Addendum

The Rite of Anointing Tsars at Their Coronation.

        The Anointing of a Tsar is a sacred act by which the grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted to him, to fit him for the performance of the highest ministry on earth. The entire rite consists of two acts: the coronation, and the anointing with holy chrism. In Russia this rite is performed in Moscow, in the Church of the Dormition.

        The order of the ceremonies is as follows: First a moleben is sung for the health of their Imperial Majesties, followed by the Office of the Hours. During this service, the imperial regalia are brought into the church, — the purple mantle, the crown, the scepter and the orb.

        Bishops in full pontificals meet them, with incense and sprinkle them with holy water, and remain near the entrance, in readiness to receive their Imperial Majesties. When the Emperor and Empress enter the church, one of the Metropolitans greets them and offers them the Cross to kiss while another sprinkles them with holy water. Their Majesties then proceed into the church, preceded by the bishops, perform a prostration before the Royal Gates, kiss the principal icons, then, ascending the dais, seat themselves on the thrones prepared for them in the middle of the church, while the bishops station themselves in two lines from the throne to the Royal Gates. During this time Psalm 100 is sung, “Of mercy and judgment will I sing unto Thee, O Lord...”

        When their Majesties have taken their seats, the presiding Metropolitan ascends the imperial dais and asks the Emperor what faith he professes. The Emperor replies by reciting the Creed in a loud voice.

        After this public profession of faith by the Emperor, the rite of coronation begins. After the hymn, “O Heavenly King,” has been sung, the Great Ectenia is recited with the addition of petitions for a prosperous reign. Then are sung the hymn, “God is the Lord...” and the troparion, “Save, O Lord, Thy people...,” followed by a paremia and readings from the Gospel and Epistle. The paremia speaks of the Divine protection extended over the Tsar; the Epistle — of obedience to Kings; the Gospel— of the tribute to Cæsar. After the reading of the Gospel lesson, the Emperor is invested with the purple and the chain of the Order of the Apostle Andrew the First-called, presented by the Metropolitan, with the words, “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Having received the purple, the Emperor inclines his head, the Metropolitan signs it with the Cross, by laying his hands on it crosswise, and prays “that the Lord may anoint the Tsar with the oil of gladness, invest him with strength, crown him with precious stones, grant him length of days, place in his right hand the scepter of salvation, seat him on the throne of righteousness, keep him under His shelter and establish his rule.” After this prayer the Emperor takes the crown from the cushion presented by the Metropolitan and places it upon his head, while the Metropolitan again utters the words, “In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” After the Emperor has assumed the crown, the Metropolitan explains the meaning of the coronation rite: “This visible and material adornment of thy head is to thee a manifest sign that the King of Glory, Christ, invisibly crowneth thee, the head of the throne of All the Russias.” Then, from a cushion presented by the Metropolitan, the Emperor takes in his right hand the scepter and in his left the orb (a small globe, symbolizing the lands subject to him), while the Metropolitan again utters the words, “In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Then the Metropolitan tells the Emperor the meaning of the scepter and orb, as follows: “God-crowned, God-given, God-adorned, most pious Autocrat and great Sovereign, Emperor of All the Russias! Receive the scepter and the orb, which are the visible signs of the autocratic power given thee from the Most High over thy people, that thou mayest rule them and order for them the welfare they desire.” Having assumed the imperial regalia, the Emperor seats himself upon the throne, and laying the scepter and orb on a cushion presented to him by dignitaries, calls to him Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty rises from her throne and kneels before the Emperor, who takes the crown from his head and touches with it the Empress’ head, then replaces the crown on his own head and places on hers a smaller crown, presented by a dignitary. Then the Empress is invested with the purple and the chain of St. Andrew, and seats herself on her throne. A deacon proclaims, “length of days to their Majesties”; (as at the service of the Royal Hours), after which the Emperor kneels down and, in a loud voice, offers a prayer in which he beseeches the Lord as follows: “Instruct me in the Work on which Thou hast sent me, grant me wisdom and direct me for this great ministry.” The rite of coronation concludes with a prayer offered by the Metropolitan, all present kneeling and with the singing of the hymn, “We praise Thee, O God.” After this hymn the Liturgy begins.

