Canon of the Venerable Paul, the composition of John the Monk, in Tone VIII—

Exapostilarion of the venerable John: Spec. Mel.: “Hearken, ye women…”—

Irmos: Let us chant unto the Lord, Who led His people through the Red Sea, for He alone hath gloriously been glorified.

Kontakion of the venerable Paul, in Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Today the Virgin…”—

Sessional hymn of the venerable Paul, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Thy tomb, O Savior…”—

Theotokion: O all-pure Theotokos, we hymn thee who, in manner transcending nature, gavest birth to the transcendent and all-divine Word incarnate.

Assembling, O ye faithful, let us honor with hymns, as is meet, the God-bearing Paul, as the adornment of monastics.

Irmos: Overwhelming power once laid low the whole army of Pharaoh in the deep, and the incarnate Word hath destroyed pernicious sin. All-glorious is the Lord, for gloriously hath He been glorified.

Kontakion of the venerable John, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “Seeking the highest…”—

Theotokion: Tempest-tossed by the cruel attacks of the passions and brought low by the assaults of sin, O maiden, with love I flee to thine ever-vigilant and invincible intercession. Take pity and save me, O all-hymned Ever-virgin.

Thou wast the first inhabitant of the desert, O glorious Paul, and through asceticism didst show thyself to be an heir to the kingdom of heaven.

Irmos: O Lord Who in the beginning established the heavens and founded the earth upon many waters, make me steadfast for the chanting of Thy glorification.

Theotokion: The Creator and King of glory, having stained and dyed His royal robe with blood, mystically empurpled it, O Theotokos.

Having cleansed thyself wholly through abstinence, O most blessed one, thou wast shown to be a habitation of God and a dweller with the angels.

Irmos: The desert, the barren Church of the nations, blossomed like a lily at Thine advent, O Lord; and therein hath my heart been established.

Theotokion: The Pure One found thee to be like a myrrh-scented lily of the valley, O all-pure one, and He made His abode within thee, filling mankind with sweet fragrance.

Canon of the Venerable John, the acrostic whereof is: “By thy supplications, O blessed one, show me to be freed from the passions”, the composition of Joseph, in Tone II—

Irmos: Mystically foreseeing Thee incarnate of the Virgin, O Word, the prophet cried out in song: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Now & ever…: Theotokion—

Enriched by divine virtues, thou didst spurn earthly wealth and didst receive that of heaven. Wherefore, with grace enrich me who am poor in the understanding of God, O father, that I may hymn thine angelic life.

Irmos: Thou didst come forth from the Virgin, neither a mediator nor an angel, but Thyself incarnate, O Lord, and hast saved me, the whole man; wherefore, I cry to thee: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Theotokion: A mystic robe of purple was woven of thy pure blood for the God of all, O Theotokos; and, clad therein, He hath united us to God the Father.

Having shouldered the good yoke of the Lord from thy youth, O blessed one, armed with the humility of Christ thou didst bring down the enemy in thine ascetic contests, whereby thou wast exalted to the heights of heaven, O John.

Irmos: Waking at dawn, we cry to Thee: Save us, O Lord! For Thou art our God, and we know none other than Thee.

Theotokion: Direct the movements of my soul toward the divine commandments of Him Who shone forth from thy womb, O most immaculate one, delivering me from the storm of the temptations of life by thy mediation.

Having trod the narrow path with sorrows and tears, sighs and afflictions, O venerable one, thou didst attain unto a broad space, discovering a habitation which befitted thy pangs, O right wondrous father John.

Irmos: O Christ my Savior, enlightenment of those who lie in darkness and salvation of the despairing: rising early unto Thee, O King of the world, may I be enlightened by Thy radiance, for I know none other God than Thee.

Theotokion: We hymn thee, who wast a Virgin even after giving birth, O Theotokos, for for the world thou gavest birth in the flesh unto God the Word.

