{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/ecf/213/2130241.htm","path":"chr/ecf/213/2130241.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/213/2130241.htm","text":"Resp.\u2014Blessed is He above all in His Birth! (bis).\n1. Celebrate, O nations, this feast, first fruits of all feasts;\u2014recount the sufferings that were, and the wounds and pains,\u2014that we may know what plagues, He healed, the Son Who was sent.\nR., Blessed be He Who sufficed to heal our pains!\n2. Celebrate, O saved nations, Him Who saves all in His Birth.\u2014Even my feeble tongue, has become a harp through His mercy.\u2014The excellency of the Firstborn, in His Festival let us sing.\nR., Blessed is He Who has made us meet for His Feast!\n3. How then can any one, admire a physician,\u2014until he hear and learn, what were the pains he healed?\u2014And when our plagues are proclaimed, then is our Healer magnified.\nR., Blessed be He Who is exalted in our pains!\n4. Created things were worshipped: because the worshipper was foolish,\u2014he used to worship all things; but One they worshipped not.\u2014He came down therefore in mercy and broke, the yoke that enslaved all.\nR., Blessed is He Who loosed our pains!\n5. The mercies of the Highest were revealed; He came down and set free His creature.\u2014In this blessed month, wherein are made releases of slaves,\u2014the Lord underwent bondage, to call the bond to freedom.\nR., Blessed is He Who brought freedom!\n6. The Lord of the months chose Him, two months for His doings.\u2014His Conception was in Nisan, and His Birth in Conun.\u2014In Nisan He sanctified them that were conp. 253 ceived; and them that were born He set free in Conun.\nR., Blessed be He Who makes glad His months!\n7. The Sun revealed in silence, his worshippers to his Lord:\u2014it was grievous to him, a servant, to be worshipped instead of his Lord.\u2014Lo! creation is glad, that the Creator is worshipped.\nR., Blessed is the Child that is worshipped.\n8. The months wore three crowns, and crowned Him in His triumphs.\u2014Blessed is the Sun for His Birth, and for His Resurrection desired,\u2014and for His Ascension blessed; the months have borne Him crowns.\nR., Blessed be He Who has triumphed in His months!\n9. Unveil and make glad thy face, O Creature, in our feast.\u2014Let the Church sing with voice; Heaven and earth in silence!\u2014Sing and praise the Child, who has brought release for all!\nR., Blessed be He Who has annulled the bonds!\n10. When fools did reverence to the Sun, in reverence to him they disgraced him.\u2014But now when all know he is a servant, in his course his Lord is worshipped;\u2014all servants rejoice, that as servants they are reckoned.\nR., Blessed be He Who ordered their natures!\n11. We have done perverse things, who have become servants of servants.\u2014Lo! our freedom compelled him, a servant, to become lord to us:\u2014the Sun, the servant for all, we have made Lord for all.\nR., Blessed is He Who to Himself has turned us!\n12. And the Moon too which was worshipped, has been set free by His Birth.\u2014For \u2019tis strange that by her light, which enlightens the eyes,\u2014by it the eyes were darkened, that they gazed on her as a God.\nR., Blessed be the beam that has enlightened us!\n13. Fire commended Thy Birth, which drew away worship from it.\u2014The magi used to worship it: they who have worshipped before Thee.\u2014They left it and worshipped its Lord; they exchanged fire for the Fire.\nR., Blessed is He Who has bathed us in His light!\n14. In place of the senseless fire that eats up its own body of itself,\u2014the magi adored the Fire Who gave His Body to be eaten.\u2014The live coal drew near and sanctified, the lips that were unclean.\nR., Blessed is He Who has mixed His Fire in us!\n15. Delusion blinded men, to worship created things:\u2014fellow servants were worshipped, and the God of all was wronged.\u2014He Who is to be worshipped came down to His birth, and gathered to himself worship.\nR., Blessed is He Who by all is worshipped!\n16. The All-knowing saw, that men worship things that were made:\u2014He put on a body that was made, that in our custom He might take us captive,\u2014and by a body that was made, drew us to the Creator.\nR., Blessed be He Who drew us with guile!\n17. The Evil One knew how to harm us; and by lights he blinded us,\u2014by possessions he hurt us, through gold he made us poor,\u2014by the graver\u2019s graven images, he made us a heart of stone.\nR., Blessed is He Who came and softened it!\n18. They graved and set up stones, whereon men should stumble.\u2014They set them not on the highway, for the blind to stumble on:\u2014they called them Gods, that on them with open eyes men might stumble.\nR., Blessed is He Who exposed the idols which they feared!\n19. Sin had spread its wings, and covered all things,\u2014that none could discern, of himself or from above, the truth.\u2014Truth came down into the womb, came forth and rolled away error.\nR., Blessed is He Who dispelled Sin by His Birth!\n20. For Mercy endured not, to see the way hindered.\u2014When He came down for conception, He opened the way and made it easy:\u2014when He came forth in birth, He trod it and marked its miles.\nR., Blessed is the peace of Thy Way!\np. 254 21. He chose the Prophets; they cleared the way for the people:\u2014He sent the Apostles; they smoothed paths for the nations.\u2014The snares of the Evil One were shamed, when feeble men cleared them away.