Liturgical "Apostle": content and reading order

This brochure is intended for those Christians who want to independently understand the order of reading the book of the Apostle during worship in church, as well as for everyone who wants to broaden their horizons.

During the service in the church, the liturgical books “APOSTLE” and “GOSPEL” are read. The reading of these books of the New Testament is a great moment of worship. First, the word of the apostles is broadcast. It is necessary to gather all spiritual strength so that the word of God does not fall on a stone, so that weeds do not clog and choke it.

The order of reading “APOSTLE” and “GOSPEL” is as follows:

During the singing of the Trisagion, or the verses sung instead, the reader is blessed by the priest, and goes with the book APOSTLE to the middle of the church, among the people, as if to the peoples of the whole world, to sow the Word of Christ into the hearts of people.

The priest proclaims: “ Let us hear, peace to all.”

».

The reader, standing facing east, on behalf of all those praying, answers: “And to your spirit” (the reader and all the people bow at the waist without the sign of the cross) - a response wish to the clergyman teaching the blessed world, the same peace from the Lord.

Priest: “ Wisdom, let us hear

».

Reader: “ Prokeimenon

,
a psalm of David…
” and says the prokeimenon and its verse. And again he repeats the very prokeimenon.

Meanwhile, the face sings the funeral service three times. But besides the great holidays, on weekdays and on Sundays, they almost always read two, and sometimes three conceptions, so then two prokeimnas are sung, but there are never three prokeimnas, even if there are three conceptions.

The two prokeimenons are sung as follows: the first prokeimenon is taken from the first conception of the apostle. First the prokeimenon for the day is read, then its verse, then the prokeimenon for the saint. For example, on Sunday, first the Sunday verse is read, then its verse, then the prokeimenon to the saint. If the saint is not indicated in the calendar on this day, then we do not read to the saint; we honor the Mother of God, if the rector deigns it. Moreover, if there is a temple of the Mother of God, then we honor it urgently if there is no saint. After the reader reads the prokeemna, the face sings it. After the reader has read the verse of the prokeimenon, the lyric sings the first prokeimenon. After the second prokeimenon is read by the reader, the choir sings the second prokeimenon. The verse of the second prokeimenon, and if there are three conceptions, then the third prokeimenon with its verse are left. But of the three, the prokeimenon from that apostle is left, which is read in the middle, under the first chapter (how the second conception is read under the first chapter is described below).

According to the prokemnah, the priest exclaims: “Wisdom.”

The reader says the inscription of the apostle’s epistle, for example: “Reading the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians” or “Reading the Acts of the Saints,” etc.

Let us say to the priest: “ Let us awaken

».

The reader honors the message of the apostle, those conceptions that are prescribed on this day. If two have begun, then finishing the first, the reader raises his voice and finally lowers it slightly. The first and second conception begins with the words of the inscription at the top or bottom of the page, for example: “Brotherhood, all who are holy by faith...” and continues to read the text of the conception after the asterisk. The reading of the second concept ends with a raising of the voice without lowering.

Before reading the first conception, the reader and all the people in the church protect themselves with the sign of the cross. Before starting the reading of the second, the statute does not command one to protect oneself with the sign of the cross.

When there are three conceptions, then the first is not finished in the voice, and the second begins not with the initial word of the inscription “Brotherhood...”, but directly from the point under the head of the first, that is, it is read as a single whole with the first conception.

At the end of the reading of the Apostle, the priest exclaims: “Let us hear, peace be with you.”

Reader: “And to your spirit” (the reader bows at the waist).

Priest: “Wisdom, let us listen.”

Reader: “Psalm of David, hallelujah.”

Then the priest from the royal doors burns incense on the reader and on both faces and the whole church. The face, according to the reader’s verses, sings hallelujah five times. The first time after the reader shouted “Psalm of David, Hallelujah”, the second and third time after the reader read the hallelujah verses of the first apostle, the fourth time after the reader read the hallelujah verse of the second apostle, the fifth time after the reader shouted “Hallelujah”.

But when there are two verses of the hallelujah of the second apostle, then its second verse is spoken (the two verses are connected and pronounced without stopping in the voice). If there are hallelujahs not at the Liturgy, but during the hours (for example, when a service is performed without a priest or with a priest, but when it is not possible to serve the Liturgy), then together with the last hallelujah the sacramental verses of both apostles are said (written there, after the last verse and indicated the word "Involved").

If there is only one apostle at the Liturgy and there are not enough verses to read five times, then by the fourth hallelujah the reader repeats the verse that he spoke on the prokemne or on the first hallelujah, and for the fifth time he proclaims a single hallelujah.

After this, the reader presents the book of the Apostle to the choir, and after bowing three times, says goodbye, bowing (to the ground) first at the altar to the priest, then (at the waist) to both faces, and finally to the whole church.

Service

The liturgical “Apostle” is a book that describes the deeds of Jesus’ disciples, as well as their messages to Christian communities in different cities. In addition, it contains conciliar messages. Despite the fact that the reading of the “Apostle” during the liturgy takes place within a few minutes, this service is considered very important. For his service, the reader of the “Apostle,” having taken a blessing from the priest, goes out into the middle of the church, finding himself among the flock, and talks about what they did, how the apostles at the dawn of Christianity called people to exploits in the name of God. This happens during the Divine Liturgy before the reading of the Gospel begins. Also, the liturgical “Apostle” is read at the Royal Hours. Turning to the east, the reader offers prayers not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of all the parishioners standing in the temple with him. When reading prokeimns, the reader's voice should sound loud, but not harsh. To do this, he gradually increases it, calling parishioners to attention. If there is more than one prokeimenon, then at the end of the first the reader’s voice drops again. The next one is read no less solemnly and ends on a high note with the singing of the alliluary.

The moment of familiarization of the reader with the prokeimenon, which will be pronounced during the liturgy, is considered very important. The catholicity of the Church of Christ carries with it the understanding that people learn faith in the Lord not from books, but directly from services to God. If the priest and the readers understand what they are proclaiming to the people, then this passes on to the flock in the form of knowledge. If the reader and priest treat the service formally, then they will not find understanding among the people. That is why the reader, before going out with the liturgical “Apostle” to the people, must read everything that he has to announce during the service. If something is unclear to him, the priest must explain it to him so that the words reach the reader’s heart. The clergy must also be initiated into the sacraments of this service, since he is also charged with the responsibility of repeating the prokeimnas, as well as singing the alilluaries intended for this service.

