Readings for Common Classes of Saints According to the Ruthenians

 Introduction

Along with the unique liturgical readings given for some feasts, the Byzantine tradition (like most, if not all, liturgical traditions) also prescribes common sets of readings to be used for various classes of saints or general festal themes.  The readings and numbering arrangement given below are those of the Ruthenian practice, as found in David M. Petras, Common Typicon (Pittsburgh, PA: Byzantine Seminary Press, 2017), 90-101.  In Orthodox practice, these common readings are often found in the General Menaion, a few versions of which can be found online: Nicholas Orloff's 1862 version, John Peck's 2011 version, or the Russian Orthodox version found at St-Sergius.org.  Though the Common Typikon also provides Prokeimena and Alleluia verses, among other notes, I have simply recorded the main Scriptural readings here.

Regarding the Commons of each day of the week (Commons 18-23), these are related to the hymns of the Oktoechos, the 8-week cycle of basic hymns.  In the Oktoechos, each day of the week has its own theme (Sunday's, of course, being the Resurrection), which themes are consistent across all eight weeks.  The readings of these Commons relate to each theme from the Oktoechos.

Certain readings--either common or unique--are composed of verses scattered across multiple chapters of a book, and sometimes across multiple books.  These were deemed "Composite Readings" in the Basilian Sisters' Festal Menaion (Uniontown, PA: Sisters of St. Basil the Great, 1985).  (Note that this is distinct from the more popular Festal Menaion translated by Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware (London: Faber and Faber, 1969).)  A list of the Composite Readings can be found at the end of this post.  Please note that the exact numbering of included verses can vary across sources, especially because some sources only include partial verses.  I hope to do a deeper examination of the Composite Readings in the future.


Common 1: Theotokos

  • Vespers: Gen 28:10-17; Ez 43:27-44:4; Prv 9:1-11

  • Matins: Lk 1:39-49, 56

  • Liturgy: Phil 2:5-11 (or Heb 9:1-7); Lk 10:38-42, 11:27-28

Common 2: Holy Cross

  • Vespers: Ex 15:22-16:1; Prv 3:11-18; Is 60:11-16

  • Matins: Jn 12:28-36

  • Liturgy: 1 Cor 1:18-24; Jn 19:6-11, 13-20, 25-28, 30b-35a

Common 3: Angels

  • Vespers: Jos 5:13-15; Jgs 6:2, 7, 11-24; Is 14:7-20

  • Matins: Mt 13:24-30, 36b-43

  • Liturgy: Heb 2:2-10; Lk 10:16-21

Common 4: Prophets

  • Vespers: Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3; Wis 4:7, 16-17, 4:19-5:7

  • Matins: Mt 23:29-39

  • Liturgy: 1 Cor 14:20-25; Lk 11:47-12:1

Common 5: Apostles

  • For One Apostle:

    • Vespers: 1 Jn 3:21-4:6; 1 Jn 4:11-16; 1 Jn 4:20-5:5

    • Matins: Jn 21:15-25 (or Mt 9:36-10:8)

    • Liturgy: 1 Cor 4:9-16; Mt 9:36-10:8

  • For Two or More Apostles:

    • Vespers: 1 Pet 1:3-9; 1 Pet 1:13-19; 1 Pet 2:11-24

    • Matins: Jn 21:15-25 (or Lk 10:1-15)

    • Liturgy: 1 Cor 4:9-16; Lk 10:1-15 (or Lk 10:16-21)

Common 6: One Bishop (Hierarch)

  • Vespers: Prv 10:7, 6, 3:13-16, 8:6, 34-35, 4:12, 14, 17, 5-9, 1:23, 15:4 (Composite I); Prv 10:31-32, 11:2, 10:2, 11:7, 13:2, 9, 15:2, 14:33, 22:12, Wis 6:12-16, 7:30, 8:2-4, 7-9, 17-18, 21, 9:1-5, 10-11, 14 (Composite II); Prv 29:2, Wis 4:1, 14, 6:11, 17-18, 21-23, 7:15-16, 21-22, 26-27, 29, 10:9-10, 12, 7:30, 2:1, 10-17, 19-22, 15:1, 16:13, Prv 3:34 (Composite IV)

