The Divine Liturgy: A Commentary in the Light of the Fathers

by Hieromonk Grēgorios, Elizabeth Theokritoff (Translator)

Replaced by 9781939028303When Christ first spoke about the Mystery of the Divine Eucharist, He called Himself the 'Bread of Life', which came down from heaven to be offered for the life and salvation of the world. Christ, the 'Bread of life' comes down at the moment of the Eucharistic annunciation into the virgin Church, and the holy CHurch becomes the 'good earth and blessed' which brings forth the Bread of life. It is this reality of Christ's descent and His presence within the Church that we experience in the Divine Liturgy. The Divine Liturgy is Christ in our midst.The holy Evangelists and the God-bearing Fathers spoke to us of Christ as they experienced Him when He was with them, as they experienced Him as a living reality in the Divine That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life (1 John 1: 1–2). It is from the writings and eucharistic experiences of these saints, who have seen the true Light, who have heard the Word and ‘touched the immaculate head of the Master’, and who are eternally contemporary, that the present commentary is compiled.

Genres: Religion, Christianity, Theology, Christian

396 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is well written and offers an understanding of the Liturgy that is popular in some Orthodox circles. It is a very sophisticated symbolic interpretation of the Liturgy, perhaps one of the best I've read. The problem for me is that for those who follow a symbolic/allegoric interpretation of the Liturgy, no two agree on what the symbols are. Even within any one such reading there are inconsistencies - what does the nave of the church represent? Heaven, earth, paradise, the world? I find it too hard to remember all those 'symbols' anyway and find it more satisfying to pay attention to the words of the Liturgy. When praying, "Lord have mercy", why do we need to be representing or imitating angels? We are begging God's mercies as His fallen creatures in the world of the fall which is often miserable. We need his mercies more than we need to represent angels. God became incarnate as a human, Christ is not an angel. That is just one example of why I think the book is only OK. I find more illuminating books which look at the historical development of the Liturgy (this book will not give you much of that kind of information). The book accepts the Liturgy as it is currently being done as the received tradition and so does not see a need to explain why or where different parts of the Liturgy came from. I just find more uplifting for participating in the Liturgy some understanding of where and why things came into the Liturgy. The Liturgy is not static, but has changed over time and even to quote some fathers about a part of the Liturgy we do today may not reflect how they experienced the liturgy 1200 years ago. I much prefer the writings of Fr. Alexander Schmemann on the liturgy. His writings are in my mind the best for actually participating in the prayers of the Liturgy.

[Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

The book does a great job of explaining the elements of the Divine Liturgy and their meaning. While it is filled with beautiful illustrations and patterns, I would have wished for a few more, especially when describing the different vestments, the cutting of the bread, and the various liturgical objects as their design is filled with meaning aswell.

[Laurie Wilhelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to review a book such as this. It is an explanation of the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church, but it assumes that one knows the definition of many Greek words specific to religion.

[Kerilyn Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful exposition on the different aspects of the Divine Liturgy. This book will take you deeper into the purpose and meaning behind the structure and prayers of the Liturgy.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hiermonk Gregorius has provided a beautiful guide of the divine liturgy of the Orthodox Christian Church. His explanations are clear, direct, and always in keeping with the teachings of the Holy Fathers. This is a especially helpful and inspirational---a reminder of the power and blessings to be found in communion.