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AT MATINS After the 1st reading from the Psalter, Kathisma. Tone 5. The Word without beginning. Let us all praise Basil as a royal adornment of Christ’s Church, the inexhaustible treasury of doctrines; for he through these has taught us to reverence a holy Trinity, united by being, but distinct by persons. Glory. Tone 5. Your tomb, O Saviour.Wise Basil, as you stand before the Trinity, implore that we, who sing your praise and honour your memory, may on the day of judgement receive grace, mercy and pardon of offences; that with mouth and heart we may glorify the only lover of humankind. Both now. Of the Feast. Same melody.The Maker of the world and the Master of all things, who exists above with the Father and the Spirit, is circumcised on earth as a babe of eight days. Truly your works are divine and wondrous! For you, Master, as fulfilment of the Law, are circumcised for our sake. After the 2nd reading, Kathisma. Drawing out in a manner fitting God the mystical wealth of ineffable wisdom, you have treasured up for all streams of orthodoxy, which with divine inspiration delight hearts of the believers, but fittingly drown the doctrines of the unbelievers. Therefore through both by exertions of true religion you were revealed as an invincible champion of the Trinity. High Priest Basil, intercede with Christ God to grant forgiveness of offences to those who feast with love your holy memory. Glory. The same.Both now. Of the Feast. Tone 4.As you are the depth of love for humankind, Master, you put on the form of the slave and were circumcised in the flesh, granting to all humankind your great mercy. After the Polyeleos, of the Saint. Tone 8. The Wisdom and Word. By the power of the divine words you destroyed the gloomy heresies, sank all the insolence of Arius; for to mortals you preached the Spirit as God, and by the stretching out of your hands you put enemies to death, dispelled all the service of Sabellios; and abolished all the ideas of Nestorios. High Priest Basil, intercede with Christ God to grant forgiveness of offences to those who feast with love your holy memory. Glory. The same melody.The grace of your godlike words and the mystical elevation of your doctrines has become for a ladder of divine ascent, Father; for you gained a spiritual trumpet and by it proclaimed the divine teachings. Therefore you have made your dwelling in a place of green pasture and obtained the reward of your struggles. High Priest Basil, intercede with Christ God to grant forgiveness of offences to those who feast with love your holy memory. Both now. The same melody.The Master and Maker of all things, taking flesh from your immaculate womb, revealed you as protectress of humankind, All-blameless Lady; therefore we all fly to you for refuge, asking pardon of offences, and to be rescued from everlasting punishment and every outrage of the dread ruler of the world; therefore we cry out to you: intercede with your Son and God to grant forgiveness of offences to those who worship your all-holy birth giving. The Anavathmi, the 1st Antiphon of the Tone 4. Prokeimenon. 4th Tone. My mouth with speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart understanding. Verse: Hear this, all you Nations; give ear all you dwellers upon earth.Let everything that has breath. Gospel according to John. Psalm 50. Glory. At the prayers of the High Priest.Both now. At the prayers of the Mother of God. Then the Idiomel. Tone 6. Grace was poured out on your lips, Venerable Father, and you became shepherd of Christ’s Church, teaching the rational sheep to believe in a consubstantial Trinity in one Godhead. The Canons of the Feast and of the Saint. ’Come, you peoples, let us sing a song to Christ God, who parted the sea and guided the people he had taken from the slavery of the Egyptians; for he has been glorified’. The eighth day, which bears the image of the age to come, is made radiant and hallowed, O Christ, by your voluntary poverty; for on it you were circumcised in the flesh according to the law. Christ receives circumcision on the eighth day from his birth; and today he reduces its shadow by making the light of the new grace dawn. Of the Saint. The same Irmos. Yours is the voice that should have been with those who wish to undertake your praises, Basil; but as you judge kindly, Father, grant us grace ungrudgingly. You disciplined the passionate surging of the tyrannous flesh by your love of the philosophic life; and so you dwell in undefiled palaces, Father Basil. You walked the rough way of the virtues and so you attained the smooth and undisturbed floor of heaven, and have been revealed, Basil, as a model for all. Effectively you circumcised the passions of both the soul and body with the sword of the Spirit; while you offered yourself as a sacrifice to the Master. You became an initiate of ineffable mysteries, Father Basil, into which you initiated the royal priesthood of Christ, making the light of the Trinity blaze out for us. Theotokion. Who will be able worthily to tell forth your conception beyond understanding? For you gave birth in the flesh to God, O All-holy, who has appeared to us as Saviour of us all. Katavasia. ’The Lord mighty in wars uncovered the foundations of the deep and led his servants through dry ground, covering their opponents in the deep; for he has been glorified’. Another. ’Israel trod the storm-tossed
