What is the Divine Liturgy?
The service is the worship of an assembled Church, with clergy and people participating in prayer, hearing, and response. Its two principal divisions are commonly called the Liturgy of the Word, or of the Catechumens, and the Liturgy of the Faithful. The first centres on the proclamation of Scripture; the second on the Eucharistic offering and Communion. Preparation of the bread and wine precedes this public sequence in an ordinary priest’s celebration. [1] [2]
The Eucharistic character gives the whole service its direction. The Greek word Eucharist means thanksgiving. In the anaphora, the Church gives thanks for creation, salvation, and the kingdom, remembering Christ’s saving work. The offering is understood within Christ’s once-for-all self-offering, rather than as a new historical crucifixion each time the service is celebrated. [4]
Chrysostom, Basil, and the Presanctified Gifts
The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is the usual form in Byzantine Orthodox worship. The Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great is used on appointed occasions and has a longer Eucharistic prayer. Their names identify liturgical traditions associated with the saints; they do not mean that every detail of the modern service was written by either saint in its present form. [1]
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is different in a fundamental respect. Associated especially with Lenten weekdays, it combines Vespers with Communion from gifts already consecrated at an earlier Eucharistic liturgy. There is no new consecration of the gifts in this service. Recognizing that distinction prevents a reader from forcing every service bearing the name “liturgy” into exactly the same outline. [7]
Before the public opening: preparing the gifts
The preparation is called proskomedia or prothesis. Bread is prepared on the diskos, the liturgical plate, and wine with water is placed in the chalice. The principal portion of bread is called the Lamb. Commemorations include the Theotokos, the saints, and the living and departed. The vessels are covered and prayers offered. This preparation helps explain objects that appear later in the service; it should not be confused with the Eucharistic consecration. [2]
Dmitrevsky treats the preparation at length in Part I of his explanation. He considers the vestments, washing of hands, preparation of the Lamb, commemorative particles, incense, and approach to the holy table. Readers who want to understand why a commentary spends so much time before the opening blessing will find that this is part of the book’s method: it examines the material setting and actions as well as the words. [10]
Gathering, Scripture, and preaching
The opening portion includes litanies, hymns, the entrance with the Gospel book, and the readings. These provide a framework in which appointed texts change with the day and feast. Dmitrevsky’s Part II follows the opening and Great Litany, antiphons, entrance, Trisagion, and scriptural proclamation, so the section can be read alongside the movement of a service without expecting every hymn to be identical on every occasion. [10]
The Epistle reading is followed by Alleluia and the Gospel. The OCA’s explanation emphasizes the proclamation as an encounter with God’s word within worship; the homily communicates its meaning for the congregation. A reader who has learned to recognize the sequence can then give attention to the particular passage being proclaimed, rather than spending the whole service trying to identify what happens next. [3]
From the Great Entrance to the Eucharistic prayer
The Great Entrance carries the prepared gifts to the holy table. In Dmitrevsky’s outline, the prayers that follow lead through the kiss of peace and confession of the Creed toward the Eucharistic prayer. This is a useful distinction for readers following the service: the procession with the gifts and the consecration are different moments. His commentary treats the entrance, Creed, and subsequent prayer in separate chapters. [10]
The central Eucharistic prayer is called the anaphora. Its opening dialogue calls the assembly to lift up its heart and give thanks. The prayer praises God, recalls the divine saving work, and includes the hymn of the heavenly hosts. Remembrance of the Last Supper belongs within this larger thanksgiving, together with remembrance of the cross, resurrection, ascension, and promised coming of Christ. [4]
The epiclesis, also spelled epiklesis, is the invocation of the Holy Spirit. The celebrant asks for the Spirit to come upon the people and the offered gifts, and for the bread and wine to become Christ’s Body and Blood. In Orthodox teaching this is a divine action received in faith. The term identifies a prayer within the Eucharistic action; it is not a description of something the congregation can establish by visual inspection. [5]
Communion and thanksgiving
Preparation for Communion includes the Lord’s Prayer and the prayers surrounding the elevation and breaking of the Lamb. The invitation to the faithful leads into the reception of Holy Communion; thanksgiving follows. The OCA’s account describes the reception of the consecrated bread and wine, and separately mentions the custom in some churches of taking additional bread and wine afterward. These are distinct actions. A visitor should not assume that every distribution of bread during or after a service has the same meaning. [6]
Reading the service through to its end matters. Dmitrevsky’s final chapters move from the Communion of clergy and faithful to thanksgiving and departure. The earlier rites are directed toward a consummation, and the conclusion returns the reader to gratitude. The book’s complete sequence is more informative than a collection of detached explanations of impressive ceremonial moments. [10]
How to read historical and symbolic explanations
Ivan Dmitrevsky distinguishes historical and mystical meanings near the beginning of his commentary. In his own explanation, an action can answer a practical need in the rite while also carrying a spiritual interpretation. He relates liturgical actions to Scripture and draws on earlier ecclesiastical writers. This combination is central to the book’s appeal: it asks both what is done and how worshippers have understood it. [10]
A historical commentary should be read as a particular author’s interpretation. Its descriptions and symbolic connections are not automatically identical to the rubrics or customary explanations of every modern parish. Keep three questions distinct: what the service text says, how a particular community celebrates it, and what an author teaches about its meaning. This allows the reader to benefit from a commentary without treating it as a universal manual of ceremonial directions.
Which book should you choose?
For a sustained explanation of the rites: Dmitrevsky
Historical, Dogmatic, and Mystical Explanation of the Divine Liturgy is the most directly focused book in this selection. It proceeds from introductory arguments about sacrifice and the Eucharist to preparation, the Liturgy of the Catechumens, and the Liturgy of the Faithful. Begin with the author’s explanation of the two meanings of the rites, then follow one complete part. Its extensive discussion of vessels, vestments, and individual actions suits readers seeking a detailed commentary. [10]
For an ancient initiation into sacramental worship: Jerusalem’s catecheses
The Ancient Catechism of Jerusalem includes the five Mystagogical Catecheses transmitted under Cyril of Jerusalem’s name. The fourth concerns Christ’s Body and Blood; the fifth explains the sacred liturgy and Communion. Their setting is instruction associated with Christian initiation, so they offer a different kind of reading from Dmitrevsky’s expansive commentary. Read them as witnesses to the Jerusalem tradition, rather than as a verbatim description of every modern Byzantine rite. [8] [11]
For the doctrinal question: John of Damascus
Book IV, chapter 13 of An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith treats the holy Mysteries. John of Damascus connects the Eucharist with Christ’s saving work and the action of the Holy Spirit. Choose this book when your main question concerns doctrine and its place in a larger theological account. The relevant chapter is one part of a systematic work, not a service-by-service commentary. [9] [12]
For a broader route through doctrinal books, continue to the Orthodox theology reading guide. The repentance guide explores confession and the formation of Christian life from a different angle. These books can support study; local questions about participating in worship belong with the parish celebrating it.