What determines which particular version of the gospel is read? Reflecting on the the ointment bearing women, the gospels of Mt. Mk. Lk. & Jn. vary somewhat, does anyone have any insight on why a particular version, read in church, is chosen over another? Thanks!

Dear Lorena,

Congratulations on your first post!

I believe the salvation event being liturgically celebrated determines which Gospel and reading is to be used in accordance with the insight of the Church through the Spirit.

For example, it always struck me as odd that on Easter the reading is not one of those that talk about the Resurrection of Christ, but is, in fact, the first 17 verses of the Gospel of John.

The reason for this is that the Resurrection is understood by the Church as being the greatest proof of Christ's Divinity.

Therefore the reading for that Feast of Feasts is the first part of John's Gospel that deals with the Divinity of Christ, His relationship to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Alex

I think Lorena's question (if I'm understanding it right) is more along the lines of the following situation.

On Easter, the account of the Resurrection is usually read (with the exception of John 1 which Alex brings up). But there are four accounts of the Resurrection to choose from, in the four Gospels. Yet, consistently, the readings are ordered a certain way. It's not like the three year Sunday cycle of the Latins so that every year a different account is read.

For instance, in the Syrian Church, the Gospel read at the Liturgy for Easter is always from Mark, and I've wondered why this one was chosen over the others. When looking at the Lectionary, we see that Matthew is used at Vespers for Easter, Luke at the Midnight Prayers, and John at Matins, so we cover all the bases that way. But still, why was Mark chosen for the Liturgy rather than any of the others, or why not a harmony of them as is done during the rest of Holy Week?

*By the way, during the separate service for Easter in the Syrian Church, something similar to what Alex described is done. The Gospel read at that service, which includes the Veneration of the Cross, is St. John 13: 34-35; 14: 27; 15: 11-15, 17-19; 17: 1, 11-12, 13-17, 24-26; and not the Resurrection, as one might think at first.

[ 04-17-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

Lorena asked: “What determines which particular version of the gospel is read? Reflecting on the the ointment bearing women, the gospels of Mt. Mk. Lk. & Jn. vary somewhat, does anyone have any insight on why a particular version, read in church, is chosen over another? Thanks!”

Lorena,

Christ is Risen!
Indeed He is Risen!

First, let me welcome you to the Focus on Scripture forum. The four Gospels are read in serial fashion in the Byzantine Church (most of the time) beginning with John's Prologue on the Feast of the Resurrection. We begin reading Matthew's Gospel in serial fashion after Pentecost. Check out the following thread for some background on this:

http://www.byzcath.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=000003

From the Lectionary website given in the above link, we see that John's Gospel is read serially. Whereas the weekdays lead us through all the Gospel readings (most of the time), Sundays alter that serial with Gospel narratives pertaining to the theme of that Sunday. Here are the readings for each day until the Sunday of the Myrrbearing Women.

The Resurrection of Christ, the Passover (Pascha) of the Lord: Easter
John 1:1-17
Bright Monday
John 1:18-28
Bright Tuesday
***Luke 24:12-35
Bright Wednesday
John 1:35-51
Bright Thursday
John 3:1-15
Bright Friday
John 2:12-22
Bright Saturday
John 3:22-33
Second Sunday of Pascha: Thomas Sunday
***John 20:19-31 [out of sequence due to the Thomas narrative]

Second Week of Pascha
Monday
John 2:1-11
Tuesday
John 3:16-21
Wednesday
John 5:17-24
Thursday
John 5:24-30
Friday
John 5:30-6:2
Saturday
John 6:14-27

As you can see, the Gospel of John begins with chapter 1 and continues. Then we have a unique switch to the Gospel of Mark. Even though John has a "Myrrbearing Woman' narrative (there was only one woman who went to the grave - Mary Magdalene) it is rarely, if ever, read per the lectionary.

Third Sunday of Pascha: Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women and Sunday of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
***Mark 15:43-16:8

Then we continue on with our serial reading of John:

Third Week of Pascha
Monday
John 4:46-54
Tuesday
John 6:27-33
Wednesday
John 6:35-39
etc...

But why Mark's account rather than John? Well, none of us were there when the lectionary was finally decided on, but we cannot ignore how our Byzantine tradition prefers Mark's account. Let me itemize the varying traditions of this event:

Who went to the tomb first?
MT : Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
MK : Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome
LK : Women from Galilee; Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, other women with them
JN : Mary Magdalene, then Peter and the other disciples

What day did they go to the tomb?
MT : After the Sabbath; first day of the week
MK : When the Sabbath was over; first day of the week
LK : First day of the week
JN : First day of the week

What time of the day did they go to the tomb?
MT : Beginning of dawn
MK : Very early; when the sun had risen
LK : At early dawn
JN : While it was still dark

Who appeared?
MT : An angel of the Lord sitting on the rolled away stone; appearance like lightening and clothing white as snow
MK : Young man wearing a white robe sitting inside the tomb on the right
LK : Two men in dazzling clothing
JN : No one

First words?
MT : “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying”
MK : “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.”
LK : “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.”
JN : None

Instructions?
MT : “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."
MK : “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.”
LK : “Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
JN : None

Response?
MT : They left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy; began running to report it to His disciples
MK : They fled, trembling and astonishment; said nothing to anyone due to fear.
LK : They remembered His words; returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest
JN : Mary reports to Peter about the missing body; Peter and two disciples go to tomb; Peter sees and believes

Jesus?
MT : Jesus meets them while the women are on the run
MK : None
LK : None
JN : None

The Galilee Connection?
MT : Women were told that Jesus went ahead of them to Galilee where they will meet him.
MK : Women were told that Jesus went ahead of them to Galilee where they will meet him.
LK : Women were reminded of how Jesus spoke to them while he was in Galilee.
JN : Peter and the disciples were still in Jerusalem for they went to the tomb.


