The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is the most celebrated

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

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...

. It is named after its core part, the anaphora attributed to Saint

John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; ; – 14 September 407) was an important Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and p ...

Archbishop of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...

in the 5th century.

History

The Liturgy reflects the work of the

Cappadocian Fathers The Cappadocian Fathers, also traditionally known as the Three Cappadocians, were a trio of Byzantine Christian prelates, theologians and monks who helped shape both early Christianity and the monastic tradition. Basil the Great (330–379) wa ...

to both combat heresy and define Trinitarian theology for the Christian Church. This liturgy was probably used originally by the

School of Antioch The Catechetical School of Antioch was one of the two major Christian centers of the study of biblical exegesis and theology during Late Antiquity; the other was the Catechetical School of Alexandria, School of Alexandria. This group was known by ...

(John having been a deacon and priest in Antioch) and, therefore, most likely developed from West Syriac liturgical rites. In Constantinople, it was refined and beautified under John's guidance as Archbishop (398–404). As a divine liturgy of the Church of Holy Wisdom,

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia (; ; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (; ), is a mosque and former Church (building), church serving as a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The last of three church buildings to be successively ...

, it became over time the usual divine liturgy in the churches within the

Byzantine Empire 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 History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. Just two divine liturgies (aside from the presanctified), those of Saints John and

Basil the Great Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (330 – 1 or 2 January 379) was an early Roman Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia from 370 until his death in 379. He was an influential theologian who suppor ...

, became the norm in the Byzantine Church by the end of the reign of

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

. After the

Quinisext Council The Quinisext Council (; , literally meaning, ''Fifth-Sixth Meeting''), i.e., the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council ''in Trullo'', Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at Constantinople under Ju ...

and the liturgical reforms of Patriarch

Theodore Balsamon Theodore Balsamon, also called Balsamo, () was a canonist of the Eastern Orthodox Church and 12th-century Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. Biography Born in the second half of the 12th century at Constantinople; died there, after 1195 (Petit ...

, the Byzantine Rite became the only rite in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, remaining so until the 19th- and 20th-century reintroduction by certain jurisdictions of

Western Rites Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, is a large family of liturgical rites and uses of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe wh ...

. The liturgy of Chrysostom was translated into

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Leo Tuscus Leo Tuscus (or Leo the Tuscan, fl. 1160/66–1182/83) was an Italian writer and translator who served as a Latin–Greek interpreter in the imperial chancery of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Manuel Komnenos. Leo was born in the first half of t ...

in the 1170s.

Structure

Prothesis (Preparation)

The clergy prepare the bread and wine for the Eucharist at the Table of Oblation (Prothesis). This includes: * The Proskomedia, where the priest cuts the Lamb (bread) and places it on the paten. * Commemoration of the living and the dead. * Covering of the Gifts and prayers for their sanctification.

Liturgy of the Catechumens

This portion includes prayers, hymns, and scripture readings, preparing the faithful for the Eucharist. * Opening Blessing - "Blessed is the Kingdom..." * Great Litany - A series of petitions for peace, salvation, and the Church. * Antiphons - Psalms sung in response to petitions. * Little Entrance - A procession with the Gospel Book. * Trisagion Hymn - "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal..." * Epistle Reading - A reading from the New Testament letters. * Gospel Reading - A reading from the Gospels. * Homily - A sermon, often given by the priest or bishop.

Liturgy of the Faithful

The core of the Divine Liturgy, where the Eucharist is consecrated and received. * Cherubic Hymn - Sung as the Gifts are solemnly transferred to the altar. * Great Entrance - The clergy process with the bread and wine. * Litany of Supplication* - Prayers for the Church and faithful. * Creed - Recitation of the Nicene Creed. * Anaphora - The Eucharistic prayer, including: * Preface - Thanksgiving to God. ** Sanctus - "Holy, Holy, Holy..." ** Words of Institution - Recalling the Last Supper. ** Epiclesis - Invocation of the Holy Spirit to sanctify the Gifts. ** Intercessions - Prayers for the Church, saints, and departed.

Eucharist and Conclusion

* Lord’s Prayer - Recitation of the Our Father. * Elevation of the Holy Gifts - "Holy things for the holy!" * Communion - The clergy and faithful receive the Eucharist. * Post-Communion Prayers* - Thanksgiving prayers. * Dismissal - Blessing and final prayers, concluding with "Let us depart in peace."

Modern classical musical compositions

Besides numerous traditional chants of several schools, the following classical compositions by famous composers include: * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Stanković), a choral work composed by

Kornelije Stanković Kornelije Stanković (, ; 23 August 1831 16 April 1865) was a Serbian composer, melographer, conductor, pianist and musical writer. He is notable for his four volumes of harmonized Serbian melodies, which were published in Vienna between 1858 an ...

in 1862. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Tchaikovsky), op. 41, a choral work composed by

Pyotr Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

in 1880. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Rimsky-Korsakov), op. 22, a choral work composed by

Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name Reforms of Russian orthography, was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN Romanization of Russian, transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ...

in 1883. * Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Mokranjac), a choral work composed by

Stevan Mokranjac Stevan Stojanović ( sr-Cyrl, Стеван Стојановић, ; 9 January 1856 – 28 September 1914), known as Stevan Mokranjac ( sr-Cyrl, Стеван Мокрањац, ) was a Serbian composer and music educator. Born in Negotin in 18 ...

