Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XIII/Ephraim the Syrian and Aphrahat/Hymns For the Feast of the Epiphany/Hymn I

Hymns for the Feast of the Epiphany.

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.&#8212;To Thee be praise from Thy flock in the day of Thy Epiphany!

1.&#160; The heavens He has renewed, for that fools worshipped all the luminaries:&#8212;He has renewed the earth, for that in Adam it was wasted. &#8212;That which He fashioned has become new by His spittle:&#8212;and the All-Sufficing has restored bodies with souls.

2.&#160; Gather yourselves again ye&#8212;sheep and without labour receive cleansing!&#8212;for one needs not as Elisha&#8212;to bathe seven times in the river, nor again to be wearied as the priests are wearied with sprinklings.

3.&#160; Seven times Elisha purified himself in a mystery of the seven spirits;&#8212;and the hyssop and blood are a mighty symbol.&#8212;There is no room for division;&#8212;He is not divided from the Lord of all Who is Son of the Lord of all.

4.&#160; Moses sweetened in Marah the waters that were bitter,&#8212;because the People complained and murmured:&#8212;Thus he gave a sign of baptism,&#8212;wherein the Lord of life makes sweet them that were bitter.

5.&#160; The cloud overshadowed and kept off the burning heat from the camp;&#8212;it showed a symbol of the Holy Spirit, which overshadows you in baptism&#8212;tempering the flaming fire that it harm not your bodies.

6.&#160; Through the sea the People then passed, and showed a symbol&#8212;of the baptism wherein ye were washed.&#160; The People passed through that and believed not:&#8212;the Gentiles were baptized in this and believed and received the Holy Ghost.

7.&#160; The Word sent the Voice to proclaim before His Coming,&#8212;to prepare for Him the way by which He came,&#8212;and to betroth the Bride till He should come,&#8212;that she might be ready when He should come and take her from the water.

8.&#160; The voice of prophecy stirred the son of the barren woman,&#8212;and he went forth wandering in the desert and crying,&#8212;&#8220;Lo! the Son of the Kingdom comes!&#8212;prepare ye the way that He may enter and abide in your dwellings!&#8221;

9.&#160; John cried, &#8220;Who comes after me, He is before me:&#8212;I am the Voice but not the Word;&#8212;I am the torch but not the Light;&#8212;the Star that rises before the Sun of Righteousness.&#8221;

10.&#160; In the wilderness this John had cried and had said,&#8212;&#8220;Repent ye sinners of your evils,&#8212;and offer the fruits of repentance;&#8212;for lo! He comes that winnows the wheat from the tares.&#8221;

11.&#160; The Lightgiver has prevailed and marked a mystery, by the degrees he ascended:&#8212;Lo! there are twelve days since he ascended,&#8212;and to-day this is the thirteenth:&#8212;a perfect mystery of Him, the Son, and His twelve!

12.&#160; Darkness was overcome to make it manifest that Satan was overcome;&#8212;and the Light prevailed that he should proclaim&#8212;that the Firstborn triumphs:&#160; darkness was overcome&#8212;with the Dark Spirit, and our Light prevailed with the Lightgiver.

13.&#160; In the Height and the Depth the Son had two heralds.&#8212;The star of light proclaimed Him from above;&#8212;John likewise preached Him from beneath:&#8212;two heralds, the earthly and the heavenly.

14.&#160; The star of light, contrary to nature, shone forth of a sudden;&#8212;less than the sun yet greater than the sun.&#8212;Less was it than he in manifest light;&#8212;and greater than he in secret might because of its mystery.

15.&#160; The star of light shed its rays among them that were in darkness,&#8212;and guided them as though they were blind;&#8212;so that they came and met the great Light:&#8212;they gave offerings and received life and adored and departed.

16.&#160; The herald from above showed His Nature to be from the Most High;&#8212;likewise he that was from beneath showed His Body to be from humankind, mighty marvel!&#8212;that His Godhead and His Manhood by them were proclaimed!

17.&#160; Thus whoso reckons Him as of earth, the star of light&#8212;will convince him that He is of Heaven:&#160; and whoso reckons Him as of spirit,&#8212;this John will convince him that He is also bodily.

18.&#160; John drew near with his parents and worshipped the Sun,&#8212;and brightness rested on His Face.&#8212;He was not moved as when in the womb.&#8212;Mighty marvel! that here he worships and there he leaped!

19.&#160; The whole creation became for Him as one mouth and cried out concerning Him.&#8212;The Magi cry out in their gifts;&#8212;the barren cry out with their children;&#8212;the star of light, lo! it cries out in the air, &#8220;Behold the Son of the King!&#8221;

20.&#160; The heavens are opened, the waters break forth, the dove is in glory!&#8212;The voice of the Father is stronger than thunder,&#8212;as it utters the word, &#8220;This is My Beloved&#8221;;&#8212;the Watchers brought the tidings, the children acclaimed Him in their Hosannas.