From Antipin’s Potrebnik. Chapter 13
There are certain Old Believers who understand that it is in no way possible to perform church service with singing without priests. But such understandings are very mistaken.
It is possible to perform church service even without priests, but of course the priestly parts must be omitted.
We are taught about this: “If it is not possible to gather together either in the house or in the church, let each one sing for himself, and read, and pray; or two or three together, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Prologue 11, Apostle, Kormchaya, chapter 3).
“But be filled rather with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord” (Apostle, reading 129).
“Learn to sing, and thou shalt see the sweetness of things. For those who sing are filled with the Holy Spirit, while those who sing satanic songs are filled with an unclean spirit” (Homilies on the Apostol, leaf 1764).
The rule of the holy fathers for all Christians concerning singing and prayer: “Some of them composed the hours with the inter-hour, selected psalms with troparia and prayers, and called this the Book of Hours. Others sang only the Psalter” (Psalter, chapter 20).
Book of the Hours: Midnight Office for every day: A priest says “Blessed is God.” But if a monk is alone in his cell: “By the prayers of our holy fathers.” This verse is said at the beginning of every office if there is no priest. For monks alone, instead of the litany at the dismissal, the prayer (the “forgiveness”): For those who hate and offend us (chapter 5, leaves 8, 62).
Book of Hours, in the octavo of the patriarchal printing, leaf 12, begins the rule: “If there is no priest, then ‘Through the prayers of our holy fathers’ … and he says vespers, or compline, midnight office, matins, and the hours, and whatever else he wishes.”
Kanonnik 70. From the rule of the monk, leaves 6–7. Every day: censing of the holy ones with incense, kathisma, bow, and the Apostle, and the Gospel, and canons.
Common beginning for all canons, leaves 134–136. But if a layman: “Through the prayers of our holy fathers … and God is the Lord and hath appeared unto us.”
In the canon of Holy Pascha. If there is no priest, the dismissal is thus: “He that is risen from the dead” (leaf 108).
Rule in the cell for Pascha: compline, midnight office, and the rest—all according to the service (leaves 209–215).
Book of Nikon of the Black Mountain, Word 30, p. 712. Prayers with singing: “for it is not fitting for those gathered in church to do the work of hermits, nor for hermits to do the work of those in church.”
“If there is a gathering in church, or a vigil, go; and if it is not being done, then read the psalms, the Apostle, the Gospel. These things are fitting not only for monks and laypeople, but also for faithful and devout women, and let no one forbid it” (leaf 211).
“If anyone is free—whether with many or with few—for singing, and stops his mouth from singing unto God, such a one does the work of demons” (leaf 215).
“In singing they are sometimes arranged in two choirs and respond to one another” (leaf 215 verso).
“If anyone, through pride of mind, abhors the assembly of martyrs and the services and commemorations that take place among them, let him be anathema.”
“The Messalian heresy consists in monks not remaining in common assemblies” (leaf 217 verso).
And there is still very much more in the writings about how it is possible to perform the service even without priests, but these things are omitted here for the sake of brevity in this book.
Yet from what has been shown, it is clearly proved that “it is fully possible even without priests to perform church service with singing, and that church service was established for common gatherings of prayer!”
“Prayer is absolutely necessary for everyone, and whoever does not pray and does not desire divine conversation is dead and wretched… As the body without the soul is dead, so also the soul without prayer is dead and miserable” (Book of Faith, Word 16, leaves 142, 147).
And common prayer is much stronger than prayer alone. Even if people are as cold as stone, when stone strikes stone, then sparks fly. “So also people are warmed by the common spiritual fire, and common gatherings are very beneficial for the spreading of piety” (Apostle with commentary, leaf 1014 verso).
“Whoever goes to common prayer, for him the angel of the Lord records all his steps” (Chrysostom 81, 250).
Singing is very necessary and beneficial, because all who sing are filled with the Holy Spirit, as has been shown above! And in the Life of St. Athanasius of Athos it is related how the Lady herself, the God-bearer, came to them for the service “and rewarded all the singers with a gold piece each, while to the others she gave only 6 or 12 kopecks” (Menaion, 5 July).
From this it is clear that those who sing receive greater reward for their singing.
Church service must be performed by everyone very correctly according to the Ustav, and in an orderly manner in all things. It must be read with a gentle and even voice, with all attention and with the fear of God, and so that it is audible to everyone. And one must not sing merely to be louder. No! It is necessary to sing with tenderness and attention, so as to understand the power of the words being read or sung, and with the fear of God, and with zeal, and with sighing, and with tears, and with contrition of heart, to offer up one’s prayers to God (Great Ustav, leaves 1, 2, 3, 4, and the Book of Hours).
All people during prayer must conduct themselves with caution: stand in one place, cross themselves, and make prostrations correctly, together with the leader. When the Psalter or canons are being read in honor of the Lord’s feast, then all should secretly say the prayer of the feast, or “Lord have mercy,” or the refrain to the feast.
And when stichera are sung, or canons are read in honor of the God-bearer or the saints, then all should secretly call upon the God-bearer or the saints.
Everyone must offer their prayers in the secret of their own heart, with the fear of God, with faith and sighing, and with tears for their sins unto God.
Everyone must behave quietly and properly—not only must they not talk, but they must not even cough, “especially when the Six Psalms, the Gospel, the Apostle, and the Creed (‘I believe in one God’) are being read.” At that time, if anyone cannot stand without coughing, let him go out for a while. And thus, one must not leave the prayer out of laziness. “But if anyone leaves the prayer through negligence, he will be condemned with Judas!” (Book of Chrysostom, Word 83, leaf 246).
From what has been said above, there is great benefit in church service with singing. Such services are pleasing to God and bring very much profit to those who pray, “because they greatly support the spirit of all who pray, give great consolation to the soul, and movingly bring one to tenderness and tears!” And this is very beneficial for the salvation of the soul.
But where there is no service, and they simply read only the Psalter, there is not such a touching and saving effect upon those who pray—especially upon those standing in the back.
“But there is only soul-profiting benefit when the church service is performed entirely well, with tenderness, correctly, as has been indicated above.
And if somewhere the service is performed carelessly—read very quickly and poorly, sung also carelessly without any tenderness, and everything in general is done disorderly and anyhow—then such a service will bring no benefit at all, ‘but only harm! And for this all will be condemned to eternal torment’” (Book of Faith, chapter 16, leaves 142–144).
“Therefore, whoever cannot perform church service well had better not take it upon himself, but pray instead with the Psalter or with bows!”
Although not only the service, but every prayer must be performed correctly, with attention and zeal, as we are taught: “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in him with trembling” (Psalm 2). “And cursed is everyone who does the work of God with negligence” (Great Ustav, leaf 2).
Therefore every prayer must be performed correctly and with zeal, but performing services requires more knowledge and labor, while the Psalter and prostrations are much simpler and easier!
For all this reason, we all must fulfill the rule of prayer each according to his own strength and zeal—whether by service, or by the Psalter, or by bows—without any contradiction, that is, one must not argue about this, because both the one and the other are good and pleasing to God! Only it is obligatory that everything be done with the fear of God, with faith, with tenderness, with contrition of heart, and with sighing, as has been indicated above!
“And the reward will be to each according to his labors: whoever labors more will also receive more!
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!”
