The Tropologion Sin. gr.

NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography

12 / 2013
The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565
of the Ninth Century: A New Source
for Byzantine Hymnography*
Alexandra Nikiforova
Like unto treasure, hid in a field (Matthew 13: 44) were the ancient manuscripts uncovered in May of 1975 at St Catherines Monastery on the Sinai by Archimandrite Sophronios, cleared out old debris from a part of the tower of St George.
Fifty-five papyrus and 1148 parchment manuscripts (836 in Greek and the rest in
Georgian, Slavonic, Syriac, Arabic), 20 printed books were found then.1 The first
catalogue of Greek part of this collection was prepared by Panaghiotis Nikolopoulos
and published in Athens in 1998.2 Stig R. Fryshov made the first description of the
liturgical finds,3 while their preliminary research has been carried out by Roman
Krivko.4
1. The general characteristics of the Tropologion
One of the most sensational among the hymnographical finds on the Sinai is a

* The main positions of this article have been discussed at the conferences Actual Problems of
the Investigation of Byzantine and Old Russian Music: Theory and Practice. To the 100th Anniversary
of D.V. Razumovsky (on May 2009, Moscow State Conservatory named for P. I. Tchaikovsky), Third
Cyrillo-Methodian Congress (on February 2013, University of Florence, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Slavic Studies, Rome Florence).
1
For relevant bibliography on the new finds see: Khevsuriani 1984; Aleksidze 2005; Kazamias
2006; Radle 2011: 169221.
2
Nikolopoulos 1 9 9 8 .
3
Ghin Fryshov 2000: 167184.
4
Krivko 2008: 56102. After studying the content of the manuscripts he drew a parallel and noted
the differences between them and the ancient Slavonic liturgical texts .

157

A. Nikiforova
Greek Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 5655 (9th c.,6 240 ff.),7 a service book, which contained chant repertoire for all cycles of the church year and used in Palestine in 7th9th
century. Till recently Tropologion was basically known due to its Georgian8 and Syrian9 translations, unfair Greek fragments.10 Therefore the discovery of its original in
1975 became a treasure for those who study the history of the liturgy of Byzantine
rite and Byzantine hymnography. It was the Tropologion that became the corner stone
on which basis the office Menaion was formed,11 the latter being the subject of the
authors dissertation.12
The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 comprises 73 services (rubrics 273) for
the period from the Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ to the commemoration of St
Joseph of Arimathea (12 June) with incorporated Lenten and Paschal services. The
heading on the first folio (Sin. gr. NE/ 56) runs as follows: With God the Tropolo
gion of All the Holy Feasts of the Whole Year Established by the Saint <Church of> the
Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ <in Jerusalem> (

). Thus, the Tropologion reflects the or
der of services in Jerusalem. It includes the Jerusalem rites of preparing chrism and
According to Fryshovs identification the five-page fragment Sin. gr. 56 (9th c.) belongs to the
Tropologion Sin. gr. 5 (9th c.). See: Ghin Fryshov 2000: 179.
6
Nikolopoulos dated Sin. gr. NE/ 565 to the 8th9th century, but by the wide use of breathing
marks and accents it should be dated not earlier than 9th century (Canart 1980: 8182). Just so Nikolopoulos himself dated the folia of Sin. gr. NE/ 56, belonging to Sin. gr. NE/ 565. I accept the
second dating of Nikolopoulos for the whole manuscript.
7
The full description of the Tropologions hymnographical content day by day see in: Nikiforova
2012a: 195236.
8
Metreveli, ankiev, Khevsuriani 1980. Georgian translation of Tropologion, Iadgari, is saved
in roughly 40 manuscripts. Most of them are dated by 10th century and written in Palestine (Khevsuriani
2009: 419424).
9
Bolotov 1893: 177210.
10
Sin. gr. 591 (9th c., scroll), with the services of St Modestus, archbishop of Jerusalem (10 December), priest Melchisedek (14 December), Sts Eustratius, uxentius, Eugene, restes, Mardarius (17
December), Sts Anania, Azaria, and Misael, see below Ananias, Azariah, Mishael, p. (19 December,
see: Tameion 1996: 122; 126; 129). Also V. Vasilik in 1997 deciphered the palimpsest RNB gr. 7 (6th8th
c.) with its partly extant canons and stichera of the Theophany (6 January), St Antony the Great (17
January), the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple (2 February, see: Vasilik 1997: 311337). Also among
the new finds on the Sinai rather substantial part of a Tropologion with the services for July and August
is presented (Sin. gr. NE/ 4, 9th c.).
11
For a long time yet Menaea mechanically called Tropologia, e.g. Menaion for September
(Sin. gr. 579, 10th11th century), Menaion for MarchApril (Sin. gr. 607, 9th10th century) and others.
See: Husmann 1971.
12
Nikiforova 2012a, defended in the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for World Literature,
in 2005 under the title The Historical Development of the Litugical Menaea in the 9th12th century. The
structure, content and calendar of the Menaea from St Catherines Monastery on the Sinai.
5

