The O Antiphons

Dec 20, 2002 - © Virginia Marin

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Folklore Table of Contents

During Advent and Christmas, I often visit a Poor Clare Monastery not far from me to enjoy the lovely singing of the Cloistered Nuns. And nothing is more beautiful than to hear "O" Antiphons sung in Gregorian Chant, or the majestic Christmas Carol, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" which is based on the "O" Antiphons. I have reserved this date of Christmas week to share the Antiphons with you. I hope that you can find time to read the "O" Antiphons in the first link below, and that they will bless your heart, as they have been, and continue to be, prayed and chanted by countless folk cultures, religious communities, and laity in different languages across the globe.

What are "O" Antiphons? Antiphons are psalms, or verses from scripture sung or chanted as part of a church's liturgy. "O" Antiphons are those which begin with an "O". They traditionally begin on December 17th and end on December 23rd. They are prayers asking the Messiah to come--to which He answers after the last Antiphon: "Tomorrow I will come." The seven "O" Antiphons are:

1. O Wisdom--Sapientia

"O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care...Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom."

2. O Lord and Ruler--Adonai

"O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai..."

3. O Root of Jesse--Radix Jesse

"O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all people...a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom..."

4. O Key of David--Clavis David

"O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven..."

5. O Dawn of the East--Oriens

"O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice, come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death..."

6. O King of the Gentiles--Rex Gentium, and

"O King of all nations, the only joy of every human heart...Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace...they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, and they shall know war no more..."

7. O Emmanuel--God is with us

"O Emmanuel, ...a virgin shall be with child, and bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel."

It has been noted that if one begins with the last of Messiah's titles and using the first letter of each, the word Ero Cras is spelled out meaning--"Tomorrow I will come."

The copyright of the article The O Antiphons in Folklore is owned by Virginia Marin. Permission to republish The O Antiphons in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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