The Meaning of Typikon Paperback – November 23, 1999

This is a slim volume, easily read in one sitting. It is a small book packed with meaning and wisdom. There are two essays derived from lectures by Archimandrite Vasileos, Abbot of the Iveron Monastery located at Mount Athos, and Georgios Mantzaridis, an Orthodox scholar.In Orthodox Christianity the Typikon is a liturgical book explaining the instructions of church services, what hymns are sung, what passages are recited. As applied to monastic life, the typikon is the division of labors practiced among the ascetics and monks residing in the monastery. It is this last topic which is the theme of this volume.Archimandrite Vasileos touches on but does not fully discuss the role of the church in Orthodox Christianity. He describes the church as the “womb of each human being.” This is important because as the church reflects the person, and as the world consists of all persons, the church, and the typikon which regulates conduct in the church, becomes, as Vasileos writes, part of the universal law. Citing Heraclitus, the typikon govern everything.So when applied to monastic life, the typikon informs how the monastery should act as an organic whole, each ascetic performing its own function, and each monastery organizing each day, in a uniform manner. Vasileos cautions that the typikon is not simply prescribed a procedural regimen but restrains and organizes the dynamism of God’s creation.Mantzaridis points out that the monastic life is not unlike totalitarian systems. The only difference is the purpose of monastic life is the perfection in spiritual life.While these are the main points in this volume, these essays are inspirational and uplifting.