 |
| Nicolas Froment - 1476 |
We should, especially in this age of Maryolatry, bless Mary as the Scriptures teach, so that she might not be dishonored either by ignorance of the favor God showed her, or by a false veneration of her as someone who has grace to bestow upon us.
This hymn draws especially from Luke 1, both from Elizabeth's and Mary's words. I have been sharpened in my understanding through an argument on FB. Let's not stop discussing theology! Even if the whole argument is just about two words - it's no mere logomachy when the words are vital to our faith!
I dedicate this hymn to Pr. William Weedon, qui fateri debet confessionem meam non contortam esse, licet unum non-lutheranum paean non cantare possum.
Suggested tune: Adoro Te.
1.
For Mary, blessed Virgin, do we sing
To Christ, who is her Savior and her King,
Who, born of God and with the Father one,
Came down and made her womb his holy throne.
2.
All generations now confess her blest,
As she by God the Spirit once confessed,
For God made her the vessel of His grace
From whom our Lord first showed His human face.
3.
When Gabriel spoke then Mary’s heart believed,
And by the Holy Spirit she conceived,
And God, who nurtures all and all things made,
Was nurtured and made man within a maid.
4.
As fire burned in the bush unharmed by flame,
And by this mystery God showed his name,
So Mary stays a virgin through the birth
Of Jesus, named the Savior of the earth.
5.
What favor did our God in heaven show
To all who live in sin and death below
When God showed favor to the Virgin blest,
And from her flesh our flesh and blood possessed?
6.
The mighty are cast down from off their seat,
The rich are ruined and the proud retreat,
The hungry eat the flesh and drink the blood
That flows to lift the lowly up to God.
7.
How blest is she whose faith was in the Word
That made her be the mother of our Lord!
God, grant us so to trust in what You say,
And with Your mother marvel at this day!
8.
Grant us, dear Father, such humility
As we within the blessed Virgin see,
That we with her may praise her holy Son,
With You and with the Holy Spirit One.
17 comments:
The argument was utterly worth your composing such a splendid text, Mark! Thank you. I'll sing it WITH the other one. :)
Yes, the argument was worth it! Iron sharpens iron - thank you!
Absolutely spectacular, Mark.
I've gotta join facebook. :)
It's like a lutheran akathist?
Akathist to our Most Holy Lady, Mother of God
Having secretly received the command, the Archangel hastened into Joseph's abode and spoke to the Holy Virgin. He Who bowed the Heavens with His descending, is wholly contained, yet unchanged in You. And seeing Him taking the likeness of a servant in your womb, I stand in amazement and cry unto you:
Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride [3 times].
Kontakion 1 (of 13)
Unto you, O Theotokos, invincible Champion, your City [or "we your people"], in thanksgiving ascribes the victory for the deliverance from sufferings. And having your might unassailable, free us from all dangers, so that we may cry unto you:
Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride.
Eikos 1 (of 12)
The Archangel was sent from Heaven to cry 'Rejoice!' to the Theotokos. And beholding You, O Lord, taking bodily form, he stood in awe, and with his bodiless voice he cried aloud to her such things as these:
Rejoice, you through whom joy shall shine forth. Rejoice, you through whom the curse will vanish.
Rejoice, the Restoration of fallen Adam. Rejoice, the Redemption of the tears of Eve.
Rejoice, O Height beyond human logic. Rejoice, O depth invisible even to the eyes of Angels.
Rejoice, for you are the King's throne. Rejoice, you bear Him, Who bears the universe.
Rejoice, O Star revealing the Sun. Rejoice, O Womb of divine Incarnation.
Rejoice, you through whom creation is renewed. Rejoice, you through whom the Creator is born a Babe.
Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride.
http://monachos.net/content/liturgics/liturgical-texts/234-akathist-to-our-most-holy-lady-mother-of-god
Pastor Preus,
Is line 3 of stanza 4 meant to promote the idea of Clauso Utero?
