The meaning of Holy Thursday is summed up in a text of singular

beauty, repeated many times at the Liturgy, which combines the themes of eucharistic Communion, Judas’ treachery, and the con­ fession of the Good Thief: At Thy mystical Supper, Son of God, Today receive me as a communicant: For I will not speak of the mystery to Thine enemies; 1 will not give Thee a kiss like Judas; But as the thief I confess T hee: Remember me, Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom. (e) Great Friday. On this day we celebrate the sufferings of C hrist:

Hymns to the Trinity Now is the hour for praise and prayer; let us cry fervently to the one and only God: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; . . . . Glory be to the Father. . . . We dare to act as ikons of Thy spiritual hosts, and with our un­ worthy mouths we cry to Thee, O Trinity without beginning: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; at the prayers of all Thy saints, have mercy upon us. Both now. . . . O Christ our God, who though contained within a virgin womb wast not divided from the Father, accept us as we call upon Thee with the angels: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; through the Theotokos, have mercy upon us. Hymn of Light O Lord the Giver of Light, send down Thy light and illumine my

Canticle Four

Theotokion Vine that hast never known the husbandman, O Virgin, thou hast borne the ripe Cluster of grapes. From Him we receive the wine of

Canticle One: as on Tuesday. Canticle Three: as on Monday. Canticle Four: we use fourteen troparia, six from the Menaion and eight from the Triodion, as for Canticle One on Monday. Other Canticles: as on Monday. (5·) Friday Canticle One: as on Tuesday. Canticles Three and Four: as on

the mockery, the crown of thorns, the scourging, the nails, the

sixth w eeks;45 also on Tuesday and Thursday in the week before Lent; and on Monday and Tuesday in Holy W eek.

mercy upon us. In the Hymn of Light, when it is said thefrst time we end:

thirst, the vinegar and gall, the cry of desolation, and all that the Saviour endured on the Cross; also the confession of the Good Thief. At the same time, the Passion is not separated from the Resurrec­ tion ; even on this day of our Lord’s deepest self-abasement, we look forward also to the revelation of His eternal glo ry: W e venerate Thy Passion, O Christ: Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection.

and in the period from the Saturday of Lazarus to the Sunday of St. Thomas. At the end o f the Canon from the Menaion, we add the stichera appointed for the saint at Vespers, except when these are used on the saint’s day. On Fridays we use the Canon for the dead in the Tone of the week. After the Canon we say Truly it is right, to call thee blessed. . . . (d) After the Prayer o f the Hours (§IV, 4), the reader says: Kyrie eleison (three times) Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . . Greater in honour than the cherubim. . . . In the Name of'the Lord, give the blessing, father. P riest: God be merciful to us and bless us. . . . And then (except on Friday evening) the Prayer of St. Ephraim

Lord, and save me. 1 The rules in the Greek books vary. We have followed the normal Slav use.

The Cross and the Resurrection, as wc have seen, are aspects of a

twice, with four prostrations and twelve bows. Holy God. . . , etc., and the Lord’s Prayer. Kyrie eleison (twelve times) And then the Prayer to the Holy Virgin (§V, 1). (e) At the Dismissal (§V, 2), the priest says the prayer 0 Master, rich in mercy. . . , and all kneel with their faces to the ground. But on Fridays the usual Dismissal is used, and there is no kneeling.

663 When the Hymn o f Light is said the second time we end: at the prayers of Thy saints, O Lord, and save me. And the third time we end: at the prayers of the Theotokos, O Lord, and save me. Note that on Saturday2 the Hymn of Light is said only twice. Thefrst time we end: at the prayers of Thy saints, O Lord, and save me. And the second time: at the prayers of the Theotokos, O Lord, and save me. Then, instead o f repeating the Hymn of Light a third time, we use the exapostilarion o f the dead, O Thou who hast authority as God (see

single, undivided act of salvation: Thy Cross, O Lord, is life and resurrection. . . .

(2) Small Compline.

