A note on hymns and the peace on the Feast of Saint James

Saint James the Brother of the Lord … icon written by Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG, for Saint James Episcopal Church, Parkton, Maryland dedicated 26 October 2008

Patrick Comerford

Today in the Calendar of the Church we remember Saint James, the Brother of the Lord [23 October]. At the Community Eucharist this afternoon, the hymns celebrate this day, with some of the hymns and the words at the Peace coming from the ancient Liturgy of Saint James.

This liturgy, sometimes called the Liturgy of Jerusalem, originates in the Church of Jerusalem and is the oldest complete liturgy still in use in the East. It was once thought to have been the work of Saint James, but it probably dates from Saint Cyril of Jerusalem ca 347 and was later amplified.

Until recently, it was rarely celebrated beyond Jerusalem or the island of Zakynthos, apart from Saint James’ feast day (23 October) and the Sunday after Christmas. But today this Liturgy is celebrated today in an increasing number of Orthodox churches.

It was first translated into English by the Revd John Mason Neale (1818-1866) and the Dublin-born Revd Richard Frederick Littledale (1833-1890) in their Translations of the Primitive Liturgies (1859).

Before the Liturgy is served, the priest prays:

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, the one, simple and undivided Trinity, that unites and sanctifies us through itself, and brings peace to our lives, now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

He then prays on his own behalf:

Defiled as I am by many sins, do not utterly reject me, Master, Lord, our God. For see, I draw near to this divine and heavenly mystery, not as though I were worthy, but, looking to your goodness, I raise my voice to you, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. For I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am not worthy to lift up my eyes to this your sacred and spiritual Table, on which your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is mystically set forth as a sacrifice by me, a sinner stained by every defilement.

Therefore I bring you this supplication, that your Spirit, the Advocate, may be sent down to me, strengthening and preparing me for this ministry. And grant that without condemnation the word that has been declared by you may be proclaimed by me to the people in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom you are blessed, together with your all-holy, good, life-giving and consubstantial Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The words of peace this afternoon are also derived from the Liturgy of Saint James. There, introducing the Kiss of Peace, the priest prays in a low voice:

God and Master of all, lover of humankind, make us, unworthy though we are, worthy of this hour, so that, cleansed of all deceit and hypocrisy, we may be united to one another by the bond of peace and love, confirmed by the sanctification of your divine knowledge through your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom you are blessed, together with your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Deacon: Let us stand with awe. In peace let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: For you are a God of peace, mercy, love, compassion and love for humankind, with your only-begotten Son and your all-holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

People: Amen.

Priest: Peace to all.

People: And to your spirit.

Deacon: Let us greet one another with a holy kiss.

Our processional hymn this afternoon is ‘Jerusalem the Golden’ (Hymn 670, Irish Church Hymnal), adapted from a poem by Saint Bernard of Cluny that once ran to 2,966 lines. Selections of the poem were first published in 1849 by Richard Chenevix Trench (1807-1886), Dean of Westminster Abbey and later Archbishop of Dublin. The hymn is a translation by JM Neale of Trench’s version. But the Jerusalem described in this hymn is not the Jerusalem of Saint James, but the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, and the ideas are inspired by Revelation 7: 14 and 21: 1-7.

The Gradual, ‘Thou art the Way, to thee alone’ (Hymn 115), a hymn by George W Doane (1799-1859), Bishop of New Jersey, is sung to the tune Saint James, composed in the early 18th century, probably by Raphael (Ralph) Courteville and named after Saint James’ Church, Piccadilly, where he was the first organist.

The Offertory hymn, ‘Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence’ (427), is based on the ‘Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn’ in the Liturgy of Saint James, where it is sung at the presentation of the bread and wine at the Offertory. Professor JR Watson of Durham University writes: “In the original Liturgy of Saint James, [the hymn] was used as the bread and wine were brought into the sanctuary: it brings out the full drama of the occasion.”

The hymn is rich with imagery from John 6: 35-58 (Stanza 2), Revelation 4 and the Nicene Creed (Stanza 3), and Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 (Stanza 4), inviting us to take part in the mystery of the Incarnation with a sense of entering the Holy of Holies.

This hymn version by the Revd Gerard Moultrie (1829-1885), an Anglican priest, first appeared in Lyra Eucharistica (1864). Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) set Moultrie’s hymn to an arrangement of the tune Picardy, from a book of French folksongs, Chansons Populaires des Provinces de France (1860), for The English Hymnal (1906).

Our Post-Communion hymn, ‘Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands’ (Hymn 446), is based on a hymn composed by Saint Ephraim the Syrian and sung in the Liturgy of Malabar, which is derived from the Syrian form of the Liturgy of Saint James. In its Syrian form, the Liturgy of Saint James is still the principal liturgy of the Syrian Oriental Church, both in Syriac and, in the ancient Syrian Orthodox Church of India, in Malayalam and English.

Heroes of the Bible, heroes of the faith (3): introducing Elijah in the New Testament

The Monastery of Profitis Elias near Pyrgos on the Greek island of Santorini

Patrick Comerford

As we continue our studies of Heroes of the Bible and Heroes of the faith, we are looking this morning [23 October 2013] at Elijah, one of the most studied prophets in the Old Testament, and perhaps too the loftiest and the most worthy of all the prophets.

