,

, , .
,
, .
,
,
,
, .
Sub tuum praesidium
confugimus,
Sancta Dei Genetrix.
Nostras deprecationes ne despicias
in necessitatibus nostris,
sed a periculis cunctis
libera nos semper,
Virgo gloriosa et benedicta

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 03, 2011

The Sub Tuum Praesidium

SHAWN TRIBE

Guest article by Henri de Villiers, Paris

The Sub tuum praesidium is probably the oldest Christian prayer
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This prayer was long used in
both Eastern and Western rites, even if numerous variants existed at
the time. In 1917, the John Rylands Library in Manchester managed
to acquire a large panel of Egyptian papyrus -- the exact area where
they were discovered is unknown -- including an 18 cm by 9.4 cm
fragment containing the text of this prayer in Greek.
I. An Egyptian Papyrus of the Third Century

C.H. Roberts published this document in 1938 (cf. Catalogue of the

Greek and Latin Papyri in the John Rylands Library, III, Theological
and literacy Texts, Manchester 1938, pp. 46-47). Roberts then dated
this piece of papyrus back to the fourth century, thinking it was
impossible to find an invocation to the Theotokos before this century
(we will however see below, that the expression Theotokos was
already in use in Alexandria before 250).
However his colleague E. Lobel, with whom he collaborated in
editing the Oxyrhynchus papyri, basing his arguments on pure
paleographic analysis, argued that the text could not possibly be
older than the third century, and most probably was written
between 250 and 280. A contributor to Roberts, H.J. Bell, even said
that this document might be a "model for an engraver" considering

the beauty of the uncials. The Sub tuum praesidium thus precedes
by several centuries the Ave Maria in Christian prayer.
On the papyrus, we can read:
.
C

CC
CCTAC
A
...CC
MONH
...HE
That is this greek text:

.
A literal Latin version might be:
Sub tuam
misericordiam
confugimus,
Dei Genitrix ! nostras
deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus
sed a perditione
salva nos
sola pura,
sola benedicta.
II. A Prayer of Great Value
Like all ancient liturgical prayers, the Sub tuum praesidium has a
noble simplicity and conciseness of expression, combined with a
fresh spontaneity.
Several biblical references may be seen, the last term, "blessed",
referring to Elizabeth's salutation: Benedicta tu in mulieribus Blessed art thou among women (Luke I, 42).
Historical Value

The supplication to the Virgin Mary by the Christian community in

danger places, without doubt, the invocation in the context of
persecution (of Valerian or of Decius).
Theological Value
A first remarkable point resides in the fact that the Egyptian
Christian community turns directly to Mary and asks for her
protection. Christians have realized that the Virgin is close to their
suffering and asked her help explicitly, thereby recognizing the
power of her intercession.
Three fundamental theological truths are admirably synthesized:
1. The special election of Mary by God ("only blessed").
2. The perpetual Virginity of Mary ("only pure").
3. The Divine Motherhood ("Mother of God"; "Mother" may be
considered as a poor translation of Genitrix).
The designation of Mary as Theotokos during the third century,
therefore two hundred years before the arguments linked to the
theses of Nestorius -- an issue resolved by the Ecumenical Council of
Ephesus in 431 -- already created problems for C.H. Roberts, the
editor of the Egyptian text as stated above. One must realize that
the term Theotokos ("Dei Genetrix") is not an invention of the fifth
century.
During the fourth century, the term was already quite popular in the
area of Alexandria (St. Alexander of Alexandria, St. Athanasius, St.
Serapion of Thmuis, Didymus the Blind), and also in Arabia (Tite of
Bostra), in Palestine (Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Cyril of Jerusalem),
Cappadocia (St. Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzen, Severian of
Gabala) and even among the Arians (Asterius the Sophist).
Moreover, the term may be encountered during the third century,
precisely in the work of the Alexandrian school. According to the
testimony of the ecclesiastical historian Socrates (Hist. Eccl. VII, 32 PG 67, 812 B), Origen would have used it in his commentary -unfortunately lost -- on the Epistle to the Romans. His disciple,
Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria, also used the term of Theotokos
around the year 250 in an epistle to Paul of Samosata. It is
interesting to note that the term did not remain a mere theological
concept, considering that it received a liturgical dimension in Egypt
during the same period. However, it is difficult to determine if it is
the theological discourse that influenced the liturgical prayer, or
vice versa.
Still, one can better understand the extraordinary pugnacity of St.