The singing of the words “Hallelujah,” which is familiar to Orthodox ears, is considered not only to glorify God, but also to announce His coming to earth. The solemnity of this service lies not only in the ability to convey to the parishioners the meaning of what is happening, but also in the skill of the clergy to help in this singing, which should not resemble a memorized score, but like the singing of angels at the throne of the Lord.

Many services are held solemnly, but without spirituality. Even if the order of reading the “Apostle” is strictly followed, without the spiritual participation of all participants this service remains incomprehensible and dead. Many parishioners may find it strange that the priest does not attend such an important service. This is explained by the fact that when reading the “Apostle” the priest must sit on the south side of the High Place, as an equal to the apostles - a teacher of the Christian faith.

Brief rules of service based on fragments of the liturgical book containing the acts and epistles of the apostles can be read in brochures published specifically for readers. An excerpt from the book clearly shows that for a person who is not involved in church services, it will cost a lot of work to understand all these intricacies.

During the singing of the Trisagion, or the verses sung instead, the reader is blessed by the priest, and goes with the book APOSTLE to the middle of the church, among the people, as if to the peoples of the whole world, to sow the Word of Christ into the hearts of people.
The priest exclaims: “Let us hear, peace to all.”
The reader, standing facing east, on behalf of all those praying, answers: “And to your spirit” (the reader and all the people bow at the waist without the sign of the cross) - a response wish to the clergyman who teaches the grace-filled world, the same peace from the Lord.
Priest: “Wisdom, let us listen.”
Reader: “Prokeimenon, Psalm of David...”, and says the prokeimenon and its verse. And again he repeats the very prokeimenon.
Meanwhile, the face sings the funeral service three times. But besides the great holidays, on weekdays and Sundays they almost always read two, and sometimes three, conceptions, so then two prokeimnas are sung, but there are never three prokeimnas, even if there are three conceptions.

The order of reading the Apostle and the Gospel

At the end of the book “Apostle” there are indexes of readings: “THE LEGISLATION IS KNOWN TO ALL DAYS”, “THE BEGINNING OF HOLY CENTERECOST”, “COLLECTION, 12 MONTH”, “PROKYNNY AND APOSTLES AND ALLILUARIES FOR EVERY NEED OF DIFFERENCE”, “Prokhinny And Alliluariy Are Resurrection OS” MI GLASOV”, “PROKYMNI AND ALLILUARIES OF THE DIARY”.

This section contains:

indication of the day or holiday;
the prokeimenon and its verse;
the number of the concept that should be read on a given day;
hallelujah verses and sacraments.

The entire text of the books APOSTLE and GOSPEL for easier reading in church is divided into beginnings. The Conception is the numbered fragments of the texts of the Gospel and the Apostle, into which they are divided for use during worship. The Beginning is not a chapter, it is several verses, but they are located in a certain sequence. Using the liturgical circle of reading the Apostle and the Gospel throughout the year, you will read the entire Apostle and all the Gospels. The book of the Apostle contains:

a) Acts of the Holy Apostles;

b) seven Council Epistles;

c) fourteen Epistles of St. Apostle Paul.

All conceptions proceed in a continuous order. From the beginning of the Acts to the end of the Epistle to the Hebrews there are only 335 conceptions, and the only deviation from it is the presence of two 50th and two 51st conceptions: some of them relate to the Acts of the Apostles, and others to the Epistle of St. Apostle James. The 50th and 51st conceptions are the last in the book of Acts, and in the Epistle of St. Jacob 50th and 51st conceived first. The reason for this numbering of the conceptions is as follows: the book of Acts is divided into 51 conceptions, but of them the 33rd and 49th are not read in a row, but are used during worship on special days of the year (the 33rd conception is on August 29 - on the day of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, and the 49th was conceived on May 21 on the day of remembrance of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine the Great).

So, the rank and file conceived in Acts without two turns out to be actually not 51, but 49, and therefore the following rank and file conceived in the Epistle of St. Jacob are designated by the numbers 50 and 51.

Some experienced charterers have a different explanation for the fact that there are two 50s and two 51s. Let's give this explanation. “To begin with, it should be understood that there is no strict division into chapters/conceptions in ancient manuscripts. The Epistle to Jacob in some books begins with the 50th conception, and in others with the 51st. For example, in the Miracle Manuscript of the New Testament, written, according to legend, by Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, miracle worker (d. 1378), in the Epistle of Jacob five 51s were conceived and two 52s!

The second important point in figuring out why there is such a discrepancy in numbering is to understand what books were used by the Church. The Gospel-aprakos and the Apostle-aprakos were originally translated from Greek. In the aprakos the text is arranged as it is read at church services, starting from Easter. For example, in the famous Ostromir Gospel (1057), daily readings are given for the period from Easter to Pentecost. And for the rest of the year there are only Saturday and Sunday readings. In the Apostles-Aprakos after the Acts of St. The Apostles always received the Epistles of St. Apostle Paul. And the Council Epistles were at the end of the book, and now they are also placed at the end of the annual readings after the Epistle to the Hebrews. For example, this arrangement of books in the New Testament (Acts, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, the Council Epistles) is accepted in the West among Catholics and Protestants. In the East, when compiling the fourth Apostle, the Council Epistles began to be placed after the Acts of the Apostles. This is where, I believe, there was a discrepancy in the numbers conceived. Acts is divided into 51 conceptions, and the Epistle to Jacob begins with the 50th conception. The division by such a number is apparently not accidental, as it symbolizes Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit. For example, Deacon Ammonius in the 4th century divided Acts into 40 chapters. Also a symbolic number!”

In the Apostle there are conceptions designated by the word “from the floor,” i.e. from half. The concept itself in this case has two inscriptions in the margins. For example, the 280th book (the epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to Timothy) has such a division. The first half is read on October 2, and the second on the 31st week.

The text in liturgical books is printed in black font, and all instructions and explanations are printed in red font (cinnabar). At each conception there is an asterisk, and below it is indicated when this conception is read and with what words the reading of this conception should be started. The counting begins with Easter, which opens the “new year” of the moving annual cycle.

The beginnings are:

privates - for every day throughout the year;
for holiday services;
for services during Lent;
for "general services" to the saints;
conceived “for every need” (for the sacraments and requirements).

It is necessary to become familiar with the text that will be read at the service in advance. It should be remembered that a text read by a reader who understands the meaning of the words can also be understood by people listening. If the reader himself does not understand the meaning of what is being read, then the people listening have no chance of understanding it, unless someone is familiar with the concept being read in advance. Therefore, on the eve of the service, the reader needs to familiarize himself with the prokeimnas and their verses, with the conceptions and hallelujah verses for the coming day.

