CHAPTER VI.

THE GENERAL SERVICE OF THE HOLY FATHERS, IN REMEMBRANCE OF COUNCILS,

sung on the 7th Sunday after Easter, also on July 16th after the memory of the holy hieromartyr Athenogenos; and on October 11th after the memory of the holy apostle Philip. On Saturday at Vespers for O lord, I have cried, the Stichera, Tone 6: Similar to: The desperate...

Before all ages, without mother, wast Thou born from the59bosom of the Father, before the morning star, although Arius doth glorify Thee as a creature and not as God, audaciously commixing Thee -- the Maker -- unto the creatures and presumptuously usurping unto himself the substance of the eternal Fire, but the council that was held in Nicea, did proclaim Thee, O Lord, the Son of God, Co-throned unto the Father and the Spirit.

Who hath torn Thy raiment, O Saviour? Arius, didst say Thou, since he hath cut the equally honourable single origin of the Trinity into divisions. He rejected Thee being One of the Trinity; he taught also Nestorius not to say Theotokos; but the council that was held in Nicea, did proclaim Thee, O Lord, the Son of God, Co-throned unto the Father and the Spirit.

Detesting to see the light, Arius doth fall to the extremity of his sin and with the divine hook his bowels are torn: he has to give up his whole substance and the soul in the same manner as another Judas of his temper; but the council that was held in Nicea, did proclaim Thee, O Lord, the Son of God, Co-throned unto the Father and the Spirit.

Foolish Arius hath cut the one origin of the Holy Trinity into three independent and disunited substances; wherefore the God-bearing fathers having in their zeal come together and moved by the flame of the fervour, just as Elijah the Tishbite did cut down with a spiritual sword the blasphemer, as the Spirit hath directed.

Glory ..Tone 6: Let us this day praise the trumpets of the mysteries of the Spirit -- the God-bearing fathers who melodized in the midst of the church the harmonious ode of theology -- the One Trinity without distinction, both in substance and divinity, -- who have overthrown Arius and vindicated the orthodox and are ever praying the Lord that our souls may be saved. Both now... The Theotokion : Who would not bless thee, O all-holy Virgin?... The Entrance: The Prokeimenon of the day...

The Reading from the Book of Genesis (14, 14-20).

When Abram heard that Lot his brother's son was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And 60he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother's son Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, Who created heaven and earth; and blessed be the Most High God, Who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.

The Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy (1, 8-11 and 15-17).

In those days spake Moses unto the sons of Israel saying : Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. And I spake unto you at that time saying: I am not able to bear you myself alone. The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, you are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are and bless you, as He hath promised you! So I took from amongst you wise men and known and experienced, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains over fifties; and captains over tens, and scribes unto your judges. And I charged your judges at that time, saying: Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment, but ye shall hear the small as well as the great ; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's.

The Reading from Deuteronomy (10, 14-21).

In those days spake Moses unto the sons of Israel, saying: Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy 61God, the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you, above all people as it is this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. For the Lord our God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible, which regardeth not persons nor taketh reward; He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

For the Litany the Sticheron of the Temple. Glory... Tone 3.

Of the apostolic traditions ye, the holy fathers, were renowned preservers, for having in an orthodox manner declared the unity of substance of the Holy Trinity, overthrew in council the blasphemy of Arius, and together with him ye convicted Macedonius the pneumatomach and condemned Nestorius, Eutyches and Dioscorus, Sabellius and Severus the headless; we implore you to obtain that we may be delivered from their allurements and that our unpolluted life may be preserved in the faith.

Both now ...The Theotokion: Without seed from the Divine...

For Versicles from the Octoechos. Glory... Tone 4.

Let us in faith and with pious veneration celebrate to-day, in the assembly of the faithful, the thanksgiving memory of the God-bearing fathers that from all the universe were gathered together in the bright city of Nicea, for they have in pious wisdom overthrown the godless teaching of the ferocious Arius and have ex cathedra driven him away from the catholic church; they have clearly taught all to confess the Son of God as of One and of Coeval Substance that existed before the ages, having piously and eminently expounded this in the symbol of the faith; wherefore we also, following their divine teaching and believing, do rightfully serve, together with the Father, the Son and All-holy Spirit in One Godhead, the Trinity of One 62Substance. Both now...The Theotokion : Look down upon the supplications...For the blessing of the loaves the Troparion : Mother of God and Virgin, hail...Twice. And of the Fathers, Tone 8:

Most glorious art Thou, O Christ our God, since Thou hast firmly set our fathers as the luminaries on earth and through them instructed us all in the true faith. O Most merciful, glory to Thee. Once.

