Canon of the Apostles Peter & Paul

Exapostilarion: Spec. Mel.: “To the disciples…” —

Irmos: O Theotokos, thou living and abundant fountain: in thy divine commemoration establish those who hymn thee and spiritually form themselves into a choir; and vouchsafe unto them crowns of glory.

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

Sessional hymn of the 12 apostles, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Having been lifted up upon the Cross…” —

On the Praises, 4 stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Called from on high…” —

Theotokion: O all-praised apostles Peter and Paul, all the earth was full of the knowledge of the Lord Who shone forth from the Virgin and hath restored the world by your divine preaching.

Andrew, thy kinsman, O Peter, showed thee Christ the Messiah, and thou didst approach Him with faith; and thou, O wondrous Paul, wast enlightened by Ananias with divinely ordained baptism.

Irmos: Thy Church rejoiceth in Thee, O Christ, crying aloud: Thou art my strength, O Lord, my refuge and my consolation!

Glory…: sessional hymn of the apostles Peter & Paul, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “Of the Wisdom…” —

O supreme foundation of the apostles, having forsaken all things thou didst follow after thy Teacher, crying out to Him: “I will die with Thee, that I may live the blessed life!” And thou wast the first bishop of Rome, the glory and boast of the greatest of cities, O Peter, and the confirmation of the Church against which the gates of hell will truly not prevail, as Christ hath foretold. Him do thou entreat, that He save and enlighten our souls.

Theotokion: He Who dwelleth in the highest and hath made His abode among us, O all-pure one, hath manifested Himself, receiving flesh from thee without seed.

With the enlightenment of grace Peter brought in the race of Israel, which had fallen, deceived by the letter of the law; and Paul delivered the flock of the nations from ­falsehood.

Irmos: Perceiving the inscrutable counsel of God — the Incarnation of Thee, the Most High, from the Virgin — the Prophet Habbakuk cried aloud: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Parted from thy mother’s womb, thou didst avoid all the burden of material greatness, truly soaring aloft on wings of divine love to heights divine, O Paul, where, entering into the all-radiant darkness of the divine Light like one of the incorporeal ones, and being enriched with the teachings of ineffable discourses, thou wast sent to those in darkness, to proclaim the light of Christ our God. Him do thou beseech, that He save and enlighten our souls.

Now & ever…: theotokion —

Thou didst send Thy disciples to the nations naked and simple, bearing Thy holy name instead of a sword, O Christ; and with faith they set at nought the warfare of falsehood.

Irmos: Beholding Thee lifted up upon the Cross, O Sun of righteousness, the Church stood rooted in place, crying out as is meet: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

O Savior, Thou Light from before time began: when it was Thy good pleasure to come to me, a man, in Thine ineffable love for mankind, and to become flesh in Thy goodness, Thou didst show forth the apostles, Thy disciples, as secondary lights of Thine effulgence, brilliant flashes of lightning; and when they were sent forth they illumined all creation with Thy divine light, entreating Thee to save and enlighten our souls.

Theotokion: Of old, with divinely inspired speech the divine Habbakuk called thee the pure and overshadowed mountain of Him Who cometh from the south and is incarnate of thee, O Mistress, manifestly making declaration.

Divinely proclaiming the heavenly and precious doctrines on earth, and declaring them with fiery tongues, O preachers of Christ, ye transmitted them.

Irmos: All things are filled with awe at thy divine glory; for thou, O Virgin who hast not known wedlock, didst contain within thy womb Him Who is God over all, and gavest birth to the timeless Son, granting peace unto all who hymn thee.

O Peter and Paul, ye husbandmen of the Word, O Andrew, James and John all-wise, Bartholemew and Philip, Thomas and Matthew, Simon, Jude and godly James, ye twelve universally honored disciples who preached throughout the world the most Holy Trinity, God Who is eternal in essence, ye truly impregnable ramparts and unshakable pillars of the Church: entreat the Master of all, that we be saved.

Theotokion: The animate heaven of Thee, O Christ, the King of kings, adorned with divers effulgences, the all-pure Virgin is now glorified as the Theotokos.