And the order of reading the Apostle and the Gospel is as follows:

ON SUNDAY: The weekly is always read first, then if there is one, then to the saint, and if there are two saints, then to both, the smaller one under the chapter of the weekly. And if there is no saint, then the second Theotokos is added to the weekly, but during the Triodion, excluding the week of the publican, the prodigal, the second week of Great Lent, the Theotokos is not added, unless there is a deliberate celebration for her, then during the Triodion10 the Theotokos is not postponed.

ON WEEKDAYS: First the day, and then the saint, and if there are two saints, then both, the smaller one under the head of the day.

ON SATURDAY: During the Triodion, the order is the same as on weekdays, but except for the Triodion, the daylight no longer precedes the saint, but follows it, those who choose to read the third conception for the repose, but according to the charter for the repose, the Apostle and the Gospel are read only when there is no saint. In the same way, the funeral conceptions of the Apostle and the Gospel are read not only on Saturday, but equally on all weekdays.

ON THE GREAT LORD'S AND THEOTO'S HOLIDAYS, as well as to the saints, TEMPLE HOLIDAYS - the reading of the Apostle and the Gospel occurs only on a single holiday, and the ordinary day is read on the previous day under the chapter.

Sometimes there is a shortage of conceptions of the Apostle and the Gospels before the week of the publican and the Pharisee. In this case, it is necessary to step back and begin again to read the conceptions that have already been read, according to the number of missing weeks, how many are missing until the week of the tax collector and the Pharisee. This action is called retreat.

SINGING ANTIPHONS. On great holidays, special holiday antiphons are sung in the form of verses from psalms containing prophecies or predictions for a given holiday. In the book of the Apostle there is an indication of the singing of such antiphons on the following holidays:

On the week of Easter;
on Ascension Thursday;
on the week of Pentecost;
a week of color (Palm Sunday);
for the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross;
on the Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ;
on St. Epiphany of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ;
on the Transfiguration of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

At the same time, there is a chorus to the first antiphon:

“Through the prayers of the Mother of God, Savior, save us”, to the 2nd - “Save us, Son of God, born of the Virgin...” or: “Transformed on the mountain...”, etc. “Singing to you: Alleluia, (three times)” . The third antiphon is verses from the psalms, alternating with the singing of the troparion of the holiday.

In all of the above cases, after the second antiphon on “Glory, even now,” a solemn hymn to the Incarnate Son of God is always sung, composed according to legend by the Emperor Justinian: “The Only Begotten Son is the Word of God, immortal, who willed our salvation for the sake of incarnation, from the Holy Mother of God and the Ever-Virgin Mary , immutably made man, Christ our God is crucified, advancing death upon death, One and the Holy Trinity, glorified to the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us.”

Let us give a specific example of the actions of the reader when singing special holiday antiphons on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. The text of the antiphons of this holiday is given in the book of the Apostle in the section “COLLECTION, 12 MONTH”, in the month of January on the sixth day.

During the reading of the litany, the reader takes the book of the Apostle and stands in front of the icon of the Savior (to the right of the Royal Doors). There is no need to be blessed before this. At the end of the reading of the litany, the reader turns to face the leading choir, (let’s call it the first face) bows to the waist and reads the text: “In the exodus of Israel from Egypt to the house of Jacob, there was a barbarian people. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, save us.” The reader bows to the first face at the waist and turns to face the icon of the Savior. Meanwhile, the first face sings this verse. At the end of the singing of this verse, the reader turns to face another face, bows at the waist and reads the second verse: “Judah became His holiness, Israel was His province. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, save us.” The reader bows to the second face at the waist and turns to face the icon of the Savior, while the second face chants this verse. At the end of singing this verse, the reader turns to face the first face, bows at the waist and reads the third verse in the same way as the previous verses. At the end of singing this verse, the reader turns to face the other face, bows at the waist and reads the fourth verse in the same order. At the end of singing this verse, the reader turns to face the first face, bows at the waist and reads: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, save us.” The reader bows to the first face at the waist and turns to face the icon of the Savior. Meanwhile, the first face sings this verse. At the end of singing this verse, the reader turns to face the second face, bows at the waist and reads: “And now, and ever, and unto ages of ages, Amen. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, save us.” Meanwhile, the second face sings this verse.

Then the priest reads the small litany, at the end of which the reader turns to face the second face, bows at the waist and reads the verses of the second antiphon, in the same order as the first antiphon. Having reached the words “Glory, even now,” he says: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” and stops. The Face sings “Glory..., and now...” and the solemn hymn “The Only Begotten Son, the Word of God...”.

Then the priest reads the small litany, at the end of which the reader turns to face the first face, bows at the waist and reads the verses of the third antiphon, in the same order.

Reader: “Confess to the Lord that His mercy is good forever. In the Jordan I am baptized to You, Lord.”

The celestial service sings the troparion in full: “In the Jordan I am baptized to You, O Lord, the Trinitarian adoration appeared: for the voice of your parents testified to You, naming Your beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove announced your words of affirmation. Christ our God appears, and the world is enlightened, glory to Thee.”

After reading all the verses of the third antiphon up to the words “Entrance”, all the choir members (first and second faces) go to the center of the temple and sing the last verse there. The reader stands facing the icon of the Savior, and upon the return of the choir members, the Apostle places the book in their places.

When proclaiming the verses of the antiphon, you should pay attention to the inscriptions that sometimes appear instead of verses: “The same and another country,” or “Another country, the same verse,” or “Verse 1, twice.” In this case, the reader repeats the previously read verse.

The above order of reading antiphons applies if the reader is not dressed in sacred clothes. When reading antiphons by persons in sacred vestments, for example, priests dressed in a surplice, the reader does not stand in one place in front of the icon of the Savior, but walks across the red carpet (on which only sacred persons can step) from one choir to another. In all other respects, the procedure remains the same.

Notes:

Usually after “Holy God...” is sung a third time.

This is how the Lord, after His glorious Resurrection, greeted His disciples. With this Divine greeting He sent them to preach the Gospel throughout the world. This cry invites people to heed the following: peace to all means unity, for Christ has destroyed the enmity between God and man, so that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, may guard our hearts and minds about Christ Jesus.

If the service is performed without a priest, this exclamation is not uttered and is not replaced with anything.

The exclamation “Wisdom, let us attend” draws people’s attention to the meaning of the prokemena from the Psalm of David.

If the service is performed without a priest, this exclamation is not uttered and is not replaced with anything.

The prokeimenon is a short verse from the psalms that precedes the reading of Holy Scripture (prophetic, apostolic and evangelical) or the singing of other verses, and expresses either the force and content of the reading that follows, or the meaning of the present day. The verse chosen for the prokeimenon from the psalms of David is never alone, but it is always followed by other verses that explain and confirm the content and power contained in it. It is sung before every verse, no matter how many there are, and it itself is repeated again afterwards.

