–A Brief Glimpse on the History of the Readings of the Holy Pascha

This week is called “The Week of the Holy Passover”, as found in the canons of the apostles ( المجموع الصفوي ص ١٧٤ ).

(Treasures of Grace – Holy Pascha P.1)

The Week begins with Lazarus Saturday, as said Scholar Yassa ‘Abdol-Massih, and shown by FR. Athanasius Al-Maqary:

“For Copts, the Week of Passions begins with Lazarus Saturday, when hymns are sung in the regular way.” (The book of Coptic Ecclesiastic Year – Yassa ‘Abdol-Massih – P.45 – Published by Gnostos Nabeel Farooq Fayiz)

“However, the last week, which is the Week of Pascha, is not a part of the Great Lent. But this week we fast for the passions of our savior. We fast it, beginning from Lazarus Saturday, and end up on Bright Saturday.”

(Anba Soueerus Ebnol-Muqaphpha’).

(The Holy Pascha book – FR. Athanasius Al-Maqary – Part 1 – P.49)

“The same is the order of the Church of Jerusalem” (The Holy Pascha book – Part 1 – P.51)

Before, Lazarus Saturday was “the Passover of the Great Lent”; but afterwards, it turned to be connected to the Holy Pascha, as written in the Church Order:

“On this day are Regular Hymns said; because on it, comes the memorial of the great sign of the Lord as He raised Lazarus from the dead. Of old, it was the Passover of the Forty.”

(The Order of the Church – Parts 3 & 4 – P.53 – by His Grace Bishop Samuel, of Shibeen Al-Qanater and its suburbs)

“The Holy Scriptures were to be fully read along the week of the Holy Pascha. This had been done upto the age of Pope Gabriel Ebn Traik (1258 AD), who chose texts appropriate to the Passover of salvation, from the two Testaments. However, they were much more reordered by his Grace Bishop Boutros, of Bahnassa. He modified and equalized the readings for the Hours. That is to say, the history of the readings of the Holy Pascha, (according to the actual rite in general (, is attributed to the twelfth century, as said Scholar Yassa ‘Abdol-Massih. This is affirmed by Archdeacon Banoob ‘Abdoh:

“As the canon Law of the Apostles commanded that the chapters of the Old and the New Testaments should be read along the Week of Passions, so this became an absolute commitment. When the honored Pope Anba Gabriel EbN Traik succeeded Saint Mark’s Alexandrian throne of patriarchy in the year 847 for Martyrs – he who was one of the ecclesiastical scholars -… Seeing that all the people were engaged in their jobs and works, and would not be able to fulfill the Apostolic Canon Law, he gathered many scholars, men of knowledge and monks of saint Maar monastery, so as to reorder what of the old and of the new readings would be appropriate for this purpose. They put them all in a book called “The Book Of Pascha (the Passover).”

“They went on doing that in their churches, till the time of Anba Boutros, Bishop of Bahnassa. For, he saw that for the mentioned pascha, so many Prophecies and Biblical texts were to be read at a certain Hour while at another, nothing would be read but few texts. So he set of the holy books what is due to be read through the Hours, dividing the readings equally for all Hours alike. Then, for every day he set two homilies of the words of the fathers: one for the morning, and the other at sunset; as written in the ecclesiastical manuscript.”

(The Coptic Ecclesiastical Year book – Yassa ‘Abdol-Massih – P.45. Holy Pascha: Treasures of Grace – P.8)

This is what we have received from Scholar priest ابن كبر (c.12):

“Egyptian Pascha book is known to have been written by Patriarch Gabriel Ebn Traik, (C.12) and the book of Katamaras (which includes the parchments {القراطيس?}, the chapters read through prayers and liturgies, of Paul’s Epistles, Catholic Epistles, Praxis, Psalms and the Holy Gospels – for the days of the whole year. However, that is not agreed upon; for, in each of the churches the people have their own tradition of what to read. Besides, the people of the north have their tradition which differs from that of the southern people’s.”

(Ecclesiastical Readings of the Coptic Church – The Coptic Katamaras: Establishment and Development – P.7 Anba Maar, Bishop of Sharqeya and the Tenth of Ramadan)

Though the manuscripts of the Holy Pascha Readings include some differences in the details, yet they agree on one structure, having very many details in common; as expounds father Athanasius Al-Maqary through the second part of his book “The Holy Pascha”:

1 – “The Katamaras Manuscript of Anba Antonio’s (C.12) does not contain Old Testament readings for the Third and the Sixth hours, according to the order. Nevertheless, the London Katamaras Manuscript (c.13), together with that of Paris (c.14), contain two Readings for the Third Hour: one from the Book of Exodus (32:30-33:5), and the other from Joshua Son of Sirach (24:1-15). As for the Sixth Hour, it is only the Katamaras Manuscript of Paris (C.14) that contains a Prophecy from Jeremiah the prophet (7:2-15), another one from the Book of Ezekiel (20:39-44), and a third Prophecy from Joshua Son of Sirach (12:13-13:1). Yet for the Ninth Hour, all the studied Katamaras Manuscripts contain the same three Readings from the Old Testament (Jen.22:1-19), (Isa.61:1-6), and (Job 27:1-28:13).”

(The Holy Pascha book – Second Part – P.101 – Father Athanasius Al-Maqary)

2 – “Prophecy Readings for Lakkan: – 6 Prophecies as found in the Manuscripts. Newly added to them were two prophecies: (Prov.9:1-11), (Isa.55:1-13 – 65:1)”

(Same previous reference, P.146)

3 – “All of the Katamaras Manuscripts agree on the Verses of the Psalms and the Chapters of the four Gospels for the Hours of Friday Eve.

There is not any sign of Prophecies for the Hours of Great Friday Eve, but in the Katamaras Manuscript of Paris (C.14) which contained one Prophecy for each of the Eve Hours, except for the Ninth Hour, as it includes two Prophecies.”

(Same reference – P.162)

4 – “The most ancient source of the General Funeral Prayer, known until now, is due to the Age of pope Chrystolothos, mid-twelfth century.”

(Same reference – P.232)

5 – “The text of (The Faith of the Thief) is wholly in Greek; that is to say, it is an old ecclesiastical text, admitted by all the Manuscripts under consideration and study, with no exception. Thus, it had absolutely been known in the church before the thirteenth century AD.”

(Same reference – P.320)

A Brief Summary of the Topic

The previously mentioned facts show the accordance of most of the Readings used in the book of Pascha (which is used now), with most of the Readings contained in the Holy Pascha manuscripts (Anba Antonio’s Katamaras C.12, Katamaras Manuscript of London C.13, and Katamaras Manuscript of Paris C.14) since the time of their being defined, at the Age of pope Gabriel Ebn Traik )1258 AD.) or even before. Likewise, the accordance of the framework of Pascha Readings in general in the traditional churches, (and also the consistency in the framework of the tradition), with no big, nor essential differences… prove and illustrate the authenticity and antiquity of the Pascha Readings… let alone the divisions happened among the churches a long time ago. Such will be shown in the chapter dealing with the Holy Pascha Readings in the Traditional Churches: the Coptic, Syrian, Byzantine, Armenian, and Latin churches.