Notes Orthodox Liturgy of the Catechumens

1. THE READING OF THE GOSPEL
AND THE HOMILY
The deacon approaches the priest, bows toward him and, holding his
orar with his fingertips and pointing to the Gospel Book, intones :
Master, bless the one who goes to announce the Gospel of
the holy Apostle and Evangelist N--.
While he blesses the deacon, the priest intones :
May God, through the prayers of the holy, glorious, and
most praiseworthy Apostle and Evangelist N--, grant you
the power of announcing his word with great strength for
fulfilHng your office of singing the Gospel ofhis well-beloved
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
After showing reverence for the Holy Gospel with a small bow, the
deacon takes it and, preceded by candlebearers who go out of the sanc-
tuary through the side doors of the iconostas, goes through the royal
doors to stand at the ambo (or before the royal doors} for the reading
of the Gospel. He places the Gospel Book on the analoj (lectern) and
stands facing the people. The priest, who is standing before the holy
table but facing the congregation, intones :
Wisdom! Let us stand straight to listen to the Holy Gospel.
Peace be to all!
People : And to your spirit.
Deacon : The reading ofthe Holy Gospel according to N--.
People : Glory be to you, 0 Lord, glory be to you (they cross
themselves).
Priest : Let us be attentive.
The deacon then chants the Holy Gospel. When the Gospel reading
is finished, the priest says to the deacon :
Peace be to you, who have announced the good tidings.
And the people sing the response :
Glory be to you, 0 Lord, glory be to you (they cross them-
selves).

2. The deacon returns to the sanctuary through the royal doors and
gi'IJes the closed Gospel Book to the priest, who kisses it and places it
either in the center or on the right side of the holy table.
All the Churches of Christendom have always shown great rever-
ence for the Gospel of Christ, but the Syro-Byzantine family has
given it exceptional honor. Christian antiquity took special pains
to copy the Gospel Book with all possible splendor, not infrequently
doing it entirely in gold or silver script on purple vellum and binding
it in costly covers of gold or silver metalwork or carved ivory,
adorned with jewels. This tradition is preserved in the Byzantine
Rite where the Holy Gospel Book, one ofthe most beautiful objects
in the church, is carried in solemn procession at the Little Entrance
during every Liturgy. 1
It is.still regarded as the symbol of Christ
himself. At synods and councils, it was placed on a throne or on
the altar. 1
Likewise, in Byzantine churches, it is in the place of honor, the
front center of the altar (which in turn is the symbol of Christ's
throne in heaven), the very place where his most precious body and
blood repose during the Divine Sacrifice. For nine hundred years,
the only things permitted on the altar, even in the Latin Rite, were
the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Gospel Book. 8
At present,
in the Byzantine Rite, nothing may be placed on the altar except
what is necessary for the Divine Liturgy. Candlesticks are excluded
in those churches where the seven-pronged candelabrum is placed
behind the altar. No flowers, artificial or natural, are permitted.
Since Vatican II, the Latin Church is reverting to this ancient
practice.
The liturgy itself bears all the marks of special reverence due to
the Holy Gospel. In processions, the clergy highest in rank should
come last. Likewise, the Gospel is the final reading in every Rite,
1 Also at Solemn Matins, at the solemn procession around the church on the
feast of the parish patron, etc.
• E.g., Cyril of Alexandria (t 444), speaking of the third Ecumenical Council
of Ephesus, says that when " the holy synod met together at the church, it con-
ferred on Christ, as it were, the position of member and president of the council.
Indeed the venerable Gospel was placed upon a sacred throne " (Apol. ad Theodos.
imper. [PG 76, 471]). Since Cyril's time this has become the customary practice.
• Cf. Leo IV Ct 855). PL ns, 677.

3. a custom probably dating back to Apostolic times. When Augustine
said, "We should listen to the Gospel as though God himself spoke
to us, " he expressed the opinion of all Christendom.