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The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
washing the feet observed in the Church of the Resurrection during Holy Week, hym
nography for Good Friday of Cyrill, Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The manuscript is written in ogivale inclinata. It is in good state, the text is missing in some parts, pages are not in order. There are hand-written notes in the margins
of the Lenten cycle made by another person. The manuscript is divided into rubrics,
the pages are not numbered. Diacritics are used arbitrarily in the text: irregular accents
and breathing marks, acute and grave accents, and circumflex, rough and smooth
breathing are confused. Vowels are characterized by the following: 1) itacism
instead of throughout the manuscript, instead of (rubric 2. 3), instead of (rubric 2. 3), instead of
(rubric 3. 1), instead of (rubric 3. 4), instead of
(rubric 5. 2); 2) the overlapping of , and instead
of (rubric 2. 2), instead of (rubric 8. 1), instead
of (rubric 5. 1) instead of (rubric 11. 3); 3)
the overlapping of the diphthong and the vowel instead of
(rubric 2. 1), instead of (rubric 2. 2),
instead of (rubric 2. 3). Consonants are characterized by: 1) the use of
the final in the third person singular of aorist before a consonant
(rubric 2. 3); 2) the use of double consonants instead of one consonant:
instead of (rubric 2. 3), instead of (rubric 5. 1); 3)
the dissimilation of in the combinations , , , , , , , , ,
: instead of (rubric 5. 1).
2. The Tropologion Calendar
The first rubric of Sin. gr. NE/ 56 contains
, an iambic canon of the Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ (tone 1, heirmos , , beginning
, author John the monk). Then the text is missing. Sin. gr. MG 5
opens with the ending of the cycle of stichera on Lord, I call for the Forefeast of the
Nativity of Christ. In the Nativity service, put under rubric 3, the stichera on Lord,
I call, on Glory, aposticha and the canon (tone 1, heirmos ,
, beginning , author Cosmas the monk)
are extant. The content of the Tropologion Sin. gr. MG 565 can be reconstructed as
follows:
. .
<. .
. . >.
[lacuna]
<. . >.
[lacuna]

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A. Nikiforova
. .
. . .
[folia are mixed up, text is destroyed]
. . .
A. .
. .
. .
. .
IE. .
.
. .
.

.
. .
.
. .
.
. .
.
< >. .
. . .
. .
.
. .
.
. .
.
. .
.
. .
.
. . .

.
.
.
.
.

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The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography

.
.
.
.
.
. .
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
< >.
.
.
.
[lacuna]

[lacuna]
.
.
.
< >.

.
.
[lacuna]
<. >.
<>. .
. . .
.
. .
. .
. .
. .

161

A. Nikiforova
. .
. .
. .
.
.
. . < >
.
ME.

.
. .
MZ. .
MH. .
. . < >
.
. .
. .
.
. . .
. . .
. . .
. .
.
. . .
. .
.
H. . .
. . .
. . .
. .
.
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. . < > ,
, .
. . .

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The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
. .
. .
.
. . .
1. The iambic canon of the Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ.
<2. The Eve of the Nativity of Christ>.
3. December 25. The Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
[lacuna]
<5. January 1. The commemoration of our venerable father Basil>.
[lacuna]
8. The iambic canon of the Forefeast of the Holy Theophany.
9. January 5. The Eve of the Holy Theophany.
[folia are mixed up, text is destroyed]
10. January 6. The canon of the Holy Theophany.
11. The second day (Afterfeast) of the Holy Theophany.
12. The third day (Afterfeast) of the Holy Theophany.
13. The fourth day (Afterfeast) of the Holy Theophany.
14. The fifth (Afterfeast) of the Holy Theophany.
15. The sixth day (Afterfeast) of the Holy Theophany. The commemoration of our
venerable father Theodosius, archimandrite.
16. The seventh day (Afterfeast) of the Holy Theophany. The commemoration of
saint Philotheus.
17. The eighth day of the Holy Theophany. Apodosis of the feast and the commemoration of the Holy Fathers slain at Holy Mountain Sinai and Raithu.
18. January 15. The commemoration of saint glorious hieromartyr Babylas.
19. January 16. The consecration of the Holy Monastery of Virgin Mary, named
Khozeva.
20. January 17. The commemoration of our venerable father Antony, ascetic and hermit.
<21>. The other canon on killed in earthquake.
22. January 20. The commemoration of our venerable father Euthymius.
23. January 22. The commemoration of saint and glorious Maximus the Confessor.
24. January 25. The commemoration of our saint father Gregory the Theologian,
bishop of Nazianzus.
25. January 27. The commemoration of our saint father John the Chrysostom.
26. January 31. The commemoration of saint glorious Cyrus and John.
27. February 1. The commemoration of our venerable father Ephrem the Syrian, ascetic.
28. January February 2. The Meeting of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Troparia, chanted on Meatfare Sunday and during all the week

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A. Nikiforova
On the second day
On the third day
On the fourth day
On the fifth day
On the sixth day
First Sunday of Great Lent
On the second day
On the third day
On the fourth day
On the fifth day
On the sixth day
29. On <first> Saturday of the Great Lent. The commemoration of saint glorious
martyr Theodore the Stratelates.
Second Sunday of Great Lent
In the same evening
On the second day
On the third day
On the fourth day
On the fifth day
On the sixth day
Third Sunday of Great Lent
On the second day
< On the third day>
On the fourth day
On the fifth day
On the sixth day
[lacuna]
Fifth Sunday of Great Lent
[lacuna]
On the third day
On the fourth day
On the fifth day
<On the sixth day>
Sixth Sunday of Great Lent
In the same evening
On the second day
[lacuna]
<33. The canon of Holy Monday.>
34. The canon of Holy Tuesday.
35. On the canon acrostichis is the following: , ode 2, tone 2.

