It is meet and right to hymn thee,
to bless thee, to praise thee,
to give thanks unto thee,
to worship thee in every place of thy dominion;
for thou art God ineffable, inconceivable,
invisible, incomprehensible,
ever-existing, eternally the same,
thou, and thine only-begotten Son, and thy Holy Spirit.
Thou it was who didst bring us forth from non-existence into being,
and when we had fallen away,
didst raise us up again,
and didst not cease to do all things
until thou hadst brought us up to heaven
and hadst endowed us with thy kingdom which is to come.
For all these things
we give thanks unto thee,
and unto thine only-begotten Son and unto thy Holy Spirit,
for all things of which we know
and of which we know not,
thy benefits both manifest and unseen,
that have been bestowed upon us.
We give thanks unto thee also for this ministry,
which thou hast vouchsafed to receive from our hands,
though there stand before thee thousands of archangels
and ten thousands of angels,
the Cherubim and the Seraphim, six-winged, many-eyed,
soaring aloft on their wings,
singing the triumphant hymn,
shouting, crying aloud, and saying:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth,
heaven and earth are full of thy glory;
Hosanna in the highest;
blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest.
Amen.
The Anaphora of St. Basil
Also known as Eucharistic Prayer of Saint Basil the Great ยท Anaphora of Basil
About this prayer
The Anaphora of Saint Basil the Great is one of the two principal Eucharistic Prayers of the Eastern Orthodox Church, alongside the Anaphora of Saint John Chrysostom. The Greek text is traditionally attributed to Basil the Great (c. 329-379 AD), the 4th-century bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, who is regarded as one of the three Cappadocian Fathers and one of the foundational theologians of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The attribution to Basil is well-supported by patristic sources, though the text as it survives has clearly undergone editorial development over the centuries. The Anaphora is significantly longer than the Anaphora of Chrysostom and is theologically more elaborate, drawing on Basil's own characteristic theological language about God's transcendence, the Trinity, and the work of redemption. The passage included here is the opening of the Anaphora (the Preface that leads into the Sanctus).
The Anaphora of Basil is used in the Eastern Orthodox Church on ten specific occasions throughout the liturgical year: the Sundays of Great Lent (except Palm Sunday), Holy Thursday, Holy Saturday, the Feast of Saint Basil himself (January 1), Christmas Eve, the Eve of Epiphany, and the Eve of Annunciation when these vigils fall on weekdays. On these days the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil replaces the more common Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom.
The English translation is from public-domain editions of the Divine Liturgy used in Orthodox parishes in the English-speaking world. The text presented here is the opening section; the complete Anaphora continues for several pages of theological exposition before reaching the consecration narrative.
When it's said
Used at the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, which replaces the more common Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom on ten specific days of the Eastern Orthodox liturgical year: the five Sundays of Great Lent (excluding Palm Sunday), Holy Thursday, Holy Saturday, the Feast of Saint Basil (January 1), Christmas Eve, the Eve of Epiphany, and the Eve of Annunciation. On these occasions the Anaphora of Basil is sung or recited by the priest during the Eucharistic Prayer.
Notes on the text
Basil the Great is regarded as one of the four great Eastern Church Fathers (along with John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Athanasius of Alexandria) and is the only one of the four to have an entire Liturgy named after him in continuous use. His theological writings, especially On the Holy Spirit (c. 375 AD), established foundational positions for Orthodox theology of the Trinity that the Council of Constantinople (381 AD) subsequently confirmed. Modern scholarship has shown that the core of the Anaphora dates to Basil's time but that some sections were added or modified later. The traditional attribution to Basil is held to refer to the foundational composition rather than to every word in the present text.
Common questions
Did Basil the Great actually write the Anaphora that bears his name?
When is the Liturgy of Saint Basil used instead of the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom?
How long is the full Anaphora of Basil?
Saint Basil the Great (c. 329-379 AD), traditional attribution. English translation from Isabel Florence Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic (Greco-Russian) Church (1906). Public domain.
Last reviewed: June 2026 against primary source.