www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy The Revised Divine Liturgy Rubrics and Structure at the Prayers of the Faithful & Cherubicon

From another thread: One_Year_and_One_Day_A_Reflection


This is both a statement and question about rubrics:

The Statement: “I hold that there has been no change in the rubrics. They have been rewritten, but do not change practice, except in the incensations before the Gospel and the Great Entrance, which have been barely mentioned on this forum.”

The Question: “what the Forum means when it uses the word rubric”

In order to answer and respond to this post I attempted to ascertain the point of reference but to no avail, link:

I also noted at the time, without pursuing it further, link:

Fr. David also notes a distinction between “liturgical structure” and “rubrics.” Also, as another point of reference, this topic has come up just recently in the Kliros forum, link:

It seems the time has come to consider this in detail, that is, to “objectively compare the documents in what they ACTUALLY SAY. ”

My criteria:

1. rubrics are basically the stuff in red in liturgicons AND what’s found elaborated in the Ordo Celebrationis (OC), it being a manual of rubrics.

2. Structure will also be examined since and in so far as it has an influence on rubrics

3. The initial inquiry relies on objective texts, not interpretations and customs. What does the text say.

4 The standard is the Ruthenian Recension, i.e. the Divine Liturgy and the Ordo in the Slavonic and Latin originals respectively. All relevant texts are available here [patronagechurch.com].


The comparison to be made then is between the RDL 2007 liturgicon versus the 1965 liturgicon and OC (English translation) since the latter two - as they are essentially accurate and complete - present the original texts of the Ruthenian Recension in an English translation. As a fair comparison it should be noted that the RDL includes rubrics for concelebration and it may also expand the rubrics as simply found in the Služebnik. This is ok and the RDL may legitimately not include what is elaborated in the Ordo since the Služebnik itself does not always have such details. What is a deviation, however, is any explicit departure from that which is stated in the Recension.

I will soon (hopefully) post here a "side-by-side" comparison of the structure and rubrics, hopefully in tabular form since that’s the clearest presentation - - but I don’t know how well or if the table coding will work, so I may have to experiment or post it as untabulated text.

Plan B.

Table is at this link [patronagechurch.com] .

Rubrics and Structure at the Prayers of the Faithful & Cherubicon

Here is the comparison table in the previous link for convenience.

RDL = 2007 liturgicon starts at page 59 after the Litany and Prayer for the Catechumens.  

Page numbers are given in (); section - not page - numbers are given for the ORDO(=OC).

My appraisal is to the left after the numbers for each item. 

Actual rubrics are in red as found in the liturgicons' text.

 