Looking toward God with the eye of thy soul, thou didst love Him, hating the things of earth and perfecting an angelic life.

Irmos: Grant me a robe of light, O Thou Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment, O most merciful Christ our God.

Theotokion: Thou givest birth incorruptibly to Emmanuel, the Master of all, O Virgin Mother, remaining a virgin even after giving birth. Him do thou unceasingly entreat, that He deliver from the temptations of the enemy those who flee to thy protection.

With rays of the virtues thou didst manifestly dispel the darkness of the passions, receiving in thy heart the enlightenment of the Spirit.

Irmos: Whirled about in the abyss of sin, I call upon the unfathomable abyss of Thy loving-kindness: Lead me up from corruption, O God!

Theotokion: O thou who alone gavest birth to the Word in the flesh, at the word of the archangel, deliver our souls, we pray, from the snares of the enemy.

Fed with heavenly bread as Elijah was fed of old by the raven, thou didst escape the noetic Jezebel, O father, fleeing to the protection of Christ.

Irmos: O Lord God of our fathers, Who in the beginning founded the earth and established the heavens by Thy word: blessed art Thou forever!

Theotokion: From thy womb, O pure one, thou gavest flesh to the Word Who is equally enthroned with the Father and, with Him, is the Creator. And He hath borne our whole nature, in His ineffable compassion.

Thou didst offer thy prayers like fragrant incense to Him Who seeth all things,, O venerable one; and, perfumed thereby, He accepted them and enrolled thee in the choirs of fasters.

Irmos: The command of the iniquitous tyrant, opposed to God, raised up a lofty flame; but Christ, Who is blessed and all-glorious, spread a spiritual dew upon the pious youths.

Theotokion: Blessed art Thou forever, O Lord God of our fathers, Who madest the Virgin heaven, shining forth from her like the sun.

Thou wast shown to be a magnificent wonder, O venerable one, filling the hearts of the pious with awe; for thou didst endure poverty and abuse at thy parents’ gates.

Irmos: The unoriginate King of glory, before Whom the hosts of heaven tremble, hymn, ye priests, and exalt supremely for all ages!

Theotokion: We hymn thy birthgiving, O blessed one, whereby we have been delivered from the ancient condemnation; and thee alone do we bless, O blessed of God, whom He Who is blessed and all-glorious hath loved.

Enduring all lawfully in prayers and fasting, O venerable one, thou didst clothe thyself in dispassion, humbling carnal-mindedness by the might of the divine Spirit.

Irmos: God, Who descended into the fiery furnace for the Hebrew children and transformed the flame into dew, hymn ye as Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Theotokion: As thou hast boldness before God, O most lauded Mary, Mother of God, entreat Him to deliver from tribulations those who hymn thee with faith.

Assembling today, in hymns we praise thee, the never-waning luminary of the noetic Sun; for thou didst shine forth upon those in the darkness of ignorance, leading all to the divine heights, O venerable Paul, adornment of the Thebans, steadfast foundation of the fathers and the venerable.

Irmos: With hymns we magnify thy birthgiving, O Virgin Mother who knewest not wedlock, who received the Invisible One Who assumed a divine appearance.

Theotokion: O pure one, thou pourest forth an ever-flowing stream upon us who have recourse to thee; and drawing forth abundant grace therefrom, we hymn thy birthgiving, O pure one, and exalt it supremely for all ages.

Hating the beauties of this world with all thy heart, and loving the one God with all thy soul, thou didst enter the desert, O Paul, as thy city of sojourn. And exercising thyself in vision alone, thou wast shown to live as an angel in the flesh. Wherefore, we honor thee.

Irmos: God the Lord, the Son of the unoriginate Father, hath revealed Himself to us incarnate of the Virgin, to enlighten those in darkness and to gather the dispersed. Wherefore, we magnify the all-hymned Theotokos.

Theotokion: O Virgin who conceived and ineffably gavest birth to Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit is without beginning: pray that we be saved.

