Prokeimenon

JOHN A. MCGUCKIN

The Prokeimenon (the Greek word means “what precedes,” that is, a prelude, or intro­duction) is a liturgical refrain taken from a verse of a psalm which is interspersed (usu­ally by means of the cantor alternating in chant with the reader) with a selection of other verses, or half-verses, from that psalm. It serves to introduce the scriptural reading (the “Apostle”) at the divine liturgy. Prokeimena also occur at the Vespers and Orthros services before the Old Testament readings (and even when these may not have scriptural readings appointed for the day). The current system of Prokeimena is a survival from earlier times in the liturgy when the entire psalm would have been read as part of the cycle of biblical readings in church. In current Greek practice the read­ing of the verses is relatively simple. In Slavic use it is a more extended antiphonal refrain.