surging of Ode 3. The Irmos. ’Establish us in you, O Lord, who slew sin by a tree, and plant your fear in the hearts of us who sing your praise’. The Word, who is beyond being, became incarnate and was circumcised to bring the Law to an end; but he has given us the first fruits of divine grace and unsullied life. Fulfiller of the Law, as being not hostile to God, Christ was revealed as incarnate, and vouchsafed willingly to be circumcised on the eighth day. Of the Saint. The same Irmos. When you had become filled with all learning, no only that which is below and well-worn, but even more that which better, you were revealed, Basil, as a light for the world. Grounded in the fear of the Lord; for this is the beginning of wisdom; you were given wings by the love of the better wisdom, O Basil. Basil you wisely you took the path of practice and showed practice to the path to more divine contemplation, and you were clearly initiated into the knowledge of things that are. Your commemoration, Father, coincided and shone out together with the Christ’s nativity; the ineffable mystery of which you made manifest by your teachings. Theotokion. Without seed you conceived in the womb, and you gave birth ineffably to God, on whom, pure Ever-virgin, the Powers of heaven dare not look. Katavasia. ’The Lord who gives strength to our Kings, and exalts the horn of his anointed ones, is born of a Virgin; but now is coming for Baptism; and so let us, the faithful, cry aloud: None is holy as our God, and none is righteous but you, O Lord’. Another. ’All we who have been freed from ancient
snares, Kathisma. Tone 8. The Wisdom and Word. Opening your mouth with God’s word, you uttered wisdom, Herald of light, and sowed in the inhabited world thought inspired by God; You truly confirmed the doctrines of the Fathers and appeared in the manner of Paul a champion of the faith. Therefore you are a fellow citizen of the Angels, and have been declared their companion, blest Saint. Basil, revealer of heaven, intercede with Christ God to grant forgiveness of offences to those who feast with love your holy memory. Glory. Tone 3. Of godly faith.You watered the whole inhabited world by your teachings, as by water, sowing doctrines in it; for Christ the source of life truly took his rest in you, Basil; as you have gained boldness, O inspired by God, implore him to grant us his great mercy. Both now. Today the Virgin.The Lord of all things undergoes circumcision, and as he is good circumcises mortals’ faults; today he gives salvation to the world, while in the highest the Creator’s high priest and bearer of light rejoices, Basil the great initiate of Christ. Ode 4. The Irmos. ’I heard the report of your dispensation, Lord, and I glorified you, only lover of humankind’. Circumcision has ceased since Christ was willingly circumcised, saving the multitudes of the nations by grace. The eighth day, on which the master Christ was circumcised, is an image of the unending life of the age to come. Of the Saint. The same Irmos. As the Bride, the Church, is made lovely by the birth of Christ, so too she is by your memory, O all-blessed. Proud to be a child of God, Basil, devoutly you did not lower the Godhead to be a creature. Unhumbled you appeared allied to God, Basil, for by his command you were humbled to all. You have been given to the Church by God as a palisade and stout wall, Basil all-blessed. To those opposed to God you appeared as a cutting axe and a fire consuming deception, Father Basil. Theotokion. We implore you, Immaculate, who conceived God without seed, to intercede for ever for your servants. Katavasia. The one whom you called: A Voice crying in the wilderness, heard your voice, Lord, when you thundered upon many waters, bearing witness to your Son. Wholly filled with the Spirit that was present, he cried out: You are Christ, Wisdom and Power of God. Another. ’Cleansed by the torch of mystic contemplation,