But I also thought it would be worth looking at how Elijah is referred to in the New Testament, for – of all the Old Testament prophets – the New Testament mentions Elijah more than any other. As the predominant Old Testament figure, Elijah is mentioned by name 29 times in New Testament and he is alluded to a few other times.

Some English translations of the New Testament use Elias, a Latin form of the name, and in the King James Version the name Elias appears in texts translated from the Greek.

Elijah and Saint John the Baptist

An icon of the Prophet Elijah and Saint John the Baptist from the Monastery of the Prophet Elias (Elijah) in Preveza, Greece

In the New Testament, both Christ and Saint John the Baptist are compared with Elijah and on some occasions they are thought by some to be manifestations of Elijah.

In the Annunciation narrative in Saint Luke’s Gospel, an angel appears to Zechariah, the father of Saint John the Baptist, and tells him that John “will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God,” and that “the spirit and power of Elijah will go before him” (Luke 1:16–17).

In Saint John’s Gospel, Saint John the Baptist is asked by a delegation of priests and Levities from Jerusalem if he is the Messiah or Elijah. He replies: “No” (John 1: 19-21).

Saint John the Baptist preaches a message of repentance and baptism. He predicts the day of judgment, using imagery similar to that of Malachi, and he preaches that the Messiah is coming. For those who hear him, he does all this in a style that immediately recalls the image of Elijah. He wears a coat of animal hair secured with a leather belt (see Matthew 3: 1-4; Mark 1: 6), and he preaches frequently in wilderness areas near the River Jordan (see Luke 3: 4).

Christ says that for those who believe Saint John the Baptist is like Elijah, who would come before the “great and terrible day” as predicted by the Prophet Malachi (see Malachi 3: 1; Malachi 4: 5-6). In Saint Matthew’s Gospel, Christ compares Saint John the Baptist with Elijah, fulfilling his office but not being recognised for this, yet greater than Elijah (see Matthew 11: 7-14, Matthew 17: 10-13).

Elijah and Christ:

In Saint Luke’s Gospel, Herod Antipas is perplexed when he hears some of the stories about Christ. Some people tell Herod that Saint John the Baptist, whom he had executed, has come back to life, others tell him that Christ is Elijah, and others think that one of the ancient prophets has risen from the dead (see Luke 9: 7-9).

Later, Christ asks his disciples who do people say he is, and their answers include Elijah, other prophets and Saint John the Baptist (see Matthew 16: 13-14; Mark 8: 27-30; Luke 9: 18-20).

Christ is associated with miracle stories similar to those of Elijah, such as the raising of the dead (Mark 5: 21-23; Luke 7: 11-15, 8: 49-56; John 11) and miraculous feeding (Matthew 14: 13-21, Mark 6: 34-45; Luke 9: 10-17; John 6: 5-16; see II Kings 4: 42 ff). Yet Christ implicitly separates himself from Elijah when he rebukes James and John for desiring to call down fire upon an unwelcoming Samaritan village in a similar manner to Elijah calling down fire on the Samaritan troops (Luke 9: 51-56; cf II Kings 1: 10).

Similarly, Christ rebukes a potential follower who wants first to return home to say farewell to his family, whereas Elijah permitted his successor Elisha to do this (Luke 9: 61-62; cf I Kings 19: 16-21).

We might also ask whether the cup Christ blesses at the Last Supper is the Cop of Elijah.

During the Crucifixion, some of the onlookers mistakenly think Christ is calling out to Elijah and wonder whether Elijah will come to rescue him, for in the folklore of the time Elijah was seen as a rescuer of Jews in distress (Matthew 27: 46-49; Mark 15: 34-36).

Elijah at the Transfiguration

Elijah and Moses on each side of Christ at the Transfiguration ... an icon of The Transfiguration by Theophanes of Crete (Stavronikitas Monastery, Mount Athos)

In all three Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah appears with Moses at the Transfiguration (see Matthew 17: 1-9; Mark 9: 2-8; Luke 9: 28-36).

Have you noticed how Elijah’s appearance in glory at the Transfiguration does not seem to startle the disciples, and it appears they are overcome by fear only when they hear the voice from the cloud?

At the summit of the Mount of the Transfiguration, Christ’s face begins to shine. The disciples who are with him hear the voice of God announce that Christ is “My beloved Son.” The disciples also see Moses and Elijah appear and talking with Christ.

Saint Peter is so struck by the experience that he asks Christ if they should build three booths or tabernacles – one for Elijah, one for Christ and one for Moses.

Saint John Chrysostom explains the presence of Elijah and Moses at the Transfiguration in three ways:

● They represent the Law and the Prophets – Moses receives the Law from God, and Elijah is a great prophet.
● They both experience visions of God – Moses on Mount Sinai and Elijah on Mount Carmel.
● They represent the living and the dead – Elijah, the living, because he is taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire (see our Old Testament reading for this day), and Moses, the dead, because he does experience death.

