The Paschal troparion or Christos anesti (Greek: Χριστός ἀνέστη) is the characteristic troparion for the celebration of Pascha (Easter) in the Byzantine Rite.
Like most troparia, it is a brief stanza often used as a refrain between the verses of a psalm, but is also used on its own. It is sung in the first plagal (or fifth) tone. Its author or date is unknown.
Text
edit| Greek | Transliteration | English translation[1] | Poetic English translation by Vladimir Morosan |
|---|---|---|---|
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας, καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι, ζωὴν χαρισάμενος! |
Christós anésti ek nekrón, thanáto thánaton patísas, ké tís en tís mnímasi, zoín charisámenos! |
Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling death, and to those in the tombs granting life! |
Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! |
The first line paraphrases from 1 Corinthians 15:20 (Νυνὶ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν).[2] The troparion is part of the Paschal Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Rite, and it was certainly in use in the 5th or 6th century.[2] Its ultimate origin is unknown; Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) (2009) has suggested a 2nd-century origin.[3]
Usage
editAccording to the testimony of the Jerusalem tropologion (or iadgari, an ancient hymnography surviving only in a Georgian translation of the 8th century[4]), the troparion was sung at the end of the Easter Vigil in the late ancient Jerusalem Easter liturgy.[2] Based on the Typikon of the Great Church, the troparion was part of the non-monastic liturgy at the Hagia Sophia by the 10th century.[2]
In Finland, the Orthodox Church of Finland is a minority church. However, the Orthodox Easter Vigil has been broadcast on radio and television for decades, and so the troparion gradually became well-known to non-Orthodox Finns. In 1986, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland – the largest religious denomination in the country — added the troparion to its revised official hymnal, where it is hymn number 90, used for Easter. It is recommended to be sung three times in succession.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Greek". Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America. 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
- ^ a b c d Derek Krueger, "The transmission of liturgical joy in Byzantine hymns for Easter", in: Bitton-Ashkelony and Krueger (eds.) Prayer and Worship in Eastern Christianities, 5th to 11th Centuries (2016), p. 139 and note 41.
- ^ Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective, Crestwood, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (2009), p. 34.
- ^ Andrew Wade, The Oldest Iadgari: The Jerusalem Tropologion V-VIII c. (1984)
- ^ Hanna (2017-11-21). "Virsi 90 - Kristus nousi kuolleista". Virsikirja.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2022-09-06.