|
|
|
|
SAINT ANDREW OF CRETE CANON FOR THE MYRRHBEARERS Ode 1. Tone 2. Irmos. Take up Moses’ song, my soul, and shout, ‘Helper and Protector he has become for my salvation. he is my God and I will glorify him’. Troparia. You were crucified in the flesh, though impassible by the Father’s nature; you were pierced in the side and became a source of blood and water for the world. You are our God and we glorify you. I honour your Cross and glorify your burial, O Good One. I praise and worship your Rising, and I cry out, ‘You are our God and we glorify you’. Though you tasted gall, O sweetness of the Church, yet you poured out incorruption for us from your side. You are our God and we glorify you. You were numbered among the dead, O Saviour, when you raised the dead. You tasted corruption, for you knew nothing at all of destruction. You are our God and we glorify you. Let Zion rejoice, and let heaven be glad. Christ has risen and raised the dead who sing in praise, ‘You are our God and we glorify you’. In grave clothes Joseph wrapped your body, O Christ, and laid you, our salvation, in a new tomb; but as God you raised the dead. Anticipating the dawn, the women saw Christ and cried to God’s Disciples; ‘Christ has risen indeed. Come, and with us sing his praise’. Glory. All-holy Trinity, one Godhead, Unity without beginning: Father and Son and divine Spirit, save the world. You are our God and we glorify you. Both now. Theotokion. In your womb you abolished the ancient curse, holy Lady, and in giving birth to a babe you made the blessing flower for us; for he is God, though he bears flesh. Ode 3. Irmos. Make my barren mind bring forth fruit, O God, husbandman of fair fruits and planter of good things, in your compassion. Troparia. When you nailed your palms to the Cross, O Jesu, and gathered in all the nations from error, you invited them to knowledge of you, O Saviour. The Jewish people cried out to Pilate, ‘Release for me the wicked thief. As for the Sinless One, away with him, away with him, crucify him’. When you were crucified, O Christ, the light grew dark, the earth was shaken and many dead rose from the tomb through fear of your might. Standing by the Cross, O Jesu, your Ewe-lamb cried out with lamentation, ‘Where are you going, my Son? Where are you departing, Lamb who is slain for all?’ I worship your Cross, I praise your Burial, I honour your sufferings, O Jesu, the nails in your hands, the lance and the Resurrection. You arose, O Jesu; the enemy was despoiled, Adam, and Eve with him, was delivered from bonds and corruption by your Resurrection. When you arose, O Christ, the bars and gates of Hell were smashed, and the bonds of death immediately untied, through fear of your might. Joseph, who received God, come, stand with us and cry, ‘He has risen, Jesus the redeemer, who raised Adam in his compassion!’ Let the twelve Disciples rejoice with us, with the Myrrhbearing women, with Joseph and Christ’s other Disciples, men and women. Glory. With the Father I worship and praise the Son and the right Spirit, the one Nature, separating the Persons and uniting the Essence. Both now. Theotokion. Blessed are you, holy Lady from the root of Jesse. From you according to the flesh sprang Christ, the rod and the flower, for our sake. Ode 4. The Irmos. Foreseeing your birth from a Virgin, the Prophet cried out and proclaimed, ‘I heard your report, O Christ, and was afraid, for you came from Theman and from a holy shaded mountain.’ Troparia. Through a Cross you took prisoner the belly of Hell, you raised the dead with you and overthrew the tyranny of death. Therefore we, Adam’s descendants, falling down in worship sing the praise of your burial and your Rising, O Christ. You were well pleased, our Saviour, through the bowels of your mercy, to be nailed to the Cross, and to redeem us from the ancestral curse. Release me from the bonds of my many offences, for you can accomplish whatever you will. Having nailed my ancient curse on the Cross, O Saviour, and become a source of blessing for me through the blood from your side, release me from the bonds of my many offences, for you can accomplish whatever you will. When Hell met you in the infernal regions, O Saviour, he was embittered, seeing that the dead, whom he of old had had the strength to swallow, now, unwilling, he was giving back. The depths below are being scoured, laid bare and despoiled of the dead. Though the stone was sealed, O lawless foes, and the watch set, yet the Lord arose as he foretold, releasing the bonds of my many offences, for he can accomplish whatever he wills. Having risen from the dead, despoiled Hell, given life to the dead and become for me a source of incorruption by your Rising, release the bonds of my many offences, for you can accomplish whatever you will. Be ashamed indeed, lawless ones, for Christ has risen and raised the dead with him, crying, ‘Be of good courage. I have conquered the world’. Obey him then, or keep silence, misguided ones, who deny his Resurrection. Having risen from the tomb, O Good One, greeted the Myrrhbearers with the cry, ‘Rejoice’, and commanded