Ode 5. The Irmos. ’Giver of the light and maker of the ages, Lord, guide us by the light of your commands; for we know no other God but you’. From a Virgin Mother, Lord, you came forth beyond explanation, and did not disdain to clothe yourself in mortals’ form, so as a babe in accordance with the law you fulfilled the Law. Of the Saint. The same Irmos. Truly the Church holds a double feast today: of the Circumcision as a babe of the Master who appeared on earth, and of the memory of a wise and thrice-blessed servant. Christ the light beyond understanding dwelt in you, venerable Father, and revealed you as a torch of light for the world; and so we sing the praise of your memory, Basil. Not Moses the giver of the Law, nor Joseph before the Law was a distributor of nourishment like you; for you, Basil, were revealed as host at the banquet of God’s flesh. The Genesis of the universe, dimly recounted to Moses on Sinai, you interpreted to all unfolding it from divine treasuries, Basil all-blessed. Theotokion. To you, who gave birth to Christ, the creator of the universe, we cry: Hail, Pure One! Hail, who made the Light dawn for us! Hail, who contained the God who cannot be contained. Katavasia. Jesus, the Prince of life, has come to abolish the condemnation of Adam the first-formed; for though as God he has no need of cleansing, for the fallen he is cleansed in Jordan; in which he slew the enmity and grants the peace which passes all understanding. Another. ’Washed by the cleansing of the
Spirit from Ode 6. The Irmos. ’A final abyss of sins has surrounded me, but as you did the Prophet Jonas, Lord, Lord, bring me up from corruption’. The Law has come to an end since Christ became an infant, and revealed as the fulfiller of the Law he accepted circumcision and abolished the curse of the Law. Sabbaths and Circumcision, the proud boast of the Hebrews, have ceased now that Christ has been made manifest, and the spring of grace has shone. Of the Saint. The same Irmos. Unstintingly you nourished souls of the poor that were wasted by famine, and you filled the hearts of those who hungered, Basil, with every godly joy. With the bee’s love of toil, Basil, you gathered every flower of virtue; and becoming skilled in them you are called blessed. You hastened to break free of the world and to live your life with God; and so Father Basil, in wisdom you have gained things that abide for things that are transient and unstable. Theotokion. A bush on Sinai that clung to fire unburned prefigured you, a Mother ever-virgin, O Mary without bridegroom Mother of God. Katavasia. The voice of the Word, the lampstand of the Light, the morning star, the Forerunner of the Sun, cried out in the wilderness to all the peoples: Repent and be cleansed; for see, Christ is near, who ransoms the world from corruption. Another. ’The Father’s joyful voice made manifest Kontakion. Tone 4. Today you have appeared Today you have appeared to the inhabited world, and your light, O Lord, has been signed upon us, who with knowledge sing your praise: You have come, you have appeared, the unapproachable Light. The Ikos. Bowl of temperance, mouth of wisdom and foundation of doctrines, Basil the Great shines spiritually for all. Come then, let us stand in the house of God, gazing fervently and delighting in his wonders; and so made radiant by their light as by great brilliance, we may be warmed by the purifying spirit of his way of life, imitating his faith, his zeal and his humility; through which he was revealed as truly a house of God; to whom we cry out, as we sing his praise: venerable Father Basil, Revealer of heaven. Synaxarion. January, which has 31 days. The day has 10 hours, the night 14. On the 1st of the month we celebrate the Circumcision according to the flesh of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Verses. The Law cut off, at once grace entered in. On the same day, Commemoration of our Father among the Saints Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Verses. Lives he with us, as speaking from his books. Basil, you died on the first on the month that is named after Janus. On the same day the holy Martyr Theodotos died by the sword. Verses. Unless my head is cut off for God’s sake. On the same day, Saint Gregory, father of Saint Gregory the Divine, died in peace. Verses. Your eulogy was spoken by your son. At their holy intercessions, O God, have mercy on us. Ode 7. The Irmos. ’When the golden image was being worshipped in the plain of Deira, your three Youths despised the godless decree; but cast into the midst of the fire, they were refreshed by dew and sang: Blessed are you, the God of our Fathers’. The nativity of Christ is all radiant and bright, and traces out today the mystery of the renewal of the age to come; because by the regulation of the Law the Saviour is circumcised , not as God, but as a mortal and the fulfilment of the Law. Fulfilling the Law the Maker of the Law is today willingly circumcised in the flesh, bringing about the circumcision of the winter of sin, and granting grace to cry: Blessed are you the God of our Fathers. Of the Saint. The same Irmos. The Son, the image of the Father, and the Spirit of the Son have appeared; while you, O Basil, are an unsullied mirror of the Spirit and a house for the whole Trinity; blest is your