At Matins, for God is the Lord, the Troparion of the resurrection twice. Glory...of the Fathers. Both now...The Theotokion: Thou that wast for our sake born ... After the Stichologia, the Cathismata from the Octoechos: The Canon of the resurrection with the Heirmoi in 4, that of the Cross and resurrection in 2, of the Theotokos in 2 and of the Fathers in 6. The work of the holy and ecumenical Patriarch, Lord Germanus. Tone 6 :i

Ode 1. The Heirmos :

Whilst travelling on foot along the depths of the sea as if upon dry land, Israel, seeing Pharaoh, their pursuer, drowned, cried out : Unto God let us sing an ode of victory.

With sacred words let those be honoured who from Nicea as if from some heaven have everywhere thundered the Word of the Living Father and shewn His enemies killed by thunder.

The evil spirit of the pneumatomachoi hath Christ through the Holy Spirit driven far away from His church, having united her by the deeds of the second council.

The enticement of the christomach hath driven away Nestorius, Cyril being the chief of the council and having clearly confessed Virgin Mary to be the pure Mother of God.

The Theotokion : Of the untreated Trinity One Christ in two natures and desires dost thou, O pure one, bring forth, Who hath for thy sake brought about the union of men and angels.

Ode 3. The Heirmos :

There is none holy as Thou, O Lord my God, that hast, as Good One, exalted the horn of Thy believers and established us upon the rock of Thy confession.

Of creature the servant did the foolish Arius appear, and63Macedonius was also abominable, both equally are tormented in the fiery Gehenna together with the Hellens.

With the seven sacred councils of the holy fathers hast Thou, O Christ, illumined Thy church as with the light of seven lamps, having driven far away the darkness of enchantment.

Thy flock, O Word, was being ruined by the manifold rabble of heretics, but the shepherds of Thine intellectual sheep have by their teaching changed this. [The Theotokion :

To One of the Untreated Trinity hast thou, O most pure one, given birth in two natures and desires; Whose venerated image we adore, being filled with grace.

The Contakion and the Oikos of the resurrection; thereupon the Cathisma of the Fathers, Tone 4. Similar to : Speedily prevent...

As the brightest lamps of the truth of Christ unto the world have ye the God's instructed appeared on the earth, O truly most blessed fathers, since ye have dried up the blasphemous prattle of the heretics, and extinguished the fiery agitation of the infamous teachers; wherefore as hierarchs of Christ intercede that we may be saved.

Twice. Glory ...Both now...The Theotokion: With thy divine birth hast thou, O pure one, renewed the mortal and corrupted by passions nature of the earth-born and raised all from death unto the life of incorruption ; wherefore, as in duty bound, we all bless thee, O most glorious Virgin, as thou didst foretell.

Ode 4. The Heirmos :

Christ is my power, my God and Lord -- the venerable church God-beseemingly singeth, thus calling out, with pure mind feasting in the Lord.

Thine enemies have made noise and those that hate Thee, O Saviour, raised their heads for a short while, but soon fell unable to stand the sound of the spiritual trumpets.

The suns of the Sun have doubly made clear the Son and the Spirit to be of the Father, Untreated, Co-unoriginate ; unto Both the Father alone is believed to be the sole cause.

Seven are the spirits that have descended upon Christ, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, and on the seven councils hath rested Christ with the Father and the Divine Spirit.

The Theotokion: God hast thou brought forth Who carried the flesh from thy pure blood, O pure Maiden; and Him in two, substances and one hypostasis the fathers have proclaimed.

Ode 5. The Heirmos :

With Thy divine light, O Good One, do illumine, I pray Thee, the souls of those who lovingly watch early unto Thee, that they may know Thee, O Word of God, as the true God, recalling them out of the darkness of sin.

The divine grapes of Christ that were brought from Egypt, were first eaten up by the beasts of the dark, desperate destroyer; but with a sling from the holy fathers these were driven far away.

