For the next 5 Thursdays, we shall be reflecting on the 'O' Antiphons. I have extracted some information from wikipedia, and also given a link where all the antiphons can be found.
The plan will be to have a look at the translation and background for each antiphon, listen to it twice through (they are very short), spend about 5 minutes thinking (and maybe jotting down any ideas) and finally sharing anything if we want to. We'll finish by listening through again maybe, or whatever seems good at the time.
I found that the words of the antiphon make a useful 'hook' for prayers during the week.
All the antiphons can be found by
following this link;
https://www.themathesontrust.org/library/the-o-antiphons
MUSIC
I heard the voice of Jesus Say
O Come O come Emmanuel - Voces 8
Other source; Wikipedia which is where the information below comes from;
The O Antiphons (also known as the Great
Advent Antiphons or Great Os) are Magnificat antiphons used at vespers on the last seven days of Advent in Western Christian traditions. They likely date to
sixth-century Italy, when Boethius refers to the text in The Consolation of
Philosophy. They subsequently became one of the key musical
features of the days leading up to Christmas.
The texts are best known in the English-speaking world in
their paraphrased form in the hymn "O Come, O Come,
There were many later traditions
throughout the Middle Ages surrounding
their performance, and Amalarius wrote a detailed commentary
on them in the ninth century.
The first letters of the titles, from
last to first, appear to form a Latin acrostic, Ero cras, meaning 'Tomorrow,
I will be [there]', mirroring the theme of the antiphons. This is formed from
the first letter of each title – Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia.
Such acrostics were popular among early medieval writers, and some scholars
have taken this as further evidence for their antiquity, but this view is not
universally accepted.
Each antiphon has the following structure:
·
a Messianic title preceded by "O". Example: "O
Wisdom"
·
elaboration of the title: "coming forth from the mouth of
the Most High, reaching from one end to
the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things"
·
the verb "come"
·
elaboration of the request to come: "and teach us the way
of prudence”
