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13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 16/29)

Afterfeast of the Dormition of the All-Holy Theotokos
Commemoration of the Translation of the Image Not-made-by-Hands of our
Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople

VESPERS: Tone 5

P. Regular Beginning
C. Lord I have cried... (Tone 5)

1. Thou hast shamed the devil with Thy precious Cross, O Christ,/ and hast
blunted the sting of sin by Thy Resurrection./ Thou hast saved us from
the gates of death.// Thou, O only-begotten Son, we glorify Thee.

2. He Who granted mankind the Resurrection/ was led like a lamb to the
slaughter;/ the princes of hell trembled before Him,/ the gates of
tears were lifted up:/ for Christ the King of glory entered in,/
declaring to those in bonds: "Go forth"// and to those in darkness:
"Show yourselves."

3. What a mighty wonder;/ in His love for mankind,/ the Maker of things
invisible suffered in the flesh and He Who was immortal rose./ Come
and worship Him, ye kindreds of the nations;/ let us, delivered indeed
from beguilement by His compassion,// learn to sing the praises of the
only God in three Persons.

Stichera for the Feast (Tone 2)

4. With what unworthy lips shall we bless the Theotokos,/ who is more
honorable than creation/ and more holy than the cherubim and all the
angels:/ the immovable throne of the King, the house wherein the Most
High dwelt,/ the sanctuary of God, the salvation of the world,// the
one who richly bestoweth great mercy upon the faithful on the day of
her divine memorial?

5. What hymns of awe did the apostles of the Word offer thee, O Virgin,/
when they all stood round about thy bier, crying out in fear:/ "The
palace of the King departeth, the ark of sanctification is exalted,/
the gates are thrown wide, that the portal of God may enter into
joy,// unceasingly asking great mercy for the world"?

6. What spiritual hymns shall we now offer unto thee, O most holy one?/
For by thine immortal dormition thou hast sanctified the whole world/
and passed over to the things which are above the world,/ to comprehend
the beauty of the Almighty,/ and to rejoice in Him, as His Mother,/ the
ranks of angels and the souls of the righteous accompanying thee.//
With them ask for us peace and great mercy.

Stichera for the Translation of the Image (Tone 2)

7/8. With what eyes shall we mortals look upon Thine image,/ shining with
divine light, upon which the angelic armies cannot readily gaze?/ For
it departeth from the land of the infidel today,/ and cometh to the
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Imperial City and to pious people, at the behest of God./ Kings attend
upon its elevation,// falling down before it with fear and faith, O
Christ.

9. With what hands defiled by sins shall we, the earthly, touch Thine
image, O Word, our sinless God,/ Who art inaccessible to the defiled?/
The cherubim cover their eyes, trembling;/ the seraphim cannot bear to
look upon Thy glory, and creation travaileth for Thee in fear./
Wherefore, O Christ, condemn us not,// who unworthily kiss Thy
countenance with fear and faith.

10. Again the divine day of the Master’s solemnity hath dawned!/ For
behold! He Who sitteth in the highest hath now manifestly visited us
in His image./ The Invisible One Who is in the highest/ is seen by
the cherubim to be circumscribed,/ likening Himself to that which was
ineffably fashioned/ by the all-pure finger of the Father in His
likeness.// And falling down before it with faith and love, we are
sanctified.

Glory... (Tone 8)
O Master, Who lovest mankind,/ great is the depth of Thy dispensation;/
for unto the benefit of Thy creation for generations of generations,/
depicting the image of Thine all-pure countenance,/ Thou didst send it to
Abgar who desired to see Thee,/ Who art invisible in Thy divinity even to
the cherubim,/ that he might see the image of Thee Who becamest incarnate
for our sake,/ and suffered of Thine own will./ And we are set afire by Thy
love,// which Thou hast poured forth upon us, for the sake of Thy great
mercy.

Both... Dogmatikon (Tone 5)

In times past,/ the image of the unwedded Bride was inscribed in the
Red Sea:/ There Moses parted the waters;/ here, Gabriel was the servant of
the wonder./ Then, Israel rode dry-shod through the deep;/ while, now, the
Virgin hath without seed given birth to Christ./ After the passing of
Israel,/ the sea was as ever impassable./ After the birth of Emmanuel,/ the
Virgin without reproach, remains uncorrupt./ Thou, O God, Who art now, hast
forever been and hast appeared as man,// have mercy upon us.

P. Wisdom. Aright!
C. O Joyful Light...
P. Prokimenon. The Lord is King...
P. Wisdom! (And readings, if any)
P. Augmented Litany
R. Vouchsafe...
P. Litany of Fervent Supplication

C. Litya (Tone 4)
It is not a fiery chariot which hath translated thee from among those
on earth,/ like the righteous Elijah;/ but the Sun of righteousness
Himself,/ taking thine all-holy soul in His own hands, as immaculate,/ hath
all-gloriously given thee rest in Himself, O pure one,// and having
translated thee hath settled thee in joy past understanding.
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Come, O ye who love the feasts of the Church,/ and let us splendidly
celebrate the holy repose of the Mother of God today;/ for, rejoicing, she
hath truly committed her divine and all-pure soul into the hands of Jesus
our God,/ Who first shone forth from the incorrupt Father/ and later from
her own womb.// And she prayeth that we be saved.

O most awesome wonder!/ She who bore the Uncontainable King in her
womb is laid in the tomb./ The assemblies of angels and the apostles inter
her God-pleasing and precious body with fear;/ and uplifting it, Jesus, her
Son, the Saviour of our souls,// hath brought it up to the heavens.

