A manual for studying the rules of worship of the Orthodox Church

See also: Additions and amendments to the book of Archpriest K. Nikolsky “A Guide to the Study of the Charter of Divine Services of the Orthodox Church” by Hierarch. Valentin (Lyakhotsky) Everything is nice and in order. (1 Cor. 14:40) Knowledge of church regulations is acquired mainly in a practical way. Those who study the church charter usually familiarize themselves with it in this way: they are often present at the Divine service, notice the order in which it is performed, read, sing during it, and first, with the guidance of other experienced persons, and then without outside help, look for in the liturgical books what is prescribed by the charter regarding the performance of services on different days of the year. In the practical study of church regulations, a guide is always useful and necessary. Therefore, one cannot reject the benefits of a book that is meant to guide the study of the charter, especially since it is not always and not everywhere possible to have a knowledgeable guide. What information is expected in someone who knows the church rules, and what therefore should be included in the book guiding the study of the church rules? To know the church charter means to know how the Orthodox Church prescribes the performance of Divine services. Therefore, someone who knows the church charter, first of all, is expected to be familiar with liturgical books, the ability to understand the abbreviated and proper church names of prayer books, and by these names to find in various places in different liturgical books what is prescribed by the charter regarding Divine services at certain times and on certain occasions. Since liturgical books often contain indications of the church, its parts, accessories, i.e., utensils and the like, all the instructions of the church charter can only be understood by those who know the name, purpose and use of all these items during divine services. Further, in knowing the church rules, knowledge of the rite of worship is assumed, i.e. the general order of prayers, chants, readings and sacred rites during divine services, as well as changes in the general order in different cases. Thus, the book, which contributes to the study of the rules of worship of the Orthodox Church, should include three parts: one - about the church and its accessories, the other - about liturgical books, the third - about the performance of divine services. The first part of the proposed work says: 1) about the church, its parts and sacred vessels; 2) about bells and ringing; 3) about lamps and lighting; 4) about sacred clothes and vestments; 5) about the opening and closing of the curtain; 6) – Royal Doors; 7) about vessels during censing and about censing. The second part contains information about liturgical books related to: 1) public worship; 2) to private worship; 3) both to public and private worship. The third part speaks first about the services of public worship, and since it is formed from three types of services, namely: daily, adapted to the time of day, weekly and annual, adapted to the days of the week and year, then first the daily services are set out - Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, Hours, Liturgy, then the services of the days of the week and year, in other words, it talks about the days Divine services - about holidays and so on, and then the services of private Divine services are set out. The items included in the proposed work are arranged in the order in which they are usually presented to the attention of everyone during the performance of the Divine Service. For example, at the all-night vigil, first there is ringing at the church, then the lamps are lit, followed by the vestments of the clergy, the opening of the curtain, the opening of the Royal Doors, censing, and then the servants take the liturgical books and the Divine service is performed (Typ., Chapter 2). Since a great difficulty in studying the church charter is the fact that the numerous and varied regulations of the charter relating to one service, and sometimes one prayer or sacred rite, for various reasons, are set out separately in several liturgical books, or, although in one book, but in different places, then, in order to facilitate the study of the charter, the compiler of the proposed “Manual” tried to bring together the regulations of the charter relating to one particular subject, and, according to possibilities, to show in what connection the private regulations of the charter are located and to what specific rules they are subject. To the first edition - in 1862. You might be interested in: