keeping vigil

[archer75]

What does it mean to keep vigil in an Orthodox context? Just nighttime prayers that are more extended, Jesus Prayer late into the night? What meanings can this have?

You too, @dzheremi, especially since it was your recent posts that made me think of this...

 

[HTacianas]

What does it mean to keep vigil in an Orthodox context? Just nighttime prayers that are more extended, Jesus Prayer late into the night? What meanings can this have?

You too, @dzheremi, especially since it was your recent posts that made me think of this...

For lack of a better definition, it's similar to the Liturgy, only without the Eucharist. I've been to a number of vigils in a Russian Church on Saturday, and it is used to prepare for Sunday Liturgy.

 

[archer75]

For lack of a better definition, it's similar to the Liturgy, only without the Eucharist. I've been to a number of vigils in a Russian Church on Saturday, and it is used to prepare for Sunday Liturgy.

I know about Vigil, of course - Vespers and Matins. But that doesn't last all night outside of monasteries, as far as I know. Is there "vigil" to be kept on one's own? Does this phrase refer to anything but "Vigil"?

 

[HTacianas]

I know about Vigil, of course - Vespers and Matins. But that doesn't last all night outside of monasteries, as far as I know. Is there "vigil" to be kept on one's own? Does this phrase refer to anything but "Vigil"?

Let's see if we can stir up @ArmyMatt . He can give you a better answer than I can.

 

[ArmyMatt]

strictly speaking, it's Great Vespers followed by Sunday Matins and 1st Hour.

 

[dzheremi]

In the Coptic tradition, the night vigil is kept by the chanting of the Midnight Praises, known in Arabic as the tasbeha (from tasbih, 'praise'). The tasbeha includes the canticles (probably better known in the Church by their Coptic name, hoos) and the explanations of the canticles (Coptic: lobsh), the Psalis, the Theotokias, the commemoration of the saints, the gospel reading, and some other hymns that are categorized one way or another that I honestly cannot remember (I've only performed tasbeha once, when I was in the monastery doing the fieldwork for my master's degree; my own parish was too small for it, but I know others will gather to perform it).

There is also in the Agpeya/Horologion the Prayer of the Veil, to be prayed by monks after the Compline/retiring prayer.

From memory (this was almost 5 years ago now), in the monastery we would pray the Compline prayer and then be excused for rest for a few hours (I assume that the monks prayed the Veil at this time, but I don't know because I rested in another room) to rise c. 10 pm for the tasbeha, which lasted until 1 am, and then we went to sleep to rise for the morning prayer c. 6 am.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I know about Vigil, of course - Vespers and Matins. But that doesn't last all night outside of monasteries, as far as I know. Is there "vigil" to be kept on one's own? Does this phrase refer to anything but "Vigil"?

It is kept all night a few times a year in our parish - especially later during Holy Week. I think it's Vespers plus Matins plus the Hours finished or filled in with praying the Psalms.

 

[Mary of Bethany]

If you're wondering about vigils other than the evenings before Feasts, there are the ones Anastasia mentioned, especially Holy Friday evening where we hold vigil at the Tomb, reading the Psalms through the night. And that is why we also do that when an Orthodox Christian reposes. Ideally the casket is brought into the Church and family & parishioners keep vigil with him/her through the night, reading psalms, until the funeral.

If you're asking about keeping a vigil at home - I'm not sure. That would probably be an AYP thing.

 

[archer75]

I am familiar with these vigils, but thank you all. I guess I imagined there was some sort of "other vigil" that was a practice that involved private prayer throughout the night. But it seems if there is, no one here knows about it. Not sure where I got this idea...

 

[AMM]

I am familiar with these vigils, but thank you all. I guess I imagined there was some sort of "other vigil" that was a practice that involved private prayer throughout the night. But it seems if there is, no one here knows about it. Not sure where I got this idea...

I also thought there would be some sort of private thing, so it's not just you.

 

[dzheremi]

Well I have known Copts to gather in each other's homes to pray the Agpeya together, which contains a lot of the same material as you'd find in the Tasbeha (since they both involve the chanting of the Psalms, the reading of the Gospels, etc.). But I don't know of any service that is designed for at home use. Probably if the person or people faithfully kept to the Agpeya, praying every hour at its appointed time, and chanting rather than reading the Psalms and the various doxologies, they'd be doing something that is very close to the Tasbeha in terms of the overall time spent praying, but it wouldn't be the same as the actual texts are different (the explanations/lobsh are unique to the Tasbeha, for instance, just like the Prayer of Thanksgiving is unique to the Agpeya).

 

[ArmyMatt]

I also thought there would be some sort of private thing, so it's not just you.

you can always chant the Psalter

 

[AMM]

you can always chant the Psalter

That's true, I guess. I need a good translation of a Psalter - I have one from my Lutheran days, so the numbering is different and it uses ESV translation. Is that okay to use from an Orthodox point of view?

 

[ArmyMatt]

That's true, I guess. I need a good translation of a Psalter - I have one from my Lutheran days, so the numbering is different and it uses ESV translation. Is that okay to use from an Orthodox point of view?

should be alright, in my opinion

 

[AMM]

should be alright, in my opinion

Thanks, I really love the Psalms, and used to chant them a lot

 

[Mary of Bethany]

There’s also this. The Dynamic Horologion And Psalter

 

[ArmyMatt]

Thanks, I really love the Psalms, and used to chant them a lot

I mean, I just gave my opinion. before you start any prayer rule, you gotta talk to your priest.

 

[AMM]

I mean, I just gave my opinion. before you start any prayer rule, you gotta talk to your priest.

What's the difference between a prayer rule, and just praying because I want to? Where is the line drawn? My priest gave me a set of morning and evening prayers to use, so that's obviously a prayer rule, but if I pray in addition to that (and I do), do I always need to ask him before I pray a psalm, for example?

 

[ArmyMatt]

What's the difference between a prayer rule, and just praying because I want to? Where is the line drawn? My priest gave me a set of morning and evening prayers to use, so that's obviously a prayer rule, but if I pray in addition to that (and I do), do I always need to ask him before I pray a psalm, for example?

normally no, but if you are engaging in something larger like incorporating the Psalter or a personal vigil into your prayer life, that is something he should know.

 

[AMM]

normally no, but if you are engaging in something larger like incorporating the Psalter or a personal vigil into your prayer life, that is something he should know.

Ah got it. So if I just wanted to pray a psalm or even a kathisma right now, that'd be fine. But if I wanted to pray the prescribed kathisma every day at 10am, then that's something I would ask him about.

Is it more of a question or a statement, if that makes sense? Am I saying, "Can I have your permission?" or "I'm letting you know that I'm going to do this."?