Dictionary of church terms for journalists
Clergy, church hierarchy
Altar boy - see sexton .
Apostle (Greek “messenger”) is a disciple of Jesus Christ, chosen and sent by Him to preach. In the narrow sense, the term apostle refers to the twelve immediate disciples of Christ; in a broader sense - also to the 70 closest associates of His Church, also called the apostles of the seventy.
Archdeacon is the senior deacon in the monastic clergy, that is, the senior hierodeacon. The title of archdeacon is given as a reward. In the Russian Orthodox Church, an archdeacon serving under the patriarch is called the Patriarchal Archdeacon; he is the only archdeacon who belongs to the white clergy. In large monasteries, the senior deacon also has the rank of archdeacon.
An archbishop (Greek: “senior among bishops”) is originally a bishop, the head of a large ecclesiastical region that unites several dioceses. Bishops governing dioceses were subordinate to the archbishop. Subsequently, bishops who govern large dioceses began to be called archbishops. Currently, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the title "archbishop" is an honorary title, preceding the title "metropolitan".
Bishop (Greek senior priest, chief of priests) is a clergyman belonging to the third, highest degree of priesthood. He has the grace to perform all the sacraments and lead church life. Each bishop (except for vicars ) governs a diocese. According to the teaching of the Church, apostolic grace, received from Jesus Christ, is transmitted through ordination to bishops from the very apostolic times, thus, grace-filled succession is carried out in the Church. According to canon 12 of the VI Ecumenical Council (680-681), the bishop must be celibate; In current church practice, it is customary to appoint bishops from the monastic clergy.
Archimandrite is a monastic rank. Currently given as the highest award to the monastic clergy, it corresponds to archpriest and protopresbyter in the white clergy.
Blagochenie is part of the diocese, uniting a group of parishes and churches located in close territorial proximity to each other. It is headed by a dean - a priest appointed by the diocesan bishop to oversee the parish life of the deanery's churches.
A vicar (lat. “deputy”, “vicar”) is a bishop who does not have his own diocese and helps another bishop in the administration.
Clergy - priests. There is a distinction between white (non-monastic) and black (monastic) clergy.
Deacon (Greek “minister”) is a clergyman who belongs to the first, lowest degree of clergy. A deacon has the grace to directly participate in the performance of the sacraments by a priest or bishop, but cannot perform them independently (except for baptism, which can also be performed by laymen if necessary). During the service, the deacon prepares the sacred vessels, proclaims the litany, etc. Ordination to the diaconate is accomplished by the bishop through ordination.
Bishop (Greek “supervisor”, “supervisor”) is a clergyman of the third, highest degree of priesthood, otherwise - a bishop. Initially, the word “bishop” meant the bishopric as such, regardless of the church-administrative position (in this sense it is used in the epistles of St. Apostle Paul). Subsequently, when bishops began to be distinguished into bishops, archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs, the word “bishop” began to mean the first category of the above and in its original sense was replaced by the word “bishop”.
A recluse is a monk who performs feats of salvation in complete solitude - in seclusion.
Hegumen (Greek “leader”) - originally - the head of the monastery. In ancient times, the abbot was not necessarily a priest; subsequently, the practice was established of electing abbots from among the hieromonks. Currently, the abbess is given as a reward to the monastic priesthood (corresponding to an archpriest in the white clergy) and is usually not associated with participation in the management of the monastery. The abbot, who is the head of the monastery, has the right to carry a staff.
Priest (Greek “priest”) - a priest, a clergyman, ordained to the second degree of priesthood, the junior title of a white priest. Can perform all the sacraments, except the sacrament of ordination to the priesthood.
Hierodeacon is a monk with the rank of deacon.
Hieromonk - a monk with the rank of priest.
Monk (slav. “other” - lonely, different) is the Russian name for a monk, a literal translation from Greek. Nun - nun.
A subdeacon is a clergyman who serves the bishop during the service: he prepares vestments, serves the dikiri and trikiri , opens the royal doors, etc. The subdeacon’s vestments are a surplice and a cross-shaped orarion .
A canonarch (Greek: “ruling by singing”) is a clergyman who proclaims a voice and lines from the prayer book before singing, which the choir sings after the proclamation.
Clergy (Greek: "lot") - clergy and clergy. Each temple has its own clergy - a collection of people who perform divine services in it. Canonically, the clergy of the church is subordinate to the diocesan bishop.
Locum Tenens, Patriarchal Locum Tenens (also Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne) is a bishop who temporarily fulfills the duties of the Patriarch as the primate of the local Church.
Metropolitan (Greek: “metropolitan”) - originally a bishop, the head of a metropolitanate - a large ecclesiastical region uniting several dioceses. The bishops governing the dioceses were subordinate to the metropolitan. Subsequently, bishops who govern large dioceses began to be called metropolitans. Currently, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the title "Metropolitan" is an honorary title, following the title "Archbishop". A distinctive part of the Metropolitan's vestments is the white hood.
The abbot of a monastery is a clergyman, abbot (or archimandrite), appointed by the bishop to manage the monastery subordinate to him.
The abbot is the senior clergyman in terms of administrative authority in a monastery or temple. The rector of a monastery is the bishop in whose diocese the monastery is located, or the patriarch, in addition to the diocesan bishop. The abbess of the convent is the abbess.
Patriarch (Greek “ancestor”) - in some Orthodox Churches - the title of the head of the local Church. The Patriarch is elected by the local council. The title was established by the Fourth Ecumenical Council of 451 (Chalcedon, Asia Minor). In Rus', the patriarchate was established in 1589, abolished in 1721 and replaced by a collegial body - a synod, and restored in 1917.
Sexton (distorted Greek “supervisor”) is a clergyman mentioned in the charter. Otherwise - paraeclisiarch or altar boy . The duties of the sexton include serving during divine services at the altar. The term originated in the mid-20th century; Previously, those serving at the altar were called sextons.
Presbyter (Greek “elder, head of the community”) is the oldest canonical name for the second degree of priesthood. In Russia, the words “priest” or “priest” are used in most church documents and in common usage.
Ryasophor (ryassophore monk) (Greek: “wearer of a cassock”) is a monk of the lowest degree of tonsure, preparing to accept the minor schema. A cassock monk is allowed to wear a cassock and kamilavka.
Priest - a clergyman belonging to the second, middle degree of priesthood. Has the grace to perform all the sacraments except the sacrament of ordination. Otherwise, a priest is called a priest or presbyter. Ordination to the priesthood is carried out by the bishop through ordination.
Clergy are persons who have the grace to perform the sacraments (bishops and priests) or directly participate in their celebration (deacons). Divided into three successive degrees: deacons, priests and bishops; supplied through ordination.
Schemamonk is a monk who has accepted the great schema, otherwise the great angelic image. When tonsured into the great schema, a monk takes a vow of renunciation of the world and everything worldly. Schema-monasticism arose in the Middle East in the 5th century, when, in order to streamline hermitage, the imperial authorities ordered hermits to settle in monasteries. The hermits who adopted seclusion as a substitute for hermitage began to be called monks of the great schema. Subsequently, the seclusion ceased to be obligatory for schemamonks.
Clergy - auxiliary persons participating in public worship - altar servers, readers, singers, canonarchs, etc. Delivered through dedication.
An exarch (Greek “ruler”) is a bishop who rules a large ecclesiastical region - an exarchate , usually located outside the country in which the patriarchate is located. An exarchate may include several dioceses, the bishops and archbishops of which are subordinate to the exarch. The exarch is subordinate to the central church authority - the patriarch or synod, but enjoys a certain independence. The Russian Orthodox Church has exarchates in Belarus, Western and Central Europe, Central and South America.