Glory... (Tone 4)
Let the clouds let fall sweetness,/ and let the mountains leap up in
joy over the all-glorious mighty works of Christ our God;/ for yesterday on
Mount Tabor the light of the Godhead shone forth,/ assuring the pre-eminent
disciples,/ and presenting Moses and Elijah with glory,/ bearing witness
unto Him Who hath authority over the law and the dominion over the living
and the dead./ Today, in the midst of the world,/ the radiant depiction
hath shone forth,/ assuring all that He is our God incarnate, to Whom we
chant:// Glory to Thy love for mankind, O Christ!

Both... (Tone 5)
O ye people, hymn ye,/ hymn ye the Mother of our God!/ For today she
committeth her most radiant soul/ into the all-pure hands of Him Who became
incarnate of her without seed./ And she entreateth Him unceasingly,// that
He grant peace and great mercy to the whole world.

P. Litya prayers in back of Church

APOSTICHA: (Tone 5)

1. We lift up our voices in song/ to magnify Thee, O Saviour,/ Christ

incarnate yet never parted from heaven,/ for Thou Lord Who lovest
mankind,/ hast suffered the Cross and death for the sake of our kind/
and casting down the gates of hell,// Thou hast risen on the third day
and thereby saved our souls.

V. The Lord is King,/ and hath put on glorious apparel.

2. O Giver of Life,/ Thy pierced side poured streams of remission, life

and salvation upon us all./ By taking upon Thyse-lf death in the
flesh,/ Thou hast granted us immortality,/ and taking up Thy abode in
the tomb,/ Thou hast set us all free,/ and as God Thou hast raised us
up with Thee in glory./ Therefore, we cry aloud:// Glory unto Thee, O
Lord, Who lovest mankind.

V. He hath made the world so sure/ that it cannot be moved.

3. O Thou Wh-o lovest mankind/ strange are Thy crucifixion and Thy descent
into hell./ For after despoiling it, and raising up with Thyself as
God in glory,/ those who were in times of old held captive there,/ Thou
hast opened Paradise and vouchsafed that it let man enter./ Cleanse
us, therefore, from sin,/ who glorify Thy Resurrection on the third
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day/ and vouchsafe that we too may dwell in Eden:// For Thou alone art
merciful.

V. Holiness becometh Thine house/ O Lord, forever.

4. O Thou, Who for our sakes hast accepted suffering in the flesh/ and
hast risen on the third day from the dead,/ heal the passions of our
flesh/ and raise us from our grievous iniquities and save us:// For
Thou alo-ne lovest mankind.

Glory... (Tone 6)
Thou didst become incarnate as Thou didst desire, O Lord;/ Thou didst
deign to assume our poverty,/ and didst show forth riches of compassion,
whereby Thou hast deified me who am dust./ We glorify Thee Who lovest
mankind,/ gazing upon the image of Thy countenance./ Thereby, O Saviour,
grant unto Thy servants entry into Eden unhindered,// overlooking all our
transgressions.

Both now and ever... (Tone 8)

Jesus, thy Son and our God, O Theotokos,/ confirming His two natures,
dieth as a man and riseth as God;/ and it was His good pleasure, O Mother of
God, that thou diest also,/ lest the unbelieving consider His dispensation
but a phantasm./ For thou didst pass over to the land of heaven, O
celestial Bride,/ taken up from the earth as from the chamber of thy
dwelling./ The air was sanctified by thy passage,/ as the earth was
illumined by thy birthgiving./ The apostles send thee forth, and the angels
bear thee up./ Wherefore, having buried thine all-pure body and chanted
funeral hymnody for thee,/ they gazed in awe and said with fear:/ This
change is from the right hand of the Most High;/ for He dwelt within thee,
and thou shalt not be shaken!/ O all-hymned Mother, depart not from thy
watch over us;/ for we are thy people and the sheep of thy pasture,/ and we
call upon thy name,// asking salvation and great mercy for thy sake.

C. St. Symeon's Prayer

R. Trisagion

C. Troparion for the Dormition (Tone 1) x2

In giving birth, thou didst preserve thy virginity,/ in falling asleep
thou didst not forsake the world, O Theotokos./ Thou wast translated to
life O Mother of Life.// And by thy prayers thou deliverest our souls from
death.

Troparion for the Image-not-made-by-hands (Tone 2)

We bow down before Thine all-pure image, O Good One,/ asking
forgiveness of our transgressions, O Christ God;/ for Thou wast well pleased
to ascend the Cross in the flesh of Thine own will,/ that Thou mightest save
what Thou hadst created from slavery to the enemy./ Wherefore, we cry out
to Thee in thanksgiving:/ Thou hast filled all things with joy, O our
Saviour,// Who hast come to save the world.

P. Blessing of loaves.
C. Amen. Blessed be the Name of the Lord...
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MATINS: Tone 5

P. Regular Beginning
P. Great Ectenia
C. God is the Lord...

C. Sunday Troparia (Tone 5) x2

Let us, the faithful, praise and worship the Word/ co-eternal with the
Father and the Spirit/ Born for our salvation from the Virgin,/ for He
willed to be lifted upon the Cross in the flesh/ to endure death and to
raise the dead/ by His glorious Resurrection.

Glory... Troparion for the Image-not-made-by-hands (Tone 2)

We bow down before Thine all-pure image, O Good One,/ asking
forgiveness of our transgressions, O Christ God;/ for Thou wast well pleased
to ascend the Cross in the flesh of Thine own will,/ that Thou mightest save
what Thou hadst created from slavery to the enemy./ Wherefore, we cry out
to Thee in thanksgiving:/ Thou hast filled all things with joy, O our
Saviour,// Who hast come to save the world.

Both... Troparion for the Dormition (Tone 1)

In giving birth, thou didst preserve thy virginity,/ in falling asleep
thou didst not forsake the world, O Theotokos./ Thou wast translated to
life O Mother of Life.// And by thy prayers thou deliverest our souls from
death.

