5 August

This translation of the office for 5 August only contains the texts for the Forefeast. I have added a number of footnotes containing the references to biblical passages alluded to in the texts.

One curious feature of Matins is the presence of a Triode. One would rather have expected one at Compline. The Irmi of the main Canon are those of the Mother of God.

on the 5th of the month

Forefeast of the Holy Transfiguration of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ; and commemoration of the Holy Martyr Efsignios.

AT VESPERS

At Lord, I have cried, we insert 6 stichera, and sing 3 prosomia of the Forefeast.

Come, let us go up with Jesus, as he ascends the holy mountain, and there let us hear the voice of the living God, the Father without beginning, which through a cloud of light bears witness by the divine Spirit to the truth of his eternal Sonship, and enlightened in mind, in light we shall see light[1].

Come, let us dance beforehand, purify ourselves and faithfully prepare ourselves for the divine ascent of the exalted life of God, that we may become spectators of his majesty, and attain the glory which the leaders of the Apostles were allowed to see mystically on Mount Thabor.

Come now, having undergone the greater change, let us prepare ourselves well to approach the holy mountain of God as we contemplate the unchanging glory of Christ blazing forth more brightly than the sun, and made radiant by the triple light, in it let us glorify his condescension.

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of our God, and let us contemplate the glory of his Transfiguration, glory as of the only-begotten of the Father. By light let us receive light; and let us, borne aloft in spirit, hymn the consubstantial Trinity to the ages.

Shining with the light of the virtues, let us go to the holy mountain to see the divine Transfiguration of the Lord

Verse: Yours are the heavens and yours is the earth; you have founded the inhabited world and its fullness.[2]

Before the Cross, Christ shows an inspired sign of his Godhead to his initiates, shining out to-day on the mountain like the sun.

Wishing to better the nature he took from Adam, Christ now ascends Thabor, baring his Godhead to his initiates.

Christ our God, transfigured on mount Thabor in glory, and showing your Disciples the glory of your Godhead, illumine us also with the light of your knowledge, and guide us in the path of your commandments,[4] as you alone are good and love humankind.

Let us believers, as we radiantly celebrate the forefeast, go out to meet the Transfiguration of Christ, and let us cry, ‘The day of joy inspired is near; the Master ascends mount Thabor to make the beauty of his Godhead blaze forth’.

AT MATINS

A day of joy has now come for the faithful, day of the divine, and glorious Transfiguration of Christ our God. So let us all be made radiant to glorify worthily in songs inspired his mighty works, by which, shining out as God, he enlightened the world.

Let all of us believers go up to Mount Thabor together with Christ’s chosen Disciples, and let us in mind contemplate his Transfiguration, and let us glorify his supreme condescension towards us, through which he grants the world eternal life.

Light of heaven, blaze out from below more brightly than the sun; and earth give ear to the words of the living God; for the Father will bear witness on mount Thabor to the One transfigured, of his Sonship.

To sight a mortal, but God in hiddenness, Christ ascends Thabor to lay bare the radiance of his Godhead by the splendours of his glory which shines more brightly than the sun.

Christ knowingly now goes forward to appear to Moses and to reveal his ineffable glory on mount Thabor, by conversing with him directly face to face.[5] Let us today with gladness celebrate the forefeast.

Then the Triode of the Forefeast.
Ode 1. Tone 4. I will sing to you, Lord my God.

As we, the faithful, celebrate this day of the forefeast of the Transfiguration of Christ our Redeemer, let us clap our hands and sing.

As we have reached the entry of the holy Transfiguration of Christ, let us too blaze with divine changes as we welcome it.

If we possess a high mountain, a heart purified of passions, we shall see the Transfiguration of Christ enlightening our mind.

Let us all worship a Trinity of distinct persons, a Unity, a divine nature, the Father without beginning, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Let all of us the faithful sing the praise as truly Mother of God of the blameless Maiden, from whom Christ our God came forth in the flesh without change.

You, the Master of all creation, appeared having taken the form of a servant,[6] in which you revealed the unapproachable brightness of your Godhead to the Disciples, as far as they could look upon it.

Christ the sun of glory hastens to blaze forth on the mountain and to darken by his light the beacon which shines from on high. Made radiant by his beams, let us today celebrate the forefeast.

About to fulfil the words of eternal life Christ is present; as by deeds he shows that he was well-pleased for his friends to recognize in himself the Father’s glory blazing forth.

The Sun of glory has appeared, has blazed forth the rays of the Godhead to those in darkness,[7] as he goes up to Thabor. Let us honour his light-bearing coming.

The heavenly choir joins in gladness those on earth and feasts in advance the shining out of the Giver of light, which he will make to blaze beyond compare, surpassing the mortal form on Thabor; as he was well-pleased.

By your coming as God and man you spoke with men, and by a multitude of wonders you mystically illumined the world, by the blazing glory of your Godhead you shone forth supremely on Thabor with unapproachable light.

Jesus, the offspring of Nave, of old stopped the sun,[8] prefiguring the day of the divine Passion; while you, Saviour and Lord, before your honoured Cross, hid the brightness of the sun with the radiance of your Face.

Rejoicing in the Lord, let us faithfully follow him; for see, he is going up to the mount, taking with him the chosen initiates, to whom he will show his glory as he shines more brightly than the sun with unapproachable beauty.

Let heaven shine more radiantly today; for see, Christ will ascend the mount, from where he will blaze with infinite light, as giver of light darkening the rays of the sun with the glory of the Godhead.

Christ shows his Disciples a mystery on Thabor as with his face he shines beyond radiance, and through the raiment of his garments he becomes shining white as snow,[9] the One who is clothed in light as in a garment,[10] as the Psalmist says.

Making ready for his friends the bridal chamber of glory of the joy to come Christ ascends the mountain, bringing them up from a lowly life on earth to a way of life high above the world.

Astonishing the minds of the Disciples, Christ made the radiance of heaven blaze out on earth, placing beside him in the manner of servants the leaders of the Law and the Prophets, by whom, both dead and living,[11] God is witnessed to.

Christ the lamp now begins to appear in a parched place with the rays of the divine lightning. Let us journey towards his brilliance, rejoicing in the radiance of his face.

In the divine Transfiguration all mortal nature divinely shines forth today, as with gladness it cries: Christ is transfigured, saving all.

On the 5th of the month, Forefeast of the holy Transfiguration of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and commemoration of the holy Martyr Efsignios.

Verses.
They execute Efsignios, Christ’s friend,
Who cries until the blow: To Christ my worship!
And on the fifth of the month Efsignios’ head with dust mingled.

On the same day Saints Kattidios and Kattidianos, Martyrs and blood brothers, died by being stoned.

Verses.
They piled up lofty hills of stones, O Christ,
By means of which two brothers climbed to you.

On the same day Saint Nonna, the mother of St Gregory the Divine, died in peace.

Verses.
Fair offspring to fair Nonna in her death
Gives a fair speech of burial, his words.

On the same day Saint Soleb the Egyptian was pierced by an arrow [belos] and died.

If backwards, Soleb, you should spell your name,
‘Belos’ you’ll get, instrument of your end.

On the same day the holy Bishop and Martyr Fabius (or Fabian), Bishop of Rome, died by the sword.

Verses.
Fabius lies dead, Christ’s sacrificing priest,
New sacrifice offered to Christ by sword.

Let us now follow Christ as he leads the chosen Disciples to a height of soul far above the world, as we contemplate strange sights. Filled with amazement let us cry out with them: Blessed are you, O God!

Having cleansed sullied mortal nature by water and fire,[12] in your own flesh, you show, O Saviour, its splendour by your face, as you shine more brightly than the sun, as a figure of the glory to come.

Let us go up with Christ to the holy mountain, as he takes with him the sons of Zebedee and Peter, the leader, whom he chose as witnesses of his own glory as they cried: Blessed are you, O God!

Who would not be amazed, O Word, Sovereign of all, at the majesty of your glory? Which, when transfigured, you showed to your friends as you surrounded them with divine splendours. With them make us who sing your praise radiant by your light, as we celebrate the forefeast.

Grant the height of a heavenly way of life and the divine brilliance of the eternal glory to your servants, who now celebrate the radiant festival of your Transfiguration; on which, blazing with light, you make radiant those who sing your praise, Christ the giver of light.