memory; and those who glorify it are glorified in return. Sinking your mind deep into the unfathomable depths of God, and gathering the pearl of knowledge of great price, you enriched the world with wisdom and taught it to cry: Blessed are you the God of our Fathers. O harmony of mind, sacred pair, soul as one though separated in two bodies, united by godly love, Basil in Gregory and Gregory, now intercede with Christ on behalf of your flock. Father of orphans, defender of widows, wealth for paupers, consolation of the weak, pilotage for those with wealth, staff of old age, guidance of youth and rule of virtue for monks you have been declared, O Basil. Cleansing your mind of every miry defilement, Basil, you looked deep into the things of the Spirit by the Spirit which you longed for; therefore as you praised the Trinity, you cried with boldness: Blessed are you, the God of our Fathers. Theotokion. Moses foresaw you on Mount Sinai as a bush that flamed, Pure Virgin, who bore within you unconsumed the unendurable radiance of the ineffable Being, united to the solidity of one flesh of the two natures in it. Katavasia. ’The whistling wind of dew and the descent of God’s Angel preserved the devout youths unharmed as they walked in the fiery furnace; therefore, refreshed with dew in the flame, they sang in thanksgiving: O highly exalted, the Lord and God of our Fathers, blessed are you’. Another. "He burned the heads of dragons in the stream, Ode 8. The Irmos. "God the Word, who sustains all things by his ineffable wisdom and brought them out of nothing into being, bless him as Lord, all you works of the Lord". On the eighth day the Master is circumcised as a babe and receives the name Jesus, because he is the Saviour of the world and Lord. The all-glorious memory of the High Priest is fittingly linked with the nativity of Christ; as we honour it with faith we hymn the Lord. Of the Saint. The same Irmos. Him who gave Basil to the world in his ineffable providence as a light of true religion and trumpet of theology, bless him, as Lord, all you works of the Lord. Him, who with abundant activity made his dwelling in wise Basil, and through him preached true theology, bless him, as Lord, all you works of the Lord. We, who unceasingly enjoy your godlike words, Basil, as we keep festival in your memory, cry out: Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. You sent out into the world, Basil, the beams of your words, which lighted it to honour one nature of the Trinity, as it cried: You his works, bless the Lord. Theotokion. God the Word, who came forth from the Father before the ages and beyond time, and who in these last days dawned from a Virgin, bless him, as Lord, all you works of the Lord. Katavasia. ’The furnace in Babylon, as it poured forth dew, revealed a marvellous mystery: that the Jordan was about to receive in its streams immaterial fire and contain the Creator as he was baptised in the flesh; whom peoples bless and highly exalt to all the ages’. Another. ’Creation knows that it has been set free; Ode 9. Magnify, O my soul, her who is greater in honour and more glorious than the hosts on high. ( Twice).Magnify, O my soul, him was circumcised in the flesh according to the Law. Magnify, O my soul, him who received circumcision on the eighth day. Today the Master is circumcised in the flesh as babe, fulfilling the Law. Today the Master was circumcised in the flesh and was named Jesus. Others for the Canon of the Saint. Magnify, O my soul, Basil the Great, among the Hierarchs. Magnify, O my soul, Basil, the Great, of Caesarea. Magnify, O my soul, the shining beacon of the inhabited world. Magnify, O my soul, one who has adorned the Church of Christ. Glory. Magnify, O my soul, the might of the three-personned and undivided Godhead. Both now. Magnify, O my soul, her who rescued us from the curse. The Irmos. ’From your virgin womb you ineffably gave a body to God who dawned as the beacon before the sun, and who dwelt among us in the body, O blessed, all-pure Mother of God, we magnify you’. Passing beyond the bounds of all human nature, Christ is born of a Virgin, and as the letter of the law lays down is circumcised in the flesh and shown to be one who fulfils the Law. Come, let us with holiness celebrate the festival of the glorious name day of the Master, Christ; for in a manner fitting God he is called Jesus today; with this let us also magnify the memory of the Hierarch. Of the Saint. The same Irmos. As a faithful sheep of Christ the Chief Shepherd you followed, Basil, in his life-bearing steps; for you for you gave up your soul, all-blessed Father, to the tyrant, nobly braving danger for the Church. When he perceived the most sacred body of Christ’s Church adorned by your high priesthood, wise Basil, the all-destructive tyrant fell, struck by lightning; for he could endure the beam of the Spirit that was in you. You