Typikon
Encyclopedia
The Typikon, or Typicon; plural Typika (Greek
: , Typikon, lit. "following the order"; Slavonic: Типико́нъ Typikon or ѹставъ, ustav) is a liturgical book
which contains instructions about the order of the various Eastern Orthodox Christian church services and ceremonies, in the form of a perpetual calendar
. Those Eastern Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine rite
also follow largely the same typica as their Orthodox counterparts, with minor variations.
The typikon arose within the monastic
movements of the early Christian
era as a way to regulate life in a monastery
. Several Typika of Byzantine monasteries, as the Pantokrator
monastery and the Kecharitomene
nunnery, give us an insight into the Byzantine life and habits. Two monastic centers have influenced the services of the Eastern Orthodox Church
more than any other: of the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified
near Jerusalem and of the Monastery of St John (Studium)
in Constantinople
.
recognizes the Typikon of Saint Sabbas - formally Typikon of the Church Service of the Holy Lavra at Jerusalem of our God-bearing Father St. Sabbas - as the standard of monastic usage. The original Typikon of Saint Sabbas was developed to organize the lavra
(monastic community) that Saint Sabbas the Sanctified
founded in Jerusalem in the year 484
. It incorporated the practices and customs of existing Christian monastic communities in Palestine
, Egypt
, and Asia Minor
, and was influenced by the Cathedral
Office (services) in Jerusalem. The Typikon of Saint Sabbas was expanded in the seventh and eighth centuries to include large amounts of ecclesiastical poetry. It is also sometimes called the Sabbaite or Jerusalem Typikon.
Another Typikon, the Palestinian Typikon, was brought to the monasteries of Constantinople
during the iconoclastic
controversies of the eight century, and was adopted and expanded for use in the Monastery of Stoudios
. The Monastery's synthesis incorporated additional poetry and elements of the Cathedral Office of Constantinople. In the eleventh century, the Studite usage was revised and updated. From this effort, a new version of the Typikon of Saint Sabbas was created.
The newly revised Typikon of Saint Sabbas became adopted widely, and by the fifteenth century had displaced both the Cathedral Office of Constantinople and the prior synthesis of the Studite Monastery, and had become the standard Typikon for all the Orthodox world. Its usage was further solidified when it was published in 1545, the first printed Typikon. It is still in widespread use among most Orthodox monastic communities, and in large swaths of Orthodoxy, including Russia
.
) and most Greek-speaking churches (including the Church of Greece
and the Church of Cyprus, as well as in some other Orthodox jurisdictions.
External References =
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: , Typikon, lit. "following the order"; Slavonic: Типико́нъ Typikon or ѹставъ, ustav) is a liturgical book
Liturgical book
A liturgical book is a book published by the authority of a church, that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services.-Roman Catholic:...
which contains instructions about the order of the various Eastern Orthodox Christian church services and ceremonies, in the form of a perpetual calendar
Perpetual calendar
A perpetual calendar is a calendar which is good for a span of many years, such as the Runic calendar.- General information :...
. Those Eastern Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
also follow largely the same typica as their Orthodox counterparts, with minor variations.
The typikon arose within the monastic
Christian monasticism
Christian monasticism is a practice which began to develop early in the history of the Christian Church, modeled upon scriptural examples and ideals, including those in the Old Testament, but not mandated as an institution in the scriptures. It has come to be regulated by religious rules Christian...
movements of the early Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
era as a way to regulate life in a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. Several Typika of Byzantine monasteries, as the Pantokrator
Zeyrek Mosque
- External links :*...
monastery and the Kecharitomene
Odalar Mosque
The Odalar Mosque was an Ottoman mosque in Istanbul. The building was originally a Byzantine-era Eastern Orthodox church of unknown dedication. In 1475, after the Fall of Constantinople , it became a Roman Catholic church, dedicated to Saint Mary of Constantinople, until finally it was converted...
nunnery, give us an insight into the Byzantine life and habits. Two monastic centers have influenced the services of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
more than any other: of the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified
Mar Saba
The Great Lavra of St. Sabbas the Sanctified, known in Arabic as Mar Saba , is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the West Bank east of Bethlehem. The traditional date for the founding of the monastery by Saint Sabas of Cappadocia is the year 483 and today houses around 20...
