The Hours

43 Compare Schmemann, Great Lent, p, 44. 44 For the reading of the Psalter in Lent, see The Festal Menaion, pp. £ 3 3 -4 . ln Holy

us. . . , we say the Prayer of St. Ephraim twice, with four prostra­ tions and twelve bows. On Saturday and Sunday, the Prayer of St. Ephraim is not said at the Midnight Office.

On thefirst three days of Holy Week, the Psalter is read at the Third and Sixth Hours, but not at the First and the Ninth. On these three days we read the four Gospels, as follows. At the Third x

W eek it is read once only. 45 On the history of the Canon, see The Festal Menaion, p. ^46.

To Lord I have cried, ten stichera are sung, from Lauds and the

Troparion of the Prophecy:

on each day during the rest of the year, there are on Lenten week­ days three Old Testament lessons, one read at the Sixth Hour and

TONE TWO

the other two at Vespers. But on Saturdays and Sundays in Lent,

Today the evil Sanhedrin has gathered .together and devised vain counsel against Thee. Today Judas makes a covenant with the chief priests and receives the noose as pledge. Against his will Caiaphas confesses that one man shall undergo a voluntary passion for the sake of all. O Christ, our God and our Deliverer, glory to Thee.6 Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . . Repeat. Prokimenon (Psalm 133 )·

since on these days the full Eucharist is celebrated, Epistle and Gospel readings are appointed in the usual way. The Epistle readings in Lent are mostly taken from Hebrews, and the Gospel readings from M ark; in both cases they are arranged in a carefully devised sequence.46

TONE EIGHT

The scheme of Old Testament readings in the Triodion was per­

The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.

haps worked out between the fifth and the seventh century. The three daily lessons are taken from the three main categories of Old Testament literature - from the historical books, the prophets, and

y . Behold now, bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord. Lesson: Ezekiel 2 : 3 -3 : 3. Prokimenon (Psalm 1 3 4 ) · TONE TWO Ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord. y . Praise ye the Name of the Lord; O ye servants, praise the Lord. At the end o f the Typika the priest uses the dismissal prayer O Master rich in mercy. . . , as at the end o f Great Compline9 and all the people kneel with theirfaces to the ground. Then priest and people kneel before one another and askfo r each other'sforgiveness.

the Wisdom literature - according to the following pattern:

(1) Historical books (i.e. the Pentateuch) at the first lesson in