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Pascha–Пасха–Easter
Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life!
In the Byzantine Tradition, we still use the most ancient designation to refer to the Feast of Christ’s
Resurrection, Pascha. Pascha is simply the Aramaic form of ha Pesakh, Hebrew for the Passover. Aramaic
was the language used by Jews in Israel during the New Testament period, while Hebrew was the
liturgical language reserved for prayer. Pascha would have been the word used by the Lord Jesus, the holy
Theotokos, the illustrious Apostles, and their contemporaries. Thus, when we refer to Pascha or Pasch,
linguistically we retain the theological connection between Christ’s Easter Resurrection and the Passover.
In Ukrainian, there is the wonderful practice of referring to Easter as Velykden which means, quite
simply, the Great Day.
Passover is a celebration and anamnesis of God’s liberation of the Jews from slavery, delivering of Israel
from the plagues, and protection through the Red Sea. Ancient Israel’s passing over from death to life,
from slavery to freedom, is the antitype and a historical instance recapitulated in Christ’s passing over
from death to everlasting life, of His liberation of sinners from death and the redeemed from Hades.
The tomb consists of the icon of the burial (in Ukrainian, the plashchenytsia) laid upon a bier-shaped
stand that is set in the middle of the sanctuary. On the plashchenytsia is placed the Book of the Gospels.
As the faithful arrive and await the Pascha, quietly but intense with anticipation, they arrive to the
continuous reading of the Acts of the Apostles, begun after the Vigil Service of St. Basil on Saturday
evening.
Again we sing the Irmoi from the canon of Jerusalem Matins, especially that of the ninth ode where from
the depths of Hades, from beyond death and the grave, Jesus answers his mother’s lamentations with
those haunting words of consolation:
Do not lament me O Mother, seeing me in the tomb,
the Son conceived in the womb without seed,
for I shall arise and be glorified with eternal glory as God
I shall exalt all those who magnify you in faith and in love.
With the singing of this hymn, the priest takes up the plashchenytsia and bears it into the altar, placing it
upon the Holy Table, then all lights are extinguished.
All candles are put out.
All lamps are blown out.
We wait in utter darkness
for Light…
for Life…
for God.
The faithful rush forward to receive the Holy Light of Pascha, symbol of the Resurrection of the Messiah
of God. “Come, O ye faithful, take light from the Light that never fades. And glorify the Christ who is Risen
from the dead.” (Tone 5)
This Holy Light is passed on from the altar to all the faithful until the entire church is filled, each person
radiant in Paschal Light.
As we walk, we sing continuously the refrain: “Angels in heaven, O Christ our Saviour, sing of your
Resurrection, enable us here on earth, to glorify you with a pure heart.” The bells begin the ring. With
increasing intensity, they ring continuously during the threefold procession. “Christ has released the
world from it’s ancient bondage and its former terrors, and the whole Church rejoices triumphantly in His
victory over darkness and death.”(Archbishop Kallistos of Diokleia)
Now the priest intones the Paschal tropar, the principal hymn of Easter:
“Christ is Risen from the Dead, trampling death by death.
And on those in the Tombs bestowing Life!”
In between the Paschal Tropars, the Priest sings the Paschal versicles (Psalm 68):
Let God Arise. Let His enemies be scattered. And let those who hate Him flee before His face. As smoke
vanishes, so let them vanish. As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish in the presence of God,
but the righteous rejoice. This is the day that the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Glory to
the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and ever, and for ages of ages. Amen!
By appearing in Hell, Christ broke down the doors of Hell and shattered its gates, liberating its captives.
Likewise, in symbolic fashion, the priest at this moment strides up to the Royal Doors, which stand closed
and locked. He hammers the Royal Doors in three resounding blows with his hand cross! The Royal Doors
are thrown open wide and the faithful enter triumphantly into the temple, now brilliant with each candle
and lamp radiantly lit and the all of the doors of the iconostas opened for this Feast of Feasts. It is just as
the Just were led triumphantly by Christ from death into eternal life and just as Israel passed over from
death into life, through the Plagues and the Red Sea. We, too, pass over from death to life. Christ is Risen!
