ⲁⲇⲁⲙ ⲁⲃⲉⲗ

According to the tradition of the Moharraq Monastery and Cantor Tawfiq Youssef, the hymn ⲁⲇⲁⲙ ⲁⲃⲉⲗ is chanted for any prophet. However, in doing some digging it turns out that the hymn is not necessarily for the prophets at all but it is a ⲃⲱϩⲉⲙ ⲡⲁϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ, that is, A Hymn for my Lord Jesus. It dates as far back as the 14th century and is found in Bodl.Hunt.256. Rather than speak of the prophets and their visions or their prophecies, the bohem and its paralex tell us of Christ’s descent into Hades and his returning of Adam to paradise!

Below is a preliminary translation:

ⲃⲱϩⲉⲙ ⲡⲁϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ

ⲁⲇⲁⲙ ⲁⲃⲉⲗ ⲙⲁⲑⲟⲩⲥⲁⲗⲁ ⳾ ⲙⲱⲩⲥⲏⲥ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲁⲁⲣⲱⲛ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲛⲓ[ⲕⲉ]ⲡⲣⲟⲫⲏⲧⲏⲥ ⳾ ⲁⲙⲱⲓⲛⲓ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ϣⲁⲣⲟⲓ ⲙⲫⲟⲟⲩ ⳾ ⲙⲁϩⲁⲡ ⲉⲣⲟⲓ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲡⲁ[ⲓ]ⲗⲁⲟⲥ ⳾

Ⲙⲡⲓⲭⲱ ⲟⲩⲁϭⲣⲏⲛ ϧⲉⲛ ⲛⲓϩⲓⲟⲙⲓ ⳾ ⲟⲩⲇⲉ ⲕⲁⲕⲥⲉϩⲧ ϧⲉⲛ ⲛⲓⲗⲁⲟⲥ ⳾ ⲛⲧϣⲉⲃⲓⲱ ⲛⲛⲓⲡⲉⲑⲛⲁⲛⲉⲩ ⳾ ⲁⲩⲉⲣ ⲛⲁⲓⲛⲟϫ ⲙⲡⲉⲧϩⲱⲟⲩ ⲛⲏⲓ ⳾

ⲡⲁⲣⲁⲗⲉⲝ

ⲁⲇⲁⲙ ⲡⲓϣⲟⲣⲡ ⲛⲑⲁⲙⲓⲟ ⳾ ϧⲉⲛ ⲛⲉⲛϫⲓϫ ⲙⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲙⲙⲏⲓ ⳾ ⲛⲑⲟϥ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲓϣⲟⲣⲡ ⲉⲧⲁϥⲉⲣⲙⲉⲑⲣⲉ ⳾ ϫⲉ ⲁⲡⲓⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ ⲓ ⲉϧⲣⲏⲓ ⲉⲁⲙⲉⲛϯ ⳾

ⲛⲱⲉ ⲡⲓⲑⲙⲏⲓ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲁⲃⲣⲁⲁⲙ ⳾ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲓⲥⲁⲁⲕ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲓⲁⲕⲱⲃ ⳾ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲓⲱⲥⲏⲫ ⲡϩⲉⲛⲟⲩϥⲓ ⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⳾ ⲁⲩⲉⲣⲙⲉⲑⲣⲉ ϧⲁ ⲡⲉϥϫⲓⲛⲓ ⳾

ⲙⲱⲩⲥⲏⲥ ⲡⲓⲛⲓϣϯ ⲙⲡⲣⲟⲫⲏⲧⲏⲥ ⳾ ⲇⲁⲩⲓⲇ ⲡⲟⲩⲣⲟ ⲙⲡⲓⲥⲣⲁⲏⲗ ⳾ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲥⲟⲗⲟⲙⲱⲛ ⲫⲁ ϯⲥⲟⲫⲓⲁ ⳾ ⲁⲩⲉⲣⲙⲉⲑⲣⲉ ϧⲁ ⲡⲉϥϫⲓⲛⲓ ⳾