Lord Have Mercy 3x

Glory...

R. Now...
R. Kathisma II
P. Small Ectenia

R. Sessional Hymns:
We praise the Cross of the Lord, we honour His holy burial with hymns,
and we greatly glorify His resurrection, for as God with Himself He raised
the dead up from the graves, having captured the dominion of death and the
might of the devil; and He shone light upon those in hades.

V. Arise, O Lord my God, let Thy hand be lifted high; forget not Thy
paupers to the end.

Declared to be dead, O Lord Who didst slay death, Thou wast laid in a
tomb, O Thou Who emptied the graves. Above, soldiers kept guard over Thy
sepulcher, while below Thou didst raise up the dead from ages past. O
almighty and unapproachable Lord, glory be to Thee!

G/B... Rejoice! Thou impassable gateway of the Lord; Rejoice!

Thou wall and protection of those who take refuge in Thee; Rejoice! Thou
haven untroubled by storms; Rejoice! Thou who hast not known wedlock and
who hast borne Thy Son and Maker and God in the flesh. Fail not in thy
intercession on behalf of those who sing the praises of and worship thy
Son.
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R. Kathisma III
P. Small Ectenia

R. Sessional Hymns:
O Lord, after Thy resurrection on the third day and the worship of the
apostles, Peter cried out to Thee: "The women showed courage, but I was
afraid. The thief uttered theology, but I denied Thee. And dost Thou now
call upon me to be Thine apostle still? Or wilt Thou show me again to be a
fisher of the deep? Yet do Thou accept me, who repent, O God, and save me!"

V. I will confess Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will tell of

all Thy wonders.

O Lord, the iniquitous nailed Thee in the midst of condemned criminals,

and pierced Thy side with a spear, O Merciful One! Thou didst accept
burial, Who broke down the gates of hades, and didst rise again on the third
day. The women hastened to behold Thee, and announced Thine arising to the
apostles. O supremely exalted Saviour, Whom the angels hymn, O blessed
Lord, glory be to Thee!

G/B... O Theotokos, unwedded Bride, who hast transformed the grief

of Eve into joy, we, the faithful, hymn and bow down before thee, for thou
hast led us out of the ancient curse. And now, pray thou unceasingly, O
most hymned and all-holy one, that we be saved.

R. Psalm 118
C. Evlogitaria (Blessed art Thou, O Lord...)
P. Small Ectenia

R. Ypakoe:
The myrrh-bearing women, their minds dazzled by the sight of the angel
and their souls enlightened by Thy divine Resurrection, preached the good
tidings to the Apostles: "O spread among the nations the news of the
Resurrection of the Lord, He, Who works wonders and grants us His great
mercy."

Hymn of Degrees: (Antiphon One)

When I am filled with sorrow, I sing unto Thee like David, O my
Saviour: Deliver my soul from a lying tongue.
Blessed is the life of those in the wilderness, who soar aloft on wings
of love divine.
G/B... By the Holy Spirit are sustained all things, visible and
invisible; for, Himself possessed of dominion, He is truly One of the
Trinity.

Hymn of Degrees: (Antiphon Two)

Ascend into the mountain, O my soul and go thither from whence cometh
our help.
Let Thy right hand, which toucheth me, O Christ, preserve me from all
deception.
G/B... Theologizing concerning the Holy Spirit, let us say: Thou
art God, Life, Love, Light and understanding! Thou art Goodness and Thou
reignest forever!

Hymn of Degrees: (Antiphon Three)

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Full of great Joy, I send up supplications for those who have said to
me: Let us enter into the courts of the Lord.
Awesome things are wrought in the house of David; for there is found
the fire which burneth up every shameful thought.
G/B... To the Holy Spirit, by Whom every living thing is made
animate, is due the dignity of the Bestower of life, as to the Father and
the Word.

P. Prokimenon: (Tone 5)
Arise, O Lord, my God, let Thy hand be lifted high;/ for Thou shalt be
King forever.
V. I will confess to Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will tell
of all Thy wonders.

C. Let every breath praise the Lord.

P. GOSPEL #3

C. Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ...

R. Psalm 50
C. Glory... Now... Have mercy on me... Jesus having risen...

P. Save, O God, Thy People...

Anointing.

Canticle One

Irmos: Bringing battles to naught with His upraised arm,/ Christ

hath overthrown horse and rider/ in the Red Sea,/ and hath
saved Israel,// who chanteth a hymn of victory.

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

The thorny assembly of the Jews, devoid of maternal love for Thee,
their Benefactor, O Christ, crowned Thee with thorns, Who lifted the thorny
sentence of our first father.

Bending down, O Bestower of life, Thou raised me up who had fallen into
the pit; and having endured my fetid corruption without partaking thereof, O
Christ, Thou hast made me fragrant with the myrrh of the divine Essence.

Theotokion
The curse hath been annulled; grief hath ceased! For she who is
blessed and full of grace hath shone joy forth upon the faithful, causing
Christ to blossom forth as a blessing upon all the ends of the earth.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Let the immaterial ranks accompany thy divine and immaterial body to
Sion. For the multitude of the apostles, coming together of a sudden from
the ends of the earth, stood before thee, O Theotokos. With them we also
glorify thine honoured memory, O pure one.

The honours of victory over nature hast thou taken, having given birth
unto God, O pure one; yet, emulating thy Creator and Son, thou submittest to
the laws of nature in supernatural manner. Wherefore, having died, thou
risest with thy Son unto everlasting life.
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Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

He Who before was incorporeal did not disdain to assume our fleshly
form at the good pleasure of the Father, and hath given us His divine
depiction.

The immutable Essence, the most renowned delineation of the Father,

Who entered human flesh, left us His features on earth when He ascended to
the heavens.

