Section 06: The Liturgy of St. Basil
The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is one of the two normal Eucharistic liturgies of the Byzantine rite, served ten times a year and identical in outward shape to the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom but with markedly longer priestly prayers — above all its great Anaphora, one of the supreme theological texts of the Church. This section treats the liturgy’s history and attribution, and the theology of its Eucharistic prayer.
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Church Father)
Overview
For some centuries the Liturgy of St. Basil was the ordinary Eucharist of Constantinople; it was the shorter Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom that gradually displaced it into its present occasional use. Behind the simple attribution “of St. Basil” lies one of the most carefully studied questions in liturgical scholarship — and one of its cleanest results: a genuine Basilian core, traceable through a family of Eastern versions, really does reach back toward the historical Basil. The two files here treat, in turn, the liturgy’s occasions, attribution, and history of use; and the architecture and theology of its Anaphora.
This section is a companion to the pan-Orthodox treatment of the Eucharist in the Orthodoxy guide, and its claims are kept consistent with it — including the list of the ten annual occasions on which the Basil Liturgy is served (see Orthodoxy Guide: The Divine Liturgy).
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Liturgy of St. Basil | When it is served (the ten occasions); the attribution question handled honestly (the shorter Egyptian Basil as an earlier stage and the Byzantine expansion, per Engberding, Fenwick, and Budde); its history of use and displacement by the Chrysostom Liturgy, per Taft. |
| The Theology of the Anaphora | The long Trinitarian thanksgiving; the narration of salvation history; distinctive phrases quoted from the standard English text; the epiclesis and intercessions; and comparison with the Anaphora of St. John Chrysostom. |
Why It Matters
The Anaphora of St. Basil is a complete dogmatic catechesis in the form of a prayer: it confesses the Trinity, narrates the whole economy of salvation from creation to the Second Coming, and invokes the Spirit upon the gifts and the gathered Church. As a case study, the liturgy is also a model of attribution done responsibly — neither credulously assigning every word to Basil nor cynically severing his name from a text whose core demonstrably bears his stamp.
See Also
- Orthodoxy Guide: The Divine Liturgy — the pan-Orthodox treatment of the Eucharist, with which this section is kept consistent
- Monastic Rules: The Cenobitic Vision — the Basil whose theology animates the Anaphora
References
- Taft, Robert F. The Byzantine Rite: A Short History. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992.
- Fenwick, John R. K. The Anaphoras of St Basil and St James: An Investigation into their Common Origin. Orientalia Christiana Analecta 240. Rome: Pontifical Oriental Institute, 1992.