My heart was pruned and its flower appeared,
Then grace sprang up from in it,
And it produced fruits for the Lord.
For the Most High circumcised me by his Holy Spirit,
Then he uncovered my inward being towards him,
And filled me with his love.
And his circumcising became my salvation,
And I ran in the way, in his peace,
In the way of truth.
Odes of Solomon 11.1-3 (Syrian, end of second and beginning of third century CE)
Showing posts with label Odes of Solomon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Odes of Solomon. Show all posts
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Apocryphote of the Day: 7-2-08
Speaking waters touch my lips,
from the fountain of the Lord generously.
So I drank and became drunk,
from the living water that does not die.
Odes of Solomon 11.6-7 (late second or early third century Syrian baptismal poem)
Commentary: Illustration is from Basilica di S. Clemente, Rome. 12th cent. Cf. Psalm 42(LXX 41): 1: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Here the hart is drinking from the living water that flows from the foot of the cross. Notice the serpent above the waters. This is probably the cosmic serpent, the pole serpent.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Apocryphote of the Day: 2-19-08
"A cup of milk was offered to me,
and I drank it in the sweetness of the Lord's kindness.
The Son is the cup,
and the Father is he who was milked,
and the Holy Spirit is she who milked him,
because his breasts were full,
and it was undesirable that his milk should be released without purpose.
The Holy Spirit opened her bosom,
and mixed the milk of the two breasts of the Father.
Then she gave the mixture to the generation without their knowing,
and those who have received it are in the perfection of the right hand."
Odes of Solomon 19:1-5
Okay, this one wasn't random. But I couldn't help it given the article in the Catholic National Registry which turned me into a man.
This is a baptismal hymn from a collection of liturgies used in the early Syrian churches at the end of the second and beginning of the third centuries. The reference to the cup and milk is likely a reference to eucharist practices. Some early Christians used milk (or water) instead of wine. Since the Syrian churches at this time tended toward encratic behavior (rejection of the body, marriage, meat and wine), the practice of drinking a cup of milk at the eucharist fits their overall lifestyle program. Notice that the Spirit is still being treated as a female figure in Syria, although it is the Father who has the breasts and gives the milk!
and I drank it in the sweetness of the Lord's kindness.
The Son is the cup,
and the Father is he who was milked,
and the Holy Spirit is she who milked him,
because his breasts were full,
and it was undesirable that his milk should be released without purpose.
The Holy Spirit opened her bosom,
and mixed the milk of the two breasts of the Father.
Then she gave the mixture to the generation without their knowing,
and those who have received it are in the perfection of the right hand."
Odes of Solomon 19:1-5
Okay, this one wasn't random. But I couldn't help it given the article in the Catholic National Registry which turned me into a man.
This is a baptismal hymn from a collection of liturgies used in the early Syrian churches at the end of the second and beginning of the third centuries. The reference to the cup and milk is likely a reference to eucharist practices. Some early Christians used milk (or water) instead of wine. Since the Syrian churches at this time tended toward encratic behavior (rejection of the body, marriage, meat and wine), the practice of drinking a cup of milk at the eucharist fits their overall lifestyle program. Notice that the Spirit is still being treated as a female figure in Syria, although it is the Father who has the breasts and gives the milk!
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