TONE ONE

Hymns to the Trinity Through bodily images let us ascend to the spiritual and imma­ terial understanding o f the bodiless powers; singing the ThriceHoly Hymn and awaiting the illumination of the Godhead in three Persons, let us cry aloud as the cherubim to the one and only G o d : Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; . . . . Glory be to the Father. . . . With all the heavenly hosts, let us offer the Thrice-Holy Hymn of praise and cry aloud as the cherubim to Him who dwells on high: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ; at the prayers of all Thy saints, have mercy upon us. Both now. . . . Rising from sleep, we fall down before Thee, loving Lord, and with the angels’ song we cry to Thee, All-powerful: Holy, holy,

holy art Thou, our G o d ; through the Theotokos have mercy upon us. Hymn o f Light O Christ who makest light to shine, cleanse my soul from every sin, . . .

Hymns to the Trinity Doing as the powers on high, we on earth offer Thee, O loving 2 In the second, third and fourth weeks only. On the other Saturdays in Lent, special exapostilaria are provided, and the Hymn of Light is not used.

Lord, a hymn of victory: Holy, holy, holy art Thou our God; . . . Glory be to the Father. . . . O uncreated Nature, Maker of all things, open our lips that we may proclaim Thy praises, crying: Holy, holy holy art Thou, our God; at the prayers of all Thy saints, have mercy upon us. Both now, . . . Thou, O Lord, hast raised me from my bed and sleep; enlighten my mind and my heart, and open my lips that 1 may praise Thee, Holy T rin ity: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ; through the Theotokos have mercy upon us. Hymn of Light Send forth Thine eternal light, O Christ my God, and illumine the secret eyes of my heart, . . .

TONE THREE

Hymns to the Trinity O Trinity, one in Essence and undivided, Unity in three co­ eternal Persons, to Thee as God we sing the angels’ hym n: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ; . . . Glory be to the Father. . . . Daring to give glory to the one Godhead, to the eternal Father,

the coeternal Son, and the timeless Spirit, as the cherubim we say:

Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ; at the prayers of all Thy saints, have mercy upon us. Both now. . . . Suddenly the Judge will come, and the acts of every man will be laid bare. But at midnight let us cry with fear: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G od; through the Theotokos have mercy upon us. Hymn of Light Send forth Thy light, O Christ my God, and illumine my heart, . . . .

TONE FOUR

Hymns to the Trinity Daring, mortal though we are, to offer unto Thee the hymn of

66 ς Thine angelic ministers, we say: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God;. . . . Glory be to the Father. . . . As the angelic hosts in heaven, we men on earth, standing now with fear, offer unto Thee, O loving Lord, a hymn of victo ry: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ; at the prayers of all Thy saints, have mercy upon us. Both now. . . . Daring to give glory to Thine eternal Father, and to Thee, O Christ our God, and to Thy Most Holy Spirit, as the cherubim we say: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; through the Theotokos have mercy upon us. Hymn of Light O Thou who makest light to shine upon Thy world, cleanse from every sin my soul that is in darkness, . . . .

TONE FIVE

heart, . . . .

TONE SIX

Hymns to the T rin ity

With fear and trembling standing in Thy presence, the cherubim

and seraphim offer the Thrice-Holy Hymn with voices that are never still. And with them we sinners also cry aloud: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ; . . . In never-silent hymns of glory, with their bodiless mouths the six-winged seraphim sing to Thee our God the Thrice-Holy Hymn; and we on earth offer praise to Thee from our unworthy lip s: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; at the prayers of all Thy saints, have mercy upon us. Both now. . . . Let us glorify the Godhead, three in one, united and yet uncon­ fused, and let us sing the angels* hymn: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; through the Theotokos have mercy upon us. Hymn o f Light Send down upon our souls Thine everlasting light, . . . .

TONE SEVEN

Hymns to the Trinity Praised by the cherubim in Thine almighty power, and worshipped by the angels in Thy divine glory, do Thou accept us sinners also who, unworthy, dare to cry to Thee: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; . . . . Glory be to the Father. . . . Casting off both sleep and slothfulness, my soul, bring to the Judge more fervent hymns of praise, and cry aloud with fear: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; at the prayers of all Thy saints, have mercy upon us. Both now. . . . To the Godhead that no man can approach, to the Trinity in Unity, let us offer the Thrice-Holy Hymn of the seraphim, and cry aloud with fear: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ; through the Theotokos have mercy upon us.

Hymn of Light Rouse me to sing Thy praises, O Lord, and teach me to do Thy will, O Holy One, . . . .