The Gospel, like the other lessons, was read originally by the
lector. 6
Cyprian (A.D. 258), explaining his reason for conferring the
order of lector on Celerinus, a man who had been tonured for the
faith and still bore the scars of his ordeal, said : " Should he not
be placed in full view on the am.ho. . • so that, raised up on this
higher place and shown to the people in honor of his fame, he may
read the precepts and Gospel of the Lord, which he has always
observed with courage and fidelity? May the voice that has con-
fessed the Lord be heard speaking every day the things the Lord
has said. . .. No one is better able to read the Gospel to his brethren
than a confessor, because all who hear him can set forth his faith
as an example to themselves .... '' •
Gradually, however, this sense of the Gospel's importance led to
the idea that its reading should be reserved to the higher ministers.
By the beginning of the fifth century, in most places it had become
the deacon's prerogative. 7
In the Latin Church, at the ordination
of a deacon, this privilege had not been expressed during the first
ten centuries, nor is it in any of the Eastern ordination rites today.
Yet, the tradition is wholly in accord with the deep reverence shown
to the Gospel in all the Church's Rites. In fact, it could not have
been long after the deacons assumed the duty of reading the Gospel
that other members of the higher clergy began doing so. Sozomen
(fl. 439-450), for example, tells us that in Constantinople the bishop
read the Gospel on Easter day; in Alexandria, the archdeacon; and
" in other places, deacons read the Gospel, in many churches priests
only." 8 In Jerusalem, at least, on Sundays, the function was
reserved to the bishop. 0
An interesting custom arose in the Westem
• Tract 30 in Joan. (PL 35, 1633).
• Justin, First Apology, chap. 67.
• Cyprian, Ep. 34 (PL 4' 323).
7
Thus, the Apostolic Constitutions (Book II, lvn, 7, see p. 145); St. Jerome
(Ep. 147, § 6 [PL 22, 1200]); Testammtum Domini (1. I, 27, edit. I.E. Rahmani,
Testamentum Domini Nastri Jesu Christi: Mainz, 1899, p. 58 [59}), etc.
• Hist. eccl., VII, 19 (PG 67, 1477 A). During Chrysostom's time at Constan-
tinople it seems that the Gospel was read by the celebrant; cf. Socrates, Hist.
eccl., vn, s(PG 67, 745 CD).

4. Church at the Christmas midnight Mass when the Roman emperor
stood in full regalia to sing the Gospel. This was probably inspired
by the first line of the Gospel of this Mass : " At that time, there
went forth a decree from Caesar Augustus..." 10
Another mark of honor shown directly to the Gospel Book is the
practice of bearing lighted tapers, or candles, before it (indirectly
this mark of honor is shown to Christ himself, whom the Gospel
Book symbolizes). As soon as the Gospel Book is taken by the
deacon and carried to the analoj, the candlebearers march out
through the side doors of the iconostas and take their place at his
right and left. Many of the faithful also stand with lighted candles
during the Gospel reading. This practice reaches back into Christian
antiquity, for in the fourth century, St. Jerome testified that such
a custom was common to all the Oriental Churches even on the
brightest day. 11
Besides honoring the word of God, it gives an
air of joy to the whole proceedings, a joy expressed more palpably
to the senses while all listen to the " glad tidings. " This liturgical
usage was no doubt borrowed from secular custom. Lighted torches
were an honor especially reserved to the emperor under the Anto-
nines; from imperial honors, this privilege passed to other officials
of the empire, more specifically, to judges when exercising their
duties. 19 Since Constantine's time, bishops were authorized to give
judgment in certain cases; such authority was confirmed in A.D. 408.
A bishop, therefore, going to court (the basilica) to sit in judgment
was preced~d by servants carrying the liber mandatorum (book of
law) and four lighted torches or candles. Gradually, perhaps imper-
ceptibly at first, these privileges passed from the judicial sphere
to the liturgical. The book of the Gospels was substituted for the
liber mandatorum. It was then but a step to transfer the honors from
the person ofthe bishop to the Gospel Book itselfand to the Supreme
Judge whom the book symbolized.