        It is during the Liturgy that the rite of anointing takes place. As the Liturgy begins, the Emperor puts away the crown. After the Gospel lesson, the Gospel is presented to their Majesties to kiss. When the communion hymn has been sung, the Emperor gives his sword to a dignitary, and walks, mantled, to the Royal Gates, which, at this moment are thrown open. The Empress follows him and stops midway between the throne and the ambo.

        Two Metropolitans step out of the Sanctuary. The presiding Metropolitan anoints the Emperor with holy chrism on the brow, the eyes, the nostrils, the lips, the ears, the breast, and the hands — palm and back — saying every time, “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit”; the other Metropolitan wipes off the chrism with cotton. Then the Emperor steps aside and stands at the right side of the Royal Gates, next to the icon of the Saviour. The Empress now approaches the Royal Gates, and the presiding Metropolitan anoints her with holy chrism, on the brow only, with the words, “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit,” when the Empress steps aside and stands at the left side of the Royal Gates, next to the icon of the Mother of God.

        After the rite of anointing has been performed, their Majesties receive holy communion. The Metropolitan conducts the Emperor, through the Royal Gates, into the Sanctuary, and there, at the altar, gives him the Eucharist, as to the Anointed of God and the supreme protector of the Christian Church, after the rite for the clergy, — i.e., he places in his hand a portion of the Body of Christ, then lets him partake of the Blood of Christ from the chalice. The Empress receives communion in the usual manner before the Royal Gates. After receiving communion, their Imperial Majesties resume their seats on the thrones, where, after the prayers of thanksgiving and for length of days have been said, they receive the loyal congratulations of churchmen and laymen.

*Thus for instance, on the spot where Christ rose form the dead was built the church of the Resurrection; in St. Petersburg we have the church named for Venerable Isaac of Dalmatia, because Peter the Great, the founder of the city, was born on that Saint’s day.

*We call “Gospel,” the book which contains the narrative of the earthly life of Christ our Saviour, and His teachings. It consists of four books written by the Apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Greek word Evangélion means “Good News.” The description of Christ’s earthly life is thus named, because it brings us the good news of our salvation. Hence the Apostles, who have written the Saviour’s Life, are named “Evangelists,” which means “bringers of good news.”

*Jerusalem was the ancient capital of the Hebrews; Sion was a mountain near Jerusalem on which were built the palaces of David and Solomon. Christians began to give these names to the kingdom of Heaven, which they hoped to reach through Christ, Who suffered for the sins of men near the earthly Jerusalem, and later on to the tabernacles in which the Holy Gifts are kept, through partaking of which in communion they hoped to receive salvation.

*Christ is represented in royal garments, because He is the King Who founded the Kingdom of God. on earth, and in episcopal vestments because He is the High-Priest Who offered Himself in sacrifice for the sins of man. The name of Deisis given to such an icon is derived by some from the Greek word Deisis, which means “prayer.” It is probable that in ancient times a prayer was written below the icon, probably with the heading: “Deisis” and men ignorant of the Greek tongue, took the word for the name of the icon.

*The events in commemoration of which these feasts were established are known from Sacred History; therefore they are not related here. The entire narrative of the finding of the Holy Cross belongs to the history of the Church.

*A troparion is a brief hymn on the nature of the event commemorated or on the labors of the person in whose honor the service is performed, also n the meaning of the service. Every service and every day has its own troparion.

*The kontakion is a short hymn, similar in substance to the troparion, but differing from it in that it develops more amply some one part of the troparion, as for instance this or that particular deed of the Saint of the day, or some one feature of the day’s feast.

*If the service is done without the assistance of a deacon, all that a deacon should do (except asking the blessing of the priest to perform his deacon’s duties) is done by the priest.