Glory... Thine inheritance, which was shaken by the deceit of the

adversaries, didst Thou justify, O Christ, confirming it by Thy precious
sufferings and the depiction of Thy countenance.

Both... He Who supernaturally took flesh of thy pure womb, Who

bringeth all men into existence, was seen, O all-immaculate one, without
leaving the place where He was before.

C. Katavasia (Tone 1)
Thy sacred and glorious memory,/ all-adorned with divine glory, O
Virgin,/ that gathered all the faithful in gladness,/ who, led by Miriam
with choirs and timbrels,// hymn thine only-begotten Son, for gloriously
hath He been glorified.

Canticle Three

Irmos: O Christ Who by Thy command fixed the earth upon naught/ and
suspended its weight unsupported;/ establish Thou Thy Church/
upon the immovable rock of Thy commandments,// O Thou Who
alone art good and lovest mankind.

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

They who sucked honey from a rock when Thou didst work a miracle in the
desert, O Christ, gave Thee gall to eat; the ungrateful children of Israel
gave Thee vinegar in return for manna, repaying thus Thy benefactions.

They who of old were covered by the cloud of light placed Christ, our
Life, in the tomb; yet He hath arisen through His own power and from on high
hath given to all the faithful the effulgence of the Spirit, which
mystically overshadoweth them.

Theotokion
Thou, O Mother of God, gavest birth without knowing union, and without
the pangs of motherhood, unto Him Who shone forth from the incorrupt Father;
wherefore, in Orthodox manner we proclaim thee the Theotokos, for thou
gavest birth unto the incarnate Word.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The glorious apostles, seeing thee to be a mortal woman, yet, in manner

transcending nature, the Mother of God, O all-immaculate one, with awe
touched with their hands thee who art resplendent in glory, perceiving thee
to be a habitation acceptable to God.
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When God preserved with the glory of His divinity the honour of the
animate ark wherein the Word becameth flesh, the judgment of retribution
overtook the insolent one through the severing of his audacious hands.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

O Saviour, Thou hast clothed the honoured Church in the raiment of the
virtues, moving the heart of the king to seek out Thy likeness as a
defense.

The father of envy, desiring to strip the good naked and cut short
their time, shamelessly betrayed them into the hands of the abominable; but
he hath been reproved, plotting in vain.

David once rejoiced with splendor, dancing before the holy ark; and
now he who hath received the royal scepter to govern rejoiceth greatly in
the divine depiction.

Glory... Thou Who of old fashioned man in Thine image straightway

formed Thyself therein in Thy loving-kindness. Wherefore, with the angels
we glorify Thee Who truly assumed the immutable likeness, O Christ.

Both... Desiring to cut off at every root the disobedience of our

forefather which had sprung forth, thy Son, O pure Virgin, assumeth all
humanity from thy womb.

C. Katavasia (Tone 1)
O Christ, the Wisdom and the Power of God,/ Who dost create and uphold
all,/ establish the Church unshaken and unwavering:// for only Thou art
holy, Who hast Thy resting place among the saints.

P. Small Ectenia

C. Kontakion (Tone 2)
The tomb and mortality could not hold the Theotokos,/ who is untiring
in her supplications and our certain hope in her intercessions./ For, as
the Mother of Life,// she hath passed over to the Life Who dwelt within her
ever-virgin womb.

R. Ikos of the Feast

Guard Thou my thoughts, O my Christ, for I make bold to hymn the
bulwark of the world, Thy pure Mother. Establish me firmly in the bastion
of my words, and help me in the midst of difficult thoughts; for Thou
fulfillest the entreaties of those who cry out and ask with faith.
Wherefore, grant unto me a deft tongue and a ready mind, for every good
deed of enlightenment cometh down from Thee, O Bestower of light, Who dwelt
within her ever-virgin womb.

R. Sessional Hymns
The king of Edessa, acknowledging Thee as the King of all, Who wielded
neither scepters nor armies, but multitudes of miracles at Thy word, begged
that he might offer hospitality to Thee, the God-man. And in Thine image he
beheld Thee, and cried out: Thou art God and Lord!
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G/B... The choir of the divine apostles gathered together to bury

thee with all honour, O most pure Theotokos; and with them the ranks of
angels hymned thy repose, crying aloud with all praise. And with them we
the faithful, leaping up with love, O pure one, offer thee praise with
sounds of hymnody, and cry out: Rejoice, thou intercessor for those who
ever honour thee!

Canticle Four

Irmos: Perceiving Thy divine condescension prophetically, O Christ,/

Habakkuk cried out to Thee with trembling:/ Thou art come for
the salvation of Thy people,// to save thine anointed ones!

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

O Good One, with a tree Thou didst sweeten the bitter waters of Marah,
prefiguring Thine all-precious Cross, which doeth away with the taste of
sin.

O my Saviour, Thou didst receive a Cross in exchange for the tree of

knowledge and gall for sweet food, and thou didst pour forth Thy divine
blood for the corruption of death.

Theotokion
Without physical joining thou didst incorruptibly conceive within thy
womb, and gavest birth without pain; and having given birth unto God in the
flesh, thou wast preserved a virgin even after birthgiving.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Behold, O ye people, and marvel, for the holy and openly manifest
mountain of God is exalted on high to the mansions of heaven: the earthly
heaven becometh a celestial and incorrupt habitation.
Thy death became a passage to everlasting and higher life, O pure one,
from that which is transitory to that which is truly divine and passeth not
away, presenting thee in gladness for thy Son and God to behold.

The gates of heaven were raised and the angelic choirs chanted; and
Christ received the vessel of His Mother’s virginity. The cherubim lifted
her up with gladness, and the seraphim glorify her, rejoicing.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

Sweet is the sun, which lighteneth our eyes; but Sweeter yet is the
sight of Thy likeness, O Christ: for the sun lighteneth our physical eyes,
but Thine image illumineth our noetic eyes.

