Hymn from 6th Hour of Friday

I realize I haven't posted anything in a while (usual excuse, rather busy). Anyway, I have made progress in terms of translations though. I'm almost done with the last office of Friday, after which I'll post all of Friday. This leaves only Saturday as the last office to be translated.

Aside from the progress update, I'd like to post a hymn from the 6th hour in an extended version, which can be found below.

Wednesday Safro

Like all the offices, the time it refers to in the day is not limited only to the temporal circumstances of that literal day but to the greater eschatological context. In particular, I refer to a very commonly used image in Syriac tradition - the Lord as the master of the vineyard who hires laborers at different hours of the day and pays everyone equally.

Ramsho of Shmooni

This is probably the last office from the Fenqitho I will probably post here. I chose Shmooni's Ramsho because she is a very important saint in Syriac tradition for she, "went first on the path of martyrdom for the sake of the Abrahamic faith." I could write an extensive commentary, but rather than do that I think the office speaks for itself.

Glory of the Three Youths - Tuesday Lilyo

The beauty and catechismal value of qole never ceases to amaze me. In this qolo from Tuesday Lilyo, soteriological events are attributed to the Son, which in every other Church are generally given to the Father. However, in the Syriac Churches we have a great propensity to theologizing that direct interactions between man and God are the work of Christ, since He is the mediator between the Hidden God and humanity.

Qolo from Tuesday Lilyo

The latest installment I have is the first qolo of Tuesday Lilyo. As with most night offices, it has a particularly eschatological/soteriological feeling. Once again, empathetic of merciful God of the Syriacs, the opening verse is a group of the repentant sinners from Scripture comforting the singer of the qolo. In each of their case, the mercy of God is affirmed.

Qolo from Ramsho of Tuesday

So I've gotten a long enough respite today to translate the second Qolo from the Ramsho of Tuesday. It is a beautiful praise to God and plea to God for mercy on judgment - which is, again as I've said many times before, a very common element of Syro-Maronite liturgy.

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.

Expansion of Qolo

Different versions of the Shhimtho add and subtract to various parts. The 1890 Shhimtho had an extended part of the very well known L'Maryam Yoldat Aloho, whose fourth verse is used in Maronite liturgy 'til today.

Sedro of the Assumption

The Hoosoye found in the Fenqitho are relatively longer than those found in the Shhimtho, understandably so since they're for major feasts. The Sedro for the Assumption's Safro is no different. It is also a special type of Sedro set to a bo'oto melody (I have posted one other office like this thus far - the Sootoro of Sunday). Within this Hoosoyo, the mystery of the Incarnation is briefly alluded to, Mary's voluntary role and then a good portion is taken up by the angelic salutations to Mary upon her death and petitions to God.

Sooghito from the Safro of the Assumption

I've been making good headway with the Safro of the Assumption and I'm more than halfway complete. Although the sooghito of an office are generally 22 short lines they are the perfect introduction to the hoosoyo because they provide an apt summary for the theological context and importance of what is being celebrate, which is then fully explained in the hoosoyo.

In Honor and Remembrance of the Pure and Holy Virgin Mother of God

To those who pray the Shhimtho or have read any Syriac prayers or homilies it is very obvious that Mary is venerated very highly. Thank God our tradition was never touched by the heresies of the reformers. In honor of the Mary I am translating the Safro for the Assumption, which I hope to post sometime next week.

Monday Lilyo posted

I've just posted Monday Lilyo. This office has particularly beautiful typologies.

Sootoro of Monday posted

I've just finished the Sootoro of Monday. There is a particularly strong bo'oto in the office, which I will discuss below a bit.

Ramsho of Monday Posted

I've completed another Ramsho office, this one in particular having a strong focus on the reality of the fear we shall feel at Judgment.

Midnight Office of Sunday Finally Completed!

I've finally completed the Lilyo of Sunday. It is the longest of the offices and contains many beautiful prayers.

Safro of Sunday finally completed and uploaded!!!

So with great joy, I'm happy to announce I've completed a translation of Sunday's Safro. I've been reflecting on individual parts progressively since I've started, so I think I will just use this reflection to analyze one of the lines in the Bo'oto.

First Office Mazmooro

Safro gives an example of what a mazmooro is following the Etro of the Hoosoyo. Mazmooro can either refer to the mazmoore of King David (i.e. the canonical Psalms) or this short style of hymn.

Holy are You, Lover of Mankind

I'm drawing near to completing the Safro  of Sunday. The last qolo of the office is to the melody of Qadishat Rohem Nosho (Holy are You, Lover of Mankind). This qolo takes the trisagion (the one prayed before every office and at every liturgy - Holy are You, God, Holy are You, Strong One, Holy are You, Immortal One) and expands it by singing the glory of God relating to His compassion.

Verse of Safro's Qolo

One of the main travesties of the Prayer of the Faithful is that it destroys the brilliant formula of prayer that the writers of the Sh'himto created. Everything is complimentary - hymns in the morning, for example, speak about the Second Coming as the dawning of the sun and the apostles being bright lights that illuminated the four quarters of the earth. Tangentially, it also alludes in the night office to death and lying down in the hope of resurrection. In an even more complex complimentarity, the rotating verses of scripture are related to the following verse of each qolo.

In this post, I will take a look at one of the eschatological verses of one of the qole in Sunday's Safro. 

Reflection on Compline of Sunday

So the second compline office has been posted. I think I've decided I like the idea of shorter reflections, seeing as how I don't want to go on forever to bore the few readers I have - if anyone would like any specific item addressed, feel free to ask in writing and with your permission I'll publicly address it (or privately if you'd prefer).

Anyway, the theme I'd like to address in this Sootoro is the frequent imagery in Syriac theology of the mystical wedding feast between the Bridegroom and the Church.