(1) All the doors of the Anastasis are opened before cock-crow each day, and the monazontes and parthenae, as they call them here, come in, and also some lay men and women, at least those who are willing to wake at such an early hour. From then until daybreak they join in singing the refrains to the hymns, psalms, and antiphons. There is a prayer between each of the hymns, since there are two or three presbyters and deacons each day by rota, who are there with the monazontes and say the prayers between all the hymns and antiphons. (2) As soon as dawn comes, they start the Morning Hymns, and the bishop with his clergy comes and joins them. He goes straight into the cave, and inside the screen he first says the Prayer for All (mentioning any names he wishes) and blesses the catechumens, and then another prayer and blesses the faithful. Then he comes outside the screen, and everyone comes up to kiss his hand. He blesses them one by one, and goes out, and by the time the dismissal takes places it is already day. (3) Again at midday everyone comes into the Anastasis and says psalms and antiphons until a message is sent to the bishop. Again he enters, and, without taking his seat, goes straight inside the screen in the Anastasis (which is to say into the cave where he went in the early morning), and again, after a prayer, he blesses the faithful and comes outside the screen, and again they come to kiss his hand. At three o'clock they do once more what they did at midday. (4) But at four o'clock they have Lychnicon, as they call it, or in our language, Lucernare. All the people congregate once more in the Anastasis, and the lamps and candles are all lit, which makes it very bright. The fire is brought not from outside, but from the cave-inside the screen-where a lamp is always burning night and day. For some time they have the Lucernare psalms and antiphons; then they send for the bishop, who enters and sits in the chief seat. The presbyters also come and sit in their places, and the hymns and antiphons go on. (5) Then, when they have finished singing everything which is appointed, the bishop rises and goes in front of the screen (i.e. the cave). One of the deacons make the normal commemoration of individuals, and each time he mentions a name a large group of boys responds Kyrie eleison (in our language, "Lord, have mercy"). Their voices are very loud. (6) As soon as the deacon has done his part, the bishop says a prayer and prays the Prayer for All. Up to this point the faithful and the catechumens are praying together, but now the deacon calls every catechumen to stand where he is and bow his head, and the bishop says the blessing over the catechumens from his place. There is another prayer, after which the deacon calls for all the faithful to bow their head, and the bishop says the blessing over the faithful from his place. Thus the dismissal takes place at the Anastasis, (7) and they all come up one by one to kiss the bishop's hand. Then, singing hymns, they take the bishop from the Anastasis to the Cross, and everyone goes with him. - - - So these are the services held every weekday at the Cross and at the Anastasis.
(transl. Wilkinson)
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