The might of the Ishmaelites hath failed: for in his land the emperor
wise in government hath set in his right hand the full fortification of the
weaponry of the Cross.

Glory... O all ye princes and judges of the earth, with the chief
bishops, hierarchs and all the people, bless ye Christ, having been
vouchsafed to behold Him.
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Both... Make thou entreaty, we pray thee, O all-pure one, that thy
city may be preserved unharmed by barbarian invasion; for see what the
besiegers devise against it.

C. Katavasia (Tone 1)
The sayings and images of the prophets/ revealed Thine incarnation from
the Virgin, O Christ./ The splendor of Thine effulgence goeth forth/ unto
the enlightenment of the nations/ and the abyss gaveth forth her voice to
Thee with gladness:// Glory to Thy power, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Canticle Five

Irmos: O Thou Who art clothed in light as with a garment:/ I rise at

dawn unto Thee, and to Thee do I cry:/ Enlighten Thou my
gloom-enshrouded soul, O Christ,// in that Thou alone art
compassionate!

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

Of His own will the Lord of glory hangeth ignominiously upon the Tree
in inglorious form, ineffably taking thought of divine glory for me.

Having tasted of the corruption of death in the flesh without suffering

corruption, O Christ, Thou didst clothe me in incorruption, having shone
forth from the tomb on the third day.

Theotokion
Having seedlessly given birth for us to Christ, our righteousness and
deliverance, O Theotokos, thou didst rid the nature of our first father of
the curse.

Most Holy Theotokos, Save us.

The choir of the apostles, upborne upon a cloud, assembled in Sion from
the ends of the earth, to pay homage unto thee, O Virgin, the light cloud
through which God Most High, the Sun of righteousness, shone forth upon
those in darkness and shadow.

More melodious than clarions, the God-pleasing tongues of the

theologizing men sounded forth to the Theotokos, playing a funeral hymn
inspired by the Spirit: Rejoice, O incorrupt fountain of God's life-
creating incarnation which saveth all!

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

Of old a little city prepared to receive Thee, O Christ, and the

coming of Thaddaeus cureth its ills with the letter written in Thy hand and
the divine impress of Thy countenance.

Glory... The eyes of the Lord are upon just kings, and His ears are
open to the entreaty of kings wise in piety, who magnificently honour His
likeness, which He Himself wrought.
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Both... Bring an end to the frequent attacks of our enemies, O

Virgin, destroy their counsels, and help thine inheritance: for thou seest
how we, the afflicted, are in despair.

C. Katavasia (Tone 1)
We confess the divine and ineffable beauty of Thy virtues, O Christ;/
for having shone forth from eternal glory/ as the co-eternal and hypostatic
Effulgence,/ incarnate of the Virgin’s womb Thou hast shone forth as the
Sun// upon them that are in darkness and shadow.

Canticle Six

Irmos: O Christ Master,/ still Thou the sea of the passions/ which
rageth with a soul-destroying tempest,/ and lead me up from
corruption,// in that Thou art compassionate.

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

The progenitor of our race stumbled headlong into corruption, having

tasted of the forbidden food, O Christ our Master; but he hath been led up
to life, through Thy suffering.

Thou, O our Life, didst go down into hades, and having become
corruption for the corrupter, O Christ our Master, Thou didst pour forth
resurrection through corruption.

Theotokion
The Virgin gave birth, and having given birth hath remained pure. The
Virgin Mother hath truly borne in her arms Him Who holdeth all things.

Most Holy Theotokos, Save us.

God, the King of all, giveth thee that which transcendeth nature; for
as He kept thee a virgin in thy birthgiving, so did He preserve thy body
untouched by corruption in the tomb. And with a divine repose He hath
glorified thee, rendering honour to thee as a Son to His Mother.

Truly, O Virgin, thine Offspring set thee in the Holy of Holies as the
splendid candlestick of the immaterial Light, the golden censer of the
divine Coal, the jar and the staff, the divinely inscribed tablet, the holy
ark, the table of the Word of life.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

O Saviour, Thou art more comely in beauty than all the sons of men:
for if Thou wast bereft of form and beauty at the time of Thy passion, yet
Thou didst enlighten all things and reveal the form of Thy countenance,
whose likeness, depicted upon an aged napkin, hath been given unto us as a
treasure.

The depiction of Thy face hast Thou now given to the new Israel as
strength against the hordes of the Moslems, as of old Thou gavest the ark
against the Philistines, O Christ. And it hath acquired glory; for it is
not fitting to cast holy things to dogs.
 13

Glory... Thou didst send Thine apostle unto Abgar who was ignorant
of Thy heavenly kingdom, to which Thou, O Christ, hast led us up from
corrupt things which drag us down, O Good One Who art unapproachable even
to the immaterial cherubim; and he revealed the mysteries, that Thou didst
descend even unto hades.

Both... I am now left without the strength of Thine arm, O Saviour,

yet Thou hast withdrawn Thy wounding from me through the supplications of
her who gave Thee birth without knowing wedlock, O Word, that I might not
be left foundering in the storm of sin and barely afloat, O only Deliverer.

C. Katavasia (Tone 1)
The fire within the whale,/ the monster dwelling in the salt waters of
the sea,/ was a prefiguring of Thy three days’ burial,/ and Jonah acted as
interpreter./ For, saved and unharmed, as though he had never been
swallowed, he cried aloud:// 'I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of
praise, O Lord.'

P. Small Ectenia

C. Kontakion for Image-not-made-by-hands (Tone 2)

O uncircumscribable Word of the Father,/ knowing the victorious image,
uninscribed and divinely wrought,/ of Thine ineffable and divine
dispensation towards man,/ of Thy true incarnation,// we honour it with
veneration.

