A Little Liturgical History

 9.West and I have conversations occasionally about the historicity of hymns and prayers etc.  How far back do certain texts date.  With Orthodox hymns and prayers, I often don't know specifics, although generally most are pretty old.  For instance, our Liturgy dates largely back to St. John Chrysostom, who modified an earlier liturgy.  However, some things have been added over time, and hymns - especially for Saints - are developed over time.

Last week I was listening to a series of Podcasts on Church/State relations and learned a small piece of liturgical history that I thought was interesting.

There are three antiphons in the Divine Liturgy.  Traditionally they involve a series of Psalm verses interspersed with a refrain.  For the most part, except in monasteries, the psalm verses are no longer sung, but the refrains have been retained.  The refrain for the first antiphon is  "By the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us", the second antiphonal refrain is "Save us, O Son of God, (who rose from the dead)*, to You we sing: Alleluia.  The third antiphon consists of the Apolytikia - the hymns appointed for the day and leads directly to the small entrance where the Gospels are processed into the altar.

After the second antiphonal hymn, there is another brief hymn, which was apparently added a bit later.  This hymn is, "Only begotten Son and Word of God, although immortal You humbled Yourself for our salvation, taking flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever virgin Mary and, without change, becoming man.  Christ, our God, You were crucified but conquered death by death.  You are one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit - save us."