What is the Typikon?

The question I have posed in the above headline is dangerous because the Typikon is quite possibly one of the most misunderstood yet frequently referenced books in the Orthodox Church. In the spirit of simplicity, I'll begin with a few basics.

1. A classic type of typikon is a set of rules governing the life of a monastery. Often the abbot or founder of a monastery will write such rules that are to shape the entirety of the life of the brothers or sisters. A typikon does not have to include liturgical instructions. Some early typika identify the work monks will perform along with their dietary rules and obediences.

2. Typika gradually began to include liturgical instructions that presumably defined how a monastery would order and structure its liturgical celebrations.

3. Later typika, especially what many people consider to be the Typikon of St. Sabas that millions of Orthodox loosely follow today, govern the liturgical year. This governance includes the detailed sorting out of liturgical order when feasts coincide with each other (e.g., Annunciation during Holy Week).

A few problems with the typikon:

1. It historically became semi-universal in Orthodoxy for two reasons: one, the hegemony of monastic liturgy over cathedral beginning with the Studite defense of icon veneration in the eighth and ninth centuries, the rise to prominence of Month Athos, and the Fall of Constantinople; and two, the invention of the printing press, which facilitates broad copying and distribution.

2. Its DNA and provenance is monastic, which is not necessarily translatable to parish life.

3. The Typikon is essentially a local book, designed to outline the life of a particular community; it is not designed to outline the life of universal Orthodoxy.

4. The Typikon is a book. It is not the liturgy (the liturgy occurs when God gathers people into an assembly and they worship Him, thus the liturgy is an encounter between God and humanity).

5. The Typikon is precious because it can be a good resource for liturgy, but it is not the only source for holy Tradition.

In order to direct pastoral liturgy where Orthodox people will have the greatest access to encountering God, Orthodox clergy need to learn the history of the Typikon and respect it as a book, not liturgy itself.