R. Ikos
Persuading men of the dread mystery of His incarnation, the Lord
Himself imprinteth the image of His divine manhood upon the napkin and,
taking up the Prototype from the Mount of Olives, He seateth it on the
throne of the Father to be worshipped by the bodiless angels; and embracing
it with heart and soul, we honour it with veneration.

Canticle Seven

Irmos: The supremely exalted Lord of our fathers/ quenched the flame
and bedewed the children,/ who sang together:// Blessed art
Thou, O God.

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

Clad in flesh like bait on a hook, by Thy divine power thou didst draw
the serpent down, leading up those who cry: Blessed art Thou, O God!

The Infinite One, Who brought the immense structure of the earth into
being, in the flesh is covered in the tomb. Unto Him do we all sing:
Blessed art Thou, O God!

Theotokion
O most immaculate one, thou gavest birth to the incarnate God, one
Hypostasis in two natures, unto Him do we all sing: Blessed art Thou, O
God!

Most Holy Theotokos, Save us.

 14

Enraged, Moses smashed the divinely wrought tablets which had been
inscribed by the divine Spirit; but the Master, preserving unharmed her who
gave birth to Him, hath now caused her to dwell in the mansions of heaven.
Celebrating with her, let us cry out to Christ: O all-glorious God of our
fathers, blessed art Thou!

On the cymbals of pure lips, with the music of a radiant heart, on the
high-sounding clarion of exalted thought, clapping our diligent hands on the
renowned and chosen day of the repose of the pure Virgin, let us cry aloud:
O all-glorious God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Gather together, O ye divinely wise people; for the dwelling-place of

the glory of God is translated from Sion to a heavenly habitation, where may
be found the pure voice of those who keep festival, the voice of the
ineffable rejoicing of those who cry out to Christ in gladness: O all-
glorious God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

Walking the earth, by Thy word Thou didst drive away every illness, O
Word of God; yet ascending to the throne of the Father, Thou healest our
illness by Thine image.

O Thou Who created all things by Thy word, and took on a form not
Thine own, Thou didst leave the portrait of Thy countenance unto us, and
taking it up we rejoice in gladness.

The faithful emperor, who sought the lineaments of Thy features with
all his soul, received that which he sought, O Lord, his wish being the
fulfillment of God's desire.

Glory... Let us prepare our eyes for the vision of God, and let us
worthily strive to see the most precious image of Christ, unto our
salvation.

Both... Humanity hath been loosed from the ancient condemnation by

Thy birthgiving; for God finding thee alone to be more spacious than the
heavens, made His abode within thee, O most immaculate one.

C. Katavasia (Tone 1)
The divine will, opposing the shameless rage and the fire,/ bedewed the
fire and put wrath to shame/ by the divinely inspired three-stringed lyre of
the venerable youths,/ opposing the musical instruments amid the flames,
chanting:// O all-glorious God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Canticle Eight

Irmos: The children, forming a universal chorus in the furnace,/

chanted to Thee, the Creator of all:/ Hymn the Lord, all ye
works,// and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

 15

Thou didst pray concerning Thy voluntary and saving passion as though
it were a cup which Thou didst not desire; for Thou bearest two wills,
according to each of Thy two natures, O Christ, forever.

At Thine all-accomplishing descent, O Christ, hades, mocked, spewed

forth all whom it had lured by deceit into death from of old, and they exalt
Thee supremely for all ages.

Theotokion
All of us, the works of the Lord, bless and supremely exalt thee for
all ages, as her who, in manner past understanding, gave birth to the Lord
as God and man at the word of the archangel, and doth remain a virgin.

Most Holy Theotokos, Save us.

With discourses the whole multitude of theologians accompanied the

sacred coffin of the Theotokos in Sion, exclaiming: Whither goest thou, O
tabernacle of the living God: Cease not to regard those who chant with
faith: O ye who have been delivered, let us hymn and exalt the one Creator
for all ages!

Thou departest, O most immaculate one, with hands upraised--the hands

wherewith thou didst bear God in the flesh--and with maternal boldness thou
didst say to Him to Whom thou hadst given birth: Preserve those whom Thou
hast given unto me forever, who cry out to Thee: O ye who have been
delivered, let us hymn and exalt the one Creator for all ages!

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

Hoping to come upon Thee, the Lord, face to face, all the most elect
people of the city arranged a wondrous greeting for Thee. The divine choir
of hierarchs, leading, bore Thee on their shoulders; and drawn to Thine
inheritance, O Compassionate One, Thou didst rest in the church of Thy
Mother.

The mouths of innocent children sang hymns to Thee of old as Thou

didst enter the city which murdered the prophets; but the iniquitous
assembly of the Jewish Sanhedrin armed its murderous hand in rage against
Thee. But now, the lawful city, beholding Thee coming forth as Creator,
rejoiceth, receiving the image of Thy countenance.

Let us bless Father, Son, Holy Spirit, the Lord!

More than Moses who beheld God and received the divinely inscribed
tablets hast thou, the honourable local prince, been magnified, who
received the precious letter of the Word of God, which blesseth thee who
believed in piety without having beheld any of His miracles.

Both... The Angel of the Great Counsel of the Father, Who willed to
assume the flesh, acted perfectly within thy womb, O all-pure one, and hath
restored human nature which had grown old. Him do we all bless as Creator
and exalt supremely for all ages.

We praise, we bless, we worship the Lord, praising and supremely

exalting Him unto all ages.
 16

C. Katavasia (Tone 1)
The all-powerful Angel of God revealed to the Children/ a flame, that
brought refreshment to the holy while it consumed the ungodly./ And he
made the Theotokos into a life-giving fount,/ gushing forth to the
destruction of death/ and to the life of those that sing:/ ‘We who have
been delivered praise the one and only Creator// and exalt Him above all
for ever.’

