Hymni

From the Book of Hymns of Saint Hilary Which Remain. Blessed prophet David, first of the flesh in organ, announcing Christ to the world with hymns. You who abide before the ages, and always born, as the father is always! — for without you, how can it be said, unless the father is, that the father exists? — Twice born god for us, Christ! while you are born from the unbegotten god, or while as a corporeal and divine being the virgin mother bore you to the world: The believing people ask you, that you, gentle, may hear the resounding hymns, the voices which the holy flock of every age sings to you. While the faithful people ask you, that you may remain merciful to them, the people of your name prays to you as the unbegotten god, that one may remain in the other. Beyond what the human mind can grasp, the son remains in the father; again, in whom the father resides, worthy, who was born as son into god. Blessed is he who by faith could, as a believer, deeply grasp such great things, that from the incorporeal god the perfect offspring of god was begotten. We speak of a great thing and a true god: that the begetter, whatever is in himself, the glory of eternal splendor, he brought forth entirely into the only-begotten god. Hence he is rightly one good, that which is god, without envy of himself, he wished to be born into another, transforming himself, as he is, into a living image. In these things the true power of god is revealed: when he has given everything, yet he does not lack those things which he has given, but possesses all that is his, even when he has given. Dear offspring of god, with whom all the glory of the father is innate! the daughter needed nothing to be given, but at the same time as she was born, whatever was of god existed.

Light shone from light, and true God stood forth from true God, having nothing other in his birth as only-begotten than the unborn Father. This is a wondrous work of God, that the eternal, incorruptible God, who lacks birth, because the everlasting power that is God, in his goods which are not born, from himself, placid, should beget into God; and thus in the only-begotten God, this very thing, birth, which is begotten, is absent. O blessed unity of two! And while one is mingled in the other, the two thus make one, though in the two there is what is in the one. The begotten is subject to the Father, and remains astonished at every nod; and it is not hard to know what he, with whom the Father resides, wishes to follow. How great is the begotten in goodness! For placed at the beginning of all things, and first forming the ages, he brought forth times into eternal motion. God, prior to all things—for through him all things were made—when there was nothing as yet, he founded the world in a corporeal state. But the letter does not permit us, through whom we sing you as begotten God, to speak of the deeds that are yours, and you, already God, born in flesh. You, Lord over all in every way, king of the heavens and of heavenly glory, as all things were created through you.

You deceived the savage one, Word made flesh, and with all the life of God you rush into the body. You rejoice, you see him hanging on the wood of the cross, and you claim for yourself the limbs fixed with nails. You take up this pomp before so great a battle: spitting, scourges, blows, the hollow reed. Your triumph went forth, Death, with death consumed, God not knowing how to be conquered in the kingdom of the underworld. The pale pool of Styx grows cold and freezes, and the frozen Phlegethon does not know itself to be hot. Light risen shines upon the vast night of the underworld; the savage keeper of deep Tartarus trembles. Death, you perceive yourself destroyed by your own law, when you see that God has subjected you to yourself. That body which you hold is not perishable, and corruption has no right in it. All the weakness of our flesh conquers you; the nature of the flesh is born together with God. Through this flesh I shall ascend, touched, into the high heavens, rising again with a glorious body. With how great hopes, faithful one, have I believed in Christ, who, born in himself, receives me through the flesh! I am reborn—O joyful beginnings of life!—and I live by new laws, a Christian. God grants this as a perpetual gift to the saints, that they may live after this in a body conformed to him. Let the terror of your death, Death, finally depart; the patriarch receives me joyful into his bosom. I shall live, placed after this among the heavenly ones, certain that the flesh sits at the right hand of God. Christ, returned victorious to your heavens, remember my flesh, in which you were born. With eternal hymns, with the choirs of angels, rising in this body, I shall joyfully sing.

Satan once envied me in death: let him see you reigning with me through all the ages. III. On the Temptations of Christ. Let us sing again the battles of glorious Adam of the flesh and the fallen body, and of the heavenly Adam, through which Satan was first conquered in Adam the ninth. The deceitful enemy of the ages and artificer of dire death, with his viper-like counsels sown throughout the whole world, thinks that nothing of human hope remains for salvation. He rejoices in altars, he rejoices in temples, he rejoices in the gore of victims; he rejoices in falsehoods, he rejoices in debaucheries, he rejoices in the blood of war; he rejoices that the creator of heaven is unknown to the nations. While he exults amid such great funerals of our destruction, he hears God proclaimed in glory in the highest, and on earth the peace of men of best will. Cheerfully proclaiming this, he terrifies the assembly of angels; he terrifies the shepherds by announcing Christ born on earth, a great joy henceforth for desperate peoples. Anxious over such great matters, he errs in different directions; the bold one seeks who this is, worthy of such a message, seeing nothing beyond what is common, born on earth. Yet he sees that John preaches in the deserts, plunging all into the waters of the Jordan for penance, which is followed by the remission of confessed crimes. Among the crowds that were frequently immersed, he receives a voice from heaven proclaiming: "This is my son; hear him! This is the beloved, in whom I am pleased.

