Books by Nicholas Denysenko
The Orthodox Church in Ukraine: A Century of Separation
In the early twentieth century, a sense of national consciousness began to develop among Ukrainia... more In the early twentieth century, a sense of national consciousness began to develop among Ukrainians. In the previous chapter, we reviewed the events and figures who contributed to the evolution of the nascent Ukrainian national identity. Churchmen were included among the intellectuals who sought the creation of an independent church alongside a sovereign state. Events in the history of the Kyivan Metropolia became commemorative markers contributing to the formation of a movement for ecclesial sovereignty, accompanied by the nineteenth century phenomenon of the formation of autocephalous churches in newly-formed nation-states in the debris of imperial collapse. 1 The Ukrainian intellectuals who adhered to the national dream were aware of the formation of autocephalous Churches in Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria. The Bulgarian example was a cautionary tale, since the movement for autocephaly introduced the unfortunate tendency for churches to exclude anyone who was not ethnically Bulgarian from membership and participation. The Constantinopolitan synod of 1872 condemned this policy as ethnophyletism, the heresy of limiting participation in ecclesial life to people of an exclusive national identity. 2 The Ukrainians who dreamed of an autocephalous Church sought to excise their notion of a unique religious identity from the amalgamation of identities that had formed during the period of Kyiv's annexation to the Russian empire.
Chrismation: A Primer for Catholics
The Blessing of Waters and Epiphany; The Eastern Liturgical Tradition
Papers by Nicholas Denysenko
Worship, 2024
A new liturgical office for the bereaved. Grief has no expiration date - the people of God are co... more A new liturgical office for the bereaved. Grief has no expiration date - the people of God are commissioned to comfort and serve all mourners, especially widows, widowers, and orphans. This service calls the faithful to pray with the bereaved, but also to continue to bear witness to their loss.
Worship, 2021
This year marks the centennial anniversary of the birth of Orthodox theologian Father Alexander S... more This year marks the centennial anniversary of the birth of Orthodox theologian Father Alexander Schmemann. In the broader Christian community, encompassing East and West, liturgical theologians remain grateful to Schmemann for reminding us that the liturgy is the primary source of theology. Schmemann famously described liturgical theology as "lex orandi est lex credendi, " the rule of prayer establishes the rule of faith. His abbreviation of Prosper of Aquitaine's longer phrase invited theologians to view liturgy as the primary theological act and event. This act functions as the inspiration for all secondary theology. Schmemann boldly claims: The Church's leitourgia, a term incidentally much more comprehensive and adequate than "worship" or "cult, " is the full and adequate epiphany-expression, manifestation, fulfillment of that in which the Church believes, or what constitutes her faith. 1
Worship, 2021
The Divine Liturgy-A New Order offers a new text for Byzantine Rite parishes.