TONE EIGHT

Hymns to the Trinity Lifting up our hearts to heaven, let us imitate die hierarchy o f angels. Let us fall down with fear before the righteous Judge, singing a triumphal hymn of praise: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our God; . . . . Glory be to the Father. . . . Daring not to gaze upon Thee, the winged cherubim cry out in die words of the Thrice-Holy Hymn inspired by G o d ; and with them we sinners also cry to T h ee: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ; at

the prayers of all Thy saints, have mercy upon us.

Both now. . . . Bent beneath the multitude of our iniquities, we dare not look up at the height of heaven; but, bowing down in soul and body, with

the angels we sing unto Thee: Holy, holy, holy art Thou, our G o d ;

through the Theotokos have mercy upon us. Hymn of Light Thou art the Light, O Christ, fill me with Thy radiance, . . . .

TONE ONE

Sessional Hymns of the Apostles:

With the net of their preaching and the rod of the Cross, the fishermen overcame the pagans skilled in cunning speech, and they Luke 23: 42-3.

taught the nations to glorify with holy worship Thee, the true God. Therefore we cry unto Thee who hast given them powrer: Glory be to the Father and the Son; glory be to the «/unsubstantial Spirit; glory be to Him who through the apostles has enlightened the world. y . Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world (Psalm 18: 5). O wise fishers of the inhabited earth, ye received from God the gift of compassion. Intercede for us who cry aloud: O Lord, save Thy people and Thy city, and through the apostles deliver our souls from distress. Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . . Theotokion In ways past speech and understanding, without father thou hast

borne on earth Him who has no mother in heaven. O Theotokos, pray to Him for the salvation of our souls. To the Martyrs Let us all pray to the martyrs of Christ, for they intercede for our salvation. Let us all draw near to them with faith, for they dispense

the grace of healing, and as guardians of the faith they drive away

the hosts of demons.

Sessional hymns o f the Apostles:

In Thy surpassing love for man, O Christ our God, Thou hast made the fishers wiser than those skilled in speech, and Thou hast sent them out as preachers into all the earth. Through them make strong Thy Church, and send Thy blessing down upon the faithful, O Thou who alone art merciful and lovest mankind. 12 i Cor. ι ς : 45;.

y . Their voi^e is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Through Thy surpassing love for man, O Christ our God, the fishers drew the nations into their net, and taught the ends of the earth to worship Thee. Through them make strong Thy Church and send Thy blessing down upon the faithful, O Thou who alone dost rest among the saints. Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . . Theotokion We magnify thee, Theotokos, and we cry aloud: Hail, Cloud that held the never-setting Light, who hast carried in thy womb the Lord o f glory. To the Martyrs Apostles, martyrs and prophets, hierarchs, holy monks and righteous men, who have fought the good fight to the end and kept

the faith; since ye have boldness in the presence of the Saviour,

intercede before Him, we entreat you, that in His love He may grant salvation to our souls.18

Sessional hymns o f the Apostles:

O ye apostles and eyewitnesses, ye were made divine heralds of *the truth and teachers of the Church. For ye trampled underfoot the error of idolatry, and clearly ye proclaimed the Trinity. O blessed saints, pray to the Triune God that we may be granted His great mercy. ψ . Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Come, and let us all sing in praise of the apostles, since they are our helmsmen. For they overcame the error of idolatry; they have led us to the light of life and taught us to give glory to the Trinity. With all the faithful, then, we celebrate their honoured memory and we glorify the Saviour. Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . .

salvation, making glad the souls and bodies of us all. Therefore do we call thee blessed, for thou art the cause of all good things, and for ever with the Angel we cry out to thee: Hail, O full o f grace.15 To the Martyrs Shielded by the armour of Christ and taking up the weapons o f the faith, as brave soldiers ye cast down the ranks of the enemy. Setting your hope in the life to come, gladly ye endured all the tyrants’ threats and scourging; and so ye have received crowns of victory, O martyrs of Christ, strong in soul.16

Sessional hymns o f the Apostles:

Thou hast made Thy disciples, O Christ, as lights that shine to the ends of earth, and by preaching Thee they illumine our souls. Through them Thou hast made dark the error of idolatry and en­ lightened the world with the teachings of the true Faith. At their intercessions save our souls. y . Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Just as Moses by the strength of Thy right hand, O Master, led Israel through the Red Sea out of bondage and drowned Pharaoh in

the waves, so have Thy wise disciples by their miracles forced a

passage through the sea of bitter godlessness and guided the people unto Thee, O W ord without beginning, who alone lovest mankind. Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . Theotokion W e acknowledge that the W ord of the Father, Christ our God, 28 Luke 2 : 3 $ .

has taken flesh from thee, O Virgin Theotokos. Thou alone art pure, thou alone art blessed: therefore do we sing thy praises without ceasing and we magnify thee. To the Martyrs Armed with Thy Cross, O Christ our God, Thy victorious martyrs defeated the devices of the enemy from whom all evil comes. They shone like torches, guiding mortal men, and they grant healing unto those that ask with faith. At their intercessions save our souls.