Temple structure
The altar (Latin altaria, from altus - “high”) is the eastern part of the temple, located on a hill, a sacred space, entry into which is prohibited for the uninitiated. Separated from the rest of the temple by an iconostasis.
Ambon (Greek “elevation”) is a part of the sole , protruding in a semicircle into the center of the temple, opposite the Royal Doors. Serves for delivering sermons, litanies, and reading the Gospel.
Antimuns (Greek antimension - “in place of the throne” from Greek anti - “before, instead” and Latin mensa - “table”) is the main sacred object of the temple. A rectangular linen or silk cloth spread on the throne. The liturgy can only be celebrated on the antimension, which is first consecrated by the bishop and transferred to the church as a sign of its consecration. This custom dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, when, due to persecution, believers were unable to build temples and erect permanent thrones. On the antimensions, according to tradition, the “Entombment” of the body of Christ is depicted with embroidery or appliqué.
Apse is a protrusion of a temple building from the side of the altar, semicircular, faceted or rectangular in plan, covered with a semi-dome or closed semi-vault (conchoy). The most important function of the apse in the temple is to complete the altar space in which the high place is located.
The highest place (glorified “high”) is a place in the altar between the altar and the eastern wall. On a high place, on a certain elevation, a chair (throne) is placed for the bishop, and on the sides, but below it, there are seats for priests (in parish churches there is no chair for the bishop). The high place is a designation of the mysterious presence of God and those who serve Him. Therefore, this place is always given due honor.
The deacon doors (north and south) are two single-leaf doors located in the iconostasis on either side of the Royal Doors. Unlike the Royal Doors, the deacon's doors serve as an entrance to the altar for clergy and clergy during liturgical and non-liturgical times. The name comes from the tradition of depicting the first martyr Deacon Stephen (1st century) and the Roman archdeacon Lawrence (3rd century) on the deacon's doors. Sometimes images of archangels are placed on deacon doors.
Deisis (Greek “petition, prayer”, the most common irregular Russian form “ Deesis ”) is a composition of three icons: in the center is an icon of Jesus Christ, on the left is an icon of the Mother of God facing Him, on the right is John the Baptist. The deisis (deesis) rank is a multi-icon composition, in the center of which there are three icons of the deisis, and then on both sides there are symmetrically located icons of archangels, apostles, saints, and prophets.
The altar is a small table near the northern wall in the altar, to the left of the high place. A proskomedia is performed on the altar - the substance for the Eucharist is prepared from the brought bread and wine, while the commemoration of all members of the Church, both living and deceased, is performed.
The curtain (or katapetasma - Greek “curtain”) is located directly behind the Royal Doors and closes them from the side of the altar. During services, it opens and closes, sometimes being half open. Depending on the day of the year and the holiday, it may be of different colors, as are the vestments of the clergy.
Iconostasis is a fence separating the altar and the middle part of the temple. It consists of icons arranged in tiers, the number of which can be from three to five.
Whale (Greek “box”, “ark”) is a small glassed box or a special glassed cabinet in which icons are placed.
Kloros is a place in the temple intended for the choir. The choirs are located at both ends of the solea in front of the iconostasis.
The porch, or outer porch, is an uncovered area in front of the inner porch of the temple, on which in the first centuries of Christianity stood mourners and penitents.
An aisle is an extension on the side of the southern or northern facade or a specially allocated part of the main building of the temple to accommodate an additional altar with a throne. Side chapels are arranged so that on one day (for example, on holidays or Sundays) several Liturgies can be celebrated in one church, according to the number of side chapels (in the Orthodox Church it is customary to perform no more than one Liturgy on one day on one altar; a priest cannot perform more than one Liturgy per day).
The narthex is an extension in front of the entrance to the temple. It can be located on the western, southern and northern sides of the temple. Usually separated from the temple by a wall with a doorway.
The sacristy is a separate room in the temple or a place in the altar (usually to the right of the high place) where vestments and sacred vessels are kept.
Solea (lat. solum - level place, base; floor) - the elevation of the floor in front of the altar barrier or iconostasis. Since the altar itself is on a raised platform, the solea is, as it were, a continuation of the altar outward. On the side of the middle part of the temple, the sole is usually fenced with a low lattice. In the center of the solea in front of the Royal Doors, it protrudes forward in a semicircle (pulpit); on the sides of the solea there are choirs.
The Royal Doors are double doors opposite the throne (in the altar), the main gates of the iconostasis. The Royal Doors lead to the altar part of the temple and symbolize the gates of Paradise. Unlike the northern and southern (deaconal) gates of the iconostasis, the Royal Doors are opened only for ceremonial exits or other moments of worship described by the charter. Only clergy can enter the Royal Doors and only during divine services. Outside of divine services and without vestments, only the bishop has the right to enter and leave the altar through the Royal Doors.
Liturgical items, church utensils
AIR - a large quadrangular cover that covers the paten and chalice . The air symbolically represents the shroud with which the body of Jesus Christ was wrapped.
The monstrance is a portable tabernacle used by the priest for communion with gifts (for example, in a hospital, etc.).
Tabernacle is a sacred vessel in which presanctified gifts . The tabernacle is usually installed on the throne.
Dikriy (Greek “two-candlestick”) - a candlestick for two candles - an accessory to the bishop’s divine service. According to liturgical interpretations, the two candles correspond to the two natures of Jesus Christ. During the divine service, the bishop blesses the worshipers with dikiri and trikiri.
Dúskos (Greek: “sacred vessel”) is a dish on a base with an image of the baby Jesus. During proskomedia, a lamb are placed on the paten . During the Eucharistic canon, the consecration and transubstantiation of the lamb takes place on the paten. According to liturgical interpretations, the paten symbolically depicts the Bethlehem manger, as well as the tomb in which the body of Jesus Christ was buried.
Oil is a consecrated oil used for anointing, unction and litia. The image of oil as a symbol of God's mercy is found frequently in Scripture.
The star is two metal cross-shaped arcs connected. At the end of the proskomedia, the star is placed on the paten to protect it from mixing particles when covered with covers. Symbolically depicts the star of Bethlehem.
Kadullo is a metal vessel in which incense is burned on burning coals. The censing is performed by the clergy in the most solemn places of worship.
Kanun (distorted Greek “set”) is a table-shaped candlestick with many cells for candles and a small crucifix. It is installed in the temple at the place where funeral services are performed.
The liar is a special spoon with a long handle, which is used to administer communion to the laity.
Murnitsa is a vessel for storing holy myrrh.
Múro is an fragrant oil containing a large amount of aromatic substances, consecrated with a special rite on Maundy Thursday during the liturgy. The consecration of the world is performed by the bishop.
Orlets is a round carpet with the image of an eagle soaring over the city. It is placed under the feet of the bishop during divine services. Symbolically depicts a bishop overseeing the diocese.
Panikadul (Greek: “many candles”) is the central chandelier in an Orthodox church, a lamp with many candles or lamps. Lights up during the most solemn moments of worship.
A potur is a sacred vessel in the form of a cup, in which, during the Eucharistic canon, wine and water are consecrated and transformed into the blood of Christ. The chalice represents the cup of the Last Supper. Communion is administered to clergy and laity from the chalice.
Ripuda (Greek “fan”) - a fan with the image of a seraphim, belonging to the bishop’s service. Ripides originated in the Middle East, where they were used to drive away flying insects during the Liturgy. Symbolically depict angelic powers.
The seven-branched candlestick is a candlestick of seven lamps or candles, standing in the altar behind the throne.
Trikurium (Greek: “three-candlestick”) - a candlestick for three candles - an accessory to the bishop’s divine service. According to liturgical interpretations, the three candles correspond to the three persons of the Holy Trinity. During the divine service, the bishop blesses the worshipers with dikiri and trikiri.
