Sootoro of Friday

What is stressed in this office is the reality of those things that are unseen - primarily the efficacy of prayer and the harm of demons contrary to the ideas of modernity.

Lilyo of Thursday

The Lilyo of Thursday brings an interesting insight into repentance and justification.

Ramsho of St. Shmooni

In the current age of the Maronite Church, the old Syriac saints have been abandoned in almost exclusive adoption of solely Lebanese saints. Among the old saints is the venerable and holy example given to us by St. Shmooni and her seven sons.

Qolo Variations

As an interesting point of comparison, the choir Shhimtho of 1890 has different texts at time from the Shhimtho (1904) I use as the major source for my texts. An example of this is this expansion to the popular Qolo, LMaryam Yoldat Aloho, found in the 9th Hour of Saturday. The expansion adds three verses to a one verse song, so at times the variations are substantial. An example is found in the Tuesday Ramsho.

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.

Hoosoyo of Sunday Lilyo

Below I've attached the Hoosoyo (Proemion, Sedro, Qolo and Etro) of Sunday's Lilyo. It's pretty clear to me the reason why these offices have remained untranslated the more I look at them because it seems the certain Syriac theology revealed to them would be upsetting to certain sensibilities currently present in the Maronite Church. The Etro particularly comes to mind because it sets a typology up between the sacrifice of Abraham, Moses, Aaron and the other Levitical high priests and the current priesthood both intended for the glorification but also appeasement of God. Such ideas have been central to Syriac theology for the last two millennia and we must remember that our current priesthood is a continuation of the Levitical priesthood magnified by the Incarnation. We should not cast off the understanding of our soteriology for meaningless platitudes because it seems a bit frightening that God is not required to grant us the remission and forgiveness of sins and offenses.