Ode III

Irmos: O Christ, Who in the beginning established the heavens in wisdom and founded the earth upon the waters, make me steadfast upon the rock of Thy commandments; for none is holy as Thee, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Kontakion & ikos from the Pentecostarion.

Sessional hymn of the saint, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “Of the wisdom…”—

Having purified thy soul and body of all defilement, O Athanasius, thou wast shown to be worthy of God; wherefore, the fullness of the Trinity rested within thee, O initiate of the sacred mysteries of God, who art most rich.

Theotokion: Thou wast shown to be more exalted than the cherubim and the seraphim, O Theotokos; for thou alone didst receive the infinite God in thy womb, O undefiled one. Wherefore, all of us, the faithful, bless thee with hymns, O pure one.

Irmos: O Lord, Fashioner of the vault of heaven and Creator of the Church: establish me in Thy love, O Summit of desire, confirmation of the faithful, Who alone lovest mankind.

Kontakion & Ikos from the Pentecostarion.

Glory…, Now & ever…: sessional hymn from the Pentecostarion.

As thou didst desire, the grace of the Comforter, finding thy soul cleansed of the passions, manifestly showed forth its actions therein, O father, and set thee before the world as an all-radiant lamp.

Theotokion: The abundance of the grace of God was poured forth upon the human race through thy strange birthgiving, O all-pure one; for He Who was born of thee dragged the prince of this world down into hell and freed us from his authority.

Sessional hymn of the saint, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “The portals of loving-kindness…”—

To hierarchs thou hast shown thyself to be a rule of hierarchy and a pattern of the active life; and thy lucid discourse was shown to be a model of vision, and doctrine to be the limit of thy theology, O all-wise one.

Having learned the wisdom of the Word and cast down the deception of Arius, thou didst preach the Orthodox Faith to the world; for thou didst explain that Christ the Word, our life, is truly consubstantial with the Father. Wherefore, with oneness of mind the Church doth glorify the consubstantial Trinity in one Godhead, O God-bearing Athanasius. Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offenses unto those who with love honor thy holy memory. Twice

Thou didst take the firm rock of the Faith as thy foundation; wherefore, by their uprising the gates of hell could not shake thy heart, which was made steadfast in the Lord, and thy horn was uplifted against thine enemies.

Those who raised their voices against God have fallen, but thou, having achieved the victory with God-pleasing humility and by the power of the Cross, wast exalted as the father of thy whole nation and a child of the heavenly Father.

Desiring the good things promised to those who love God, thou didst consider all things as but dung; and thou didst undertake the great struggle of a peer of the apostles, contending against all the passions until, having finally won the victory, thou didst please God.

The loving-kindness of the compassion of God was poured forth upon the land of Bulgaria through baptism, like rain upon the fleece, and it will not depart until it hath watered all. Wherefore, the seeds of the kingdom have put forth shoots and produced a harvest for the granaries of the Most High when, like a father leading his children, the right-believing King Boris had himself and his people baptized.

Glory…, Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.