Artoklasia

The Artoklasia (Greek: ἀρτοκλασία, " breaking of bread "; Church Slavonic: Лития ) is a rite that is performed in the Eastern Orthodox Churches and partly Greek Catholic churches at the end of Vespers or Vigil celebration. Before the great church festivals it is part of the vigil.

Liturgical expiry

In the round loaves of leavened bread Artoklasia five are blessed - along with wine and oil ( in some churches, but not in ostslawischer tradition additionally a bowl of wheat grain).

The items are served on a special Artoklasia tray, decorated with candles. While the " Troparion for the feast" is sung, the deacon incensed the Artoklasia plate. The priest holds one of the loaves in the right, when speaking the prayer of blessing, which refers to the feeding of the five thousand (see below), and referred to bless the elements when he mentions them individually with the sign of the cross. Then he breaks the loaf in half - of which the rite has its name.

Later in the enforcement of worship loaves of bread and wine are distributed to the faithful as a contribution to be armed with the physical food for the rest of the Vigil. The blessed oil is used for anointing of the faithful, to provide them with spiritual food, the wheat is planted either in the earth or ground into flour to make Prosphora ( Communion bread ). The faithful can also take some of the blessed elements for friends or family members to take home if they could not attend the service.

Occasionally, the rite for economic reasons also of Vespers be laid on the Orthros ( Matins ) or even the Divine Liturgy.

On Holy Saturday a special Artoklasia is celebrated at the end of the vigil. In this Artoklasia only bread, wine and figs are blessed, because the fasting rules of the Orthodox Church is not allowed according to the use of oil that day.

Origin

Lyrically, can the Artoklasia in Jerusalem sources since the 12th century as part of Vespers, the night or worship of the great compline find. Initially, only the bread and wine seem to have been blessed, and later oil and wheat grains. The custom of using five loaves of bread in accordance with the " feeding of the five thousand", has developed since the 14th century.

Importance

The five loaves are reminiscent of the five loaves, to have with them (besides two fish ) Jesus Christ according to the biblical narrative saturated in the wilderness five thousand listeners (Matthew 14.15-21 EU, Mk 6.35 to 44 EU, Lk 9,12 -17 EU; Jn 6.5 to 14 EU).

The rite of Artoklasia attacks as the agape meal of the early Christian communities and can fully pull - this; However, the celebration of the Eucharist follows unlike the early Christian Mahlfeiern usually only in the course of the Divine Liturgy on the morning of Sunday or feast day.

The Greek term Artoklasia attacks directly back to the language of the Evangelists in the context of the Last Supper, in which Christ " broke the bread " and handed it to the disciples as his own body. Even if the Artoklasia is no celebration of the Eucharist (see Eucharist in the Byzantine rite ), is made an obvious proximity between the breaking of the bread of the Lord and his Church.

Consequently, the validity of the Artoklasia is also due to the fact that among Orthodox Christians, the appreciation of the bread is manifest not only as food but also as a supreme symbol of Christ's body - it is the bread that in the Divine Liturgy by consecration to body of Christ is converted. Christ was repeated as the " bread of life " means (Jn 6.35 EU), as well as a " bread that came down from heaven " (Jn 6,32 EU). Bread symbolizes Christ's Church, which is ubiquitous as the wheat on the mountains and summarized through Christ in one body ( bundled, collected ) was. So the bread a mystical meaning has been settled, according to which it represents the essence of the spiritual life of a Christian.

The blessed bread from the Artoklasia is personal holiness and help against physical ailments and diseases attributed in popular piety, when it is taken in faith. The foundation of the loaves for the rite is often made by individual believers as a special presentation in the context of personal name days, family holidays and other special occasions.

Ecumenical importance

Since it is theologically is not a Eucharist, but only a blessing ceremony ( with echoes of the Agape Celebration of the early Christian communities ), and Christians from other denominations can participate in this Orthodox holidays, provided they accept the blessing of objects.

At the Second Ecumenical Church in Munich Artoklasia was under the title "1000 tables " organized as a substitute for the not yet possible common Christian sacrament of the Orthodox churches and performed. For this 1000 beer tables and benches on the Ludwig Street and the Odeon Square were erected, there were more than 10,000 people. Instead of wine, water was served, in addition organic apples.