The words “Prokeimenon, Psalm of David...” are not pronounced if the conception to the Mother of God or the holy fathers is read first. Then the reader immediately proclaims: “Song to the Mother of God...” or “Song to the Father...”.

Lik - a choir of singers.

The exclamations “Wisdom” and “Let us hear” at the beginning of the reading are used only in the sense of attentively listening to what is being read.

If the service is performed without a priest, this exclamation is not uttered and is not replaced with anything.

This incense was established as a sign of reverence for the upcoming reading of the Gospel and indicates that through the preaching of the Gospel the grace of the Holy Spirit, spilling to all ends of the world, sweetened the hearts of people and turned them to Eternal Life.

Aprakos means weekly. This name was used to identify the Gospel and the Apostle, arranged in the order of the daily church readings during worship, starting with the week of Easter.

LENT TRIODE, COLORED TRIODE - services of the pre-Easter and post-Easter period. The Lenten Triodion contains prayers for the days of Great Lent and for the weeks preparing for it, starting with the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee and up to and including Great Saturday. The Colored Triodion contains hymns from the Week of Easter to the Sunday of All Saints (the ninth week after Easter or the first week after Pentecost).

Antiphon - means alternate singing of church hymns, which is performed on both choirs, by both faces.

History of Christianity in the liturgical book

At the same time, “Apostle” carries within itself the very history of the development of the Christian church. If you read it consistently every day, you can find out that at the dawn of Christianity, judging by the epistles of Jude, there was already a tradition among unclean people to pass themselves off as apostles - messengers of the Lord. Christian communities, accepting such people, could, following their example and teachings, move away from God.

The first Christians were former pagans with their own sins, which were not so easy to eradicate. If people came to them, urging them to continue to do all sorts of obscene things, then it was easy for them, not strengthened in their faith, to fall into temptation. The false apostles, in order to be received more cordially, indulged human weaknesses, preaching blasphemous thoughts. After all, these people came only to eat heartily, indulge in fornication and talk about what they do not understand. It is not for nothing that Saint Jude compares them to dumb animals who only know how to defile themselves. They look for benefits in everything, communicating with people, but at the same time they are dissatisfied with everything. The Lord has prepared punishment for them, as for the unbelieving Israelites brought out of Egypt by Moses, for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, mired in fornication, as for the angels who rebelled against the Lord. In his letter, Jude warns believers against communicating with such people, who, like clouds without rain, wander, carried by the wind.

The real apostles were distinguished by their non-covetousness. Visiting Christian communities in various cities, they did not stay anywhere for long, seeing their purpose in spreading the faith, and not in preaching in one place. For their travels, they asked the community only for bread, which should have been enough for them to reach the next city. Thus, they showed their disinterest in material wealth.

Acts of the Holy Apostles. Chapter 1

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1 I wrote the first book to
you,
Theophilus, about everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning [1] Lk. 1:3. 2 until the day on which He ascended, giving commands by the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen,[2] Mk. 16:15. In. 20:21. 3 to whom He revealed Himself alive, through His suffering, with many true proofs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God.[3] Mf. 28:7. Mk. 16:14.

4 And having gathered them together, He commanded them: Do not go away from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me, [4] Luke. 24:49. In. 14:26. 5 For John baptized with water, but a few days after this you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.[5] Mf. 3:11. Mk. 1:8.

6 Therefore they came together and asked Him, saying, “Are You at this time, O Lord, restoring the kingdom to Israel?”[6] Dan. 7:18, 27. Am. 9:11.

7 But he said to them, “It is not your business to know the times or seasons that the Father has appointed in His authority, 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.[8] OK. 24:49. Acts 2:32.

9 Having said this, He rose up before their eyes, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.[9] Mk. 16:19. OK. 24:51.

10 And as they looked up to heaven as He ascended, suddenly two men in white clothes stood before them 11 and said, “Men of Galilee!” Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven.[11] Dan. 7:13. Mf. 25:31; 26:64. 1 Thess. 1:10. Open 1:7.

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath's journey away.

13 And when they came, they went up into the upper room, where they stayed, Peter and James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the brother

Jacob.[13] Mf. 10:2.

14 They all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with some

wives and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

15 And in those days Peter, standing in the midst of the disciples, said 16 (there was a meeting of about a hundred and twenty people): Men, brethren! It was necessary to fulfill what the Holy Spirit foretold in the Scriptures through the mouth of David about Judas, who was the leader of those who took Jesus;[16] Ps. 40:10. In. 13:18; 18:3. 17 He was numbered among us and received the lot of this ministry; 18 But he acquired the land with unrighteous wages, and when he fell, his belly was split open and all his entrails fell out; [18] Matt. 27:5. 19 And this became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the land in their native dialect was called Akeldama, that is, the land of blood.

20 And in the book of Psalms it is written: Let his court be desolate, and let no one dwell in it; and: let another take his dignity.[20] Ps. 68:26; 108:8.

21 Therefore it is necessary that one of those who were with us throughout the entire time that the Lord Jesus remained and spoke with us, 22 from the baptism of John until the day on which He ascended from us, should be a witness with us of His resurrection.

23 And they appointed two: Joseph, who was called Barsaba, who was called Justus, and Matthias; 24 and they prayed and said: You, Lord, knower of the hearts of all, show of these two one, whom You have chosen 25 to receive the lot of this ministry and Apostleship, from which Judas fell away, in order to go to his own place.

26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Acts of the Holy Apostles

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Sermon of the Apostle Paul

In his letter to the Romans, Paul first of all explains that his faith is not only for the Jews, that he will also preach to the pagans. However, while claiming that he brings faith to everyone, he denounces those who do not accept it, since he cannot renounce his sins, committed with faith in a mind that is inclined to pervert any truth. At the same time, knowing that they are committing lawlessness, they not only continue to engage in indecent practices themselves, but also encourage others to do so.

For Christians, he forbids condemnation. First of all, only the Lord has the right to judge. If a person condemns another, then he, as it were, takes his sin upon himself, which cannot be a defense for him before God. No matter how diligently a person does good deeds, if there is no faith and love in him, then there is no use in all his endeavors.

Fighting sins

And yet, in his letters to the Romans, Paul laments the sins that the first Christians continued to commit through their weakness. He threatened a terrible judgment from the Lord, who will not tolerate being deceived by external worship, when inside a person continues to live like a pagan. However, coping with the temptations of this world is not so easy. That is why Paul calls not just to be baptized, but to accept faith in your spirit, which will make it possible not to do evil, not according to the law, but out of love for God. After all, the Israelis knew about the coming of the Mission, and when he came, they did not recognize Him. The pagans did not know any of this, but they accepted God with all their hearts and found themselves among the elect.

