GIMN “LIGHT TICHE”: THEOLOGICAL AND LITURGICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the theological and liturgical analysis of the hymn «Quiet Light» that is sung at every evening worship. The history of the origin of the song is investigated in it. The ancient Greeks said to the fire «Good Light» by lighting evening lamps, trying to coax the element. This custom also became a Christian way of life, but with another content. The early Christian monuments of the liturgical literature which carry information about forming parts of the evening service, which became the basis of the so-called «sung service» of Constantinople are taken into consideration. In services of the Third Century Church the outline of the liturgical act of the Vespers is traced, that is, a common evening prayer that combined the liturgical measuring and bringing a lamp for common prayer – glorification of Christ the Lord,Who enlightened the entire universe with His arrival. Since then, the anthem «Quiet Light» is the core and decoration of Byzantine evening worship. So is inflaming the evening, material, physical light was combined with the glory of Christ as a true spiritual Light, as the source of all sanctification of man and the world. Gradually, the Vespers got the perfect shape that got on Ukrainian lands of the Kyiv era. Different types of liturgical books containing repertoire of Vespers, service books and horology books have survived on its territory These books were partially with musical notes, used at the time by the Slavic medieval sign notation. The new stage of fixing the melody of songs was the creation of a new type of line letter in Ukraine and new collections of the 16th century based on it, which gave the opportunity to read the liturgical songs qualitatively. The external function of prayer over time has disappeared, but the internal depth and purity have reached our day. This song has a deep dogmatic and theological content, its liturgical use has been defined and theological reflection has been conducted through the prism of dogmatic teaching of the Orthodox Church.