Terminology -

VESTMENTS – (Gr. Amphia). The special garments worn by the clergy in the liturgy and the other church services. See also: Epigonation, Epitrachelion, Omophorion, Orarion, Rason, Sakkos, Sticharion, Zone.

TYPIKON – (Gr.for following the order; Sl. Sluzhebnik). Liturgical book which contains instructions about the order of the various church services and ceremonies in the form of a perpetual calendar. In monastery usage, the typikon of the monastery includes both the rule of life of the community and the rule of prayer.

TRIODION – (Gr. three odes or modes). 1) A Liturgical book containing the hymns, prayers and services of the movable feast before Easter, beginning ten weeks before Easter with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, until Easter Sunday. This includes the four weeks proceeding Great Lent, Great Lent, and Holy (Passion) Week. 2)… Read More

TRADITION, ORTHODOX– (Gr. Paradosis). The transmission of the doctrine or the customs of the Orthodox Church through the centuries, basically by word of mouth from generation to generation.

TITULAR BISHOP – An auxiliary bishop without his own territorial or residential diocese, who is usually assisting a senior bishop with a large jurisdiction (Archbishop or Patriarch). The episcopal title of a titular bishop is taken from an ancient diocese which once flourished but now exists only in name, and, therefore, a titular bishop does… Read More

THREE HIERARCHS – The Orthodox Church considers in particular three bishops (hierarches) of the Church as Her most important Teachers and Fathers, who contributed to the development and the spiritual growth of the Church. They are St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom. Their feast day is observed on January… Read More

THEOTOKION – (pl. Theotokia Gr. “referring to Theotokos;” Sl. Bogorodichey). A hymn which refers to or praises Theotokos, the Mother of God, that usually concludes a cycle of stichera or troparia. There are several categories of Theotokia: resurrectional theotokia, which are sung after “Glory…now and ever” at the end of the stichera aposticha; theotokia dogmatica,… Read More

THAUMATOURGOS – (Gr. “miracle-worker;” Sl. Chudotvorets). A title given to some saints distinguished among the faithful for their miracles. Worker of wonders, like St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycea, St. Pan-teleimon the Unmercenary Physician.

TABERNACLE – (Gr. Artophorion; Sl. Darochranitelnitsa) 1) An elaborate ark or receptacle kept on the Altar Table, in which the Holy Gifts of the Eucharist are preserved for the communion of the sick, or for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts during Lent.  2) (an appellation of the Theotokos)  The Tabernacle was the place where… Read More

SYNAXARION – (1) A brief biography of a saint read in the church on occasions of his feast day. (2) Book or books containing lives of the saints.  In such a reference, the Church pictures the lives of the saints, and the content of each of their feasts, from which the purpose of the feast… Read More

JESUS PRAYER – A short prayer that the Orthodox constantly repeat to practice devotion to God; the tradition of repeating this distinctive prayer was developed in Orthodox monasteries. The text of Jesus’ Prayer is: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

SERVICE BOOKS – They are special books containing the hymns or the services of the Orthodox Church. There are eight as follows: Gospel (Evangelion), Book of Epistles (Apostolos), Psalter (Octoechos or paraklitiki), Triodion, Pentecostarion, Twelve Menaia, Horologion, and Service or Liturgy book (Euchologio or Ieratiko). Service Book or Ieratikon or Litourgikon or Euchologio. (Sl. Sluzhebnik)…. Read More

DEACONESS – A pious lay woman assisting in the church as a caretaker or charity worker. The practice of using deaconesses in the Church was very ancient; however, it gradually disappeared.

ICONOCLASM – (Gr. “the breaking of icons”).  The name of a heresy saying that icons should be removed from churches and destroyed. It refers to the conflict in the Byzantine Empire between 787 and 843 over the use of icons in the church. The Seventh Ecumenical Council (787 and 843) decreed the use of icons,… Read More

ZHERTVENNIK – (Sl.) The Table of Oblation which is against the left wall of the Sanctuary. Here the Proskomedia (preparation of the holy elements) is made before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. The elements remain on the Zhertvennik until the Great Entrance, when they are taken by the priest through the Royal doors and… Read More

ZANAVESS – (Sl.) The curtain over the Royal Doors. The zanavess is drawn at certain times during the celebration of Divine Liturgy, particularly at the time of communion by the celebrant, and the preparation of the particles for communion.

ZACHALO (Sl.) – (pericope) A section of a chapter of the Bible, which is designated for reading as a lesson on Sundays and every day of the year. The Gospel of Matthew (28 chapters) is divided into 116 sections: Mark, 16 chapters, 71 sections; Luke, 24 chapters, 114 sections; John, 21 chapters and 67 sections…. Read More

YEAR – The Orthodox Church year is governed by a Calendar which marks the events and commemorates persons that are of particular importance to Orthodox Christians. The Church year begins on September 1, the day on which the civil calendar of the Later Roman Empire began. Every day in the Christian year is sacred to… Read More

WESTERN CHURCH -The part of the Universal Church which separated in 1054 with the Pope of Rome at the head. Commonly referred to as the Roman Catholic Church.

WEEKLY CYCLE OF SERVICES – Every day of the week is consecrated to certain special memories, as follows: Sunday – Resurrection of Jesus Christ; Monday – the holy Angels; Tuesday – to the memory of the Prophets, among them St. John the Forerunner; Wednesday – Theotokos; Thursday – Memory of the Holy Apostles, and all… Read More

WARDEN – (Sl. Starosta) A lay officer presiding over the church council, elected at a parish meeting.

UNFROCK –To deprive a priest or bishop of his Orders for a grave offense.

UNIAT -The Churches of Eastern Christendom in communion with Rome, which yet retain their respective languages, rites, and canon law in accordance with the terms of their union. The term ‘Uniat’ (Polish Unia) was first used by the opponents of the Union of Brest-Litovsk (1595). Today these churches are called Roman Catholic of the Byzantine… Read More

VOW – A solemn promise made to God freely and deliberately to perform some good work or to embrace a higher state of life.