With the divine thrice-shining radiance having enlightened their minds, the venerable fathers have proclaimed Christ the Lord as One of the Venerated Trinity, double in natures and desires. [Of the Trinity:

On earth, as among the seraphim, the church was made, O Trinity, by the wise fathers like unto heaven; ever singing unto Thee the trisagion hymn she doth unite into one Thy Triunal Godhead. [The Theotokion :

Of thy Son wast thou, O pure one, both Mother and servant; for He that was of thee, was before thee as thy Maker, Who became known in two natures and united through hypostatic Word.

Ode 6. The Heirmos :

Beholding the sea of life swelling with the storm of temptation, and taking refuge in Thy calm haven, I cry unto Thee: Lead up my life from corruption, O Greatly-merciful One.

The God of gods hath spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof, -- sung once David, signifying the ecumenical councils of the fathers.

The wisdom of God hath fixed seven pillars -- Thy church, O Master, by the sevenfold number of the councils of the holy fathers, which is being undeviatingly kept from all heresies.

Let shame cover the countenances of Eutyches and Dioscorus who invented the commingling in the nature of Christ, for it was not in appearance only, but in deification that He took the nature of the earth-born. [The Theotokion :

Let Nestorius be taken into the dark assemblies of the65Hebrews and let his blasphemous tongue be cut off, for the Virgin Mary hath given birth unto God incarnate for us.

The Contakion, Tone 8. Similar to: As the first fruits...

The preaching of the apostles and the dogmas of the fathers have sealed for the church the one faith which, whilst it weareth the garment of truth woven by theology that is from above, setteth aright and glorifieth the great mystery of piety. [The Oikos :

Let us hearken unto the church of God crying in her sublime teaching: He that thirsteth, let him come unto me and drink of the cup that I hold; it is the cup of wisdom. This drink of truth I have drawn by the word and therefrom doth issue the water not of strife, but that of confession, drinking which the present Israel contemplateth God, Who saith: See ye, see that it is I Myself and that I change not; I am the first God, and I am also thereafter and there is none other; those that partake thereof shall be satisfied and will praise the great mystery of godliness.

Ode 7. The Heirmos :

Dew-yielding hath an angel made the furnace unto the pious youths, and God's injunction burning the Chaldeans hath inclined the tyrant to cry out : Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers.

The Babylonian serpent was once shattered by Daniel, and the ferocious Egyptian serpent -- Arius, who was destroying the flock of Christ, undoubtedly perished through the prayers of the fathers.

Moved by unforgivable wickedness, the wolf Macedonius hath revolted against the Spirit that deifieth men and through the bath of baptism doth bring all the faithful unto the whilom good estate.

Dioscorus, Eutyches and Severus -- the Leviathan, -- the three who have commingled and mixed the Christ's substance by spiritual medley, have daringly revolted against the Venerable Trinity. [The Theotokion :

Of Thy fleshly countenance the image, O Master, we kiss with veneration and of Thy Mother and of all saints the honour we hold in a right spirit that we may well pass over to the prototype.

Ode 8. The Heirmos:

Unto the pious hast Thou made dew out of the flame to flow and the sacrifice of a righteous man didst Thou consume with water, for everything makest Thou, O Christ, just as Thou willest; Thee we exalt unto all he ages.

As the sprouts of one single, God-planted root the Son and the Spirit have shone forth; for the Father is the One Cause, the Ever-existing unto the Ever-existing Hypostases being of equal honour.

From immaterial bosom wast Thou for ever shining forth. O Word of the same substance with the Father and the Spirit, but for our sake didst Thou tabernacle in the temporal maternal womb of the only Theotokos.

Arrows burning with the spiritual fire have pierced the cold hearts of the enemies -- the heretics, and their death was brought about by the sevenfold and divine assemblies of the fathers. [The Theotokion :

Not in persons do we glorify one Christ, nor unite Him in the commingling of His substance, for one and the same is He in person and is divided in natures thy Son and Maker, O Virgin.

Ode 9. The Heirmos:

It is not possible for man to behold God on Whom the angelic orders dare not cast a glance ; but through Thee, O all-pure one, was seen of men the Incarnate Word; Him magnifying with heavenly hosts we call thee blessed.

It behoveth not either to add or to omit anything of the sacred tradition of our orthodox faith, for unto it we were truly baptized, and as to perverters of this faith, they will as truly be given over unto the ban of anathema.

