A Light in the Darkness

Holy Tradition determines doctrine and practice in the Orthodox Church. It is the authority of Orthodox belief and consists of, among other things, scripture, ritual theology, hymnology, iconography, the writings of the Church Fathers, the liturgical texts, and other forms of liturgical communication. Through these varied, interconnected sources, the realities of the Orthodox faith are expressed, celebrated, and clearly made manifest.

Holy Tradition stems from Divine revelation. Throughout ancient history, God communicated with people, chosen as vessels, to relay their experiences with him to the people. These encounters were not seen as merely personal ones, but were understood as a distinct, unique reality, in which God made himself known to mankind. Eventually, this knowledge of God was written down, into what we know as scriptures, which are the breath of God (2 Tim. 3:16), by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The messianic prophecies mentioned in these scriptures were then fulfilled by the person of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 4:18-21). The apostles were witnesses of this Divine revelation and they conveyed it to the Church. “This living experience of the person, life, teaching and promises of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world was preached, taught, and lived in the Church for decades before ever being written down.” Holy Tradition, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, continues to edify the Body of Christ, as it has been since the inception of the Church.  – from Orthodox Christian Beliefs by Stanley Samuel Harakas (with some additions/rephrasing of my own).

Hymnology, in the Coptic Orthodox Church, is almost constantly linked to other disciplines, and sources, of Holy Tradition. Our hymns express truths from the scriptures which are elaborated upon by the Fathers. If I may say so, we can place both holy scripture and the writings of the Fathers, juxtaposed to the text of our hymns, and it would appear that they are attached by the seam of a book. Furthermore, Coptic chant oftentimes expresses theological principles that are specifically relevant to the rite being carried out, as we will discuss shortly.

The use of music to convey teaching is imperative in the Church because, in my opinion, music is a language which surpasses all others. Our hymns are capable of evoking emotions which are difficult to communicate with words. Hymnography also elicits participation of the entire congregation, and God’s presence is made known when there is harmony in praise. So, hymns do not only deepen our relation with the doctrine of the Church, but they also connect us with the liturgical life on many levels. 

I promise you, there is a reason for this longwinded introduction! My goal for this post is to shed some light upon a relatively rare hymn which involves hidden, yet magnificent, connections to Holy Tradition. 

ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ

The hymn ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ  is, in its original form, the seventh and final section of the Wednesday Tadakia (ⲑⲉⲟⲧⲟⲕⲓⲁ). 

“These tawdokias are praises for the Lady, the Virgin, and they contain sayings and symbols of the old [testament] along with the prophecies of the prophets regarding the matters of the Lord in the new [testament]; using them as proof for her pregnancy while being a virgin and the birth of the Lord of glory who took flesh from her…” – The Trusted Elder, the Sun of the Leaders, the Father of Blessings, the Priest, Ibn Kabar

In order to comprehend the depth of this hymn, we must separate the seven verses into groups and understand their origins…

Textual Tradition

The underlined text refers to the fulfillment of the prophecy in that it references Christ, the True Light, going to Galilee. The italicized text references the ministry of our Savior, and specifically what he preached to the Gentiles. 

Verse 1 

Hymnological Tradition

As we mentioned, the verses of ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ  come from the Wednesday Tadakia. This Tadakia is Batoc (Wados) which indicates that the text contains approximately eight syllables/beats per musical sentence. Therefore, it can be used as, or exchanged with, any liturgical response that follows the Batoc system, so long as it fits appropriately with the season and occasion. These responses include the doxologies of the evening and morning raising of incense, the gospel responses, and the communion hymns (Paralex) which are chanted after Psalm 150. ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ  is also used as a processional hymn on specific occasions.

