Question about akathist prayers

[Jonathan Rotondo-McCord]

I have the Jordanville Book of Akathists, which has a wonderful selection in traditional English, and wanted to start using it at home. My question is this: for preparatory prayers, I'm assuming the usual sequence ("O Heavenly King") is customary, but how does one conclude an akathist? Some of the Jordanville akathists have their own closing prayer (e.g. the Akathist to Our Lord Jesus Christ), but others just end with the repetition of the first ekos and kontakion. Pardon the newbie question, but any suggestions or shared customs will be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Jonathan

[Ryan]

I have the Jordanville Book of Akathists, which has a wonderful selection in traditional English, and wanted to start using it at home. My question is this: for preparatory prayers, I'm assuming the usual sequence ("O Heavenly King") is customary, but how does one conclude an akathist? Some of the Jordanville akathists have their own closing prayer (e.g. the Akathist to Our Lord Jesus Christ), but others just end with the repetition of the first ekos and kontakion. Pardon the newbie question, but any suggestions or shared customs will be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Jonathan

The Jordanville prayerbook has a somewhat confusing guide to reading canons and akathists while alone. One begins with these prayers:


O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (bow)

O God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me. (bow)

Having created me, O Lord, have mercy on me. (bow)

I have sinned immeasurably, O Lord, forgive me. (bow)

My sovereign, most holy Mother of God, save me, a sinner, (bow)

O Angel, my holy Guardian, protect me from all evil. (bow)

Holy Apostle (or martyr, or holy father Name) pray to God for me. (bow)

Then: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Heavenly King... to Our Father... (See Morning Prayers)

Lord, have mercy. (12)

Glory... Now ...

O come, let us worship ...

Psalm 50.

The Symbol of Faith.

At the end, ones prays the Trisagion, Our Father, Lord have mercy X 3, Glory... Both now..., More honourable than the Cherubim..., Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us, amen.

At least I think so. This (http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/prayerbook/order.htm) is what I'm looking at and I'm not sure if I'm reading it correctly.

[Michael Stickles]

It looks like you're reading it pretty much correctly. A couple of notes:


O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (bow)
O God, cleanse me, a sinner, and have mercy on me. (bow)
Having created me, O Lord, have mercy on me. (bow)
I have sinned immeasurably, O Lord, forgive me. (bow)
My sovereign, most holy Mother of God, save me, a sinner, (bow)
O Angel, my holy Guardian, protect me from all evil. (bow)
Holy Apostle (or martyr, or holy father Name) pray to God for me. (bow)

This part is called the "Seven-Bow Beginning", and the linked page says it is to be done at the beginning and at the completion of any rule of prayer. I will readily admit that I do not do this part; I had never heard of it until looking up how to read an akathist or canon in private devotions some months ago (I found a different website, but the rule given there is identical). I stick with saying the Prayer of the Publican ("O God, be merciful to me a sinner") three times with prostrations, as I do in my normal prayer rule.

After that, it's exactly what you have listed, if no other prayers are being said.

The other note is that, if you do the service of Small Compline for evening prayers, there is a spot designated in that service where a canon or akathist may be read (right in between the Symbol/Creed and the "It is truly meet ..."). In that case, you would not need to worry about opening and closing prayers, as they would just be the prayers for Small Compline.

A final thought - I noticed that at the end of the rule it says the following:


Those who are preparing for Holy Communion are obliged to read three Canons and one Akathist the evening before. Usually read are the Canons to the Saviour, the Mother of God, and the Guardian Angel (in that order), and either an Akathist to the Saviour or to the Mother of God. Those who desire to carry out this evening rule of prayer daily receive great spiritual benefit from doing so.

While I have done this before Holy Communion a few times, and I think it is indeed of great spiritual benefit, I believe that in general practice what one is "obliged" to do is whatever was prescribed by one's spiritual father.

In Christ,
Michael

[Father David Moser]

for preparatory prayers, I'm assuming the usual sequence ("O Heavenly King") is customary, but how does one conclude an akathist? Some of the Jordanville akathists have their own closing prayer (e.g. the Akathist to Our Lord Jesus Christ), but others just end with the repetition of the first ekos and kontakion. Pardon the newbie question, but any suggestions or shared customs will be much appreciated!


An akathist read alone as a service is begun with the usual beginning prayers (O heavenly king... OurFather... Glory...Now... Lord have mercy (x3) O come let us worship... Then begin by singing the first kontakion in the proper tone and go on to the first ekos, etc through the end of the akathist. Chant the 13th kontakion 3x and then the first eikos and end by singing the first kontakion. The usuall dismissal follows (More honorable... to the end).

