Reply To: Week 2 Discussion Topic: Do You Think We Need a New Typikon?
I’d like to thank everyone for this robust discussion; I appreciate all of the views brought forth here.
First of all, Zornitsa, I appreciate you taking the time to look through the Bulgarian typika and giving us a look at a local Church that has recently (at least in Orthodox years) released a new Typikon. I agree that a primary goal of a typikon is to create a “life in common” for worshippers, which is a challenge in the United States where the experience is vastly different across jurisdictions (and sometimes within).
I also wanted to give attention to your response, Alexandra. I think you hit it on the head when you said that the purpose of typikon changes is to allow fuller participation versus “shortening” or “simplifying.” There is a subset of “traditional Orthodox people” who like to scoff at Violakis, but I think they miss the point of what he was attempting to do. You said it in a way I never thought of and I think you’re 100% right.
As to everyone else, I think the issues we’re identifying are:
1. Lack of Consistency Across Jurisdictions
2. The Mobile Society (most people have to travel significantly to attend an Orthodox church)
3. Changes being co-opted by “Modernism/Innovation” to make the Church more “convenient” to worshippers or potential worshippers.
All of these are extremely relevant points and well taken. For me, a first step would be to get our typikon documents translated into English, without the filter of DCS or “service packets” so that we can all be on the same page of what the Typikon actually says, versus what we think it says. That is one of the major goals of this course!
Anyways, great discussion and please feel free to respond to my post to keep it going!