Excerpt from Holy Cross Hoosoyo

While this blog is specifically for the Ordinary, my curiosity leads me to the Fenqitho. This season is that of the Holy Cross, and the Fenqitho contains propers for this feast which was celebrated on the 14th, and will continue to be commemorated in this season until the new Church year begins in November. I translated a little excerpt from the Holy Cross Safro, which I've added below with a little more commentary.
The Cross occupies a very large space in Syriac theology. Also known as the Tree of Life, the Wood, and given many typologies, it is celebrated as a glorious device in the divine plan to bring salvation and mercy. Unlike certain other theologies that call the Cross the "Wood of Shame," Syriac theology exalts the Cross as the device God used to shame the nonbelievers, death and Satan. We even take it a step further and personify the Cross with various addresses and acclamations - the excerpt from the hoosoyo I've translated is exemplary of this. In what I personally call an "acclamations" portion of a hoosoyo, which occurs specifically in a festal Safro's sedro, there are a series of exaltations addressed to the individual (or object in this case) which places their role in salvation and theology (the other example of this is the sedro in the Assumption office).

The translation was prompted by personally flipping through the current English missal and looking at the hoosoye for the weekdays of the season of the Holy Cross. To be honest, they're terrible - there are two or three "acclamations," which makes the repeated address seem less like a device of rhetoric and more like redundancy because you repeat the same word twice. I was curious to see what the actual hoosoyo, which was divided into 5 hoosoye, actually said.

Anyway, without further adieu, this is the excerpt from the feast - pray it well, and let us glorify the Cross:

We cry out and say:

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross that abolished the ancient curse of the House of Adam.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which the curse of Eve was abrogated.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which reigned tranquility and peace.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which light reigned over the earth.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which darkness vanished from the quarters.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which the expelled returned to their inheritance.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which all feasts were perfected.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which joys were conferred upon us.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which the beings above were reconciled with the beings below.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which old things were renewed.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which the mysteries of the prophets were fulfilled.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which the apostles were enlightened with the Gospel.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which the martyrs were crowned with the faith.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which the confessors were triumphant in victory.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, which showed Constantine victory in the sky.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which faithful kings are armed, and receive powers and victory.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which death and Satan are powerless.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which the sign of resurrection is depicted to us.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which Zion the crucifier was shamed.

Blessed be the Wood of the Cross, by which all creation was set free.

Our Lord, accept our service, our prayers, come to our aid and have mercy on us!