Divine Liturgy

Divine Liturgy (Koine Greek: Θεία Λειτουργία, romanized: Theía Leitourgía, pronounced ) or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service.

The Eastern Orthodox Churches, Eastern Catholic Churches and Eastern Lutheran Churches believe the Divine Liturgy transcends both time and the world. All believers are seen as united in worship in the Kingdom of God along with the departed saints and the angels of heaven. Everything in the liturgy is seen as symbolic, but not merely so, for it makes present the unseen reality. According to Eastern tradition and belief, the liturgy's roots go back to the adaptation of Jewish liturgy by Early Christians. The first part, termed the "Liturgy of the Catechumens", includes the reading of scriptures like those in a synagogue, and in some places, also a sermon/homily. The second half, the "Liturgy of the Faithful", is based on the Last Supper and the first Eucharistic celebrations by Early Christians. Eastern Christians (and many other branches of Christianity) believe that the Eucharist is the central part of the service in which they participate, as they believe the bread and wine truly become the real Body and Blood of Christ, and that by partaking of it they jointly become the Body of Christ (that is, the Church). Each liturgy has its differences from others, but most are very similar to each other with adaptations based on tradition, purpose, culture and theology.

Byzantine Rite

Three Divine Liturgies are commonly used in the Byzantine Rite:

• The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, used most days of the year.
• The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, used on special days like Sundays during Great Lent.
• The Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, used during Great Lent and Holy Week.

The Divine Liturgy is a special worship service that brings together believers, saints, and angels in the Kingdom of God. It has a fixed format with different parts, including preparation, public worship, and the faithful's participation. The service includes prayers, hymns, Bible readings, and a shared meal called Holy Communion.

Oriental Orthodox Churches

"Divine Liturgy" is the usual name for church services in Oriental Orthodoxy. In their own languages, followers of the Byzantine Rite use this term for their Eucharistic services. In English, other names are sometimes used for the services of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, such as Qurobo Alohoyo in the Syriac Orthodox Church, Badarak in the Armenian Apostolic Church, Prosfora in the Coptic Orthodox Church, or Keddase in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

The Oriental Orthodox Churches have many different liturgies, each named after the special prayer called an anaphora that is included in it.

Coptic Liturgy

The Coptic Orthodox Church and Coptic Catholic Church currently use three main Liturgies:

• The Liturgy of St. Basil (4th century)
• The Liturgy of St. Mark the Apostle, also known as the Liturgy of St. Cyril
• The Liturgy of St Gregory the Theologian

The Liturgy of St. Basil is used most Sundays and has the shortest special prayer. The Liturgy of St. Gregory is often used during special church celebrations. Sometimes, parts of the Liturgies of St. Cyril and St. Gregory are added to the more commonly used Liturgy of St. Basil.

The main liturgy used by the Coptic Church is called the Liturgy of Saint Basil. In the Coptic tradition, this term refers to both the special prayer and the overall structure of the Alexandrine Rite liturgy.

Anaphora

The Egyptian (or Coptic) version of Saint Basil's prayer, even though it shares the same basic structure as others, is different. It is shorter, has fewer references from scriptures, and lacks clear mentions of the Trinity that are found in other versions. This reflects the teachings of the First Council of Constantinople in 381.

The structure of the version used today in the Coptic Church includes several parts:

• Anaphora:
  • the Opening Dialogue
  • the Preface
  • the Pre-Sanctus
  • the Sanctus
  • the Post-Sanctus
  • the Institution narrative
  • the Anamnesis
  • the Oblation
  • the Epiclesis
  • the Intercessions
  • a prayer for the fruit of the Communion and the final doxology

Liturgy of Saint Basil

The term Liturgy of Saint Basil can also refer to the entire Eucharistic Liturgy in the Coptic Church, which has the following structure:

Offertory

Offertory is the part of the liturgy where the bread and wine for the service are chosen and placed on the altar. This includes the priest dressing in special clothes, preparing the altar, and saying prayers. The priest also chooses a specific piece of bread (called the Lamb) from among several, blesses it, and places it on the altar with the wine.

Liturgy of the Catechumens

In the Liturgy of the Catechumens, readings from the New Testament are shared. This was historically the beginning of the liturgy and the only part that new members of the church could attend. It includes prayers, readings from letters by Paul and other early leaders, and a reading from the book of Acts. Incense is offered at different points, and hymns are sung.

Liturgy of the Faithful

The Liturgy of the Faithful is the main part of the service, where the core Eucharistic rites take place. It includes prayers, readings, and the sharing of the Eucharistic bread and wine. The service ends with final prayers and blessings.

Syriac-Antiochene liturgy

Main article: Holy Qurobo

The Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Catholic Church, Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and Syro-Malankara Catholic Church use the West Syriac Rite. The Maronite church uses a distinct version of this rite. These liturgies come from the Antiochene Rite and include the Divine Liturgy of Saint James. They are shorter than some other traditions and can use over eighty different anaphoras. The most common ones are Mar Bar Salibi and St. James.

Armenian liturgy

The Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Catholic Church currently use a single liturgical structure called the Armenian Rite, with one anaphora known as the Athanasius-Anaphora. This is different from other Oriental Orthodox Churches, which have multiple anaphoras. The text of this liturgy is contained in a single book.

Before the end of the 10th century, there were other liturgical forms in use, such as the Anaphora of St. Basil and the Anaphora of St. Gregory the Illuminator. The Armenian liturgy has been influenced by West Syrian, Byzantine, and Roman Catholic traditions. One special practice during the weeks before Easter includes not opening the curtain in front of the altar and not sharing Communion with the faithful.

Equivalents in other liturgical rites

Holy Mass

Roman Catholic Church

Lutheran Churches

Church of the East

Holy Qurbana

Main article: Holy Qurbana

Holy Qurbana is a special celebration in the Edessan Rite. The Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Church of the East, and their larger Catholic counterparts, the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Syro-Malabar Church, use this rite. They use different prayers called anaphorae when they celebrate Holy Qurbana:

• Anaphora of Addai and Mari (or The Hallowing of the Apostles, i.e., of the Apostles Saint Addai and Saint Mari)
• The Hallowing of Theodore of Mopsuestia, attributed to Theodore of Mopsuestia
• The Hallowing of Nestorius, attributed to Nestorius