Who from the fiery furnace saved the Three,
Suffers as mortal; that, His Passion o’er,
This mortal, triumphing o’er death, might be
Vested with immortality once more:
He Whom our fathers still confest
GOD over all, for ever blest.
The women with their ointment seek the Tomb:
And Whom they mourned as dead, with many a tear,
They worship now, joy dawning on their gloom,
As Living GOD, as mystic Passover;
Then to the LORD’s Disciples gave
The tidings of the vanquished grave.
104
We keep the festal of the death of death;
Of hell overthrown: the first-fruits pure and bright,
Of life eternal; and with joyous breath
Praise Him that won the victory by His might:
Him Whom our fathers still confest
GOD over all, for ever blest.
All hallowed festival, in splendour born!
Night of salvation and of glory! Night
Fore-heralding the Resurrection morn!
When from the tomb the everlasting Light,
A glorious frame once more his own,
Upon the world in splendour shone.
Hymns of the Eastern Church, 1866
John M. Neale's life is a study in contrasts: born into an evangelical home, he had sympathies toward Rome; in perpetual ill health, he was incredibly productive; of scholarly temperament, he devoted much time to improving social conditions in his area; often ignored or despised by his contemporaries, he is lauded today for his contributions to the church and hymnody. Neale's gifts came to expression early–he won the Seatonian prize for religious poetry eleven times while a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1842, but ill health and his strong support of the Oxford Movement kept him from ordinary parish ministry. So Neale spent the years between 1846 and 1866 as a warden of Sackvi… Go to person page >
Eighth-century Greek poet John of Damascus (b. Damascus, c. 675; d. St. Sabas, near Jerusalem, c. 754) is especially known for his writing of six canons for the major festivals of the church year. John's father, a Christian, was an important official at the court of the Muslim caliph in Damascus. After his father's death, John assumed that position and lived in wealth and honor. At about the age of forty, however, he became dissatisfied with his life, gave away his possessions, freed his slaves, and entered the monastery of St. Sabas in the desert near Jerusalem. One of the last of the Greek fathers, John became a great theologian in the Eastern church. He defended the church's use of icons, codified the practices of Byzantine chant, and wr… Go to person page >
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