Resurrection Matins
We enter into the church, now brilliant with light, just as the tomb was made brilliant with the angel who
announced the Resurrection to the women. The deacon begins with the Great Litany of the Resurrection:
That the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, may grant us triumph and victory over the temptations of our
visible and invisible enemies…
That we may crush beneath our feet the Prince of Darkness and his powers…
That He may raise us with Him and make us rise from the tomb of our sins and offences…
That He may fill us with the joy and happiness of his holy Resurrection…
That we may merit the grace of entering into the chamber of his divine wedding feast and rejoice beyond
limit, together with His heavenly attendants and the host of Saints glorified through Him in the Church
Triumphant in heaven…
Then entire congregation sings the Paschal Canon of St. John of Damascus. It is composed of a series of
hymns, known as odes, which correspond to the nine Biblical canticles, and which interpret them as they
pertain to the Resurrection of the Christ. Each ode is made up of an irmos (the principal thematic hymn
which establishes both the meter and the melody of the ode). The irmos is followed by
several troparia (verses). Each ode is concluded by a final katavasia hymn. Katavasia means the descent.
Members from both the north and south kliros (in the Latin Church, this would be akin to something like
the scholas of the 2 side chancels) literally descend into the center of the sanctuary. There they form a
single united choir to sing together the katavasia.
During each ode, the deacon leads one of the priests to incense the church and faithful. During the
incensation, the priest loudly proclaims, “Christ is Risen!” over and over again. The faithful incessantly
respond in kind: “Indeed He is Risen!” During the 9th ode, the deacon alone does the incensation and
proclaims, “Christ is Risen!” Between the odes, the Little Litany is taken, each being concluded with the
appointed Resurrectional ecphonesis.
Let no one fear death, for the death of our Saviour has set us free. He has destroyed it be enduring it. He
has sacked Hell by going into it.
Hell is angered because it has been frustrated. Hell is angered because it has been mocked. Hell is angered
because it has been reduced to nothing. Hell is angered because it is now imprisoned. He seized a body,
but instead it discovered God. It seized earth and behold, it encountered heaven! It seized what it saw and
was overcome by what it did not see! O death, where is thy sting? O Hell, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen and Hell is annihilated! Christ is Risen and the evil ones are cast down. Christ is Risen and
life is liberated! Christ is Risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead: for Christ being Risen from the dead,
has become the leader and Reviver of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power forever
and unto the ages of ages. Amen!
This Baptismal Hymn replaces the trisagion on great feast days because such feast days were the occasion
of holding baptisms. It is not uncommon to hear this trisagion sung in multiple languages depending on
the people in the parish. After the Paschal Prokimenon Psalm is sung, the reader intones the Epistle
reading.
In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning
until the day he gave his instructions to the Apostles… and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself
alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for 40 days he had continued to appear to them
and tell them about the Kingdom of God…” (Acts 1:1-8 )
The New Testament cycle of readings begins on Pascha with the reading of Acts of the Apostles. This is the
source of the nomenclature of the New Testament reading in the Byzantine Tradition being called the
Apostle Reading or the Apostolic Reading. It is chanted from the midst of the congregation, in the center
of the sanctuary, facing the East.
The Gospel is then proclaimed. The Paschal Gospel is always John 1:1-17. This is the Johannine Prologue,
which is the New Testament’s equivalent of the Genesis creation account: “In the Beginning…” In the
Slavic usage, it is common to read the Gospel in as many languages as time and clerical ability will allow.
We proclaim on this day in every tongue and to every people that Christ is Risen!
The purpose of this material is to be descriptive in respective to the issues it addresses. While the
material is accurate, it is not definitive. Neither is it legalistic in its intent not does it pretend to be
normative. It is shared in response to the queries posed to the author in regards to the church’s ancient
traditions. All people should seek out and defer in humility to the guidance of their priest,
bishop, and Church.