Sequence of Lukan Sundays

THE SEQUENCE OF LUKAN SUNDAYS
By Anastasios (Tasos) M. Ioannides
December 3, 2013
If you ever wondered how the sequence of the Lukan Sundays is derived each year, here are the rules:
SUMMARY OF RULES
Before Xmas (does not depend on Pascha)
1. The 4th Sunday of Luke must fall on 10/11 thru 10/17, inclusive (The Sower).
2. The 5th Sunday of Luke must fall on 10/30 thru 11/5, inclusive (Lazarus and the Rich Man).
3. The last Sunday in November is 13th Sunday of Luke (Foolish Rich Man). [This is only my conjecture; there is no rule for this].
4. If there are three Sundays in December before PreXmas, the first is 14th Sunday of Luke (Blind Man of Jericho) [This happens when 12/22, 23 or 24 are Sundays].
5. The two Sundays before PreXmas are the 10th, 11th Sundays of Luke (Bent-Over on Saturday; Great Banquet).
Note: I have found these rules stated as follows on a number of websites:
Oct 11 and 17 the 4th Gospel of St Luke
Oct 30 and Nov 5 the 5th Gospel of St Luke
Nov 24 and 30 the 13th Gospel of St Luke
Dec 1 and 3 the 14th Gospel of St Luke
Dec 4 and 10 the 10th Gospel of St Luke
Dec 11 and 17 the 11th Gospel of St Luke.
(e.g., http://www.byzcath.org/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/133271/Lukan%20Jump)
After Xmas (depends on upcoming Pascha)
Available weeks from PostTheophany to Publican and Pharisee
1: 15th Lk
2: 12th Lk 15th Lk
3: 12th Lk 15th Lk 17th Mt
4: 12th Lk 14th Lk 15th Lk 17th Mt
OR 12th Lk 15th Lk 16th Mt 17th Mt (if Lk 14th has been read before Xmas)
5 or 6: 12th Lk {14th Lk} 15th Lk 15thMt 16th Mt 17th Mt (Emendations because of corrected Julian calendar)
Note: I have found these rules stated as follows on a number of websites:
The Gospel series may have no or up to five Sundays between Theophany and the Triodion as follows:
none Sunday after Theophany on January 7th
one Sunday after Theophany
two Sunday after Theophany, 15th of Luke
three Sunday after Theophany, 12th of Luke, 15th of Luke
four Sunday after Theophany, 12th of Luke, 15th of Luke, 17th of Matthew
five Sunday after Theophany, 12th of Luke, 14th of Luke, 15th of Luke, 17th of Matthew
(e.g., http://www.byzcath.org/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/133271/Lukan%20Jump;
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ustav/conversations/topics/2871 : this site adds, “the above is summarized from the helpful chart and explanations in ‘The Epistles, Gospels and Tones of the Byzantine Liturgical Year’, De Vries.” The complete citation is: The Epistles, Gospels and Tones of the
Byzantine Liturgical Year. By Irmgard M. de Vries. Obl. O.S.B., London, 1954. Pp. 37. Reprint from Vol. X, Issue 3 (1953) of Eastern Churches Quarterly.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
These rules explain how the sequence is derived, but not why the choices are made the way they are. The book containing the rules, the Evangelistarion, attributed to Emmanuel Glyzonios (1530-1596: mathematician, medical doctor, and philologist from Chios, living in Venice; see attached in my English translation), does not explain the why. Here’s my best guess (to date).
Before Christmas, the calendar is exclusively a fixed one (September 14 through December 25th), without any dependence on the moveable feast of Pascha. October is treated as the month of sowing; November, as the month of harvesting. In our less agrarian society, October marks the beginning of the spiritual sowing, i.e., the beginning of the new catechetical (Sunday School) year, and in Greece this has been done on the Sunday of the Sower. November, on the other hand, is the month of Thanksgiving, of reflection on our relationship with our possessions, on our stewardship of God-given wealth (most parishes start their stewardship campaigns in this month). December is, of course, the month of Christmas, the beginning of the Great Banquet of the Bridegroom who has come to be with us; our healing by faith, not by the works of the Law (e.g., by heartless adherence to the Sabbath of rest); the opening of our spiritual eyes.
Now, after Christmas, or more precisely following the Post-Theophany Sunday, the Lukan cycle has to take into consideration how many weeks remain before the beginning of the Triodion, i.e., before the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, thereby becoming dependent on the moveable date of Pascha. Under our “revised Julian calendar” there can be 1 to 6 weeks available after Post-Theophany, and these are filled as indicated above. Clearly, there is a hierarchy (surprise!) among the periscopes, as well as collaboration (please note!) of Luke and Matthew. The latter only steps in to fill in any vacant Sundays, but never pre-empts Luke (this is Luke’s season; Matthew’s is after Pentecost. Never mind that Matthew is unceremoniously displaced come 9/14, or more precisely 9/23, due to the so-called Lukan Jump). If need be, Matthew contributes his last few Sundays, starting from the 17th, and working backwards. Among Luke’s periscopes, the one about Zacchaeus (15th Sunday) is accorded first rank, possibly because of its penitential message, and Jesus’ inclusiveness. Second in rank is the one about the 10 Lepers (12th Sunday), possibly because of its message of thankfulness. Among Luke’s pericopes, the one for the 14th Sunday seems more expendable, not because its message of light-for-the-blind is less important, but probably because in many years, it is already read before Christmas. The availability of 5 or 6 Sundays for Luke after Post-Theophany is a feature only of our “revised Julian calendar”, and the extra weeks are filled in a manner consistent with the older practice under the Julian calendar, i.e., by the insertion of the 15th Sunday of Matthew. Under the Julian calendar, it had been possible to have 0 weeks (!) available, in which case the Sunday of Post-Theophany was omitted, and its Gospel was read on January 7 (pre-empting that for the Forerunner, which is similar, anyway). The first two Sundays of Triodion are always the 16th and 17th Sundays of Luke (Publican and Pharisee, Prodigal Son, respectively). If I said relatively little about the why even in this explanation, this does not just reflect my ignorance: Orthodox folks are rarely interested in the mechanics of the faith.
Perhaps the attached spreadsheet will elucidate this information further.