The Great Canon also known as the Great Canon of Repentance or the Canon of Repentance is a lengthy and penitential

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

composed in the seventh century by St. Andrew of Crete. Sung or chanted multiple times throughout

Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast (Greek language, Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή, ''Megali Tessarakosti'' or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, ''Megali Nisteia'', meaning "Great 40 Days", and "Great Fast", respectively), is the most impor ...

, it is highly important to the preparation leading up to Pascha during this time for

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

Structure and composition

The Great Canon consists of four parts, each divided into nine

ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...

s like that of a regular

. In the Great Canon, there is 250

troparia A troparion (Greek , plural: , ; Georgian: , ; Church Slavonic: , ) in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or organised in more complex forms as series of stanzas. The wid ...

, which is far greater than compared to other canons. All of the Odes have the same basic format. An

irmos The irmos (or heirmos from ) in the Byzantine liturgical tradition is the initial troparion of an ode of a canon.Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Laurus, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia The meter and melody of an ...

, which is generally sung begins each ode. Each irmos has a reference to one of the nine biblical canticles, which are selections from both the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

and

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. A variable number of troparia follow, which are short hymns about the subject of the canon. After each troparion the refrain "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me" is chanted. At the end of each Ode, another hymn, called the

Katavasia Katabasia or Katavasia (Greek καταβασία, from καταβαίον, "descend") is a type of hymn, and the last troparion of an ode of a canon, chanted in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzan ...

, either the irmos previously sung, or one like it is sung.

The canon is a dialog between St. Andrew of Crete and his soul. The ongoing theme is an urgent exhortation to change one’s life. St Andrew always mentions his own sinfulness placed in juxtaposition to God’s mercy and uses hundreds of references to good and bad examples from the

and

to convince himself to

repent Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past or present wrongdoings, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen ...

. Numerous people from the Bible are mentioned in the canon. Canticle One consists of parts of the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...

. Adam, Eve, Cain, and Able are all mentioned. The rest of the canticles tend to follow the Old Testament in order. Several themes are present in the canon. These include repentance, recognizing reality, how to pray, examples of righteousness and unrighteousness, and theology of salvation in the Orthodox Church.

Usage in the Church

The Great Canon is only appointed to be read or chanted during

. During the first four nights of Clean Week, it is broken up into parts and read during the service of

Great Compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer liturgy (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wor ...

. On Thursday of the Fifth Week, the Great Canon is chanted in its entirety during

Orthros ''Orthros'' (Greek: , meaning "early dawn" or "daybreak") or ''útrenya'' ( Slavonic ѹ́тренѧ) in the Byzantine Rite of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, is the last of the four night offices (church services), ...

. In anticipation of the Canon, Vespers on Wednesday afternoon is longer than normal, with special

stichera A sticheron (Greek language, Greek: "set in verses"; plural: stichera; Greek language, Greek: ) is a hymn of a particular genre sung during the daily evening (Hesperinos/Vespers) and morning (Orthros) offices, and some other services, of the Ea ...

added in honor of the Great Canon. While the Great Canon itself is recited during

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning (between midnight and dawn). The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which w ...

for Thursday, this service is usually celebrated by anticipation on the prior Wednesday evening, so that more people can attend. The faithful generally remain standing during the entirety of the services. At the refrain "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me," a full

prostration Prostration is the gesture of placing one's body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Typically prostration is distinguished from the lesser acts of bowing or kneeling by involving a part of the body above the knee, especially t ...

is performed by those able to do so. Those who are unable do a metania or cross themselves. As a part of the Matins of the Great Canon, the ''Life of St. Mary of Egypt'' by St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (634 - 638) is read, for her example of repentance and overcoming temptation. On this day also is chanted the famous

kontakion A kontakion (Greek , ''kondákion'', plural κοντάκια, ''kondákia'') is a form of hymn in the Byzantine liturgical tradition. The kontakion form originated in Syriac hymnography and gained prominence in Byzantium during the 6th century, ...

, "My soul, my soul, why sleepest thou..." by St.

Romanos the Melodist Romanos the Melodist (; late 5th-century – after 555) was a Byzantine hymnographer and composer, who is a central early figure in the history of Byzantine music. Called "the Pindar of rhythmic poetry", he flourished during the sixth centur ...

. The next day (Thursday morning) a special Presanctified Liturgy is celebrated, and the fast is relaxed slightly (wine and oil are allowed) as consolation after the long service the night before. Some of the odes have additional refrains and troparia to the author of the canon, St.

Andrew of Crete Andrew of Crete (, c. 650 – July 4, 712 or 726 or 740), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was an 8th-century bishop, theologian, homilist,A list of forty of his discourses, together with twenty-one edited sermons, is given in ''Patrologia Gr ...

, or St.

Mary of Egypt Mary of Egypt (; ; ; Amharic/Geʽez, Geez: ቅድስት ማርያም ግብፃዊት) was an Egyptians, Egyptian Grazers (Christianity), grazer saint dwelling in Palestine (region), Palestine during late antiquity or the Early Middle Ages. She is ...

, considered one of the greatest models of

repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past or present wrongdoings, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen ...

in Christian history, whose life is read during the chanting of the canon on the fifth Thursday of Great Lent.

References

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External links

Text of the Great Canon
Canons (music) Eastern Orthodox liturgical music

Structure and composition

Contents

Usage in the Church

See also

References

External links