After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 4 in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”—
Now & ever…: Dogmatic theotokion, in the same tone—
Troparion, in Tone IV—
After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
O ye assemblies of those who love the feasts of the Church, and ye company of monastics, rejoicing, let us celebrate the feast of the venerable passion-bearers, and let us send up hymnody to Christ Who strengthened them to denounce the mindlessness of the cruel Emperor Michael and Beccus the Patriarch, who raged insanely in heresy against the flock of the Mother of God.
Now & ever…: Theotokion—
Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
With divine hymns let us honor the most honored favorites of the all-pure Mother of God, twenty-six in number, the splendid trees of the Monastery of Zographou, its most fragrant roses and honored guardians, who denounced the deception of the heretics and, tried by fire, were shown to be most pure.
Now & ever…: Theotokion, in the same tone—
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
As is meet, let the all-glorious Thomas and the godly Parthenius, Simon, Barsanuphius and Job, Cyril, Micah and Sabbas, James, Cosmas, Hilarion and Dometian, Menas, Paul, Sergius and Anthony, Martinian and Joannicius, with the other eight, be praised with hymns.
Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion—
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
O ye twenty-six steadfast venerable athletes, divine regiment of the King of all: undaunted by the fire, and crowned by God most gloriously, ye join chorus in the bridal-chambers of heaven, and protect from all misfortunes the all-glorious Monastery of Zographou, which doth celebrate your holy memory, having acquired you as its foremost guardians.
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
And 4 stichera in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “With what crowns of praise…”—
Glory..., in Tone IV, the composition of Cyprian the Studite—
With what hymns of laudation shall we praise today the venerable martyrs, the twenty-six confessors, as champions of piety? For some were leaders of the Monastery of Zographou, and others, having labored with the others, suffered with them. The Lord hath crowned them, Who hath great mercy.
Now and ever..., Theotokion; or, if it be Wednesday or Friday, this Stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel: “Called from on high...”—
With what spiritual words shall we praise the twenty-six venerable and God-bearing martyrs, dying martyrs’ deaths, consumed by fire in the tower: Thomas, who was the abbot of the Monastery of Zographou, Job, Barsanuphius, James, Sabbas, Parthenius, Cosmas and the rest, who denounced the falsehood of the minions of the pope and have received heavenly crowns, as is meet, from the hand of God?
With what gladsome songs shall we hymn the choir of the venerable ones who were gathered together by grace into a single company of faith: the steadfast ramparts of the Faith, the champions and servants of the Trinity, the luminaries enlightening the whole world, the pillars of the Church, whom the Trinity hath crowned with wreaths of glory, as proclaimers of the Spirit and denouncers of those who waged war against the Spirit?
Setting at nought every threat of the heretics, ye denounced their rank falsehood, taking your stand upon the tower, O ye twenty-six steadfast fathers, confessing that the Spirit proceedeth from the Father, as the Savior saith, O wise ones; and receiving a blessed end through fire, O glorious crown-bearers, ye have gone up into the heavens, where ye now pray for all.
Glory…, in Tone VI—
Come ye today, and, forming a spiritual choir with the Monastery of Zographou, let us piously hold festival, and gloriously honor the venerable triumph of the twenty-six, saying: Rejoice, divinely assembled regiment who feared not the roaring fire and consumed the tinder of the heretics! Rejoice, ye who in the midst of the fire, like the youths in Babylon, reduced the error of the pope to ashes and proclaimed the equality of honor of the Persons of the Trinity! Rejoice, ye who clearly explained the divine Spirit, O teachers of pure Orthodoxy! Angels arrayed in white crowned your heads, and the faithful have been gladdened, established firmly upon the foundation of the Truth. O valiant warriors of Christ, intercessors for the Monastery of Zographou and its vigilant guardians: pray ye for us who celebrate your memory.
Who doth not call thee blessed, O all-holy Virgin? Who will not hymn thine all-pure birthgiving? For the only-begotten Son Who shone forth timelessly from the Father, came forth, ineffably incarnate, from thee, the pure one; and being God by nature, He became man for our sake, not divided into two Persons, but known in two natures without confusion. Him do thou beseech, O pure and most blessed one, that our souls find mercy!
Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three Readings:
Thus saith the Lord: all the nations are gathered together, and princes shall be gathered out of them. Who will declare these things, or who will declare to you things from the beginning? Let them bring forth their witnesses, and be justified; and let them hear, and declare the truth. Be ye My witnesses, and I too am a witness, saith the Lord God, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know, and believe, and understand that I am He; before Me there was no other God, and after Me there shall be none. I am God; and beside Me there is no Savior. I have declared, and have saved; I have reproached, and there was no strange god among you. Ye are My witnesses, and I am the Lord God, even from the beginning; and there is none that can deliver out of My hands. I will work, and who shall turn it back? Thus saith the Lord God Who redeemeth you, the Holy One of Israel.
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath He tried them and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign forever. They that put their trust in Him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with Him: for grace and mercy is to His saints, and He hath care for His elect.
The righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the most High. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect them. He shall take to him his jealousy for complete armor, and make the creature his weapon for the revenge of his enemies. He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of an helmet. He shall take holiness for an invincible shield. His severe wrath shall he sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with him against the unwise. Then shall the right aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark. And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them. Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill-dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty. Hear therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations. For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels.
At Litia, these stichera idiomela—
In Tone I: Today the Church of Christ is glad, resplendent in grace, and the famed Monastery of Zographou faithfully holdeth festival in glorious memory of the twenty-six venerable fathers who suffered: for, patient of soul, they laid down their lives for piety, their bodies utterly consumed by fire, that they might preserve the Faith committed to them by the fathers of the Church. Wherefore, having denounced the most wicked falsehood of the minions of the pope, they became most worthy comforters of their monastery, making the faithful steadfast that they might abide in piety; and illumining their monastery, they pray for our souls.
O venerable fathers, having yearned for the angelic life, ye shone forth in asceticism on Mount Athos, and, dwelling in the sacred Monastery of Zographou in a manner transcending the ways of men, ye unceasingly offered up hymns to the Master. But the enemy who hateth the good, the emperor of ill repute and the eunuch of the Latin-minded opponents of the Spirit, rose up against you, striving to weaken your might; yet, manfully opposing them, ye did not submit to deception, accepting death by fire. And Christ, accepting your pangs, hath given you rest in the mansions of heaven. Wherefore, in that ye possess boldness before Him, be ye mindful of us who with faith and love celebrate your memory.
In Tone II: Who doth not glorify, who doth not fittingly praise the opposition of the valiant venerable athletes to innovation? And who doth not bless the emulators of the martyrs, the single-minded fathers, who cut off heresy at the root and planted piety, the guides of the lost, our leaders and protectors, who, as is meet, have received in the heavens the reward for their struggles, in that they suffered together for Christ, and who render glory in gladness, joining chorus before God in endless jubilation, asking remission of sins for those who with love celebrate their sacred suffering?
In Tone III: Having lived an angelic life on earth, O thrice-blessed fathers, ye have shone forth like the sun upon the ends of the earth; for having elevated your minds above earthly attachments, ye soared aloft with divine love; and having first offered to Christ the sweat of your ascetic endeavors like myrrh, afterwards, when ye were tortured by the innovators, ye were shown to be higher in purity than any gold, in that ye were lovers of piety and opposers of the heretics. Be ye mindful also of us who with love celebrate your honored festival.
Glory…, in Tone IV—
Come, all ye choirs of monastics, and let us hasten to the memorial of the wondrous fathers; for their splendid virtues and martyric death have shone forth like the sun in heaven and on earth, where the ever-memorable shine forth as ones who have confirmed the dogmas of the fathers by their fearless opposition, and, having put off corruption through the fire, have soared aloft to God, receiving rewards for their sufferings. And now, standing with the incorporeal beings before the unapproachable throne, they send up endless hymnody to the Trinity, unceasingly praying for our souls.
