, and dost strengthen us with the omnipotent grace of thy holy Spirit; thou dost comfort us with salutary faith and the stedfast hope of eternal blessings; and dost lead thine elect to the mount Sion, keeping them as the apple of thine eye. We confess O Lord, thy mercy and love to mankind, beyond example great; but considering our manifold dangers, we earnestly pray unto thee, O blessed Lord: look down upon thy church and behold: for though we have joyfully received thy gospel of salvation, yet the thorns of vanity and worldly affections have rendered it unfruitful; and many among men being addicted to wickedness, and by heresies and schisms striving against thy evangelical truth, depart from thine heritage, reject thy grace, and subject themselves to the judgment of thy holy word. O most merciful and almighty Lord, who dost not keep thine anger for ever, be merciful unto them! Thy holy church, representing to thee Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our salvation, beseecheth thee, be merciful unto them; confirm them with the power of the orthodox faith, enlighten the eyes of their understanding with thy divine light, that they may understand thy truth; soften the hardness of their hearts, and open their ears, that they may hear thy voice, and be turned unto thee our Saviour. Correct, O Lord, their errors and their life dissonant to the christian religion: and grant that we may all be holy and undefiled, that so thy salutary faith may take root, and bring forth fruit in our hearts. Turn not away thy face from us, O Lord; shew us the joy of thy salvation, give unto the pastors of thy church a holy zeal and care for the salvation and conversion of those that err, governing them with the spirit of the gospel; that so being all led by thy hand, we may arrive there where the perfection of faith, the fulness of hope and true chastity abound, and together with the choirs of angelic powers may glorify thee, our Lord, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, unto ages of ages. Amen.

Proto-deacon aloud. Who is so great a God as our God? Thou art he that doth wondrous things, thou art God alone. Thrice.

Let the orthodox now celebrating the day of orthodoxy in an especial manner glorify God the author of all good things, who is blessed for ever. This is our God, who by his providence establisheth the heritage in which he delighteth, his holy church, the foundation whereof he laid even in paradise, comforting by his infallible word those who fall through the transgression of our first parents. This is our God, who leading us to that his gracious promise, left not himself without a witness; but first foretold the future salvation, and gave various lively descriptions thereof by our fore-fathers and the prophets. This is our God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, and hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, by whom also he made the worlds; who declared his good-will towards us, opened the mysteries of heaven, made us to believe the truth of the gospel through the power of the holy Spirit; sent his apostles to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all the world, and confirmed it by various signs and miracles. Following this salutary revelation, and embracing this gospel. We believe in one God: (the Nicene creed is repeated.)

This is the apostolic faith, this is the faith of our fathers, this is the orthodox faith, this faith confirmeth the universe.

Furthermore, we receive and assert the councils of the holy fathers, and their traditions and writings, which are agreeable to divine revelation.

And though there are some who are enemies to this orthodoxy, and adversaries to the providential and salutary revelation of the Lord towards us, yet hath the Lord considered the reproaches of his servants; for he hath covered the opposers of his glory with shame, and put the perverse enemies of his faith to flight.

As therefore we bless and praise those who have submitted their understanding to the obedience of the divine revelation, and have contended for it: so following the holy scriptures, and holding the traditions of the primitive church, we reject and anathematize all those who oppose the truth, if while the Lord tarried for their repentance and conversion they have refused to return.

To those who deny the existence of God, and assert that the world is self-existing, and that all things in it are made by chance, without the divine providence, Anathema, Anathema, Anathema.

To those who say that God is not a spirit, but flesh: or that he is not just, merciful, wise, omniscient, and such like blasphemies, Anathema, thrice.

To those who dare to say that the Son of God and the Holy Ghost are not consubstantial and of the same honour with the Father; and that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are not one God, Anathema, thrice.

To those who reproachfully assert that the coming of the Son of God into the world in the flesh, and his voluntary passion, death and resurrection were not necessary for our salvation and the expiation of sin, Anathema, thrice.

To those who reject the grace of redemption preached in the gospel as the only means of our justification before God, Anathema, thrice.

To those who assert that the blessed Virgin Mary was not a virgin before her child-birth, in her child-birth, and after her child-birth, Anathema, thrice.