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The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
36. The canon of Holy Wednesday.
37. The canon of Maundy Thursday.
38. The canon of Good Friday.
39. The canon of Holy Saturday.
40. The canon of the Sunday of Pascha.
41. The canon of the Thomas (New) Sunday.
42. In the same evening of the Thomas (New) Sunday.
43. On the third day after the Thomas (New) Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.
44. April 23. <The commemoration of > saint glorious great martyr George.
45. One should know, that from the Thomas (New) Sunday till Pentecost the Holy
Church is chanting to the Apostles instead of penitential chants and chants to the
Martyrs.
46. The other canon of the Apostles.
47. The other canon of the Apostles.
48. The other canon of the Apostles.
49. April 25. <The commemoration of > our father saint Mark, apostle and evangelist.
50. The canon of the Mid-Pentecost.
51. April 27. The commemoration of saint glorious martyr Christopher.
52. May 2. The commemoration of our saint father Athanasius.
53. May 5. The commemoration of righteous Job.
54. May 6. The commemoration of the Apparition <of the Cross> in the sky.
55. May 7. The commemoration of our venerable father Arsenius, ascetic.
56. May 8. The commemoration of John the Theologian.
57. May 9. The commemoration of saint Epimachus, martyr of Pelusium.
58. May 12. The commemoration of our saint father Epiphanius.
59. May 14. The commemoration of saint glorious martyr Isidor.
60. May 18. The commemoration of saint glorious martyr Julian.
61. May 22. The commemoration of pious Constantine the Great, emperor.
63. The canon of the Ascension.
64. The other canon of the Ascension.
65. The canon of the Holy Pentecost.
66. The other canon of the Holy Pentecost.
67. The other canon of the Holy Pentecost.
68. The other canon, iambic, of the Holy Pentecost.
69. June 1. <The commemoration of> three saint virgins Faith, Hope and Love.
70. June 6. Patronal festival (panegyris) of the Archangel.
71. The other canon of the Archangel.
72. June 10. The commemoration of our venerable father Onuphrius, ascetic.
73. June 12. The commemoration of the righteous Joseph of Arimathea.

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A. Nikiforova
So, this calendar explicitly is of the Palestinian type with some Coptic pecu
liarities and comprises the commemorations of the main Gospel events and of the
saints that were most worshipped in Jerusalem and in Egypt.13 These feasts are local
Palestinian: the consecration of the Holy Monastery of Virgin Mary, named Khozeva
(now St George Monastery,14 16 January, rubric 19),15 the commemoration of the per
ished in the earthquake in Palestine (17 January16). Coptic influence is traced in the
patronal festival of the Archangel (6 June),17 St Arsenius the Great (7 May, not 8 May),
St Epimachus of Pelusium (9 May). The date of the feast of Sts Faith, Hope and Love
(1 June) for the present seems to me inexplicable. Compared to the Udzvelesi Iad
gari,18 the calendar of this redaction of the Tropologion was enlarged and modified:
the number of individual commemorations of saints increased and on the contrary
decreased the number of common commemorations (there are only a few occasions,
discussed below, in 4.1.2).
3. Structure of services
Hymnographic texts in the Tropologion were arranged according to the order
of the service: stichera on Lord, I call for the esperinos, canon and stichera of the
Lauds for the orthros.19 The number of chants depended on the significance of the
feast.
Type of service
Ordinary

Structure of service

Number

Rubrics

20

1, 8, 14, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26,

27, 54, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 69,
71, 72, 73(?)

Chronz, Nikiforova (in print).

This monastery in the Khozeva Desert between Jerusalem and Jericho was founded in the late
5th early 6th century by John, who later became metropolitan of Caesarea Palaestinae, on the place
where, according to the tradition, after a forty-day Lent Joachim received a message from the Angel
about the forthcoming birth of Mary. In the 6th8th century the monastery flourished and was renowned
for the austerity of its ascetic life. The consecration of the Monastery of Khozeva is mentioned in the
Jerusalem Lectionary (18 January), in the Udzvelesi Iadgari (16 January), in certain Georgian Menaea
(Kekelidze 1912: 171, 172, 380).
15
Kekelidze 1912: 174175.
16
On a hunch of T. Chronz, that is the earthquake, took place on January 17, 749 (Tsafrir, Foerster
1992: 231235).
17
Garitte 1958: 244, Zanetti 1994: 323349.
18
Metreveli, ankiev, Khevsuriani 1980.
19
For more detailed description of the services structrure of the Tropologion see: Nikiforova
2012b: 4047.
13
14

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The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
Ordinary with
additional
sticheron on
Glory and/or
apostixon

+ and/or

19

2, 5(?), 9(?),11, 12, 13, 15, 17,

18, 19, 20, 25, 44, 49, 51, 52,
53, 55, 56

Festal

+ ,
,
..