* The present formulation reflects the current (2001) usage of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. In Imperial Russia, the petitions were as follows:

“For the Most Holy Governing Synod” (i.e., the body of bishops and presbyters or priests who govern the Church), “for our Bishop N.,... and for all the Clergy and people”; “for our most pious sovereign, the Emperor, and the entire reigning House” (the Imperial family), “all the Palace” (the functionaries appointed by the Tsar), “and the Army”; “that He may aid them and put down beneath their feet every enemy and adversary,” (i.e., that the Lord may aid them in all things, and subdue their enemies, open or secret, and their adversaries); etc.

*The entire Psalter, containing 150 Psalms, is divided into 20 kathismata which are all read in the course of the services of the week. During Lent, the entire Psalter is read through twice in the course of the week.

† At present, the evening kathisma is sung only at Sunday and feast-day Great Vespers – on all other days and almost always at Matins the kathismata are read, and only the “Glories” are sung.

*Thus, the Prokimenon for Sunday Vespers is: “The Lord is King; He is clothed with majesty.”

*More paremia are prescribed for some days than for others. Thus five are read at Vespers before the Annunciation, eight on the vigil of Christmas day, twelve on the vigil of the Epiphany, and fifteen on the Saturday before Pascha Sunday.

*The name of “Apostle” is given to that portion of the New Testament which contains the Acts of the Apostles, The Epistles, and the Apocalypse (Revelation).

*Sion: the mountain on which stood the palace of David and the Tabernacle containing the Ark of the Covenant. “Haters of Sion” are the foes of the people of Israel, or, in Christian speech — of Christianity.

*This is sung on Sundays. On weekdays, we sing “O Son of God, Who art wondrous in the saints...”; on feasts of the Theotokos, “O Son of God, through the prayers of the Theotokos....”

* Formerly, the first petitions were for the reigning Tsar and his House, followed by petitions for the Church authorities, etc.

† Notwithstanding the reverence with which Christians should receive the Elements at the Great Entry, the Church regulations forbid prostrations at this moment, that infidels may have no occasion to say that Christians adore bread and wine as they do God.

* In ancient times the faithful, at these words, embraced and kissed, with the mutual greeting: “Christ is in the midst of us” — “He is and will be.” but in the course of time not all preserved the Christian brotherly love; besides, many forgot that Christ is in their midst at this moment; so the ancient custom is now dispensed with, and is observed only by the celebrants at the altar.

*The words, “singing, shouting, crying aloud, and saying” mean that we should sing the glory of God jointly with those higher angels, who surround the throne of God — those angels whom the Prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision, in the shape of four animals having four faces: an eagle’s, a bull’s, a lion’s, and a man’s. As these faces are merely symbols of the spiritual qualities or forces of the angels, the praise uttered in the voices of the four angelic faces is uttered with all the forces of the soul.

*Hosanna is a Hebrew word which means “God save” or “help.” “Hosanna in the highest” means either “Hosanna to the Most High” or “May our good wishes be heard in the highest abodes (in Heaven).”

† The blood of the Old testament is the blood of animals, which were offered in sacrifice and were the prototype of Christ. But the blood of the New Testament is the Blood of Christ, shed for our salvation. Because the wine offered at the Liturgy is mystically transmuted into the Blood of Christ, therefore the New testament sacrifice is called “the Bloodless Sacrifice.”

* Formerly, the Tsar and his house were commemorated first.

*Now, when there is no Christian Empire, we sing, instead: “Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; grant Thou unto Orthodox Christians victory over enemies; and by the power of Thy Cross do Thou preserve Thy commonwealth.”

*Vespers and Liturgy are combined in the following manner: after the Hours, Vespers begins with a blessing on the Reign of the Holy Trinity, then follows the Vespers Entry with the Gospel, after which the prokimenon is sung and paremia recited; these are followed by the Small Ectenia which concludes with the exclamation, “For holy art Thou, O our God”; then the Choir sings the Trisagion, the Epistle is read, and the Gospel; thereafter the Liturgy proceeds as usual.

*If this Sunday falls on the 1st of January, i.e., after the conclusion of the festivities of the Nativity, which is prescribed for the 31st of December, this commemoration is performed on the 26th of December.

