Akathist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A devotional service in the Eastern Orthodox Church that honors a saint or an event is recognized for its lyrical content and is often chanted
2. This service, revered in Eastern Christian traditions, involves a sequence of hymns that are sung in praise of a particular saint or religious figure and is marked by its standing posture
3. In Eastern Orthodox spirituality, this type of service consists of a series of prayers and hymns that celebrate the life and virtues of a saint, typically recited while standing in reverence

Etymology: The Greek word "akathistos" means "not seated," and the name of this service describes a rule rather than its content. During the Byzantine siege of Constantinople in 626, when the city was attacked by Avars and Persians, the faithful sang a hymn to the Virgin Mary standing, and the practice became a tradition: the hymn was sung while everyone remained on their feet, out of reverence. That standing hymn gave its name to the whole genre of services built on it. The English form appeared in the 1850s, with "Akathist" and "Akathistos" both recorded, after slightly earlier German usage in the 1830s. The word therefore reached English through German scholarship on Eastern Christian worship rather than through ordinary church speech.

Synonyms: hymn, chant, liturgy, prayer, devotion