The Lamb (; ) is the square portion of bread cut from the

prosphora A prosphora (, ''offering'', or in Demotic Greek πρόσφορον) is a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox Christian, Eastern Lutheran and Greek Catholic (Byzantine) liturgies. The classical plural form is ''prosphorai'' (). The ...

in the Liturgy of Preparation at the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...

in the

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 ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

churches. The Lamb is cut from a specially prepared loaf of leavened bread and placed in the center of the diskos. The loaf, called a prosphoron, has had stamped in the top of its dough the seal of the Greek letters IC, XC, and NIKA, "Jesus Christ conquers", divided by a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

, and the portion by the seal is cutout as the Lamb. The loaf must be made only from the finest flour, yeast, salt and water. It is formed in two layers to symbolize the

hypostatic union Hypostatic union (from the Greek: ''hypóstasis'', 'person, subsistence') is a technical term in Christian theology employed in mainstream Christology to describe the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis, or individual perso ...

Liturgy of preparation

The priest cuts the Lamb from the prosphoron using a liturgical knife called a "

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

", with a blade shaped like a

point to recall the spear used at the crucifixion to pierce Jesus' side. Cutting along each edge, and removing the Lamb, he recites a phrase from : *on the right side: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter." *on the left side: "And as a spotless lamb before His shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." *at the top: "In his humiliation his judgement was taken away." *at the bottom: "And who shall declare His generation?" *as he removes the Lamb from the prosphoron: "For His life is taken up from the earth." In () St. Philip interprets these as referring to the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. He then places the Lamb face down on the seal, and cuts it cross-wise almost all the way through, leaving it connected as one piece by the seal. This will facilitate the

fraction A fraction (from , "broken") represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. When spoken in everyday English, a fraction describes how many parts of a certain size there are, for example, one-half, eight-fifths, thre ...

after the anaphora. As he makes these cuts, he says, "Sacrificed is the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sins of the world, for the life of the world, and the salvation thereof." He then stands the Lamb upright again, and pierces it with the tip of the spear on its right (the priest's left) below the seal, saying, "One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and straightway there came forth blood and water. And he that saw it bare witness, and his witness is true." ({{bibleverse, , John, 19:34-35, KJV) There are other particles also cut from prosphora as part of the Liturgy of Preparation. These commemorate the

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' ( Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are or (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-beare ...

, nine ranks of

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

s, the living, and the departed. These smaller particles are arranged around the Lamb on the diskos. A metal frame, the ''asterisk'' or star-cover, is placed over the diskos to support the small veil with which it is covered. This veil remains in place until the diskos is set upon the altar. The priest will then cense the aër and place it over both the diskos and chalice, where it will remain until just prior to the Great Entrance, when the bread and wine are carried to the Holy Table for the

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

Communion

At the anaphora only the Lamb is actually consecrated; the other particles are considered to remain only bread. When it comes time for Communion, the priest will divide the Lamb into four portions, breaking it along the cuts in the underside made during the Liturgy of Preparation. The deacon will say, "Break, Master, the Holy Bread." And, as he breaks it, the priest says, "Broken and distributed is the Lamb of God; broken, but not disunited; ever eaten, yet never consumed; sanctifying all who partake thereof." He then puts the four portions of the Lamb on the rim of the diskos in the form of a cross. They remain in this arrangement only briefly. The upper portion (that has IC on the seal) is placed whole in the Chalice to signify the oneness of Christ. The deacon says, "Fill, Master, the Holy Cup." As he places the particle in the Chalice, the priest says, "The fullness of the Holy Spirit." The lower portion, (with XC on the seal) is cut into smaller particles with which the clergy are communicated. The portions on the left and right (with NI and KA, respectively) are cut into much smaller particles. These are placed into the chalice and used to communicate the faithful.

Presanctified liturgy

During

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 not permitted to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on weekdays and, therefore, on certain weekdays thereof and on the first three days of

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

, communion is given from Lambs consecrated on the previous Sunday at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

External links

Photo of the Lamb on the Diskos during prothesis
Eastern Christian liturgical objects

Liturgy of preparation

Communion

Presanctified liturgy

See also

External links