XPICTOC ANECTH!
I've already been asked three times today regarding the apodosis tomorrow, specifically, regarding the taking up of the icon, cross, epitaphion and gospel, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it here before the frantic inquiries tomorrow! This, of course is the practice for the Greek tradition.
If you look at the Diataxeis from Kalamos Publications and the Diptycha from Apostolike Diakonia this year (the later copies the former now) there is a note in the order for Thursday of Ascension at the point of the Ninth Hour. Before I tell you that, though, the older monastic Typika speak of the 'aspasmos' (veneration) of the icon of the Resurrection (in the middle of the Church during the entire Pentekostarion period) during the final chanting of the Christos Aneste, normally mode II, argon (some places I've seen use Chrysaphes the New's 'Anastaseos hemera' in the old sticheraric melos). Once everyone venerates, the priest takes the icon into the hieron and the typikarios places the icon of the Ascension.
Then the priest comes out, preceded by the censer. Censing the Cross that has been outside the holy bema since the Great Friday 'apokathilosis', he venerates it and procedes into the holy bema and places the icon of the King of Glory upon it, once again venerating. Then, moving to the holy table, he censes and venerates the epitaphion, which has been on the holy table since the Orthros of Great and Holy Saturday, folds it and places it where it is normally stored. Finally, venerating it, the priest then takes the Gospel, turning it so that the icon of the Crucifixion faces upward and begins the vespers of the Ascension.
Except for the order of the aspasmos of the Gospel, the rest I don't believe is found in any older typika, but represents contemporary practice.
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About Me
- FRCJT
- I was born in East St Louis, Illinois in 1961 and grew up in South St Louis, Missouri. I abandoned the music program at Southern Illinois University after deciding to study theology. To this end I enrolled at Hellenic College, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and received the BA and MDiv degrees from these schools. From there I received scholarships to complete a doctoral dissertation in Byzantine Musicology at the School of Theology of the National and Capodistrian University of Athens, Greece, from which I received the ThD in the year 2000; my dissertation was published in the Meletai series of the Institute of Byzantine Musicology. Most dear to my heart is the family I have been blessed with: my wife Diann, my daughter, Maria, and one unborn child God decided to keep for Himself. Presently, I live on the island of Aegina with my family and where I presently sit and write my psaltic musings.