The Shepherd, April 2008
THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT of Pascha in the Holy Land dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. It describes a celebration which is rather more ebullient than ours nowadays, here among the polite lawns of Surrey! The writer was a simple-hearted man and some of the attitudes which the piece betrays may seem rather offensive to modern readers. On reflection, though, perhaps we shall find that he has much to teach us. His attitude to people of other faiths is oftentimes a little shocking and especially to us who have been schooled in a valueless indifference to religious questions. However, our own generation has its ugly corners too, and, even in church congregations, one finds people often stigmatizing those of ethnic or cultural backgrounds other than their own. Here, in refreshing contrast, we have the example of a man who genuinely rejoices to hear the Church services conducted in various languages, to witness the faithful “from the West, the North, the sea, and the East” assembling in the One Church of Christ, - a man who can with a loving heart accept their cultural diversity and be grateful for it. We see also his compassion, his genuine piety and the devotion of the faithful of that time - something which is perhaps particularly lacking in the sanitized cold formality and minimalism of so much of what passes for Orthodox worship in the contemporary West.
HOLY WEEK & PASCHA
IN JERUSALEM
A Nineteenth Century Perspective
By the Monk Parthenius
FOR THE CHRISTIANS the greatest feast days and festival were approaching. The time of joy and sorrow was approaching. We rejoiced because of this, that we would receive the new grace of the heavenly Fire [the Fire that appears miraculously each year on Holy Saturday at the Tomb of Christ - ed.], and celebrate the most radiant festival of Holy Pascha in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Yet we grieved in heart that the time was coming for everyone to part. We had lived six months together and had come to know one another. But most of all we feared those bitter moments when we should have to leave the holy city of Jerusalem, the holy and life-bearing Sepulchre of Christ and the other holy places. We came to our rooms, we ate dinner, rested and then went to spend the night in the Church of the Resurrection. Matins on Thursday was solemn; the early Liturgy was performed on the Grave of Christ; a bishop acted as proto-celebrant and there were many communicants at the Liturgy.
The late Liturgy was in the Patriarchate; the Patriarch himself served. The Washing of the Feet was in the court opposite the holy gates of the Church of the Resurrection. There was a platform made three steps high; around it were railings and on the railings columns rested. There were large candles on the columns. The platform was spread with carpets. In the centre there stood a gold-plated table, and along the sides twelve chairs. On the wall towards the east they hung icons and before them candles were burning; by this wall a throne was erected for the reading of the Gospels. A hundred soldiers came and stood around the throne. In the court, at St. Abraham’s Monastery, at the Gethsemane metochion, in the patriarchal monastery, and in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre there were great multitudes of people. We stood in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We saw the Patriarch coming out of the Patriarchal monastery in all his vestments, accompanied by the bishops and twelve priests. In front of them went twelve boys in servers’ vestments with candlesticks and candles; then the chanters; then deacons with censers. Then came the priests and seven deacons with the dikiri and trikiri. Behind them came the Patriarch who was blessing the people with both hands; behind him, the bishops in rasons. Having mounted the platform, the Patriarch sat in his place and ordered the other priests to sit according to rank. The bishops stood by and watched. The order of the washing of the feet began according to the typicon, and the archimandrite read the Gospel from the throne.
Before evening the blessing of oil was performed in all the monasteries, and everywhere the bishops themselves anointed all the pilgrims with the oil. That evening the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was not opened and they allowed no one to spend the night there. But a Russian noblewoman petitioned the Patriarch and the consul to conduct the vigil on Golgotha half in Russian. The Patriarch respected their request and when it was already late in the evening, they opened the holy gates and allowed only the Russians into the church. Compline was read on Golgotha and they chanted the whole canon to the Cross in Greek. Then the Greeks went to sleep, and we Russians went to the cave where the Empress Helena found the Cross. There we read the Twelve Gospels of the Passion and the synaxarion and other things appropriate for that day, and we chanted the Akathist to the venerable Cross.
When they began beating the semantron for Matins, we all went to Golgotha, and Matins was served according to the typicon. They read the Gospels — six in Greek and six in Russian. The antiphons and canons were chanted by the right choir in Greek and the left in Russian; and the service lasted six hours. The Royal Hours were all read and chanted on Golgotha in Russian. In the morning the doors to the church were not opened and there was silence in the church. At the twelfth hour of the day two deacons were sent to each holy place to cense it. First two Orthodox deacons censed. Then two Armenian deacons wearing mitres censed. Then two Coptic deacons went also, wearing mitres. The Latins did not cense. Their deacons wear clothing different from all other religions. Then everyone had processions. At one o’clock in the afternoon, they opened the holy great gates of the church. The people rushed into the church, and there was a great din in the church. Everyone rushed to get a place. We were already occupying our places. In a minute the whole church was filled with people.
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