O Master, Thou didst show forth Thy disciples as noetic heavens which declare Thy glory to all the ends of the earth.

Irmos: Thou hast come, O my Lord, as a light into the world: a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance those who hymn Thee with faith.

Glory…, the composition of Cosmas the Monk, in Tone VIII —

Theotokion: Full of the divine Spirit, Isaiah foretold the birth without father of Emmanuel, God with us, from thee, O pure Virgin, Whom thou didst bear. Wherefore, we all hymn thee.

O all-wise ones who were inscribed in the heavens and revealed as dwelling with Christ, preserve us now who honor you with love.

Irmos: Celebrating this divine and most honored festival of the Mother of God, come, ye divinely wise, let us clap our hands and glorify God Who was born of her.

O disciples of the Savior, ye traversed creation, enlightening it and consuming the falsehood of idolatry like tinder with your teachings, and, having drawn the nations out of the abyss of ignorance unto divine understanding, ye saved them. And now, pray ye to Christ, that He be merciful to us on the day of judgment.

Theotokion: We must needs hymn thee, yet are truly unable to do so worthily; wherefore, we hymn thee with silence, honoring the ineffable mystery wrought in thee, O Virgin.

O ye who have made your abode in unapproachable Light, as habitations of the Light, ye ever illumine your holy temple with divine proclamations. Wherefore, with faith we cry out: Entreating the Creator, O apostles, deliver us from darkness, from all manner of misfortunes and the cruel invasion of pagans.

Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.

O Mistress, accept the supplications of thy servants, and deliver us from all want and grief.

Theotokion: O Mother of God, the noetic Bridegroom found thee to be a perfect and all-comely turtle-dove, a radiant lily and blossom of the valley; and He made His abode within thee.

Let us praise Peter and the all-wise Paul, the great and radiant luminaries, who have been shown to be the preëminent disciples; for, shining with the fire of the divine Spirit, they have utterly consumed the darkness of falsehood. Wherefore, they have worthily been shown to be citizens of the kingdom on high, sharing the throne of grace. For this cause we cry out to them: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offenses unto those who with love celebrate your holy memory.

Irmos: The divinely wise youths worshipped not a creation rather than the Creator, but, manfully trampling the threat of the fire underfoot, they rejoice, chanting: Blessed art Thou, the all-hymned God of our fathers!

Great Doxology. Litanies. Dismissal.

Theotokion: O most immaculate Mary, excellent in holiness, O Virgin who gavest birth to God in the flesh, O pure one who knewest not wedlock: entreat Him, that He deliver us from every assault and from sin.

All of us, the generations of men, bless thee as the Virgin who, alone among women, gavest birth without seed to God in the flesh; for the fire of the Godhead dwelt within thee, and thou didst nurture the Creator and Lord with milk as a babe. Wherefore, we, the generation of angels and men, glorify thine all-holy birthgiving as is meet, and cry out together: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offenses unto those who with faith worship thine all-holy birthgiving.

Irmos: The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, afire with love of piety more than with the flame, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!

Theotokion: Thou wast revealed as wholly adorned by the glory of God, O all-pure one, Mother and Virgin who alone didst conceive God the Word Who existed from before the beginning of time. Blessed art thou among women, O most immaculate Mistress!

Piously joining the mighty with the lowly, orators with the unlearned, O Peter and Paul, apostles of Christ, ye won the victory.

Irmos: The birthgiving of the Theotokos saved the pious children in the furnace — then in figure, but now in deed — and it moveth all the world to chant to Thee: Hymn ye the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Theotokion: Deliver us from the most pernicious passions, and break asunder now the bonds of offenses wherewith each is bound; for we all have sinned, and, being guilty, we ask purification. Through thine entreaties, O Theotokos, grant it to us who exalt Christ supremely forever.

The godly Peter denounced the cruel apostate Simon Magus as a lover of gold, and now the wise Paul hath rendered blind the steps of Elymas, who blasphemed Christ.