Glory…: that of the venerable John, in Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Awed by the beauty of thy virginity…”—

Theotokion: Thy womb became the dwelling-place of the Light, and thereby those who sit in darkness have seen the light. Wherefore, with unceasing voices we ever hymn and honor thee with love, O Mother of God, as the hope of our souls.

Forsaking corruptible wealth and fleeting glory, O blessed father, thou didst receive heavenly riches and truly everlasting glory. Wherefore, we bless thy holy repose and, celebrating thereon, we cry out to thee: Be thou mindful of us, O John, in that thou hast boldness before the Lord.

Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion—

As an uncultivated vine, O Virgin, thou didst sprout forth the most comely Cluster of grapes Who poureth forth upon us the wine of salvation which maketh glad the souls and bodies of all. Wherefore, blessing thee ever as the cause of good things, with the angel we cry out to thee: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace!

Stavrotheotokion—

Thy pure Mother who knew not wedlock, O Christ, seeing Thee hanging, dead, upon the Cross, said, weeping maternally: “How hath the iniquitous and thankless council of the Jews repaid Thy many and great wonders, O my Son Who filled them with Thy gifts? I hymn Thy divine condescension!”

Planted in the house of God, thou didst put forth the goodly fruit of the virtues and by thy fasting didst cause the uprisings of the flesh to wither away.

With the fire of the love of God thou didst reduce to ashes the thorns of the passions, O father, and didst show thyself to be a dwelling-place of the Spirit.

With the rod of thy virtuous life thou didst drive away the passions away like wild beasts. Wherefore, thy death brought together the wild beasts for thy burial.

Thou wast shown to be a treasure concealed in a pauper’s rags, O divinely inspired one; for thou didst love the vesture of God, and, clad therein, thou hast entered the bridal-chamber on high.

Receiving the seed of heaven, in the furrow of thy heart, O divinely inspired one, thou didst produce the comely grain which feedeth to repletion the minds of those who with veneration honor thy memory.

Of thine own will thou didst confine thyself to a hut most close, as poor as Lazarus, O wondrous one. Wherefore, thou hast now found rest in the bosom of Abraham, O venerable father.

Living in hymnody and fasting, in prayers and vigils, O venerable one, thou didst make thine abode with God.

Thy life was most honorable in the Lord, O most blessed Paul, and thy burial most glorious.

Finishing the race of asceticism, O venerable, thou becamest a companion of the heavenly hosts.

Thou becamest a stranger to the pleasures of this world and a stranger to thine own parents by thine own volition. And purifying thyself by abstinence, thou didst unite thyself to the Almighty, O father John, becoming poor in spirit.

Having enclosed thyself in a mean hut, thou didst make thyself a temple of the Holy Trinity, and didst endure, cleansing thy soul with divine teachings, ever looking toward the ineffable goodness of God, O father John.

Thou didst show thyself to be a fulfiller of the law of God, O divinely wise father, preferring naught to His love; for neither thy brethren, nor the love of thy parents, nor riches, nor dignity, nor the carnal pleasure weakened thee.

Stretching forth thy hands to God, O venerable one, thou didst offer Him thy soul, pleasing Him day and night.

The armies of heaven, the ranks of the prophets and the holy apostles glorified thy repose, O venerable father.

Flying before the tempest of the passions with the sail of extreme asceticism, O venerable one, thou didst make for the calm harbor of Christ.

Thou didst cast down the prideful serpent with the sword of humble-mindedness, O most blessed one; and, exalted in spirit, thou hast made thine abode in the mansions of everlasting life.

Thou wast full of the gifts of the Spirit and, as one knowledgeable, all-wise and greatly inclined toward God, thou didst subdue evil spirits.

Shining from the heights of dispassion, O father John, strengthened by God thou didst endure enclosure in a mean hut and the abuse directed at thee.

Loving the riches which cannot be stolen, O all-wise John, thou didst hate the riches of thy parents; and, holding the Gospel in thy hands, thou didst follow after Christ God, praying unceasingly for us all.

Ikos: Who is able to hymn thy labors and pangs, thy many works, thy glory and greatness as is meet? Yet by thy right acceptable prayers to God grant me now the grace of the Spirit, O most blessed one, that I may faithfully recount thy struggles which transcend nature, and may hymn thine endurance and firmness of resolve, which pass recounting, wherewith thou didst put the deceitful enemy to shame. Cease thou never to pray for us all.

Subjecting carnal-mindedness to the spirit, the venerable one cried out: Blessed art Thou forever, O Lord God of our fathers!

Saved from the snares of the enemy, O venerable one, thou didst cry out in joy: Blessed art Thou forever, O Lord God of our fathers!

Having trampled all the flame of the passions underfoot by fasting, the venerable one cried out: Blessed art Thou forever, O Lord God of our fathers!

Thou didst choose the narrow path over that which is broad, O right glorious one, and, rejoicing, thou didst endure abuse before the gates of thy parents, afflicted with many pangs, O divinely blessed one.

Thou didst adorn thyself with most beautiful ascents, mortifying carnal-mindedness, O wise one. Wherefore, thou hast made thine abode in the heavens, ever numbered among the choirs of the honored fathers, O right wondrous one.

Treading the paths which lead to divine rest, protected by divine grace, thou didst avoid the defiles of the demons, O blessed one; and thou didst cry out: Blessed art Thou and all-glorious!

Fasting in the desert, thou didst emulate the divinely wise John the Forerunner; and with him thou hast been counted worthy to receive the life which is truly everlasting.

With the dew of abstinence thou didst extinguish the furnace of the passions, O our father, crying out with all piety: Ye people, exalt Christ supremely forever!

Thou didst truly make the desert a garden of paradise, excelling therein in every virtue. Wherefore, thou hast been vouchsafed the delight of paradise.

When thou didst wear rags, O John, thou didst weave for thyself a robe embroidered with the virtues; and clothed in the garb of a pauper, thou didst take on the guise of a beggar, enduring abuse at the gates of thy parents.

Blameless as another Job, thou didst suffer affliction at thy parents’ gates, enduring the mockery of their servants as he endured the dung-hill, O wise one; and thou wast prey to starvation and thirst. Wherefore, thou hast inherited the kingdom on high.

Thou didst follow the Gospel which thou didst hold in thy hands, O blessed one, and impoverish thyself, being sad of countenance all thy life. Thou wast meek and innocent, and art an heir to the kingdom on high.

God revealed thee to Anthony like a hidden mystic treasure, O venerable one, unto our glory and joy.

Nailing thyself to the fear of God, O venerable father, and having finished thy life with an instruction on death, thou hast been counted worthy of life.

As thou hast acquired boldness before God, pray for those on earth who keep this thy memorial with faith, O blessed Paul.

“The Lord is my strength and my song,” thou didst cry. “In Him do I vanquish the prince of darkness; and I fear not his phantasmic illusions, pondering only the unapproachable beauty of God.”

Like rich soil thy heart received the heavenly seed in its noetic furrows, O venerable one, and hath borne fruit an hundredfold, feeding all the souls who with faith honor thee, O blessed of God.

The Lord hallowed thee from thy mother’s womb, O blessed one, and directed thy steps toward Him. Wherefore, thou hast been numbered among the venerable who lived piously, with whom thou enjoyest deification, O all-glorious one.

Forsaking thine attachment to thy parents and their transitory wealth, thou didst take up thy cross and didst follow after Christ with all thy soul, O father John; and by fasting thou didst slay the passions and didst hasten to dispassion. And thou prayest for us, O God-bearer.

O most hymned Maiden, thou gavest birth to Christ, the King of glory, the Angel of the Father’s great counsel, Whose Cross the venerable fasters took up, following Him. With them do thou unceasingly pray for us, O Theotokos.