[We can see how John's Gospel account is never used. John's Gospel was written several decades after the other three Synoptic Gospels and by then the emphasis on Peter was greater. Notice how John has Mary Magdalene notice the open tomb and then run back to Peter who had to see it with his own eyes. Peter sees it and then believes. There is no angel; no words or instructions given. With no angel giving instructions, there are no 'hooks' for hymnographers to put words into their mouths. Yet in our tradition, especially our hymns and iconography Icon of the myrrhbearing women (see http://www.comeandseeicons.com/svp08.htm), the Matthean and Markan accounts are preferred. See below for the various hymns and troparion of this narrative as found in our Resurrection Matins. Take a look at what words of instructions are given:]

[1] Troparion of the Ointment-Bearing Women:
The Angel stood by the tomb
… and CRIED OUT to the women bearing ointment:
"Ointments are for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself not subject to corruption. So now cry out: "The Lord has risen, bestowing great mercy upon the world.”

[2] The Hypakoe:
They who were with Mary came before the dawn,
found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre,
… and heard the angels SAY unto them,
“Why do you seek him as man with the dead, who dwells in light eternal? Behold the grave wrappings; make haste and declare to the world that the Lord is risen, and has caused death to die; for he is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind.”

[3] Oikos:
To the Sun before the sun,
as it set for a time in the grave,
the ointment-bearing maidens came at dawn,
seeking him as they would the day.
… And they SHOUTED one to another,
“Come, let us, O friends, anoint with spices the life-bearing body, now buried; the body that raised fallen Adam, lying in the sepulchre. Come, let us hasten, as did the Magi, and fall down in worship; let us offer of spices like unto their offerings, to him who is no longer wrapped in swaddling clothes, but in finest linen. Let us lament; let us weep; and let us cry, Master, arise, You who did grant resurrection to the fallen.”

[4] When the ointment-bearing women stood,
very early in the morning,
before the tomb of the Life-giver,
they found an angel sitting upon the stone.
… And he CRIED OUT unto them, saying,
“Why do you seek Living among the dead? Why do you mourn the Incorruptible amidst corruption? Go proclaim the glad tidings to his Disciples.”

In each hymn, we find two parts: first a historical/narrative account based on scripture, and two, a proclamation. The proclamation is noted with the women or angels “crying out” or “shouting”. What is important during the first few Sundays is the proclamation of the Risen one without doubt or pondering. In John's Gospel, Mary Magdalene had to get a stamp of approval from Peter before there was belief. Think for a moment about the several Annunciation narratives we have in Matthew and Luke's Gospels. There are (1) Mary's Annunciation, (2) Joseph's Annunciation, (3) the Shepherd's Annunciation, and (4) the Magi's Annunciation. Which one do we remember? Mary's Annunciation. She responded with a heartful YES without pondering as did Joseph (who needed a lot of prompting to finally give in). Which account does the Church celebrate on Sunday for the Myrrhbearing Women? Primarily Mark's account, hence the switch-a-roo in the lection. Certainly not Luke's who has “two men in dazzling clothing.” We cannot help but remember that these Sundays were the first Sundays of the newly enlightened baptized and that the instructions centered around moments for belief: Thomas, Myrrbearing women. Thomas needed proof – for he must have been from Missouri! Women's testimony was worthless in this society. Yet the Church uses the most trying accounts of faith overcoming doubt for the first few weeks. Later, we will switch to “healing” Gospels for the rest of the Sundays until Pentecost.


Cantor Joe Thur

[ 04-17-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

Dear Cantor Joe,

So I was right?

Alex

"Dear Cantor Joe,
So I was right?"

Alex,
Always, my friend!
Joe

Dear Cantor Joe,

I'll quote you to my wife

God bless you on "Thur's-Day!"

Alex

Alex,

I'm sure your wife can always use a good laugh.

Joe

Dear Cantor Joe,

Actually, she seems to like bearing her teeth at me . . .

Is it something about my personality?

Alex

But getting back to Lorena's initial question:

"What determines which particular version of the gospel is read?"

The inherent problem is the fact that the Church eventually adopted all four Gospels as canonical. This introduced some interesting problems and innovative solutions. If a "Gospel" text (let's say Luke's) was used in a particular church there and another text (let's say Mark's) was used over yonder, reading each Gospel in sequence on the 8th Day or Sunday was no problem. After accepting four Gospels (MT, MK, LK, and JN) as 'canonical' the Church began to read them continuously on a day-to-day basis.

This transition from a single Gospel community to a multiple Gospel universal community would lead to some bizzare relationships between lections and festive days. Technically, we would read the account of the Myrrh-bearing women four times throughout the year. But we notice that Sundays and Festive days alter that nice flowing series of readings with 'themes' that do not match the technically correct lection of our day-to-day series. This situation is not new. The Jewish lectionary (the Palestinian one) read the entire Torah in sequence throughout the entire year, but had 'special' readings earmarked for feasts and high holy days.

Now, we celebrate the Sunday of the Myrr-bearing Women. Though John's Gospel is technically the 'chosen one' for the time between the Resurrection and Pentecost, we read Mark's account instead. In my response to Lorena, I tried to give some possible reasons why we would opt for Mark's account rather than John's. Would we benefit from hearing John's lection rather than Mark's?

Bonus question: Where in the Byzantine Lectionary DO we read John's Myrrh-bearing narrative? 100 points. For an additional 100 points (no one is really keeping score) when do we read Mark 16:9-20, known as the "second ending" of Mark?

Cantor Joe Thur

[ 04-18-2002: Message edited by: J Thur ]

Dear Joe,

I still don't know the answer and the suspense is killing me!

Where are you and why aren't you posting, Big Guy?

Alex