Lesson from the Liturgy in Words and Pictures
Here are four stanzas from Ode 8, a commentary on the canticle of the Three Young Men (Daniel 3, 57-88), from Orthros (Morning Prayer in the Byzantine Liturgy) on the feast of St Nicholas, December 6th. The Canticle of the Three Young Men is their hymn of praise to God, inspired by the glory and beauty of Creation, sung when they were thrown into the furnace. Here we can see how the hymns give us a theological lesson that poetically connects the fire to God, to the Holy Spirit and to the Virgin, to the Burning Bush and to the saint being commemorated, St Nicholas. The refrain of the Canticle, “Oh you works of the Lord, bless the Lord”, appears in the first stanza.
If you’re thinking that what I am describing here is very similar to several recent posts by me, you are correct! These, and other core typological themes, come up time and time again in the Byzantine Liturgy. Every single week, there will be numerous references to them, very often, as in this case, placing them into the additional context of the feast being celebrated. This is the pedagogical method of the liturgy: important themes are repeatedly and beautifully prayed, sometimes in a variety of ways, sometimes the repetitions are identical, so that they are remembered and grasped deeply by the faithful. Aside from the theological point being made, the effect is to emphasise the unity of the liturgy in which every aspect of our worship is a facet of a whole that is directed to a single end and summit.Here are the troparia stanzas: “In Babylon of old, the fiery furnace wielded its power in two distinct ways. By the decree of God, it consumed the Chaldeans, while it became refreshing dew for the faithful who sang: ‘All you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!’ ”
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| The three children in the furnace, 3rd century AD, from the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome. |
“O blessed saint, gracious and compassionate, deliver those held captive by trials; by your intercession to the Savior, free them from the ills possessing them, O priest initiated into the divine mysteries.”
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| Saint Nicholas resurrecting the three butchered children, from the Grandes Heures d’Anne de Bretagne (1503-8) |
“The furnace moist with cool dew prefigured a wonder surpassing nature: as it left unharmed the young men that were thrown into its midst, so also the fire of the Godhead descended within the Virgin’s womb, leaving it unscathed. Wherefore let us sing a hymn of praise and say: ‘Let the whole creation bless the Lord and exalt Him forever.’ ”
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| The Annunciation, Domenico Beccafumi; Italian 1545 |
“The strange sight of the bush burning but unconsumed on Sinai in times past prefigured the mystery of your birthgiving, O spotless Maid. For the Fire of the Godhead dwelt in you, keeping you unharmed. Therefore, we praise you forever.”
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| The Burning Bush, by Nicholas Froment, French, in Aix Cathedral, 1475-76 |