Preserve thy servants from all misfortunes, O blessed Theotokos, that we may all glorify thee, the hope of our souls.
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera, in Tone VI: Spec. Mel.: “Having set aside…”—
Joining chorus to a harp playing spiritual hymns, we summon all the assemblies of those who love the feasts of the Church to praise the company of the industrious and God-bearing fathers; and we set as its foundation the great and wondrous Anthony and the divinely wise Theodosius, through whose prayers and those of all the fathers of the Caves we entreat Thy love for mankind, O Christ, King of all: Grant grace to Thy people, and in memory of them save the souls of those who praise Thee with faith. Twice
With songs let us all reverently hymn Anthony of the Caves, the chief among the fathers, the head of their whole assembly, and the God-bearing Barlaam, the diligent emulator of his virtues, the radiant beam; and let us honor them together with praises, and cry out with a voice of joy, saying: O our most blessed and venerable fathers, beseech Christ God, that those who celebrate your memory with love may receive mercy. Twice
Rejoice, O right fertile land of Russia, who hast nurtured citizens of the Jerusalem on high! Sing forth with a voice of gladsome celebration! And thou, O rich mountain of the Caves, who hast gathered warriors for the King of heaven and shown them to be mighty men of spiritual desires: speak now unto them, saying: O God-bearing fathers, with the light of your grace enkindle the noetic lamps, the souls of those who honor your assembly with love. Twice
Glory…, in Tone VIII—
Who can describe the powers of the Lord? What tongue of mortal men can recount your wondrous life, O our God-bearing fathers of the Caves: how ye endured sufferings, and what struggles ye undertook, laying waste to your flesh by vigils, fasting and tears, crushing the pride of the enemy by prayers and humility? And having shone forth like angels in your mortal bodies, ye have made your abode in the mansions of heaven; wherefore, visit today those who with praises hymn you, the honorable company of fasters in God, and entreat Christ God, that we may receive great mercy.
Now & ever…: Dogmaticon, in the same tone—
In His love for mankind, the King of heaven appeared on earth and dwelt among men; for He Who received flesh from the pure Virgin and came forth from her having received human nature, is the only Son of God, two in nature but not hypostasis. Therefore, proclaiming Him to be truly perfect God and perfect man, we confess Christ our God. Him do thou beseech, O Mother unwedded, that our souls find mercy!
Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. 3 Readings:
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath He tried them and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever. They that put their trust in Him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with Him: for grace and mercy is to His saints, and He hath care for His elect.
The righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the Most High. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with his right hand shall He cover them, and with His arm shall He protect them. He shall take to Him His jealousy for complete armor, and make the creature His weapon for the revenge of His enemies. He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment for an invincible shield. His severe wrath shall He sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with Him against the unwise. Then shall the right-aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well drawn bow, shall they be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them. Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty. Hear, therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations. For power is given you by the Lord, and sovereignty from the Most High.
Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest. For honorable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. He pleased God, and was beloved of Him: so that living among sinners he was translated. Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the simple mind. He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time: for his soul pleased the Lord; therefore hasted He to take him away from among the wicked. This the people saw, and understood not, neither laid they up this in their minds: that His grace and mercy is with His saints, and that He hath respect unto His chosen.
At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”—
Come, ye people, and with hymns let us go forth to greet as valiant warriors of Christ the foremost choir of the God-bearing fathers who were the first to shine forth in the Caves. For, lo! they come to us with all speed from the noetic Sion, bearing abundant grace from their full treasury, and they bestow it upon those who venerate their council with honor.
Stichos: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and He delivered them out of all their tribulations.
Gathering today in this holy temple, O ye people, bearing lamps, greet ye the assembly of monks, which hath illumined the honored heaven like noetic stars in a reasonable firmament; and lift up your voices with cries of entreaty, saying: O God-bearing and all-blessed ones, pray ye for those who hymn your company with love.
Stichos: Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O ye righteous.