Cyril of Alexandria against the Nestorian theses in the fifth century,

since obviously, the term Theotokos was already part of the deposit
of the faith lived and sung in the liturgy of Alexandria for quite some
time.
Versions of the Text
Besides the Greek text, ancient versions can be found in Coptic,
Syriac, Armenian and Latin.
Regarding the latter, the version used by the Roman rite was surely
done directly from the Coptic version of the text (as in the case of
the Coptic text, it uses the term praesidium instead of misericordia)
without really referring to the Greek text. The Ambrosian form of the
text depends much more on the Byzantine tradition.
The Roman text:
Sub tuum
praesidium
confugimus,
sancta Dei Genitrix :
nostras deprecationes
ne despicias
in necessitatibus,
sed a periculis cunctis
libera nos semper,
Virgo gloriosa
et benedicta.
The Ambrosian text:
Sub tuam
misericrdiam
confgimus,
Dei Gnitrix :
ut nostram deprecatinem
ne indcas
in tentatinem,
sed de perculo
lbera nos,
sola casta
et benedcta.
In the Roman text the adjective "gloriosa" replaced "casta"; it is a
later interpolation. This expression is absent from the oldest extant
example of the text (the Antiphonary of Compigne) and also in the
Dominican version; both only say Virgo benedicta. The musical
phrasing also affected the sense of the Roman text, wrongly
attributing "semper" to "libera nos" when it should clearly be
attributed to "Virgo": we should read "libera nos, semper Virgo"

instead of "libera nos semper, Virgo". French musicologist Amde

Gastou (1873 1943) thought that the change in allocation of
"ever" was made in the Roman antiphon to fit in a preexisting
musical phrase, possibly an Eastern one. The Ambrosian text also
has an interpolation of the Greek text: "ne inducas in tentationem" -a clear influence of the Lord's Prayer -- has replaced "ne despicias in
necessitate".
Spread and Liturgical Use
The antiphon was used in the Coptic liturgy at Vespers during
Christmas time. It is also known in the Byzantine, Roman and
Ambrosian rites. In each of these rites, though venerable and
ancient, the Sub tuum praesidium has a discreet, humble, even
marginal place. Yet despite this modest place within the liturgy, the
piety of faithful Christians has always held this venerable prayer in
high esteem in both East and West, even before its great antiquity
was known by the analysis of the papyrus of the Rylands collection.
* In the Byzantine rite:
The Sub tuum is sung during Vespers in Lent in the middle of the
final prayers after 3 troparia: the Ave Maria, a Troparion to St. John
the Baptist, and a Troparion to the Holy Apostles. This place
assimilates the text to the role of an apolytikion troparion which
changes each day during the rest of the year. The apolytikia troparia
are related to the singing of the Canticle of Simeon, which begins
with the words in Greek (Nunc dimittis). It is very likely
that this series of fixed troparia at the end of Vespers during Lent
represents an old state of the rite. Variable troparia were probably
substituted for them for other days of the year. Moreover, the
Horologion Grottaferrata seems to assign them at the end of ferial
Vespers also during the year (Horologion, Rome 1876, p. 104).
In the Russian tradition, the Sub tuum praesidium is often sung for
devotion, even outside of Lent, with the addition of the invocation
" " ("Most Holy Mother of God,
save us") added to the end. Russian believers are very attached to
this troparion. Parishes still widely use the text that predates the
liturgical reforms of Patriarch
Nikon
in 1586; this fact is a clear sign of the strength of this attachment
(such an attachment to the pre-Nikonian version is not observed for
any other famous pieces of the repertoire - for example the Easter
Troparion or "More honorable than the Cherubim").
The "Old Believers" text:
,
,

 .
,
.
The reformed text by Nikon:

,
,
,
, .
Here is the reformed version of
Nikon
in Slavonic writing:

Among the polyphonic settings, Dimitri Bortniansky's version is the

most in favor
Our prayer is currently unknown in the Syriac and Armenian
liturgies, or only by the Latin influence in the Uniate churches (the
Maronites use it with the Litany of Loreto).
* In the Ambrosian rite:

In the Ambrosian rite this piece is sung as the 19th antiphon of the
procession of the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin on
Feb. 2, a procession of 21 antiphons, many of which are originally
Greek. It's music is similar to that of a Roman second tone. The 20th
antiphon of the procession, that follows, presents a text quite similar
to the previous one and is built on the same melody:

It seems very likely that this antiphon, introduced in the Ambrosian

rite for this procession, was of Oriental origin (remember, Pope St.