A banner is a banner mounted on a long pole with the image of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God or saints. During the religious procession, banners are carried at the front of the procession. In a church, banners are usually fortified near the choirs.
Divine service
Lamb (slav. “lamb”) is a liturgical bread used in the Orthodox Church to celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist . According to the teaching of the Church, the liturgical bread and wine are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ. The clergy and believers partake of the transubstantiated bread and wine. The lamb is prepared by the priest (or bishop) during the proskomedia . After saying special prayers, the priest uses a copy to cut out part of the prosphora in the shape of a cube. The remaining parts of the prosphora are called antidor . Jesus Christ is symbolically called the Lamb: like the Old Testament lambs sacrificed to deliver the Jewish people from captivity in Egypt, He sacrificed himself to deliver the human race from the power of sin.
Akathist (Greek: “unseated singing”) is a form of church poetry, Christian chant, performed in the temple by all those present standing. The akathist is dedicated to the glorification of the Mother of God, Jesus Christ, or some saint. It consists of 25 stanzas, each two of which, except the last, form a semantic link. The first stanza of the link, called a kontakion and a shorter one, serves as an introduction (except for the initial kontakion of the akathist, the rest end with the exclamation “Hallelujah”). The second stanza of the link, called ikos and more extensive, contains 12 greetings beginning with the word “rejoice.” The last, twenty-fifth stanza of the akathist is a prayerful appeal to the glorified.
Axios (Greek “worthy”) is an exclamation uttered by the bishop who ordains a newly ordained deacon, priest or bishop. In ancient times, by singing “axios” the people expressed their agreement with the dignity of the ordained person.
Hallelujah (Greek - from Hebrew “praise God”) is an exclamation in church hymns; from ancient times it was used in Christian worship as the introduction or conclusion of a prayer with the addition of the words: “Glory to Thee, O God.”
Amen (Greek from Hebrew truth) is a word in Hebrew meaning confirmation and agreement. It entered Christian worship without translation. Usually - the final formula in prayers and psalms, designed to confirm the truth of the spoken words.
Antidor (Greek “instead of a gift”) - parts of the prosphora left after cutting the lamb . They are distributed after the Liturgy to the laity who have not received communion, so as not to leave them without Eucharistic participation in the service.
Artos (Greek “bread”) is leavened (yeast) bread, blessed on Easter day. Artos is distributed to the laity on Saturday of Easter week. Symbolically depicts a lamb that was slaughtered by the Jews on Easter night.
Prayers of thanksgiving are five prayers read by believers after communion.
Vespers is a divine service of the daily cycle, performed in the evening, one of the two “great” hours (along with Matins ), which goes back to the biblical ritual of the evening lighting of the lamp. Vespers is distinguished between daily, small and great. Small Vespers is served on the eve of Sundays and great holidays, and precedes the all-night vigil . Great Vespers is served either separately on the eve of holidays, or in conjunction with Matins as part of the All-Night Vigil on the eve of Sundays and great holidays. Everyday Vespers is served on weekdays.
Blessing of water is the consecration of water performed by a priest (or bishop) by immersing the cross three times and blessing it. Blessed water is used to consecrate the house and various objects; it is drunk for the purpose of spiritual strengthening. Blessing of water can be great or small. The great is performed on the eve and on the day of the feast of Epiphany (Epiphany), the small - on the days of the temple and some other holidays (Mid Pentecost, the Origin of the Honest Trees, etc.), as well as at the request of believers on any day.
An all-night vigil is a divine service that takes place in the evening on the eve of especially revered holidays. It consists of combining Vespers with Matins and the first hour, and both Vespers and Matins are performed more solemnly and with greater illumination of the temple than on other days.
Voice is one of the eight diatonic modes in Byzantine church singing, which has its own dominant and final tones. Eight voices make up the so-called. the system of “osmoglasiya” (i.e., eight-voice), which covers almost the entire main fund of church music.
The holy gifts are bread (particles of prosphora) and wine in the sacrament of the Eucharist, after their transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Christ. The eating or receiving of the Holy Gifts constitutes the sacrament of communion.
The evangelist is the author of one of the four Gospels included in the New Testament. The evangelists are the Apostle Matthew, the Apostle Mark, the Apostle Luke and the Apostle John.
The Eucharistic canon is the main part of the Liturgy, during which the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts takes place. The Eucharistic canon begins with the exclamation “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Cor. 13: 1). Currently, the Orthodox Church uses the Eucharistic canons of the Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great, which differ in the words of the prayers (the canon of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is longer).
The Eucharist (Greek: “thanksgiving”) is a sacrament of the Orthodox Church, otherwise called the sacrament of communion. The sacrament of the Eucharist was established by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, during the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist, bread and wine are transformed into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, with which communion is performed. The Eucharist is celebrated at the Liturgy during the Eucharistic canon.
Litany (Greek: “to pull”) is a prayer book that begins with a call to prayer and consists of a series of petitions and a final exclamation glorifying God. The litany is pronounced by a deacon or priest, after each petition the choir sings “Lord, have mercy” or “Give, Lord.” The litanies differ in the content and number of petitions: the great or peaceful litany is the most complete (about ten petitions), the small litany consists of one petition, the intense (i.e., strengthened), petitionary, etc.
Anointing is an anointing with oil, symbolically depicting the outpouring of God's mercy on the anointed one. Anointing of oil is performed: a) at Matins with polyeleos after reading the Gospel, b) on those being baptized before baptism.
Blessing of oil ( unction ) is a sacrament of the Orthodox Church performed on the sick. The Blessing of Anointing is performed by priests or bishops. The consecration of oil is preferably performed by several priests (hence the other name - unction), but it is also allowed by one.
Prayer behind the pulpit - read by a priest or bishop at the end of the Liturgy, standing facing the altar, in front of the pulpit. Currently, there are prayers behind the pulpit: the prayer of the Liturgy of John Chrysostom (and Basil the Great) (“Bless those who bless Thee...”), containing petitions for the Church, priests, laity, etc.; and the prayer of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (“Lord Almighty, like all creation...”).
Conception is the liturgical division of the text of the Four Gospels, Acts and the Epistles of the Holy Apostles, accepted in the Orthodox Church. The size of the conception is from 10 to 50 verses.
Enthronement is a solemn service during which the newly elected patriarch is elevated to the patriarchal chair. Enthronement takes place during the Liturgy with the vesting of the newly elected patriarch in patriarchal robes and the presentation of the patriarchal staff to him.
Irmos (Greek for “connection”) is the first stanza in each of the nine songs of the canon, in which sacred events or persons are glorified.
Canon (Greek “rule”) is a genre of church hymnography: a complex multi-stanza work dedicated to the glorification of a holiday or saint. Included in worship services. The canon is divided into songs, each song consists of an irmos and 4-6 troparions (in the songs of some canons there are more troparions, for example, in the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete - up to 30). The melody of the canon obeys one of eight voices .
Kathisma (Greek “to sit”) is a liturgical division of the Psalter. The Psalter is divided into 20 kathismas. While reading kathisma at a service, one is allowed to sit, hence the name. The order of the kathisma readings is determined by the charter, according to which the Psalter is read in its entirety at services per week, and during Lent - twice per week.
Katavasia (Greek “descent”) is a chant that is sung at matins on holidays and Sundays at the conclusion of the canon; After each song of the canon there follows a corresponding confusion. The name comes from the Byzantine practice of both choirs coming together to the center of the temple to sing this chant together.