In gladness come together with us today, O ye choirs of Christ-loving people, and, weaving wreaths of praise and calling each by name, greet the assembly of God-bearing fathers who in the Cave shone forth in fasting; for they illumine with the beams of their grace the souls of those who magnify them with love and celebrate their memorial with faith.
Glory…, in Tone VI—
When the King of everlasting glory planted His Cross like a spear, the legion of ascetics assembled, and the regiment of venerable fathers of godly fame stood on the Mount of the Caves, wielding their weapons invincibly against the foe, whereby they utterly defeated the hordes of the demons; and having arrived in the mansions of heaven, they have received crowns of victory from Christ God our Savior, and pray unceasingly in behalf of our souls.
O Theotokos, thou art the true vine who hast budded forth for us the Fruit of life. Thee do we entreat, O Mistress: with the holy apostles pray that our souls find mercy.
The great Anthony, the pillar of fire and radiant sun who shone forth on the Mount of the Caves, do we bring before Thee, O Christ, with the whole council of God-bearing fathers, to make supplication. For their sake we pray: Grant grace to their monastery and great mercy to our souls.
The mystery hidden from before the ages and unknown even to the angels, through thee, O Theotokos, hath been revealed to those on earth: God incarnate in unconfused union, Who willingly accepted the Cross for our sake and, thereby raising up the first-formed man, hath saved our souls from death.
At “Lord, I have cried...,” six stichera; three to the Apostle, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel: “Called from on high...”—
O glorious Codratus, as a sacred hierarch, as a divine preacher, as a divinely chosen witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a co-heir of the ineffable glory which is to be revealed, thou didst most wisely preach the sacred Gospel, O most sacred one, and with light hast guided those who are in the darkness of ignorance. Wherefore, joyously keeping festival, we honor thy most sacred and holy memory, O blessed God-bearer.
Having most gloriously been taught divine things, like the sun didst thou traverse the earth in the lightning flashes of thy preaching, O initiate of the sacred mysteries, and didst enlighten the souls of those who were in darkness, and thus didst drive away the prince of darkness and his terrible demons, who could not endure the radiance, or the divine grace, or the all-accomplishing activity of the Spirit which dwelt within thee, O sacred hierarch Codratus, blessed intercessor for those who praise thee.
Strengthened by thy confession of God, adorned with the beauties of wounds, driven from thine Athenian flock by wicked men, O most blessed one, like a saving spring didst thou water the earth and didst show forth as fertile hearts that before were frozen by the darkness of vanity, in that thou art an apostle and a disciple of Christ, O sacred hierarch Codratus most true, thou supplicant in behalf of those who praise thee.
And three stichera to the Hieromartyr, in Tone I: Spec. Mel: “Joy of the ranks of heaven...”—
Having cast down the vanity of idols by thy sacred discourse, thou didst make steadfast unstable hearts by faith and didst guide them to life, O hierarch. And having suffered under the law, thou didst become a martyr of the Lord, O Phocas.
Having dyed thy sacred vesture in the blood of thy sacred body, O most sacred father, thou didst truly receive from Christ a twofold crown, most blessed one, and with the angels dost thou hold chorus in the heavens, praying that we be saved.
Thou dost illumine the whole world with the rays of thy miracles, O father; thou dost ever help those who are at sea, and dost dispel the carnal weakness of every soul, having received grace from the Lord, O divinely blessed martyr Phocas.
From thy childhood thou didst love the Lord, O most blessed Phocas, wise hieromartyr, for, taking the weapon of the Cross upon thy shoulders, thou didst unwaveringly travel the path of salvation, and by Him wast thou shown to be one who dwelleth with the angels, an opponent of the demons, and a most radiant intercessor for the world.
O Mother, beholding Me hanging upon the Tree, thy Son and God, Who fixed the earth immovably upon the waters and fashioned all creation, do not lament Me, for I shall arise and be glorified, and with might shall I lay waste to the kingdom of hell; I shall destroy its power, and its prisoners shall I deliver from the wickedness thereof, in that I am compassionate; and I shall lead them to My Father, for I love mankind.
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.