By Archpriest Dimitry Sokolof
A comprehensive work that provides a complete but accessible narrative survey of everything pertaining to the Orthodox Church's divine services, complimented by helpful illustrations throughout. The author begins with a discussion of the nature and origin of divine worship followed by a description of the church building, the clergy who perform divine services and their vestments, and the cycles of public worship. The services of Great Vespers, Matins, and the Divine Liturgy are reviewed in detail, as are festal services, and different services of need: Baptism and Chrismation, Confession, Ordination, Matrimony, Unction, Prayer Services, Monastic Tonsure and Burial, and the Consecration of a Church. Of particular interest is a rare discussion of the rite of the Coronation and Anointing of a Tsar.
Originally translated and published in Albany, New York in 1899, this edition has been re-edited to reflect current English-language liturgical usage. It is suitable both as an introduction to Orthodox worship for the inquirer and as a convenient reference work for those already familiar with the intricacies of Orthodox services.