Liturgy (Greek: “common cause”) is the main service during which the sacrament of the Eucharist . Currently, the Orthodox Church celebrates liturgies of three rites: the liturgy of John Chrysostom, the liturgy of Basil the Great and the liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. The liturgies of Basil the Great and John Chrysostom are based on the ancient liturgy, compiled, according to legend, by the Apostle James, which was revised accordingly by St. in the 4th century. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom. Therefore, the general structure of the liturgies is the same, the differences relate mainly to the prayers of the Eucharistic canon - the liturgy of Basil the Great is longer. Outside of Great Lent, the Liturgy of John Chrysostom is celebrated on all days of the year, except for those days when the Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated; During Great Lent, the Liturgy of John Chrysostom is celebrated on Saturdays, on the holidays of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and the Annunciation (if the Annunciation does not fall on the days when the Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated). The Liturgy of Basil the Great is celebrated on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, on the day of remembrance of St. Basil the Great - January 1st Art. Art. (January 14, New Art.), on the first five Sundays of Great Lent, on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is a liturgy during which the Holy Gifts, previously consecrated (presanctified), are offered to the faithful for communion. It is performed during Lent on weekdays.
The Lord's Prayer is the main Christian prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven,” which Jesus Christ taught to the apostles in response to their request to teach them how to pray.
The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is a repentant prayer “Lord and Master of my life,” read at daily services during Lent until Great Wednesday of Holy Week. Compiled in the 4th century by St. Ephraim the Syrian.
The Jesus Prayer is a short prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”
The prayer rule is morning and evening prayers, read by believers every day. Contained in the prayer book and book of hours.
Meat eater - the period of time between fasts when meat food is consumed.
Meat week is the penultimate Sunday before Lent, on which, according to the rules, the consumption of meat ends.
Nedelya is the Old Russian name for Sunday. Comes from the custom of not working (not doing) on this day.
Mass is the common name for the Liturgy.
The celebration of the holiday is the last day, as a rule, of a multi-day after-celebration of a great holiday.
A funeral service is a service performed by a priest or bishop at the funeral of a believer. There are the following funeral rites: laity, monks, priests and bishops, infants.
Dismissal is a short prayer said by a priest or bishop, with which the service ends. The dismissal contains a short petition for God's mercy.
A memorial service (Greek: “all-night vigil”) is a service at which the dead are commemorated. Funeral services are performed at the request of believers and on days established by the entire Church - on Radonitsa and parental Saturdays. When performing a memorial service for the deceased, a kolivo is placed on the eve .
Parimia (Greek “parable”) - reading at services of texts from the Old or New Testament (mainly from the Old). The number of parimia varies at different services from 1 to 8. At Matins on Holy Saturday, 15 parimia are read. Parimia contain prophecies about the event being celebrated.
Compline is a service performed in the evening. The name comes from the monastic practice of performing Compline after the evening meal - supper. There are great things (performed on the days of Great Lent, the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany) and small things (on other days).
Polyeleos (Greek: “much merciful”) - a solemn chant consisting of verses of Psalms 134 and 135; part of the festive matins from the beginning of the singing of the named psalms to the reading of the canon, the most solemn part of the all-night vigil.
The Midnight Office is a public service held at midnight. The Midnight Office is dedicated to the coming coming of the Lord and the Last Judgment. A distinction is made between daily, Saturday and Sunday. In current parish practice, the Midnight Office is almost never celebrated.
Post-feast - the days after the holiday, during which prayers and chants dedicated to this holiday are used during the divine service. Easter, the Twelfths (except for the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem) and some other holidays have after-feasts. The post-feast of Easter lasts 38 days (until the Ascension): the post-feast of other holidays lasts from one to eight days. The last day of the after-feast is called the giving of the holiday .
Radonitsa is a day of special all-church commemoration of the dead in the Russian Orthodox Church, which takes place on Tuesday of the second week after Easter.
Permissive prayer - 1. The secret prayer of confession, which the priest says at the end of the sacrament of confession, placing the epitrachelion on the head of the penitent. 2. A prayer read by a priest or bishop at the end of the funeral service. In it, he asks God to absolve the deceased from the sins committed during life.
Ordination is a divine service during which the sacrament of the priesthood is performed—ordination to the rank of clergy. Otherwise - ordination (Greek “ordination”). Ordination is performed as a deacon (from subdeacons), as a priest (from deacons) and as a bishop (from priests). Accordingly, there are three rites of ordination. One bishop can ordain deacons and priests; The ordination of a bishop is performed by a council of bishops (at least two bishops).
Christmastide - days from the Nativity of Christ on December 25, Art. (January 7, new art.) until the day preceding Epiphany Eve, 4th century. Art. (17th New Art.) January. There are no fast days on Christmastide and no weddings take place.
Sedmitsa is the Old Russian name for the week (sedm - seven).
The Creed is a brief dogmatic statement of the basis of Christian doctrine. Compiled by the First Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, Asia Minor) in 325; in 381 it was expanded and supplemented by the Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople). Based on the names of the places where the councils took place, it received the name Nicene-Constantinople or Nicene-Constantinople symbol. Read (or sung) at every liturgical service.
Unction - see Blessing of Anointing .
Christmas Eve is the day before the holiday of the Nativity of Christ (Christmas Eve) or Epiphany (Epiphany Eve). A strict fast is established on Christmas Eve. According to the monastic charter, on this day the meal consists of only sochivo - boiled wheat (or rice) with honey, which is where the name comes from.
Stichera is a short chant sung to a verse of a psalm. The first half of the verse is proclaimed by the canonarch, the second is sung by the choir, after which the stichera is sung. The melody of the stichera is subordinated to the voices .
Requirements are services performed not daily (i.e., not included in the daily liturgical circle), but according to their necessity (at the request of believers). The requirements are divided into those containing the sacraments - baptism, confirmation, wedding, confession, consecration of oil; and those not containing - funeral service, requiem service, tonsure, various prayer services, house consecration, etc. The performers of the services are a priest or bishop (with the exception of baptism, which in extreme cases can be performed by a layman). The rites of the requirements are contained in the missal.
Trisagion - prayer “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.” Addressed to all three persons of the Holy Trinity.
Troparion is a short prayer chant in which the essence of the holiday is revealed or the saint is glorified. The melody of the troparia obeys the voices .
The liturgical charter is a sum of instructions that determines the structure of divine services for all days of the year.
Matins is a public service, one of the services of the daily cycle, performed, according to the Charter, in the morning. In the modern practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, Matins is performed immediately after Vespers , that is, in the evening; on the eve of holidays it is part of the all-night vigil .
The Cherubic Hymn is an unchangeable chant, sung during the great entrance to the liturgies of John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great (except for the days of Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday). The Cherubic Hymn is a preparatory song for worthy presence and participation in the Eucharist. Compiled and put into use in the 6th century in Byzantium. It is called after the initial words “Izhe cherubim”.
The hours are public services held four times a day: the first hour in the evening, the third and sixth hours in the morning, the ninth hour in the afternoon. The first and third hours are dedicated to the memory of the trial of Jesus Christ by Caiaphas and Pilate, the sixth hour - to the memory of the Way of the Cross and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the ninth hour - to the memory of the Passion on the Cross and the death of Jesus Christ. The hours are daily, Lenten, Royal and Easter.
Six Psalms - six psalms that are read at the beginning of Matins: Ps. 3, Ps. 37, Ps. 62, Ps. 87, Ps. 102, Ps. 142.
Dictionary of church terms
On a pilgrimage trip we come into close contact with the life of the Church, its culture, traditions, worship and sacraments. Accordingly, the pilgrim encounters many specifically church concepts and terms that are simply absent in worldly life. We hope that the dictionary that we have compiled for you will help you better navigate the wonderful world of Orthodoxy and make the path to the shrine more meaningful and spiritual.
AXIOS (Greek “worthy”) is an exclamation uttered by the bishop during the ordination of a new deacon or priest. The exclamation is repeated three times in chorus. In ancient times, “axios” was proclaimed by all the people in the temple, expressing agreement with the dignity of the ordained person.