Sergius I, born in Antioch, is said to have brought the procession of

Candlemas from the East to Rome).
However, the antiphon has been reused in other parts of the
Ambrosian liturgy. In the Middle Ages, the antiphon is a litanic
psallenda for the sixth Sunday of Advent (according to the codex T
103 Sup. from the Bibliotheca Ambrosiana). Today it also used as the
Antiphona Post Evangelium for the two votive Masses (ferial and
solemn) of the Holy Virgin on Saturdays. Two feasts, on July 16 (Our
Lady of Mount Carmel) and August 5 (Dedication of St. Maria-adNives), employ both pieces of the votive Mass on Saturdays, and
therefore also have it as Antiphona Post Evangelium. The singing of
this antiphon was favoured by the people of Milan.
* In the Roman rite:
The Sub tuum praesidium is used as an antiphon at the Nunc
Dimittis for Compline of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. Here
is the plain-song of tone VII, from the Roman Antiphonal of 1912:

More anecdotally, the Sub tuum praesidium is quoted as verse of

the fifth responsory of the second nocturn of the feast of the
Motherhood of the Virgin on October 11th, a feast instituted by Pope
Pius XI in 1931 to celebrate the 15th centennial of the Ecumenical
Council of Ephesus.

Historically, the oldest extant example of the use of Sub tuum in the
Roman rite is found in the antiphonal of Compigne (from the 9th10th century), which provides it among the Benedictus antiphons for
the Feast of the Assumption (Migne, PL 78, 799).
* In the Dominican rite:
As in the Roman liturgy, the Dominican rite also uses the Sub tuum
as an antiphon for the Nunc dimittis at Compline for several feasts
of the Virgin and at the office on Saturdays. The brothers kneel for
the singing the antiphon after the Nunc dimittis. Here are the
plainsong and the rubrics from the book of Compline of 1949:

The list of feasts where the Sub tuum is used was originally smaller,
as we can see in the antiphonal of 1862:

* In the Monastic use:

The antiphon is for devotional use. Here is the Sub tuum as
contained in the Appendix of the Antiphonale Monasticum of
Solesmes published in 1934:

* In the other Western uses and the piety of the faithful:

The former medieval and post-medieval practice in several
dioceses, especially in France, was to use the Sub tuum as the final
antiphon at Compline -- as in the rite of Paris until the 19th century
-- instead of the Salve Regina, by devotion.
Outside the strict frame of the liturgy, piety favoured the ancient
prayer. Dom Andr Wilmart published in 1932 a curious medieval
Office in honour of the seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary which is
attributed to Innocent IV (Authors spiritual, Paris, 1932, pp. 518,
523-26), in which the Sub tuum praesidium is the opening prayer of
every hour instead of the Pater or the Ave Maria.
In modern times the Salesians used it in honor of Mary Help of
Christians, while the Jesuits employed it for their exercises of piety
in common.
In France, the catechism sessions organized by the Fathers of
Christian Doctrine or the Jesuits included prayers easy to sing by
children, among them the Sub tuum. Thus, Marc-Antoine
Charpentier wrote his Sub tuum praesidium (H. 352) to be sung as
"second motet for catechism, for the middle break." Here is its
elegant melody:

Still in France from the nineteenth century onwards, the Sub tuum is
frequently used for benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Sub
tuum is often associated with the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, as, for
example, in the ordo of the procession made for the vow of Louis XIII
in the proper of the diocese of Paris. Many old French liturgical books
present the Sub tuum in a beautiful plainsong melody of the tone II.
Here it is, taken from an edition of Digne of 1858:

Conclusion
At the end of this small study of comparative liturgy, it is interesting
to track that this Egyptian antiphon of the third century has
remained consistently linked to the end of Evening prayer, as we
have seen in the Byzantine liturgy and in the Roman liturgy; the
sung context of this piece is related to the end of the evening
service and more specifically to the singing of the Canticle of
Simeon (a hymn which is also at the heart of the feast of the
Purification). From the trusting abandonment into the hands of
Divine Providence that the Canticle of Simeon proclaims (Now Thou
dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace),
the piety of the faithful have added the same confident
abandonment into the protection of our Heavenly Mother.

A partial indulgence is attached to the recitation of the Sub tuum

praesidium.