P. Magnificat
C. Song of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Canticle Nine

Irmos: Rejoice, O Isaiah!/ The Virgin hath conceived in her womb/

and borne a Son, Immanuel,/ both God and man./ Orient is His
name;// and magnifying Him, we call the Virgin blessed.

Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

Thou didst take up fallen man, O Christ, through the Virgin's womb
uniting Thyself wholly unto him without partaking of the least sin; and by
Thine all-pure sufferings Thou didst free him wholly from corruption.

By the divinely flowing blood poured forth from Thine all-pure and
life-creating side, O Christ our Master, the sacrifices of the idols were
brought to an end, and the whole earth offereth Thee the sacrifice of
praise.

Theotokion
It is not the incorporeal God nor a simple man whom the pure and
undefiled Maiden brought forth, but a perfect Man and the truly perfect God.
Him do we magnify with the Father and the Spirit.

Most Holy Theotokos, Save us.

The angelic hosts marveled, seeing their Master in Sion bearing a

woman’s soul in His arms; for He said in filial manner unto her who gaveth
birth unto Him most purely: "Come, O pure one, and be thou glorified with
thy Son and God!"

The choir of the apostles buried thy body, which had held God; and
gazing upon it with fear, they exclaimed with a loud voice: "As thou
ascendest to thy Son in the habitations of heaven, thou dost ever save thine
inheritance, O Theotokos."

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!

The mindless people spat upon Thee, O Saviour, and in return for Thy
benefactions audaciously did unseemly things to Thee; but we who stood afar
off have been adopted through Thy sufferings.

Give aid against the enemy to pious and faithful kings, for, having
acquired the standard of Thy flesh as an unassailable fortress, O Master,
in it they see their salvation.
 17

Glory... O immutable Image of the Father, Effulgence of the glory of

the eternal Light, Seal of the Most High, O Word, Power and Wisdom: be Thou
easily reconciled to those who theologize concerning Thee.

Both... Through thee the Word was seen on earth in the flesh, dual
in nature through the bestowal of the Godhead, O most immaculate one, but
one in hypostasis, having brought the union together without confusion. Him
do we glorify.

C. Katavasia (Tone 1)
In thee, O Virgin without spot,/ the bounds of nature are overcome:/
for childbirth remains virgin and death is betrothed to life./ O
Theotokos, Virgin after bearing child and alive after death,// do thou ever
save thine inheritance.

P. Small Ectenia
C. Holy is the Lord our God...

R. Exapostilarion Three (Mark 16:12-20)

Let no man not believe that Christ has risen. For He appeared to Mary
and afterwards was seen by those walking in the country, and He again
appeared as they lay, to the eleven who knew the mysteries, and having sent
them out to baptize, He was received up into heaven from whence He came down
confirming their preaching with a multitude of signs.

Glory... Exapostilarion for the Image-not-made-by-hands

O Christ, Thou never-waning Light, through the prayers of the
Theotokos, who gaveth Thee birth, illumine us with the vision of Thy
countenance, and count us worthy of the splendor of the saints, when Thou
wilt sit to render unto each according to his works.

Both... Exapostilarion of the Feast (May be sung)

O ye apostles, having gathered here from the ends of the earth, bury my
body in the Garden of Gethsemane. And do Thou, O my Son and God, receive my
spirit!

C. Lauds: Tone 5 Stichera

Let every bre-ath praise the Lord/
Praise the Lord from the Heavens/
Praise Him in the highest/
To Thee is due a hymn, O God/
Praise Him, all ye His Angels;/
Praise Him, all ye His hosts.//
To Thee is due a hymn, O God.

R. (The following may be read or sung antiphonally)

Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars and light.
Praise Him, ye heavens of heavens, and thou water that art above the
heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord; For He spake, and they came to be; He
commanded, and they were created.
He established them forever, yea, forever and ever; He hath set an
ordinance, and it shall not pass away.
 18

Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all ye abysses,
Fire, hail, snow, ice, blast of tempest, which perform His word,
The mountains and all the hills, fruitful trees, and all cedars,
The beasts and all the cattle, creeping things and winged birds,
Kings of the earth, and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth,
Young men and virgins, elders with the younger; let them praise the name of
the Lord, for exalted is the name of Him alone.
His praise is above the earth and heaven, and He shall exalt the horn of
His people.
This is the hymn for all His saints, for the sons of Israel, and for the
people that draw nigh unto Him.
Sing unto the Lord a new song; His praise is in the church of the saints.
Let Israel be glad in Him that made him, let the sons of Sion rejoice in
their king.
Let them praise His name in the dance; with the timbrel and the psaltery
let them chant unto Him.
For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people, and He shall exalt the meek
with salvation.
The saints shall boast in glory, and they shall rejoice upon their beds.
The high praise of God shall be in their throat, and two-edged swords shall
be in their hands.
To do vengeance among the heathen, punishments among the peoples,
To bind their kings with fetters, and their nobles with manacles of iron,

V. To do among them the judgment that is written/ This glory shall be

to all His saints.

1. After the tomb was sealed by the evildoers,/ Thou, Lord, didst proceed
from it,/ just as Thou didst come forth from the Virgin./ Thy bodiless
angels had no knowledge of the manner of Thine Incarnation:/ Neither
were the watch who guarded Thee aware of the moment of Thy
Resurrection./ For both the one and the other were concealed from
those who questioned these things,/ but were made manifest as miracles
to those who acclaimed with faith the Mystery.// Grant us, who praise
it, joy and great mercy.

V. Praise ye God in His saints,/ praise Him in the firmament of His

power.

