Ode I

Canon I, with 8 troparia, including its irmos, the composition of John the Monk, in Tone VIII—

Katavasia: Tracing an upright line with his staff, Moses divided the Red Sea for Israel which was travelling on foot; and striking it a transverse blow, he brought the waters together over the chariots of Pharaoh, thereby inscribing the invincible weapon of the Cross. Wherefore, let us hymn Christ our God, for He hath been glorified!

Theotokion: The ranks of angels and men praise thee unceasingly, O Mother unwedded; for thou didst bear the Creator in thine arms as a babe.

Let us hymn the sacred forerunner, the prophet who appeared from the womb of a barren woman unto Him Who ineffably is borne in the Virgin’s womb.

Irmos: Having traversed the water as though it were dry land, and escaped the evil of Egypt, the Israelite cried aloud: Let us chant unto our Deliverer and God!

Theotokion: Thou gavest birth to the infinite Word of God, Who made His abode within thee, O pure Theotokos, and ineffably became incarnate of thee in twofold nature, as thine only Son.

Having transcended the boundaries of nature, thou didst preserve the laws of righteousness, denouncing an iniquitous union, undaunted by the king’s cruelty.

Irmos: Let us chant unto Christ, Who overthrew the tyranny of Pharaoh in the sea, and led Israel over to dry land, for He hath been glorified forever.

Nurtured by the law as with milk, thou didst oppose the vile adultery, sealing the legitimacy of lawful union like a seal of the law.

Canon II, with 6 troparia, the composition of Andrew of Crete, in the same tone—

The beauteous lamb of the wilderness, the fruit of Zachariah, and the scion which Elizabeth bore beyond hope, commandeth the faithful to celebrate his honored memory beforehand.

O birthday full of blood! O abominable feast! For Herod mingled drunkenness with slaying, and his table was full of vile murder.

O ye faithful, let us hymn the Baptist who denounced iniquitous Herod and endured decapitation, slain for his zeal for God.