• Aetheriae Peregrinatio, chap. 24, IO (CSEL, XXXIX, 73 f.).
10 E.g., thus, Emperor Charles IV at Basie in 1347, at Mainz in 1353, and at
Carobrai in 1377; Emperor Sigismund at Constance in 1414; Frederick III at
Rome in the presence of Pope Paul II, etc.; see L. Biehl, Das liturgische Gebet
fflr Kaiser und Reich. pp. 100 f.
11 Jerome, Contra Vigilantium, chap. 7 (PL 23, 346).
u Cf. E. G. C. Atchley, A History of the Use of Incense in Divim Worship
(London, 1909), pp. 55 f.

5. The Gospel ofChrist was held in such high esteem that some time
before the Council of Orange in A.D. 441, the idea arose that the
Gospel was too sacred to be heard by ears other than those of the
faithful, for this council decreed that catechumens were not to be
excluded, implying that a contrary custom had arisen. 13
Similar
attempts must have been made later, for the Roman baptismal rite
as revised in the sixth century puts the Gospel in the same category
as the sharing of the confession of faith and the Lord's Prayer,
traditionally withheld from the uninitiated by the disciplina arcani.
There seems to have been no such extreme in any of the Eastern
Churches. The traditional rule of the Church from the earliest
times certainly was to the follow Lord's advice : "Go ye into the
whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:15-16). This
idea is vividly expressed in the Byzantine-Slav Rite, during the
Easter Sunday Liturgy, when the Gospel is sung in several lan-
guages, usually five or six.
The deacon seeks a blessing from the celebrant to perform his
mission : " Master, bless the one who goes to announce the Gospel
ofthe holy Apostle and EvangelistN--. "In the Byzantine Church,
this custom dates back at feast to dre tweifth or thirteenth century,
since it occurs in the manuscripts of this period. 14
The celebrant invests the deacon with the mission of proclaiming
the Holy Gospel, not only by blessing him but also by giving him the
u Canon 18 (Mansi, Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, Vol. VI,
439). Later councils enacted similar legislation.
" Cf. A. Dmitrievsky, Opysanie liturgicheskikh rukopise:j khraniaschikhsia v
bibliotekakh pravoslavnago vostoka, Vol. II, Euchologia (Kiev, 1901), p. 141; Goar,
Euchologion, pp. 102, 105; also Krasnoseltsev, Materialy dlja istorii chinopslidovania
liturgii sv. Joanna Zlatoustago (Kazan, 1889), pp. 24-25, #
In the Slav Church, the fourteenth or fifteenth century Liturgikon of Metro-
politan Isidore bas the blessing in very simple form : after the deacon asks for it,
the priest says : "May God, through the prayers of the holy Apostle, Evangelist
N-- grant you the power of announcing with great strength " while he imparts
the blessing to the deacon; cf. MS. Vat. Slav. No. 14, fols. 128-129. The blessing
of the deacon is similar in the fourteenth century Cod. Vat. Slav. No. 9 : " May
the Lord, King of (his) beloved (Son's) powers, grant to those who are announcing
the power of announcing with great strength, through the prayers of the holy
Apostles and Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and all the other holy
Apostles." Cf. 0. Hatbatsch, De tribus textibus Liturgicis Linguae Ecclesiasticae
(Pa/aeo) Slavicae in Manuscriptis Vaticanis (Rome, 1966), p. 130.

6. book of the Gospels. The priest prays that the deacon announce
the good tidings with great strength as the Apostles did, referring to
Acts 4:33. This sending forth ofthe deacon by the celebrant is the
literal answer to St. Paul's question : " How can there be preachers
unless preachers are sent on their errand? " (Rom. 10:I 5).