\nR., Blessed is He Who made our paths plain!\n22. The graven images blinded, their gravers in secret:\u2014they graved eyes on stone, and darkened the eyes of the soul.\u2014Praise to Thy Birth that opened, the sight that was blinded.\nR., Blessed be He Who has restored sight!\n23. Let women praise Her, the pure Mary,\u2014that as in Eve their mother,\u2014great was their reproach,\u2014lo! in Mary their sister,\u2014greatly magnified was their honour.\nR., Blessed is He Who sprang from women!\n24. Let the nations praise Thy Birth, that they have gained eyes to see,\u2014how their wine has made them reel; and they have seen their own humiliation?\u2014They come to know themselves, and worship Him who has rescued them.\nR., Blessed is He Who has taught repentance!\n25. Its worship mankind\u2014had spread everywhere:\u2014Him Who is to be worshipped it sought not, that worship should be paid Him.\u2014But He endured not\u2014worshippers that err.\nR., Blessed is He Who came down and is worshipped!\n26. The gold of the idols worshipped Thee, that Thou didst treat it as alms; which availed not apart, for the uses of life.\u2014It hasted to Thy purse, as it had hasted to the manger.\nR., Blessed be He Whom Creation has loved!\n27. The frankincense worshipped Thy Birth, which had served demons.\u2014It sorrowed then in its vapour: it exulted when it saw its Lord.\u2014Instead of being the incense of delusion, it was an oblation before God!\nR., Blessed is Thy Birth which is worshipped!\n28. The myrrh worshipped Thee for itself, and for its kindred ointments.\u2014The hands that bore its ointment, had anointed abominable graven images.\u2014To Thee the perfume was sweet, from the anointing wherewith Mary anointed Thee.\nR., Blessed is Thy savour which is sweet to us!\n29. The gold that had been worshipped worshipped thee, when the magi offered it.\u2014That which had been worshipped in molten images, gave worship to Thee.\u2014With its worshippers it worshipped Thee, it confessed that Thou art He that is to be worshipped.\nR., Blessed is He Who claimed worship for Himself!\n30. The Evil One fled and his hosts, he that used to exult in the world.\u2014In the high places they sacrificed heifers to him, in the gardens they slew bulls for him.\u2014He swallowed up all creation, he filled his belly with prey.\nR., Blessed be He Who came and made him disgorge!\n31. Of him the Lord said, that he had fallen from Heaven.\u2014The Abhorred One had exalted himself; from his uplifting he has fallen. The foot of Mary has trod him down, who bruised Eve with his heel.\nR., Blessed be He Who by His Birth laid him low!\n32. Chaldeans went about, in all places and led astray:\u2014the preachers of delusion, were shamed through the world,\u2014they were shamed and overcome,\u2014by the preachers of truth.\nR., Blessed be the Babe Whom they preached!\n33. Sin had spread out, her nets for the draught.\u2014Praise be to Thy Birth that captured, the nets of delusion.\u2014The soul took flight on high, which had been taken in the deep.\nR., Blessed is He Who prepared for us wings!\n34. His Will was able, even by force to rescue us.\u2014But since it was not force that made us guilty, it was not by force He purged us.\u2014The Evil One by enticement enslaved us: Thy Birth enticed to give us life.\nR., Blessed be He Who planned and gave us life!\np. 255 35. The creatures complained that they were worshipped; in silence they sought release.\u2014The All-Releaser heard, and because He endured it not He came down,\u2014put on the form of a servant in the womb, came forth, set free Creation.\nR., Blessed be He Who made his Creation his gain!\n36. Mercy was kindled on high, at the voice of Creation that cried out:\u2014Gabriel was sent; he came and gave tidings of Thy Conception.\u2014When Thou camest to the Birth, Watchers gave tidings of thy coming forth.\nR., Blessed be by Thy Worship above all!\n37. For greater is the joy of the Birth than the Conception.\u2014Yea it was one angel, that brought us tidings of Thy Conception:\u2014but in the joy of Thy Birth, a multitude of Watchers brought tidings.\nR., Blessed be Thy tidings in Thy day!\n38. Glory to Thee I too in Thy day, will offer, O Thou that art worshipped!\u2014Take of the fruit that is mine; and give me mercy which is Thine!\u2014For if the evil that is in me gives gifts, how much more shalt Thou give Who art good!\nR., Blessed is Thy wealth in Thy servant!\n39. The two things Thou soughtest, in Thy Birth have been done for us.\u2014Our visible body Thou hast put on; Thy invisible might we have put on:\u2014our body has become Thy clothing; Thy Spirit has become our robe.\nR., Blessed be He Who has been adorned and has adorned us!\n40. Height and depth were amazed, that Thy Birth subdued the rebels.\u2014For that we gave Thee hostages, Thou gavest us the Paraclete:\u2014when the hostages went up from us, the Captain of the host came down to us.\nR., Blessed be He Who took away and sent down!\n41. Come ye mouths of all and pour forth, and be in the likeness of waters, and wells of voices! May the Holy Spirit come,\u2014and sing glory through us all, to the Father Who has redeemed us through His Son!\nR., Blessed is He above all in His Birth!","title":"Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. XIII: Selections from the Hymns and Homilies of Ephraim the Syrian and from the Demonstrations of Aphrahat the Persian Sage.: Hymn XV.","type":"page"}