Does Scripture teach Clauso Utero?
Hi Mr. Schumacher,
I don't understand. Why would there need to be a clausus uterus for that line to be true? Her virginity is in that she didn't know a man until Christ was born.
Pr. Preus
Pr. Preus,
I agree.
I just was not sure if this line was speaking about the idea that the infant Jesus did not pass through the birth canal in the normal way. Don't some people believe that if this were the case, Mary would no longer be considered a virgin?
Yes, I think that was already Jerome's argument. I had forgotten about that opinion. I don't see how it could be necessary even for those who hold to the semper virgo.
Pastor,
There are a good number of folks who will read that stanza as promoting the idea of Clauso Utero. I Know that you did not intend it, but they will see it.
I wonder if that argument even predates Jerome. I know it is still very much alive (even in Lutheranism) today.
Thanks for your concern, Mr. Schumacher, but I don't see how such a true statement should be changed because people insert something into the statement that the statement doesn't say. Maybe I'm being naive.
How can we define "virgin" differently than that she has not had relations with a man? Ought we not say that Mary remained a virgin until she had her first child? If I say "remained a virgin through his birth" this can't then mean "maintained her hymen through the birth." That's not what the words mean.
Is it simply because I reference the birth?
Perhaps I could change "through" to "till".
Pastor,
I think the hymn is another example of the wonderful gift that God has given you. Please don't take offense to my comments, none was intended. I am being honest with you when I say that upon my first reading of it that is the impression I got from these words. I always thought that you were not one to advance the clauso utero idea and this confused me. I certainly am not trying to tell you what you meant to say. I'm just offering some feedback.
Please Pastor, call me Dave. That's what all my friends call me.
The Most Holy Mother of God is Ever Virgin, before, during, and after the birth of Christ, which truth is guarded in Holy Tradition and believed by all the ancient apostolic churches. Notice the 3 stars on icons of Mary that signify this.
Eikos 9
Orators most eloquent do we behold mute as fish before you, O Theotokos; for they are at loss to explain how you could remain a virgin and yet give birth. But as for us, marveling at this mystery, we cry with faith:
Rejoice, Vessel of the Wisdom of God. Rejoice, Treasury of His providence.
Rejoice, you who prove the philosophers fools. Rejoice, you who prove the logicians illogical.
Rejoice, for the subtle debaters are confounded. Rejoice, for the inventors of myths are faded away.
Rejoice, you who break the webs of the Athenians. Rejoice, you who fill the nets of the Fishermen.
Rejoice, you who draw us from the depths of ignorance. Rejoice, you who enlighten many with knowledge.
Rejoice, Raft for those who desire to be saved. Rejoice, Haven for those who fare on the sea of life.
Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride.
No one here denies that Mary remained a Virgin after the birth of Christ. It's just not provable that Mary remained a Virgin forever, even though I think it might be true. Holy Tradition doesn't have the authority to establish doctrine, as Holy Tradition confesses.
I know nothing, but I believe Holy Tradition like Holy Scriptures does not establish doctrine. Truth has been revealed as we sing, "God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us." We believe by faith not that it's provable.
Kontakion 10
Wishing to save the world, to this end did the Ruler of all come of His own will; and though as God He is the Shepherd, for us He appeared as a Man like us; for by this likeness He called those of like kind, yet as God He hears:
Alleluia
Eikos 10
You are a fortress protecting all virgins, O Theotokos and Virgin; for the Master of heaven and earth prepared you, O Immaculate One, and dwelt in your womb, and taught all to cry out to you:
Rejoice, Pillar of virginity. Rejoice, Gate of salvation.
Rejoice, Leader of spiritual restoration. Rejoice, Bestower of divine goodness.
Rejoice, for you regenerated those conceived in shame. Rejoice, for you gave guidance to the thoughtless.
Rejoice, you who abolished the corrupter of hearts. Rejoice, you who gave birth to the Sower of chastity.
