AT VESPERS

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.

And these stichera, in Tone V: Spec. Mel.: “O venerable father…”—

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Called from on high…”—

Troparion, in Tone III—

A Reading from the Third Book of Kings

O thou who wast vouchsafed life immortal when thou didst preach Christ the Life-giver, the Son and Word Who is consubstantial and equally everlasting with the unoriginate Father Who begat Him, then didst thou burn up the tinder of heresies with thy fiery tongue, O glorious one, expelling Arius from the Church of Christ; and with thy divine discourses thou didst enlighten the hearts of the pious, O wise one, that they may worship the Trinity in one essence.

At the blessing of the loaves, the troparion of the saint, twice, in Tone VI—

A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah

Like a divine river aflood with the waters of the Spirit wast thou shown to be, O all-wondrous one, overflowing with divine doctrines, setting all the fullness of the Church afire, and overwhelming the assembly of the heretics in the depths of thy divine words and the abyss of thine understandings, O father. For thou, O all-wise one, divine Athanasius who art most rich, didst preach Christ the Master Who is consubstantial with the Father Who begat Him.

And the troparion from the Pentecostarion, once.

A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah

As a recounter of the mysteries of God and a divine hierarch, thou didst patiently endure tribulations and persecutions, attacks and lengthy exiles, O blessed one, for the sake of the faith of Christ, clearly proclaiming Christ to be consubstantial, equally everlasting, equal in His activity and equally without beginning with the primal and equally unoriginate Father. Wherefore, He Himself hath manifestly adorned thee with all-radiant teachings and shown thee to the whole world as all-splendid.

O venerable father, divinely revealed Athanasius, thou wast known from thine infancy to be a beacon for the Church, shining with all-radiant visions and enriched by all manner of virtues, burning up heresies with the spiritual fire of thy discourses and guiding all the faithful with the all-divine effulgence of the Trinity, Who is understood in one Godhead, sharing equally everlasting glory. Entreat and ever make supplication unto the Trinity, that oneness of mind, peace and great mercy be given to all the world.

O venerable father, divinely eloquent Athanasius, having magnificently been called the namesake of immortality, thou didst tread the path which leadeth thereto; and, manifestly enriched by the splendor of life, O divinely wise one, and having acquired a pure mind, thou wast found to be a champion of the Word, receiving thy breath through the all-holy Spirit. Illumined by Him, thou didst vanquish thine enemies; protected by Him, thou didst show thyself to be implacable; and, deified by Him, thou didst commune with Him, O holy one. Entreat Him, that He grant unto all oneness of mind, peace and great mercy.

O venerable father Athanasius, preacher of God, having endured tribulations and frequent perils, thou hast now been vouchsafed the food of paradise. Residing now within the divine mansions, thou hast drawn nigh, as a victor, to the tree of life incorruptible, adorned with a crown of righteousness and invested with the diadem of the kingdom of the Most High, O blessed one; and, resplendent with beauty, pray to Christ, ask thou of Christ, O divinely wise one, that He grant to the Church oneness of mind, peace and great mercy.

Glory…, in Tone VI—

Let us all hymn Athanasius, the holy hierarch of Christ; for, having set at nought all the teachings of Arius, he doth manifestly proclaim throughout all the world the might of the Holy Trinity, the one indivisible God in three Persons, Whom he doth entreat in behalf of us who celebrate his memory with faith.

Now & ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion.

At the aposticha, the stichera from the Pentecostarion; and Glory…, the composition of Germanus, in Tone III—

Again the Nile flowing with gold, the namesake of immortality, arriving for his annual commemoration, doth pour forth golden torrents of immortality in goodly floods, producing the food of immortality; and with exalted divine words he teacheth all to worship the indivisible might of the Trinity, poureth forth divine doctrines, giveth drink to the thoughts of the faithful, and prayeth for our souls.

Now & ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion.

