Merry Christmas

Ἡ Παρθένος σήμερον
τὸν προαιώνιον Λόγον
ἐν σπηλαίῳ ἔρχεται
ἀποτεκεῖν ἀπορρήτως.
Χόρευε
ἡ οἰκουμένη ἀκουτισθεῖσα·
δόξασον
μετὰ ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ποιμένων
βουληθέντα ἐποφθῆναι
παιδίον νέον
τὸν πρὸ αἰώνων Θεόν.

❖

Today the Virgin comes to a cave
to bear ineffably
the preeternal Word.
Dance for joy
O inhabited earth
when this news comes to your ears;
glorify
along with angels and with shepherds
the God before the ages
who willed to appear
as a little child.

From a canon for the forefeast

Translated from Joseph Schirò and Athanasius Kominis, eds., Analecta Hymnica Graeca e codicibus eruta Italiae inferioris: IV. Canones Decembris (Rome 1976), pp. 569, 573 f.

In profestum nativitatis Iesu Christi (22 dec.)

Κάθισμα. (Ἦχος γ´. Πρός· Θείας πίστεως ὁμολογία)	Kathisma. (Tone 3. To the tune of: The confession of divine faith.)
Θεῖον σπήλαιον, προευτρεπίζου τὸ πολίτευμα τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ἐν ᾧ Θεὸς ἐξ ἁγνῆς μέλλει τίκτεσθαι καὶ ὡς βρέφος εἰληθήσεται σπάργανα, άνακλινεῖται δὲ φάτνῃ ὡς νήπιον· πτωχεύει γὰρ ἑκών, ἵνα πλουτίσῃ καὶ σώσῃ ἡμᾶς ὡς φιλάνθρωπος.	O cave divine, make ready for the citizenship according to the flesh in which God of holy maiden shall be born and as a babe be wrapped in swaddling clothes and in a manger laid as tiny infant; for it is his will to take on poverty to enrich and save us, as the lover of mankind.
✜ ♥ ✜	✜ ♥ ✜
ᾠδὴ η´. Χεῖρας ἐκπετάσας Δανιὴλ.	Ode 8: When Daniel stretched out his hands.
Τῆς ἀρχαίας λύεσθαι ἀρᾶς τὸ ἐπιτίμιον σήμερον ἄρχεται καὶ τῆς χαρᾶς ἡμῖν ἅπασι τὰ ἐνέχυρα ἐγγράφεσθαι τοῖς τοῦ δοτῆρος τῶν καλῶν προεορτάζουσι τὴν γέννησιν καὶ Θεὸν τοῦτον καὶ κτίστην δοξάζουσιν.	The penalty of the ancient curse begins to be nullified today, and pledges of joy begin to be registered to the account of all of us, who, in expectation, celebrate the birth of the bestower of blessings and who glorify him, our God and Creator.
✜	✜
Σήμερον ἀνοίγειν οὐρανὸς προευτρεπίζεται τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι πύλας τὴν γὴν ὁρῶν χαίρουσαν καὶ τῷ κτίστῃ ἑτοιμάζουσαν θείαν ἐπίβασιν· μεθ᾽ ἧς τούτῳ βοᾷ ἐκτενῶς· «εὐλογεῖτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου τὸν Κύριον.»	Today heaven makes initial preparations to open its gates to humankind while it sees the earth rejoicing and making ready, for the Creator, a divine arrival; and with it it cries to him eagerly, “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord!”
✜	✜
Ἔχοντες ἀστέρα φαεινὸν τοῦ γεννωμένου Χριστοῦ τὴν θείαν ἔλλαμψιν πρὀς τοῦτον ἅπαντες σήμερον οἱ πιστοὶ τὰ διαβήματα δι᾽ ἀρετῶν τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς προευτρεπίσωμεν ἐκβοῶντες· «πάντα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου τὸν Κύριον.»	We who possess the divine illumination of Christ as a shining star as now he comes to birth, let us all, the faithful, today make ready, directing our footsteps towards that same star by the virtues of the soul, as we cry: “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord!”
✜	✜
Ὁ ἐκ σοῦ τεχθεὶς ὑπερφυῶς Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος Θεοῦ, παρθένε ἄχραντε, τὴν κτίσιν ἅπασαν σήμερον προκοσμεῖ ταῖς θείαις χάρισι καὶ εὐφροσύνης καὶ χαρᾶς πληροῖ τοὺς κράζοντας· «εὐλογεῖτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου τὸν Κύριον.»	He who has his birth from you in a manner beyond nature, O spotless Virgin, the Son and Word of God, today adorns beforehand all creation with divine graces, and with joy and gladness he fills those who cry: “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord!”

Ohio lecture

Just a brief note, for those who had asked me to publish the lecture I delivered in Ohio this past weekend: the link to it will now be found on the sidebar of this blog; it is titled “The Filioque: a very basic introduction.”