To those who do not believe that the Holy Ghost inspired the prophets and apostles, and by them instructed us in the true way to eternal salvation, and confirmed the same by miracles, and now dwelleth in the hearts of all faithful and sincere christians, and guideth them into all truth, Anathema, thrice.

To those who reject the immortality of the soul, and deny that the world will have an end, and that there will be a future judgment, and eternal rewards for the virtuous in heaven, and punishment for the wicked, Anathema, thrice.

To those who reject all the holy mysteries which the church of Christ holds, Anathema, thrice.

To those who reject the councils of the holy fathers, and their traditions which are agreeable to divine revelation, and which the orthodox catholic church piously maintains, Anathema, thrice.

To those who think that orthodox sovereigns do not ascend their thrones by the special favour of God towards them; and do not at their unction receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost for the discharge of their great office; and thence dare to excite insurrections and rebellions against them, as Gregory Otrepevius, John Mazeppa, and such like, Anathema, thrice.

To those who cast reproaches on the holy images which the holy church receiveth, in remembrance of the works of God and of his saints, to inspire the beholders with piety, and to incite them to imitate their examples, and to those who say that they are idols, Anathema, thrice.

But to all who have contended for the right faith, by their words, by their writings, by their doctrine, by their sufferings and religious life, as unto the protectors and defenders of the church of Christ, the church celebrates their memory annually and proclaims:

To the holy, and most religious emperor Constantine equal to the apostles, and to his mother Helena, everlasting remembrance, everlasting remembrance, everlasting remembrance.

To the orthodox Greek emperors, Theodosius the Great, Theodosius Junior, Justinian, and all pious Greek emperors and empresses, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the religious great Duke Woladimir equal to the apostles, and to Olga his grandmother, and to all other religious princes and princesses of Russia, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the religious Sovereigns, Emperors, and great Dukes, John Wasilewich², Theodore Iwánowich, Michael Theódorowich, Alexis Michaelowich, Theodore Alexiewich, John Alexiewich, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the most pious great sovereign and emperor Peter the first, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the most pious sovereign and emperor Peter the second, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the most pious sovereign Princesses and Empresses, Catherina Alexiewna, Anna Iwannowna, Elizabetha Petrowna, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the religious sovereign Princesses and great Duchesses, Eudocia Lukianowna, Maria Eliechna, Agatha Simeonowna, Martha Matthewna, Natalia Cyrilowna, Parascovia Theodorowna, to the nun Helena, to the nun Martha Iwanowna, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the religious Princes Sons of Tzars and great Dukes, Demetrius Iwanowich, Alexis Alexiowich, Alexis Petrowich.

To the religious princesses, daughters of Tzars and great Duchesses, Anna Petrowna, Natalia Petrowna.

To the religious princesses, daughters of the sons of Tzars, and great Duchesses, Tatiana Michaelowna, Irena Michaelowna, the nun Anthya Michaelowna, the nun Sophia Alexiewna, the nun Margarita Alexiewna, Theodosia Alexiewna, Eudocia Alexiewna, Maria Alexiewna, Catherina Alexiewna, Natalia Alexiewna, Catherina Iwanowna, Parascovia Iwanowna, to the religious princesses and great Duchess Natalia Alexiewna, and the rest of the imperial family, and all who are born of great Dukes of Russia, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the most holy Russian patriarchs, Job, Hermogenes, Philaretes, Joasaph, Joseph, Nichon, Joasaph, Peterimus, Joachim, Adrian, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the most holy patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To the most reverend and orthodox metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To all princes and boyars³ who have suffered and fallen in various battles in defence of the orthodox faith, and of their country, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

To all orthodox christians who have died in the true faith and religion, and hope of the resurrection, everlasting remembrance. Thrice.

The orthodox church of Christ thus triumphantly celebrating the memory of those who have in past times contended for the faith, thereby to excite all her faithful sons to follow their examples, does also justly extol those who now by their labour contend for the true orthodoxy and by a salutary faith and virtue prepare themselves for eternal beatitude.

Then in a loud voice he exclaims: To the most pious and august, [the Sovereign, by name] who zealously embraces, and defends the christian religion, and protects the church of Christ, grant, O Lord, happiness and peace, and health, and salvation, prosperity in all her undertakings, victory over all her enemies, and preserve her many years.

Choir. Many years. Nine times.

To the most religious [the imperial family, by name] many years.