The Akathist

25 February 2001 09:28

Catarina < [email protected] >, late of Rome but now married and living in Bangladesh has forwarded this item about a Novena to Our Lady used by the Orthodox.

THE OFFICE OF THE AKATHIST

One note in the chorus of worship that resounds unceasingly throughout the Christian Orthodox Churches is the sound of the praise of the Mother of God. The Orthodox Church exhausts the treasuries of human imagination and vocabulary in a never-ending symphony honoring the indescribable dignity of her who brought forth the Word made Flesh, her immaculate purity, her deep humility and her boundless intercessory power.

The common Marian tradition of Byzantine Christians encompasses several liturgical offices, apart from the commemorations and praise of the Blessed Virgin that occur frequently in the Eucharistic Liturgies as well as in the daily offices. There is, for example, the special prayer service, the Moleben, sung to invoke Mary’s intercession or to thank her for some favor received. There is the lovely “Office of Consolations” the Paraclisis, sung or said not only during the early-August fast in preparation for the Feast of the Assumption, but at any time of sickness, temptation, suffering, discouragement or catastrophe. The Rydanie, or the “Lamentations of the Mother of God,” are popularly sung in some communities on Good Friday to commemorate the compassion of Mary at the Passion and Death of her Son.

But the crown of the Orthodox Christendom’s tribute to Mary in her unique role as Bearer of the Incarnate Son of God is to be found in the Akathist Hymn, which ranks, certainly, as one of the outstanding poetic accomplishments of early Christianity. The research of scholars has evidently not positively identified the date of the composition nor the poet of the Akathist.

Most popularly

and traditionally – the Akathist has been attributed to the Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople (AD 610-673) or to his contemporary, the Deacon George of Pisidia. An opening chant of the Akathist seems to indicate that the hymn was composed in thanksgiving for the miraculous deliverance of the city of Constantinople from the onslaught of the Turks. At any rate, according to the testimony of history, the Akathist was first used in services of thanksgiving for the protective action of the Blessed virgin during military campaigns beleaguering Constantinople, one of the citadels of the Primitive Church of Christ.

The name Akathistos (“the hymn sung standing”) was probably first applied to the hymn since the solemn nature of a public worship service as a victory celebration would have precluded any but a posture of attention. It appears that the Akathist was included at a relatively early date in the Byzantine Triodion (a section of the Orthodox Church’s breviary office) for recitation on Saturday of the fifth week of Lent. This day is still designated as the “Akathist Saturday.” Today, customarily and popularly, each of the four parts of which the Akathist is composed may be assigned in consecutive order for recitation during each of the first four weeks of Lent, and the hymn in its entirety may be sung during the fifth week.

The office of the Akathist is frequently preceded, when sung as a public service, by prayers and psalms and by a preliminary poetical composition (a canon). During the singing of the collect called in Greek ‘Tin Oraiotita’, which is included among other closing prayers, an icon of the Blessed Virgin is presented by the presiding priest to the faithful for veneration. Since the essence of the Akathist as a devotion consists of the composition of twenty-four chants, only a brief selection of the introductory prayers which precede the office has been included here. These introductory prayers almost invariably precede any Byzantine liturgical service and they may constitute even the morning and evening prayer of the Orthodox people.

Many translations of the Akathist exist. The present one is primarily an attempt to present for the perusal of the non-Orthodox people one of the most ancient sources of Byzantine Marian piety. It has been the aim of this translation to compromise modern English readability neither to an overly-scholarly adherence to literal meaning, nor to an excessively flamboyant poetic language and rhythm scheme which might possibly render the office unsuitable for ordinary devotional reading. Such interpretative notes and comments as are included have been inserted in order to clarify passages that the average reader may find obscure. The Akathist may be found suitable for private recitation in its entirety as a novena or devotion to our Lady, or it may provide thoughts for spiritual consideration. It is most fervently hoped that a greater knowledge of this Orthodox Marian devotion may be conducive to a better understanding on the part of the non-Orthodox people of their brethren of the East, whose boast has always been Mary, Giver of birth to Him Who is “Everlasting Salvation and Peace beyond understanding.”

Edward F. James, M. A., 1959

The prayers of the Akathist are enclosed as a file attachment to this email.