the Apostles, ‘Proclaim my Rising’, release the bonds of my many offences, for you can accomplish whatever you will. Let us honour the noble Joseph, zealot for true religion, counsellor and disciple, with the Myrrhbearers and the Apostles, as we cry out with them, and with faith and gladness praise the Saviour’s Resurrection. Glory. Who can declare the indivisible glory of the Godhead beyond all being? For a Trinity in nature is praised, without beginning, identical in nature, praised as a Unity in Trinity, with simple substances. Both now. Theotokion. Holy Virgin-mother, unceasingly implore the One who dwelt in your womb, whom you bore without pangs, to release me from the bonds of my many offences, for you can help whatever you will. Ode 5. Irmos. Having scattered the fog of my soul with the light of your commandments, shine on me as you alone are the King of Peace. Troparia. The ancient garment, which the sower of sin wove for me, alas, you stripped off me, my Saviour, when you clothed yourself in me. My sin sewed fig leaves for me when I, alas, by the counsel of the serpent did not keep your most pure commandment, my Saviour. Coming upon my soul wounded by my thieving thoughts, Christ, the child of Mary, poured oil on it and healed it. Standing by the Cross the blameless Mother of God called out as a mother, ‘You have left me behind alone, my Son and my God’. Having overthrown the serpent, origin of evil, with the weapon of your Cross, you smashed the sting of death, O Jesu. ‘Where death is your sting? Where Hell your victory?’ Let Adam join the cry. You have been smashed by the return to life of him who raised the dead. The Myrrh-bearing women, coming to the tomb of him who gave life to those below, heard a voice saying, ‘Christ has risen’. As we celebrate the memory of the devout Myrrhbearers and of all your Disciples, in your shining Rising, we sing your praise, O Christ. Let us all worthily honour the noble one who took down the Lord’s body from the tree and faithfully gave it burial. Glory I worship God, Father and Son and Spirit, three Persons, and I believe the one to be three with one Essence. Both now. Theotokion. We faithful praise you, who gave birth by a conception beyond nature without seed to him who renews nature, Christ, the only Master. Ode 6. Irmos. I am ever held by an abyss of sins, and I am sinking deep in the sea of life. But like Jonas from the beast, bring me up and save me. Troparia. Hell is dead. Take courage, you who are born of earth, for Christ, hung upon the tree, has hurled away the sword against him and Hell lies dead. For, stripped naked, he has been despoiled of those he held. ‘Hell has been despoiled! Take courage you dead! The graves have been opened, arise!’ Christ, who came to ransom all mankind from death and corruption, cries out to you from Hell. ‘Now, Hell, you have orders. Give me back the dead you once had strength to swallow’, the Life-giver and God, who came to ransom all mankind from your insatiable maw, cries out to you. The Lord has risen, having despoiled the foe and delivered the prisoners. He has brought back all mankind and raised Adam the first-formed, for he is compassionate and loves mankind. Having wrapped you in a winding sheet, O Christ, the noble Joseph laid you in a grave. having anointed the temple of your body which had been destroyed, he rolled a great stone to the mouth of the sepulcre. O Myrrh-bearing women, why do you still hurry? Why do you bring spices for the living? Christ has risen as he foretold. Let your tears cease: they have changed to joy. Glory. Let us believers praise the Trinity in Unity, glorifying the Father with the Son, and the Spirit consubstantial with the Son, and him who with the Father is without beginning and eternal God. Both now. Theotokion. Like a vine, pure Maiden, you conceived unhusbanded in your womb the Grape Cluster of incorruption, from which for us the streams of immortality pour out, like wine, eternal life. Ode 7. Irmos. Imitating the Cherubim, the Youths in the furnace, danced and cried out, ‘Blessed are you, O God, for with truth and judgement you have brought all these things upon us because of our sins; you who are highly praised and glorified to all the ages.’ Troparia. Wishing, as you love mankind, to save from error all those you had fashioned, you endured being nailed to the Cross, that in your flesh, O Saviour, you might renew the image smothered by the passions; and having overthrown Hell you raised up the dead with yourself. Lifted up on the cross, O Merciful, you called all to yourself, as you had promised, O Good One; for you were well-pleased in truth to suffer all these things because of our sins; so too you opened the gates of Paradise to the thief, O Saviour. The temple of your body, which had been destroyed, you raised on the third day, as you had promised, O Good One, that in truth you might make known your glory, which you pour out upon us through the faith, having freed the prisoners whom Hell of old held captive. O the madness of the Jews! O the frenzy of the lawless! What had you seen which was unbelievable, that