Thou wast a pillar of Orthodoxy, strengthening the Church with divine dogmas, O sacred hierarch Athanasius; for, preaching the Son as consubstantial with the Father, thou didst put Arius to shame. O venerable father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 from the Pentecostarion, and 5 of the saint, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Thou hast given a sign…”—

With the threat of the Dread Judgment, O Lord, Thou didst frighten Boris, great among kings; therefore, he spurned the idols and ceased worshipping them, and cast himself and his people at Thy feet. Wherefore, we glorify Thy loving dispensation, O almighty Jesus, Thou Savior of our souls. Twice

Having instructed Boris through his sister and the mother of Constantine, O Lord, in that Thou art good and the Abyss of wisdom, Thou gavest him spiritual food of which to partake instead of the darkness of the idols and bitter sweetness of sin. Wherefore, we glorify Thy loving dispensation, O almighty Jesus, Thou Savior of our souls. Twice

After his baptism, O Lord, Thou didst send to King Boris, like seeds upon the ploughed earth, Slavic teachers of the Faith, who enlightened the people and established them in Orthodox piety. Wherefore, we glorify Thy loving dispensation, O almighty Jesus, Thou Savior of our souls.

Glory…, in Tone VI—

O right-believing King Boris, having searched for the righteousness of God, bestowed alms upon the poor and shone forth in deeds equal to those of the apostles, thou didst obtain the grace to eat of the tree of life; and having tasted thereof, thou wast filled with the Spirit, and hast received life everlasting and heavenly glory. Wherefore, pray thou to Christ our God, that He confirm thy people in Orthodoxy and save our souls.

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three Readings:

Solomon stood up in front of the altar before all the congregation of Israel; and he spread out his hands toward heaven: and he said: “O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like Thee in heaven above and on the earth beneath. If the heaven and the heaven of heavens will not suffice Thee, how much less even this house which I have built to Thy name? Yet, O Lord God of Israel, Thou shalt look upon my petition, to hear the prayer which Thy servant doth pray to Thee in Thy presence this day, that Thine eyes may be open to this house day and night, even toward the place of which Thou didst say: ‘My name shall be there, to hear the prayer which My servant prayeth at this place day and night.’ And Thou shalt hearken unto the prayer of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel, which they shall pray toward this place; and Thou shalt hear in Thy dwelling-place in heaven, and Thou shalt do and be gracious.”

[Is. 61: 10-62: 5]

Let my soul rejoice in the Lord; for He hath clothed me with the robe of salvation, and the garment of joy: He hath put a crown on me as on a bridegroom, and adorned me with ornaments as a bride. And as the earth putting forth her flowers, and as a garden its seed, so shall the Lord, even the Lord, cause righteousness to spring forth, and exultation before all nations. For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as light, and My salvation burn as a torch. And the gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and kings thy glory: and one shall call thee by a new name, which the Lord shall name. And thou shalt be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. And thou shalt no more be called Forsaken; and thy land shall no more be called Desert: for thou shalt be called My Pleasure, and the land Inhabited: for the Lord hath taken pleasure in thee, and thy land shall be inhabited. And as a young man liveth with a virgin, so shall thy sons dwell in thee: and it shall come to pass that as a bridegroom will rejoice over a bride, so will the Lord rejoice over thee.

[Is. 60: 1-14]

Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and there shall be gross darkness on the nations: but the Lord shall appear upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And kings shall walk in thy light, and nations in thy brightness. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold thy children gathered: all thy sons have come from afar, and thy daughters shall be borne on men’s shoulders. Then shalt thou see, and fear, and be amazed in thine heart; for the wealth of the sea shall come round to thee, and of nations and peoples; and herds of camels shall come to thee, and the camels of Madiam and Gæpha shall cover thee: all from Saba shall come bearing gold, and shall bring frankincense, and they shall publish the salvation of the Lord. And all the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered, and the rams of Nabæoth shall come; and acceptable sacrifices shall be offered on My altar, and My house of prayer shall be glorified. Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves with young ones to Me? The isles have waited for Me, and the ships of Tharsis among the first, to bring thy children from afar, and their silver and their gold with them, and that for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorified. And strangers shall build thy walls, and their kings shall wait upon thee: for by reason of My wrath I smote thee, and by reason of mercy I loved thee. And thy gates shall be opened continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; to bring in to thee the power of the gentiles, and their kings as captives. For the nations and the kings which will not serve thee shall perish; and those nations shall be made utterly desolate. And the glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, with the cypress, and pine, and cedar together, to glorify my holy place. And the sons of those who afflicted thee, and of those who provoked thee, shall come to thee in fear; and thou shalt be called Sion, the city of the Holy One of Israel. Because thou hast become desolate and hated, and there was no helper, therefore I will make thee a perpetual gladness, a joy of many generations. And thou shalt suck the milk of the gentiles, and shalt eat the wealth of kings: and shalt know that I am the Lord Who saveth and delivereth thee, the Holy One of Israel.

