The Arrival of the Light
Lord, bless. Rejoice exceedingly, daughter Zion; let all the Church of God delight, exult, and be glad, for behold, the King is coming to you again. Behold, your bridegroom comes upon a colt as if sitting upon a throne. Let us go out to meet him; let us hasten to see his glory; let us prepare brightly for the honor of his entrance.
Again, salvation to the world; again, God comes to the cross. Again the King, the hope of the nations, comes to Zion; again he grants salvation to the world; again the light stands over us; again wandering has ceased; again truth blooms; again the Church dances; again the Synagogue is widowed; again demons are ashamed; again the curse is loosed; again the Hebrews are troubled; again the dragon is crushed; again the nations rejoice; again Zion is beautified.
Christ comes upon a colt as if sitting upon a throne. Heavens, rejoice; angels, sing hymns; mountains, be glad; hills, leap; rivers, clap; you in Zion, dance; churches, rejoice; priests, sing hymns; prophets, prepare; disciples, preach; peoples, meet; elders, run to help; mothers, dance; nursing women, sing; youths, shout; nations, gather. Every creature, every nature, every rank, every breath, every earth, every value, every age, every rule, every kingdom, let us meet the King of kings in a kingly manner, let us worship the Lord of lords in a lordly manner, let us praise the God of gods in a divine manner, let us dance as a bride of the incorruptible bridegroom. Let us brightly light the bright torches; let us godworthily change the tunics of the souls; let us well prepare the paths of life; let us open the entrances of the souls to the King; let us prepare the palms of victory for the Victor.
Let us carry the olive branches, joining them worthily to the branch of Mary. Let us sing hymns to the God of angels with the angels. Let us cry out worthily with the children, and let us shout with the crowd and the multitudes: Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. God is the Lord, and he has shone upon us; he has shone upon us who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. The resurrection of the fallen has shone, the lifting up of the captives has shone, the sight of the blind has shone, the comfort of the mourners has shone, the rest of the weary has shone, the refreshment of the thirsty has shone, the vindication of the oppressed has shone, the redemption of the lost has shone, the comfort of the lost has shone, the vindication of the oppressed has shone, the healing of the sick has shone, and the calm of the storm-tossed has shone.
Therefore we also, the people, let us shout with the crowd, saying to Christ today, Hosanna—that is, Save now, O God in the highest. O, what new and paradoxical things and wonders! Yesterday Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, and today the same comes upon death. Yesterday, as life, he granted life to another, and today the life-giver comes upon death. Yesterday he loosed the grave-clothes of Lazarus, and today he himself comes to be bound in grave-clothes willingly. Yesterday he brought a man out of darkness, and today he comes to be placed in darkness and the shadow of death for the sake of man. Yesterday, six days before Pascha, through the five senses, the four-day one granted a three-day one a brother through the two; and today he comes to the cross. But for Mary, a four-day death; but for the Church, Christ grants himself for three days. There, Bethany alone marvels; but here, the whole Church celebrates. He celebrates the feast of feasts, the King of the incorporeal in...
Greek
Homilia in festo palmarum Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἐπιφανίου ἐπισκόπου Κύπρου εἰς τὰ Βαΐα. Κύριε, εὐλόγησον. Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιὼν, τέρπου καὶ ἀγάλλου καὶ εὐφραίνου, πᾶσα ἡ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἰδοὺ γὰρ πάλιν ὁ Βασιλεὺς πρὸς σὲ παραγίνεται. Ἰδοὺ ὁ σὸς νυμφίος ἐπὶ πώλου ὡς ἐπὶ θρόνου καθήμενος ἔρχεται. Ἐξέλθωμεν εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ, σπεύσωμεν ἰδέσθαι τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, προφθάσωμεν φαιδρῶς εἰς τιμὴν τῆς εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ. Πάλιν τῷ κόσμῳ σωτηρία, πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ σταυρὸν ἔρχεται. Πάλιν ὁ βασιλεὺς Σιὼν, τῶν ἐθνῶν ἡ προσδοκία ἐπὶ τὴν Σιὼν ἔρχεται, πάλιν τῷ κόσμῳ σωτηρίαν χαρίζεται, πάλιν τὸ φῶς ἐφίσταται, πάλιν ἡ πλάνη πέπαυται, πάλιν ἀνθεῖ ἡ ἀλήθεια, πάλιν ἡ Ἐκκλησία χορεύει, πάλιν ἡ Συναγωγὴ χηρεύει, πάλιν αἰσχύνονται δαίμονες, πάλιν κατάρα λύεται, πάλιν Ἑβραῖοι ταράττονται, πάλιν ὁ δράκων συντρίβεται, πάλιν τὰ ἔθνη εὐφραίνονται, πάλιν Σιὼν καλλωπίζεται. Χριστὸς ἐπὶ πώλου ὡς ἐπὶ θρόνου καθήμενος ἔρχεται· οἱ οὐρανοὶ, ἀγάλλεσθε· ἄγγελοι, ὑμνήσατε· τὰ ὄρη, εὐφραίνεσθε· οἱ βουνοὶ, σκιρτήσατε· ποταμοὶ, κροτήσατε· οἱ ἐν Σιὼν, χορεύσατε· αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι, χαίρετε· ἱερεῖς, ὑμνήσατε· προφῆται, προφθάσατε· μαθηταὶ, κηρύξατε· λαοὶ, ἀπαντήσατε· πρεσβῦται, συνδράμετε· αἱ μητέρες, χορεύσατε· οἱ θηλάζοντες, ᾄσατε· νεανίσκοι, βοήσατε· τὰ ἔθνη, συνάχθητε. Πᾶσα κτίσις, πᾶσα φύσις, πᾶσα τάξις, πᾶσα πνοὴ, πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, πᾶσα ἀξία, πᾶσα ἡλικία, πᾶσα ἐθναρχία, πᾶσα βασιλεία, βασιλικῶς τῷ Βασιλεῖ τῶν βασιλέων ἀπαντήσωμεν, δεσποτικῶς τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τῶν δεσποτῶν προσκυνήσωμεν, τῷ Θεῷ τῶν θεῶν θεϊκῶς ἀναμέλψωμεν, τῷ 43.429 νυμφίῳ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας θεονύμφως χορεύσωμεν· τὰς λαμπάδας φαιδροὶ φαιδρῶς ἐφαψώμεθα· τοὺς χιτῶνας τῶν ψυχῶν θεοπρεπῶς ἐξαλλάξωμεν, τὰς τοῦ βίου ὁδοὺς καλῶς ἑτοιμάσωμεν, τὰς εἰσόδους τῶν ψυχῶν τῷ Βασιλεῖ διανοίξωμεν, τὰ βαΐα τῆς νίκης ὡς νικητῇ τοῦ θανάτου βαστάσωμεν, τοὺς κλάδους τῶν ἐλαιῶν τῷ ἐκ Μαρίας κλάδῳ θεοπρεπῶς ἐπισείοντες· τὰ ἀγγέλων τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ἀγγέλων ὑμνήσωμεν· μετὰ τῶν παίδων θεοπρεπῶς ἀνακράξωμεν, μετὰ τοῦ ὄχλου τὰ τοῦ ὄχλου καὶ οἱ ὄχλοι βοήσωμεν· Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις. Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· Θεὸς Κύριος, καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν, ἐπέφανε τοῖς ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις ἡμῖν. Ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν πεπτωκότων ἀνάστασις, ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἀνάῤῥυσις, ἐπέφανεν τῶν τυφλῶν ἡ ἀνάβλεψις, ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν πενθούντων παράκλησις, ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν κοπιώντων ἀνάπαυσις, ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν διψώντων ἀνάψυξις, ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν καταπονουμένων ἐκδίκησις, ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν ἀπεγνωσμένων λύτρωσις, ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν ἀπεγνωσμένων παράκλησις, ἐπέφανεν ἡ τῶν χωριζομένων ἕνωσις, ἐπεφάνη ἡ τῶν καταπονουμένων ἐκδίκησις, ἐπεφάνη ἡ τῶν νοσούντων ἴασις, ἐπεφάνη ἡ τῶν χειμαζομένων γαλήνη. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς, οἱ δῆμοι, μετὰ τοῦ ὄχλου βοήσωμεν, λέγοντες σήμερον Χριστῷ, Ὡσαννὰ, τουτέστι, Σῶσον δὴ, ὁ ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεός. Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων καὶ θαυμάτων! Χθὲς Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἤγειρε Λάζαρον, καὶ σήμερον ὁ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον ἔρχεται. Χθὲς ἄλλῳ, ὡς ζωὴ, ζωὴν ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ σήμερον ζωοδότης ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον ἔρχεται. Χθὲς Λαζάρου τὰ σπάργανα ἔλυσε, καὶ σήμερον ὁ αὐτὸς ἐν σπαργάνοις δεσμευθῆναι ἑκὼν παραγίνεται. Χθὲς ἐν σκότοις ἐξήγαγεν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ σήμερον ἐν σκοτεινοῖς τεθῆναι καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου ἔρχεται διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Χθὲς πρὸ ἒξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ Πάσχα διὰ τῶν πέντε αἰσθήσεων τὸν τετραήμερον ὁ τριήμερος ταῖς δυσὶ τὸν ἕνα χαρίζεται ἀδελφὸν, καὶ σήμερον ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἔρχεται. Ἀλλὰ τῇ Μαρίᾳ μὲν τετραήμερον νεκρόν· τῇ δὲ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τριήμερον ἑαυτὸν χαρίζεται ὁ Χριστός. Ἐκεῖ Βηθανία μόνη θαυμάζει, ἐνταῦθα δὲ πᾶσα Ἐκκλησία ἑορτάζει. Ἑορτάζει ἑορτῶν ἑορτὰς, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν ἀσωμάτων ἐν
About this text
Palm Sunday joy: Christ enters Jerusalem as king, and the Church runs out to meet him.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 41–43 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.