Irmos: Stretching forth his hands, Daniel shut the lions’ mouths in the pit; and the young lovers of piety, girded about with virtue, quenched the power of the fire, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Theotokion: He Who is full humbleth Himself for our sake, that we may share in His fullness; for the Infinite One, entering into thine all-pure womb, became incarnate without leaving the bosom of the Father. Wherefore, we all call thee blessed, O Mary Bride of God.

Though the fisherman and the tent-maker were coarse of speech, yet have they seasoned with divine salt the souls of those who love wisdom and led them to Christ by faith.

Irmos: Let every mortal leap for joy, enlightened by the Spirit; and let the nature of the incorporeal intelligences keep festival, honoring the sacred feast of the Mother of God, and let them cry aloud: Rejoice, O most blessed Theotokos, pure Ever-virgin!

Theotokion: O good Savior Who lovest mankind by nature and art full of loving-­kindness: through the divine entreaties of Thine all-hymned Virgin Mother and the supplications of Thine apostles Peter and Paul, send down Thy mercy and aid upon us from heaven.

The sound of the words of the divine apostles passed through the whole world like fire, burning up the tinder of falsehood and illumining the assemblies of the pious with grace.

Irmos: Christ, the Chief Cornerstone uncut by human hands, Who united the two disparate natures, was cut from thee, the unquarried mountain, O Virgin. Wherefore, in gladness we magnify thee, O Theotokos.

Theotokion: Desiring to come in the flesh, He Who hath adorned all things by His word made His abode within thee, found thee to be holier than all others, and hath shown thee to be the true Theotokos, O Virgin Mother.

The ungodly world, benighted in gloom, did the disciples of the Lord, the divinely radiant beacons, illumine with rays of grace, shown forth by the effulgence of their ­preaching.

Now & ever…: Theotokion:

Illumined by the sacred rays of the noetic Sun, ye shine forth in the world like the sun, O all-praised ones, dispelling the gloom of falsehood with divine light.

Now & ever…: theotokion, in the same tone —

Possessing Thy Cross as a staff of power, O Word, those who themselves beheld Thee divided the salty sea of life, roiling the waters of polytheism like steeds.

In that thou art steadfast, O Peter, Christ called thee a stone, and on thee did He set the Church, against which the gates of hell will not prevail; and thee, O Paul, He called His vessel, chosen to bear His name before the nations.

Peter denied the Teacher thrice, and thrice made himself His by declaring his love for Him; and Paul, who before was a blasphemer who grievously oppressed the faithful, later preached Him Whom he before had persecuted.

An incorruptible name and everlasting glory have Peter and Paul obtained from Christ; for the one hath received the keys of heaven, and the other, caught up into paradise, heard ineffable words which surpass men’s understanding.

Thy divine and all-wise ministers hast Thou shown forth in the world as light, proclaiming Thee, the never-waning Light, unto all.

Having manifestly passed through every virtue, O apostles, ye have destroyed the divers webs of the demons’ malice.

Speaking with fiery tongues, O apostles, ye have revealed to us the effulgence of the ­Trinity, the Godhead in unity.

Splendid were the miracles of Peter, and wondrous the signs of Paul: for their garments and handkerchiefs work healings when placed upon the sick.

The truly glorious Peter and the truly wondrous Paul, the two godly ones, the most precious habitations of the life-creating Trinity, are commemorated by all.

Like a divine and excellent physician Peter hath healed the souls and bodies of the sick, and Paul hath enlightened the nations, signing them with the light of the Lord.

Having made Thy disciples steadfast through wisdom and miracles, Thou didst make them stronger than the foolish prating of the Greeks; and they have abolished their false precepts.

The divine rivers of wisdom have filled all the vales of the Church with salvific waters of salvation, enriching them with streams from the wellsprings of salvation.

Revealed as living stars, O all-praised ones, ye destroyed all the darkness of falsehood with radiant effulgence, shining forth the light of divine knowledge.

Christ the Rock doth radiantly glorify the rock of Faith, the most excellent of His disciples, as He doth Paul and the assembly of the twelve today; and, faithfully celebrating their memory, we glorify Him Who glorified them.

