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Ruthenian Liturgy: An Historical-Theological Explanation

Author: 
Year:
Pages:172
ISBN:0-7734-2555-1
978-0-7734-2555-2
Price:$159.95
The Ruthenian Rite is the Slavonic version of Greek Catholicism brought to the Slavs in the ninth century by SS Cyril and Methodius. In America the Ruthenian Catholic Church is the Byzantine Metropolitan Church Sui Juris of Pittsburg U.S.A. In 2007, the English Liturgy then in use since 1970 was replaced by a revision much changed in language and music. While it contains a few excellent changes, such as substituting “Covenant” for “Testament” in the anaphora, overall the revision is deeply flawed.

For Ruthenians, the authoritative Slavonic liturgy is to be respected. Slavonic bohol’ubiv’im and Bohoródista ought to be normative, for instance, not Greek thesphilestatou and Theotokos. The trite and secularizing language imposed on the Divine Liturgy give it limited shelf life. Idiosyncratic new translations such as “Holy Gifts For Holy People” needlessly distance Ruthenian worship from the Orthodox. The music of authentic Slavonic chant was subjected to countless distracting musical changes. Centuries ago the Slavonic liturgy developed a vibrant tradition of paraliturgical hymnody, but it was inauthentic in 2007 to set liturgical texts to modern, non-liturgical melodies.

Reviews

“… knowledgeable, precise, thorough, calm and authoritative book … Its importance goes far beyond whats its title modestly indicates.” – Prof. Jeffrey Burton Russell, University of California, Santa Barbara

Table of Contents

Foreword by Professor Jeffrey Burton Russell

Prologue

Introduction

Chapter 1: Restorations and Authentic Developments

Background, Greek and Slavonic

Restoration and Authentic Developments

Chapter 2: Principles for Liturgical Translation and Revision

Our Context

Nature of the Byzantine Liturgy

Affirmative of Women

Principles of Change

Chapter 3: Analysis of the Liturgical Materials of March 25, 2005

Layout

Translations

Shrunken Lexicon and Simplified Syntax

Literalism

Inconsistency

Several Specific Passages

Music

Conclusion

Epilogue

Indices

Scriptural Indices