Saturday, October 30, 2021

Stump the Priest: Zapivka

 

Question: "What is the history behind the tradition of the bread and the wine on the table, to eat and drink after the Eucharist?"

The custom of eating some prosphora and drinking some wine mixed with warm water right after taking communion is called "the zapivka" in the Russian Church. "Zapivka" simply means "washing" or "rinsing," which in this case refers to washing down any remaining particles of the Eucharist.

It is not easy to find much written on the history of this custom, most likely because that is not a question that many people have thought worth exploring. There are many simple actions that we do all of the time in the Church, but unless someone objects to it at some point, or some controversy arises in connection to it, usually we just assume that this is how it is supposed to be.

Most Orthodox sources that mention this practice simply describe it briefly, and state when it is done, but not much else.

In the American context, this is a question that comes up, because the Russian practice is different than what you would typically see in a Greek or Antiochian parish. In those parishes, the laity usually only partake of prosphora after communing (though some parishes and monasteries do something similar to the Russian practice, such as distributing prosphora soaked in wine to the laity).

Interestingly, this is not true for the clergy -- especially for bishops. If you are in a parish with only one priest, he has to consume the remaining Gifts in the chalice, and so he does not do this separately from cleansing the chalice. But when clergy are concelebrating, those who are not going to consume the remaining Gifts, often do partake of wine with warm water, and a piece of prosphora -- and I am told that this is always prepared for bishops.

I am not sure why the practice is different for the laity -- it could be that it simply became common to extend this practice to the laity in Russia. However, I found two sources that stated that this custom goes back to St. John Chrysostom: one modern writer, and one far more ancient, though still many centuries after the time of St. John Chrysostom.

Archpriest Andrei Ukhtomsky, who teaches at the Kiev Theological Academy, states:

"The zapivka after Holy Communion was added during the time of St. John Chrysostom, who, due to a stomach ailment, ate a barley pita on the patriarchal throne. Due to the authority of the saint, such a practice spread further" (A Brief Historical Look at the Liturgy, translated by by Matfey Shaheen, October 29th, 2021 <https://orthochristian.com/130097.html>).

Unfortunately, he does not elaborate on where this tradition is recorded. This might also explain why the custom is more universally followed when it comes to bishops.

However, Nikon of the Black Mountain was a Byzantine monk who wrote a monastic text in the 11th century, called the Tacticon, which became very influential on Russian monasticism, and he wrote:

"It should be known that with respect to collation in church only those who take communion may partake of the collation privately at the sacristy, consisting of a little of the water only or of the wine if it is fitting, and a small piece of blessed bread—but the others not at all—just as the divine [St. John] Chrysostom permitted those partaking of the communion to taste a little something for the sake of a rinse. (Quoted from R. Allison, tr. Black Mountain: Regulations of Nikon of the Black Mountain. In: Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents: A Complete Translation of the Surviving Founders’ Typika and Testaments. Edited by John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero with the assistance of Giles Constable. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks, p. 405).  

There may be other sources that shed more light on this (though they likely have not yet been translated into English), but so far, this is all I have seen on the subject.

It should be noted that as Nikon points out, the zapivka is only for those who have taken communion. Those who have not, are given prosphora at the end of the Liturgy when they come up to kiss the Cross. And this prosphora is called "antidoron," which means literally "instead of the gifts," because it was originally only given to those who did not receive communion at this time, so that they could at least have some prosphora as a blessing, though in current practice even those who did receive communion also receive a piece of prosphora at this time.


Monday, October 11, 2021

Reader Services though the 20th Sunday after Pentecost

This installment covers the Sundays of Old Calendar October, which on the civil Calendar runs from October 14th through November 13th. I intend to keep these texts posted as long as there are states or English speaking countries that are still under lockdown due to the Coronavirus.

The Eves

For the Eves of the upcoming Sundays and Feasts, you could ideally do the Vigil. The fixed portions can be downloaded here:

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/reader_vigil.doc

or viewed in HTML, here:

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/vigil.htm

For the Rubrics, see: http://www.saintjonah.org/rub/

The variable portions of the service can be downloaded here (all of these would be served on the eve of their respective days). The Sunday services require two files, because these combinations do not repeat annually. In addition to the files linked for the Sundays below, you will need to use the appropriate Katavasia, which for this time period is the Katavasia of the Theotokos -- the respective Rubrics will tell you which. Also, on Sundays, there are some hymns that are appointed according to which Matins Gospel is read. To find out which one is read, you also need to look at the Rubrics. For those texts, you will find them here: http://www.saintjonah.org/services/matinsgospel.doc Those hymns are usually done at the Exapostilaria and then at the Doxasticon at the Praises.

Also, the texts below do not always have the full canon for the Menaion, but you can find that here:

https://www.ponomar.net/maktabah/MenaionLambertsenOctober2000/index.html (you will need to look up the service according to the Old Calendar (o.s.) date).

For the Feast of the Protection: (October 14th n.s. / October 1st o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/vigil_protection.doc

For the 17th Sunday after Pentecost / Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens (October 17th n.s. / October 4th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/10-04_hmhierotheus.doc

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/tone8.doc

For the Feast of St. Jonah: (October 20th n.s. / October 7th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/vigil_stjonah.doc

For the 18th Sunday after Pentecost / The Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (October 24th n.s. / October 11th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/10-08+fathers7thcouncil.doc

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/tone1.doc

For the 19th Sunday after Pentecost / The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 31st n.s. / October 18th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/10-18_ap_luke.doc

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/tone2.doc

For the 20th Sunday after Pentecost / Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius the notaries of Constantinople (November 7th n.s. / October 25th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/10-25_mm_marcian&martyrius.doc

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/tone3.doc

However, if doing Vigil is too much for you at present, you could do Small Compline, and take the canon of each of the above days, and read it immediately after the Creed, and then repeat the Kontakion that is appointed after Ode 6th of  the canon after the following Trisagion.

Typika

In place of the Liturgies, you would do Typika:

For the Feast of the Protection: (October 14th n.s. / October 1st o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_protection.doc

For the 17th Sunday after Pentecost / Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens (October 17th n.s. / October 4th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_pent17.doc

For the Feast of St. Jonah: (October 20th n.s. / October 7th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_stjonah.doc

For the 18th Sunday after Pentecost / The Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (October 24th n.s. / October 11th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_pent18.doc

For the 19th Sunday after Pentecost / The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 31st n.s. / October 18th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_pent19.doc

For the 20th Sunday after Pentecost / Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius the notaries of Constantinople (November 7th n.s. / October 25th o.s.):

http://www.saintjonah.org/services/typika_pent20.doc