Спомињање на Предложењу и ходатајствена молитва
Commemoration at the Prothesis and the Intercessory Prayer

Summary/Abstract: Analyzing the rite of Prothesis (Proskomedia) on the basis of sources and patristic interpretations of the Holy Liturgy, as well as relevant contemporary studies, we have tried to explain the process of this rite’s complication and distancing from its original form. In ancient times, the Prothesis was a simple rite of preparation of the holy gifts (bread, wine, and water) that the faithful used to bring to the Eucharist. According to the sources, the preparation of the gifts was done before the Anaphora and did not include any kind of commemoration. In the Anaphora, the commemoration had its place in the intercessory prayer, although its place and form varied in Eastern and Western Liturgies. In time, the Eastern rite of Prothesis adopted many elements of the Anaphora, thus becoming its apparent copy. The commemoration thus became one of the central elements of the Prothesis, which in the 11th century developed into a complete rite that had its place right before the Liturgy. Due to an excessive emphasis placed on commemoration,including the mentioning of the specific categories that accompanied the extraction of the particles from the prosphoron, the very preparation of the holy gifts was given secondary importance. Nevertheless, the fullness of the Sacrifice was preserved exclusively in the Anaphora, thus eliminating the danger of faulty theological conclusions about the self-sufficiency of Prothesis.

• Details
• Contents