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The Byzantine Church – a Space for the Catechesis

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The Byzantine Church – a Space for the Catechesis E-Theologos, Vol. 3, No. 2 DOI 10.2478/v10154-012-0012-y The Byzantine Church – a Space for the Catechesis prof. ThDr. Vojtech Bohá č, PhD. University of Prešov in Prešov, Greek Catholic Theological Faculty Introduction The Sacred Congregation of Rites published on September 26 th 1964 the instruction named Inter oecumenici 1 on implementing liturgical norms of the Consilium. 2 It states: „Especially necessary is a close, living union between liturgy, catechesis, religious formation, and preaching.“ 3 Constantinopolitan (or in other words Byzantine) liturgical tradition has its own connection between the liturgy and the catechesis in the catechetical images of its own expres- sion. Images of catechetical content are present in the church mobiliary and in the rite expressions as well. This paper will consist of three parts: 1. Cathechetical images in the Byzantine church. 2. Catechetical images in the Byzantine Eucharistic Liturgy (Some of them). 3. Inner connection between the Byzantine liturgy and the Catechesis. Conclusion: Practical use. Catechetical images in the Byzantine church Church – image The Byzantine rite divides the church into the altar section – the san- ctuary, representing the heaven, and the church of the faithful – the nave, representing the earth. On the back wall is depicted Mary, who offers her son, Jesus Christ through the altar to the earth, to the faithful for their sal- vation. The salvation came to us through the events in the life of Jesus 1 AAS 56 (1964) s. 877-900. 2 KBS: Ako správne používať Konštitúciu o posvätnej liturgii . Trnava: SSV, 2001.Slovak text. 3 KBS: Ako správne používať Konštitúciu o posvätnej liturgii . Trnava: SSV, 2001.Slovak text, point 7 p. 9. English translation according to the: http://www.adoremus.org/Interoecumenici.html 147 E-Theologos, Vol. 3, No. 2 DOI 10.2478/v10154-012-0012-y Christ and the Most Holy Mother of God. 4 These salvific events from the life of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God are depicted on the icons of the iconostasis. The icons of the iconostasis are the best catechetical images in the most authentic meaning of the word. All the icons are based on the biblical foundation. The Iconostasis The term comes from the Greek word eikonostasis, eikon histemi . It is a wall, dividing the sanctuary from the nave, stretching to the ceiling and from a wall to the wall. It is filled with images, displayed according to a precise order. 5 The iconostasis consists of 5 rows, and it has three doors leading to the sanctuary. The Royal doors, or also Holy doors or Main doors are in the middle of the iconostasis, leading to the center of the sanctuary. The term Royal doors refers to the fact, that the „King of glory“ comes through them. The term Holy doors refers to the Holy Eucharist being carried through them. The Main or even Great doors is a title used to compare them to the two small side doors. Usually they have two wings. On the wings are depicted the four Evangelists or the Annunciation scene. On the right wing are depicted the holy Evangelists John in the upper part and St. Mark in the bottom part respectively. On the left wing is depicted St. Matthew in the upper part and St. Luke in the bottom part of the door wing. Someitmes even the icon of St. Michael as the protector of the gate to the paradise appears here. The sanctuary represents the paradise. Several other times the genealogy tree of Jesus Christ is depicted on the royal doors, starting with Adam. The Annunciation is the image for opening the paradise for all after the arrival of the Christ into the world – Jesus Christ opened for us the gates of paradise, which were closed for the human race after the original sin. The deaconal doors on the left and right side of the Royal doors are on the northern and souther side of the church. The northern side is the left side and the souther side is the right side. The deaconal doors have their name because of the fact, that the deacons enter through them the sanctuary. Through these doors holy gifts for the Communion are carried during the time of the Great entrance; the holy cross is carried for the ve- neration on August 1st, Spetember 14th and the Third Sunday of Lent. The deacons are using these doors during the incesnsation, when the Royal doors are closed. Usually the doors are adorned with images of St. Stephen, the deacon and St. Lawrence. 4 Cf. MIRKOVIČ, L.: Pravoslávna liturgika . Prešov: PBF PU v Prešove, 2011, p. 99. 