you did not believe Christ? That he did not raise the sick with a word? That he did not save the whole world himself? If not the soldiers, then let those risen from the dead convince you. Let the guards, who became as dead men, now say how he was stolen, whom they did not see, being wholly without sensation. For if they did not see, did not perceive him risen, how then could they ever think he had been stolen? Let them convince you, and also this stone and Christ’s grave clothes. Why do you guard him like a corpse? Why have you set seals on the stone, O Jews? Fearing theft? See, the tomb was truly sealed. How then did Christ arise unless he was God? Let those who arose and were seen by many persuade you. Glory. With the Father we glorify the Son and the Holy Spirit, crying out with unceasing voice, ‘Trinity, single Essence, have mercy. Save us all, Unity in three Persons. Have pity, O God, glorified to the ages’. Both now. Theotokion. How did you contain as a child in your womb, O Immaculate, him before whom as God the angelic powers tremble? Unless as he willed, as he knew how, he took up his dwelling, wishing to save the those born from earth, Adam’s seed, by freeing Adam from that curse which came through the bitter eating. Ode 8. Irmos. The One who foreshadowed for Moses in the bush on Mount Sinai the wonder of the Virgin, praise, bless and highly exalt to all the ages. Troparia. The rays of the sun cowered with fear at the sufferings of Christ, the dead were raised, the mountains were shaken, the earth quaked and Hell was stripped bare. The thrice-blessed Youths in the furnace of old raised their hands, typifying your most pure Cross, through which, O Christ, you overthrew the power of the foe. O blind Jews, deceivers and transgressors, who do not trust Christ’s Resurrection, as though it was a lie, what do you see that you cannot believe? That Christ has risen, he who raised the dead? O hostile Jews, even though you do not believe us, ask your own soldiers what they experienced. Who with their hands rolled the stone away from the grave? Who withered the fig-tree? Who healed the withered hand? Who once fed the multitudes in the desert? If not Christ God, who raised the dead. Who gave light to the blind, healed lepers, cured the lame and walked on the sea dry-shod as though on land? If not Christ God, who raised the dead. Who raised from the tomb one four days dead, and the widow’s son? Who gave strength to the paralytic on his bed? If not Christ God, who raised the dead. The stone itself cries out, the seals, which you placed yourselves when you posted the sentries to guard the grave, shout aloud, ‘Christ has risen indeed, and lives to the ages’. Christ has risen indeed, Hell is despoiled, the serpent slain, Adam redeemed, those below are saved. Why do you persist in unbelief, foes and transgressors? Glory. With the Father we glorify the Son and the Holy Spirit, the holy Trinity in one Godhead, as we cry, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy are you to the ages’. Both now. Theotokion. In your womb, pure Maiden, you bore without change the ever-living bread, compounded uncompoundedly with our composition, one Christ, God, in the two Essences. Ode 9. Irmos. The one who in her womb conceived in flesh the Word, who shone from the Father beyond time, in never-silent hymns let us the faithful magnify. Troparia. The thief who acknowledged you on the Cross as God, All-powerful Saviour, you made heir to the spiritual Paradise when he cried, ‘Remember’. You were struck, you were spat upon by the lawless for our sake, O Jesu, who traced the tables of the law on Sinai for your servant Moses. You were given vinegar and gall to drink for our sake, O Saviour, who give us your Body and your precious Blood as the food and drink of your eternal life. When your life-giving side was pierced by the lance, O Christ, you poured out your immaculate Blood and precious Water as an ever-living spring for the world. You, who brought the dead to life, were numbered among the dead. You, who emptied the tombs, were laid in a tomb. You despoiled Hell in raising Adam. You arose, O Jesu. The foe was bound, Hell despoiled, tombs stripped bare, those below raised, as they worshipped you, O Christ. Who stole the dead body? And moreover naked? Why are you deceived, O Jews? Christ has risen and the bonds and bars of hell have been unloosed. Glory to you, Christ Saviour, who poured out life, made light dawn for those in the darkness of ignorance, and shone over all the earth by your Rising. Let the noble counsellor Joseph be praised with the Myrrhbearers and the godly Disciples, as he too is a herald of Christ’s Rising. Glory. You are without beginning, O Father; you are uncreated, O Son; you are equal in rank, O Holy Spirit; the three one in nature and three in persons, one true God. Both now. Theotokion. Let Jesse rejoice and David dance, for see, the Virgin, the stem of God’s planting, has blossomed with the flower, Christ the ever-living. |
|
All texts and
translations on this page are copyright to This page was last updated on 03 November 2008 |