  • Matins: Jn 10:1-9

  • Liturgy: Heb 7:26-8:2; Jn 10:9-16

Common 7: Two or More Bishops (Hierarchs)

  • Vespers: Prv 10:7, 6, 3:13-16, 8:6, 34-35, 4:12, 14, 17, 5-9, 1:23, 15:4 (Composite I); Prv 10:31-32, 11:1, 2, 4, 3, 5-12 (Composite VI); Wis 4:7-15

  • Matins: Mt 5:14-19

  • Liturgy: Heb 13:17-21; Jn 10:1-9

Common 8: Venerables and Fools for Christ

  • Vespers: Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3; Wis 4:7-15

  • Matins: Mt 11:27-30

  • Liturgy: Gal 5:22-6:2; Lk 6:17-23

Common 9: One Martyr

  • Vespers: Is 43:9-14; Wis 3:1-9; Wis 4:7-15

  • Matins; Lk 12:2-12

  • Liturgy: 2 Tim 2:1-10; Jn 15:17-16:2

Common 10: Two or More Martyrs

  • Vespers: Is 43:9-14; Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3

  • Matins: Mt 10:16-22

  • Liturgy: Eph 6:10-17; Lk 21:12-19

Common 11: One Bishop-Martyr

  • Vespers: Is 43:9-14; Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3

  • Matins; Lk 12:32-40

  • Liturgy: Heb 13:7-16; Lk 12:32-40

Common 12: Two or More Bishop-Martyrs

  • Vespers: Is 43:9-14; Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3

  • Matins: Lk 12:32-40

  • Liturgy: Heb 5:4-10; Lk 6:17-23 (or Lk 10:22-24; or Lk 14:25-35)

Common 13: Venerable Martyrs

  • Vespers: Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3; Wis 4:7-15

  • Matins: Mk 8:34b-38

  • Liturgy:

    • One Venerable Martyr: 2 Tim 1:8-18; Mk 8:34b-38

    • Two or More Venerable Martyrs: Rom 8:28-39; Mt 10:32-33, 37-39, 19:27-30 (or Lk 12:8-12)

Common 14: Women Martyrs

  • Vespers: Is 43:9-14; Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3

  • Matins: Mt 15:21-28

  • Liturgy: 2 Cor 6:1-10 (or Gal 3:23-29); Mt 15:21-28 (or Mk 5:24-34)

Common 15: Venerable Women

  • Vespers:

    • One Venerable Woman: Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3; Wis 4:7-15

    • Two or More Venerable Women: Is 43:9-14; Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3

  • Matins: Mt 25:1-13

    • For Venerable Women Martyrs: Mt 15:21-28

  • Liturgy: Gal 3:23-29; Mt 25:1-13 (or Lk 7:36-50)

Common 16: Confessors

  • Vespers: Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3; Wis 4:7-15

  • Matins: Lk 12:8-12

  • Liturgy: Eph 6:10-17; Lk 12:8-12

Common 17: Unmercenary Healers

  • Vespers: Is 43:9-14; Wis 3:1-9; Wis 5:15-6:3

  • Matins: Mt 10:1, 5-8

  • Liturgy: 1 Cor 12:27-13:8; Mt 10:1, 5-8

Common 18: Mondays (cf. Common 3: Angels)

Common 19: Tuesday: John the Forerunner

  • Vespers: Is 40:1-3, 9, 41:17-18, 45:8, 48:20-21, 54:1 (Composite IX); Mal 3:1, Mk 1:2, Mal 3:1-3, 5-7, 12, 18, 17, 4:4-6 (Composite X); Wis 4:7, 16-17, 4:19-5:7 (Composite III)

  • Matins: Mt 11:2-15 (or Lk 7:17-30)

  • Liturgy: Acts 13:25-32; Jn 1:29-34

Common 20: Wednesday (cf. Common 1: Theotokos)

Common 21: Thursday (cf. Common 5: Apostles)

Common 22: Friday (cf. Common 2: Holy Cross)

