Byzantine Rite Have Advent? Nativity Fast, Prophet Daniel & the Winter Pascha w/ Gregory DiPippo

About this sermon

Does the Byzantine Rite have Advent? In this talk, a Latin priest long associated with the Russian College in Rome walks through how East and West prepare for the Nativity of Christ – and why the Byzantine tradition doesn’t have “Advent” in the same formal way as the Roman Rite. Drawing on liturgical history, hymnography, and the Old Testament prophets (especially Daniel), he explains how the Nativity Fast (Philipovka), the Sundays of the Forefathers and Fathers, and the rich texts of Vespers and Orthros all create what Father Thomas Hopko called the “winter Pascha.” In this talk you’ll hear about: Why the Byzantine Rite “has no Advent” – and why that’s only half true How the Roman Rite’s Advent developed from 6 weeks, to 5, to the familiar 4 weeks St Augustine’s fourfold division of time and its influence on the Western liturgical year The Nativity Fast / Philipovka: origins, traditional fasting rules, and later mitigations The role of Old Testament prophets (Obadiah, Haggai, Daniel, etc.) in Byzantine December Why Daniel and the Three Youths are central to Byzantine “Advent” and Holy Saturday The Sundays of the Forefathers and Fathers before Christmas and what they actually commemorate How Byzantine hymnography quietly shifts into Christmas-mode weeks before December 25 Parallels between the Byzantine forefeast of the Nativity and the Roman O Antiphons Q&A on Melkite practices, shorter fasts, and Portuguese customs around St Martin’s Day If you’ve only experienced The Divine Liturgy on Sundays, this talk will open up the vast world of Byzantine Vespers, Orthros, canons, and the Synaxarion that quietly shape the season leading to Christmas. 00:00 – Introduction & thanks 00:51 – A Latin at the Russian College: background & context 01:25 – “The Byzantine Rite doesn’t have Advent”… or does it? 03:20 – Roman Advent: colors, Gloria, Alleluia and the feel of the season 03:47 – The old Western 6-week Advent and St Martin’s Day 04:06 – Six ages of the world: creation to Christ and the end of time 05:03 – From 5-week to 4-week Advent: St Augustine’s four periods of time 06:05 – Eschatology and why the last week of Advent is rarely “complete” 07:05 – Roman Advent Gospels: moving backwards in time to the Annunciation 08:16 – “No formal Advent” in the East: Sundays after Pentecost & stability 09:55 – The Nativity Fast / Philipovka: dates and traditional fasting rules 11:20 – Mitigation of fasts & filling the season with great feasts 12:11 – The Entrance of the Theotokos & the first Nativity hymns 13:18 – “Christ is born, glorify Him”: katavasia of Christmas explained 14:11 – The Middle Hours (Mesoria): “If it’s good once, do it twice” 15:14 – Old Testament saints in the Byzantine calendar: prophets everywhere 16:14 – Obadiah, the prophets, and Incarnation–eschatology themes in the hymns 18:01 – Prophet Daniel as the great Advent and eschatological prophet 19:29 – Daniel’s vision of the Rock & the Three Youths in the furnace 20:44 – Holy Saturday, the Three Youths, and the renewal of creation 21:56 – The “furnace tower” tradition in Russian churches 22:38 – Nativity-themed hymns on St Nicholas and other December saints 23:42 – A poetic hymn to the cave, manger, and Theotokos 24:00 – Sundays of the Forefathers and Fathers: who we actually commemorate 25:25 – How the two Sundays blended and Daniel “takes over” 26:02 – The enormous Synaxarion entry for the Sunday of the Fathers 28:05 – The five-day forefeast of the Nativity & comparison to O Antiphons 29:37 – Final reflections & farewell blessing before Christmas 30:02 – Host comments: “winter Pascha” and the importance of the Hours 31:03 – Q&A: Do we really know our tradition if we only attend the Liturgy? 32:29 – Q&A: Melkite shorter fast and possible Syriac influences 35:29 – Q&A: St Martin’s Day, Portuguese customs & Mozarabic Advent 38:26 – Closing thanks & invitation to future talks https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2019/12/byzantine-advent.html 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 #Advent #ByzantineRite #EasternCatholic #OrthodoxChristianity #NativityFast #Philipovka #WinterPascha #CatholicLiturgy #LiturgicalYear #ProphetDaniel #OldTestamentProphets #DivineLiturgy #ByzantineHymnography #RomanRite #Christianity

Topics

• Second Coming
• Christmas