HALLELUIAH (from Hebrew “praise God”) is an exclamation often found in Old Testament liturgical texts (for example, in the psalms). Entered Christian worship without translation.
AMEN (from Hebrew “truth”) is a word in Hebrew meaning confirmation and agreement. It entered Christian worship without translation.
A lectern is a high table with a sloping top on which an icon or book is placed in a church.
Ambon (from the Greek “to ascend”) is a platform slightly raised above the floor, a semicircle protruding into the center of the temple opposite the royal doors, on which communion takes place, the Gospel is read, and the priest delivers a sermon.
BATYUSHKA - in the Russian Church, a respectful address to a priest.
BLAGOVEST - bell ringing, which notifies believers of the beginning of the service - measured strikes of one large bell.
DECANITY - an ecclesiastical district, part of a diocese, which includes several parishes.
VLADIKO is a polite address to a bishop accepted in the Church. The official address to the archbishop and metropolitan is the Most Reverend (Blessed) Bishop, to the Patriarch - the Most Holy Bishop.
GREATNESS - a short chant glorifying Jesus Christ, the Mother of God or a saint, explaining the meaning of the event celebrated by the Church. It begins with the word “we magnify” (or “we please”). It is sung on holidays at matins and at liturgy.
ENTRANCE - a solemn procession of clergy during a service to the altar through the royal doors. At Vespers, one enters with a censer before censing the altar and singing “Quiet Light.” At the liturgy, there is a small entrance, after the singing of antiphons, and a great entrance. During the Great Entrance, the holy gifts are transferred from the altar to the altar. In ancient times, the Gospel and gifts were kept in the church in separate rooms - the sacristy and the altar, and their presentation to the altar was performed with special solemnity; the sacristy and altar were subsequently moved to the chancel, but the entrance remained as an integral part of the service. According to some interpretations, the small entrance symbolizes the exit of Jesus Christ to preach, and the great entrance symbolizes His procession to suffering and death.
GEROND (from the Greek “gerond” - elder) - literally “older”, on Athos a respectful address to a spiritual mentor.
VOICE is one of the eight musical modes in church singing. The chants of one voice are different for different types of chants. Eight voices make up the system of “osmoglasia” (i.e., eight voices), to which all church music is subordinated. Each week, most chants are sung in one of the eight voices. Eight weeks form a vocal cycle, repeated several times throughout the year.
HIGH PLACE (from Slavic “high”) – a place in the altar between the altar and the eastern wall. On the high place there is a seat for bishops and priests.
SIN is any negative human act that contradicts the commandments, which is a violation of the will of God.
TWELVETH HOLIDAYS – twelve main holidays of the Orthodox Church. They are divided into movable (the date of celebration may change) and fixed ones. The moving feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God are: Nativity of Christ (December 25, January 7), Epiphany or Epiphany (January 619), Presentation of the Lord (February 215), Transfiguration of the Lord (August 619), Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 25, April 7), Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 1528), Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 1427), Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 821), Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary (November 21, December 4). Movable holidays are: the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem or Palm Sunday (the sixth Sunday of Lent), the Ascension of the Lord (the fortieth day after Easter), Pentecost or Trinity (the fiftieth day after Easter).
DEISIS (Greek - “prayer”) or deisis order - in the iconostasis there is a composition of three icons - in the center there is an icon of Christ, on the left the Mother of God facing him, on the right - John the Baptist. A common spelling mistake, apparently due to the consonance with the name of the Savior, is the Deesis rite.
DEACON is a clergyman belonging to the first stage of the priesthood. Ordination to the rank of deacon occurs through ordination, during which the protege receives the sacrament of the priesthood. The deacon assists the priest and bishop in performing church sacraments, but cannot perform them himself.
DIKIRY (Greek “two-candlestick”) - a candlestick for two candles - an accessory to the bishop’s service. The two candles correspond to the two natures of Jesus Christ.
DISKOS is a sacred object that belongs to the altar - a metal dish with the image of the baby Jesus. During the proskomedia, the liturgical prosphora - a lamb and particles from the prosphora - are placed on the paten. During the Eucharist, the consecration and transubstantiation of the lamb takes place on the paten. The paten depicts the Bethlehem manger, as well as the tomb in which the body of Jesus Christ was buried.
CONFESSIONAL is a priest from whom a particular parishioner regularly confesses and seeks advice and help. Often the confessor provides special spiritual care and assistance—nursing.
EUCHARIST (Greek: “thanksgiving”) is the main sacrament of the Church, otherwise called communion. The preparation of believers to participate in this sacrament is the main purpose of church services.
PENANCE (Greek “punishment”) is a spiritual-corrective punishment imposed on a person confessed by a priest, usually consisting of fasting and intense prayer.
EPITRACHIL (Greek: “on the neck”) - part of the priest’s liturgical vestment, a long ribbon that goes around the neck and both ends descend to the chest. Symbolizes the grace-filled gifts received in the sacrament of the priesthood and the burden of responsibility carried by the shepherd.
ECTENIA (Greek “extended”) is a prayer book that begins with a call to prayer, includes a series of petitions and a final glorification of the Lord. It is pronounced by a deacon in front of the royal doors, or by a priest in the altar. The litanies differ in content and number of petitions: great or peaceful (pronounced by the whole world), intense (i.e. intensified), petitionary and small.
IGUMEN (from the Greek “leading”) – initially – the head of the monastery. In the old days, the abbot was not necessarily a priest, but was elected from among the brethren. In our time, the abbess is given to a monastic priest as a reward (corresponds to the archpriestship in the white clergy).
HERODEACON – deacon-monk.
ICON (Greek “image”, “image”) - an image of Christ, the Mother of God, saints or events from sacred history. The icon is an integral part of the Orthodox tradition; without it it is difficult to imagine an Orthodox church and worship, the home of an Orthodox person and his life. The formation of the icon took place along with the formation of liturgy and dogma. The dogma of icon veneration was adopted at the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787.
ICONOSTAS - a partition separating the altar and the middle part of the temple. Consists of icons arranged in tiers. The number of tiers is from three to five. In the middle of the lower tier are the royal doors, on the right are the icon of Jesus Christ and the total saint or holiday to which the temple is dedicated; on the left is an icon of the Mother of God. Behind the icons of the bottom row there are deacon doors on both sides. The icon of the Last Supper is placed above the royal doors. The second tier contains icons of the twelve holidays. The third tier contains icons of the Deisis order. The fourth is the icon of the Virgin Mary with the Child Christ and the coming prophets. The upper, fifth tier - icons of the Trinity and the Old Testament righteous (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.). The iconostasis ends with a crucifix.
INOK (from the Slavic “lonely”, “other”) is the Russian name for a monk, a literal translation from Greek.
HYPOSTASIS is a term used in Orthodox theology to designate one of the personalities of the Triune God: a manifestation of the personality of God, possessing unique qualities inherent only to him.
CONFESSION is a sacrament of the Church. During confession, a person who confesses his sins with sincere repentance receives forgiveness. A priest or bishop accepts confession. At the end of confession, the priest places the edge of the epitrachelion on the head of the penitent and reads a prayer of permission. In church practice, confession is usually performed before the liturgy.
CENUMING - burning fragrant resin - incense - over coals in a censer. Censing is part of the divine service and is performed at especially solemn moments.
CANONIZATION – canonization as a saint. The grounds for canonization are: martyrdom for the profession of Christianity; healings and miracles performed by the glorified during life and posthumously; a worthy and holy life; merits in the spread of Christianity; popular recognition of the holiness of the glorified; incorruptibility of the relics. The canonization of local saints is carried out by the diocesan bishop, and of general church saints by the cathedral. There is no special rite of canonization in the Orthodox Church. Based on the council's decision, a solemn service to the saint is performed on the chosen day and his veneration is established.
