www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Holy Friday - Pascha Differences

As you probably can tell it is the time of year that most priests are brushing up on their Holy Week rubrics, along with the needs that have to be had for that period.

At a recent clergy brotherhood meeting, a discussion ensued about the difference between OCA liturgical norms and Greek liturgical norms for Holy Friday through Pascha. I was somewhat surprised at the amount of difference.

Starting with the matins on Holy Friday Evening, at the conclusion of the service the epitaphios (shroud) is brought and placed on the altar in the Greek practice and the tomb dismantled. In the OCA/Slavic practice it is enshrined and in most cases a vigil takes place. In Greek practice, the liturgical color changes after that service to white or gold, not in the OCA/Slavic practice.

On Holy Saturday Morning at the vesperal liturgy, there were a few differences also. The tomb is still present in the OCA/Slavic practice, and the litugical color changes during the Old Testament readings. Now one difference was noted in the Greek in that at "Arise O Lord" the priest processes throughout the congregation singing antiphonally the verses with the chanter spreading Bay leaves throughout. Also in some parishes the children bring something to make noise with to signify the gates of Hades being broken down. This is not apparent in the OCA/Slavic practice.

At the Pacshal service, in Greek litugical practice, the priest begins with "Come receive the Light..." and all process out, where the Paschal verses, litany, and reading of the Matins Gospel occurs, then processes back in for the remainder of the services through to the liturgy. In the OCA/Slavic liturgical practice, the epitaphios is processed out and after the light being brought forth, while the tomb and the church are quickly redecorated. No Matins gospel.

I would be interested in some insights into these liturgical differences from any that have pondered them also.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

The use of "Come, receive the Light . . ." and the reading of the Resurrection Gospel at the doors of the Church seems to have appeared first in Syria and spread to Constantinople by the middle of the nineteenth century; from there it spread throughout the Greek world. In the diaspora, it has also been spreading among the Slav Churches, although not as fast as one might expect. Those Slav Churches who use it tend not to have the "Come, receive the Light . . . " but do read the Gospel outside the doors of the Church at the conclusion of the Procession. It's quite effective, since the Gospel at the Divine Liturgy (the Johannine Prologue) has nothing to do with the Resurrection.

Incognitus