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Recently I visited an ACROD church. They sang The Beatitudes. This is the first time I heard the Beatitudes sung during Liturgy. Can someone tell me what is the protocol for when the Beatitudes are sung during Liturgy.

The people normally stand during the singing of the Beatitudes since Father is usually processing around the temple with Gospel book aloft. Typically, the people on the north side of the temple would turn around 360 degrees while facing the Gospel book as it passes around them. The folks on the south side will face in the direction of the Gospel book. We don't make abbreviated cuckoo-clock processions for the Entrance. The people will usually bow and sign themselves as the Gospel book passes them.

Joe provided a good explanation of the behavior of the people during the singing and the Entrance with the Gospel. I�ll add a bit of history and detail. I�ll also note that they are also sung in many Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholic parishes.

The Beatitudes are sung together with the typical psalms during the Office of the Three Antiphons at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. They are of Palestinian origin. They consist of the Psalm 102 (103 in a Western Bible), �Bless the Lord, O my soul��, Psalm 145 (146) , Praise the Lord�� the hymn �O Only-Begotten Son� and then the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12).

The use of the Paschal Antiphons is the older tradition from the Great Church at Constantinople (Psalm 65 (66). �Shout joyfully to the Lord��, Psalm 66 (67), �God be gracious to us and bless us�� and Psalm 94 (95), �Come let us sing joyfully to the Lord��).

And since we have such a dignified procession for the Gospel book around the temple, we sing more than the bare minimum (one verse) verses for each antiphon. The people have never complained about the additional psalm verses or the length of singing the Beatitudes or even about the trip around the temple. It is a great "attention grabber" for the Gospel, which will soon be read.

For the Beatitudes, Father usually ends up with a cohort of servers bearing candles, incenser, ripidia, etc standing before the tetrapod in the middle of the temple waiting for us cantors and people to finish singing. We use Cantor John Vernoski's liturgy book since its there with musical notation and all.

Cantor Joe Thur

Also, during the Beatitudes (often the Russian tradition), troparia proper to the Sunday or Feast are interpersed after some verses usually with the text "Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom"

Dear Joe - it would be good if the people could be persuaded to stand for the whole liturgy and if those pews could all be recycled into something worthwhile!

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner.

When discussing the use of the Beatitudes vs. the other version of the third antiphon (Ps. 94: "Come let us sing joyfully to the Lord . . . "), we must also focus on the reason for this, which is a difference in liturgical recensions. I believe that this is the "protocol" inquired about in the initial post and I hope it sheds light on the poster's question, in addition to the good advice given thus far.

The Ruthenian Recension (used by what are today divided into Ruthenian and Ukrainian churches) follows the Greek usage for the Office of the Three Antiphons, which originate from the Great Church in Constantinople (Hagia Sophia) as was pointed out by our Administrator. These psalm-antiphons are sometimes called the "paschal antiphons" because they are the particular psalms prescribed for Pascha and all other Sundays. They include: (Psalm 65 (66). �Shout joyfully to the Lord��, Psalm 66 (67), �God be gracious to us and bless us�� and Psalm 94 (95), �Come let us sing joyfully to the Lord��).

In the Russian Recension, it has become the norm to use what are known are the "Typical Psalms" for the antiphons: First Antiphon: Psalm 102 (103), �Bless the Lord, O my soul��, Second Antiphon: Psalm 145 (146) , Praise the Lord�� and then the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) as the Third Antiphon. In Russian usage, other psalms verses are only used for the antiphons on feasts that have specified antiphons using other prescribed psalms particular to the feast or on weekdays.

Weekdays have their own antiphons, and these are prescribed to be used at the Divine Liturgy in both the Greek and Russian usages. In this case, the customary third antiphon (Ps. 94) as used by the Greek tradition on Sundays is used by both traditions on weekdays, but with a difference in the refrain (O Son of God, risen from the dead (Sunday) or wondrous in your saints (weekdays) or the specified response from a feast, if it is during a postfestive period (ie: born of a virgin, transfigured on the mount . . . etc.).