3, 10, 28, 70

An ordinary service included a cycle of stichera on Lord, I call a canon a

cycle of the Lauds, e.g. the services of St Cyrus and John (31 January, rubric 26), St
Epiphanius (12 May, rubric 58) etc. If the same stichera were to be chanted of the
Lauds and Lord, I call, they were written out once, at the beginning of the service.
In a more solemn service appeared a doxastikon and/or aposticha either on Lord, I
call or of the Lauds, or in both cases, e.g. services of St Babylas (15 January, rubric 18), St Mark (25 April, rubric 49) etc. On great feasts the Nativity of Christ
(25 December, rubric 3), the Theophany (6 January, rubric 10) special chants (
, , etc.) were added to the above
scheme. If several services fell on one day (either of one feast or of different feasts),
they followed one another under different rubrics, e.g. on January 17 first comes the
service of St Anthony the Great (rubric 20), then the service of the perished in the
earthquake (rubric 21), on June 6 two separate services of the Archangel (rubrics
70, 71) also follow one another. But more common was a mixed combination, when
hymnography of different feasts was united in one service, e.g. the chants of the Forefeast of the Theophany and St Theodosius the Great (rubric 15), of the Afterfeast of
the Theophany and St Philotheus (rubric 16), of the Forefeast of the Theophany and
the Holy Fathers slain at Holy Mountain Sinai and Raithu (rubric 17), etc.
4. Hymnographical genres
The hymnographical, liturgical and music terminology is elaborated in detail.
In the Tropologion one can meet (canon), (ode),
, , , (stichera on Lord, I call, on Glory, of the Laud, apostichon), , ,
, , (roparia on the dismissal, on the
assembly, on the entrance of the Holy <Gifts>, on the great blessing of waters, on
the kneeling), (theotokion), (triadikon),
(penitential), (for the Apostles), (for the Martyrs),
(for the Venerables), (in Byzantine manner), (authentikos), (on the model of), (tone), (similar).

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A. Nikiforova
At this stage one cannot always define sticheron from troparion (as a rule,
a sticheron is connected with verses of psalm), e.g. under the rubric

first is inserted , . , ,
. Therefore Georgian scholars introduced a general term for different kinds
of chants monostrophe. The term canon is used in two meanings:
(the service of the Apostles) and (on the canon
<of biblical canticles> the first ode).
For cycles of stichera and canons the tone () and model () are indicated. The method of similarity, i.e. that is a composition of new hymns, ,
on the base of an existing melodic and metrical model, one of the fundamental me
thods of Byzantine hymnography, already witnessed in the Tropologion.20 The early
texts, which were, most likely pre-authors yet, followed a pattern very precisely,
e.g. the Resurrection sticheron, tone pl. 4, ,
(, Sin. gr. 864, 9th c.21) and the other one chanted according to its model
on the Apodosis of the Theophany (Sin. gr. NE/ 565, rubric 17. 1):
. , ,
,
,
.
. 17. 1. . . . .
, . ,
, ,

, .
. , ,
, : ,
, .
. 17. 1. , . . . 4. : ,
. , , ,
, : ,
, .
Later appeared chants that repeated the metric and melodic pattern, but the texts were rather different. Two Christmas stichera
(of the Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ, rubric 2) and
(of the Nativity of Christ, rubric 3) may serve as an example:
2.2. . . . . ,
20
21

Nikiforova (in print).

Ajjoub 2004: 392.

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The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
, , ,
, , .
.22
3.2. . . ,
, , , , ,
, , , ,
. .
2.2. . . . 2. , ,
, , ,
, , , . :
.
3.2. . : . ,
, , , , , ,
, , . :
.
The authors of the Tropologion made up a list of the patterns for composing and
chanting stichera and heirmoi.23 According to these models hymnographers wrote
their monostrophes. Sometimes monostrophes were original and chanted by their
own model. Other canticles of the cycle then, called (similar), used it as a
pattern, e.g. the cycle of stichera of the Lauds of the Theophany, written by John the
monk (January 6, rubric 10, tone 2): . .
. <>. .
As for musica references, the term (authentikos) is used as opposed
to (plagios) in tones definition, e.g. in the service of the Nativity of Christ
is prescribed to chant . . . .
(25 December, rubric 2. 3), as well as in the service of the Theophany
. . . . <> <
> (5 January, rubric 10. 1). The remark (in Byzantine manner)
one can meet in the service of St John Chrysostom (27 January), preceded the cycles
of stichera of the Lauds (rubric 25. 3). That is most likely that it shows the connection
with the Constantinopolian tradition and not the Palestinian one (which chants are
usually referred to as , in oriental manner).
Deuteronom 28, 4. This hymn was a part of eight-stichera cycle in Udzvelesi Iadgari (Kekelidze 1907: 375). In printed Menaion: ,
, , ,
, , ,
(20 December, St Ignatios Theophoros, sticheron of the Lauds, attributed to Romanos the
Melode). Greek office, cf. p. Menaion is accessible on-line: http://analogion.gr Also see: Romanos
le Mlode 1965: 138.
23
The catalog of the patterns see: Momina 1998: 165185; Nikiforova (in print).
22

169

A. Nikiforova
4.1.1. Stichera on assembly, on the Great Entrance
Stichera on assembly ( ) is an ancient genre found in the
Udzvelesi Iadgari, in the liturgies of the Apostles James and Mark,24 in the manuscrits
RNB gr. 44 (9th c.)25 and Sin. gr. NE/ 565. In early liturgical sources synaxis
meant the dismissal of catechumens (dimissio catechumenorum).26 Stichera of this
kind were chanted after the reading of the Gospel and before deacons called upon catechumen to leave the assembly. In the Tropologion one can find them in the services
of the Theophany (rubrics 10. 3, 10. 10), the Ascension (rubric 63. 6), the Pentecost
(rubric 65. 8), the Archangel (rubric 70. 7), the Easter (rubrics 40. 5, 40. 6), St Thomas Sunday (rubric 41. 6), Great Lent (rubrics are not indicated). They do not differ
at all from ordinary stichera. Later these stichera were incorporated in the cycles of
stichera of the Lauds, as, e.g. the stichera of the Theophany (January 6, rubric 10. 3):
10.3. . . . . < >
<>27 ,28 <>,
, ,
,29 , .30
10.3. . . 1. . , ,
,
, , , .
In earlier manuscripts the terms ,
, 31 were used as synonyms
of stichera on synaxis. In the Tropologion there are two stichera
on Maundy Thursday (rubric 37. 12)
, tone pl. 4, and on the Theophany (rubric 10. 4)
, tone pl. 1, which you may read below:
10.4. . . . .
, , 32
, , ,
<> , < >,
<> , {...} ,33 , .
Leeb 1970: 101102.
Thibaut 1913: 311.
26
Taft 1975: 7175, 97, 99 102, 113 114; Taft 2010.
27
In printed Menaion: .
28
In printed Menaion: .
29
In printed Menaion: , .
30
= Printed Menaion (of the Lauds, by Patriarch German).
31
Taft 2000: 675692; Thibaut 1913: 74.
32
In printed Menaion: .
33
In printed Menaion: .
24
25

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The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
10.4. <>. . . 1.
, , , ,
. {...}
: , .
4.1.2. Common chants
Common chants, characteristic of the Palestinian worship, were found in the
manuscripts Sin. gr. NE/ 24 (9th10th c.), RNB gr. 44,34 hymnographical Udzvelesi
Iadgari. In the Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565, which reflects further development
of the rite (in comparison with the Udzvelesi Iadgari), common stichera are to be
chanted only a few times: (to the Martyrs) to St Julian of Tarsus (18 May,
rubric 60. 1) and St Theodore (First Saturday of Great Lent, rubric 29. 1),
(to the Venerables) to Venerable Onuphrius (June 10, rubric 72. 1). Also in the service of the Afterfeast of the Theophany and St Philotheus (rubric 16) the Theophany
chants alternated with common chants to the Martyrs four stichera from the cycle
on Lord, I call are dedicated to the Theophany, and two stichera to the Martyrs:
16.1. . . .
, ,
, .
. , ,
.
. , ,
.
. , ,
.
. , , ,
, .
. , ,
, .
16.1. , . . . 3. :
,
.
. , ,
, , .
. , :
, .
. ,
, , .
34

Thibaut 1913: 38.

171

A. Nikiforova
. , ,
, , .
.
, : .
And here is an example of the common sticheron of the Lauds and common
troparia to the Martyrs inserted in the canon dedicated to the Holy Theophany:
16.3. . . . , ,
,
, .
16.3. . . 3. : , ,
,
.
16.2. . . . .
, , ,
.
.
, ,
, , .
16.2. 3. . . 3. :
:
.
5. :
, ,
.
4.1.3. and , hymns to the Holy Trinity and to the
Virgin Mary
Theotokia () and triadika () originated in the services of the feasts
dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Annunciation, Dormition etc.) and to the Holy Trinity (The
ophany, Pentecost). Only one chant called triadikon is found in the Tropologion Sin. gr.
NE/ 565, in the service of the Theophany: , ,35
. In printed books this hymn to the Holy Trinity is chanted
as a doxastikon on Lord, I call at the vesper of Pentecost and is assigned to the emperor
Leo VI the Wise (866912), the author of the Gospel stichera. In the Tropologion the hymn
is found in the service of the Theophany and prescribed to be chanted on all the eight days
of the Afterfeast ( ). In the service of Pentecost
there is a remark to take the chant from the Theophanys service (rubric 65. 7). Thus, it is
questionable whether the hymn was written by the emperor Leo VI or not.
35

In printed Menaion: .

172

The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
Besides that hymns to the Holy Trinity appear in the seventh ode (of Azariah:
Daniel 3, 2645) and in the eighth ode (of three youths Ananias, Azariah, Mishael:
Daniel 3, 5288) of the canons. In the seventh ode of the four-ode canon of the Ascen
sion (rubric 64. 1) the author directly connects the image of three youths with the Holy
Trinity: , ,
, ,
(
, ,
: ). The Holy Trinity is sung
by Sts Faith, Hope and Love (1 June, rubric 69. 2, by Andrew the Crete):
, , , ,
,
( :
). Similar triadika are included in the
eighth ode of the canons of St Isidore (14 May, rubric 59. 2), St Chistopher (27 April,
rubric 51. 3), the Archangel (6 June, rubric 71. 1), the Easter (rubric 40. 1) etc.
Theotokia are also seldom found in the Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565. There
is a theotokion after the stichera of the Lauds, tone 4, in the service of the Archangel (6
June, rubric 71. 3) , . When only the incipit
is indicated (e.g. , , on Gloryof the stichera on
Lord, I call, tone 3, the commemoration of St Athanasius, 2 May, rubric 52. 2), the
theotokion itself must be looked for in a corresponding book of texts.36 The full texts
of theotokia are written down only a few times, e.g. in the service of St George (23
April) (rubric 44. 2, tone 1),
(rubric 44. 4, tone 1), , (rubric 44. 7, tone 2), the
theotokia from the first, third, fifth and ninght odes of the canon (rubric 44. 5).
4.1.4. The Canon
There is a vast number of complete and incomplete, archaic and newly written
canons in the Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565. Archaic canons are, in fact, the sets
of troparia chanted on the biblical canticles, the tone might changed from ode to ode.
Below is an archaic canon of the Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ (rubric 2. 3),37
compilled in such a way:
2.3. . . . . .
, , , <>
, , , .
, , ,
36
37

Lourie 1995: 184; Metreveli, Quitter 1975: 331359.

Another redaction see in: Sin. gr. 578 (f. 61v63, with the second ode, Tameion 1996: 132).

173

A. Nikiforova
, , ,
.
, , ,
, , ,
.
2.3. 1. . 2.
,
.
, .
, .

, .
Heirmoi of archaic canons were connected at the same time with the feast and
the biblical canticle by their subject, e.g. the heirmos of the fourth ode of the canon
of the Apodosis of the Theophany (rubric 17. 4): , ,
, , , ,
, , ( ,
, , ,
). Such heirmoi were an integral part of a concrete canon. Therefore one needed to compose general-purpose heirmoi that could be
used in a canon for any feast. So heirmoi that are paraphrases of the biblical canticles appeared, e.g. the heirmos of the first ode, composed by John the monk (rubric
18. 2).: ,
, , , (
, ,
, , ). Hymnographers of the 7th
8th century made up a whole collection of such models, that was arfterwards used as
heirmoi by the 9th century hymnographers.
4.2. Interpolation of second ode. There is no precise answer to the question
about the second ode omission.38 Two ways of composing a complete canon already
existed in the 7th8th century: the old one, with second ode (canons of the Udzvelesi
Iadgari,39 canons of Andrew and German the Patriarch) and the new one, without the
second ode (canons of John and Cosmas40), which led to duality in the 9th century. The
same hymnographers then wrote canons with the second ode and without it. Finally,
38
The oldest testimony on the withdrawal from the liturgical use of the second ode belongs to John
the Zonaras, which believes the reason was in its menacing charcter: Schir 1963: 132.
39
In Udzvelesi Iadgari second ode was presented in all nine-ode canons: Krivko 2008: 6073.
40
Ribakov 2002: 496572; Detorakes 1979: 126128.

174

The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
the new practice of writing eight-ode canons completely replaced the old one. But
the importance of this Tropologion is that it contains an evidence for the transition
from nine-ode canon to eight-ode canon: then as all nine-ode canons in the Udzvelesi Iadgari had the second ode, the canons of the Tropologion ignored it. That was
a reform, carried out by John and Cosmas, which transfigured nine-ode canons into
eight-ode canons (they preserved nine-ode composition and omitted the second ode,
most likely, not to change the sacred structure).
In Sin. gr. NE/ 565 the second ode is interpolated into four canons. R.
Krivko was the first who noticed this fact and demonstrated the interpolation of
the second ode into the canons of John and Cosmas.41 These are the interpolations:
1) into Cosmass canon of the Nativity of Christ (tone 1, heirmos ,
, beginning: , rubric 3. 4)


etc.;42 2) into the jambic canon of John the monk on the Theophany (tone 2, heirmos , , beginning:
, rubric 8. 1) ,
, , ,
etc.;43 3) into the canon of Cosmas on the
Theophany (tone 2, heirmos , beginning
, rubric 10. 7):

etc.44 Also, the second ode was interpolated into
the diodion of Holy Tuesday (rubric 35. 1, heirmos
, beginning ).
4.3. The structure of the ninth ode. Troparia of the ninth ode that in ancient times were intimately connected with the Virgin Mary have been chanted on
(e.g. see the papyrus of John Rylands Library 466,
6th7th c.)45 and ended with the words We magnify you (). In
41
Publication of interpolated second odes with the translation into Church-Slavonic see: Krivko
2008: 6566.
42
In Sin. gr. NE/ 565 and printed Menaea this canon was placed on Christmas (December
25), in the Udzvelesi Iadgari on Christmas Eve. This interpolation see also in the office Menaea of 11th
century Sin. gr. 578 (f. 6767v), Sin. gr. 583 (f. 204v).
43
In Sin. gr. NE/ 565 this canon was placed on the Theophanys Eve, in printed Menaea on
Theophany.
44
In Sin. gr. NE/ 565 and printed Menaea this canon was placed on the Theophany (January
6), in Iadgari 425 (10th c.) on the Theophanys Eve (Kekelidze 1907: 379).
45
Lourie 1995: 170198.

175

A. Nikiforova
many canons of the Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 for the Nativity of Christ (25
December, rubric 2. 3), the second day after the Theophany (rubric 11. 3), St Anthony
(17 January, rubric 20. 3), St George (23 April, rubric 44. 5), the Apostles (rubric 45.
2), St Christopher (27 April, rubric 51. 3), St and Righteous Job (5 May, rubric 53.
3), Venerable Arsenius (7 May, rubric 55. 4) the above structural characteristic, the
refrains , , were preserved. In
some of the canons several troparia of the ninth ode referred to the Virgin Mary, while
some others to a feast. The ending of troparia could alternate
, e.g. in the canon, chanted on the third
day after the Theophany (tone 3, heirmos , beggining
, rubric 12. 2):