Cel mai vechi imn inchinat

Maicii Domnului
Mareste imaginea.
In randuiala Vecerniei zilelor de rand din Postul Mare intalnim cel mai vechi imn liturgic inchinat
Maicii Domnului, "Sub milostivirea ta (greaca: ; latina: Sub tuum
praesidium): "Sub milostivirea ta scapam, Nascatoare de Dumnezeu. Rugaciunile noastre nu le trece cu
vederea in nevoi, ci din primejdii ne izbaveste pe noi, una curata, una binecuvantata".
Aceasta rugaciune se regaseste, atat in riturile liturgice rasaritene,
cat
si apusene, de-a lungul timpului, existand mai multe variante textuale. Cea mai veche forma a acesteia,
initial scrisa in limba greaca si folosita in cadrul slujbelor din perioada Craciunului de catre crestinii copti,
dateaza de la anul 250 d.Hr.. Pe langa textul in limba greaca, vechi versiuni pot fi intalnite in limbile
copta, siriaca, armeana si latina.
Imnul "Sub milostivirea ta descoperit pe un papirus din secolul al III-lea
Textul acestei rugaciuni a fost descoperit in anul 1917 printre papirusurile egiptene achizitionate de
Biblioteca John Rylands din Manchester. Pe un fragment de papirus masurand 18 cm/ 9,4 cm, se afla
aceasta scurta rugaciune scrisa in limba greaca.
C.H. Roberts a publicat pentru prima data acest document in 1938. Initial, acesta a datat papirusul in
secolul al IV-lea, gandind ca este imposibil sa intalneasca referirea la Fecioara Maria ca "Theotokos
(Nascatoare de Dumnezeu) inainte de acest secol (vom vedea insa ca expresia Teotokos era folosita in
Alexandria inainte de anul 250 d.Hr.). Insa colegul acestuia E. Lobel, impreuna cu care a colaborat la
editarea papirusului Oxyrhynchus, bazandu-si argumentele numai pe analiza paleografica, a sustinut ca
textul nu poate fi mai vechi de secolul al III-lea, fiind cel mai probabil scris intre anii 250 - 280 d.Hr.
Fiind o rugaciune in care se invoca ajutorul si mijlocirea Maicii Domnului s-a afirmat ca a aparut intr-un
loc in care comunitatea crestina se afla intr-o primejdie iminenta, probabil in contextul persecutiilor ( din
timpul lui Valerian sau Deciu).
Imnul "Sub milostivirea ta - insemnatate teologica
Descoperirea si daterea acestei rugaciuni sunt de mare importanta intrucat ofera liturgistilor informatii
pretioase cu privire la dezvoltarea cultului Maicii Domnului in primele secole crestine.
Asemenea celorlalte rugaciuni liturgice vechi, imnul "Sub milostivirea ta", este caracterizat de o
simplitate si concizie a expresiilor. De asemenea, imnul contine si referinte biblice, ultimul cuvant
"binecuvantata, trimitand la salutul Elisabetei: "Binecuvantata esti tu intre femei (Luca 1,42)