Although the Ruthenian Recension prescribes the Greek style of antiphons exclusively, it has become the custom in some Ruthenian usage parishes (this would include the Carpatho-Russian diocese), to make use of the Beatitudes in place of the normative Third Antiphon on some occasions. This originates from the influence of the Russian liturgy on the churches of other Slavic lands, which all, until recently, made use of the Church Slavonic language. While there is nothing inherently wrong with singing the Beatitudes as the Third Antiphon in our churches, it should be remembered that they come to us from the Russian liturgy and are not normative for our tradition. However, their immense popularity with the people have gained them a place in our services as an option.

The presence of the "typical psalms" in the liturgy is indeed of Palestinian origin, as our Administrator points out. From this beginning, they became popular in monastic usage, which often differs from the parochial one (as was recently pointed out on another thread). The name "typical psalms" comes from the name "typica" which is a monastic office added on to the Sixth Hour, which includes an antiphonal section, using the psalms in question, and also some other portions of the usual Divine Liturgy. It was designed to be used on days when the Eucharistic liturgy was not offered.

As is generally known, the Russian Recension contains a greater amount of monastic influence than does the Greek, Ruthenian or some others. The prestige and influence of monastic clergy in the Russian Empire is certainly one of the reasons for this historical development. Since the typical psalms have a monastic origin, it eventually became the custom in the Russian liturgy, to make use of these psalms in the normal Divine Liturgy. The Greek Recension (upon which the Ruthenian one is largely based) remained with the original antiphonal psalms, which we still use today.

Regarding the Beatitudes themselves, yes there developed sets of stichera to be sung between the latter verses of the Beatitudes, particularly on Sundays and holydays. Many full versions of the "Octoekos" (ressurectional texts for the eight tones - I have a Slavonic version in my library - a very thick book indeed) or the festal menaion and other books, contain such stichera. While most parishes that use the Beatitudes omit these stichera, they are used in some cases and in mostly, in many monasteries.

It is also important to note some other differences, regarding the three antiphons. In the Ruthenian usage, during the postfestive period of a feastday, the first and second antiphons of the feast (if that feast has its own antiphons) are used throughout the postfestive period, but the festive third antiphon (which on feasts, includes special psalm verses that are divided by the repeated singing of the troparion of the feast) is used only on the feastday itself. During the postfestive period, the third antiphon reverts to the usual one (Ps. 94), but with the appropriate festal refrain (as noted above, ie: O Son of God, "who sat upon a colt; who ascended in glory . . . etc.). In the Russian Recension, festal antiphons are used only on the feast itself, while during the postfestive period, the liturgy reverts to the "typical psalms" for the antiphons (Sundays) or the normal weekday antiphons (weekdays).

It should also be pointed out that in many Greek style churches, the Sunday third antiphon has evolved to consist of one verse of the normal antiphonal psalm (94) but with the resurrectional troparion as the refrain, instead of the usual, "O Son of God . . ." Also, in Greek churches, the first and second antiphons have in many places, been reduced to a mere repeating of the refrain three times, but excluding the psalm verses (apparently for the sake of "brevity"). This would sound something like: (Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Savior save us [3x]; "O Son of God, risen from the dead, save us who sing to you: Alleluia. [3x], etc.). Ruthenians are not the only ones who have made abbreviations in the liturgy. For clarity, Arabic churches also use the Greek Recension, although in some Arabic parishes, particularly in the United States, there has been a borrowing from the Russian usage. This stems from a variety of reasons, a main one being that during the early days of the establishment of Orthodox parishes in the US, liturgical books in English, prepared by the Russian jurisdictions were used also by some other tradition churches, especially what is known today as the Antiochian Archdiocese (formally called the "Syrian Orthodox Church"). The need for books in English prompted this sharing of liturgical styles, as did the greater sense of Orthodox unity that existed in America, prior to the organized establishment of separate, ethnic based jurisdictions. Thus, you will sometimes find influences and practices from the Russian liturgy among the Antiochian communities, especially those who use English.

We also have to remember that while there are definite prescribed differences in the various recensions, liturgy is a living and evolving component of church life and there is often not absolutely one and one only example of a particular tradition. Often times, small divergences in the tradition will occur from place to place, one example of this being the occasional use of the Beatitudes for the third antiphon in Ruthenian usage churches. Again, this obviously was brought into the liturgy of the Ruthenians from the Russian practice. Before printed books became more readily available in Eastern Europe, there was often borrowing that took place between various usages, because of the need for books printed in Church Slavonic.