ⲏⲥⲁⲏⲁⲥ [ⲛⲉⲙ] ⲓⲉⲣⲉⲙⲓⲁⲥ ⳾ ⲓⲉⲍⲉⲕⲓⲏⲗ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲇⲁⲛⲓⲏⲗ ⳾ ⲁⲩⲉⲣⲙⲉⲑⲣⲉ ϧⲁ ⲡⲉⲛⲥⲱⲧⲏⲣ ⳾ ⲁϥϩⲱⲗ ϣⲁⲣⲱⲟⲩ ⲉⲛⲓⲕⲟⲗⲁⲥⲓⲥ ⳾

ⲁⲡⲓⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ ⲡⲟⲩⲣⲟ ⲛⲧⲉ ⲡⲱⲟⲩ ⳾ ⲥⲁϫⲓ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲡⲉⲛⲓⲱⲧ ⲁⲇⲁⲙ ⳾ ϫⲉ ⲉⲑⲃⲏⲧⲕ ⲁⲓⲓ ⲙⲡⲁⲓⲙⲁ ⳾ [ⲛ]ⲧⲁⲥⲱϯ ⲙⲙⲟⲕ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲛⲉⲕϣⲏⲣⲓ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⳾

ⲙⲁϣⲉⲛⲁⲕ ⲉⲡⲓⲡⲁⲣⲁⲇⲓⲥⲟⲥ ⳾ ⲛⲑⲟⲕ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲛⲏⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ ⲛⲧⲁⲕ ⳾ ⲡⲓⲙⲁ ⲉⲧⲁⲓϩⲓⲧⲕ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲙⲙⲟϥ ⳾ ϯⲛⲁⲧⲁⲥⲑⲟⲕ ⲉⲣⲟϥ ⲛⲕⲉⲥⲟⲡ ⳾

Bohem:

Adam, Abel, Methusalah, • Moses and Aaron and the prophets, • come, all of you, to me, today • [and] judge [between] me and my/this people.

I have not abandoned a barren one among women, nor a leper among the peoples, [but] instead of the good [things], they have done these great evils to me.

Paralex:

Adam the first creature • [made] by the hands of the true God• —he is the first who witnessed • that Christ came to Hades.

Noah the righteous and Abraham, • Isaac and Jacob, • and Joseph, the abundance of Egypt, • witnessed his coming.

Moses the great prophet, • David, king of Israel, • and Solomon, of wisdom, • witnessed his coming.

Isaiah and Jeremiah, • Ezekiel and Daniel, • witnessed our savior • fly to them in the torments.

Christ, the king of glory, • spoke with our father Adam, saying, • “For you, I came to this place, • to save you and all your sons.

Go to the paradise, • you and your/all the holy ones,• the place from which I cast you out; • to it, I will return you once more.”

You’ll notice there are some textual discrepancies, especially in the second stanza of the ⲃⲱϩⲉⲙ and in the final 3 or 4 stanzas of the ⲡⲁⲣⲁⲗⲉⲝ. For this, I’ve chosen to stick with the text in Bodl.Hunt.256.

Musically, the melody of the ⲃⲱϩⲉⲙ is lost, and for this reason, the Muharraq chants the first stanza in a recitative melody like that of ⲉⲧⲁⲩⲉⲛ or ⲑⲱⲙⲁⲥ. They also chant the paralex in the tune of ⲁⲣⲓⲡⲣⲉⲥⲃⲉⲩⲓⲛ of the veneration. The explanation for this (as given by c. Tawfiq) is that hymns for Old Testament figures take on this tune, while New Testament figures are chanted in the tune of ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲓ. The traditions of Dn. Fahim and Dn. Ibrahim provide us clues that this interpretation is not necessarily true, but rather that the tune of the paralex is specific to its placement. An example is ⲁⲧⲁⲓ ⲡⲁⲣⲑⲉⲛⲟⲥ where ⲁⲣⲓⲡⲣⲉⲥⲃⲉⲩⲓⲛ is chanted like ⲁⲥϣⲱⲡⲓ in the liturgy of the word and then in the aforementioned veneration tune during the veneration rite.