Thursday, August 2, 2018

THE SUPPLICATORY CANON TO ST. SPYRIDON OF TREMITHUS


Ode I.
Irmos.  After crossing the sea as if it were dry ground and escaping the wickedness of Egypt, the Israelite cried out:  Let us sing to our redeemer and God.
Blessed Spyridon, great protector of the faithful, give the assistance of your intercession to all of us who affectionately greet your divine icon.
All the ranks of the pious, O wondrous Spyridon, truly praise you in song, for God the creator and master has worthily glorified you, father.
As you delight with the angels in the spiritual light in Heaven, wholly blessed Spyridon, illumine us by your well-received supplications to the Master.
I am oppressed by dangers and trials; taking refuge in you, O Virgin, I desire you to bring them to an end and to grant me deliverance from them; therefore, by your prayers take pity on your servant.

Ode III

Irmos.  You covered the vault of the sky with a roof, O Lord, and built the church; confirm me in your love, O summit of desires, support of the faithful and only compassionate Lord.
As you caused a corpse, Saint Spyridon, to speak from the tomb, so raise even me by your prayers, for I am dying because of my sins.  
Arrogance does not befall those who honor you, Saint Spyridon, for you are our champion and savior and honor and defender.
Saint Spyridon, by your prayers deliver me from every affliction, from all dangers and from all kinds of diseases and chastisement.
O Saint Spyridon, as our brightly-shining sun and the glory of the fathers, deem those who honor you worthy to be illumined by your intercessions.
Now that you stand by the eternal throne of the King of all, by your prayers free from every danger those who celebrate you in song, O Spyridon.
As you transformed the snake into gold, all-holy Spyridon, so I beg you to change me from sins to repentance.
Deliver, Mother, your servant from the terrible afflictions which hold me fast, for I place all my hope in you, ever-virgin Mary.

Cause the gloom of my passions to disappear, O holiest saint, by the illumination of your venerable supplications and guide me to the paths of the holy life.
You are a healer of diseases and our godly savior from dangers, holy Spyridon:  wherefore heal my soul now by your prayers.
Deliver me from dangers and sufferings, most holy Spyridon, for I reverently take refuge in you; by your prayers, rescue me from every affliction.
Pure Lady, grant to us, your servants, who are held fast by afflictions, deliverance by your intercessions with the Lord.

Ode VI
Irmos.  I will pour out my supplication to the Lord and to him will I declare my afflictions, for my soul has been filled with troubles and my life has approached Hades, so like Jonah I pray:  Raise me up from death, O God.

After you mortified the movements of your flesh, you raised the dead, O Spyridon, with a life-giving and pious prayer.  Wherefore, holy Father, in your compassion restore even my soul to life by your supplications, for it has been slain by the passions.
The sea of my offenses oppresses me and the mighty swell of dangers tosses me grievously, while the contrary wind of incurable passions drags me down into the abyss of destruction:  O Spyridon, who preached Christ God, still the swelling sea.
Spyridon, as the champion of those in distress, wash clean my soul, which has been stained by pleasures, through the washing of divine contrition and of cleansing tears; deliver me from fearful and eternal punishment by your prayers.
Banish from my miserable flesh this incurable disease, Maiden, and deliver me from terrible pains; grant me complete healing and save me, for I trust in your divine supplication.

Prayers after Ode VI
Preserve from afflictions and deliver from all kinds of dangers, O Hierarch, those who fervently celebrate your divine memory, O Spyridon, as our deliverer from afflictions.
Theotokion. 
Pure Lady, grant deliverance by your prayers to us, your servants, who are held fast by afflictions.

Save those who praise you, holiest hierarch Spyridon, and by your divine radiance illumine your servants, and rescue me from the machinations of Satan by your prayers.
Deliver your servants, Hierarch Spyridon, by your intercessions from the attacks of the demons, from wicked thoughts and from dangers, so that saved we may duly hymn you forever.
By your intercessions, O Spyridon, end the unspeakable pain of my soul, and rescue your servant from terrible misfortunes, dangers and passions, as you are the father of the afflicted.
As I suffer evil constantly and am enslaved to unnatural habits, I run to your compassion, crying, Preserve me, all pure Virgin, by your maternal intercessions.