Rejoice, bridal Chamber of a seedless marriage. Rejoice, you who joined the faithful to the Lord.
Rejoice, fair Nursing-mother of virgins. Rejoice, bridal Escort of holy souls.
Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride.
I don't believe because something is rational, but because God revealed it. God reveals his will in his holy Scriptures. This is why we can "prove" something from Scripture. I wouldn't put Tradition on the same level as Scripture, since the former can err and the latter can't. This is why we don't derive doctrine from Tradition, but only support doctrine derived from the Scriptures with Tradition.
"But is it sufficient to know the New Testament in order to become a Christian? Would this knowledge be enough for salvation? Certainly not. It is possible to know the entire New Testament by
heart, it is possible to know perfectly the entire teaching of the New Testament, and still be very, very far from salvation. For salvation it is necessary to be added to the Church, just as it is said in the Book of Acts that those who were being saved were added to the Church (cf. Acts
2:47; 5:13–14). This was when there were no Scriptures, but there was the Church, and there were those who were being saved. Why was it essential to be added to the Church? It is because special grace-bearing power is needed for salvation, and this power can only be possessed by
those who participate in the life of the Church, in the life of the single and indivisible Body of Christ.
Church doctrine has but one Source: the Holy Spirit, Who lives within the Church, Whom Christ promised would guide (?d???se?) the Church into all truth ( John 16:13). Thus, the Church possesses
true doctrine not because she draws it from Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, but only because she is in fact the Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of Truth, guided by the Holy Spirit. It is necessary to speak only about the Church. Both Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition stand or fall together with the Church.
By living and being instructed within the Church, within which the Apostolic oral preaching is continued, a person is able to learn the dogmas of Christian Faith from the Ecumenical Church, and this is so not because the Church herself draws her dogmas from Scripture, but because she possesses them innately; if she, deliberating on a certain dogma, cites specific passages from the Bible, this is not done in order to deduce her dogmas, but solely for their confirmation.
Through the Holy Apostles, the Holy Spirit wrote Holy Scripture for the Church; and according to the unfailing promise of the Savior, the same Holy Spirit
instructs the Church in all truth. The Holy Spirit is one and indivisible, eternal and unchangeable. He is the Spirit of Truth. How could it be that in Holy Scripture He says one thing while in the teaching and life of the Church He says another? Can it be to no purpose that the council of the Apostles, described in the fifteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, as well as all successive councils, began their decisions with the words It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us (Acts 15:28)?" New Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky)
http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/saint-hilarion-holy-scripture-and-the-church.pdf
Finally, to return to original topic, tradition states St Romanos the Melodist who reposed in 556 wrote the Akathist Hymn. It is observed in Orthodox churches the first five Fridays of Great Lent.
Kontakion 12
Wishing to bestow His grace, He that forgives the ancient debts of all mankind came of His own will to dwell among those who departed from His favour; and tearing up writ of indebtedness, He hears from all:
Alleluia.
Eikos 12
Whilst praising your Offspring, we all praise you, O Theotokos, as a living temple; for the Lord, Who holds all things in His hand, dwelt in your womb, and He sanctified and glorified you, and taught all to cry to you:
Rejoice, Tabernacle of God the Word. Rejoice, Holy one, holier than the Holies.
Rejoice, Ark made golden by the Spirit. Rejoice, inexhaustible Treasury of Life.
Rejoice, precious Diadem of godly kings. Rejoice, venerable Boast of faithful priests.
Rejoice, unshakeable Tower of the Church. Rejoice, impregnable fortress of the Kingdom.
Rejoice, you through whom trophies are raised up. Rejoice, you whom enemies are cast down.
Rejoice, Healing of my flesh. Rejoice, Salvation of my soul.
Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride.
The Church has had the Scriptures since Moses first wrote them. There's no need to make a dichotomy between Scripture and Church, but the Holy Spirit doesn't speak doctrine apart from the source of His doctrine in Holy Writ.
Post a Comment