EVE (from the Greek “installed”) is a special candlestick in the form of a table with many candles and a small crucifix, installed at the place of funeral services.
KATAPETASTHMA (Greek “veil”) – a curtain located behind the royal doors from the side of the altar. Opens at appropriate moments of the service with or without the Royal Doors
CATECHISIS is a set of elementary rules of church life, as well as a book containing a brief summary of them.
KIOT , or IBOT (Greek - “box, case”) - a small glazed box or a special glazed cabinet in which icons are placed.
CLIR (from Latin “pure”) - clergy serving in one parish. An individual priest is called a cleric.
KLIROS is a place in the temple intended for the choir. The choirs are usually located at both ends of the solea or above the porch.
KLOBUK - a monk's headdress in the form of a cylinder widening at the top with three wide ribbons going down to the back, black. In the rite of tonsure, the hood is called the “helmet of salvation” and the “veil of obedience.” Hieromonks wear a hood during services. Metropolitans wear a white hood with a sewn cross, archbishops wear a black hood with a sewn cross, and bishops wear a black one.
KOLIVO (from Greek - “boiled wheat”) or kutia - wheat or other cereal sweetened with honey or sugar. It is consecrated in the church and eaten on Friday of the first week of Lent in memory of the miracle of St. Martyr Theodore Tyrone, who, appearing on this day in 362 in a dream to the Bishop of Antioch Eudoxius, warned about the desecration of food in the markets with blood sacrificed to idols. Kolivo is also blessed after a memorial service for the deceased. The grains symbolize the future Resurrection; honey is the bliss of the future life.
LAURA (from the Greek “crowded place”) is the name of some of the largest and most significant monasteries.
MANTILE (pallium) - a long sleeveless garment worn over a cassock or cassock. It arose as a monastic vestment in the 4th - 5th centuries. In the rite of tonsure, the mantle is called “the garment of incorruption and purity.” Monks have black ones. The bishop and archimandrite have a purple mantle with three white and red stripes (the so-called “sources”) and with sewn “tablets” - quadrangles with images of a cross or seraphim. The bishop and archimandrite put on the mantle during the solemn ceremony of entering the temple.
ALMS - giving to the needy, done for the glory of God. Almsgiving and caring for the poor is one of the main Christian virtues blessed by the Church.
LAYMAN - any member of the Orthodox Church who does not have holy orders, who prayerfully participates in divine services and the daily life of the Church.
PRAYER service is a service in which believers thank or ask for something from the Lord, the Mother of God or the saints. A prayer service can be performed under special circumstances or disasters (during wars, epidemics, drought, etc.) in a church, at home, in a field, in front of miraculous icons and other shrines.
MONK (Greek “one”) is a person who has dedicated his life to God through taking vows - chastity (celibacy and bodily purity), non-covetousness (not having his own property) and obedience. According to the severity of the ascetic life, monastics are divided into three degrees, successively accepted: ryasophore monk, monk of the small schema or mantle monk and monk of the great schema or schema monk, schema monk.
RELIFIER - a special reliquary for storing a particle of holy relics, made in the form of an amulet worn around the neck, or a cross.
REQUIRES - the remains of the bodies of God's holy saints, revered by the Church as a shrine. The relics of many saints are preserved incorrupt.
MEAT-EATER - the period of time between fasts when meat food is consumed. MEAT EAST is the penultimate Sunday before Lent, on which, according to the rules, eating meat stops. On this Sunday, the coming Last Judgment is remembered.
A VOW is a voluntary promise to fulfill something, given by a Christian to God and people, as gratitude for God’s help, a form of asceticism.
CATECHELLATES - in the ancient Church - people preparing to receive the sacrament of baptism and undergoing the rite of catechumen, i.e. teaching the basics of faith. Catechumens, because they were not yet members of the Church and did not have the right to be present at the celebration of the sacraments. They were allowed to attend the liturgy only until the Great Entrance, before which the deacon called on the catechumens to leave the temple: “Catechumens, come out!” (i.e. “All catechumens, come out”). These words have been preserved in the liturgy to this day, along with the name of its first part - “the liturgy of the catechumens.” With the spread of Christianity, the need for the institution of catechumens disappeared. Currently, the practice of performing a catechumenate immediately before baptism has become established.
EAGLE - a small round rug with the image of an eagle, on which the bishop stands during worship. Symbolizes the special height of the ministry of the bishop, who, like an eagle, looks over his flock from above.
MACE - part of the liturgical vestments of the bishop and priest (given to priests as a reward) - a rhombus of cloth, hung at an acute angle on a ribbon at the right hip. The club symbolizes the sword - the spiritual weapon of the word of God.
PARIMIA (Greek “parable”) - a reading from the Old Testament containing prophecies about the celebrated event. Read at services: Royal Hours and Hours on some days of Lent; vespers on certain holidays and during Lent; Matins of Holy Saturday; great blessing of water.
PASCHAL - determination of the time of Easter celebration, associated with the binding of the events of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ to the Hebrew calendar, which differs from the church calendar. According to the rules of the First Ecumenical Council of 325, the celebration of Easter takes place on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, which occurs after or on the day of the vernal equinox, if this resurrection falls after the day of the celebration of the Jewish Passover; otherwise, the celebration of Christian Easter is transferred to the first Sunday after the day of Jewish Passover. That. The day of Easter celebration turns out to be from March 22 to April 25 of the old style or from April 4 to May 8 of the new style.
NOBICE – a monk in a monastery who undergoes a special test (“obedience”) before taking monastic vows.
FASTING is a time of intense prayerful appeal to God and abstinence from food of animal origin. There are one-day and multi-day fasts. One-day fasts are established: on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, with the exception of a few weeks - continuous weeks; as well as on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist and Christmas Eve. Multi-day fasts: Great Lent; Petrov - begins a week after the holiday of Trinity and ends with the day of the apostles Peter and Paul (July 12); Assumption - from August 1 (14) to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15 (28); Rozhdestvensky - from November 15 (28) to Christmas Eve December 24 (January 6). On the eve of one-day fasts and during multi-day fasts, no wedding takes place.
REVEREND is a saint who has taken monastic vows and achieved holiness through the heights of monastic life.
ACHIL - an additional altar in the temple. It is arranged so that on major holidays in one church it is possible to perform several liturgies per day (according to the number of chapels), because in the Orthodox Church (unlike the Catholic Church) it is customary to celebrate only one liturgy per day on one altar. (Likewise, a priest cannot perform more than one liturgy daily).
PARISH is an administrative unit of the Church, including a temple and a community of believers with clergy.
GOD'S PROVIDENCE is the Lord's special care for his creation, each person, the destinies of the world and the Church.
PROSPHOR (Greek “offering”) - liturgical liturgical bread used for the sacrament of the Eucharist and for the commemoration of the living and the dead. It is prepared from yeast dough consisting of wheat flour, water and salt. On the prosphora there are images of a cross with the inscription IS HS NIKA (Jesus Christ conquered) or an image of some saint. Prosphoras are made from two halves as a sign of the two natures of Jesus Christ - divine and human.
Compound - a place where monks of a country monastery live in a city, sometimes with a church attached to it. The courtyard performs representative and economic functions.
CASSUCKLE – everyday underwear of the clergy, a long robe with narrow sleeves.
CELEBRATION - days after the holiday, during which prayers and chants dedicated to this holiday are used during the divine service. Easter, the Twelfths (except for the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem) and some other holidays have after-feasts. The last day of the after-feast is called the giving of the holiday.
