AT SMALL VESPERS

At, Lord, I have cried, we insert 4 Stichera, and sing the following prosomia, doubling the first.

The Word uncircmscribed, above all being, who rides in glory on the heavenly thrones, Symeon takes into his arms and cries, ‘Now release me, according to your word, my Saviour, the salvation and delight of the faithful’. [1]

Glory. Both now. Tone 4.

When he saw you, the Word begotten from the Father before the ages, as an infant, wondrous Symeon cried out, ‘I quake and tremble to hold you in my hands, my Master. But, I beg you, now release your servant in peace, for you are compassionate’.

By Andrew of Crete [3] .

Now let the heavenly gate [2] be opened. God the Word, begotten beyond time from the Father, has been born from a Virgin, taking flesh, for as he is good he wishes to call back mortal nature and set it at the Father’s right hand.

At, Lord, I have cried, we insert 8 Stichera and sing the following Idiomels.

Today the holy Mother, who is higher than the Holy Place, has come to the Holy Place, revealing to the world the Maker of the world and the Giver of the law. Symeon the Elder took him in his arms and cried with veneration, ‘Now you release your servant. For I have seen you, the Saviour of our souls’.

Tone 1. By Patriarch Germanos [10] .

Let heaven’s gate be opened today. For he who is without beginning, the Word of the Father, taking a beginning in time, yet not abandoning his godhead, is being willingly brought into the temple of the law as a babe of forty days by a Virgin Mother, and the Elder receives him in his arms. The servant cries to the Master, ‘Release me, for my eyes have seen your salvation’. You have come into the world to save the human race. Lord, glory to you!

Say, Symeon, whom do your carry in your arms, as you rejoice in the temple? To whom do you cry and shout aloud, ‘Now I have been set free. For I have seen my Saviour’? ‘This is he who was born from a Virgin. This is the Word, God from God, incarnate for our sake and who saves mankind. Let us worship him’.        ( Three times )

The Lord spoke to Moses on the day on which he brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, saying, ‘Sanctify to me every first-born, first produced that opens every womb among the children of Israel’. And Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day, on which you came out of Egypt, from the house of slavery, for the Lord has brought you out from there with a mighty hand. And keep his law. And it shall be that when the Lord God brings you into the land of the Chananites, in the way that he swore to your fathers, you shall set apart everything that opens the womb; the males to the Lord. But if after this your son asks you, saying, ‘What is this?’, you will say to him, ‘God brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery, with a mighty hand. And when Pharao hardened his heart against sending us out, the Lord slew every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of humans to the first-born of animals. This is why I sacrifice everything that opens the womb; the males to the Lord, and every first-born of my sons I will redeem’. And it will be for a sign upon your hand, and immovable before your eyes, because thus said the Lord the Almighty, ‘All the first-born of your sons you will give me. And it shall be that everyone [14] who gives birth to a male child shall circumcise the flesh of its foreskin on the eighth day. And for thirty three days he will not come into the sanctuary of God to the Priest, until the days of purification are completed. And after this he will offer an unblemished yearling lamb to the Lord for a holocaust, and a young pigeon or turtle dove to the Priest at the door of the Tabernacle of Witness. Or instead of these he will offer two young pigeons or two turtle doves. And the Priest will make atonement for him. Because these have been offered to me as an offering out of all the children of Israel. And I have taken them and sanctified them for myself in place of the first-born of the Egyptians, on the day when I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt from human to beast of burden,’ said God the Most High, the Holy One of Israel.’ [15]

Receive, Symeon, the One whom Moses in the dark cloud saw of old giving the Law on Sinai, [11] now become a babe and subject to the Law. This is he who spoke through the Law. This is he who was told of in the Prophets, [12] incarnate for our sake and who saves mankind. Let us worship him.        ( Three times )

The Reading is from the Prophecy of Isaias .

Come, let us too, with songs inspired, go to meet Christ. Let us receive him, whose salvation Symeon saw. This is he whom David proclaimed, and who spoke through the Prophets, was incarnate for our sake and who proclaims by the Law. Let us worship him.                                                                                            ( Twice )

In the year that King Ozias died, I saw the Lord, seated on a high and exalted throne. And the house was full of his glory. And Seraphim stood around him, the one having six wings and the other having six wings, and with two they covered their faces and with two the feet and with two they flew. And one cried to other and they said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord Sabaoth. The whole earth is full of his glory.’ The threshold was lifted up at the voice with which they cried, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said, ‘Woe is me! For I am pricked to the heart, because I, a human being, and with unclean lips dwell among a people with unclean lips, and with my eyes I have seen the King, the Lord Sabaoth.’ And one of the Seraphim was sent to me, and in his hand he held a burning coal, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips and it will take away your iniquities and cleanse your sins.’ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go to this people?’ And I said, ‘See, here am I. Send me.’ And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people, ‘You will hear and not understand, and seeing, you will see and not perceive.’ For the heart of this people has grown fat, and they have heard with heavy ears and they have shut their eyes, lest perhaps they perceive with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn back, and I will heal them.’ And I said, ‘Until when, Lord?’ And he said, ‘Until the cities are deserted from being inhabited and the houses from there being no people, and the land will be abandoned as desert. And after this God will remove the people far away, and those who are left behind will be multiplied on the land’.

