The Agpeya the Agpeya
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LITURGY, AGPEYA AND PRAISES The Agpeya The Agpeya • The Origin of the word Agpeya • The word, Agpeya, is a Coptic word meaning “Book of Hours.” • It is based on the Coptic root word, ti agp, which means “hour.” The Agpeya • The Book of Hours • The Agpeya is primarily used by the Coptic Orthodox Church. • It contains prayers for seven different hours to be said throughout the day. • Each containing a theme corresponding to events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. • Each hour is composed of: 1. Introduction which includes the Lord’s Prayer, the Prayer of Thanksgiving, and Psalm 50. 2. Psalms. 3. The Holy Gospel. 4. The Litanies. 5. Lord Have Mercy is then chanted 41 times (representing the 39 lashes Christ received before the crucifixion, plus one for the spear in His side, plus one for the crown of thorns). 6. Other prayers and a conclusion. The Agpeya • In every hour the church offers us the memory of a certain phase of God's redeeming work. 1. The Matin Reminds us of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and our daily resurrection to begin a new life in Him. 2. The Third Reminds us of the coming upon the church of the Holy Spirit of God, the Giver of life and holiness. 3. The Sixth Reminds us of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Agpeya 4. The None (ninth hour) Reminds us of the death in the flesh of our Lord and the acceptance of the right hand thief, in Paradise. 5. The Vespers (sunset) Reminds us of the removing of our Lord's Body from the cross, giving thanks for concluding the day, and asking Him that we might spend the night in peace. 6. The Compline Reminds us of the burial of the Body of our Lord watching for the end of our sojourn on earth. 7. The Midnight prayers Reminds us of the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Agpeya • PRAYING THE PSALMS DURING THE HOLY LITURGY • The Psalms are read before offering the lamb as they are prophecies about the incarnation of the Lord Jesus for the salvation of the world. • For this purpose, the priest must ensure that the offertory ( bread and the wine ) is ready before praying the Psalms. • Otherwise the Psalms shall be repeated again if the bread and wine were not present. The Agpeya • On Saturdays and Sundays and during non- fasting periods the church prays the Third and Sixth Hour. • During periods of fasting, the church also reads the Ninth Hour. • During Holy Lent and Jonah’s fast the Eleventh & Twelfth Hour is also prayed. .