Canadian Slavic Papers/Revue Canadienne des Slavistes, 2020
From Crete to Romania
First Things, 2019
Exclusive: The Sunday of Orthodoxy, Reconciliation, and Ukraine
The Orthodox World, 2019
Engaging My Opponent: Spiritual Healing for Broken Public Discourse
This article assesses the liturgical reforms attributed to Alexander Schmemann and New Skete mona... more This article assesses the liturgical reforms attributed to Alexander Schmemann and New Skete monastery. A close examination of these reforms demonstrates that they were primarily pastoral attempts to continue the work inaugurated by the Moscow Council of 1917–18 (Schmemann), and to restore monastic stewardship of venerable liturgical traditions (New Skete). The author suggests that it would be more fruitful to approach the question of renewing tradition on the basis of the goals of liturgical renewal, which happen to be common to both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, namely liturgical theosis, or divinization of the people through liturgical events. The twentieth century witnessed a series of liturgical reforms in many of the Christian churches. A generation of older Catholics is likely to remember the Mass of Pius V and can speak, in general, to the changes they have experienced in the liturgy, especially given the number and impact of reforms seemingly unleashed by Vatican II. Orthodox Christianity did not have a Vatican II to implement liturgical reform, but the experience of Orthodox Christians is likely to mirror changes in the Roman liturgy. Indeed, one can identify changes common to both the Orthodox and Catholic churches: the transition from Latin, Greek or Slavonic to the use of the vernacular in liturgy, a general increase in the frequency of receiving Holy Communion, and notable changes in the people's participation in and the clergy's leadership of liturgical celebrations. Much of the extant scholarly literature on these changes argues that they depend upon either ressourcement or aggiornamento, or perhaps both, an updating of the church on the basis of retrieving tradition. Certainly, there are scholars, theologians and pastors who dissent from the school of progressives and argue that tradition was not retrieved with these reforms, but rather unnecessarily resuscitated in deliberate acts that disrupted the organic development of the liturgy in both the Latin and Byzantine
The Orthodox Church is known for its liturgical aesthetics. The rich liturgical cycle consists of... more The Orthodox Church is known for its liturgical aesthetics. The rich liturgical cycle consists of several liturgical offices celebrated throughout the year, complete with icons, chant, polyphony, and powerful ritual gestures. The Divine Liturgy is the external symbol of the typical Orthodox liturgy. The liturgical celebration profoundly shapes the inner and outer lives of the liturgical participants, as liturgy is a constant and repetitive rehearsal of dying and rising to new life. This article examines the most salient patterns and instances of dying and rising to new life in Orthodox liturgy and concludes with a reflection on how engaging this process might have a greater impact on the daily lives of Orthodox Christians today. The Orthodox Church projects many images to the public. In Western society, Orthodoxy is known for its ethnic dimension, especially when parishes host festivals with native foods, music, and dancing and invite the public's participation. The public sneaks a glimpse into Orthodoxy at performances featuring world-renowned composers such as Rachmaninoff and Pärt and local art exhibits displaying galleries of icons. The music and iconography belong to Orthodoxy's liturgical tradition, which continues to retain select aspects of the structure and aesthetical performative style of its Byzantine and Russian imperial past. These public images of Orthodoxy do not communicate the fullness of its inner and outer liturgical life, however. Deeper and regular participation in the ordinary weekly worship of Orthodoxy, the Sunday Divine Liturgy, discloses the Orthodox Church as a community of faithful that participates in Christ's death in preparation for eternal life. In this essay, I argue that Orthodox liturgy initiates the faithful into a process of death in Christ and dying to themselves, preparing them for eternal life. Baptism establishes this process of death and dying, and the pattern is repeated in the regular celebration of the Divine Liturgy, and complemented by participation in other liturgical offices. I begin by showing how Baptism makes death and dying normative for the Orthodox Christian. Then, I explore the Divine Liturgy to show how death and dying to sin are necessary to receive the gift of communion in the Holy Spirit, which is a foretaste of life shared with the Triune God. The analysis of the Divine Liturgy includes consultation of preparation for Holy Communion and the prayers recited after Communion, and I will draw from these to demonstrate how the pattern of death and dying appears throughout the Orthodox liturgical tradition. This analysis applies to both the inner and outer lives of Orthodox Christians, and this essay concludes with a reflection on the challenge of applying the discipline of liturgical death and dying to the challenges of relationships Orthodox Christians confront in daily life. 1. Orthodox Liturgy: Baptism as Death in Christ in Preparation for Eternal Life The initial participation in Christ's death and dying to sin begins with Baptism in Orthodox liturgy. It might seem absurd to begin with the obvious, since the primary theological motif underpinning Baptism is the paschal mystery of death and resurrection. The primary reason for beginning with Baptism is the inauguration of the ritual pattern of death and dying and rising to new life. It is this
In The Church has left the Building, ed. Michael Plekon, Maria Gwyn McDowell, Elizabeth Schroeder
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Books by Nicholas Denysenko
Papers by Nicholas Denysenko