Moses and Elijah show that the Law and the Prophets point to the coming of Christ, and their recognition of and conversation with Christ symbolise how he fulfils “the law and the prophets” (Matthew 5: 17-19). Moses and Elijah also stand for the living and dead, for Moses dies and his burial place is known, while Elijah is taken alive into heaven in order to appear again to announce the time of God’s salvation.

It was commonly believed that Elijah would reappear before the coming of the Messiah (see Malachi 4), and the three interpret Christ’s response as a reference to John the Baptist (Matthew 17: 13).

Other New Testament references to Elijah

Elijah is mentioned on three other occasions in the New Testament: in Saint Luke’s Gospel, in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and in the Epistle of James:

1, After he reads from the scroll in the synagogue in Nazareth and is criticised for his teaching, Christ cites Elijah as an example of the rejected prophets when he says: “No prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town”:

24 And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ (Luke 4: 24–27).

2, Saint Paul cites Elijah as an example that God never forsakes his people:

1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.’4 But what is the divine reply to him? ‘I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. (Romans 11: 1-6)

3, Saint James, who we are commemorating today [23 October], says: “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” He then cites as examples Elijah’s prayers which start and end the famine in Israel (see James 5: 16-18).

Post-Biblical references to Elijah:

Elijah is honoured as a saint in the calendars of both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church on 20 July.

In addition, the stichometrical lists and patristic writings mention an apocryphal Apocalypse of Elias see Apostolic Constitutions VI, 16; Origen, Comm. in Matthew 27: 9; Euthalius; Epiphanius, Haer., 43) and it is said by some that this is cited in I Corinthians 2: 9 and Ephesians 5: 14.

This work was lost to the west since the early centuries, but it was partly recovered in a Coptic translation found in a monastery in Upper Egypt in 1893 by the French Egyptologist Gaston Camille Charles Maspéro (1846-1916). Other portions, also in Coptic, have since been discovered. We now the greater part of this Apocalypse, which was published in 1899 by Georg Steindorff. However; the passages said to be cited in I Corinthians 2: 9, and Ephesians 5: 14 do not appear there.

The Skete of Prophet Elias near the Monastery of the Pantokrator Monastery on Mount Athos

In Greece, chapels and monasteries dedicated to the Prophet Elias (Προφήτης Ηλίας) are often found on mountaintops, which themselves are often named after him.

Elijah is revered as the spiritual Father and traditional founder of the religious Order of Carmelites. In addition to taking their name from Mount Carmel where the first hermits of the order established themselves, the Carmelite traditions about Elijah focus on his withdrawal from public life.

Some concluding thoughts:

It could be said that to read Saint Luke’s Gospel with insight we also need to read the story of Elijah and Elisha. To read their story, keeping in mind the miracles, the actions, and the teachings of these two prophets, is to add a richness to our reading of Saint Luke, but also brings with it a vital understanding of the continuity and discontinuity of God’s ways in the Old Testament and New Testament.

Where do you find Elijah and Elisha in Saint Luke’s Gospel?

What are similarities and contrasts between Jesus and them?

Why is it easier to face a dilemma with the questions ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ rather than the questions ‘What Would Elijah Do?’

What richness does it add to your understanding of the kingdom?

Canon Patrick Comerford is Lecturer in Anglicanism and Liturgy, the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor, Trinity College Dublin. These notes were prepared to supplement a Bible study with MTh students in a tutorial group on 23 October 2013.

Autumn closes in on Rathfarnham along the banks of the Dodder

A heron enjoys the autumn evening at the weir on the Dodder near Rathfarnham Road (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)
Patrick Comerford

Many years ago, when I was working as a journalist in The Irish Times, I hated working the late shifts, which involved starting work after darkness had fallen, and getting home before the dawn and the sunrise.

It upset my body clock to work in the dark and to try to rest in daylight.

But autumn has truly started to settle in this week, and with the clocks changing at the weekend, the evenings are going to get darker much earlier next week.

It will be some months before we hear again that favourite Irish adage: “There’s a grand stretch in the evening.”

So this evening, I took one of the last remaining opportunities this autumn to walk home in the fading light of evening, along the banks of the River Dodder.

Fast flowing waters beneath the weir at Rathfarnham (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)

Along the stretch of riverbank between the Loftus Arch and the bridge at Rathfarnham Road, there was still plenty of green growth on the trees, but the autumn colours of golden rust and light brown are coming to the fore, and the river was brown and fast flowing with the waters that have intensified with the rain of the past few days.

Two men who appeared to have been fishing for most of the afternoon were packing in the day. But a passing teenager told the fish were still jumping, and perched on the weir I spied a heron, pecking his way through the swirling water, taking advantage of this special autumn harvest.

Above the weir, the pair of swans who have lived here for years, were peacefully silent.

I crossed the road at the junction with Rathfarnham Road, and joined the river bank again below the sloped behind Rathfarnham Village. The evening lights had faded, the sensors were switching on the roadside lights, and by the time I reached Rathfarnham Shopping Centre the drizzle had turned to a light rain.

Autumn colours reflected in the River Dodder below the bridge at Rathfarnham Road (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2013)