Rânduiala „stâlpilor” funebri (un alt tip de abordare)
The ritual of funeral Gospel readings („stâlpi”) (a novel approach)

Summary/Abstract: With regard to our Church’s tradition, one must note that the practice of funeral Gospel readings as special prayers (“stâlpi”) for the lay deceased is a local custom, that is, it is not found with other Orthodox traditions such as the Greek or the Russian one (at least, according to various studies), this practice is not intended to supplant or suppress the readings prescribed by ecclesial tradition, but rather to supplement them.The diversity of practices related to these readings is probably due, in the Orthodox East, on the one hand to the absence of any explicit liturgical prescriptions, and on the other hand, to the freedom in interpreting the existing indications of the common liturgical tradition. The “evolution” of this practice in time is most likely also accounted for by the dissimilarities concerning the exact content of these funeral readings: certain sources indicate full readings of the Gospels, while liturgical books and some experts in Liturgics describe them as selective readings, or extracts (pericopes). Moreover,according to some sources, even readings from the Psalter Book could be consideredas “stâlpi”.In conclusion, according to the stance of our Romanian Orthodox Church, the ritual of funeral Gospel readings (“stâlpi”) is in no way a departure from the ecclesiastical tradition, but rather an “enrichment” of it.

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