At Litia, these stichera—

In Tone II: Abraham, the friend of God, raised his hand against his only-begotten son, to slay him as a wholeburnt offering to God; and for the sake of the Faith of God the right-believing Boris did not spare his first-born son, who in his foolishness blasphemed against Christ. Wherefore, he offered as a sacrifice the Orthodox piety of his whole nation and the repentance of his heart with contrition; and the Lord accepted them as a right-acceptable sweet savor, and exalted him as one chosen from among His people.

In Tone IV: Constantine, great among emperors, vanquished the tyrant by the power of the Cross, and therefore came to love the Christian Faith. And thou, O right-believing King Boris, having made thy heart steadfast in the love of Christ, didst by the power of the Cross crush the audacious revolt of the pagan nobles against the all-pure Faith of God. Wherefore, calling thee blessed, we earnestly pray: By thy supplications preserve thy native land and thy people from the assaults of the enemy.

Glory…, in Tone V—

Having united thyself to the King of kings through baptism, O right-believing King Boris, and led thy people to Him, thou didst grow into a perfect man through piety, and in the measure of thy growth becamest an equal of the apostles; for, receiving the Slavic teachers of the word of God into thy land, thou didst establish Orthodoxy unshakably in the land of Bulgaria; and when thy soul still thirsted for the living God, thou didst set aside the scepter of thy kingship, didst make thine abode in the wilderness, and didst live in holiness and righteousness. And when thou didst reach the end of thine earthly life, having passed over into everlasting bliss thou dost never forget thy people, praying unceasingly to the Lord for the salvation of our souls.

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “When from the Tree…”—

When God desired to lead the Slavic people up out of the darkness of the madness of idolatry into the light of salvation, He chose thee as His crowned apostle, and set thy heart alight with the fire of His love, that, like a deer running to a spring of living water, thou mightest hasten and, having drunk of the water of baptism, become the saving cause of enlightenment for all thy people.

Stichos: I have raised up one chosen out of My people; I have found David my servant

When the grace of Christ was poured out upon thee, and the Faith of the kingdom grew exceedingly within thee like leaven, and the love of God had made thy whole soul captive, then, though by day thou didst conduct the affairs of the kingdom arrayed in a purple robe, in the hours of the night thou didst patiently endure thirst, and prostrate before the Lord, clad in a hairshirt, in repentance thou didst send up supplications for thyself and thy people.

Stichos: Wherefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness more than thy fellows.

When God desired to transform thee from a crowned apostle into a monk through a change of ministry, He brought upon thee a grievous illness, and by the fear of death instructed thee to set aside thy kingship and take the monastic tonsure; and, delighting in fasting and prayer, and assisting the seven disciples of the holy Cyril and Methodius in the copying of books, thou didst pass over to heaven, and hast poured forth miracles from thy relics.

Glory…, in Tone II—

Receiving the name of the Archangel Michael at baptism, O right-believing King Boris, like thy namesake thou didst join battle against the ancient serpent, and, having vanquished him by the power of the Cross, thou didst free thy people from his tyranny; and having made thine abode in the wilderness, thou didst live like an angel; and when thou didst reach the end of thy life, thou didst dwell with the angels. Wherefore, as thou hast boldness before the Lord, we beseech thee: By thy supplications protect thy people and the Church from incursions of aliens!

Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.

Full of the fear of God, and enlightened by holy baptism, thou becamest a habitation of the Holy Spirit, O right-believing King Boris; and having established the Orthodox Faith in the land of Bulgaria, and set aside the scepter of kingship, thou madest thine abode in the wilderness, didst flourish in ascetic struggles, and didst find grace before the Lord. And now, standing before the throne of the Most High, pray thou, that He grant unto us who entreat thee salvation for our souls.