Kathisma

This article refers to the liturgical term Kathisma . For the imperial box in the Roman-Byzantine circus see Hippodrome (Constantinople)

In the area of ​​the liturgy of the Orthodox Churches , the term Kathisma ( plural : the Kathismata, to be reproduced in German approximately with session ) has the following meanings:

Kathisma as a group of psalms

In a narrower sense, the term Kathisma denotes one of a total of 20 sections of the Psalter of roughly the same length, according to the classification customary in the Orthodox Church. These are read in the daily prayers of the Orthodox monks in a fixed weekly rhythm. Each cathism consists of three subsections called stasis , each of which is followed by a doxology . When reading the psalms, one sits while the doxology is spoken while standing.

Division of the Psalter into Kathismata ( numbering of the Psalms according to the Septuagint ):

Kathisma	Stasis	Psalms		Kathisma	Stasis	Psalms		Kathisma	Stasis	Psalms		Kathisma	Stasis	Psalms
I.	1	1, 2, 3		VI	1	37, 38, 39		XI	1	77		XVI	1	109, 110, 111
	2	4, 5, 6			2	40, 41, 42			2	78, 79, 80			2	112, 113, 114
	3	7, 8			3	43, 44, 45			3	81, 82, 83, 84			3	115, 116, 117
II	1	9, 10		VII	1	46, 47, 48		XII	1	85, 86, 87		XVII	1	118.1-72
	2	11, 12, 13			2	49, 50			2	88			2	118.73-131
	3	14, 15, 16			3	51, 52, 53, 54			3	89, 90			3	118,132-176
III	1	17th		VIII	1	55, 56, 57		XIII	1	91, 92, 93		XVIII	1	119, 120, 121, 122, 123
	2	18, 19, 20			2	58, 59, 60			2	94, 95, 96			2	124, 125, 126, 127, 128
	3	21, 22, 23			3	61, 62, 63			3	97, 98, 99, 100			3	129, 130, 131, 132, 133
IV	1	24, 25, 26		IX	1	64, 65, 66		XIV	1	101, 102		XIX	1	134, 135, 136
	2	27, 28, 29			2	67			2	103			2	137, 138, 139
	3	30, 31			3	68, 69			3	104			3	140, 141, 142
V	1	32, 33		X	1	70, 71		XV	1	105		XX	1	143, 144, 145
	2	34, 35			2	72, 73			2	106			2	146, 147
	3	36			3	74, 75, 76			3	107, 108			3	148, 149, 150

Example for the distribution of the cathisms in the psalmody of Orthros and Vespers in the weeks (1st) between Thomas Sunday (Sunday after Easter) until the end of the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 21st), (2nd) from the pre-celebration the birth of the Lord (December 20th) until the end of the feast of the Theophanien (January 14th) and (3rd) in the last two weeks of pre-fasting:

	Orthros		Vespers
Sunday	II, III, XIX (1)
Monday	IV, V		VI
Tuesday	VII, VIII		IX
Wednesday	X, XI		XII
Thursday	XIII, XIV		XV
Friday	XIX, XX		XVIII
Saturday	XVI, XVII		I.

There are a total of six orders for the distribution of the Kathismata in the psalmody of the Liturgy of the Hours: (1.) the example given for the liturgical “summer time”, in which two Kathismata are read in the Orthros; (2.) for the corresponding complementary "winter time", in which three cathismata are provided in the Orthros; and (3.) four distinct orders for the Great Lent weeks and the Holy and High Weeks . For the Great Lent there is a twice weekly passage through the entire Psalter - therefore a Kathisma is read in each of the small horizons.

The series of Kathismata always begins with the I. Kathisma in Vespers on Saturday evening. For the Orthros on Sunday, the half of the year given in the example closes on the II. And III. Kathisma still the first stasis of the XIX. Kathismas to ( Polyeleos ).

Poetic Kathisma

In so-called. Poetic Kathismen or Sedalen is troparia who follow the liturgy within the psalmody or the canon to a small Litany of supplication. In the first part of the Orthros, each of the three psalm cathisms is followed by a poetic cathism, of which the first two consist of two troparia and a theotokion (praise of Mary). The third poetic Kathisma has been reduced to the Hypakoi on Sundays, with the exception of festivals, which have their own Katismas. Poetic cathisms always come after the third ode by Orthros.

Kathisma as part of the worship service

In a broader sense, Kathisma also refers to a part of the worship service during which one can sit. Sitting is very rare in the Orthodox Sunday liturgy, which is why Orthodox churches do not have benches or chairs for lay people. The prayer of the hour of the monks, however, includes sitting during the psalm reading mentioned above and also during certain other readings on special occasions. You sit during the reading of the cathisms, but at the end of the reading you rise to doxology and prayer .

See also

Hymnos Akathistos - Marian hymn expressly not to be performed while sitting

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1. ^ Job Getcha: The Typikon Decoded. An Explanation of Byzantine Liturgical Practice . In: The Orthodox Liturgy Series . tape 3 . St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, Yonkers, New York 2012, ISBN 978-0-88141-412-7 , pp. 17 .
2. ↑ Sergius Heitz , Susanne Hausammann : Mysterium of Adoration . tape 1 - Divine Liturgy and Liturgy of the Hours of the Orthodox Church. Luthe, Cologne 1986, p. 761 .
3. ↑ Sergius Heitz , Susanne Hausammann : Mysterium of Adoration . tape 1 - Divine Liturgy and Liturgy of the Hours of the Orthodox Church. Luthe, Cologne 1986, p. 778 .
4. ↑ See article Kathisma in the lexicon of the most important liturgical terms used ( Memento of the original from October 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.