In actuality, ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ is the hymn of the Feasts of our Lord. Manuscripts from several centuries and different regions of Egypt indicate that this hymn is chanted, in one form or another, on all the Feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ, except for those that pertain to Holy Week and the days of Pentecost. The following is a list of the occasions in which the Order of the Church (Tarteeb el Bayaa) has mentioned ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ.  (Manuscripts are abbreviated as they are in Tarteeb el Bayaa)

1. Sundays of Kiahk 

• Verse 5 – Gospel response for Evening Raising of Incense (Manuscript AL)
• Verse 3 – Gospel response for the Liturgy of the Word (Manuscript AL)

2. Feast of the Nativity – 29th of Kiahk

• Verses 4 & 5 – Gospel response of Morning Raising of Incense (Manuscripts P, B, S1, T) 

• “During communion, if need be, they chant ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ in the tune of joy, they place it on the tune of Gene;lion”   (Manuscript B)
• “If they do not know the hymns mentioned, they chant ⲱ ⲛⲓⲛⲁⲕϩⲓ ⲛ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ, then ⲡⲓⲟⲩⲁⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ, then ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ“    (Manuscript B)

3. Feast of Circumcision – 6th of Tuba

• All verses – Wados doxology ( St. Anthony’s Monastery – Manuscript 302)
• Verse 3 – Gospel response of Evening Raising of Incense  (Patriarchate Manuscript) & Morning Raising of Incense (Manuscripts S1, T)
• Verse 4 – Gospel response of Morning Raising of Incense (Patriarchate Manuscript)

4. Paramoun of the Feast of Epiphany – 10th of Tuba

• Verse 1- Gospel response of Evening Raising of Incense (Manuscripts B, S1, T) 
• Verse 3 – Part of the concluding canon for Evening & Morning Raising of Incense (Manuscript B)
• Verse 1 – Gospel response of Morning Raising of Incense (Manuscript B) 

5. Feast of the Wedding of Cana of Galilee – 13th of Tuba

• Verse 1 – Gospel response of Evening Raising of Incense (Manuscripts A, S1, T)
• Verses 1 through 6 – Wados doxology (Baramous Monastery Manuscript)
• Verses 3 & 4  – Gospel response of Morning Raising of Incense (Manuscripts S1, T)

6. Feast of the Lord’s Entry into the Temple – 8th of Amshir

• Verse 4 – Part of Wados doxology (Manuscript T)
• Verse 3 – Gospel response of Morning Raising of Incense (Manuscripts S1, T)
• Verse 6 – Gospel response of Morning Raising of Incense (Patriarchate Manuscript)
• All verses – Melismatic hymn for procession after the gospel of Divine Liturgy (Manuscripts P, T)
• Verse 5 – Gospel response of the Divine Liturgy (Manuscript T)
• All verses – Communion hymn (Manuscript A)

7. Third Sunday of Amshir 

• Verse 6 – Gospel response of Morning Raising of Incense (Manuscripts P, B, T)

8. Feast of the Annunciation – 29th of Baramhat

• Verses 3 & 4 – In the place of `Vnau `mpicmou /Pa[oic Iyc P,c  (Manuscripts A, S1)

9. Feast of the Lord’s Entry into Egypt – 24th of Bashans

• Verse 1/All Verses – Gospel response of Evening Raising of Incense (Manuscript P)
  
• Verse 1/All Verses – ⲃⲁⲧⲟⲥ doxology (Manuscript A)
• Verse 6 – Gospel response of Morning Raising of Incense (Manuscripts A, S1)
• All verses – Melismatic hymn for procession after the gospel of Divine Liturgy (Manuscript A)

10. Feast of the Apostles – 5th of Abib

• Verse 6 – Gospel response of the laqqani (Manuscripts P, A)

11. Feast of the Transfiguration – 13th of Mesra

• All verses – ⲃⲁⲧⲟⲥ doxology
• All verses – Communion hymn (ⲡⲁⲣⲁⲗⲉⲝ)

12. All Feasts of the Lord 

• Verse 6 – Conclusion of the Verses of Cymbals
  • Note: This is actually musically inaccurate. The Verses of Cymbals are an Adam tune and text. Therefore, using a Wados text is what causes difficulty when transitioning into this verse. 

13. Sahidic Antiphonarium

From this evidence, we arrive at a few conclusions.  

1. ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ is chanted on various occasions, and therefore the tunes utilized must be specific to the season or the placement, and not to the text itself. As an example, the melismatic tune mentioned for the processions is clearly different than the tune of the gospel responses or the doxologies.  This concept of  placement-specific tunes, rather than text-specific tunes, will be discussed at length in a later post. 

2. ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ   is a statement of faith regarding the incarnation and the ministry of Jesus Christ. For this reason, it is chanted on eight of the Feasts of the Lord. As I said, the only feasts on which this hymn is not prayed are the feasts that have to do with Holy Pascha and the Holy 50 Days. 

