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Wisdom
December 2020
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All about the O Antiphons
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by Fr. Gregory Havill O.S.B.
A photograph from Fr. Gregory’s files
O Oriens!
1. What are they?
2. The O Antiphons themselves
3. Their prophetic roots
4. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” - A metrical paraphrase
5. An interesting acronym: “ERO CRAS”
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1.
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The O Antiphons are prayed in the days of Advent known as the Octave before Christmas.
Those days are December 17 - 23.
They are prayed before and after the Magnificat during Vespers,
the monastic evening prayer of those days.
The O Antiphons have been part of our liturgical tradition
since the very early Church.
Of unknown origin, they are one of our greatest prayer-treasures.
Boethius (c. 480-524) was first to refer to them.
At the Benedictine Abbey of Fleury they were recited
in the sixth century.
By the eighth century, they were in sung in Rome.
And they have been chanted in Benedictine monasteries ever since.
While normally prayed as part of Vespers,
many cherish them independently
as prayers of striking beauty.
They present us with compelling symbols
that can stimulate a lifetime of meditation and pondering.
Each antiphon, in its own way, powerfully expresses
the cry from the heart of mankind to God: “Come!”
Many believers center each day of the Octave
upon the O Antiphon of that day.
Our readers may want to do this as well.
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2.
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Here are O Antiphons as they will be chanted during Vespers
of the octave by the community here at Portsmouth Abbey.
The Seven O Antiphons
December 17
O Wisdom which came from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things:
come to teach us the way of prudence.
December 18
O Adonai, leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared in the bush to Moses in a flame of fire, and on Sinai gave him the Law:
come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.
December 19
O Root of Jesse who stands as a sign for the nations,
at whom kings shall fall silent, who the Gentiles shall seek:
come, deliver us and do not delay.
December 20
O Key of David and scepter of the House of Israel,
who opens and no man shuts, who closes and no man opens:
come, bring forth prisoners from the house of bondage,
those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
December 21
O Dayspring, brightness of eternal light and sun of righteousness:
come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
December 22
O King of nations and their desire; the cornerstone who makes the two be one:
come and save mankind whom you formed out of clay.
December 23
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of our Law, the Desire of the nations and their Savior:
come and save us, our Lord and our God.
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Sculpture by Jean-Leone Gerome (1897)
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3.
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The Prophecies of Isaiah
Each antiphon highlights a different title for the Messiah.
Each also finds its source in one or two of Isaiah’s prophecies of his coming.
For those who might wish to pray (especially their daily lectio divina)
with these Old Testament prophecies
we list them below with the title of their related antiphon.
O Wisdom (O Sapientia)
“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.”
(Isaiah 11:2-3),
and “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom”
(Isaiah 28:29).
O Sacred Lord (O Adonai)
“But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the lands afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips”.
(Isaiah 11:4-5);
and “Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us.” (Isaiah 33:22).
O Root of Jesse (O Radix Jesse)
“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”
(Isaiah 11:1),
and “On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious”.
(Isaiah 11:10).
O Key of David (O Clavis David)
“AIl will place the Key of the House of David on His shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open”.
(Isaiah 22:22),
and “His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever”.
(Isaiah 9:6).
O Dayspring (O Oriens)
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown”.
(Isaiah 9:1).
O King of all the Nations (O Rex Gentium)
“For a child is born to us, a Son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, and Prince of Peace”.
(Isaiah 9:5),
and “He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again”.
(Isaiah 2:4).
O Emmanuel
“The Lord himself will give you this sign:
the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and shall name him Emmanuel”. (God is with us).
(Isaiah 7:14).
Advent Vespers 2019
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4.
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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Did you know that this popular Christmas hymn has its origin in the O Antiphons?
The antiphons were originally written in Latin. This song is a metrical paraphrase, in translation, of them.
Many variations exist, but this 1861 version by John Mason Neale is sung most commonly throughout the English-speaking world.
Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear;
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel!
Draw nigh, O Jesse's Rod, draw nigh,
To free us from the enemy;
From Hell's infernal pit to save,
And give us victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall be born, for thee, O Israel!
Draw nigh, Thou Orient, Who shalt cheer
And comfort by Thine Advent here,
And banish far the brooding gloom
Of sinful night and endless doom.
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel!
Draw nigh, draw nigh, O David's Key,
The Heavenly Gate will ope to Thee ;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel!
Draw nigh, draw nigh, O Lord of Might,
Who to Thy tribes from Sinai's height
In ancient time didst give the Law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall be born for thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things, far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And cause us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Desire of Nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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5.
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…and finally, an interesting acronym:
“ERO CRAS”
(“Tomorrow, I will come”)
The author of these antiphons arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose.
Take the first letter of each Latin title:
Then reverse their order: Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia
…and you have the Latin words “ERO CRAS” meaning,
“Tomorrow, I will come”.
Therefore, the Lord Jesus, for whose coming we have prepared,
says to us on the day before his birth, “Tomorrow, I will come”.
So, the O Antiphons assist our Advent preparation and they bring us to its joyful conclusion.
Madonna and Child (1450 A.D.) - Luca della Robbia – Portsmouth Abbey
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