Acts of the Holy Apostles

And the high priest said, Is this so?

And he said: Men, brothers and fathers! Listen! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Harran, and said to him:

“Get out of your land and from your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.”

Then, leaving the land of the Chaldeans, he settled in Haran. And from there, after the death of his father, God moved him to this land where you now live.

And he did not give him an inheritance in it, not even one foot, but promised to give it as a possession to him and to his seed after him, he promised when he had no children.

And God said this: “His seed will be a stranger in a foreign land, and they will enslave him and do evil to him for four hundred years.

And the people to whom they will serve as slaves, I will judge,” God said, “and after that they will go out and serve Me in this place.”

And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so he begat Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac is Jacob, and Jacob is the twelve patriarchs.

And the patriarchs, envious of Joseph, sold him to Egypt. And God was with him,

and delivered him from all sorrows and gave him mercy and wisdom in the eyes of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he made him ruler over Egypt and over all her house.

And there came a famine to all Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation; and our fathers found no food.

When Jacob heard that there was bread in Egypt, he sent our fathers the first time.

And the second time Joseph was recognized by his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh.

Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his relatives: seventy-five souls.

And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he and our fathers died;

and they were carried to Shechem and laid in the tomb, which Abraham bought for the price of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

When the time began to draw near for the fulfillment of the promise that God was pleased to give to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt.

This was the case until another king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

He, resorting to cunning against our family, in anger at the fathers, forced them to abandon their babies so that they would not live.

At this time Moses was born and was beautiful before God. He was fed for three months at his father's house.

And when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter took him in and raised him as her son.

And Moses was taught in all the wisdom of Egypt and was strong in his words and deeds.

When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers the children of Israel.

And seeing that someone was being offended, he interceded and avenged the sufferer by striking the Egyptian.

He thought that the brothers understood that God was giving them salvation by his hand; but they didn't understand.

The next day he appeared between them while they were fighting and persuaded them to peace with the words: “Men, you are brothers; why do you hurt each other?

But the one who offended his neighbor pushed him away, saying: “Who made you a leader and a judge over us?

Don’t you want to kill me the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?”

And Moses fled because of this word and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons,

And when he was forty years old, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai in the flame of a burning bush.

When Moses saw it, he marveled at the vision. And when he approached to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord was heard:

“I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.” Overcome with trepidation, Moses did not dare to peer closely,

And the Lord said to him: “Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.

I saw, I saw the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and I heard their groaning and came down to free them. And now go, I will send you to Egypt.”

This Moses, whom they rejected, saying: “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” - God sent him as both a leader and a deliverer, by the hand of an Angel who appeared to him in the bush.

It was he who brought them out, working signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

This is the Moses who said to the children of Israel: “God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.”

This is the one who was in the meeting in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; the one who took living words to give you,

which your fathers did not want to submit to, but rejected it and turned their hearts to Egypt,

saying to Aaron: “Make us gods who will go ahead of us, for this Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what happened to him.”

And they made a calf in those days, and sacrificed to the idol, and rejoiced in the work of their hands.

And God turned away and gave them over to serve the army of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets: “Did you bring slaughter and sacrifices to Me for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

And you took with you the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Remphan, the images that you made to worship them, and I will remove you further than Babylon.”

Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, as He who spoke to Moses commanded to make it according to the image that he saw.

Having received it by succession, our fathers and Jesus brought it into the possessions of the nations whom God drove out from the presence of our fathers. So it was until the days of David,

who found favor with God and prayed to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

Solomon built a house for Him.

But the Most High does not live in things made with hands, as the prophet says:

“Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what place of My rest?

Was it not My hand that created all this?”

Stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit, both your fathers and you.

Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, Whom you have now become traitors and murderers,

you who received the Law through the instructions of angels and did not keep it.

Hearing this, they seethed with rage in their hearts and gnashed their teeth at him.

And he, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right side of God,

and said: Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

They, shouting in a loud voice, covered their ears and rushed unanimously towards him;

and, driving him out of the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of the young man called Saul.

And they stoned Stephen, and he cried and said: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And bowing his knees, he exclaimed in a loud voice: Lord, do not hold this sin against them! And having said this, he rested.

Any power is from God

Separately, he speaks about submission to any authority from above, since it is always from God and disciplines people. You just need to remember this, not to blaspheme, but to do everything good prescribed by the authorities. Then there will be no punishment for those who have not done evil, and those who do good will have a reward.

At the end of the letter, Paul lists people who managed to work gloriously to spread the Christian faith, as well as to strengthen the Christian church. These are people of different classes from different cities and, most likely, had different religious views before converting to Christianity.

The Wisdom of God and the Folly of the World

In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul calls the community to unity not for the name of the baptizer, but for the sake of the one whose name is preached. Thus, Paul, denying himself, says that he came to them not as Paul, but as the messenger of the crucified Jesus Christ - only He is worth remembering, only His name is worth being called. Paul himself is unable to explain the power of his sermons. Only the Holy Spirit, in his opinion, could give strength to the sermons of a weak and insecure person. Only God's blessing could unite the strong and the weak, the poor and the rich. Only the Lord could give strength to his unlearned apostles to convince the wise men of their age and the mighty of the world.

Pagan roots of the first Christians

Also, the Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, argues that the Holy Spirit, which helps him in converting pagans to Christianity, is the greatest mystery for those living on this earth. But this mystery is open to knowledge not by the mind or soul, but by the same Spirit, which unites them in one faith. Not in the faith of Paul or the other apostles, but in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the same time, Paul recognizes that a person raised among pagans cannot immediately perceive the full power of the Christian faith. He compares them to babies who need to be fed milk rather than solid food. They must realize that everything that the apostles do is only help to the Lord, who is both the foundation and the nurturer of everything. People are a sacred temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells. Woe to him who destroys that temple. And then he denounces his disciples of great fornication and pride, which is capable of destroying not only individual people, but, like bad leaven, the entire dough. And at the same time, someone who has not sinned should not communicate with sinners, but there is no need to judge them either. Judgment is the work of the Lord, only he sees a person not externally, but from the inside.

Christian family

In the same letter he gives clear instructions about the family life of Christians. However, he does not insist on them, but only suggests them. If you follow them strictly, you will not fall into sin and will not defile yourself before God.