Another divergence in the antiphonal office of the liturgy, in Ruthenian tradition was the use of the monastic typical psalms for the Divine Liturgy on holydays. This was "typical" up until recent times and I remember our older, professional cantors doing this quite often. The first two psalms would be used, together with the "Hymn of the Incarnation" (O only begotten Son . . . ), although, (as is also often the case in Russian churches), only the first verse or perhaps two verses of the psalms were used. In the days I am referring to, Ruthenian churches often omitted the third antiphon on a regular basis, so the use of the Beatitudes in these instances was a non-issue. As is still the practice in some churches today, (including some Carpatho-Russian Orthodox parishes), the little entrance was made during the Hymn of the Incarnation, with no third antiphon following it.

Before concluding this discussion on the antiphons, one more things should be noted: The use of the Beatitudes and the typical psalms that accompany them are merely reflections of two different liturgical traditions of the Byzantine church. They in no way indicate a particular season of the church year or other occurrence. I mention this because at one time, mostly in the decades of the 1970s and 80s, it was thought by many in the Ruthenian Church, that the use of the Beatitudes and typical psalms were prescribed for penitential seasons such as Great Lent or one of the other fasting periods. Many priests asked that cantors sing the Russian style antiphons during these times. While it may be a nice gesture, to make use of these antiphons or the Beatitudes with the other, normative Greek psalms during penitential times, the belief that they were designed for these periods was a commonly held opinion that does not have historical liturgical roots. They are merely two examples of different practices in the way the antiphons are used.

And this is the most important point to remember: There are two traditions for the Office of the Three Antiphons in the Divine Liturgy and when one finds the Beatitudes used along with the Greek tradition antiphons, there is a mingling of the two unique traditions (Russian and Greek, for ease of reference) going on.

This can no doubt sound like a complicated issue, because there are many variables in the antiphonal offices, but one which nevertheless needs to be understood by those with a particular interest in the history and development of the liturgy.

Fr. Joe

Fr. Joe has provided us with a very comprehensive analysis of the use of the Beatitudes. I would like to offer one point for discussion and share a story.

It is my position that while the Paschal Antiphons were normative in the Ruthenian Church the Typical Psalms and Beatitudes were probably also fairly well known (at least until the Third Antiphon disappeared). I seem to remember that the official liturgy books reference the use of the Typical Psalms and Beatitudes and only note the use of the Paschal Antiphons as if they were alternates. The 1965 liturgicon provides the texts of the Paschal Antiphons in brackets to show that they were not part of the official Slavonic liturgicon. I also believe that the Mikita and Dolnitsky typicons also state that the use of the Typical Psalms and the Beatitudes were normative. The Petras Typicon rubric for (I think) Thomas Sunday notes that one is to return to the use of the Typical Psalms and the Beatitudes (although the Ruthenian custom is to sing the Paschal Antiphons for all forty days).

In the early 1980�s the parish I attend introduced the singing of the Typical Psalms and the Beatitudes into the Sunday Divine Liturgy. We sung them to Russian Tone 1 and they quickly became a favorite. One Latin Catholic priest who visited the parish and concelebrated told me that he was in tears when he saw the procession of the Gospel Book during the singing of the Beatitudes and how appropriate it was that they were sung during this entrance. This priest said that when he saw the Gospel Book held on high and heard the words �Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me� he was so overwhelmed he could barely keep his composure. His thought at the time was �Look at these people. They hold the Gospel Book high while they sing of being persecuted for Christ.� It was then that I knew that we must find a way to keep them as an option for our liturgy. The use of the Typical Psalms and Beatitudes may have never been the usual custom in our Ruthenian recension but, since they are well within the Orthodox liturgical tradition, we must make room for them.

Admin

As Fr. Joe pointed out, the singing of the Typical Psalms (and Beatitudes) at the Divine Liturgy is a Russian usage. However, I would like to note that the stichera (troparia)sung between the verses of the Beatitudes are given in both Greek and Russian liturgical texts, since they are simply taken from the 3rd and 6th odes of the Canon prescribed for that day. The instructions for their usage are also given in both Greek and Russian texts as the verses for the Beatitudes of the Typica. So while their usage during the Sunday liturgy is regional, their usage in the Typica is universal.

