Confessional Lutheran theology, hagiography, philosophy, music, culture, sports, education,
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17 December 2005
The First (Stanza) Shall Be Last
We count down the final days of Advent using the traditional monastic antiphons to the Magnificat. Most of Western Christendom knows these antiphons through their versification, Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel. Beginning in eternity, the antiphons move roughly chronologically through history until the coming of Emmanuel, "God with Us." Thus, the normal first stanza of the hymn is the last of the antiphons, sung on 23 December. By Vespers on the 24th, it's time to remove the final vestiges of Advent and enter into Christmas.
The order itself, whether by design or coincidence, forms a Latin reverse acrostic. The intial address for the coming Savior in each antiphon is as follows: Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, and Emmanuel. Taking each title's first letter and writing the result backwards yields "ero cras"; normally this is rendered, "I shall be [with you] tomorrow." Thus our Lord promises to return for us and so He leads us to pledge to join together in His worship while still on earth.
Through the next seven days, I'll post the appropriate antiphon, its translation, the Latin versification, and the corresponding hymn stanza from Lutheran Worship.
Posts in the Series:
† O Sapientia — O Wisdom
† O Adonai — O Lord and Ruler
† O Radix Jesse — O Root of Jesse
† O Clavis David — O Key of David
† O Oriens — O Dayspring
† O Rex Gentium — O King of the Nations
† O Emmanuel — O God with Us ¶ 21:38 |
We count down the final days of Advent using the traditional monastic antiphons to the Magnificat. Most of Western Christendom knows these antiphons through their versification, Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel. Beginning in eternity, the antiphons move roughly chronologically through history until the coming of Emmanuel, "God with Us." Thus, the normal first stanza of the hymn is the last of the antiphons, sung on 23 December. By Vespers on the 24th, it's time to remove the final vestiges of Advent and enter into Christmas.The order itself, whether by design or coincidence, forms a Latin reverse acrostic. The intial address for the coming Savior in each antiphon is as follows: Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, and Emmanuel. Taking each title's first letter and writing the result backwards yields "ero cras"; normally this is rendered, "I shall be [with you] tomorrow." Thus our Lord promises to return for us and so He leads us to pledge to join together in His worship while still on earth.
Through the next seven days, I'll post the appropriate antiphon, its translation, the Latin versification, and the corresponding hymn stanza from Lutheran Worship.
Posts in the Series:
† O Sapientia — O Wisdom
† O Adonai — O Lord and Ruler
† O Radix Jesse — O Root of Jesse
† O Clavis David — O Key of David
† O Oriens — O Dayspring
† O Rex Gentium — O King of the Nations
† O Emmanuel — O God with Us ¶ 21:38 |
