Chapter 29

Great Thursday

Deacon. Wisdom, O believers ! Let us listen to the Holy GospeL

Priest Peace be with you all.

Choir. And with thy spirit.

Priest The Lesson from the holy Gospel of Luke.

Choir. Glory to thee, O Lord; glory to thee.

Deacon. Let us attend !

The Priest readeth the Gospel: Luke xx. 1-39. Choir. Glory to thee, O Lord ; glory to thee.

Then Psalm lu is read: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great

mercy. . . . (See page 45.) The Prayer : O God, save thy people : is not read but the Singers immediately

begin

THE CANON.

In Tone V. (St Cosmos of Maium.)

The Theme-Songs (Irmosi). I. The Red Sea by a stroke is parted in twain, and the depth which feedeth the waves is dried up, the same being trodden by the unarmed, and becoming a grave to those fully armed. And a song well-pleasing unto God is sung: Gloriously hath Christ our God been glorified ! «

III. He who is the Lord of all, and God the Creator, the Passionless One, united the creature with himself, in that he did humble himself ; and himself becoming the Passover, did offer himself in anticipation unto those on behalf of whom it was his will to die, crying : Eat ye my body, and ye shall be strengthened in faith.

IV. The Prophet, when he beheld the ineffable secret of thy Mystery, O Christ, cried out in anticipation : Thou, O merciful Father, didst appoint the firm love of thy might : for thou didst give thine Only-begotten Son to the world as an Atonement, O Good One.

V. The Apostles, united in the bond of love, having dedicated themselves unto Christ, who reigneth over all, made beautiful their feet to go and proclaim the glad tidings of peace unto all the world.

VI. The nethermost abyss of sins hath compassed me about, and unable to endure the billows thereof, like Jonah I cry aloud unto thee, O Master : Lead me forth from corruption.

The Collect-Hymn (Konddk), Tone II The Traitor, having taken bread in his hand, privily stretcheth forth the same, and taketh a price for him who with his hands had made man ; and Judas, the slave and the deceiver, remaineth reprobate.

VII. The Children in Babylon felt no fear of the furnace’s flames ; but when they were cast into the midst of the fire, being besprinkled with dew, they cried aloud in song : Blessed art thou, O God of our fathers !

VIII. The blessed Youths in Babylon, braving danger for the laws of their fathers, despised the mad behest of the potentate ; and when they were encompassed by the fire in which they were not consumed,

they sang a worthy song unto the Almighty : O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord, and magnify him unto all the ages.

Let us praise, bless and worship the Lord, hymning and magnifying him unto all the ages.

IX. Come, O ye faithful, let us enjoy the hospitality and the banquet immortal of the Lord, in the upper chamber, with minds uplifted, in that we have learned the Word from the Word who hath gone up on high : Whom also we do magnify.

Then the Choir; Exapostildrwn.

I behold thy richly adorned dwelling-place, O my Saviour, and I have no festal raiment, that I may enter in. Illumine thou the raiment of my soul, O Light-giver, and save me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

I behold . . .

Now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

I behold . . .

Then the Reader readeth the three customary Psalms : O praise the Lord of heaven (Psalm cxlviii.) ; O sing unto the Lord a new song {Psalm cxlix.) ; O praise God in his holiness (Psalm el.).

Glory to thee who hast shown us the light.

Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will toward men : We praise thee : and the rest, as usual, to the end, as shown in the Office for Matins, when celebrated separately.

THE FIRST HOUR.

The Order for the First Hour is as usual (see First Hour, page 38), with the Hymn for the Day (Tropdr).

When the glorious disciples . . . (Seepage 208.)

And then ; What shall we call thee, . . . (See page 39.)

The Reader readeth the Hymn of Prophecy, in Tone IV.

O Lord, who wast buffeted in the face for the sake of the human race, and yet waxed not wroth, deliver thou our life from corruption, and save us. (Twice.)

Priest. Let us attend.

Reader. The Gradual (Prokimen\ in the First Tone. Let the heathen understand that thy Name is the Lord. The Choir repeateth.

Verse (Stikh) : Who is like unto thee, O God

Priest. Wisdom !

Reader. The Parable (Paremiyd) from the Prophecy of Jeremiah.

Priest. Let us attend.

The Reader then readeth the Parable; Jer. xi. 18-23, x »- »~5» 9-* 1 {*eUcUa\ 14-15.

Priest. Let us attend. Wisdom !

Reader. The Gradual (Prokitnen), in the Eighth Tone. Pray and return thanks unto the Lord our God.

Verse: We have seen God in Judah ; great is his Name in Israel.

Reader. Order my steps in thy word, and so shall no wickedness . . . (See First Hour, page 40.)

The Benediction.

May the Lord who, for the sake of our salvation, cometh to his voluntary Passion, Christ, our true God ; through the prayers . . . (See page 122.)

And the Many Years.

THE LITURGY.

The Liturgy \ which is always that of St. Basil the Great, beginneth with Vespers. Vespers is celebrated as usual, with the following exceptions :

The Verses (Stikkiri) for; Lord, I have cried: In Tone L Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto thy Name.

The whole multitude of the Jews assembleth together, and delivereth over unto Pilate the Maker and Creator of all men. O iniquitous ! O faithless ! They prepare for judgment him who shall come to judge both the quick and the dead ; him who healeth passions they prepare for his Passion. O Lord long-suffering, great is thy mercy : glory to thee.

Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord: O Lord, hear my voice.

Judas the impious, when he had dipped his hand in the salt with thee, O Lord, stretched forth to the impious his hand to receive the pieces of silver ; and having meditated upon the price of the ointment, was not afraid to betray thee, the Priceless One : For he stretched forth his foot to be washed, he deceitfully kissed the Master, that he might betray him to the impious ones ; he was cast out from the company of the Apostles, and flung down the thirty pieces of silver, and beheld not thy rising on the third day : Through which show thou mercy upon us.

If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who may abide it ?

Judas the traitor, being deceitful, with a deceitful kiss did betray the Saviour, and Lord and Master of all men, in that he sold him like a slave to the Jews; like a sheep to the slaughter even so went the Lamb of God, the Son of the Father, the only All-Merciful One.

My soul doth wait upon the Lord, before the morning watch, I say, before the morning watch.

Judas showed himself a slave and deceiver, a disciple and a calumniator, a friend and a devil in his deeds ; for having followed the Teacher and learned the doctrine from him, he said within himself: I will betray him, and acquire the possessions which he hath accumulated ; for he sought to sell the ointment, and to take Jesus by guile. He gave a kiss,

he betrayed Christ. And like a sheep to the slaughter, even so went the Lamb of God, the only Compassionate One who loveth mankind

O praise the Lord, all ye heathen : praise him, all ye nations.

The Lamb which was prophesied by Isaiah cometh to his voluntary slaughter, and giveth his back to the smiters and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, and his face hath he not turned away from the ignominy of the spitting, and he is condemned to a shameful deathThe Sinless One of his own will accepteth all things, and unto all men giveth he resurrection from the dead.

Glory . . . now, and ever, . . -

Tone VI.

Judas was, of a truth, the descendant of the vipers who ate manna in the wilderness, and murmured against Him who fed them : for while the food was still in their mouths, the ingrates spake evil against God And this godless man, while he bare in his mouth the heavenly bread, committed treachery against the Saviour. O nature insatiable, and audacity inhuman! He selleth the One who feedeth him, and betrayeth unto death the Master who loveth him. Of a truth is he the son of the impious, and with them hath he inherited perdition. But spare thou our souls, O Lord, from such inhumanity, O thou who alone art of ineffable long-suffering.

The Entrance is then made with ike Gospels.

Deacon. Wisdom, O believers ! Choir. O gladsome radiance . . . {See page 8.) Deacon. Let us attend. Priest Peace be with you all Deacon, Wisdom ! Let us attend.

Reader. The Gradual {Prokimen), in the First Tone. Deliver me from the deceitful and wicked man, O Lord.

Verse {Stikh) : Who hath imagined evil in his heart all the day long.

Deacon. Wisdom !

Reader. The Parable (Paremiyd) from Exodus.

Deacon. Let us attend.

The Reader then readeth the Parable {Paremiyd) : Exodus xix. 10-19.

Reader The Gradual (Prokimen), in the Seventh Tone. Remove me from mine enemies, O God, and deliver me from them that rise up against me.

Verse (Stikk) : Deliver me from them that work wickedness.

Deacon. Wisdom !

Reader. The Parable (Paremiyd) from Job.

Deacon. Let us attend.

The Reader then readeth the Parable ; Job xxxviii. 1-22, xlii. 1-5. Deacon. Wisdom !

Reader. The Parable (Paremiyd) from the Prophecy of Isaiah. Deacon. Let us attend.

The Reader then readet\: Isaiah 1. 4-1 1. Then the Little Litany, with the Exclamation :

For holy art thou, O our God, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir, Amen. O Holy God/ Holy Mighty : and the rest, as usual. {See page 86.)

Reader. The Gradual (Prokimen), in the Seventh Tone. The princes of the people are assembled together against the Lord, and against his Anointed.

Verse (Stikh) : Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

Reader. The Lesson from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

And the Reader readeth the Epistle : 1 Cor. xi. 23-32.

Deacon. The Lesson from the holy Gospel of Matthew.

And the Deacon readeth the Gospel: Matt xxvi. 1-20; John xiii. 3-17; Matt, xxvi. 21-39 ; Luke xxii. 43-45 ; Matt. xxvi. 40, xxvii. 1-2.

In place of the Cherubimic Hymn, the Choir singeth, in Tone VI. :

Of thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me to-day as a communicant ; for I will not speak of thy Mystery to thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give thee a kiss; but like the thief will I confess thee : Remember me, O Lord, in thy kingdom.

And in place of: Meet is it :

Come, O ye faithful, let us enjoy the hospitality and the banquet immortal of the Lord, in the upper chamber, with minds uplifted, in that we have learned the Word from the Word who hath gone up on high : Whom we do magnify.

And in place of the Communion Hymn : Of thy Mystical Supper, . . . (See above.)

Also, in place of: Let our mouths be filled :

Of thy Mystical Supper, . . .

The Benediction.

Priest. May he who, because of his surpassing graciousness, showed unto us the most excellent way of humility, when he washed the disciples’ feet, and condescended even unto the Cross, and burial, Christ our true God: and the rest, as usual. (See page 122.)