Priest Thomas Soroka
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church [stnicholas-oca.org]

It is exactly as Fr. Thomas points out. Since the origin of the "typical psalms" themselves is from the monastic office of the "typica" (taken after the hours on days when the liturgy is not celebrated), they are found in this case, among both Greek and Russian liturgical books. When used in their original capacity, they would be a common practice in both traditions. That is why it is easy to see the monastic influence on some details of the Russian Recension and I do not mean that this influence is negative. The typical psalms from the monastic office easily found their way into the parochial Divine Liturgy, as a substitution for the older antiphons and the Gospel-passage that contains the Beatitudes certainly has gained popularity among the people. The "Octoechos" that I mentioned is a Ruthenian one, printed in Church Slavonic and entirely complete. The presence of the stichera for the Beatitudes also lends credence to their use in the "typica" by both Greek and Russian styles.

In this sense, the Beatitudes are a most appropriate passage to be chanted, as our Administrator mentions, since they not only mention key Christian ideals, but also they are part of the "Sermon on the Mount" (found in both Matthew and in a different form, in Luke where it is sometimes referred to as the "Sermon on the Plain"). This important part of Jesus' preaching is uniquely tied to the little entrance, when the Gospel Book is carried in procession. The entrance of the Gospels and the words of one of our Lord's more important Gospel teachings go well together as a preparation for the hearing of the Word of God, more particularly, the Gospel-reading.

Interesting indeed and I'm glad that the Administrator brought up this connection.

Fr. Joe

We sing the Beatitudes as an entrance hymn during Lent. Depending on the cantor, we sing "Remember me...." between each one. However, when we do this, there is not enough time to sing all the Beatitudes so the last few are left off.

I prefer to sing them without the "Remember me....". That way we are able to fit in all the Beatitutes. (But I must admit it is very moving when we do sing "Remember me.....")
This is at Epiphany in Roswell, Georgia, a Ruthenian parish.
denise

As Fr. Joe pointed out, the use of the Typical Psalms with the Beatitudes is much more common in the Ukrainian and Russian Catholic usages of the Divine Liturgy. But I think it is more of a question of monastic vs. cathedral usage development rather than a Greek vs. Russian development.

The Psalms of Typika reflect the more monastic Sabaitic development of the Liturgy while the antiphons reflect the "cathedral" or parish usage influenced by Jerusalem and Constantinople. Even in the Russian Synodal usage the Resurrectional Antiphons are taken for Pascha and Bright Week.

The text for both the Beatitudes and the Antiphons are included in the UCC Synodal pew books, and the Typical Psalms and the Beatitudes are taken in many UCC parishes. The practice of the Beatitudes is much less common in Byzantine-Ruthenian parishes, partly because the the texts of the Typical Psalms and the Beatitudes are not included in the common pew books generally distributed across the Metropolia.

The Small Entrance generally is to take place during the Beatitudes or Third Antiphon. For Sundays and feasts there are special troparia appointed to be interspersed with the Beatitudes, similar to how the stikhera at Vespers are interspersed with introductory verses.

Since the Beatitudes/Third Antiphon are generally ommitted in most Byzantine-Ruthenian parishes, even currently in many pontifical Liturgies in the Metropolia, and the first and second Antiphons abbreviated, the general practice is to have the Small Entrance procession during the Hymn of the Incarnation.

Hopefully with continued laudable efforts such as the Administrator's the practice of using the abbreviated/ommitted antiphons and the juxtaposed Small Entrance procession will be resolved eventually in the Byzantine-Ruthenian Metropolia.

Dear Friends,

As a side note to all these specialized comments by our clerical liturgical experts on the Beatitudes . . .

The Celtic tradition prescribed the daily recitation of the entire book of Psalms by monastics especially.

The Celi De monks were obliged to begin that recitation from 3:00 am in the morning, to finish by 3:00 pm in the afternoon, the time of Christ's Death on the Cross.

However, if for whatever reason they could not complete the Psalter, the recitation of the Beatitudes twelve times replaced the Psalms.

This tradition they borrowed from ancient Coptic practice and they also prayed three Beatitudes apiece with hands outstretched facing the four directions, much as our priests do during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and our bishops during a Pontifical Divine Liturgy.

So, the good news is I'm not a total liturgical peasant.

The bad news is this has nothing whatever to do with the Byzantine tradition we are discussing here . . .

Alex

But it adds to a fascinating topic

What is it that I often add ? Oh yes "let the................

Anhelyna

Thank you all for the most informative and enlightening replies.