A hushed reverence for the words of the Gospel is enjoined by
the acclamations and the celebrant's exhortation as he turns to the
congregation and says : " Wisdom! Let us stand straight to listen
to the Holy Gospel. "
It is not known precisely when these words were introduced into
the Hp.an.tine Liturgy, but they may have originated in fourth-
century Syria. Among the directions given by the author of the
Apostolic Constitutions, Book II, is the rubric : " While the Gospel
is being read, all the priests, deacons, and people should stand up
in great silence for it is written,' Be silent and hear, 0 Israel,' and
'But do thou stand there and hear.'" 15
From rubrical direction
to textual incorporation is but a step. 18
The early eighth-century
Armenian version of Chrysostom's Liturgy has nearly identical
words : " Wisdom. Let us stand straight. Listen to the Holy
Gospel with fear." 11
The pre-Gospel blessing," Peace be to all,"
may also reach back to fourth-century Syria. Brightman's recon-
struction ofthe Liturgy at Antioch from Chrysostom's writings puts
such a blessing before the homily. 18
This was done in Constanti-
nople certainly before the middle ofthe seventh century. Maximus
indicates its position there at the time. 19
Standing for the Gospel reading was not the only mark of respect
16 Apostolic Constitutions, Book II; cf. above, p. 14s.
11 E.g., the acclamation "The Doors, the doors"; see below, p. S31·
" Cf. Catergian-Dasian, Die Liturgien bei den Armeniern (Vienna, 1897), pp. 362-
363; also the Erasmian recension of Chrysostom's Liturgy (Goar, Euchologion,
p. 10s) and that translated by Leo Thuscus (c. 1200, Paris edit. pp. SS ff.). Silence
and attention was enjoined before the Gospel in the Latin Mass up to the seventh
and eighth centuries with the words, State cum silentio audientes attente, or with
some similar formula; cf. Atchley, Ordi Romanus Primus (London, 190s), 76.
11 Cf. Brightman, LEW, p. 470; for the Pontic Liturgy, see Gregory Naziamen,
Or. XXII, I (PG 3S, 1131 A).
10 Maximus, Quaestiones et dubia, 68 (PG 90, 849 A) and Mystagogia, 12 (PG 91,
689 D). Still, it seems not to have been general practice in the whole Byzantine
Church, for many later sources omit it.

7. accorded to the words of Christ; everyone stood bareheaded; 20 even
the emperor took offhis crown, 11
and bishops their miters (a practice
still observed in the Byzantine Rite).
The responses of the faithful, " Glory to Thee, 0 Lord, Glory to
Thee," before and after the Gospel are related to the idea that the
Gospel Book represents Christ. They are also cries ofjoy and praise
to the Master, who has revealed himself to mankind. This formula
dates back to the eighth century and is often found in later codices. 211
The server's reply in the Latin Mass, Gloria tibi, Domi.ne (Glory to
Thee, 0 Lord) and Laus tibi, Christe (Praise to Thee, 0 Christ), are
the Western parallels to the Byzantine pre-and post-Gospel accla-
mations; they have been added to the Latin Mass rather late and
could be due to Byzantine influence, since the older answers in the
Latin Church were Amen, 11
Deo gratias, and even Benedictus qui
venit in nomine Domi.ni. 14
After the Gospel is read, the deacon closes the Gospel Book and
takes it to the celebrant to be kissed. 85
This is to indicate how
precious and sweet the contents of the Gospels are. It is an act
expressing in deed the thought ofthe psalmist : " More to be desired
11 ApostDlic Constitutions, Book II, 57 (Quasten, Monumenta eucharistica et
liturgia vetUStis.rima [Bonn, 1935-1937}, 182); Sozomen, Hist. eccl., VII, 19 (PG 67,
1477 A); Philostorgius, Hist. eccl., III, S (PG 65, 485 AB).
n In the West this was paralleled by the kings and queens of France who took
off their crowns.
n E.g., the eighth century Byzantine Armenian Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
(Catergian-Dasian, op. cit., p. 363); the Erasmian recension of the same Liturgy
(Goar, Euchologion, p. 105); the same Liturgy translated by Leo Thuscus (c. 1200;
Paris edit., p. 56); the Constitution of Philotheus (edit. Krasnoseltsev, op. cit.,
p. 56); etc.