Common 23: Saturday: Faithful Departed and All Saints

  • Liturgy: 1 Thes 4:13-17; Jn 5:24-30

Common 24: For the Departed

  • Monday Liturgy: Rom 14:6-9; Jn 5:17-24

  • Tuesday Liturgy: 1 Cor 15:39-45; Jn 5:24-30

  • Wednesday Liturgy: 2 Cor 5:1-10a; Jn 6:35-39

  • Thursday Liturgy: 1 Cor 15:20-28; Jn 6:40-44

  • Friday Liturgy: 1 Cor 15:47-57; Jn 6:48-54

  • Saturday Liturgy: 1 Thes 4:13-17; Jn 5:24-30



Composite Readings from the Festal Menaion


Composite I: Prv 10:7, 6, 3:13-16, 8:6, 34-35, 4:12, 14, 17, 5-9, 1:23, 15:4

Composite II: Prv 10:31-32, 11:2, 10:2, 11:7, 13:2, 9, 15:2, 14:33, 22:12, Wis 6:12-16, 7:30, 8:2-4, 7-9, 17-18, 21, 9:1-5, 10-11, 14

Composite III: Wis 4:7, 16-17, 4:19-5:7

Composite IV: Prv 29:2, Wis 4:1, 14, 6:11, 17-18, 21-23, 7:15-16, 21-22, 26-27, 29, 10:9-10, 12, 7:30, 2:1, 10-17, 19-22, 15:1, 16:13, Prv 3:34

Composite V: Ex 12:51, 13:1-3, 10-16, 22:29, Lev 12:1-4, 6, 8, Num 8:16-17

Composite VI: Prv 10:31-32, 11:1, 2, 4, 3, 5-12

Composite VII: Gen 17:15-17, 19, 18:11-14, 21:1-2, 4-8

Composite VIII: Jgs 13:2-8, 13-14, 17-18, 21

Composite IX: Is 40:1-3, 9, 41:17-18, 45:8, 48:20-21, 54:1

Composite X: Mal 3:1, Mk 1:2, Mal 3:1-3, 5-7, 12, 18, 17, 4:4-6



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Discuss the Eastern Church: A Grammatical Primer

Image
"To count the terms used in theology as of primary importance, and to endeavor to trace out the hidden meaning in every phrase and in every syllable, is a characteristic wanting in those who are idle in the pursuit of true religion, but distinguishing all who get knowledge of the mark of our calling...The beginning of teaching is speech." --St. Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit I.2 I've often written here of the need to reclaim the Church's bipulmonary nature, that is, the fact that she has two lungs, as Pope Bl. John Paul II loved to say, the West and the East.  I've recently realized that just having people mention the Eastern Church is not enough (though it is certainly a great start): people must also know what they're talking about in regards to Eastern Christianity.  One of the greatest aspects that needs to be cleared up is simply the matter of terminology.  Thus I here attempt to give a quick grammatical primer on terms that are often ...
Read more

St. Gregory Palamas on the Graven Images

Image
"You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God" (Ex 20:4-5a). God's forbidding of graven images is a part of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) that I do not hear mentioned often among Catholics. Since the Decalogue does not have a strict division in the Scriptures themselves, there are multiple ways to divide them. The division commonly used by the Orthodox and most Protestants lists "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before Me" and "You shall not make for yourself a graven image" as two separate commandments, while combining "You shall not covet your neighbor's goods" and "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife" into one commandment. The division commonly used by Catholics and ma...
Read more

Franciscan Fasting

Image
 "Induebar cilicio, humiliabam in ieiunio animam meam, et oratio mea ad sinum meum revertetur." "I wore sackcloth, I afflicted myself with fasting.  I prayed with head bowed on my bosom."--Ps 35:13. No Christian life is without suffering, for Christ suffered.  Even the most joyful Christian recognizes the necessity of suffering, whether voluntary or no.  The Seraphic Father, St. Francis of Assisi, was no different in this regard.  Yet so many portray him as solely a lover of God's creation (which he most assuredly was).  How many know of his tears, his tears so plentiful that they ran furrows in his cheeks, that they took away his sight?  Who knows of his public self-deprecation when he took a spoonful of meat broth while fasting?  Who knows of his flight into a thorn bush to conquer the passions of the flesh? St. Francis was not just a man of joy who loved God's creation, but he was a man who suffered for the Lord, who mortified hi...
Read more