3. There must be a correlation between the two feasts that include a procession, while chanting this hymn, after the reading of the holy gospel…

Processional

ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ is chanted as a processional hymn on a various occasions. The first two instances are the Feasts of our Lord’s Entry into the Temple and Entry into Egypt. This rite is a very important one, although it is almost entirely forgotten. On these two feasts, after the reading of the holy gospel, the priests wrap the euaggelion, which is the gospel, or bishara, in white linen and process inside the sanctuary, around the altar, three times. After they complete the three rounds, the priest stands at the door of the sanctuary and all of the congregants go up and kiss the euaggelion.  What is the purpose of this procession? What is the connection between the two feasts, and why this hymn?

In some manuscripts, there is a contemplation that the priest holds the gospel in his hand as a symbol of Simeon the elder bearing Christ in his hands. However, this contemplation falls short because the procession is also done for the Feast of the Lord’s Entry into Egypt. Also, the understanding of symbolism during the centuries in which these manuscripts were written was drastically different from the understanding of the fathers who developed these rites hundreds of years prior. This indicates that there is a much more powerful reasoning for this rite and it pertains to  ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ. 

Salvation for all people! The coming of the Lord and his ministry was not for one nation alone, but for the entire human race. This hymn reiterates the reality of Christ’s (1) birth from the Virgin, (2) fulfilling the prophecies, (3) going to both the Jews and the Gentiles, and (4) preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Hence, the hymn and procession take place on the feasts of the Entry into the Temple, the dwelling of God with Israel, and on the feast of Entry into Egypt, Christ’s dwelling with the Gentiles. All members of the Church, both men and women, are drawn to kiss the Gospel, to be enlightened by the living Word of God, Christ Himself. He is the True Light that has come into the world to enlighten every man, without discrimination or favoritism.

There is one other mention of a procession using this hymn. It comes in the Rite of Holy Matrimony as is written by Pope Gabriel the 88th patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church. In his book, Order of Liturgical Prayers, he says that ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ is also chanted as a processional hymn for the bridegroom when he reaches the place of the wedding/writing of the contract inside the church. 

We must also ask: What does this hymn have to do with the wedding ceremony? The response is all the more beautiful!

“Most importantly, we notice that the Virgin Mary is referred to, not as ]selet [the bride], but as pimanselet [the chamber, or better yet, the place of the wedding]. This is based on the premise that the divine wedding, between Christ, the true bridegroom, and the entire human race, took place in her womb.  This also serves to prove that our unity with God began at the very moment in which the Word united with the holy humanity which he took from the Virgin Mary” – Fr. Athanasius el Maqary

The incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ is in fact the true wedding. The unity between God and man, the sacrifice, the life of emptying one’s self for his/her spouse: this is the the mystery of the incarnation. This is also why many hymns for the Virgin Mary are chanted in the rite of matrimony. Even the concluding canon is about the enlightened bride!

Since we’ve gone through the liturgical background of this hymn, to the best of my ability, we can fully appreciate the musical component…

Musical Tradition

Chant, in harmony and oneness of heart, welcomes the presence of the Almighty God and directs all of our senses towards focusing on Him. The beauty of Coptic Orthodox chant is that it combines imperative theological teaching, personal prayer, and emotional tunes which deeply soothe the soul. ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ is a perfect example of this fullness of prayer: using powerful music to enter one’s heart and enlightening the mind through the knowledge of the Holy Trinity. 

Melismatic Tune

This beautiful melisma is the tune mentioned as the processional hymn and it may also be prayed during the Wednesday Tadakia, if time permits. When chanted as a processional hymn, the melisma is chanted, but the rest of the verses are sung in the festal tune. (See the Doxology and Gospel Response Tune Section)

The first two musical sentences of the melisma are identical, and they are rather upbeat. They carry similarity to the hymn ⲧⲱⲟⲛⲟⲩ (ⲧⲉⲛⲑⲏⲛⲟⲩ)  with a shift in the tune toward the fifth and sixth syllables of the text. The third musical sentence also begins in like manner, but the shift in tune is independent from that of the first two verses, and it leads into the concluding fourth musical sentence. 