1. And what you wrote to me about is that it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2. But, [to avoid] fornication, each one have his own wife, and each one have his own husband.
3. The husband show his wife due favor; likewise is a wife to her husband.
4. The wife has no power over her body, but the husband does; Likewise, the husband has no power over his body, but the wife does.
5. Do not deviate from each other, except by agreement, for a while, to exercise in fasting and prayer, and [then] be together again, so that Satan does not tempt you with your intemperance.
6. However, I said this as permission, and not as a command.

Paul also condemns idolatry, which continued to exist among the early Christians, since the families of many of them remained pagans. However, the apostle calls on Christians to flee from fellowship with them, so as not to fall into temptation. It is better to abstain physically than to perish spiritually.

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Paul speaks of receiving Holy Communion by recalling the Last Supper, during which bread, a symbol of the Body of Christ, was broken and wine was drunk as His Holy Blood. The first Christians, not knowing the secret meaning of this Supper, gathered to have dinner, and therefore got drunk and ate themselves or remained hungry, those who did not have enough. So they wasted their spiritual benefits, satisfying their flesh.

Separately, he says that in sermons and deeds, what is important is not knowledge and wisdom, not effort and hard work, but only love.

1. If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, then I am a sounding gossamer or a sounding cymbal.
2. If I have [the gift of] prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that [I can] move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing.
3. And if I give away all my property and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good.
4. Love is patient and kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, it is not proud,
5. does not act outrageously, does not seek his own, is not irritated, does not think evil,
6. does not rejoice in untruth, but rejoices in the truth;
7. covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8. Love never fails, although prophecy will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished.
9. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
10. When that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will cease.

Scheme of reading the Apostle (two/three readings, two prokeimenon and alliuaria)

Deacon:

“Let’s hear it.”

Priest:

"Peace to all".

Reader:

"And to your spirit."

Deacon:

"Wisdom".

Reader:

“Prokeimenon, voice... (names the voice and says the text of the 1st prokeimenon).

Choir

sings the 1st Prokeimenon.

Reader

says verse 1 of the prokeimenon.

Choir

sings the 1st Prokeimenon.

Reader:

“Prokeimenon, voice... (names the voice and says the text of the 2nd prokeimenon).

Choir

sings the 2nd Prokeimenon in its entirety.

Deacon:

"Wisdom".

Reader:

inscription of the 1st Apostolic Reading.

Deacon:

“Let’s hear it.”

Reader

reads the text first of the 1st, then of the 2nd Apostolic Conception, in both cases starting with introductory phrases.

If three conceptions are read, then the reading, which is supposed to be “under conception” according to the Charter, does not have an introductory phrase and is added to one of the other two readings; the resulting composite reading appears to be conceived with a crime.

Priest (at the end of reading):

"Peace be with you."

Reader:

"And to your spirit."

Deacon:

"Wisdom".

Reader:

“Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia” and immediately says the 1st verse of the 1st alleluaria.

Chorus:

"Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia."

Reader

says the 2nd verse of the 1st alleluary.

Chorus:

"Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia."

Reader

says the 1st verse of the 2nd alleluary.

Chorus:

"Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia."

The annual circle of the liturgical Apostles and Gospels = readings for the 33 weeks and 32 weeks between Pentecost and the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee.

1. The Gospel of John is read during the seven weeks of Pentecost, with the exception of three days: Easter Tuesday, the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, and Thursday—the Ascension of the Lord. The In period ends with the liturgy of Pentecost (Trinity).

2. On the Day of the Holy Spirit, the reading of the Gospel of Matthew begins and continues for 11 weeks (i.e., the first 11 weeks after Pentecost).

3. In the next six weeks (12-17 Pentecost) on weekdays (Mon-Fri) - the Gospel of Mark, while on Sat and Week (Sunday) - the Gospel of Matthew.

4. 18 weeks (18-36) the Gospel of Luke is read: first for 12 full weeks alone, then with the Gospel of Mark, which occupies weekdays, leaving all Saturdays and Weeks to the Evangelist Luke.

5. On Saturdays and Weeks of Great Lent, the Gospel of Mark predominates, previously read only on weekdays.

Crimes (when some ordinary readings are skipped)

Digressions (when ordinary readings are not enough and the beginnings of the last weeks are read again)

September or Vozdvizhenskaya crime (retreat)

= on the Monday after the Week after the Exaltation, regardless of which Week and week the Gospels were read before, one is supposed to read the Gospel of Monday of the 18th week (Luke 10) and from here continue the regular readings from the Gospel of Luke.

Winter (or Epiphany) retreat

takes place in the period between the Week of Epiphany and the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee.

Gospel reading	Prokeimenon, Apostolic Reading and Alleluary
ONE READING 1. The Lord's feast on any day 2. Theotokos, Great or Vigil feasts on a weekday (except Sun) 3. Certain Sun Triodions of Lenten and Colored, when the Menaion is canceled - only ordinary reading 4. Ordinary reading on the day of an unsigned saint 5. Giving the Lord's twelve holidays, if there is no great holiday	ONE READING, PROKIMENON AND ALLILUARY 1. The Lord's holiday on any day 2. Theotokos, Great or Vigil holidays on a weekday (except Sun) 3. Certain Sun Triodions of Lenten and Colored, when the Menaion is canceled - only ordinary reading 4. Ordinary reading on the day of an anonymous saint 5. Giving the Lord's twelve feasts, if there is no great holiday
TWO READINGS 1. Whenever there is a feast of the Mother of God or a saint, the Typikon indicates the reading, then Resurrection. Thurs. + Holiday (St.) 2. Week. days when there is a saint, to which the Typikon indicates the reading, then Ryadov. Thurs. + St. 3. The non-twelfth feast of the Lord or the Mother of God and the saint, to which the Typikon indicates the reading, then Feast. + St. 4. The celebration of the Twelve Feasts of the Theotokos: a. Row. + Holiday b. Holiday +St.	TWO READINGS, PROKIMENON AND ALLILUARY 1. Whenever there is a feast of the Mother of God or a saint, the Typikon indicates the reading, then Resurrection. Thurs. + Holiday (St.) 2. Week. days when there is a saint, to which the Typikon indicates the reading, then Ryadov. Thurs. + St. 3. The non-twelfth feast of the Lord or the Mother of God and the saint, to which the Typikon indicates the reading, then Feast. + St. 4. The celebration of the Twelve Feasts of the Theotokos: a. Row. + Holiday b. Holiday +St.
THREE READINGS 1. The forefeasts of the twelfth feasts, on the eve of the feasts of the great and vigil saints, as well as on the eve of the non-twelfth feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, combined with the service of an ordinary saint, three Gospels are almost always read: the ordinary reading of the present day + the ordinary reading of the coming day + the reading of the saint	THREE READINGS, TWO PROKYMENA AND ALLILUARIES 1. Fore-festivities of the twelfth feasts, on the eve of the feasts of the great and vigil saints, as well as on the eve of the non-twelfth feasts of the Lord and the Theotokos, combined with the service of an ordinary saint, three readings are almost always read: the ordinary reading of the present day + the ordinary reading of the coming day + reading of the holy 2. Sun, when the Lord’s non-twelfth feast happened, as well as the holy one, then there are three readings: holiday + ordinary Sunday “before conception” + the saint (prokeimenon, alleluary of the voice are canceled) 3. In the Week before the Exaltation and after the Exaltation, having special readings, since on these Sundays the service of the Menaion is not cancelled: Weeks before / after the Exaltation + ordinary Sunday “before conception” + St. Menaion (vocal is cancelled)

number of prokeimenon = number of Apostles, alleluaries and sacraments:

Exceptions:

1. One prokeimenon and two Apostles Sat - meat and cheese, 1st and 5th of Lent, Trinity), as well as during the celebration of the Theotokos feasts (when the prokeimenon of the holiday is sung, and the Apostles of the day and the holiday are read).

2. Two prokeimenon and one Apostle are very rare. For example, the Sunday of All Saints (the Sunday prokeimenon of the 8th tone and the saints, and one concept is read: 330 to the Hebrews).

3. Two prokeimenes and one alleluarius are very rare. For example, the 2nd Sunday of Lent and the Sunday of All Saints.

4. One prokeimenon and two sacraments . For example, the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Weeks of Easter, when the prokeimenon of the Triodion and two sacraments are sung: Easter (“Body of Christ…”) and Sunday (“Praise the Lord…”).

5. Two prokeimenon and one sacrament do not appear in the Rule, unless in those cases when the daily communion coincides with the saint’s communion; for example, if the memory of the Venerable Chariton the Confessor (September 28) happens on Tuesday, then only the communion “In eternal memory...” is sung.

Literature:

Kashkin A. S.

Charter of Orthodox worship: Textbook. manual on Liturgics. Saratov: Publishing house of the Saratov diocese, 2010. P. 105-147.

IRC.

Church governance and hierarchy.

Epistle to the Galatians by St. Paul the Apostle

Paul turns to the Galatians after a long time has passed since the beginning of his sermons. First of all, he tries to prove the integrity and correctness of his sermons by the fact that they come from the Lord, and Paul is ready to serve and please only Him. No one - neither people nor angels - is able to refute the truth of his sermons.

In his letter to the Galatians, he explains why some of the apostles were sent to the Jews, while others were sent to the pagans. Each one works in a field prepared specifically for him. For many years Paul wandered through the countries of the pagans, occasionally visiting Jerusalem for a new blessing. So the other apostles followed their own path.

Judging by the callings that he expresses in his epistle, the Galatians, having initially accepted faith in Christ with all their souls, gradually deviated from it, falling into the observance of laws, which carries only empty fulfillment. Only helping each other, doing good with love and faith in the name of Christ will help us accept the Lord with all our hearts and not fall into the temptation of the flesh.

1. Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.
2. For whoever thinks himself to be something when he is nothing deceives himself.
3. Let each one test his own work, and then he will have praise only in himself, and not in another,
4. For each one will bear his own burden.
5. Being taught by the word, share every good thing with the one teaching.
6. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap:
7. He who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
8. Let us not become weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.
9. So, as long as we have time, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are our own in the faith.

APOSTLE

Eninsky Apostle. Con. XI century (L. 33 vol.)

Handwritten tradition of slavs. A. is poorer than the Gospel; the number of surviving manuscripts (until the 15th century) is much smaller. The oldest Glagolitic lists (Serbian or Croatian language translation) are represented only by fragments of the 12th century - the leaves of Gršković (Zagreb. AHAZU. Phragm. verb. 1; contain Acts and Epistles) and Mikhanovich (Ibid. Phragm. verb. 2; short aprakos). The only representative is Staroslav. Cyrillic tradition is Old Bolg. Eninsky Apostle con. XI century - excerpt from A. aprakos short (Sofia. NBKM. No. 1144). Dr. the most ancient lists of A. aprakos short: Middle Bulgarian - Ohrid Apostle (RGB. Grigor. No. 13, late XII century), Zografsky Apostle (Ath. Zogr. No. 14 (I. d. 2), late XII or early. XIII century), A. Sofia NBKM No. 880 (1st half? XIII century), Strumitsky Apostol (Prague. People's Museum. IX E 25, 2nd half. XIII century), etc.; rus. lists of the 13th century preserved only in fragments (RNB. F. p. I. 81; State Historical Museum. Shchuk. No. 890); Serb. as part of the Apostle-Gospel (RNB. Gilf. No. 16, 2nd half of the 13th century; RNL. Gilf. No. 22 and Archives of the Western European Institute of Religion of the Russian Academy of Sciences. No. 680, both late XIII - early XIV centuries, etc. .). Since the 12th century. lists of A. aprakos complete are known: Middle Bolg. - Slepchensky Apostle con. XII century (kept in parts in the BAN, RSL, RNL, Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the National Library "Ivan Vazov", Plovdiv), Manuylovsky Apostle con. XIII - beginning XIV century (excerpts are stored in the BAN, RSL, RNL and NBKM), etc.; Old Russian - Sinai Apostol (“Apostle of Good”) con. XII - beginning XIII century (Sinait. slav. 39) and an excerpt from the 13th-14th centuries. (RNB. F. p. I. 22); Serbian - Sishatovac Apostle 1324 (Belgrade. Patriarchal Library No. 322). RKP. A. official (Acts and Epistles) have been preserved since the 13th century: Bulgarian - Karakal Apostle 1st half. XIII century (Ath. Karakal. Slav. 1), A. NBKM. No. 882 and Pirdop Apostle (NBKM. No. 497 and No. 90), both 2nd half. XIII century, etc.; Serb.- Matichin Apostol con. XIII century (Novi Sad. B-ka Matitsa Serbskaya. No. 184), A. Raevski (CNB NASU. DA/53L) and A. Radic (Zagreb. HAZU. IV d 1), both con. XIII - beginning XIV century, etc.; Old Russian the lists are known no earlier than the 14th century. (the dating of the list of the National Library of Russia. Q. p. I. 5 end. XIII - 1st half. XIV century is erroneous, this manuscript is the end of the XIV century). Early lists of explanatory A. - only Old Russian. origin: Christinopolis (Gorodishche, Gorodis) Apostle ser. XII century (CNB NASU. VIII. 3 and Lvov, State Historical Museum. RKP. 39) and the Rostov Apostle of 1220 (GIM. Syn. No. 7 - Gorsky, Nevostruev. Description. Dept. 2. Part 1. P. 141-154); the first contains a special edition of interpretations based on the Conversations of St. John Chrysostom, unknown from other lists (the text is currently being prepared for publication by AM Moldovan and A. Yu. Yasinovsky).