near Jerusalem and of the Monastery of St John (Studium)
Stoudios
The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (Greek Μονή του Αγίου...
in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
Typikon of the Lavra of Saint Sabbas
The Eastern Orthodox ChurchEastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
recognizes the Typikon of Saint Sabbas - formally Typikon of the Church Service of the Holy Lavra at Jerusalem of our God-bearing Father St. Sabbas - as the standard of monastic usage. The original Typikon of Saint Sabbas was developed to organize the lavra
Lavra
In Orthodox Christianity and certain other Eastern Christian communities Lavra or Laura originally meant a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center...
(monastic community) that Saint Sabbas the Sanctified
Sabbas the Sanctified
Saint Sabbas the Sanctified , a Cappadocian-Greek monk, priest and saint, lived mainly in Palaestina Prima. He was the founder of several monasteries, most notably the one known as Mar Saba...
founded in Jerusalem in the year 484
484
Year 484 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Venantius and Theodoricus...
. It incorporated the practices and customs of existing Christian monastic communities in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, and was influenced by the Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
Office (services) in Jerusalem. The Typikon of Saint Sabbas was expanded in the seventh and eighth centuries to include large amounts of ecclesiastical poetry. It is also sometimes called the Sabbaite or Jerusalem Typikon.
Another Typikon, the Palestinian Typikon, was brought to the monasteries of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
during the iconoclastic
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
controversies of the eight century, and was adopted and expanded for use in the Monastery of Stoudios
Stoudios
The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (Greek Μονή του Αγίου...
. The Monastery's synthesis incorporated additional poetry and elements of the Cathedral Office of Constantinople. In the eleventh century, the Studite usage was revised and updated. From this effort, a new version of the Typikon of Saint Sabbas was created.
The newly revised Typikon of Saint Sabbas became adopted widely, and by the fifteenth century had displaced both the Cathedral Office of Constantinople and the prior synthesis of the Studite Monastery, and had become the standard Typikon for all the Orthodox world. Its usage was further solidified when it was published in 1545, the first printed Typikon. It is still in widespread use among most Orthodox monastic communities, and in large swaths of Orthodoxy, including Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Typikon of the Great Church of Christ
By the nineteenth century, the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, headquartered at one time at Agia Sophia, The Great Church of Christ, recognized that the monastic strictures of the Typikon of Saint Sabbas, while eminently useful in a monastic or cathedral setting, were not suitable for typical parish life as experienced by most Orthodox Christians. It published a new typikon with the goal of creating an order of services that could be performed in a typical parish. Thus, The Ecclesiastical Typikon according to the Style of the Great Church of Christ - Τύπικον της εκκλησιάστικον κατα το ηυχος της του Χριστού Μεγάλης Εκκλήσιας, Tipikon Ekklisiastikon kata to ifos tis tou Christou Megalis Ekklisias (Konstantinos Protopsaltis, Constantinople, 1839) was created. Subsequent corrections and revisions were published with the new title Typikon of the Great Church of Christ - Τύπικον της του Χριστού Μεγάλης Εκκλήσιας, Tipikon tis tou Christou Megalis Ekklisias (George Violakis, Constantinople, 1888). This typikon was soon adopted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and is now in use by all churches under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (for example, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of AmericaGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Church of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Demetrios of America.-About the Archdiocese:...
) and most Greek-speaking churches (including the Church of Greece
Church of Greece
The Church of Greece , part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
and the Church of Cyprus, as well as in some other Orthodox jurisdictions.
External References =
- Edited translation of much of the 1907 Moscow edition of Typikon of St. Sabbas, with commentary, Archbishop Averky — Liturgics", Retrieved 2011-11-15
- Orthodox Typikon, 2007 (in Greek)
- A Dictionary of Orthodox Terminology - Part 2, Fotios K. Litsas, Ph.D., Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, referenced December 27, 2006
- Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha in the Greek Orthodox Church, Rev. Alkiviadis Calivas, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, referenced December 27, 2006
- Typikon of the Russian Orthodox Church, Translation project
- Online Greek Orthodox Typikon
- Typikon of Gregory Pakourianos for the Monastery in Bačkovo