The Typica ( Slavonic: ''Изобрази́тельны, Izobrazítelny'') is a part of the Divine Office of

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

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

Churches that is appointed to be read on any day the

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

is celebrated with vespers, or the

Typicon A typikon (or ''typicon'', ''typica''; , "that of the prescribed form"; Church Slavonic: ') is a liturgical book which contains instructions about the order of the Byzantine Rite office and variable hymns of the Divine Liturgy. Historical de ...

does not permit the celebration of the Liturgy (as occurs, for example, on weekdays 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 ...

),During the lesser Fasts also, on weekdays on which there is only a simple commemoration in the Menaion or may be celebrated but is not either because no priest is present, or because no priest for whatever reason celebrates the Liturgy.This may occur for any number of reasons. Married priests, because of the requirement for abstinence before serving, can not serve the Liturgy daily; however, it is rare for any priest to serve daily. Also, an emergency beyond his control may have prevented him from preparing according to the Rule for Holy Communion, he may have suffered an injury which would not permit him to enter the Sanctuary, etc.There is a certain similarity in concept between the Typica and the Missa Sicca of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Roman Catholic Church 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 ...

at the discretion of the Pastor. When the Liturgy may be celebrated but is not, then the Typica is read at the time the Liturgy is appointed to be celebrated, and it contains the scriptural readings and other propers for the Liturgy. The Typica, like the hours that it is aggregated with, is rarely read in Greek parish churches, but it is relatively common in Slavic churches. The name "Typica" refers to the "Typical Psalms" (Psalm 102, Psalm 145, and the

Beatitudes The Beatitudes () are blessings recounted by Jesus in Matthew 5:3–10 within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and four in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke, followed by four woes which mirror the blessings. In ...

), which together with parts of the

Liturgy of the Catechumens 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 ...

comprise the non-lenten form of the Typica.

Description

When read in place of the Liturgy's celebration, the Typica is read after the Sixth HourIn the usage of the

Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists ( Russian: староверы, ''starovery'' or старообрядцы, ''staroobryadtsy'') is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian ...

, the Typica is read after the Ninth hour, that is said jointly to the Third and Sixth hours and during the reading of the Typica, in the place where the Liturgy would be celebrated; otherwise it is read after the Ninth Hour. When replacing the Liturgy, the

propers The proper (Latin: ''proprium'') is a part of the Christian liturgy that varies according to the date, either representing an observance within the liturgical year, or of a particular saint or significant event. The term is used in contrast to the ...

of the Liturgy are used, e.g., the troparia inserted between the verses of the Beatitudes, the troparia and kontakia before the Trisagion, and the scriptural readings with their corresponding prokimena. On the weekdays of Great Lent the Psalms are omitted and between the verses of the Beatitudes is inserted "Remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" with prostrations, there are no readings, and, as is typical of Lenten services, the Prayer of St. Ephraim is used. The Typica is also appointed to be read after the Royal Hours on the Eve of Nativity, the Eve of

Theophany Theophany () is an encounter with a deity that manifests in an observable and tangible form.. It is often confused with other types of encounters with a deity, but these interactions are not considered theophanies unless the deity reveals itse ...

, and on Great Friday.

Text

The text of the Typica can be found in English in several places including "The Unabbreviated Horologion". The text is available online in

Church Slavonic Church Slavonic is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia. The ...

and, for the Lenten form only, in Greek.

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{Citation , year=1907 , title=Тvпико́нъ сіесть уста́въ (Title here transliterated into Russian; actually in Church Slavonic) (The Typicon which is the Order) , publisher=Сvнодальная тvпографiя (The Synodal Printing House) , publication-place=Москва (Moscow, Russian Empire) , pages=1154
Archbishop Averky — Liturgics
Retrieved 2011-12-28 Eastern Orthodox liturgy