The Jewish sources of Byzantine liturgy

This article by Sandrine Caneri examines the Jewish sources of Byzantine liturgy through a comparative study of the two liturgical traditions. The author adopts a historical and theological approach, drawing on rabbinic, patristic, and liturgical sources to highlight the continuity between synagogal worship, Jewish family liturgy, and Byzantine offices. The central idea is that Eastern Christian liturgy — in its dual dimension of Divine Liturgy and Liturgy of the Hours — is deeply indebted to Temple worship, the daily, weekly, and annual prayer cycles of Judaism, as well as the berakhot. The article notably demonstrates the correspondences between Byzantine orthros and vespers and the Jewish morning and evening offices, and analyzes the relationship between the Sabbath and Sunday as the eschatological eighth day. The main contribution lies in opening up avenues of research that allow for a better understanding of the distinctive identity of Byzantine liturgy through its Semitic roots.