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The Byzantine Rite

© Michelle Powell-Smith

While many of the liturgies discussed in this series of articles are no longer in use in the modern world, the Byzantine rite is still quite common. In fact, it is second only to the Roman rite. The Byzantine rite is also known as the Ruthenian Rite, the Greek Rite and the Rite of Constantinople.

The Byzantine rite is a derivative of the Antiochene rite; however, there are some significant differences as well. The oldest of the Byzantine liturgies is credited to St. Basil the Great who died in 379 C.E. It seems likely that Basil relied on the same source text as the writer of the Greek Liturgy of St. James.

Further changes came to the rite with the work of St. John Chrysostom who died in 407. He left two approved liturgies to the church of Constantinople, that of Basil the Great, and the revised version of that liturgy that he himself had produced. Basil's liturgy is, apparently, shorter than its Antiochene source, and John Chrysostom's liturgy is shorter still.

The liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, with some additions over the centuries is the liturgy still used by the Orthodox church today. The liturgy of St. Basil is still used on Sundays in Lent.

While today the Byzantine rite is a part of the Catholic church, there remain significant differences between the Orthodox calendar and rites and the Roman calendar and rites. The Orthodox church still uses the Julian calendar, thus differing on the calculation of many feast days, particularly Easter Sunday.

For more information on the liturgical rites of the Orthodox church, please see http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04312d.h... http://www.byzantines.net/StCyril/byzant...

For more information on the modern day Orthodox church, please see http://greekorthodoxchurch.org/