Apostle. Vilna, 1525. Title page

Since the 14th century (to a greater extent from the 15th century) the number of A. lists, especially of the continuous variety, increases. In the 17th century with the spread of Moscow and Belarusian-Ukrainian. Printed publications, the handwritten tradition of official A. (both types) is reduced and essentially disappears.

Printed tradition of glory. A. begins in the 16th century. mainly in the form of someone else's text. A. was first published by F. Skorina in 1525 in Vilna, its source along with handwritten copies of the 4th ed. printed Czech served as translation. Hussite Bible 1506. The publication was intended for Orthodox Christians. liturgical practice: like handwritten A., it is equipped with a month book, indexes of moving readings (synaxarium) and readings for needs (this rule is followed by the entire later tradition of A. editions). In 1547, A. was published in Targovishte (Wallachia) in the printing house of Demetrius Logofet. The Glagolitic (1562-1563) and Cyrillic (1563) editions of A. as part of the NT, published in the branch of the Tübingen printing house in Urach (publisher P. Trubar at the expense of Baron G. von Ungnad), are a translation into Croatian. language (translators - Antun Dalmatin and Stepan Istryanin) and are associated with Protestant. tradition of Bible publishing. The composition of A., published in Moscow in 1564 under Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible and with the blessing of St. Macarius of Moscow (printers - Deacon Ivan Fedorov and Pyotr Mstislavets), determined in many respects the later Eastern Slavism. tradition of publishing A. In 1574, A. was published by Ivan Fedorov in Lvov, in 1591 - in the Mamonich printing house in Vilna, in 1597 - by Andronik Timofeev Nevezha in Moscow; From that time on, the book was published in East Slav. printing houses becomes regular. In the XVII - early XVIII century several A. aprakos was also published once (together with the Gospel aprakos) in Ukraine: Ugortsy (printing house of Pavel Domzhiva-Lyutkovich Telitsa), 1620; Lutsk (printing house of the Bratsk Monastery), 1640; Lvov (printing house of the brotherhood), 1706. Old Believer publications of A., at least until the 19th century, are unknown.

A. A. Turilov

The Relevance of Ancient Worship

Reading the liturgical “Apostle” has no price for those who want to strengthen their faith and also join Christianity with all their souls. In every chapter and in every Acts you can find answers to questions that are still relevant today.

The difficulty in perceiving this service lies only in the fact that the liturgical “Apostle” is read in Church Slavonic, which, unfortunately, is increasingly losing its relevance in everyday life. However, the question of understanding this ministry is not only in understanding the words themselves (the “Apostle” has now been translated into modern Russian), but in accepting all the teachings with the heart and not looking for incomprehensible things in them with the mind.

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Reading the Apostle

After the Trisagion, the apostle is read in the church. This part of the Liturgy of the Word is very ancient. When, in the first centuries of Christianity, the community gathered to remember the Last Supper, the good news was first announced to them. The apostle came and began to prove from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ, cited passages from the prophecies of the Old Testament about the Messiah, thereby showing that what is said in the Old Testament, what is said in the Holy Scriptures, came true precisely on Jesus, who was crucified and resurrected. This was the most important part of the apostolic gospel. Excerpts of this sermon are recorded in the prokeimnas, which are read after the Trisagion before the reading of the Acts or Epistles of the holy apostles. These are excerpts of Old Testament prophecies, first of all, of course, excerpts from the Psalter of King and Prophet David, in which prophecies about the coming of Christ are most obviously and often found. Previously, they were read and sung in full, but over time they were reduced to two lines, one of which is usually the opening line of the psalm, and the other taken from the middle. In the Western Roman Eucharist, Mass, the psalm is still read in full before the reading of the Gospel and, as it were, is a real prokeme, a precursor to the next reading of the New Testament. In the Orthodox Church, the Old Testament prophecy is read in full at Vespers during the service of the Great Feasts - these are the so-called Proverbs, that is, passages from the Old Testament dedicated to the memory of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Great Feasts of the Lord, or the memory of saints. Passages from the Holy Scriptures are selected that correspond in spirit and meaning to the event being celebrated. The so-called selected psalms are also sung by us during the magnification at Matins - the choir proclaims a line from the selected psalm dedicated to the holiday, and then, like a refrain, sings the magnification. All these are echoes of that ancient Liturgy, in which the reading of the Holy Scriptures and especially the Old Testament occupied a very large place. Then, after reading Old Testament texts, the apostle who came to the community spoke about Christ himself. He proclaimed the teachings of Christ, which later became the Gospel (after all, the Gospel was first the Holy Tradition of the Church, and only several decades later the apostles recorded their oral preaching in writing). Each apostle carried the Gospel, which was either his personal experience of communication with Christ, or the story he experienced, heard from those people who saw and heard Christ. As John the Theologian writes in one of his conciliar letters, what our eyes saw, what our ears heard, what we touched with our hands, this is what we proclaim to you. Therefore, the place of the Gospel is the place of the apostle himself, reading this Gospel. The Apostolic Church lives by the apostolic preaching, and now, when we hear the reading of the apostolic epistle, this is the presence of the apostle himself in the Church. The Apostles wrote to the Churches. What we know as the letters of the apostles are their letters, the most ordinary letters to their loved ones, communities familiar to them from exile, from travel, from the place of their preaching. The community read these letters from their teacher, with whom there was no opportunity to communicate face to face, in a filial manner, very carefully and with great love, and then passed them on to the neighboring church, the neighboring community. So these letters became available to all Christians. And now we read and hear them. They seemed to stand before the Gospel, between the prophecies of the Old Testament about Christ and the fulfillment of these prophecies in the Gospel itself. The reader who reads these messages stands in the middle of the church, like the apostle himself, who came to the Christian community and proclaimed to people the salvation that the Lord brought into the world, and the deacon censes the altar, the one who reads the apostle, and then all those praying. During the reading of the apostle, the priest sits as an equal of the apostles, as one who now marks the presence of the apostle in the community, is the continuer of the apostolic ministry, leads people to Christ, and proclaims to people the truth of God. This is the meaning of reading the Apostolic and then the Gospel. After the Apostle is read, the reader exclaims - Alleluia, this no longer refers to the Apostle, but to the reading of the Gospel, which we will talk about later.