APPENDIX (obsolete - “add, add, add”) - in ascetic teaching, the stage of development of a sinful thought into passion (adjective-combination-addition-captivity-struggle-passion). This development corresponds to the scheme of complex (or passionate) thoughts, when thoughts are combined with passion, when sinful ideas enter the soul without intention and against the will, through external and internal feelings, or imagination.
CANCER - a precious tomb in which the relics of a saint rest openly for veneration.
SACRY - a special room in a temple or a place in the altar (usually to the right of the high place) where vestments and sacred vessels are kept.
Sacristan - the obedience of a priest in monasteries or large churches (cathedrals). Manager of the sacristy.
PARENTAL SATURDAYS are days of special church-wide commemoration of the dead. These are the Saturdays before Meat Week and before the Trinity Day (they are also called Ecumenical). In the Russian Orthodox Church, such a commemoration is also established on the Saturday before St. Demetrius of Thessalonica on October 26 (November 8) in memory of the Russian soldiers who died in the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.
SAKKOS - liturgical vestments of the bishop, long, loose clothing with wide sleeves. Appeared in the 11th-12th centuries. as the vestments of the Patriarch of Constantinople, then passed to other eastern patriarchs and the Moscow Metropolitan, and from the 16th century. in the east and from the beginning XVIII century in Russia it became the vestment of all bishops, replacing the phelonion.
HOLY GIFTS - bread and wine used at divine services, in the sacrament of the Eucharist transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
SEMINARY is a higher educational institution of the Church that trains clergy. Currently, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the period of study in seminaries is 5 years.
SYNOD is the highest governing body of the Church, the permanent council of the highest episcopate under the Primate of the Church.
SYNODIX - a list of names commemorated at church services or in home prayer.
SKIT (from the name of the area in Greece, where hermits lived in ancient times) - the cells of monks at a distance from the monastery in a secluded place.
SOLEIA - a platform raised above the floor in front of the iconostasis in the temple. The slightly protruding part of the solea opposite the Royal Doors, where communion takes place, is called the pulpit.
ELDER - in the Russian Church the name of a confessor who enjoys great authority among the people, who has received from God the special grace-filled power of helping his neighbor.
Stylite - a monk who performed the feat of monastic work on a “pillar” - a tower or other elevation. The founder of Stylites is considered to be the Monk Simeon the Stylite, who lived in Syria in the 5th century.
PASSIONATE WEEK (week - slav. "week", passion - slav. "suffering") - the week that ends Great Lent, during which the suffering and crucifixion of the Lord and the events that preceded it are remembered. All days of Holy Week are called Great Days. During these days, the Church observes a particularly strict fast.
A SACRAMENT is the action of God's grace, manifested in the liturgical life of the Church and in the life of every Christian. The main sacrament of the Orthodox Church is the sacrament of the Eucharist. The most important sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Priesthood, Marriage, Blessing of Anointing (Unction) and Confession.
TYPIKON is a charter of worship, a set of instructions that determine the structure of worship on all days of the year. The Russian Orthodox Church has a Slavic Typikon, which was formed in the 16th-17th centuries. based on the ancient monastic Jerusalem and Studite charters.
PHELONON - the liturgical vestment of a priest. The ancient phelonion had the form of a long toe-length garment with a slit for the head, without sleeves. Subsequently, for convenience, they began to make a cutout at the front hem, which now reaches the waist. The modern Russian phelonion differs from the eastern ones by the presence of a raised, rigid shoulder.
CHERUBIC SONG (“Like the Cherubim”) is the unchangeable chant of the Divine Liturgy. It is sung during the Great Entrance at the most solemn moment of the service, when the Holy Gifts are transferred from the altar to the throne (with the exception of special services of Holy Week). This chant calls the faithful to a dignified presence and participation in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
BANNEL (from the Old Slavonic “banner”) is an icon of the Savior, the Blessed Virgin Mary or a saint depicted on fabric, mounted on a long pole. In a church, banners are usually placed on the lei near the choirs, and during a religious procession they are solemnly carried in front of the procession.
CHAPEL - a small building intended for public prayer - mainly divine services of the daily liturgical circle, Tue. hours, where the name comes from. Unlike a church, a chapel is not designed for the celebration of the liturgy and therefore does not have a consecrated altar.
Rosary - a cord with knots or beads used to count prayers read. Otherwise - rope or ladder. In Belarus they were also called Ruzhanets.
REATER - a clergyman who reads liturgical texts during services - six psalms, kathismas, sedals, troparia of the canon, hours, etc. CHURCH Clerk (obsolete cleric, i.e. a member of the clergy, “ranked” with the servants of the temple) - a temple servant who does not have priestly rank, but actively participating in the performance of worship. The clergy include an altar boy (sacristan), a reader (obsolete sexton), a choir boy, a canonarch, etc. In the old days, clergy were appointed through special initiation.
EXEGETUS (Greek “interpreter”) - originally an interpreter of oracles, the subject of whose interpretation were the mysterious sayings of oracles, traditions, as well as legal norms, was an official in Athens. With the emergence of Christianity, the interpreter of the Holy Scriptures began to be called this. The science that studies and interprets Scripture is called exegesis.
EXARCH (Greek “ruler”, “leader”, “initiator”) is a bishop’s title in the Orthodox Church. The exarch is endowed with a certain independence and governs a separate ecclesiastical region, the exarchate. An exarchate, as a rule, lies outside the country in which a given Local Church is located, or on a territory that has a civil structure different from the general structure of a given state. An exarchate may include several dioceses that are subordinate to the exarch. The exarch himself is subordinate to the central church authority - the patriarch or Synod.
ESCHATOLOGY (from the Greek “eschatos” - last, final and “logos” - teaching) - in Christian dogmatics, the doctrine of the end of the world, the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, the kingdom of God on earth. Individual eschatology differs, i.e. the doctrine of the afterlife of the human soul, and the universal one - the doctrine of the purpose of history and its end.
Yurodivy (famous “stupid, crazy”) is a person who has taken upon himself the feat of depicting the external, i.e. visible madness in order to achieve inner humility.
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Agrafa is a metal clasp-decoration, a buckle for fastening a felonie and a belt.
Epitrachelion (from the Greek - on the neck) is the liturgical vestment of a priest in the form of a long, wide ribbon worn around the neck, which hangs almost to the ground and is made in the form of two separate strips connected at the locations of conventional buttons, since there are no loops. Six crosses are sewn onto the priest’s stole, according to the number of six sacraments he performs. A priest cannot perform a service without an epitrachelion.
Rod (staff) - in ancient images the Savior was represented as a Shepherd with a staff in his hand. The apostles were also depicted with a staff. Bishops are the successors of the apostles, therefore the rod is used by them as a sign of the highest pastoral authority. Abbots and archimandrites who head monasteries also use a staff. The bishop's liturgical staff is decorated with precious stones, patterns, and inlays. Everyday bishop's batons are much more modest. Russian bishop's batons are characterized by the presence of a sulka.
Zvontsy are small bells that are attached to episcopal liturgical vestments. The bells serve as a constant reminder to the priest of the need to proclaim the will of God.
Kamilavka (from the Greek - camel) is a headdress for clergy, which was originally made from camel hair. The kamilavka has a cylindrical shape and is slightly expanded at the top. Archdeacons, protodeacons and priests receive a purple liturgical kamilavka as a reward. The vestments of the cassock monk, as well as the liturgical vestments of the hierodeacon, include a black kamilavka.
Cowl - headdress of monks. The hood is a kamilavka, wrapped in a blanket (doll), the ends of which go down to the back. The patriarch and metropolitans wear white hoods, the rest of the monks wear black ones. Pectoral cross - worn on the chest (on the chest), under clothing or on top of it, on a cord or chain worn around the neck.