	Comment	2007	1965
		ORDO text here (if applicable)
1	ALTERED STRUCTURE	(60): has the Second Prayer of the Faithful (though not titled) following directly the Prayer for the Catechumens, and then a solid black line	no corresponding entry
2	NEUTRAL	(60) As the faithful sing the Cherubikon, the celebrant and concelebrants say the following prayers quietly.	no corresponding rubric here
3	NEUTRAL	(60)  The celebrant unfolds the antimension immediately before the First Prayer of the Faithful.	(26) Iliton unfolded previously during the Prayer for the Catechumens
4	ALTERED STRUCTURE. See Below 9 (where this occurs in the 1965)	(61) The deacon meanwhile incenses the holy table on all four sides, then the apsidal icon, the gifts on the table of preparation, the faithful, and finally the front of the holy table. During the incensing, the deacon quietly says Psalm 50.	no corresponding rubric here; see below 9
5	NEUTRAL	(61) FIRST PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL	(26) FIRST PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
6	ALTERED-STRUCTURE / OMISSIONS	first prayer taken silently; no diakonika etc.	(27) Deacon: Protect us...Wisdom...Again and again ...; People: responses; Priest: ekphonesis
7	NEUTRAL	(62) SECOND PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL (repeated)	(27): SECOND PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
8	ALTERED-STRUCTURE / OMISSIONS	second prayer taken silently; no diakonika etc.	Deacon: Protect us...Wisdom...Again and again ...; People: responses; Priest: ekphonesis
9	SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO RUBRICS	corresponding rubric is located above, 4, repeated here: (61) The deacon meanwhile incenses the holy table on all four sides, then the apsidal icon, the gifts on the table of preparation, the faithful, and finally the front of the holy table. During the incensing, the deacon quietly says Psalm 50.	(27) The deacon enters the sanctuary by the north door. The royal doors are now opened.  While the cherubic hymn is being sung, the deacon, taking the censer and putting incense into it, goes to the priest and, having obtained the blessing of the incense from him, incenses around the holy table, then the entire altar and the iconostasia, the priest, the choirs, and the people, saying Psalm 50 while he incenses.
		ORDO: 129. At the beginning of the Cherubic Hymn, the deacon takes the thurible, sets incense into it and approaches the priest saying: Master, bless the incense. Having received the blessing: Blessed is our God ... he quietly recites the 50th Psalm while censing around the holy Table and the entire Altar, the iconostasis, the choirs, and the people. For this incensation the deacon leaves the Altar via the north door and returns through the south door. On his return to the Altar, the deacon censes the priest.
10	ALTERED RUBRICS	(62) PRAYER OF THE CHERUBIKON (Only the celebrant elevates his hands.)	no rubric
		ORDO: 129 As the deacon censes, the priest raises his outstretched hands and quietly says the prayer: No one who is bound ... 189. The ceremonies and blessings are executed by the principal celebrant alone; however, all make the indicated bows together. They elevate the hands when prescribed and when it can be done conveniently.
11	VERY SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED RUBRICS	(64) After the incensing is completed, the deacon holds the censer in his left hand, stands to the right of the celebrant, and elevates only his orarion. The celebrant elevates his hands and quietly says: CELEBRANT: Let us, who mystically represent the cherubim, and sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now set aside all earthly cares. Then they lower their hands and bow once. The concelebrants and deacon respond to the celebrant by bowing and saying quietly: CONCELEBRANTS AND DEACON: That we may receive the King of All, invisibly escorted by angelic hosts. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! This is done three times.	(28): The prayer and the incensing being finished, the priest and the deacon, standing before the holy altar, say together the cherubic hymn three times and at the conclusion of each they bow once. Let us, who mystically represent the Cherubim, and sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity, now set aside all earthly cares. That we may welcome the King of all, invisibly escorted by angelic hosts. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! (Thrice)
		ORDO: 129. Upon completing the censing, the deacon takes his place at the priest's right and holds the thurible with the ring finger of his left hand. Both deacon and priest, with hands elevated on high, together say the Cherubic Hymn three times, and make a small bow after each recitation. 197. If it can be done conveniently, all elevate their hands at the Cherubic Hymn. However, all say the Cherubic Hymn and make the prescribed bows. When the deacon censes the Holy Table, each of the concelebrants withdraw from the Holy Table a little in order to facilitate his passage.
12	ALTERED RUBRIC	(64) With the deacon going first and carrying the censer, the celebrant and concelebrants, having kissed the antimension, go to the table of preparation. The celebrant, taking the censer, incenses the holy gifts, saying the following quietly one time: O God, be merciful to me a sinner.	(28) They then go to the table of preparation, the deacon going first, and the priest incenses the holy gifts, saying silently:
		ORDO: 129 Where it is customary, the priest and deacon kiss the Holy Table and, if they so desire, the hand cross; then the deacon leads the priest to the Prothesis table. There the priest takes the thurible and censes the holy gifts in strokes of three while praying quietly: O God, be merciful to me a sinner. The priest returns the thurible to the deacon, who holds it with one of the fingers of his right hand.
13	MODIFICATION	(64) The celebrant takes the aer and places it on the deacon's left forearm, saying:	(28) The priest takes the aer and places it on the deacon’s left shoulder, saying:
		ORDO: 129 Then the deacon says to the priest: Lift up, O Master; the priest takes the large veil called the aer and places it upon the left shoulder of the deacon, saying: Lift up your hands...
14	ALTERED RUBRIC	(64-65) The celebrant gives the diskos to the deacon and then takes the chalice in his right hand. With the deacon going first, they process through the northern door to stand in front of the holy doors. They are preceded by candlebearers and servers carrying the incense. If there is a second deacon, he carries the censer; otherwise, it is given to a server.	(29)  The priest then takes the holy discos and places it carefully and reverently upon the head of the deacon who holds the censer with one finger of his right hand. The priest takes the chalice in his hands and then both go out through the north door, praying and preceded by candle-bearers.
		ORDO: 129 Then the deacon says to the priest: Lift up, O Master; the priest takes the large veil called the aer and places it upon the left shoulder of the deacon, saying: Lift up your hands ... Then the priest, with full attention and reverence, takes the diskos covered with its veil, and places it upon the head of the deacon, holding the end of the orarion in his left hand, the deacon holds the diskos to his forehead with both hands. The priest himself takes into his hands the chalice, covered with a small veil, and holds it before his breast. The candlebearers, the deacon, and the priest all depart in order through the north door. The candlebearers proceed to the royal doors where they stand facing one another. 198. Each takes from the Prothesis one of the articles which is used in the Divine Sacrifice, such as the lance or the spoon, and holds it before his breast. All leave via the northern door. First the deacon who makes the commemoration: