Cherubicon

The cherubicon (χερουβικόν) or the mystical hymn (μυστικὸς ὕμνος) is a liturgical chant ( troparion ) of the Byzantine rite . With this, the choir accompanies the procession with the Eucharistic gifts from the arming table to the altar. Emperor Justin II introduced the cherubim hymn into the liturgy by decree in 574.

The cherubim hymn is considered to be the key text for understanding Orthodox worship.

Text of the cherubim hymn

With the exception of Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday , the cherubicon has the following text at every Eucharistic celebration , which is also known as the cherubim hymn (in the narrower sense):

Original Greek text	transcription	German translation
Οἱ τὰ Χερουβεὶμ μυστικῶς εἰκονίζοντες, καὶ τῇ ζωοποιῷ Τριάδι τὸν Τρισάγιον ὕμνον προσάδοντες, πᾶσαν τὴν βιοτικὴν ἀποθώμεθα μέριμναν. Ὡς τὸν Βασιλέα τῶν ὅλων ὑποδεξόμενοι, ταῖς ἀγγελικαῖς ἀοράτως δορυφορούμενον τάξεσιν. Ἀλληλούϊα, Ἀλληλούϊα, Ἀλληλούϊα.	I tá Cheruvím mistikós ikonízontes, ké tí zoopió Triádi tón Triságion ímnon prosádontes, pásan tín viotikín apothómetha mérimnan. Os tón Vasiléa tón ólon ipodexómeni, tés angelikés aorátos doriforúmenon táxesin. Allilúia, allilúia, allilúia.	Which we mysteriously depict the cherubim and sing about the life- creating trinity with the hymn 'Three times holy' - let us now put aside all worries of everyday life so that we receive the King of All, who is invisibly guided in triumph by the heavenly hosts. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Great entrance and cherubim hymn

The king's door of the iconostasis opens. This is how the great move begins. The choir sings the first part of the hymn. Meanwhile, the deacon smokes the altar, arming table and chancel. He steps through the king's door and smokes the iconostasis, returns through the king's door into the chancel and smokes the priest there, then, from the ambo , the choir and congregation.

In solemn procession'll leave the priests carrying the Eucharistic chalice, and the deacon who covered the discos with the Prosphorenteilchen carries through the north door of the iconostasis the sanctuary. You stop in front of the king's door and the priest intercedes in memory of the patriarch , the episcopate , the clergy and all of Orthodox Christianity.

Then the Eucharistic gifts are placed on the altar. As this happens, the choir sings the second part of the cherubim hymn.

meaning

The church service is interpreted through the cherubim hymn as a celebration of the people in the heavenly service. Earthly and heavenly are perceived as a unity, so that the believers can praise God together with the angels by putting aside all earthly passions. (The great entry also symbolizes the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.)

In the Syrian tradition, the so-called mystery antiphon ( ˁoniṯa d-razē ) corresponds to the cherubicon . “These chants… see in the delivery of the gifts to the altar of Christ, the King of Heaven, accompanied by the heavenly hosts, who sets out to realize the mystery of salvation and to communicate himself to people . "

Sacred choral music

Sergei Wassiljewitsch Rachmaninow : Cheruwimskaja pjesn ' Херувимская песнь (Op. 31, 8)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky : Cheruwimskaja pjesn ' Херувимская песнь (Op. 41, 6)

literature

Sebastia Janeras: Cherubikon . In: Lexicon for Theology and Church , Volume 2, Herder, Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 1994, Sp. 1034 f.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Sebastia Janeras: Cherubikon , Sp. 1035.
↑ Fairy von Lilienfeld : The Divine Liturgy of St. Johannes Chrysostomos , Book A, Greek-German, Erlangen 1979, quoted here. after: Eugen Hämmerle, Heinz Ohme, Klaus Schwarz: Approaches to Orthodoxy . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2nd ed. Göttingen 1989 (= Bensheimer Hefte No. 68), p. 39.
↑ Hans-Dieter Döpmann : The Orthodox Churches in Past and Present . Peter Lang Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2010, p. 153.
↑ ^a ^b Cipria-Ioan Streza: liturgy, worship, songs . In: Ioan Vasile Leb, Konstantin Nikolakopoulos, Ilie Ursa (ed.): The Orthodox Church in Self-Presentation. A compendium. LIT Verlag, Berlin 2016. pp. 139–158, here p. 148.

[:0-1] Sebastia Janeras: Cherubikon , Sp. 1035.

[2] Fairy von Lilienfeld : The Divine Liturgy of St. Johannes Chrysostomos , Book A, Greek-German, Erlangen 1979, quoted here. after: Eugen Hämmerle, Heinz Ohme, Klaus Schwarz: Approaches to Orthodoxy . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2nd ed. Göttingen 1989 (= Bensheimer Hefte No. 68), p. 39.

[3] Hans-Dieter Döpmann : The Orthodox Churches in Past and Present . Peter Lang Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2010, p. 153.

[:1-4] Cipria-Ioan Streza: liturgy, worship, songs . In: Ioan Vasile Leb, Konstantin Nikolakopoulos, Ilie Ursa (ed.): The Orthodox Church in Self-Presentation. A compendium. LIT Verlag, Berlin 2016. pp. 139–158, here p. 148.