5 Cf. FEDORIV, J.: Obrady ukrajinskoj cerkvi . Rím-Toronto: Praci Ukrainskogo Naukovogo Tovaristva, 1970, p. 39. 148 E-Theologos, Vol. 3, No. 2 DOI 10.2478/v10154-012-0012-y Above the Royal doors a veil, katapetasma is supposed to be installed. It is a cloth put from the interior part of the sanctuary and is being draw from a side to side or sometimes even drop from top to the bottom. Be- cause of that, the veil is sometimes called the upper door and the Holy doors are called bottom doors of the iconostasis. The veil is sometimes also called inner doors and the Holy doors are called outer doors of the iconostasis. 6 In the Greek Catholic churches in Slovakia the veil is not used, or on- ly rarely. Even, when new churches are constructed, the veil is usually not installed. The iconostasis has to have five rows in the following order: - first is the bottom row with the scenes from the Old Testament (Ex- pulsion from paradise, The Flood, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Crossing of the Red Sea, The Law given to the Moses, the copper snake in the desert); - the second row has the following scheme: on the right side of the Holy doors is the icon of Christ the Teacher with the Gospel book, on the left side is the icon of the Mother of God with Jesus on her hands. On the southern side (right side) is the icon of the patron of the church. On the northern side (left side) is the icon of St. Nicholas; - The third row consists of the icons of the feasts of the Lord and of the Mother of God. There are twelve feasts depicted on the iconostasis. Starting from the northern wall towards the southern one are the feasts depicted in this order: 1. The Nativity fo the Mother of God. 2. The Entrance of the Mother of God into the temple. 3. The Nativity of the Lord 4. The Epiphany. 5. The Meeting of our Lord with Simeon. 6. The Annunciation. 7. The Entrance of our Lord in the Jerusalem. 8. The Resurrection of Our Lord. 9. The Ascension. 10. The Descent of the Holy Spirit. 11. The Transfiguration of the Lord. 12. The Dormition of the Mother of God. 7 According some other sources also the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is sometimes displayed, while the icon of the Entrance of the Lord in the Jerusalem is omitted. On the other iconostasis the order is not followed at all, or is unknown to the people and display among the feasts 6 Cf. MIRKOVIČ,L.: Pravoslávna liturgika . Prešov: PBF PU v Prešove, 2011, p. 107-108. 7 Cf. FEDORIV, J.: Pojasnenja cerkovnych bogoslužeň i svjatych tajn. Toronto,1976, p. 22-25. 149 E-Theologos, Vol. 3, No. 2 DOI 10.2478/v10154-012-0012-y also the icon of the Protection of the Mother of God. Between the icons of the feasts is above the Royal doors the icon of the Last Supper; The fourth row of the icons shows twelve apostles. They are depicted single, or in pairs or in three persons, depending on the conditions and space on the iconostasis. St. Paul is always depicted, and because of that one of the apostles (usually St. Jude the Thaddeus) is omitted. The apos- tles are usually depicted with their atributes: Peter with keys, Paul with a sword, Andrew with an X cross, etc. Among the apostles is in the center, above the icon of the last supper the icon of Christ the Lamighty – Pantoc- rator – Christ the King, or sometimes the Just Judge, who accompanied by the Most Holy Mother of God and St. John the Baptist is coming to judge the world. The fifth row of the icons depicts the prophets. Mostly there are sixte- en prophets: four greter ones and twelve lesser ones. Usually they are depicted in a way, in which first on the right side is Isaiah and Daniel and on the left is Jeremiah and Ezekiel (In the East even the Mother of God with Child on her hands is considered to be among the prophets). On the top of the iconostasis is the Cross with the Crucifiied one, and under the cross stands the Mother of God and St. John the Apostle. The iconostasis is an organic part of the Byzantine churches and the byzantine liturigcal rubrics count with an iconostasis. 8 Soleas Soleas is an elevated space in front of the iconostasis, on which the iconostasis itself stands. In the middle is the soleas extended as an halfcir- cle towards the center of the church. This extended halfcircle is called ambon, representing the stone from the tomb of Christ. Besides the priests and deacons, no one else is allowed to step on the ambon. Ambon got its name as a deaconal place, as the deacon reads the Gospel, and chants the litanies from there. 9 Sanctuary and its furrnishings The sanctuary is a place behind the iconostasis where the holy altar is located.
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