He sees the man, he sees the body, which he had ensnared in Adam; no further honor of title did he bring from above; he knows that earthly origin lies subject to the law of death. To tempt, he stirs up many arts of ancient deceit; the bold one seeks a time that would be... B. DOUBTFUL HYMN. HYMN ON CHRIST. Let the band of brothers sing a hymn, let a song resound with a hymn; singing together to Christ the king, let us give the due praise. You are the word from the heart of God, you are the way, you are the truth; you are called the rod of Jesse, we read you as a lion. Right hand of the Father, mountain and lamb, you are the cornerstone; likewise bridegroom or dove, flame, shepherd, door. You are found in the prophets, born into our age; before the ages you were the maker of the first age. Maker of heaven, maker of earth, you are the gatherer of the sea; and creator of all things, which the Father commands to be born. Received in the limbs of a virgin at the message of Gabriel, the womb swells with holy offspring; we are reminded to believe a new thing, never before seen, a virgin mother. Then the Magi, following the star, first adore the little child.

They offer incense and gold, worthy gifts for a king. Soon it was announced to Herod; envying the power, He then orders the little ones to be slain, making a throng of martyrs. The infant is said to be hidden, where the Nile River flows. He is brought back after Herod, to be raised in Nazareth. As a child, as an adult, the heavenly one performed many signs, Which are hidden and which are read before many witnesses, Proclaiming the heavenly kingdom, he confirms words with deeds. He makes the weak strong, he illuminates the blind with light, With words he cleanses the disease of leprosy, he raises the dead. [He orders the water, which was lacking in the water-jars, to be changed into wine, At the wedding, with the wine retained, for serving the cup.] With five loaves and two fish, he feeds five thousand And brings back fragments of the dinner in twelve baskets; With the whole crowd reclining, he endured constant praise. He approved twelve men, through whom life is learned. Among them one is found, Judas, the betrayer of Christ; Those sent by Anna are instructed by the traitor's kiss. The innocent one is seized, held, and led away without resistance, He is brought before, falsely accused, to be handed over to Pontius. The governor examines the charges, finds no crime. But when the crowd of Jews, for the sake of Caesar's safety, Said that Christ must be killed, the holy one is handed over to the crowds, He is burdened with impious words, endures spitting and scourges.

The innocent one is ordered to mount the cross for the guilty, and by the death of the flesh which he bore, he conquers the death of all. Then, hanging, he calls upon God the Father with a great cry; death, following, loosens the tight bonds of Christ's limbs. The torn veils of the temple are spread open, night darkens the world; bodies long closed in tombs are roused. The blessed Joseph was present, and with grief he laid the body, anointed with myrrh, bound in a rough linen cloth. Annas the chief orders the soldiers to guard the body, so that he might see if Christ would prove what he had promised. Trembling at the angel of God, clad in a white garment, by whose brightness of clarity the fleece surpasses silk, He moves the stone from the tomb, Christ rises whole; deceitful Judea sees this, yet denies it, having seen. Women are first warned that the Savior lives; he himself greets them, sad, and fills their sorrow with joy. That he was raised from the dead by the Father's right hand and returned on the third day, he announces to the apostles. Soon he is seen by the blessed brothers whom he approved; when they doubt that he had returned, he enters through closed doors. He gives, teaching the precepts of the law; he gives the divine Spirit, the perfect Spirit of God, the bond of the Trinity. He commands that throughout the whole world believers be baptized, invoking the name of the Father and confessing the Son. He reveals the mystical faith to those dipped in the Holy Spirit, dipped in the font, renewed, made sons of God.

Before light, the band of brothers, let us sing together the glory, by which we are taught that we will be in the everlasting age. [The cock’s song, the cock’s applause, senses the coming day; we, singing and praying, believe in what is to come. And let us sing together continually of the immense majesty; before light, let us announce Christ as king to the age. Before light, singing in praise to Christ the king and lord, and those who rightly believe in him will reign with him. Glory to the unbegotten Father, glory to the only-begotten, together with the Holy Spirit, for everlasting ages.]