With joyful hearts let us exult in the union of the sacred councils of the fathers, for by their means we have seen the light of orthodoxy, since they appeared as lamps that instruct us all unto the right ways of finding the true teaching.

Let us entreat for the cleansing of our souls and let us strive to pass our lives in piety, that we may be participators with the holy fathers who have preserved the riches of the true dogmas unto us their children. [The Theotokion :

God hath shone forth out of thy side, O Mother of God, and67He hath deified the race of men, and vouchsafed unto them His own glory and made His heirs all those who always declare thee as the true Theotokos.

The Photagogicon. Similar to: Hearken O ye, women...

Celebrating to-day the memory of the divine fathers, through their entreaties we supplicate Thee, O All-Compassionate One; deliver Thy people, O Lord, from every form of heresies and vouchsafe that they all may glorify the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. [The Theotokion...Similar to :

Hail thou, divine mansion; hail thou, the mount overshadowed; hail thou, the unconsumed bush; hail thou, the throne of glory; hail thou, the divine table; hail thou, the handle of pure gold; hail thou, the lamp all-radiant; hail thou, the light-cloud, O Virgin Mother Mary.

With the Lauds the Stichera of the resurrection 4 and of the Fathers 4. Tone 6. Similar to: Having laid aside all...

Having gathered together all the spiritual art and having consulted together under the guidance of the Divine Spirit, the venerable fathers have divinely composed the blessed and venerable creed, in which they most clearly teach the Word to be Co-unoriginate with the Begetter and most truly of the same substance, manifestly following therein the teaching of the apostles and being illustrious, most endowed and God-wise indeed. Twice.

The Verse: Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name unto the ages.

Having obtained all the intellectual light, the supernatural knowledge, of the Holy Spirit, the blessed fathers have, in a few words, full of meaning, made an inspired declaration, as preachers of Christ, as chief interpreters of the teaching of the Gospel and of the sacred traditions, the revelation of which they had clearly received from above, and being so enlightened they have expounded the God-inspired rule of the faith.

The Verse: Gather unto Him His righteous. Having gathered all the pastoral art and having put forth the anger, now most righteous, the divine pastors in taking vengeance drove away the dangerous and pernicious wolves, striking them with the sling68of the spirit of the fullness of the church as those fallen unto death and incurably afflicted, and this they have done as the truest servants of Christ and the most sacred adepts of the divine teaching. [Glory... Tone 8. George of Nicomedia :

The choir of the holy fathers, gathered together from the ends of the universe, have taught of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit one substance and nature, and have clearly handed over unto the church the mystery of the Divinity. Praising them therefore, let us faithfully bless them saying: O divine band, the God-inspired weapon-bearers of the Lord's army, the many-lighted stars of the intellectual firmament, the unassailable pillars of the mystical Zion, the flowers of paradise smelling of myrrh, the most precious golden mouths of the Word, the glory of Nicea, the ornament of the universe, do assiduously entreat for our souls.

Both now ...Most blessed art thou, O Theotokos Virgin ....The Great Doxology. After the Trisagion, the Troparion of the resurrection only. The Ectenes. And the Dismission. And the Catechetical discourse by Theodore of the Stadium. The Procession into the porch. Glory ...Both now...The Sticheron of the Gospel... Thereupon the First Hour and the final Dismission. In the Hours the Troparion of the resurrection, Glory...of the Fathers. Both now ...the Theotokion of the Hours. After our Father, the Contakion of the resurrection. At the Liturgy, for the Beatitudes from Octoechos, in 6 and of the Fathers Ode 3 in 4. After the Entrance Troparion of the resurrection and of the Fathers, thereupon Contakion of the resurrection, Glory...of the Fathers...Both now ...either of the temple of the Theotokos or Defence of the Christians. The Prokeimenon of the Tone and the hymn of the Fathers, Tone 4. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and blessed and glorified is Thy name unto the ages. The Apostle of the day and of the Fathers from the Epistle to the Hebrews (10, 19-31). Alleluia of the Tone, and of the Fathers Tone I. The God of Gods, the Lord hath spoken. The Verse : Gather unto Him His righteous. The Gospel of the day and of the Fathers, from St. John (17, 1-13). The Communion Verse : Praise ye the Lord from the heavens, and of the Fathers: Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord...