AT GREAT VESPERS

A Reading from Exodus

We do not chant “Blessed is the man…”, except if the feast fall on Sunday, when we chant the entire first kathisma, or on Monday, when we chant only the first antiphon.

A Reading from Exodus

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera idiomela, the composition of Cosmas the Monk, in Tone IV—

A Reading from the Third Book of Kings

Before Thy crucifixion, O Lord, the mountain emulated the heavens and the cloud spread itself out like a tabernacle when Thou wast transfigured and borne witness to by the Father. There were Peter, James and John, for they were to be with Thee also at the time of Thy betrayal, that, beholding Thy wonders, they might not be afraid of Thy sufferings, which do Thou vouchsafe that we may venerate in peace, for the sake of Thy great mercy. Twice

Taking the disciples up upon the lofty mountain before Thy crucifixion, O Lord, Thou wast transfigured before them, illumining them with effulgence of power, desiring both in Thy love for mankind and in Thine authority to show them the splendor of the resurrection, which do thou vouchsafe unto us in peace, in that Thou art merciful and lovest mankind. Twice

The mountain which before was dark and gloomy is now honorable and holy, for thereon did Thy feet stand, O Lord; for in the latter days Thou didst make manifest the hidden, preëternal mystery, Thine awesome transfiguration, to Peter, John and James. But they, unable to endure the radiance of Thy countenance and the brightness of Thy raiment, fell prostrate on the ground and covered themselves. And, seized with terror, they marvelled, beholding Moses and Elijah conversing with Thee as they stood with Thee; and the voice of the Father bore witness, saying: “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased: Him do ye obey! He Will grant the world great mercy!” Twice

Transfigured on the high mountain, the Savior, having with Him His preëminent disciples, shone forth most wondrously, showing them forth as illumined by the loftiness of the virtues and as ones vouchsafed divine glory. Moses and Elijah, who spake with Christ, showed that He hath authority over the living and the dead, and that He is the God Who of old spake through the law and the prophets. Of Him was the voice of the Father heard saying from the cloud of light: “Him do ye obey, Who through the Cross made hell captive and granteth life everlasting to the dead!” Twice

Glory…, Now & ever…: the composition of Anatolius, in Tone VI—

Foreshadowing Thy resurrection, O Christ our God, Thou didst take three of Thy disciples—Peter, James and John—and didst ascend Tabor. And as Thou wast transfigured, O Savior, Mount Tabor was clothed with light. Thy disciples cast themselves upon the ground, O Word, unable to endure the sight of Thine invisible countenance. Angels ministered to thee in fear and trembling; the heavens were afraid and the earth quaked, beholding the glory of the Lord upon the earth.

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. 3 Readings:

The Lord said to Moses: “Come up to Me into the mountain, and be there; and I will give thee the tablets of stone, the law and the commandments, which I have written to give them laws.” And Moses rose up, and Joshua his attendant, and they went up into the mount of God. And to the elders they said: “Rest there until we return unto you; and behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man have a cause to be tried, let him go unto them.” And Moses and Joshua went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. And the glory of God came down upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and the Lord called Moses on the seventh day out of the midst of the cloud. And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was as burning fire on the top of the mountain, before the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and went up to the mountain, and was there in the mountain forty days and forty nights.

In those days, the Lord spake to Moses face to face, as one would speak to his friend; and he retired into the camp: but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, departed not forth from the tabernacle. And Moses said to the Lord: “Lo! Thou sayest to me: Lead on this people; but Thou hast not shown me whom Thou wilt send with me, but hast said to me: I know thee above all, and thou hast favor with Me. If then I have found favor in Thy sight, reveal Thyself to me, that I may see Thee; that I may find favor in Thy sight, and that I may know that this great nation is Thy people.” And the Lord said to him: “I Myself will go before thee, and give thee rest.” And Moses said to Him: “If Thou go not up with us Thyself, bring me not up hence. And how shall it be surely known, that both I and this people have found favor with Thee, except only if Thou go with us? So both I and Thy people shall be glorified beyond all the nations, as many as are upon the earth.” And the Lord said to Moses: “I will also do for thee this thing, which thou hast spoken; for thou hast found grace before Me, and I know thee above all.” And Moses said: “Manifest Thyself unto me!” But the Lord said: “I will pass by before thee with My glory, and I will call by My name, the Lord, before thee; and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and will have pity on whom I will have pity.” And He said: “Thou shalt not be able to see My face; for no man shall see My face, and live.” And the Lord said: “Behold, there is a place by Me: thou shalt stand upon the rock; and when My glory shall pass by, then I will put thee into a hole in the rock; and I will cover thee over with My hand, until I shall have passed by. And I will remove My hand, and then shalt thou see My backparts; but My face shall not appear to thee.” And having risen early, Moses went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord told him. And the Lord descended in a cloud, and stood near him there, and called by the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before his face, and proclaimed: the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, greatly merciful and true. And Moses hastened, and bowed down to the earth, and worshipped the Lord.

In those days, Elijah came to Beersheba, to the land of Judah, and left his servant there. And he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat under a juniper tree; and he asked concerning his life, that he might die, and said: “Let it be enough, now, O Lord. Take, I pray Thee, my life from me; for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down, and slept there under the tree. And behold, someone touched him, and said to him: “Arise, and eat!” And Elijah looked, and, behold, at his head there was a cake of meal and a cruse of water; and he arose, and ate and drank, and returned and lay down. And the angel of the Lord returned again, and said to him: “Arise, and eat, for the journey is far from thee.” And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb. And he entered there into a cave, and rested there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and said: “Thou shalt go forth, and shalt stand before the Lord in the mountain. Behold, the Lord will pass by.” And, behold, there was a great and strong wind rending the mountains, and crushing rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the voice of a gentle breeze; and the Lord was there. And it came to pass that when Elijah heard, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went forth and stood in the cave. And the Lord said unto him: “Go, and return, and thou shalt come into the way of the wilderness of Damascus: and thou shalt go and anoint Elisha, the son of Shaphat, to be prophet in thy place.”

At the Litia, these stichera idiomela, in Tone II—

Sanctifying the whole world with Thy light, Thou wast transfigured on a lofty mountain, O Good One, showing Thy power to Thy disciples, that Thou mightest deliver the world from transgression. Wherefore, we cry out to Thee: O compassionate Lord, save Thou our souls!

O Christ God Who wast transfigured on Mount Tabor, showing the glory of Thy divinity to Thy disciples, illumine us all with the light of the knowledge of Thee, and guide us on the path of Thy commandments, as Thou alone art good and lovest mankind.

Dwelling bodily on earth, Christ, the Light from before the sun, Who before His crucifixion fulfilled all things of His awesome dispensation in godly manner, today hath mystically shown forth on Mount Tabor the image of the Trinity; for, taking His three excellent disciples , Peter, James and John, He led them up to it together. And having hidden His fleshly form for a little while, He was transfigured before them, revealing the majesty of His original beauty, though not completely. And while making it known to them, He also took pity upon them, lest they in anywise cease to live because of what they saw: yet were they able to grasp with their bodily eyes, holding fast. And Thou didst summon Moses and Elijah, the foremost of the prophets, who bore witness reliably concerning Thy divinity, and that it is the true effulgence of the essence of the Father, O Thou Who hast dominion over the living and the dead. Wherefore, the cloud enfolded them like a tabernacle, and the voice of the Father testified, speaking forth from the cloud like thunder, saying: “This is My beloved Son, Whom I begat incorruptibly from within Me before the morning star, and Whom I have sent to save those who are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and who confess with faith that the one dominion of the Godhead is indivisible! Hear ye Him!” And do Thou Thyself, O Christ God Who lovest mankind, illumine us with the light of Thine unapproachable glory, and show us forth as worthy heirs of Thy kingdom which is without end, in that Thou art all-good.

Glory…, in Tone V—

Come ye, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the habitation of our God; and let us gaze upon the glory of His Transfiguration, the glory of the Only-begotten of the Father; and let us receive light through the Light; and, uplifted by the Spirit, let us hymn the consubstantial Trinity forever.

Now & ever…, in the same tone—

Moses the God-beholder and Elijah of the fiery chariot, who traversed the heavens without being consumed, beholding Thee, O Christ, in the cloud at Thy transfiguration, bore witness to Thee as the Creator and Fulfiller of the law and the prophets. With them vouchsafe Thine enlightenment also unto us, O Master, that we may hymn Thee forever.