The Rule of the Theotokos is a
Christian prayer of the
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
that consists of reciting the
Angelic salutation 150 times. This rule is similar to the
Rosary of the
Western Church
Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic ...
.
Some believe that the
Mother of God
''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations ar ...
showed the Rule to people in the 8th century AD but was later forgotten, and was rediscovered for
Eastern Christians by
St Seraphim of Sarov.
Богородичное правило (Rule of the Theotokos)
/ref>
The prayer consists of 150 Angelic salutations, which are divided into 15 decades. Each decade focuses on some important event in the life of the Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
and his virgin-mother. Seraphim Zvezdinsky describes the following structure of the rule:
# Birth of the Theotokos
# Presentation of the Theotokos
# Annunciation
# Visitation to Elizabeth
# Birth of Christ
# Meeting of the Lord
# Flight into Egypt
# Loss of Jesus in Jerusalem
# Miracle in Cana of Galilee
# Theotokos standing by the Cross
# Resurrection of Christ
# Ascension of Christ
# Descent of Holy Spirit
# Dormition of Theotokos
# Glory of Theotokos
The rule of the Theotokos, as prayed today, in addition to Angelic salutations usually includes also some other prayers. Thus usually some corresponding church hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...
(e.g. troparion
A troparion (Greek , plural: , ; Georgian: , ; Church Slavonic: , ) in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or organised in more complex forms as series of stanzas.
The wi ...
) is added to each decade. Also some introductory and closing prayers are included.
References
{{Reflist
External links
The Rule of the Mother of God of St Seraphim of Sarov
Christian prayer
Eastern Orthodox Mariology
Marian devotions