111 Beleth, Rarimrale, 39 (PL 202, 48); Durandus, Rationale, IV, 24> § 30; St.
Benedict's Rule, XI•
.. Durandus, op. cit•
.. If any higher prelates, e.g., bishops, are present, custom dictates that the
Gospel Book be taken to them also to be kissed. The Latin Rite has a parallel
practice. The Latin practice of taking the Gospel Book to the people to be kissed,
recounted by Ordo Rom. II, n. 8 (PL 78, 972 B), and popular for a time, especially
in the countries of the North, was forbidden by Honorius III in 1221 and was
restricted only to those anointed as priests, bishops, and kings (A. Potthast, Regesta
pant. Rom., I {Berlin, 1874], p. 573). A similar practice was prevalent in most
of the Ruthenian churches (and still is in many), though not after the Gospel
reading but during the Little Entrance. The " new " rubrics for the Divine Litur-
gy issued during the liturgical reform of 1944 are silent on the point but their
very silence would seem to intimate that such a practice is to be abolished.

8. than gold and many precious stones (are the words of the Lord) and
sweeter than honey and the honeycomb" (Ps. 18:11).
The history ofthe Gospel lections and their arrangement is almost
the same as that ofthe Epistle readings(see pp.418f.,421,above). The
present cycle of Gospel pericopes certainly dates back to the eighth
century and probably earlier. With a few exceptions, all four Gospels
are read through completely at least once during the liturgical year
at the Divine Liturgy; the exceptions mostly consist in Gospel
pericopes for the great holy days and those describing the passion
and death of the Lord (these latter, however, are read during the
Service of the Holy and Redeeming Sufferings of Our LordJesus Christ,
the special Matins for Good Friday). Beginning with Easter Sunday,
the Gospel ofSt. John is read until Pentecost Sunday : the remaining
chapters are read (a) during the Divine Liturgy on Lazarus Saturday
(Saturday before Palm Sunday) and on Palm Sunday itself, (b)
during the Service of the Holy and Redeeming Sufferings of Our
Lord, i.e., Matins for Good Friday, and (c) during those times when
any of the last five of the eleven regular resurrectional Gospels for
Sunday Matins is read. The outline below illustrates not only how
the whole Gospel of St. John is read during the year but also when
its component pericopes are used (the numbers in parentheses
indicate the order for continuous reading) :
Period
(1) Easter Sunday John •
(2) Easter Monday • . •
Easter Tuesday-exception
(3) Wednesday
(6) ThUisday . • . •
(5) Friday • • . • .
Pericope
1:1-17
1:18-28
1:29-51
3:1-15
2:12-22
3:22-36(8) SatUiday . . . .
(55) {2nd Sunday, after
St. Thomas Sunday
Easter, i.e.,
20:10-31
(4) Monday •
(7) Tuesday .
(12) Wednesday
(13) ThUisday .
(14) Friday . .
(16) SatUiday .
2:1-11
3:16-21
5:17-24
5:25-30
5:30-47, 6:1-2
6:14-27
3rd Sunday after Easter, exception
i.e., Ointment-bearing Women
(IO) Monday 4:46-54
(17) Tuesday . . . . . 6:27-33
Period Pericope
(18) Wednesday 6:35-40
(19) Thursday • 6:40-44
(20) Friday . . 6:48-55
(45) SatUiday • . 15:12-27, 16:1-2
(11) 4th Sunday, after Easter,
i.e., Sun. of the Paralytic
Man
(21) Monday .
(22) Tuesday .
(23) Wednesday
(25) Thursday .
(26) Friday •
(27) SatUiday .
(9) 5th Sunday after Easter,
i.e., Sunday of Samar-
itan Woman
(28) Monday .
(29) Tuesday •
(15) Wednesday
5:1-15
6:57-70
7:1-13
7:14-44
8:12-20
8:21-30
8:31-42
4:5-42
8:42-51
8:51-59
6:5-14

9. Period
(31) Thursday
(32) Friday .
(33) Saturday
Pericope
9:39-41, 10:1-9
10:17-28
10:27-38
(30) 6th Sunday after Easter,
i.e., Sunday of Man
Born Blind
(35) Monday .
(37) Tuesday .
(38) Wednesday
Ascension exception
(42) Friday . . • • • •
(43) Saturday . . . • •
(49) 7th Sunday after Easter
i.e., Sunday of the Holy
Fathers
9:1-39
u:47-56
12:19-36
12:36-47
14:1-u
14:10-21
17:1-13
(44) Monday
(46) Tuesday .
(47) Wednesday
(48) Thursday .
(50) Friday •
(58) Saturday •
14:27-31, 15:1
. 16:2-13
(24) Pentecost Sunday
. 16:15-23
• 16:23-33
17:1, 18-26
21:15-25
7:37-52
(37, 38) Wednesday before
Palm Sunday • • • • 12:17-50
Period Pericope
(34) Saturday before Palm
Sunday . • • . . 11:1-45
(36) Palm Sunday 12:1-18
(39, 40) Holy Thursday at
Liturgy . . . . 13:3-17
Good Friday Matins
(41) First Gospel John . 13:31-50
(42, 43, 44) First Gospel 14 complete
(45) First Gospel 15 complete
(46, 47, 48) First Gospel 16 complete
(49, 50) First Gospel 17 complete
(51) First Gospel . • 18:1
(51) Second Gospel . . . 18:1-28
(52) Fourth Gospel 18:28-40, 19:1-16
(53) Ninth Gospel • . . 19:25-37
(54) Eleventh Gospel . . 19:38-42
Sunday Matins, Eleven Resurrectional
Gospels
(55) Seventh Gospel John .
(56) Eighth Gospel John
(57) Ninth Gospel
(58) Tenth Gospel
(59) Eleventh Gospel
20:1-10
20:11-18
20:19-31
21:1-14
21:15-25
Aside from an occasional final verse of a chapter, only a few
passages from the entire Gospel are unaccounted for, namely,
John 8:1-12, 13:18-30, and 19:17-24. Several Gospel passages,
how~ver, are duplicated (e.g., those indicated above by nos. 37-38,
42-51, 55, 58). The Gospels of the other evangelists are read
in a similar way. Without going into detail, we may mention
that from Pentecost to Palm Sunday the entire Gospels of Mat-
thew, Luke, and Mark are read in more or less this sequence: from
Pentecost Monday to the Monday ofthe week preceding the twelfth
Sunday after Pentecost, St. Matthew's Gospel (also on Saturdays and
Sundays of the following six weeks); from Monday of the week
preceding the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost to the Monday of the
week preceding the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Gospel of
St. Mark during all weekdays (i.e., except Saturdays and Sundays);
from the Monday ofthe week preceding the eighteenth Sunday after
Pentecost to the Monday ofthe week preceding the thirtieth Sunday
after Pentecost (and on Saturdays and Sundays of the following five
weeks); from the Monday ofthe week preceding the thirtieth Sunday

10. after Pentecost to Cheese Fare Week, i.e., the week preceding Lent,
St. Mark's Gospel again on all weekdays (except on Saturdays and
Sunday). The remaining passages of these three Gospels are read
during Cheese Fare Week and Lent until Palm Sunday, as well as
during the Good Friday Matins and those times when any ofthe first
six of the regular eleven Resurrectional Gospels are read. Like the
Gospel of St. John, the other three are read through completely
during the liturgical year in a more or less continuous order
(see table, p. 422).