, ,
.
, ,
.
, , .
, ,
.
9
, , .
.
.
, .
4.4. Incomplete canons. Incomplete canons for feasts were a distinctive feature
of the Udzvelesi Iadgari (for St Stephen, 27 December, for the Apodosis of the Theophany etc.46). There are many incomplete canons in the Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/
565, and all of them refer to the Lenten cycle. These are incomplete canons for Holy
Monday (rubric 33. 5), Holy Tuesday (rubric 35. 1), Holy Wednesday (rubric 36. 5),
Good Friday (rubric 38. 1), Holy Saturday (39. 147), the Ascension (rubric 64. 1), the
Apostles (rubric 45. 2, 46. 2, 47. 2). What follows is an example of four-ode canons to
the Apostles. The theme of Apostolate runs through the early hymnography. In Sin. gr.
NE/ 5 the instruction: One has to know that from the New Week to Pentecost the
Holy Church chants hymns to the Apostles instead of penitential hymns and hymns to
the Martyrs (rubric 45) is followed by three four-ode canons and one eight-ode canon
in honour of the Apostles. Below is the four-ode canon, tone 1 (rubric 45. 2):
46
47

Kekelidze 1907: 352, 358359

Five odes (1, 6, 7, 8, 9). In printed Triodion this is the complete canon.

176

The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
. .
. ,
, , .
, ,
, .
, ,
, , .
. , , ,
.
, , , .
, , , {...} .
. .
, ,
, , .
, ,
, .
. .
, , ,
, , .
, ,
, , .
,
, , .
1. . 1.
6.
.

.
, , ,
.
7. , , , .
, , .
{...} .
8. : .

: .
:
.
9. : .

177

A. Nikiforova
, , , ,
, .
, ,
, .
, , ,
.
5. The authors
The authors of the Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 are Cyril, John, Cosmas, An
drew of Jerusalem. Twelve troparia for Good Friday are assigned to Cyril of Jerusalem
(rubrics 38. 438. 15). The canon of Sts Faith, Hope and Love (1 June, rubric 69. 2) and
the troparia to the Holy Cross chanted every Wednesday and Friday during Great Lent
(without rubrication) are signed by the name Andrew. John the monk is mentioned as
the author of 8 canons for the Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ (rubric 1), the Fore
feast of the Theophany (rubric 8), St Babylas (15 January, rubric 18. 2), St Euthymius the
Great (20 January, rubric 22. 2), the Easter (rubric 40. 1), St Thomas Sunday (rubric 41.
4), the Apparition of the Holy Cross over Jerusalem (6 May, rubric 54. 2), the Pentecost
(rubric 68). Cosmas is the author of 6 canons for the Nativity of Christ (25 December,
rubric 3. 4), the Theophany (6 January, rubric 10. 7), St Gregory the Theologian (24
January, rubric 24. 2), the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple (2 February, rubric 28.
3), Holy Thursday (rubric 37. 3), the Pentecost (rubric 65. 5). They are most likely the
authors of many stichera and heirmoi, as well as other canons transferred anonymously.
Based on the stable manuscript tradition it is possible to determine the authors of some
unsigned hymns. Thus, the canon to St Basil the Great (1 January, rubric 5. 1) belongs to
John, the canon to St George (23 April, rubric 44. 5) to Cosmas etc.
6. The characteristics of the early Palestinian hymnography
The main features of the Tropologion chants are refrains, direct speech, dia
logues, quotations from the Holy Scripture and homiletical texts.
6.1. Calque. Thus, in Sin. gr. NE/ 565 the stichera for the Forefeast of the
Theophany (5 January, rubric 9. 1) repeat the pattern almost word-by-word the
Resurrection stichera (rubric 41. 1):48
. 41. . 41.1.
. . . , ,
,
.
48
The chants are very close to each other textologically and by their structure one can find in the
kernel for Byzantine hymnography services of Holy Week, akolouthies of the Easter, the Christmas, the
Theophany (Chopko 2005: 7, Janeras 1988: 252255).

178

The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
. 9. . 9.
. 9. 1. . .
. < > <>, , <
> <, > < >
.49
. 41. . 41. 1. ,
. . 1. , ,
, .
. 9. . 9. 1. ,
. . 1. , ,
, .
6.2. The Refrain. The frequent use of refrains in the early hymnography can
basically be put down to the need to engage people in the worhip. Besides, refrains
had a structure forming function: they linked heirmoi and troparia of an ode as well
as cycles of stichera. The most common refrains were of petitioning nature save our
souls, pray for our souls etc. Other refrains contained doxologies, e.g. in the cycle of
stichera of the Forefeast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (rubric 2. 4) in Sin.
gr. NE/ 565:
2.4. . . . .
, ,
, .
. , ,
, .
. , ,
, .
2.4. . . . 3. :
:
.
. ,
: , .
. :
, .
There was a special set of refrains for different odes of canons, such as
, ,
, (rubric 19.
3). This ancient method was already known from the 6th7th century papyrus of John
Rylands Library 466. In 1938 Colin H. Roberts published the two-ode canon from it:
49

= Udzvelesi Iadgari. Renoux 2000: 9798.

179

A. Nikiforova
, ,
,
.
, ,
,
.
, ,
,
.
, ,
. , : .
,
. , : .
,
. , :
.50
Such kind of opening refrains repeatedly occur and in Sin. gr. NE/ 565,
e.g. in the canon of the Apostles (tone 4, heirmos ,
, rubric 48. 2):
, ,
, , .
, , ,
, .
, ,
, , .
48.2. 1. . 4. : ,
, , ,
.
, , , ,
.
, , , ,
.
Quotations. Many pre-authors hymns contained quotations from the Holy
Scripture, especially from the Psalter. Here is the stichera, tone 3, chanted on the
third day after the Theophany (rubric 12. 4):
12.4. . . . , , (Ps.
35: 10), , ,
, .
50

Vasilik 2006: 136138.

180

The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
12.4. . . 3. (. 35: 10),
, ,
: .
Besides the Holy Scripture hymnographical texts were deeply rooted in the homi
listic legacy, e.g. heirmos of the Christmas canon of Cosmas, rubric 3. 4:
, . . ,
. , ,
, ( , . , .
, . ,
, ). Cosmas accurately quotes the homily of St Gregory the
Theologian on the Nativity of Christ: ,
, .
,
( , ! , !
, ! , ,
, , : !).51
6.3. Direct speech. Among the favourite devices of the Udzvelesi Iadgaris hym
nographers were direct speech and dialogue. These devices enlivened the text, made
its narration more dynamic. The monologues of John the Baptist are included into
many Theophany chants, e.g. the stichera on the great blessing of waters in Sin. gr.
NE/ 565:
10.5 . . . .52
< ><> < >, < >
, , < > , < >,
<, > < >, <53 >
, < > ;
, ; , ,54
, .55
10.5. . . . 4.
, , , , ,
. , ,
: ? ?
, , , .
PG 36. Col. 313 B; Vasilik 2006: 2938.
= Udzvelesi Iadgari (Schneider 2004: 26; Janeras 1988: 255; Kekelidze 1907: 356).
53
In printed Menaion: .
54
In printed Menaion: .
55
In printed Menaion: .
51
52

181

A. Nikiforova
The ancient two-ode canon of Annunciation, assigned to Cosmas (Sin. gr. 607,
9th10th c., f. 97; Par. gr. 1563, 12th century, f. 102v)56 and later became a part of
eight-ode canon (tone 4, heirmos , beginning
) is written in the form of a conversation between the Virgin Mary
and the archangel Gabriel.57 All these devices quotations, refrains, direct speech,
dialogues became an indispensible part of ninth-century Byzantine poets arsenal.
Conclusions
An extremely important source for Byzantine hymnography, the Tropologion
Sin. gr. NE/ 565 was found in 1975 on the Sinai and till now remained unexplored. It contains the most complete as of today collection of the early Palestine
Greek liturgical poetry. It is also the only preserved in Greek full copy of such kind
of a service-book. It represents a recension of Tropologion, which replaced the oldest
one, basically known due to its Georgian translation, Udzvelesi Iadgari. As distinct
from the Udzvelesi Iadgari, new Tropologion opens with the Forefeast of the Nativity
of Christ, not the Annunciation. There are more individual, not common, services.
Hymnographical canon performed at orthros was reduced to eight odes.
It contains absolutely unique for Greek liturgical manuscripts services as the
commemoration of the perished in the earthquake on January 17 in 749 in Palestine,
as Coptic festival of the Archangel on June 6, the feast of Sts Faith, Hope and Love
on June 1. The contents of the newly found Tropologion are substantially different
from the Udzvelesi Iadgari, in which scholars managed to find only five per cent of
the chants also found in later sources. A full statistical analysis of the text of the Tropologion has not been conducted by me as yet, but it is obvious that over fifty per cent
of the chants are known from later books.
However, a continuity between old and new redactions of Tropologion is obvious
to me. The new Tropologion preserved the same genre system, adapted to esperinos
and orthros, with stichera on Lord, I call, canon and stichera of the Lauds. Also new
Tropologion keeps archaic incomplete canons inherent to the Udzvelesi Iadgari, ancient second odes, interpolated into eight-ode canons of the Nativity and the Theopha
ny, Palestinian liturgical poetry, which represented very early hymnographical strata.
It is this redaction of the Tropologion that had the greatest influence on the formation of the office Byzantine Menaea and Triodia, inherited genres and structures,
artistic and technical principles from the ninth-century Tropologion.
Detorakes did not know the testimony of Sin. gr. 607 (9th10th c.) and excluded Cosmas to be
the author of these odes (Detorakes 1979: 118).
57
In later tradition the author of this canon considered to be John the monk (printed Menaion) or
Theophan (Sin. gr. 608, 10th c.; Sin. gr. 609, 12th c.; Sin. gr. 610, 10th11th c.). Or also they put this canon
in manuscripts without any authors indication (RNB gr. 553, 11th c.; Sin. gr. 606, 11th c.).
56

182

The Tropologion Sin. gr. NE/ 565 of the Ninth Century:

A New Source for Byzantine Hymnography
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Abbreviations
- ,

About the author

Alexandra Nikiforova, Ph.D., Senior Research Assistant at the
Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for World Literature. She
studied Greek liturgical manuscripts on the Sinai, in Rome, Grottaferrata, Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Vienna, Sofia, Thessaloniki and
Athens. During different periods taught in Moscow State Conserva
tory named for P. I. Tchaikovsky (ssociate Professor) and Saint Ti
khons Orthodox University (ssistant Professor). Member of the
International Societas Orientalium Liturgiarum (SOL). Member of
the Association of Art Historians. Laureate of the Makarievskaja
Award for the Contribution to Russian Historical Science from the
Russian Academy of Sciences, City Hall of Moscow and Russian
Orthodox Church. Spheres of interests: Early-Palestinian and Byzantine liturgical poetry, Office Menaion, Tropologion. Current research
project: Tropologion (Sin. gr. NE/ 565, 9th c.) and Early Palestinian Hymnography.

185

A. Nikiforova

186