You are light and giver of unapproachable[13] and eternal light, Lord without beginning, who wrap yourself in light as in a garment; you shed light on the world when you came with flesh; and you blaze with light on the mountain revealing the imprint of the Father’s glory.

The present day of the radiant Transfiguration of the Lord, shining beforehand on the world, urges us to cry out: All you his works praise and highly exalt Christ to the ages.

Come, believers, let us go towards the holy mountain, to see the all-radiant Transfiguration of Christ; for it illumines all who glorify it to the ages.

Today let us go in advance to meet the Transfiguration of Christ with pure heart, and let us cry to him: All you his works, praise and highly exalt him to all the ages.

The one Godhead in three persons which is proclaimed together, Father, Son and all-holy Spirit, all you works praise and highly exalt to all the ages.

O fearsome wonder! How is a virgin, child of God, a mother and how does she give birth to the Master of heaven and earth? Him then, all you his works, praise and highly exalt to all the ages!

Heaven rejoices as it now perceives dawning from earth the unsetting Sun, which is about to dim the radiance of the sun by divine glory. Earth dances radiantly, resplendent with heavenly brightness it becomes light.

David in psalms foretold your Transfiguration: Who will be likened to you, Lord, he said, among the sons of God? For you are glorified in the counsels of the Saints, you appeared great among those around you,[14] fearful in the glory of your divine form.

O Word of God, wisdom and power and imprint[15] of the Father. O God, so known to believers and acknowledged as man, count us worthy to celebrate the radiant festival of your Transfiguration, and to shine out with the light of good works.

As we celebrate this day which precedes your all-glorious and all-shining Transfiguration, Lord, in hymns we magnify you.

Transformed to the fair transformation by the Transfiguration of Christ, let us be found shining with light by our good deeds as we magnify it.

Standing at the threshold of the glorious Transfiguration of the Lord, let us be made spiritually radiant in our minds as we magnify it.

Essence in Trinity and Unity, with all authority, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in hymns we magnify you.

Most holy Mother of God, higher than the hosts on high, O alone pure of all creation, in hymns we magnify you.

We who desire wholly the divine glory, let us cut away the fog of what is earthly and fleshly, as raised high above earth we ascend mount Thabor; and let us hasten to be found worthy to share with Moses and Elias and the princes of the Apostles in the divine and unapproachable radiance, receiving light by light.

As we go beforehand to meet the all-holy, glorious Transfiguration, on this present day we glorify Christ who refigured our nature with the fire of the Godhead and made it blaze with incorruption as at first.

Come, let us ascend the holy mountain and let us look upon the all-shining Transfiguration of the Lord, as we faithfully worship him and say: You alone are our God, who became incarnate and made the human divine.

This is the day of the forefeast, after which Christ is transfigured in the presence of Moses and Elias and his Disciples on mount Thabor; while the divine voice speaks: This is truly my chosen Son.

Seeing you in the cloud, O Christ, Moses, who saw God, and Elias, the fiery charioteer and traveller to heaven unconsumed by fire, bore witness at your Transfiguration to you as maker and fulfiller of Law and Prophets. With them, Master, count us also worthy of your illumination, to sing your praise to the ages.

[1] Cf. Psalm 35:10. Some editions of the Menaion have a subjunctive, ‘let us/may we see’. The Psalter has the indicative. The subjunctive in the third sticheron suggests that the original text may have had a subjunctive here also.

[2] Psalm 88:12.

[3] Psalm 88:13.

[4] Psalm 118:35.

[5] Cf. Exodus 33:11.

[6] Phil. 2:7.

[7] Luke 1:79.

[8] Jos. 10:12-13.

[9] In the Gospel this comparison is used of the Angels at the resurrection, Matthew 28:3, not of the Transfiguration.

[10] Psalm 103:2.

[11] Moses died before entering the Promised Land; Elias was taken up alive into heaven on a fiery chariot.

[12] An allusion to the tradition that fire appeared in the Jordan at the moment of Christ’s baptism.

[13] Cf. 1 Timothy 6:16.

[14] Psalm 88:7-8

[15] Cf. Hebrews 1:3.

[16] Psalm 84:11.

[17] Psalm 88:16.