An Elliptical Glory: The O Antiphons (Dec 17-23)

The “O” Antiphons

I remember the first time I heard the carol “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” I was 8 or 9. I remember thinking that it was a very ancient song, with old, old feelings and sounds. It sounded very “Old Testament,” and that marked it as ancient for me. I was surprised as a teenager to learn that the English hymn we sang was from the mid-1800s. And though it had originally been written in Latin, it was not all that ancient—probably first published in its Latin present form in the 1500s.

But the fact is, the hymn itself is a poem drawn from a series of very ancient liturgical texts, from as early as the 6^th century.

In monastic daily prayer, Psalm and Canticle texts were often given “headers” and “footers” to set them apart, ornament them, sum up their ideas, and make the chanting seem not so monotonous. These lead-ins and codas are called antiphons. In the seven days leading up to Christmas, the normal daily evening singing of the Blessed Virgin’s Canticle of Praise The Magnificat (“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…”) was set off by a special set of antiphons, one for each day. Each of these began with the word “O” and calling upon Christ with one of the various titles and images for him in these early Christians’ reading of their Old Testament. Each is a meditation on Christ, and on the prophetic vision of the Hebrew prophets.

The “O Antiphons” were a way for the monks to prepare for Christmas. In an 8^th century manuscript, each of the officials of the monastery are given a separate antiphon to chant on one of the days—together with the responsibility of paying for that day’s wine or holiday snacks for the monks after service or in the upcoming holiday feast!

The titles used all come from prophetic passages, mainly Isaiah: Wisdom (Sapientia), Lord (Adonai), Stem of Jesse (Radix Jesse), Key of David (Clavis David), Rising Sun (Oriens), King of the Gentiles (Rex Gentium), and, of course, Emmanuel. The choice of names in this order was intentional: when read backward from Christmas Eve, the first letter of each title spelled out the message ERO CRAS. “Tomorrow, I will be there!”

Beginning this morning, in our daily morning prayer we may think of singing the Magnificat and the Great O Antiphons, one for each day, in the days leading up to Christmas.

Here is the Magnificat in my translation of the Bible:

MAGNIFICAT

My soul proclaims the Noble One’s greatness;

          my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For God has noted this hand-maid’s lowliness;
          From this day forth, all ages will call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
          whose name is holy,
Whose compassion is from age to age
           for those who stand in awe of God,
Who has shown might of arm,
          by scattering the arrogant in mind and heart,
Has thrown down the mighty from their thrones
          but lifted up the lowly,
Has filled the hungry with good things;
          but sent the rich away empty,
Has taken up the cause of God’s servant Isra’el,
          remembering compassion,
Just as God promised to our ancestors,
          to Abraham and his offspring forever.”

                                           (The Ashland Bible)

I encourage all of us to take a little time each day December 17-23 to read aloud and reflect on the antiphons. I have included my translation of them here, plus a few of the scriptural passages behind them. Simply reading one a day, either once through or with a Lectio-style repeated reading with contemplation, would make a good addition to our private prayers and devotions as we approach the Holiday.

Grace and Peace, Fr. Tony+

ANTIPHONS FOR THE FINAL 7 DAYS OF ADVENT

THE “O” GREAT ANTIPHONS

Dec. 17

O Sapientia (O Lady Wisdom):

“O Lady Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and reach from one end of the earth to the other, mightily and sweetly putting all things in order: come and teach us the way of being present!”

“The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah11:2-3); “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.” (Isa 28:29).

Dec. 18

O Adonai (O Yahweh; Lord):

“O Adonai, ruler of the House of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush; on Mount Sinai you gave him your law: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.”

“But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” (Isa 11:4-5); “Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us.” (Isa 33:22).

Dec. 19

O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse):

“O Root of Jesse, you stand as an ensign for all peoples; before you kings stand silent; all nations bow in worship: come and save us, and do not delay.”

“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” (Isa 11:1), “On that day, the root of [David’s father] Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious” (Isa 11:10). “But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:1).

Dec. 20

O Clavis David (O Key of David):

“O Key of David, and scepter of the House of Israel; you open and no one closes; you close and no one opens: Come and deliver us from the chains of prison, we who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

“I will place the Key of the House of David on His shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open” (Isa 22:22); “His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever” (Isa 9:6).

Dec. 21

O Oriens (O Eastern Dawn):

“O Rising Dawn, brightness of the light eternal, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown” (Isa 9:1).

Dec. 22

O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations, Gentiles):

“O King of all the nations, and their desire, you are the cornerstone that binds two into one: come and save the creature you have fashioned from clay.”

“For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:5); “He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again” (Isa 2:4).