Ikos: Celebrating now your most honored and all-blessed memory, in hymns we earnestly cry out to you: O all-radiant and divinely luminous beacons of the world, ye twelve beloved disciples of Christ, in that ye have boldness before Him, pray for us; for to you hath been given the grace to heal and forgive sins. Wherefore, earnestly entreat Him, that we be delivered from sins and temptations, that we may glorify Him Who alone loveth mankind, Who hath glorified you.

Peter was called blessed by Christ when he called Him the Son of the living God; and Paul was honored as a right profitable vessel; and they cried: O Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Peter made wise the servants of the law as He was commanded, and Paul enlightened the gentiles; and both cleaved unto Christ through grace and cried: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

As a most excellent shepherd of Christ Peter hath received the flock, and Paul became their divine teacher; and they cry aloud: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

O All-good One Who wast God before nature, making Thy disciples sons Thou didst lovingly show them to be heirs of the inheritance of the Father, and it was Thy good pleasure that they walk with Thee, their God and Master.

Bestowing an outpouring of wisdom, breadth of heart and right eloquent tongues upon Thy godly disciples, O Word, Thou didst send them forth to preach the Gospel of the kingdom to all the ends of the earth.

The apostles, shown to be clouds of the light of God, let fall life-creating water as rain upon all, crying: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!

Strengthened by divine power, Peter resurrected the dead Tabitha; and Paul raised up the dead Eutyches, who had fallen from a great height; and both cry out: Hymn the Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Having received an awesome and wondrous vision, Peter enlightened Cornelius, and Paul baptized Gaius, Crispus, Panestius and Stephaninus; and both cry out: Hymn the Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

At night, by His angel, Christ released Peter, who was fettered and kept under guard; and while Paul and Silas were praying, their feet made fast in stocks, He set them free and caused the prison to quake. Wherefore, they hymn Christ forever.

With the fire of the Spirit the divine and all-wise choir of the apostles utterly consumed many of the sanctuaries of the demons as though they were tares, and have enlightened the hearts of the faithful, crying: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

O godly disciples and apostles of Christ, who together have thundered forth to us the commandments of God, ye havens of the faith and common benefactors of mankind: Serve ye the Savior, that we may honor you.

Let us honor the most precious vessels, the receptacles of the virtues, the first-fruits of humanity, the clarions of preaching, the torrents of life incorruptible, the God-bearing flashes of lightning, the wellsprings of healing, the beautiful feet of the Gospel.

Ye passed over all the world, soaring as on wings, preaching the Gospel of Christ to all tribes, nations and lands; and ye have brought them to the Faith, O all-blessed Peter and wondrous apostle Paul.

Having attained an advanced age, O Peter, discharging the debts of nature ye endured the cross in emulation of thy Teacher Christ. And when thy head was cut off, O Paul, — O the wonder! — instead of blood milk poured forth in torrents, converting the unbelieving.

O ye two godly ones, who wisely dedicated yourselves to the souls of the whole world, converting them from ungodliness to piety, and, even after your death, have saved the souls of the faithful: be ye now mindful of us, and intercede before Christ, O preëminent apostles.

Having received from the Master the authority to loose the bonds of transgressions, O ye who have beheld God, mercifully cleanse us of sins who hymn you, and vouchsafe unto us salvation.

O glorious apostles who learned exalted preaching and doctrine in the upper chamber, ye have all received the full effulgence of the Spirit which was made manifest to you essentially; and now ye are called blessed, as is meet.

Now Christ bestoweth never-fading wreaths upon you, His friends, as ye rest; and He filleth you with divine vision. Entreat Him now, that He save all the Churches.

Let us hasten together joyously to praise the twelve most honored disciples, crying: ­Rejoice, O ye who travelled the world over, drew the nations from among the toils of unbelief and taught them things divine!

O ye faithful, let us all praise the choir of the twelve today, having been confirmed by them; and let us cry out to Christ: Through their prayers, O Savior, bring peace to Thy world!

In thee do we boast, O Theotokos, and thee do we have as our intercession before God. Stretch forth thine arm and crush our enemies, and send to thy servants help from the Holy One.