Table Of ContentThe Blessing of WaTers and epiphany
To Tresja and Sophia
The Blessing of Waters
and epiphany
The eastern liturgical Tradition
nicholas e. denysenko
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, USA
© nicholas e. denysenko 2012
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
nicholas e. denysenko has asserted his right under the copyright, designs and patents act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
published by
ashgate publishing limited ashgate publishing company
Wey court east suite 420
Union road 101 cherry street
farnham Burlington
surrey, gU9 7pT VT 05401-4405
england Usa
www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
denysenko, nicholas e.
The blessing of waters and epiphany : the eastern
liturgical tradition. -- (liturgy, worship and society)
1. holy water. 2. eastern churches--liturgy.
3. Theophanies--history of doctrines. 4. presence of god--
history of doctrines. 5. Trinity--history of doctrines.
i. Title ii. series
264’.015-dc23
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
denysenko, nicholas e.
The blessing of waters and epiphany : the eastern liturgical tradition / nicholas e. de-
nysenko.
p. cm. -- (liturgy, worship, and society series)
includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
isBn 978-1-4094-4078-9 (hardcover) -- isBn 978-1-4094-4079-6 (ebook) 1. epiphany.
2. holy water. 3. Benediction. 4. Water--religious aspects--orthodox eastern church. i.
Title.
BV50.e7d46 2012
264’.01909--dc23
isBn 9781409440789 (hbk) 2012005338
isBn 9781409440796 (ebk)
V
printed and bound in great Britain by the
Mpg Books group, Uk.
contents
List of Tables vii
Foreword ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xv
List of Abbreviations xvii
1 introduction 1
2 early history of the Blessing of Waters 17
3 history of the Blessing of Waters: stage 1 (8th–10th centuries) 27
4 history of the Blessing of Waters: stage 2 (11th–13th centuries) 47
5 history of the Blessing of Waters: stage 3 (14th–16th centuries) 67
6 The origins of the “great are you” prayer 83
7 Memory and praise of the lord’s Theophany 103
8 epiclesis and the gift of the holy spirit 125
9 pastoral considerations 169
10 conclusion 191
Appendix A 199
Appendix B 201
Appendix C 202
Appendix D 204
Appendix E 207
Appendix F 208
Appendix G 210
Bibliography 211
Index 223
This page has been left blank intentionally
list of Tables
2.1 Blessing of Waters in the georgian lectionary 20
2.2 prehistory summary fourth–seventh centuries 24
3.1 liturgical sources, 8th–10th centuries 29
3.2 Blessing of Waters in B.M. Add. 14.494 30
3.3 Blessing of Waters in San Lazaro 457 32
3.4 Blessing of waters in Bar 34
3.5 Blessing of Waters in Sinai 957 38
3.6 Blessing of waters in Sinai 958 40
3.7 Troparia in Grottaferrata Gb X 41
4.1 liturgical sources, 11th–13th centuries 50
4.2 Blessing of Waters in B.M. Add. 14.495 51
4.3 Blessing of Waters in B.M. Add. 14.499 52
4.4 Blessing of Waters in Pontifical of Michael the Great 55
4.5 Troparia in Sinai 966 59
4.6 stages one & Two compared 65
5.1 liturgical sources, 14th–16th centuries 67
5.2 alleluia, Troparion in Sinai 991, Sinai 974 72
5.3 stages 1–2–3 compared 74
5.4 Blessing of Waters, eighth to sixteenth centuries 78
6.1 structure of “great are you” in Baptism and epiphany 86
6.2 euchological Texts of angelic praise compared 88
6.3 comparison of Baptismal epicleses (Bar nos. 122.2, 122.4) 91
6.4 comparison of epicletic Texts 96
6.5 hypothesis on origins of “great are you” 99
7.1 comparison of ektene petitions 105
7.2 prologues in Sinai 974 112
8.1 example of evolution of poetic “Todays” 134
8.2 Rite of Communion of Sanctified Water, Great Sanctification 151
8.3 Texts accompanying the plunging of the cross 160
viii The Blessing of Waters and Epiphany
9.1 Models for contemporary Blessing of Waters 178
9.2 short order for the Blessing of Waters 179
9.3 order for Blessing of Waters: roman catholics 182
9.4 anglican “service for the festival of the Baptism of christ” 184
foreword
nicholas denysenko has given us a thorough and clear analysis of the historical
evolution of the Theophany Blessing of Waters and an important contribution to
the understanding of its theological significance. His interest in the topic surfaced
during one of my seminars at The catholic University of america entitled, “The
holy spirit in liturgical celebration.” as the reader will discover in the pages that
follow, the pursuit of the holy spirit’s role in the liturgical services leads inexorably
to christ just as irenaeus suggested many centuries ago. god, says irenaeus, works
in the divine economy always by the use of both hands, the son and the spirit.1 so
it is that we are drawn into the Trinitarian life by the dual embrace of the only-
Begotten and the holy spirit and by listening to the silence of the father in the
Word-made-flesh and sharing intimacy with the divine transcendence in the Spirit
who permeates everything that exists. The pneumatological dimension of the
liturgy and its christological dynamic reveal the Trinitarian structure of salvation
itself and thus of its epiphany in the liturgical action of the church.
There can be no better place to start on this journey of Trinitarian discovery
than the celebration of the lord’s baptism on the feast of Theophany, known in the
Byzantine tradition as the revelation of the Trinity. Under the influence of Vatican
ii the churches of the West (rome, Milan, and Toledo) have restored this feast
to its proper dignity. even so, it remains overshadowed by the epiphany to the
nations commemorated in the visit of the magi. it is no wonder that leo the great
could not understand why some christians baptized on 6 January, thereby seeming
to prefer the visit of astrologers to the death and rising of christ.2 To him only the
annual pascha of the lord’s death and rising had the theological weight to ground
the baptismal solemnity. of course leo is right about pascha but his view of the
January feast is anemic even when he admits that some associate this day also with
the baptism of christ by John.3
at the lord’s baptism, on the feast of Theophany, the voice of the father is
heard, the son is revealed in his submission to John’s baptism, and the spirit’s
descent is given visible form leading christ to the battleground made arid by our
ancient defeat. Thereafter, Jesus will speak of another baptism he must yet endure,
his cross, the culmination of the struggle that will end in victorious submission.
surely leo is right that the January feast is not the fullness of the paschal Mystery
1 irenaeus of lyons, Against the Heresies 5.6.1 (sch 153: 72).
2 leo the great, epistola 16: ad universos episcopos per siciliam constitutos, 1 (J.
Migne (ed.) patrologia latina, 54: 696).
3 ibid., 2 (patrologia latina, 54: 697).