The Ukrainian or Russian peasant, even if illiterate, knew the
contents of the Bible by the truly remarkable use of the Scriptures
in his parish church-not only the New Testament, but also the Law
(the Pentateuch) and the Prophets, read during solemn Vespers and
Matins on Sundays and holy days. These latter services were known
and loved by lay people no less than by monks, as is evident even
today in the immigrants who without any special training or ability
can sing almost all of these services from memory! The word of
God is indeed a seed oflife, which brings forth the fruits ofsalvation
a hundredfold. Like the Eucharist, so the Gospel words are " the
spirit and the life" (John 6:64). Jesus never spoke abstractly, nor
did he present doctrinal definitions to the ordinary people of his
day. He always spoke in parables, he told them stories illustrating
his revolutionary doctrines. He told them ofthe merciful, charitable
Samaritan and his Jewish enemy, or he contrasted the poor, humble
publican with the haughty, race-proud Pharisee. Instead ofspeaking
abstractly of repentance, he told them the story of the forgiving,
loving Father and his prodigal but repentant son. That is why he
could capture the attention of his audience and they would listen
enthralled, understand his lessons and forget little. He does no less
today through his Lirorgy.
The Homily
The sermon preached after the Gospel lesson is no more an inter-
polation than are the lessons themselves, for it reaches back to the
Jewish Sabbath service of the synagogue where there was always an
explanation of the Scriptures just read. The Lord himself took

11. ANNUAL CYCLE OF EPISTLES
Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Acts Easter
IS[ Acts Acts Acts Acts Acts Acts .
I!! 2nd . . n . . " .i::
31"d . " . . . n
"
~ 4th . . . . . . "
=i 5th . . . " . " .p..
6th . . . . . . .
7th
. . . . " " " Pentcc.
Ist Eph. I Rom. Rom. Rom. Rom. Rom. Hehr.
2nd Rom. " . . " " Rom•
31"d " " . " . . "
4th . . . . . " .
5th " . . . . n
"
6th n
I I Cor. I Cor. I Cor. I Cor. . n
7th I Cor. . . n . . "
8th . . n . . . ICor.
9th " . " . . . .
loth . . . II Cor. II Cor• . .
nth II Cor. II Cor. II Cor. . . I Cor. "
12th . . . . ~ . .
13th . " . . . " .
§ 14th . . n
Gal. Gal. " II Cor•
i
15th Gal. Gal. Gal. . n . .
16th . . . Eph. Eph. . .
17th Eph. Eph. Eph. n n
" .
~
18th . . " . . " .
19th Phil. Phil. Phil: Phil. Phil. . .
~
2oth . n n n . II Cor• Gal•
218t . leo1. Col. Col. Col. " .
22nd Col. " n
" " " .,___
23rd I Thess. I Thess. I Thess. I Thess. I Thess. . Eph.
24th . . " . n . .
25th II Thess. II Thess. II Thess. II Thess. II Thess Gal. .
26th I Tim. I Tim. I Tim. !Tim. I Tim. " .27th . . . . II Tim• " n
28th II Tim. II Tim. II Tim. I Tit. I Tit. Eph. Col.
29th Heb. Heb. Heb. Heb. Heb. n
"
30th . . . . . " .
3rst " . James James James Col. I Tim.
320d James James
. " I Pet. I Thess. .
... 33rd I Pet. I Pet. I Pet. I Pet. II Pet. II Tim. II Tim.
~ 34th II Pet. II Pet. II Pet. I John I John " I Cor.
l 35th I John I John I John . II John I Cor. .
36th III John Jude a-lit. Jude a-lit. Rom. Rom.
IS[ a-lit. a-lit. Pre a-lit. Pre Heb. Heb.
2nd n . sanct• . sanct. . .
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Holy Week Presanctified Gifts I Cor. a-lit. Rom. Sunday

12. such an opportunity to preach to the people at Nazareth (Luke 4:
16-30; Mark 6:2-4); Paul and Barnabas similarly preached after the
lessons in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:14-47). In
the primitive Christian assemblies, Justin tells us, on Sundays after
the reader finished the lections, " the one presiding gives a speech
in which he admonishes and exhorts (all) to imitate these beautiful
teachings. " 26
In his sermons Origen constantly says : " Let us
attend to what has been read, " 27
and the very contents of his
homilies prove that the sermons followed the lessons. 38
The great
Augustine indicated the same in one of his sermons when he said :
" First we have heard the lesson from the Apostle. . .. After that
the lesson from the Gospel showed us the ten lepers healed. " 211
Others-for example, Oement ofAlexandria, Tertullian, the author
ofthe Apostolic Constitutions (Book II), and Cyprian-leave no doubt
whatever that the sermon followed the readings in the early Christian
synaxis. 80 In short, all early evidence indicates that the bishop's
sermon was indeed an integral part of the synaxis; in fact, without it
the service was considered liturgically incomplete. Pre-Nicene
Christians everywhere believed that the bishop received a special
gift {charisma) at his consecration to fulfill his office of preacher.
