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On Typika and Beatitudes

According to the Typikon of Violakis, the Typika (Psalms 102 and 145) and Beatitudes should be chanted every Sunday, unless a feast of Christ or the Theotokos, or its apodosis, falls on the same day. As Violakis writes in his Protheoria: "Every Sunday in the liturgy, the Typika and Beatitudes are chanted without fail (ἀπαραιτήτως)  with their eight resurrectional troparia from the Octoechos. However, when the forefeast or afterfeast of Dominical or Marian feasts, or the memories of celebrated Saints fall on a Sunday, then four Resurrectional troparia are chanted with four troparia from the Sixth Ode of the Canon of the feast or saint." For the feast days of "celebrated" saints, Violakis also requires Typika and Beatitudes: "On the feast-days of celebrated saints, on whichever day of the week they may fall, the Typika are appointed  without fail (ἀπαραιτήτως) , since the Saints do not have verses for Antiphons."  In other words, the feast days of Sai...

The "Apodosis" of Saint John's Nativity

The Typikon is one of the most essential liturgical books in the Orthodox tradition, providing liturgical instructions for individual days throughout the year and giving guidance to chanters on what should be chanted during the services. Yet the Typikon is often misunderstood or, especially in the United States, not consulted at all. Encoded within the Typikon are generations of liturgical tradition that cannot be simply gleaned by looking at the Octoechos or Menaion. This wisdom makes sure that the services are done uniformly (at least in theory), that the saints are glorified appropriately and, on Sundays, without overshadowing the celebration of Christ's Resurrection. This coming Sunday on the Old Calendar, June 25th, presents an interesting scenario that absolutely requires the clarification of the Typikon: The Apodosis of St. John's Nativity. June 25th, coming a day after the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, actually serves as a rare example of a saint which has an Ap...