AT GREAT VESPERS

After the Opening Psalm the 1st Section of Blessed is the man. At Lord , I have cried we insert 6 stichera , and we sing the 3 following prosomia, doubling them.

The one who saw ineffable revelations, [1] the interpreter of God’s mysteries on high, the child of Zebedee, in writing for us Christ’s Gospel, taught us to contemplate the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

Tone 1. Joy of the heavenly hosts.

The lyre of heavenly songs, struck by God, this mystic writer, mouth inspired by God, sweetly sings the song of songs, [2] moving his lips like strings and striking with his tongue like a plectrum, and intercedes that we may be saved.

Glory. Tone 2.

Beloved of God, giving utterance with your tongue, which sounds as the thunder, [3] to the hidden word of the wisdom of God, aptly opening your lips, you ever cry aloud, ‘In the beginning was the Word’, [4] and with your torch you guide everyone [5] to knowledge of God.

Both now. Theotokion. Same Tone.

By Germanos (Some say by Vyzantios)

Entrance, O Joyful Light , the Prokeimenon of the day and the Readings.

Race of mortals, let us, as is fitting, praise the son of thunder, [6] the foundation of divine words, the prince of theology and foremost herald of the true wisdom of the doctrines of God, John the beloved and virgin; for he had the divine unceasingly in himself and said, ‘In the beginning the Word’ [7] , and again that he is inseparably with the Father, and after this that he is equal in being with the Fa­ther, [8] showing us through him the right belief of the Holy Trinity. He showed us that he is creator with the Father, and the one who bears life and true light. [9] O ecstatic wonder and astounding fact! Because being full of love he became also full of theology, by glory and honour and faith being a foundation of our in­violate faith; through which ,may we obtain the eternal good things on the day of judgement.

(3,21-24; 4,1-6)

The shadow of the law [10] has passed away now that grace has come, for as the Bush in flames was not burned, [11] so as a virgin you bore a child and remained a virgin; instead of a pillar of fire [12] the Sun of justice [13] has dawned, instead of Moses Christ, the salvation of our souls.

(4,20-21; 5,1-5)

The reading is from the 1st Epistle General of John.

At the Liti, Idiomel stichera.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us we have freedom to speak before God. And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment: that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And one who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, from the Spirit of which he has given us. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us.

Same Tone. By Andrew of Pyros.

The reading is from the 1st Epistle General of John.

Tone 2. By Theophanes.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love another, God abides in us, and his love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and witness that the Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in them, and they in God. And we have known and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and one who abides in love abides in God, and God in them.

Glory. Tone 4. By Vyzantios.

The reading is from the 1st Epistle General of John.

Both now. Theotokion.

Beloved, anyone who says, ‘I love God,’ and hates their brother, is a liar; for one who does not love the brother whom they have seen, how can they love God whom they have not seen? And this commandment we have from him: that one who loves God must love their brother also. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the one who has begotten loves also the one who has been begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his com­mandments. And his command­ments are not heavy. Because everything that has been born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that has conquered the world, our faith. Who is the one who conquers the world, if not the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Tone 1. By Germanos.

Rivers of theology poured from your honoured mouth, O Apostle, watered from which the Church of God worships with right belief the consubstantial Trinity; whom, O Theologian John, now ask that our souls may be saved.

The plant of purity, the myrrh of sweet fragrance has dawned for us again at this present Feast. Cry out to him, ‘You leant on the Master’s breast [14] and rained down the word on the world, Apostle John, who guarded the Virgin as the apple of your eye. Ask of Christ for us his great mercy’.

Disciple of the Saviour, Virgin and Theologian, to you, as virgin, Christ our God, hanging on the Cross, entrusted the Virgin and Mother of God, and you guarded her as the apple of your eye. [15] Therefore intercede that our souls may be saved.

As eye-witness of ineffable mysteries you cried out and loudly proclaimed that the eternal Word was in the beginning with God and that he was God, [16] O Apostle John, bosom and true friend of Christ, sweetness of the Trinity, unshakeable buttress of Ephesus and Patmos and our help. Intercede, all-blessed Theologian, that  the people that ever faithfully celebrates your memory may be delivered from impious foes, both physical and spiritual.

The summit of the Apostles, the trumpet of theology, the spiritual general, who made the whole inhabited world subject to God, come believers, let us call him blessed, revered John, translated from earth, yet not withdrawn from earth, but living and abiding the fearful second coming of the Master. O mystic bosom friend of Christ, ask that we, who celebrate your memory with love, may meet it uncondemned.

As you leant on the breast of the Teacher Christ at the Lord’s supper, [17] beloved Disciple, you learnt there ineffable things, and you thundered to all the heavenly utterance: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God; the true light that enlightens every one who comes into the world, [18] Christ God, and the Saviour of our souls.

The Son, who with the Father and the Spirit is glorified in the highest by the Cherubim, wishing to refashion the first fashioned man, emptied himself wholly and ineffably in your womb, all-praised Mother of God, and dawning from you, he enlightened the whole world with his Godhead, delivering it from the folly of idols, and, making humanity divine in himself, he joined it to heaven, Christ our God, and the Saviour of our souls.