Fr David Moser

[Jonathan Rotondo-McCord]

An akathist read alone as a service is begun with the usual beginning prayers (O heavenly king... OurFather... Glory...Now... Lord have mercy (x3) O come let us worship... Then begin by singing the first kontakion in the proper tone and go on to the first ekos, etc through the end of the akathist. Chant the 13th kontakion 3x and then the first eikos and end by singing the first kontakion. The usuall dismissal follows (More honorable... to the end).

Fr David Moser

Thanks so much, Fr David--this sounds like a good, straightforward way to frame the akathist, and is familiar to me from the little Manual of Eastern Orthodox Prayers (Society of St Alban and St Sergius) that I use.

Jonathan

[Caleb Shoemaker]

How do people generally chant an akathist? I can read music, but have trouble translating the tunes into the words of an akathist. Is that because it's in English and not Slavonic or Greek? Newbie help?

[Father David Moser]

Usually when an akathist is chanted in the Church we sing the first kontakion and then chant the first part of the ikos until you get to the refrains that begin with "Rejoice" which are then sung to the standard akathist melody (also I will sometimes use he 6th tone stichera melody of Kievan chant if it fits better). Then the next kontakion is chanted and the alleluia is sung to the same melody as the final line of the refrains. Continue this pattern - chant ikos, sing refrains, chant kontakion, sing alleluias, all the way through. Then sing the final kontakion (the first kontakion repeated at the end).

The akathist melodies (as with all the standard melodies of the Church) are designed to absorb a varying length of text without difficulty. There are standard ways of determining where things "break" but the best way to learn that is by listening so and experienced Church singer.

Fr David Moser

[Herman Blaydoe]

Fitting the words to the melody simply takes practice. Once you have the melody you just keep singing the words until it "fits". It gets easier once you get the hang of it.

[Andreas Moran]

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't chant when saying an akathist alone - I just read it in a measured tone.

[Herman Blaydoe]

Nothing "wrong" with that. It is a matter of preference and ability, there is no "right" way, and if there was, the Greeks would do it different from the Russians anyway.

[Olga]

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't chant when saying an akathist alone - I just read it in a measured tone.

Quite true. Experiences church readers and singers have told me the same. Chanting, singing, or plain intonation are all acceptable.


Nothing "wrong" with that. It is a matter of preference and ability, there is no "right" way, and if there was, the Greeks would do it different from the Russians anyway.

As one who has a foot in both camps, well said! :)

[Andreas Moran]

As one who has a foot in both camps, well said! :)

Και εγω - Я тоже!

[Maria Murray]

An akathist read alone as a service is begun with the usual beginning prayers (O heavenly king... OurFather... Glory...Now... Lord have mercy (x3) O come let us worship... Then begin by singing the first kontakion in the proper tone and go on to the first ekos, etc through the end of the akathist. Chant the 13th kontakion 3x and then the first eikos and end by singing the first kontakion. The usuall dismissal follows (More honorable... to the end).

Fr David Moser

Father David,
Are there any specific books that give these instructions? I have many actual texts of akathists, but I can find nothing in official print that has rules for singing akathists.

Many thanks,
Maria

[Cyprian (Humphrey)]

Father David,
Are there any specific books that give these instructions? I have many actual texts of akathists, but I can find nothing in official print that has rules for singing akathists.

Many thanks,
Maria

Last I checked, it was in the back of the Jordanville Prayer Book.

[Father David Moser]

Last I checked, it was in the back of the Jordanville Prayer Book.

Its in the back of the old Jordanville Prayerbook (Fr Lazarus translation - hasn't been in print for ages but can be found here (http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/prayerbook/main.htm))

If you follow the directions that I gave in posts 4 & 7 you should do fine. Unless you are combining the akathist with a canon, in which case you can follow the directions in the prayer book (essentially you insert the akathist after the 6th ode). The order used with the small compline at lent is different from this as well. From this you can see that there are plenty of variations in useage.

Keep in mind that the akathist is not really a "church service" but rather an extended devotional poem in a liturgical style which can be adapted for use in Church or more appropriately in private prayer. Therefore there are no official "instructions" for how to pray using the akathist.

Fr David

[Cyprian (Humphrey)]

It is in the back of the Jordanville Prayer Book versions that were published in 1996 and 2003. It was, however, missing from the 1986 version.

Fr Cyprian

[Maria Murray]

Thank you very much!