*If the vigil happens on any day from Monday to Friday inclusive, the service on the eve of the feast consists of the Royal Hours and the Liturgy of Basil the Great combined with Vespers. On the day of the feast, the Liturgy of Chrysostom is celebrated. If the vigil happens on a Saturday or Sunday, the Liturgy of Chrysostom is celebrated at the proper time, then Vespers, and, on the day of the feast, the Liturgy of Basil the Great; and the Royal Hours are put back to Friday. The All-night Vigil on the eve of the feast begins with Great Compline.

*In this prayer the priest asks of the Lord that “He may impart unto these waters the blessing of Jordan, so that all who take from it and partake of it may do so unto the cleansing of body and soul, unto healing from passions, unto the sanctification of their homes, and unto every kind of benefit”; and that “He may sanctify the water and grant unto all who touch it or anoint themselves therewith, sanctification, health, purification, and benediction.”

*In the prayer for the blessing of the fruit of the vine, the priest asks “that the Lord may bless them, that they may be to us unto rejoicing, and that He may accept of a gift of these fruits unto the cleansing of our sins.” When blessing other first fruit (such as apples), he prays “that the Lord may receive our gift into His eternal treasury and grant us an abundance of worldly goods.”

*In this prayer, the priest asks that, through partaking of this water, and besprinkling therewith, the Lord may send down upon us His benediction, “which washeth away the pollution of the passions.”

*Some of the hymns of the Monday bring before us Joseph, sold by his brothers, as the prototype of Christ, and in the barren fig tree, cursed by the Lord Jesus, we are shown the Jews who betrayed Him and put Him to death. The hymns of the Tuesday bid us prepare to meet the Heavenly Bridegroom, who receiveth into His chamber only such as have bridal garments woven of virtues — those who meet Him with the lighted lamp of faith and good deeds, and have not hidden but increased the talents given them by God. The hymns of the Wednesday recall the supper at Simon’s, at which the sinful woman anointed Christ’s feet with myrrh.

* In some places, in memory of the visible sojourn of Christ upon earth after His resurrection, and of His constant invisible presence among the faithful, the Artos is carried around the church every day during the week of Pascha, prior to being distributed on Saturday, or, as is common nowadays, Sunday.

*The Church rules that a woman shall not partake of Holy Communion until the fortieth day after giving birth to a child, unless she be dangerously sick, even unto death.

*These hymns indicate that the person receiving holy orders must, in his life and in the exercise of his functions, follow the example of the martyrs; that his preaching must have for its subject the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and that of the Incarnation of the Son of God from a virgin, which was the foundation of the Church and of the Priesthood.

*See pages 19 and 22.

*In ancient times rings were used as seals, with which to seal storerooms in houses; so the possession of the master’s ring gave power in the household. Consequently the exchange of rings meant mutual support, and common power over the household.

*The first hymn celebrates the Incarnation of Emmanuel and praises the Mother of God. In the second the crowned martyrs are besought to pray for the salvation of our souls, as a warning to the newly-espoused that they may walk through life in holiness and courageously overcome all temptations and allurements. The third hymn glorifies Christ, the Apostles’ boast and the Martyrs’ joy, at the same time also indicating to the newly-espoused that Christ should be their glory and joy in times of affliction, such as they are sure to encounter and share together in the course of their lives.

*The grain, though dry, carries in itself the vital germ of a new plant; thus a sick man may recover, though dried up by disease, if it so please God. The grain, when laid in the earth, rots, yet its vital principle revives in a new plant; thus he who dies of sickness, though given to corruption in the earth, will in due time arise to new life.

*A Lavra is a large monastery, with a great number of inmates. A cell is, literally, a cellar, a store-room, or a small chamber.

According to the ancient canons, a monk may also live as a hermit, or with one or two others separate from a monastery, but only after he has completed many years of life in a monastery, and has demonstrated perfect obedience, and received a blessing from the Superior to live apart.

*The monastic state is called “angelic” because monks take the vow of renunciation of all things worldly, do not marry, do not acquire or hold property, and live as the angels do in heaven, glorifying God night and day and striving to do His will.

†That is, he cuts a lock of hair from each of the four points of a cross.

*Hence it is customary to give to monks names which are used seldom or not at all among laymen.