I recognize you as the physician of difficult diseases and dangers, O Spyridon; therefore, by your prayers deliver my soul from despondency.
Hierarch Spyridon, set your servants free from griefs which have us in their power; by your intercessions deliver us from them.
As the patron of the faithful, do not cease to intercede with Jesus, O Spyridon, to protect us from all harm.
O Maiden, be gracious to your most wretched servant, and deliver me from incurable diseases, so that I may glorify you unto all ages.

Ode IX
Irmos.  O Mother of God, we who have been saved through you fittingly confess you, and with the incorporeal choirs magnify you, O pure Virgin.

Preserve from dangers those who with affection take refuge under your protection, Saint Spyridon, and deliver them from passions and diseases by your intercessions.
Do not cease to watch over those who faithfully honor and glorify you, Saint Spyridon, and by your intercessions deliver them from dangers.
As you previously delivered those who ran faithfully to you in Corfu, O Spyridon, so also now deliver me from every misfortune.
O Mary, knowing you as our harbor of salvation, we run to you as our all-pure protection and beg you to deliver us from diseases.

ENDNOTES FOR THE CIRCUMSPECT
Source:  http://www.imcorfu.gr/akolouthies/agiouspyridonos.htm.
I thank Zoilus for proofing the Greek and I thank Aeteia, my lawfully-wedded, for proofing the English.  Any errors surviving their ministrations are purely my own.
Ode 1.
"Greet" (ασπαζομένοις) or "kiss."  According to David A. deSilva, in the ancient world it was important to have "well-placed friends who [could] support and advance one's political agenda" ("
Patronage and Reciprocity:The Context of Grace in the New Testament").  This explains the importance of having a patron who is "well-received."  As for greeting the icon, we note that "the main difference between personal patronage in the Greek and Roman cultures is the formalized etiquette surrounding the latter in the morning greeting of the patron by his or her clients.  The salutatio displayed the relationship of patron and clients visibly and publicly, a display that would continue throughout the day as some number of clients accompanied the patron in public places, displaying the patron's prestige and power with a visible entourage at home and in the public spaces" (ibid.).  
"Well-received" (ευπροσδέκτοις).  Abbott says this word is stronger than δέκτος (acceptable).  Montanari's definition, used here, underscores the importance to our endeavors of the acceptability of our intercessor to his superior.
"Deliverance" (σωτηρίαν).  This word is the word for salvation in the New Testament; it has an exclusively religious meaning in English.  Before this word was used as a technical term in the New Testament, it had a broad range of meanings, like preservation, means of escape, protection.
Ode III.
"Arrogance" (κόρος).  A curious word, whose definitions wander all over: insolence, arroganza (Dizionario Greco Antico-Italiano), satiety etc.
"Champion and savior and honor and defender" (προστάτης και ρύστης, και τιμή και αντίληψης).  A summary roll-call of the patron's role in the lives of his clients.  Note also that ρύστης ("savior") is also not an exclusively religious term in Greek.  Ρύστης shows up again in Ode V.  I notice that Ps. 18:3 (LXX) contains a lot of words important to the hymnographers (Κύριος στερέωμά μου καὶ καταφυγή μου καὶ ῥύστης μου. ῾Ο Θεός μου βοηθός μου, ἐλπιῶ ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν, ὑπερασπιστής μου καὶ κέρας σωτηρίας μου καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου).  As for αντίληψης, Zerwick, for what it is worth, says that it refers to helping others via corporal works of mercy.
Ode V.
"Intercessions" (μεσιτείαις), for which Stephanos offers arbitrium, sequestratio, arbitratus, interventus.  Great Scott defines the latter as intervention, interposition, mediation and assistance.  Kyriakides offers intercession, mediation, interposition, intervention.
Ode 7. 
"Praise" (άνευφημοϋντας).  According to Great Scott, this verb means to use words of good omen, of which honor by praise and speak well of are instances.   
μηχανουργία should mean “fabrication of machines,” but here that does not seem appropriate.  I suspect the hymnographer does not know the meaning of the word or uses it as a ten-buck synonym for μηχανή. 



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Ode I. Irmos.  After crossing the sea as if it were dry ground and escaping the wickedness of Egypt, the Israelite cried out:  Let us sing...