Eastern Orthodox

I would like some history if possible on Ash Wednesday. I saw in my library that it was first established about 500AD. At least I think so. It was a Pope that established it?

I attended an Antiochan Orthodox Christian Church and learned they don't have Ash Wed... services. I would like more information on this....Maybe a good resource on the differences of Western Roman Catholic Church teachings as opposed to Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church. (they split in 1054 AD). From what Ive heard Greek Orthodox and Antiochan Orthodox and other Orthodox churches are equivalent.

WIlliam

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Rosie Perera

From the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church:

Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent, six and a half weeks before Easter. Down to the 7th cent., Lent began with Quadragesima Sunday, as it still does in the Ambrosian Rite. The four extra days were added later to secure the exact number of 40 week-days for the fast. At one time public penitents at Rome were ceremonially admitted to begin their penance on this day; and when this discipline fell into disuse, between the 8th and 10th cents., the general penance of the whole congregation took its place. This was symbolized by the imposition of ashes, in token of mourning and penitence, upon the heads of clergy and people, a rite still ordered for Ash Wednesday in the Roman Missal. In the BCP of 1549 and in subsequent editions the Commination Service is prescribed for this day. In the American Books of 1929 and 1979 Ash Wednesday is mentioned as a special fast-day (with Good Friday), and in the Scottish Book of 1929 it is named (together with the six days before Easter) a ‘Greater Fast’. In the RC Church Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are now the only days on which fasting is prescribed universally.

H. Thurston, SJ, Lent and Holy Week (1904), pp. 84–99. K. W. Stevenson, Worship: Wonderful and Sacred Mystery (Washington, DC [1992]), pp. 159–87 (‘Origins and Development of Ash Wednesday’). F. Cabrol, OSB, in DACL 2 (1910), cols. 3037–44, s.v. ‘Cendres’, with bibl.

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/341148#Comment_341148

Searching my Logos library, found another article:

Another search leaves me wondering a bit more about Eastern Orthodox (thread topic):

Keep Smiling [:)]

Rosie Perera

I found this brief comment in the Wikipedia page on Ash Wednesday:

"The Eastern Orthodox Church does not, in general, observe Ash Wednesday; instead, Orthodox Great Lent begins on Clean Monday. There are, however, a relatively small number of Orthodox Christians who follow the Western Rite; these do observe Ash Wednesday, although often on a different day from the previously mentioned denominations, as its date is determined from the Orthodox calculation of Pascha, which may be as much as a month later than the Western observance of Easter."

Here's the Wikipedia article on Great Lent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lent

Not much in my Logos library about Great Lent, but one of the tiny mentions of it leads to a bibliographic entry for Alexander Schmemann's Great Lent: Journey to Pascha. This would be a good resource for Logos to add, along with some other works by Schmemann, For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy, The Eucharist, and Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism. I've experienced Eastern Orthodox liturgical life on a few occasions (one friend's adult convert baptism service, also a Good Friday vigil with the parade of the Epitaphios, and I had another friend who was both deeply evangelical and Eastern Orthodox who introduced me to many of the traditions in the faith she grew up in). It's a fascinating church. Not one I'd personally feel at home in, but as an outside observer quite interesting and connected to history.

MJ. Smith

It was a Pope that established it?

Generally, such practices work the other way around. People start a practice; if they like it, it becomes habitual/traditional. Other people hear of it and like it so they copy it. If it gets popular enough it becomes an approved practice. If it gets out of hand, it gets official and moderated or curtailed as much as possible. Recent examples: Tre Ore is a practice that arose in Peru and has become very popular ... but not official. Tenebrae was "left out" of the New Liturgy of the Hours ... and has become more popular and more widely celebrated in parishes.

Ash Wednesday is a Western practice ... and as was noted above not universal among the Western rites. And have fun with counting out the forty days[:D] Actually, Ash Wednesday is usually the third most heavily attended service of the year. We Catholics will always show up for free ashes.[:D] The Wikipedia article is reasonably good on the topic.

Ash Wednesday has not fallen on February 29th but will in 2096 - as good as any reason for an extremely long life.

Now if Ash Wednesday was in topics.logos.com or the Catholic Encyclopedia was available in Logos, I'd be able to relate such trivia to Logos and not be off-topic.

But, in addition to Rosie's list we need St. John Climacus' Ladder and Canon of St. Andrew for traditional Lenten reading. Logos ought to be able to provide it by the beginning of Lent ...i.e. 23 minutes ago.

Jim L. West

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/341160#Comment_341160

But, in addition to Rosie's list we need St. John Climacus' Ladder and Canon of St. Andrew for traditional Lenten reading. Logos ought to be able to provide it by the beginning of Lent ...i.e. 23 minutes ago.

According to the Orthodox new calender, Logos still has 4+ days until the beginning of Great Lent. Should be more than enough time to get the above 2 books out.

Eric Weiss

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/341160#Comment_341160

But, in addition to Rosie's list we need St. John Climacus' Ladder and Canon of St. Andrew for traditional Lenten reading. Logos ought to be able to provide it by the beginning of Lent ...i.e. 23 minutes ago.

Oh, yes, I can just see all the Eastern Orthodox Logos users standing and holding their iPads and reading The Great Canon of St. Andrew while doing the multiple prostrations. [H]

FWIW, as Jim West notes, you still have 4-1/2 more days before EOC Lent begins with Forgiveness Vespers on 2/26/2012, followed by The Great Canon services beginning 2/27/2012.

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