in 1895. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Grechaninov), a choral work composed by Alexander Grechaninov in 1897. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Badev), a choral work composed by Atanas Badev, published in 1898. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Ippolotov-Ivanov), a choral work composed by

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (; born Mikhail Mikhailovich Ivanov; 28 January 1935) was a Russia, Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet composer, conductor and teacher. His music ranged from the late-Romantic era into the 20th century era. ...

in 1903. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Kastalsky), a choral work composed by

Alexander Kastalsky Alexand(e)r Dmitriyevich Kastalsky () ( – 17 December 1926) was a Russian composer and folklorist. Kastalsky was born in Moscow to protoiereus (a title roughly equivalent to archpriest) Dmitri Ivanovich Kastalsky (1820–1891). He studied mu ...

in 1905. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Boksay), a choral work composed by

János Boksay János is a masculine Hungarian given name. It originates from the Hebrew name Johanan and is thus a variant of the English name John. People Notable people with the name include: * János Aczél (mathematician) (1924–2020), Hungarian-C ...

in 1906. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Paliashvili), a choral work composed by

Zakaria Paliashvili Zacharia Petres dze Paliashvili ( ka, ზაქარია ფალიაშვილი, ''Zakaria Paliaşvili''), also known by his Russian name as Zachary Petrovich Paliashvili ( August 16, 1871 – October 6, 1933), was a Georgian composer. ...

in 1909. *

Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Rachmaninoff) Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31 (), is a 1910 musical work by Sergei Rachmaninoff, one of his two major unaccompanied choral works (the other being his All-Night Vigil). The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the primary worship se ...

, op. 31, a choral work composed by

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

in 1910. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Shvedov), a choral work composed by

Konstantin Shvedov The first name Konstantin () is a derivation from the Latin name '' Constantinus'' (Constantine) in some European languages, such as Bulgarian, Russian, Estonian and German. As a Christian given name, it refers to the memory of the Roman emperor ...

in 1911. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Chesnokov), a choral work composed by

Pavel Chesnokov Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov (Russian: Пáвел Григóрьевич Чеснокóв) (24 October 1877, Voskresensk, Zvenigorodsky Uyezd, Moscow Governorate – 14 March 1944, Moscow, also transliterated ''Tschesnokoff'', ''Tchesnokov'', ...

in 1914. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Leontovych), musical setting composed by

Mykola Leontovych Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych (, ; 23 January 1921) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, ethnomusicologist, and teacher. His music was inspired by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko and the Ukrainian National Music School. Leontovych spec ...

in 1919. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Dinev), a choral work composed by Petar Dinev in 1926. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Hristov), a choral work composed by

Dobri Hristov Dobri Hristov (; 14 December 1875 – 23 January 1941) was one of the major Bulgarian composers of the 20th century. He wrote mainly choral music, as well as some church music and music for the orchestra. Hristov was born in Varna, then in the ...

in 1934. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Tarakanov), a choral work composed by Valeri Tarakanov. * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Levine), a choral work composed by Alexander Levine in 2006.
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
(Alfeyev), composed by

Hilarion Alfeyev Hilarion (secular name Grigory Valerievich Alfeyev, ; 24 July 1966) is a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church; currently he is the retired metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary. He is also a theologian, church historian and composer and has pub ...

in 2009.
The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom
(Kurt Sander) composed in 2016 using English-language setting; professionally recorded by The PaTRAM Institute Singers, Peter Jermihov-conductor and Soundmirror-Blanton Alspaugh, producer (08/2017); world-premiere performance in Howell, New Jersey (09/20/2017); published by Musica Russica (2019); released by Reference Recordings (04/2019); nominated for Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance (nominations-11/2019; award ceremony-01/2020). * Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Sheehan), a choral work composed by Rowan Benedict Sheehan in 2018. Recorded for commercial release by St. Tikhon's Choir, Rowan Benedict Sheehan, conductor and Soundmirror, Blanton Alspaugh. Other modern compositions of The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom include those by Mykola Dyletsky,

Maksym Berezovsky Maxim Sozontovich Berezovsky ( ; ; ) was a composer of secular and liturgical music, and a conductor and opera singer, who worked at the Saint Petersburg Court Chapel in the Russian Empire, but who also spent much of his career in Italy. He m ...

, Dimitry Bortniansky,

Artemy Vedel Artemy Lukyanovich Vedel (), born Artemy Lukyanovich Vedelsky, was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian-born Russian Empire, Russian Imperial composer of Liturgy, liturgical music and military music. He produced works based on Ukrainian fo ...

Yevhen Stankovych Yevhen Fedorovych Stankovych (; born September 19, 1942) is a contemporary Ukrainian composer of stage, orchestral, chamber, and choral works. Biography Stankovych was born in Szolyva (today the Ukrainian city of Svaliava), in Hungary. In 196 ...

(2003),

Myroslav Skoryk Myroslav Mykhailovych Skoryk (; 13 July 1938 – 1 June 2020) was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian composer and teacher. His music is contemporary in style and contains stylistic traits from Ukrainian folk music traditions. Skoryk wa ...

(2005), Roman Hurko (2000, 2003, 2011), Fr. John Sembrat (2015).

References

External links

* , 1866 translation
Study Text of the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom
{{Authority control Eastern Christian liturgies Anaphoras (liturgy) Byzantine Rite John Chrysostom Hagia Sophia