Hymns of the Greek Church Part 10

G.o.d of all Grace, Thy mercy send; Let Thy protecting arm defend; Save us, and keep us to the end.

Have mercy, Lord.

II

And through the coming hours of night, Fill us, we pray, with holy light; Keep us all sinless in Thy sight.

Grant this, O Lord.

III

May some bright messenger abide For ever by Thy servants' side, A faithful guardian and guide.

Grant this, O Lord.

IV

From every sin in mercy free, Let heart and conscience stainless be, That we may live henceforth for Thee.

Grant this, O Lord.

V

We would not be by care opprest, But in Thy love and wisdom rest;-- Give what Thou seest to be best.

Grant this, O Lord.

VI

While we of every sin repent, Let our remaining years be spent In holiness and sweet content.

Grant this, O Lord.

VII

And when the end of life is near, May we, unshamed and void of fear, Wait for the Judgment to appear.

Grant this, O Lord.

HYMNS FROM THE EARLY GREEK POETS NOT FOUND IN THE SERVICE-BOOKS OF THE GREEK CHURCH

ST. METHODIUS

Methodius, a prominent name in Ecclesiastical history, and a Father of the Church, was born about the middle of the third century. He was first of all Bishop of Olympus in Lycia, and, according to Jerome, became ultimately Bishop of Tyre. He combated certain views of Origen, but would seem to have been influenced not a little by the teaching of that great theologian.

In his princ.i.p.al work, _The Banquet of the Ten Virgins_, the hymn is found from which the following is a cento. It contains twenty-four strophes, each beginning with a letter of the Greek alphabet in alphabetical order, and ending with the same refrain.

Methodius is said to have suffered martyrdom under Diocletian about 311 A.D.

{anothen, parthenoi, boes egersinekros echos}

I

Behold the Bridegroom! Hark the cry, The dead, awaking, rends the sky!

Go, virgins, He is near, Your lamps all burning clear; He enters where the rising light Asunder bursts the gates of night.

In holy garb, with lamp aglow, To meet the Bridegroom forth I go.

II

The smiles of earth that turn to tears, Its empty joys and foolish fears I leave, for Thou dost call-- Thou art my Life, my All; I would Thy beauty ever see, Then let me, Blessed, cling to Thee.

In holy garb, with lamp aglow, To meet the Bridegroom forth I go.

III

For Thee I leave the world behind-- Thou art my Bliss, O Bridegroom kind; My beauty's not mine own-- 'Tis Thine, O Christ, alone; Thy bridal-chamber I would see, In perfect happiness to be.

In holy garb, with lamp aglow, To meet the Bridegroom forth I go.

IV

O G.o.d, exalted on Thy throne, Who dwell'st in purity unknown, Lo, now we humbly wait, Throw wide the Heavenly gate, And with the Bridegroom, of Thy grace, Give us at Thy right hand a place.

In holy garb, with lamp aglow, To meet the Bridegroom forth I go.

ST. GREGORY

ST. GREGORY

Gregory of n.a.z.ianzus, son of Gregory, Bishop of n.a.z.ianzus, and life-long friend of Basil, Bishop of Caesarea, was born at n.a.z.ianzus, 325 A.D. He took up the priestly office at the earnest request of his father, and for some time was helpful to the aged bishop.

The times in which Gregory lived were trying times. The orthodox Christians clung to the creed of Nicea, and their champions did valiant battle with the Arians. As an advocate and exponent of evangelical truth, Gregory was summoned to Constantinople in 379, and as bishop of that See adorned the high position with gifts and graces as brilliant as they were rare. But he was not the man for such a position at such a time. Hilary, the 'Hammer of the Arians,' could keep the heretics at bay, and do in the Latin Church what Gregory could not do in the Greek Church--maintain his position and his cause against all comers. For one thing, the retiring disposition of Gregory inclined him to shrink from the din of conflict, and his high ideals weakened his hopefulness. The result was that he abandoned his position and retired to n.a.z.ianzus in 381. Deprived by death of his life-long friend, and of his brother Caesarius, to whom he was bound by more than brotherly love, he retired from the world and penned those poems, some of which are among the treasures of the Church Catholic. He died in 390.

The hymns of Gregory are found in the second volume of the Benedictine Edition of his works which was published in Paris in 1842. A selection can be seen in Daniel's _Thesaurus_, and in the _Anthologica Graeca, Carminum Christianorum_.

{ater arches, aperanton}

Cento from {se ton aphthiton monarchen}