Preaching sermons was regarded as much a bishop's " special
liturgy " as was his offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. In the
third century, at a synaxis in Caesarea, Origen scandalized the
faithful because he was not a bishop and yet dared to preach! 31
That he did so at the invitation of the local bishop seems to have
made no difference. In Hippo, in North Africa, as late as the close
of the fourth century, the people were indignant because their aged
bishop had delegated the faculty to preach at the synaxis to St. Au-
gustine who was not then a bishop. After the downfall of Arius,
"Justin Martyr, First Apology, chap. 67.
11 E.g., In Gen. homil., 1, 17 (PG 12, 16o).
18 In Gen. homil., x, 1 (PG 12, 215); In ex. homil., vn, 8 (PG 12, 349); In Lev.
homil., IV, 9 (PG 12, 444), etc.
••Senno clxxvi, I (PL 38, 950).
••Clement of Alexandria, Strom., 6, 14 (PG 9, 337); Tertullian, De praescript.,
36 (PL 2, 49); Apostolic Constitutions, Book II (cf. above, p. 145); Cyprian, De
mortalitate, I (Hartel 1, 297).
•1 Cf. 0. Bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur (2nd edit.; Frei-
burg, 1914), II, pp. 108 f.

13. priests were forbidden to preach in Alexandria and North Africa. 31
This condition prevailed until the beginning of the fifth century.
For a long time, Rome and Italy had similar regulations. 93
We
should remember that almost every town was a bishopric at the time.
Such restrictive measures prove the strong conviction of the people
regarding the bishop's gifts in fulfilling his " special liturgy" of
preaching. In the Eastern Church, it showed itself in a different
way : while the practice of having more than one preacher at the
Sunday synax.is was common by the fourth century, the bishop
always spoke last because he was seen as the voice of authentic
teaching in matters of faith. This liturgical teaching authority, or
office, was even more vividly expressed in another custom : the
bishop always preached from his cathedra, his seat of authority. 31
There was a rule in the Egyptian Church that the bishop, while
preaching, was to hold the Gospel Book in his hand-another sign
of his special authority. Judging from ancient Byzantine icons of
holy bishops and confessors, it seems that such a practice was not
limited to Egypt. u
Everywhere in the ancient Church the sermon was considered as
much a part of the service as were the readings. The sermon's
proper liturgical place is immediately after the Gospel. In the Latin
rite, many regarded the sermon as an interpolation rather than an
integral part ofthe Liturgy. This may be due to the pre-Vatican II
tendency to regard as non-liturgical anything in the vernacular, any
more or less extemporaneous text, anything that was not standard
and invariable. In the primitive Church, however, even the anaph-
ora, the canon of the Mass, was more or less extemporaneous, and
certainly far from" standardized" (see above, p. 55).
""Socrates, Hist. eccl., V, 22 (PG 67, 64o); Sozomen, Hist. eccl., VII, 19 (PG 67,
1476 f.)•
.. This is evident from the letter of disapproval sent from Rome to the bishops
of Provence, where priests were beginning to preach (Celestine I, Ep. 21, 2 (PL 50,
528-530)•
.. This, of course, was true of both the Eastern and the Western Church.
Chrysostom, however, preached from the ambo, a course of action dictated more
by practical considerations than by any other. Similar considerations probably
induced the present practice of bishops preaching from the amvon.
*' In modem times, Byzantine bishops hold the pastoral staff (crozier) while
they preach. This, again, is a sign of authority.