Glory. Both now . Tone 6. By Monk John.

The Reading is from the Prophecy of Isaias.

Entrance, Prokeimenon and the Readings.

See, the Lord will be seated on a light cloud and will come to Egypt and the idols of Egypt will be shaken at his presence and their heart will be worsted within them. ‘And their spirit will be troubled within them, and I will frustrate their counsel and hand Egypt over into the hands of harsh lords,’ says the Lord Sabaoth. And the Egyptians will drink water that is beside the sea, while the river will fail and be dried up. Thus says the Lord, ‘Where now are your wise men? And let them declare to you and let them say, ‘What has the Lord Sabaoth planned against Egypt?’ On that day the Egyptians will be like women, in fear and trembling in the presence of the hand of the Lord Sabaoth, which he will bring against them. And there will be an Altar to the Lord in the country of the Egyptians and a pillar to Lord at its border. And it will be for a sign for ever to the Lord in the country of Egypt, because they will cry to the Lord and he will send them a man who will save them. And the Lord will be known to the Egyptians. And the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and they will offer sacrifice and gift, and they will vow vows to the Lord and pay them. [16]

The Reading is from Exodus .

Tone 1. By Anatolios. [17]

At the Liti, Idiomel Stichera.

The Ancient of Days, [18] who also gave the Law to Moses on Sinai, today appears as a babe. And according to the Law, as Maker of the Law, fulfilling the Law, he is brought to the temple and given to the Elder. The righteous Symeon, having received him and seen the accomplishment of the decrees completed, cried out with joy, ‘My eyes have seen the Mystery hidden from eternity, made manifest in these last times: [19] a light that dispels the dark folly of the unbelieving nations and the glory of the newly chosen Israel. Therefore, release your servant from the bonds of this flesh for the wondrous life that is ageless and unceasing, O you who grant the world your great mercy.’

Same Tone. By Monk John. [20]

Today he who of old gave the Law to Moses on Sinai bows to the ordinances of the Law, having become for us like us in his compassion. Now God, who is pure, having opened a pure womb as a holy child, as God is being offered to himself, freeing us from the curse of the Law [21] and enlightening our souls.

Tone 2. By Andrew Pyros.

The One whom the Ministers on high entreat with trembling, now Symeon below, receiving him in arms of matter, proclaims that Godhead is united with mankind. And, seeing the God of heaven as a mortal, as he withdraws from things on earth, he cries out with joy, ‘To those in darkness you reveal the light that knows no evening. Lord, glory to you!’

Same Tone. By Germanos.

Today Symeon receives in his embrace the Lord of glory, whom Moses saw of old in darkness giving him the Tables of the Law on Sinai. This is he who speaks in the Prophets and is the Maker of the Law. This is he whom David proclaimed, he who is fearful to all, he who has great and rich mercy.

Same Tone. By Germanos.

According to others, by Monk John.

Same Tone. By the same.

The sacred Virgin offered the Sacred One in the Sacred Place to the Sacred Minister. Clasping him in his arms, Symeon received him with joy and cried out, ‘Now, Master, you release your servant, according to you word, in peace, O Lord.’

Same Tone. By Anatolios.

The Creator of heaven and earth was carried today by Symeon the Elder in his arms, for in the Holy Spirit he said, ‘Now I have been set free, for I have seen my Saviour.’

Tone 4. By Andrew of Crete.

According to others, Andrew of Jerusalem.

Glory. Tone 5. By the same.

Today Symeon the Elder enters the Temple, rejoicing in Spirit to receive in his arms the One who gave the Law to Moses and who fulfils the Law. For Moses was counted worthy to see God through darkness and a faint voice, [22] and with his face veiled [23] he rebuked the unbelieving hearts of the Hebrews. While Symeon carried the pre-eternal Word of the Father incarnate in body and he revealed the light of the Nations, the Cross and Resurrection. And Anna was shown to be a Prophetess as she proclaimed the Saviour to be the Redeemer of Israel. To him let us cry, ‘Christ our God, through the Mother of God have mercy on us.’

Both now. Same Tone. By Germanos.

Today the holy Mother, and more exalted than the Holy Place, has come to the Holy Place, revealing to the world the Maker of the world and the Giver of the Law. The Elder Symeon received him in his arms and in worship he cried, ‘Now you release your servant, because I have seen you, the Saviour of our souls.’

Search the Scriptures, [24] as Christ our God said in the Gospels, for in them we find him brought to birth and wrapped in swaddling clothes, nursed and given suck, accepting circumcision and carried by Symeon, not in imagination, but in truth appearing to the world. To him let us cry, ‘God before the ages, glory to you!’

According to others, Anatolios.

The Ancient of Days, become an infant in the flesh, is being brought to the Temple by a Virgin Mother, as he fulfils the ordinance of his own Law. Symeon received him and said, ‘Now you release your servant according to your word in peace. For my eyes, O Lord, have seen your salvation.’