were counted worthy, Basil, of the throne of the Apostles, the choir of Christ’s Champions, the tent of the Patriarchs, the delight of the Just and the choir of the Prophets; for you became an initiate of the Mother of God and a worshipper of the Trinity. Theotokion. The Lord, who alone covers his upper chambers with the waters, reins back the sea and dries up the deeps, taking flesh from you, pure Virgin, hastens from Bethlehem to Jordan, to be baptised in the flesh. Katavasia. ’Every tongue is at a loss to praise you worthily; even a spirit above the world reels to sing your praise, Mother of God; but as you are good, accept our faith, for you know our love inspired by God; for you are the protectress of Christians; we magnify you’. Another. ’O how the wonders of your giving birth Exapostilarion. With love of true love of wisdom, Father, you circumcised the covering of your soul and were revealed to the world as a sun by your wonders, and flooded the minds of the faithful with light, O Basil, worshipper of the Trinity and initiate of the Mother of God. Of the Feast. The same melody. The Creator of the ages, who fulfilled the law as a babe of eight days, is circumcised in the flesh; and he is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a mortal and he is nourished with milk, who holds all things by his infinite strength as God, and ends them in an instant. At Lauds we insert 4 Stichera, and we sing Prosomia. Tone 5. He who was born ineffably from the Father without division and without change as Word and God from God, abiding in unaltered Godhead, undergoes Circumcision in the flesh; and so, in accordance with the Law he who is beyond the Law ransoms all from the curse of the Law and grants the blessing from on high. Therefore as we sing our praise we hymn his supremely loving condescension and give glory with thanksgiving, as we implore him that our souls may be given his great mercy. When by adoption you had become a son of God, by the rebirth of divine Baptism, you confessed that he who is in nature and truth and before the ages the Son and Word of God is consubstantial with the Father and like him without beginning, Venerable Father; and by the splendour of your words you fenced the ungated mouths of heretics. Therefore you have come to dwell in the palaces on high, where you reign with Christ, who alone reigns by nature, and who distributes richly to the world his great mercy. You entered within a heavenly Temple as a sacred Hierarch, wearing, like a holy robe, action and contemplation, the beginnings of wisdom, and now, as you act as priest at the altar on high, Venerable Father, and perform the immaterial liturgy, remember, compassionate, all-blessed Basil, those who celebrate your sacred and all honoured memory, as you intercede with Christ, who grants the world his great mercy. Wholly consecrated to God, and from childhood dedicated to him in every way, irradiated by the rays of the wisdom beyond wisdom, you made clear the knowledge of what exists; radiantly explaining and wisely expounding the orderly arrangement of what exists, setting out the principles of a more godlike knowledge. Therefore we proclaim you to be a godlike Teacher, inspired by God, a light-bearing Beacon of the Church, as we sing the praise of Christ, who grants the world his great mercy. Glory. Tone 6.Grace was poured out on your lips, Venerable Father, and you became shepherd of Christ’s Church, teaching the rational sheep to believe in a consubstantial Trinity in one Godhead. Both now. Of the Feast. Tone 8.The Saviour in coming down to aid the human race accepted circumvolution in swaddling clothes; he did not abhor circumcision of the flesh, when eight days old in respect of his Mother, without beginning in respect of his Father. To him let us believers cry aloud: You are our God; have mercy on us. Great Doxology and Dismissal. AT THE LITURGY Typika and from the Canon the 3rd Ode of the Feast and 6th Ode of the Saint. Entrance. Come let us worship... Son of God, circumcised in the flesh, save us who sing to you: Alleluia! Communion. Praise the Lord from the heavens [ as on Sundays] and The just will be held in everlasting memory.Note that on this day the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great is celebrated because of his sacred and revered commemoration. [ The details of the different typika vary a good deal for the Liturgy. Some permit Antiphons instead of the Typika; some give as the Entrance chant, Son of God, wonderful in the Saints; some order the Apolytikion of the Saint of the Monastery as well as those of the Feast and Saint, that of Dionysiou simply saying, and the usual; some replace, We have seen the true light by the Apolytikion of the Feast and only prescribe one Communion chant. In all cases In you, O full of grace replaces It is truly meet.] |
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