When it is said
Matins of Holy Friday is the service of the Twelve Gospels, the readings of Christ’s Passion, and it is usually held on Holy Thursday evening.
The fifteenth antiphon is sung after the fifth Gospel.
Its first hymn is sung once more, on its own, at the Ninth Hour of Holy Friday.
Where it comes from
No author known
The fifteenth of 15
The Greek book sets 15 antiphons, short groups of hymns, three after each of the first five Gospel readings. The fifteenth is printed here whole: three hymns, then a verse on the Mother of God. Its first hymn is the one people know, and at the Ninth Hour on Friday it is sung again alone.
Twelve Gospels in one evening
The service reads 12 passages of the Gospels about Christ’s suffering, with hymns between them. The first is His long farewell to His disciples, from John 13:31 to John 18:1, and the last tells of the guard set at His sealed tomb (Matthew 27:62-66).
What the words mean
Each line in two halves
Each line sets who Christ is beside what was done to Him. He spread the earth upon the waters (Psalm 136:6), and He hangs on a cross. He covers the sky with clouds (Psalm 147:8), and the soldiers dress Him in purple to mock Him (John 19:2-3).
“Our Passover”
The second hymn takes up Paul’s words to the Christians of Corinth: “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast” with “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). So the hymn asks for clean hearts and sincere prayer.
The Scripture in it
He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever.
They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him, and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Who covers the sky with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the hills.
The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe. And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”
Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.
Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Greek
Σήμερον κρεμᾶται ἐπὶ ξύλου, ὁ ἐν ὕδασι τὴν γῆν κρεμάσας. (ἐκ γ').
Στέφανον ἐξ ἀκανθῶν περιτίθεται, ὁ τῶν Ἀγγέλων Βασιλεύς.
Ψευδῆ πορφύραν περιβάλλεται, ὁ περιβάλλων τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν νεφέλαις.
Ῥάπισμα κατεδέξατο, ὁ ἐν Ἰορδάνῃ ἐλευθερώσας τὸν Ἀδάμ.
Ἥλοις προσηλώθη, ὁ Νυμφίος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας.
Λόγχῃ ἐκεντήθη, ὁ Υἱὸς τῆς Παρθένου.
Προσκυνοῦμέν Σου τὰ Πάθη Χριστέ. (ἐκ γ').
Δεῖξον ἡμῖν, καὶ τὴν ἔνδοξόν Σου Ἀνάστασιν.
Μὴ ὡς Ἰουδαῖοι ἑορτάσωμεν· καὶ γὰρ τὸ Πάσχα ἡμῶν, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστὸς ὁ Θεός,
ἀλλ' ἐκκαθάρωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ, καὶ εἰλικρινῶς δεηθῶμεν Αὐτῷ.
Ἀνάστα Κύριε, σῶσον ἡμᾶς ὡς φιλάνθρωπος.
Ὁ Σταυρός Σου Κύριε, ζωὴ καὶ ἀνάστασις ὑπάρχει τῷ λαῷ Σου,
καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ πεποιθότες, Σὲ τὸν σταυρωθέντα, Θεὸν ἡμῶν ὑμνοῦμεν. Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.
Δόξα... Καὶ νῦν... Θεοτοκίον
Ὁρῶσά Σε κρεμάμενον, Χριστέ, ἡ Σὲ κυήσασα, ἀνεβόα·
Τί τὸ ξένον ὃ ὁρῶ, μυστήριον Υἱέ μου; πῶς ἐπὶ ξύλου θνῄσκεις, σαρκὶ πηγνύμενος, ζωῆς χορηγὲ;