Mantle (from the Greek - “veil”, “cloak”) - a long, sleeveless, cape reaching to the ground with a clasp only at the collar. Worn over a cassock. In ancient times, this was the clothing of wandering philosophers, doctors, and teachers. Subsequently, monks began to wear it. Now this is the clothing of both a bishop and a simple monk.
Ordinary monks have only black robes. The bishop's or bishop's robe is more spacious and longer than the usual monastic robe. Bishops have a purple robe, metropolitans have a blue robe, and the patriarch has a green robe.
Tablets are sewn onto the bishop's robe at the top and bottom front. Along the width of the mantle are three broad, bicolor bands called “sources” or “jets.” They symbolize the teachings coming from the Old and New Testaments. The bishop puts on the mantle during ceremonial processions, at the entrance to the temple, and during some services. When putting on liturgical robes, the robe is removed.
Miter is a headdress for bishops, archimandrites and priests decorated with gems and small images. The miter serves as a reminder of the crown of thorns placed on the Savior. The miter of a bishop is crowned with a cross, the miter of a priest with an icon.
Omophorion (from Greek - shoulder pad) is a wide ribbon with the image of a cross, which the bishop puts on his shoulders over other robes. One end of the omophorion falls from the front, and the other from the back.
A mantle is a detail of a clergyman's attire placed on the shoulders. The mantle has its own symbolic meaning - the wounded shoulders of Christ. Mantles are worn over sakkos, phelonions and surplices.
Orarion (from Greek - guard, watch, or from Lat. towel, lention, or pray) - a long strip of brocade or other colored material (from the same as the surplice). The deacon wears the orarion on his left shoulder, over the surplice. The orarion is secured with a loop on a button, and its ends fall in front and back almost to the floor. It means God's grace received by the deacon at the sacrament of the priest.
Eaglet is a round rug with an embroidered image of an eagle spreading its wings over the city. During the service, the eagle creeps under the feet of the bishop.
The club is a quadrangular, diamond-shaped plate, suspended at one corner over the sakkos under the phelonion on the right thigh of the bishop and archimandrite, given to priests as a reward. If you have a club, the legguard is worn on the left. The club symbolizes the spiritual sword - the Word of God. In the Greek Church, the club was worn only by bishops, who represented the image of Christ - the Heavenly Bishop. In the Russian Church since the 16th century. the club is presented as a reward (the sixth in a row) to the archpriests.
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Orthodox jargon
The number of words used in the Typikon, according to researchers, is 12,000 words. The dictionary of the prayer book “Prayer Shield for Every Day” from the church shop in the village of Lesnoye-Dalneye is 300 words. Elena Andrevna Levchenko easily and freely managed with thirty.
Here are the words, phrases and interjections that she meticulously selected from the entire great, verbose and powerful Church Slavonic language: 1. Forgive me.
2. How do you bless... (Expresses, depending on the circumstances, irony, surprise, delight, hatred, joy, contempt and satisfaction)
3. End times! (Reaction to some strange news)
4. Grace! (In relation to everything. For example: “I visited Matrona, what grace!!!”, “Graceful” - after bathing in the spring, “Grace can be directly felt” - about visiting a holy place or a familiar elder, “Weather just grace”, etc.)
5. Guardian Angel. (Orthodox analogue of the secular “goodbye”)
6. For the glory of God! Used as an Orthodox analogue of the word "please".
-Father, bless! -God bless, God save! -To the glory of God, father!
7. Elder. (In relation to all “familiar” Lavra dads who have a thick gray beard, regardless of age and difference in rank)
8. Confess and receive communion more often! (Advice for any problem)
9. This is a temptation! (Said when any problem arises).
“I forgot, this is a temptation!” – also serves to justify one’s own weakness).
10. Honor the Holy Fathers! (Said when there is nothing to object to the opponent)
11. God will forgive. (Shut up!)
12. I have to go to confession tomorrow. (Told to husband, if there is one.)
13. Help God! (A typical wish for success. As a rule, it is not supported by anything “material”)
14. You do not understand the laws of spiritual life!
15. Providentially. Usually used to address an enemy who is in trouble. But also to explain various life circumstances.
Also, in addition to the above, the following set is used: Requiem Service, Radonezh, Holy Water, Epiphany Water, My Preblagaya Queen, Prosvira, Father, For the All-Night Vigil, Theophan the Recluse.
The very few words that remained served as a transmission link between Elena Andrevna and parishioners like her in the rural church.
Elena Andrevna brought the consecrated icons from the church in style. My husband was not at home. However, he soon appeared, dragging a briefcase with him.
- Grace! My husband has come,” Elena Andreevna said clearly. All the words were pronounced by her clearly and popped out as quickly as peas.
- Hello, Lenochka, what is this? Where are the icons from? - Grace! - No, really? - Providentially! - Yes. The icons are good. - Sof-rin-ski-e! - Did anyone give it to you? - God help you! - How?! Did you really buy it? For what means? Is it really for economic purposes? After all, I told you a thousand times... - Ernestulya! Temptation! - Well, how can you do this?! After all, we won’t have anything to eat! - God help!.. - But this is outrageous! You are living beyond your means! - God help you, the Lord will not forsake you! - Yes Yes. You are living beyond your means... - Confess and receive communion more often! - No, let's talk seriously. I get two hundred rubles... - Grace! - I don’t take bribes... I don’t steal money and I don’t know how to counterfeit it... - God help me!.. Ernest Pavlovich fell silent. “That’s it,” he finally said, “you can’t live like that.” “Temptation,” Elena Andreevna objected, sitting down under the icons. - We need to separate. — Last times! “We don’t have the same personalities.” I... - God will forgive. - Where did you get this idiotic jargon from?! - God willing! - Oh shit! - the engineer shouted. - Honor the holy fathers. - Let's leave peacefully. - Temptation! - You can’t prove anything to me! This dispute... - I have to go to confession tomorrow! - No, this is completely unbearable. Your arguments cannot stop me from taking the step that I am forced to take. I'm going to get the dray now. - Recent times... - We share the furniture equally. - Grace! - You will receive one hundred rubles a month. Even one hundred and twenty. The room will remain with you. Live as you want, but I can’t do that... “You don’t understand the laws of spiritual life,” Elena Andreevna said contemptuously. - And I’ll move to Ivan Alekseevich. - Akhtung! Guardian Angel! “He went to the dacha and left me his entire apartment for the summer. I have the key... Only there is no furniture. - Help me, Lord!
Ernest Pavlovich returned five minutes later with a janitor. “Well, I won’t take your iconostasis, you need it more, but here’s the desk, be so kind... And take this one chair, janitor.” I'll take one of these two chairs. I think I have the right to do this?.. Ernest Pavlovich tied his things into a large bundle, wrapped his boots in newspaper and turned to the door. “Guardian Angel,” said Elen Andrevna in a gramophone voice. - Goodbye, Elena. He expected that his wife, at least in this case, would refrain from the usual metallic words. Elen Andrevna also felt the importance of the moment. She tensed and began to look for suitable words for separation. They were found quickly. - Honor the holy fathers! This is a temptation! The engineer rolled down the stairs like an avalanche.
Elen Andrevna spent the evening with Fima Sobak. They discussed an unusually important event that threatened to overturn the Russian Orthodox Church. “It seems that the last times have really come,” said Fima, ducking her head into her shoulders like a chicken. The Patriarch of Notre Dame was praying! - Temptation! And Elen Andrevna looked at Fima Sobak with respect. Mademoiselle Sobak was known as a cultured girl - her dictionary contained about one hundred and eighty words. At the same time, she knew one word that Ellochka could not even dream of. It was a rich word - ECUMENISM. Fima Sobak was undoubtedly a cultured girl.
(The text, to be honest, was not written by me.