There are slight differences between renditions, based on the cantors’ personal styles and those whom they learned this tune from. The majority of these variations are present at the very beginning of the hymn, some cantors start the hymn with a specific introduction that is not present in other hymns, while others use the same introduction from Twounou.  The rest of the variations exist in the shift section and the conclusion of the hymn. They are minute discrepancies but are important to note nonetheless.

It is important to note that the same melismatic tune is used for selected verses in each of the other ⲃⲁⲧⲟⲥ tadakias as well (Thursday – ⲡⲓⲟⲩⲁⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗϧⲉⲛ ϯⲧⲣⲓⲁⲥ | Friday – ϯⲡⲁⲣⲑⲉⲛⲟⲥ ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁⲙ  | Saturday – ⲁⲣⲉⲧⲉⲛⲑⲱⲛϯ )

The following playlist is comprised of the recordings I have of this melisma. I have also recorded the tune in the original pronunciation of Bohairic Coptic for reference, while adjusting certain transitional discrepancies. 

Notes on these Recordings

• Cantor Mikhail Girgis chants the introduction of the hymn with its own specific piece. His conclusion in this recording is also slightly varying from his rendition of this same tune in the other verses from the other tadakias.
• Cantor Tawfik Youssef sings the introduction of the hymn like Twounou. He also chants Verse 2 in the melismatic tune as well. He generally does have a slightly different style in his oration. Notice his pronunciation!
• Deacon Ibrahim Ayad has more than one recording for this hymn. There are slight differences in these renditions based on who handed the hymn down to him at the time. The first recording is closely linked to Cantor Mikhail’s rendition. It is also closer to what the Synodal committee has agreed upon. A newer recording will be released shortly.

General :eotokia Tune

From my experience, the majority of members in the Coptic Orthodox Church love this tune. It is powerful, simple, and awakening. I’ve included recordings of the entire Wednesday tadakia for your listening purposes. Some of these tracks are wonderful, so enjoy them! I’ve also recorded ϯⲅⲁⲗⲓⲗⲉⲁ with the original pronunciation of Bohairic Coptic in this tune.

Notes on these Recordings

• Please pay special attention to the recordings of Cantor Wahba Aaryan of Alexandria and Cantor Abdo Isaac of Mallawi. They are absolute treasures from more than 50 years ago. 
• Fr. Shenouda Maher’s recording includes the entire tadakia in the original pronunciation of Bohairic Coptic. 

Festal Tune

Because the verses of this hymn are utilized mainly on the Feasts of the Lord, the doxologies and gospel responses fall under the wados festal tune. The main difference between the doxologies and the gospel response renditions is simply the tempo. The gospel responses are usually sung much slower than the doxologies are, especially in Cairo. In Upper Egypt, this variance is barely noticeable. 

Communion Paralex  Tune

As was mentioned by the Order of the Church this hymn is also used as a communion hymn during the feasts of the Lord. For the Feast of Nativity, it is to be chanted in the same tune as Gene;lion. I do not have the time at the moment to record that specific rendition, and it is highly unlikely that parishes will ever need it. Unfortunately, we rarely ever chant ⲅⲉⲛⲉⲑⲗⲓⲟⲛ to begin with.  That being said, I have recorded two verses of the standard Paralex  tune that should be used for the other Feasts of the Lord. 

Without prayer, the hymns of our church have no purpose. So, we must internalize these praises to establish a personal interaction with our God…

Prayer & Contemplation

I thank you, O Holy Trinity, for your indescribable compassion. Lord Jesus, you completely emptied yourself for me, knowing well that I do not deserve this immense love. Forgive me Lord, for all my evils against you. Help me to be worthy of your calling, to understand the magnitude of your sacrifice on my behalf, to focus solely on glorifying you in all aspects of my life. God, please let my praise of your incarnation be the source of my joy and unity with you. Let the light of your gospel change me and revive me. Heavenly Father, teach me to yearn for your kingdom. O Only-begotten Son, Lord Jesus Christ, help me remove my old self and take up your likeness in all that I do. O Holy Spirit, fill me that I may overflow and share your salvation with the world around me. Confirm us in your faith, Lord. Heal my backsliding. Amen