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CHAPTER 7
The Liturgies (Typicon or Ustav) of the Eastern Churches
In a book by Adrian Fortisescue (1912, 1954) entitled: THE MASS, Pages 258-9, we
read:
'Originally it seems clear that the books were read in continuous order, as they still are (with considerable abbreviations)
at Matins. So the Epistle and Gospel of each Mass would continue where
those of the last Mass ended. The text of the Apostolic Constitutions
(II, lvii, 5-7) implies this plain enough. [Many series of homilies preached in East and West follow the lessons
in regular order. The Diatessaron of Titian (2nd century) is generally supposed to have been chosen for the purpose
of continuous reading in church. Cassian (in 435) says that in his time the monks read the New Testament straight
through.'
In the Eastern Churches this principle (with interruptions for feasts) still obtains.
The Byzantine Church, for instance in her liturgical Gospels begins reading
St. Matthew immediately after Pentecost, St. Luke follows from September, Mark begins before Lent and
St, John is read from Easter-tide. The Syrians have the same arrangement,
evidently Anti-ochene in its origin ((AF 258 and cc 066 59 a)).
In the Roman rite, the practice of continuous reading has become so completely
overlaid with feasts and seasons that there is nothing left of it ((AF 259)). But these early liturgies indicate
how strong the Matthew-Luke-Mark-John tradition was established in the early churches.
To illustrate this pattern of Gospel reading, we have used the Byzantine Typicon
for 2006. The following extract is taken from Monday, September 18th - Post-festive Day of the Exaltation of the
Cross.
"The continuous reading of the Gospel of the Holy Evangelist Luke begins on
the Monday following the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The four Gospels are all read in their
entirety in the Byzantine Church and the reading of each begins with a great Feast. The Gospel of St. John the
Theologian begins with the feast of Feasts, the Pascha of our Lord [Easter] and is read until Pentecost. The Gospel of St. Matthew begins with the Feast of Pentecost, … and is read until the Feast
of the Holy Cross. The Gospel of St. Luke, then, begins with the Feast
of the Holy Cross and is read until the Great Fast.
The first Sundays in the Matthew cycle and in the Lucan cycle are of the call of
the apostles Peter and Andrew, James and John, indicating that these Gospels also call us to follow after Jesus
our Lord. The Gospel of St. Mark is read during the Holy and Great Fast, but since the Divine Liturgy is celebrated
only on Saturday and Sunday, the remaining sections are read in the last six weeks of the Matthean and Lucan cycles…"
This shows how Luke's Gospel follows that of Matthew and is prior to the
reading of Mark's Gospel.
During the past 2000 years some texts have been allocated to Feast Days and, in the chart below, are indicated
by green shading. The remaining readings show the basic sequence of Matthew-Luke-Mark-John for the rest of the
liturgical year.
The Gospel sequence is easier to see when you commence looking at the liturgical
year at Pentecost.
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JUNE
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11th.
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All Saints
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MATTHEW
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10: 32-33
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18th
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2nd After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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4: 18-23
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25th
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3rd After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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6: 22-34
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JULY
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2nd.
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4th After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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8: 5-13
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9th.
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5th After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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8: 28- 9:1
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16th.
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6th After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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9: 1-8
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23rd.
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7th. After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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9: 27-33
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30th.
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8th After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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14: 14-22
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AUGUST
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6th
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The Transfiguration
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MATTHEW
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17: 1- 9
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13th.
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10th. After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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17: 14-23
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20th.
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11th. After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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18: 23-35
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27th.
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12th. After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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19: 16-26
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SEPTEMBER
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3rd.
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13th. After
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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21: 33-42
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10th.
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Before Holy Cross
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JOHN
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3: 13-17
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17th.
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After Holy Cross
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MARK
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8: 34b-38
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24th.
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16th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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5: 1 - 11
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OCTOBER
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1st.
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17th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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6: 31-36
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8th.
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18th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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7: 11-16
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15th.
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19th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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8: 5 -15
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22nd.
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20th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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16: 19-31
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29th.
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21st. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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8: 26-39
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NOVEMBER
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5th.
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22nd. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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8: 41-56
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12th.
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23rd. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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10: 25-37
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19th.
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24th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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12: 16-21
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26th.
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25th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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13: 10-17
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DECEMBER
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3rd.
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26th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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18: 18-27
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10th.
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27th. After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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17: 12-19
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17th.
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Before Christmas
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LUKE
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14: 16-24
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24th.
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Vigil of Christmas
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MATTHEW
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1: 1-25
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31st
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After Christmas
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MATTHEW
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2: 13-23
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JANUARY
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1st.
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Before Theophany
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Pentecost
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MARK
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1: 1-8
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8th.
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After Theophany
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Pentecost
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MATTHEW
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4: 12-17
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15th.
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35th After
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Pentecost
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LUKE
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18: 18-27
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22nd.
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36th After
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LUKE
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18: 35-43
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29th.
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37th After
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LUKE
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24: 1-12
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FEBRUARY
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5th.
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Publican & Pharises
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LUKE
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18: 10-12
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12th.
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Prodigal Son
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LUKE
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15: 11-32
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19th.
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Meatfare Sunday
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MATTHEW
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25: 31-46
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26th.
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Cheesefare Sunday
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MATTHEW
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8: 14-21
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MARCH
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5th.
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Great Fast Sunday
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JOHN
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1: 43-51
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12th.
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2nd. After Great Fast
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MARK
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2: 1-12
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19th.
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3rd. After Great Fast
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MARK
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8: 34- 9:1
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26th.
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4th. After Great Fast
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MARK
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9: 17-31
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APRIL
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2nd.
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5th. After Great Fast
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MARK
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10: 32-45
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9th.
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Palm(Flowery) Sunday
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JOHN
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12: 1-18
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16th.
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Pasha (Resurrection)
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Easter
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JOHN
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1: 1-17
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23rd.
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Thomas Sunday
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JOHN
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15:17 16:2
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30th.
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Ointment-Bearing Women
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MARK
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15:43 16:8
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MAY
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7th
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The Paralytic Man
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JOHN
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5: 1 - 15
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14th.
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The Samaritan Woman
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JOHN
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4: 5 - 42
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21st.
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The Man Born Blind
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JOHN
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9: 1 - 38
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28th.
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The Fathers of Nicean
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JOHN
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17: 1 - 13
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JUNE
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4th
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Pentecost
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JOHN
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7: 37- 52
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The Liturgies of the Greek, Russian, Melkite (Antioch) and some of the Syrian Churches
follow similar patterns.
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CHAPTER 8
V: 12/2/13
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