various services are much more complicated than ours. They
have no such compendium as the Roman breviary. There are
eleven chief books: The Typikon ((Greek characters)) is a perpetual
Calendar containing the list of the feasts and arrangements for
every possible coincidence; each special office is noted, and the
first words of the lessons, hymns, &c., are given;[1] the Euchologion ((
Greek characters)) corresponds more or less to our missal. It
contains the complete text of the three liturgies that they use,
but also the administration of the other Sacraments and various
sacramentals (blessings and so on); the Triodion ((
Greek characters))
contains the Divine Office for the movable days from the tenth
Sunday before Easter (our Sunday before Septuagesima) till
Holy Saturday; the Pentekostarion ((
Greek characters)) continues
the Triodion from Easter Day till All Saints' Sunday (first after
Pentecost); the Oktoechos ((
Greek characters)) has the offices for the
Sundays during the rest of the year with their various kinds of
hymns, &c., arranged according to the eight modes ((
Greek characters));
the Parakletike ((
Greek characters)) has the week-day offices. These
books, then, make up the movable days and correspond more or
less to our Proprium temporis. The Proprium sanctorum is
contained in the twelve Menaias ((
Greek characters)), one for each month,
which gives the life of the Saint of the day to be read (our
lessons in the second nocturn) and their special hymns and
prayers. The Menologion ((
Greek characters)) is an abbreviated menaia.
The Horologion ((
Greek characters)) contains the day-hours and the chief
feasts from the Menologion. The Psalter ((
Greek characters)), Gospel
((
Greek characters)), and Apostle ((
Greek characters) = Epistles and Acts) contain
the parts of the Bible read liturgically.[2]
1 Nilles, i. lxv-lxix, gives a specimen (the Transfiguration, August 6th) from the Typikon published at Constantinople in 1874.
2 The Greek texts of these books are published by the Phoenix Press at Venice, and (for the Uniates) by Propaganda at Rome. Then there are translations into the other liturgical languages. Provost Maltzew has translated the Russian ones into German, and Goar edited the Euchologion with copious notes (see list of books, p. xxvi., seq.). Nilles, Kalendarium, i., is adapted from the Menaia, and ii. from the Triodos, Pentekostarion, Oktoechos, and Parakletike. See also Kattenbusch: Confessionskunde, i. pp. 478-486, die hlgen Bücher.