2. After breaking the eternal chains/ and bursting the bonds asunder,/
Thou didst rise, O Lord, from the tomb,/ leaving Thy grave clothes
behind Thee as witness/ to Thy having been truly buried for three
days;/ and Thou, Who wast in the cave with a guard watching over Thee/
didst go forward into Galilee./ Great is Thy mercy, O incomprehensible
Saviour:// Have mercy upon us.

V. Praise Him for His mighty acts,/ praise Him according to the
multitude of His greatness.

3. The women, O Lord, hastened to the tomb,/ so as to see Thee, O Christ,

Who suffered for us,/ and when they reached it they found an angel
seated upon the stone,/ who cried out to them, as they started back
with dread:/ The Lord is risen, tell the disciples// that He is risen
from the dead, saving our souls.
 19

V. Praise Him with the sound of trumpet,/ praise Him with psaltery
and harp.

4. As Thou didst go forth from the sealed tomb,/ so didst Thou, O Lord,
enter when the doors were closed/ and stand in the midst of Thy
disciples showing them the marks of Thy Passion,/ O long-suffering
Saviour./ Born of the seed of David, having endured the stripes, Thou
as Son of God hast set the world free.// Great is Thy mercy, O
ineffable Lord: Have mercy upon us.

V. Praise Him with timbrel and dance,/ praise Him with strings and
flute.

Stichera for the Image-not-made-by-hands (Tone 4)

5. He Who is God in His divine Person,/ as the Effulgence of glory and
the Image of the Father,/ by His divine desire and in His infinite
loving-kindness/ made visible the image of Him in the form of a
servant./ There is but one likeness, as He Himself knoweth,/ which He
wondrously formed with His divine impress in the likeness of His
countenance./ By its coming He hath joined a multitude of angels to
men,// and hath illumined the world, visible and invisible.

V. Praise Him with tuneful cymbals, praise Him with cymbals of

jubilation./ Let every breath praise the Lord.

6. Behold! God Who once glorified the face of Moses through the divine
vision of His back parts,/ and through him sent the divinely graven
law unto the unbelieving people of Israel,/ hath now come forth as
from Egypt, coming from a foreign land to the Christian city of His
new people,/ in the divine depiction of His dread and prototypical
image.// And vouchsafed to behold Him face to face, let us glorify
Him.

V. The light of Thy countenance, O Lord, hath been signed upon us.

7. O Thou Who reignest over all creation,/ accepting voluntary poverty

Thou dost enrich with divinity those who have acknowledged Thy
lordship;/ wherefore, having sent divinely written letters to Abgar,/
who asked for salvation and health,/ to him Thou didst send the
likeness of Thy divine countenance./ And joyously celebrating its
arrival now, let us rejoice with faith,// drawing forth enlightenment.

V. O Lord, in the light of Thy face shall they walk, and in Thy name
shall they rejoice all the day long.

(Tone 4)
8. Let the clouds let fall sweetness,/ and let the mountains leap up in
joy over the all-glorious mighty works of Christ our God;/ for
yesterday on Mount Tabor the light of the Godhead shone forth,/
assuring the pre-eminent disciples,/ and presenting Moses and Elijah
with glory,/ bearing witness unto Him Who hath authority over the law
and dominion over the living and the dead./ Today, in the midst of the
 20

world,/ the radiant depiction hath shone forth,/ assuring all that He
is our God incarnate, to Whom we chant:// Glory to Thy love for
mankind, O Christ!

Glory... Gospel Sticheron (Tone 3)

When Mary Magdalene announced the good tidings/ of the Saviour's
Resurrection from the dead and His appearing,/ the disciples, not believing,
were reproached for their hardness of heart./ But they were sent to preach,
armed with signs and wonders./ And Thou, O Lord, hast been lifted up to the
Father, the Arch-Light,/ while they preached the Word in all places, made
secure by miracles./ Therefore we, enlightened by them, glorify Thy
Resurrection from the dead,// O Lord Who lovest mankind.

Both now and ever... (Tone 2)

Most Blessed art Thou, O Virgin Theotokos,/ for through Him Who became
incarnate of thee is hades led captive,/ Adam recalled, the curse annulled,
Eve set fre-e, death slain,/ and we are given life. Wherefore, we cry aloud
in praise:/ Blessed art Thou, O Christ God,// Who hast been thus well-
pleased, glory to Thee.

The Great Doxology

Dismissal Tropar:
Today is salvation come unto the world; let us sing to Him Who arose
from the tomb, and is the Author of our life. For having destroyed death by
death, He hath given us the victory and great mercy.

P. Litanies
Dismissal

R. Hours
Tropar: Resurrection & Image/Dormition alternating
Kontak: Resurrection/Image/Dormition alternating

At Liturgy:

Order of Troparia & Kontakia:

Tropar Resurrection
Tropar Image
Tropar Dormition
Kontak Resurrection
Glory... Kontak Image
Both... Kontak Dormition

Prokimenon for Tone 5

Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from this generation and
for evermore.
V. Save me, O Lord, for a righteous man there is no more.

Prokimenon for the Image: (Tone 4)

V. O sing unto the Lord a new song, for the Lord hath wrought wondrous
things.

Epistle(s): II Cor 1:21-2:4 & Col 1:12-18 OR II Cor 3:4-11

 21

Alleluia for Tone 5

V. Of Thy mercies, O Lord, will I sing forever; unto generation and
generation will I declare Thy truth with my mouth.
V. For Thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up for ever; in the heavens
shall Thy truth be established.

Alleluia for the Image: (Tone 4)

V. O Lord, in the light of Thy face shall we walk, and in Thy name shall
we rejoice unto the ages.

Gospel(s): Matt 22:1-14 & Luke 9:51-56, 10:22-24

Communion Verse: Praise Ye & O Lord, in the light of Thy face shall we
walk, and in Thy name shall we rejoice unto the ages.