The Small Compline

[Eastern Mind]

In my prayer book, it has The Small Compline. It is said in the evening/at night, right? I've been praying it before I go to bed every night.

[Asteriktos]

Yes it is   If you're a theoloGeek like me this might interest you.

[Eastern Mind]

Yes it is   If you're a theoloGeek like me this might interest you.

Gracias!  This is so cool! I will try to apply some of these to my daily prayer life.

[Clare G.]

At my small mission church we serve Small Compline after Vespers (preceded by Ninth Hour) as Reader's Services three nights  week. We include the Canon to the Theotokos for the appropriate day in the Tone of the week. We are struggling with a woeful translation of these Canons in our Octoechos. I understand that it originated with one from the Slavonic by Fr Lawrence of Jordanville that I haven't been able to trace, but was then rehashed into 'modern' English by a former Anglican, whose understanding of theology was far from Orthodox, to an extent that is bothersome.

We would love to be able to say these canons prayerfully rather than finding ourselves confronted with ideas and expressions that are not right. If I had access to the Greek text I might be able to check ours against it in specific instances, but my Greek is totally inadequate to attempt a translation. I have read that St Nektarios of Pentapolis published a Theotokarion that sounds as if it would have included these Canons (he was keen that the nuns in his monastery should pray them) but I can't find any way of tracing a copy.

I do know that these Canons are available as a 'print on demand' item from StJKP, but frankly we're not all keen on the Lambertsen style. We'd much prefer a translation directly from the Greek. I read in another forum that a translation had been done by a US Greek Orthodox priest, but never published. Does anyone know more of this or can point me in another direction?

[Velsigne]

I can ask around in a week or so if someone doesn't have a suggestion for you.  Have you been on the http://www.stanthonysmonastery.org/music/Theotokia.htm

music site?

[Clare G.]

Thank you, Irini. I would appreciate that.

No, I hadn't looked at the St Anthony Monastery site. The Theotokia there are the ones used at Vespers and Orthros, but the Small Compline Canons are not there, not surprisingly as it is more often said privately.

[Orthodox11]

I've seen St. Nektarios' Theotokarion in pretty much every ecclesiastical shop I've visited in Greece and Cyprus, but didn't have a look at the content or check who the publisher was.

My experience of the Small Compline in Greek monasteries is that the Canon of Preparation for Holy Communion is sung on the days the monks receive Communion, or the canon of one of the saints of the day if there are too many to be sung at Orthros. On all other days the Akathist Hymn is read instead.

[Arachne]

At my small mission church we serve Small Compline after Vespers (preceded by Ninth Hour) as Reader's Services three nights  week. We include the Canon to the Theotokos for the appropriate day in the Tone of the week. We are struggling with a woeful translation of these Canons in our Octoechos. I understand that it originated with one from the Slavonic by Fr Lawrence of Jordanville that I haven't been able to trace, but was then rehashed into 'modern' English by a former Anglican, whose understanding of theology was far from Orthodox, to an extent that is bothersome.

The Fr Lawrence translation, as part of the complete daily cycle, can be found here. Perhaps it will serve until a suitable hard copy is found.

[brastaseptim]

Hmm, I wish I said small compline more often. Normally, I just say small vespers before bed on weekdays, Great vespers (reader's service version, of course) on saturday night, and then Orthros in the morning- but I only ever say small Compline if I stay up late, or Great Compine if it's Lent.

[choy]

In my prayer book, it has The Small Compline. It is said in the evening/at night, right? I've been praying it before I go to bed every night.

I was just listening to Fr. Tom Hopko on AFR.  Compline means "after supper".  So the proper timing is Vespers (sunset), eat, Compline.

[Clare G.]

The Fr Lawrence translation, as part of the complete daily cycle, can be found here. Perhaps it will serve until a suitable hard copy is found.

Thanks, Arachne. I had already looked at that but it doesn't include the Canons to the Theotokos, of which there are 56, I think, one for each day of the week in each tone. It merely says:

At this point, a canon is read, being for the Theotokos, from the Octoechos, or from the Menaion.

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