Sessional hymns o f the Apostles:

W ith all mankind, in spiritual hymns and songs let us glorify the wise apostles as eyewitnesses of the W ord and servants of Christ. For they pray fervently to Christ on our behalf, as we praise their holy memory and venerate their relics. y . Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Let us glorify with one accord the apostles of Christ, for they shine as torches throughout the inhabited earth. They have caught

the nations in the net of the true Faith; and bringing us light they

teach us to honour the Holy Trinity, one in Essence yet divided in Persons. Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . . Theotokion O Bride unwedded and Ever-Virgin, in the company of the angels we sing thy praises without ceasing; for thy Son and God has done great things for us through thee. Begotten before all ages from the Father, He was pleased to be contained within thy womb and to set us free from error. 32 Ps. 103: 2.

To the Martyrs

The powers of heaven greatly marvelled at the victory of the holy

m artyrs; for, contending bravely in their mortal bodies, invisibly they conquered the bodiless enemy by the power of the Cross. And now they intercede before the Lord, that He may have mercy on our souls.

Sessional hymns o f the Apostles:

As Thou wast present in the midst of Thy disciples, O Saviour, and gavest them peace, come to us also and save us.88 ψ . Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Thy disciples, O Jesus, were sent to the ends of the earth, and in their zeal for the true faith they caught the nations like fish and brought them as an offering to Thee, O loving Lord. And trusting in their prayers we cry to T h ee: Bestow upon Thy people Thy great mercy. Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . . Theotokion Hallowed Lady, Mother of Christ our God, thou hast borne in­ effably the Maker of all. In union with the holy apostles pray to Him at all times, that in His love He may release us from the passions and

grant us the remission of our sins. To the Martyrs

The memorial of Thy martyrs, O Lord, is like the Paradise in

Eden, for it brings joy to all creation. At their prayers grant us peace and Thy great mercy.

Sessional hymns of the Apostles:

O Word and Master, Thou hast made Thine apostles husbandmen in Thy field, and they cut down the idols. Preaching Thee to the nations, with true faith and reverence they have magnified Thee. y . Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. 42 Isa. 60: 13 (Sept.).

O children of the Church, let us celebrate the memory of the allglorious apostles, and let us sing in praise of Christ. For through the preaching of repentance they have saved those guilty of sin ; driving out all error, they bring light to the world and offer intercession for the inhabited earth. Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . . Theotokion Hail, for from thee the Word took flesh and dwelt among us, while remaining still unchanged! Hail, honoured Virgin, joy o f the apostles and the martyrs, and salvation of the faithful 1 Hail, Mother o f Christ our G o d ! To the Martyrs W e entreat you, O ye saints, intercede for the forgiveness of our sins, and pray for our deliverance from the torment that awaits us

and from bitter death.

Sessional hymns o f the Apostles:

Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, who hast made the fisher­ men wise by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit; and through them Thou hast drawn the inhabited earth into Thy net. O Lord who lovest mankind, glory to Thee. y . Their voice is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Let us sing the praises of the holy disciples of our God. They are burning torches, guides to all the world, first-fruits o f our salvation. They have caused the Light to shine on us in darkness, and to all they have made known the Sun of glory. They have destroyed the error of 47 Luke 23: 42.

idolatry, preaching the Trinity in one Godhead. Therefore we en­ treat them: O ye apostles of Christ our God, intercede for the forgiveness of our sins, as we celebrate with love your holy memory. Glory be to the Father. . . . Both now. . . . Theotokion Hail, for through the Angel thou hast received the Joy of the world! Hail, for thou hast borne thy Maker and thy Lord! Hail, for thou wast counted worthy to become Mother of Christ our G o d ! To the Martyrs Contending bravely to the end, O holy martyrs, ye withstood the tyrants. Ye put to death your bodies on this earth, and so ye were rewarded with the life of heaven.48*