Preface.
THE Orthodox Eastern Church undoubtedly possesses the most abundant hymnology for her services. Special entire services date their origin as far back as the fourth if not the third century. But the greatest impetus to their production was given by the sweet melodies of St. John of Damascus (a substantial part of the Octoechos). The rich harvest of about two centuries' work appears in the shape of 12 books, one Menaion for each month, with at least one service for every day. At the time when everything had to be copied by hand, such a wealth could of course be found in large monasteries only; almost from the beginning therefore a want was felt and supplied later on by a book, of which the translation is now offered and which had and has to be used, even where the Menaia are found, in cases e.g. of the newly canonized saints until special services are composed in their honour.

The present editions of the Greek Anthologion and of the Menaian, under the title Anonymoi, viz., in those parts which exactly correspond to the Slavonic General Menaion, contain only the Stichera for "0 Lord, I have cried," and the Canons; but the style, the disposition of the words in sentences, even the language itself, do not leave the slightest doubt in the translator's mind that the fuller Slavonian Book is only a translation from Greek manuscripts, not an independent composition. The absence of the originals has made the translator's work doubly more difficult and anxious, on account of mostly fruitless search, only occasionally rewarded with a Sticheron here and Troparion there; but he sincerely trusts that the present work is also free from such blunders as those made by an English translator of other Liturgical Books, who, a formidable List of Books supposed to have been consulted notwithstanding, had e. g. empowered an arch-priest to ordain, called a scribe a martyr whose countenance and body was branded with hot iron, and dwindled down the number of martyrs from twenty thousand to a mere bagatelle of two thousand (not knowing the Slavonian word "tma" = 10,000).

THE CONTENTS
of
THE GENERAL MENAION.

CHAPTER.
I. THE FESTIVALS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
II. THE FESTIVALS OF THE HOLY VIRGIN
III. THE FESTIVALS OF THE CROSS
IV. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO THE HOLY ANGELS AND OTHER BODILESS ONES
V. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO JOHN THE BAPTIST
VI. THE GENERAL SERVICE OF THE HOLY FATHERS .
VII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO A PROPHET
VIII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO ONE APOSTLE
IX. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO APOSTLES .
X. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO ONE HIERARCH
XI. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO HIERARCHS
XII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO A MONK
XIII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO TWO OR MORE MONKS
XIV. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO ONE MARTYR
XV. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO TWO OR MORE MARTYRS
XVI. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO ONE HIEROMARTYR
XVII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO TWO OR MORE HIEROMARTYRS XVIII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO A MONK-MARTYR
XIX. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO TWO OR MORE MONK-MARTYRS XX. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO A FEMALE MARTYR
XXI. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO TWO OR MORE FEMALE MARTYRS XXII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO A NUN
XXIII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO TWO OR MORE NUNS .
XXIV. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO A NUN-MARTYR
XXV. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO A HIERO-CONFESSOR OR MONK- CONFESSOR
XXVI. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO THE UNMERCENARIES AND
WONDER-WORKERS
XXVII. THE GENERAL SERVICE TO THE FOOLISH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE .
APPENDIX

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