Mai mult, acest imn sintetizeaza trei adevaruri de credinta fundamentale: 1. alegerea speciala a Maicii
Domnului de catre Dumnezeu ("una binecuvantata); 2. pururea fecioria Maicii Domnului ("una curata);
3. numele de Theotokos - Nascatoare de Dumnezeu - adresat Maicii Domnului.
Termenul Theotokos prezent in textul acestei rugaciuni, in timpul secolului al III-lea, cu 200 de ani mai
devreme de precizarea sa teologica in contextul ereziei lui Nestorie ( Sinodul al V-lea Ecumenic de la
Efes din anul 431) i-a creat probleme lui C. H. Roberts, editorul textului egiptean, legate de datarea
rugaciunii.
De altfel, termenul Theotokos nu este insa o inovatie a secolului al V-lea. In timpul secolului al IV-lea,
termenul era destul de popular in Alexandria (find intalnit la Sfantul Alexandru al Alexandriei, Sfantul
Atanasie, Sfantul Serapion de Thmuis, Didim cel Orb), precum si in Arabia, Palestina, Capadocia
(Sfantul Vasile cel Mare, Sfantul Grigorie de Nazianz) si chiar in randul arienilor (Asterie Sofistul).
Mai mult, termenul poate fi intalnit chiar in secolul al III-lea, in scrierile scolii din Alexandria. Potivit
marturiei istoricului bisericesc Socrates, Origen l-ar folosit in comentariul sau - din pacate pierdut - la
Epistola catre Romani. Ucenicul acestuia, Episcopul Dionisie al Alexandriei, a folosit la randul sau
termenul "Theotokos in jurul anului 250, intr-o epistola catre Paul de Samosata. Este interesant de
notat ca termenul nu a ramas doar un concept teologic, primind o dimensiune liturgica in Egipt, in
aceeasi perioada. Este dificil de mentionat insa daca discursul teologic a influnetat rugaciunea liturgica
sau vice-versa.
Astfel stand lucrurile, putem intelege mai bine atitudinea Sfantului Chiril al Alexandria impotriva ereziei
nestoriene in secolul al V-lea, cand termenul Theotokos era deja, de mai multa vreme, parte a traditiei
crestine traite si cantate in liturghia din Alexandria.
Imnul "Sub milostivirea ta - context liturgic
Initial, rugaciunea "Sub milostivirea ta" era folosiata in cultul coptilor, in cadrul slujbei Vecerniei oficiate
in perioada Craciunului. De asemenea, rugaciunea este intalnita in riturile liturgice bizantin, roman si
ambrozian.
In ritul liturgic bizantin, imnul este cantat in timpul Vecerniei zilelor de rand din Postul Mare, dupa cele
trei tropare: Nascatoare de Dumnezeu Fecioara, Troparul Sfantului Ioan Botezatorul si Troparul Sfintilor
Apostoli.
Contextul liturgic al cantarii este legat de incheierea slujbei de seara si de plecarea credinciosilor.
Cantarea lui Simeon ("Acum slobozeste pe robul tau, Stapane, dupa cuvatul Tau in pace") in care se
invoca credinta in purtarea de grija a lui Dumnezeu, este urmata, in plan liturgic, de imnul "Sub
milostivirea ta", in care invocam purtarea de grija a Imparatesei Cerurilor.
Daca, in fiecare din aceste rituri, in pofida vechimii sale, imnul Sub milostivirea ta, detine insa un loc
smerit, aproape marginal, nu acelasi lucru il putem spune despre locul pe care il ocupa in inimile
credinciosilor, aceasta fiind unul dintre cele mai indragite imne liturgice.
Urmand insa Bisericii Ortodoxe Ruse, in Biserica Ortodoxa Romana aceasta cantare liturgica este
interpretata si in afara perioadei Postului Mare, in special la Sfanta Liturghie, in timpul impartasirii
preotului.
Atat in traditia liturgica rusa, cat si in cea romana, varianta muzicala cea mai raspandita a acestui imn
apartine lui Dimitrie Bortniansky.
In traditia rusa, la sfarsitul acestui imn au fost adaugate si invocarile: "Preasfanta Nascatoare de
Dumnezeu, mantuieste-ne pe noi!; Sfintilor Arhangheli, rugati-va lui Dumnezeu pentru noi!; Toti sfintii,
rugati-va lui Dumnezeu pentru noi!".
Radu Alexandru

So far, the earliest known prayer to the Virgin Mary is known as

Beneath thy compassion (Greek: ). The earliest
text of this hymn was found in a Christmas liturgy of the third century. It is
written in Greek and dates to approximately 250 A.D.
In 1917, the John Rylands Library in Manchester acquired a large panel
of Egyptian papyrus including the 18 cm by 9.4 cm fragment shown at
left, containing the text of this prayer in Greek.
C.H. Roberts published this document in 1938. His colleague E. Lobel,
with whom he collaborated in editing the Oxyrhynchus papyri, basing
his arguments on paleographic analysis, argued that the text could not
possibly be older than the third century, and most probably was written
between 250 and 300. This hymn thus precedes the Hail Mary in
Christian prayer by several centuries.
Interestingly, the hymn calls Mary Theotokos (she who gave birth to
God) two centuries before the Nestorian heresy arose. By the fourth
century, the term was already popular in the area of Alexandria (St.
Alexander of Alexandria, St. Athanasius, St. Serapion of Thmuis,
Didymus the Blind), and also in Arabia (Titus of Bostra), in Palestine
(Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Cyril of Jerusalem), Cappadocia (St. Basil of
Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzen, Severian of Gabala.)
The term Theotokos may be encountered during the previous century as
well in the work of the Alexandrian school. According to the testimony
of the ecclesiastical historian Socrates (Hist. Eccl. VII, 32 PG 67, 812 B),
Origen used it in his commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. This
commentary is unfortunately now lost, but Origens disciple, Bishop
Dionysius of Alexandria, also used the term Theotokos around the year
250 in an extant epistle to Paul of Samosata. It is interesting to note that
the term did not remain a mere theological concept, but was actively
and popularly used in public services of prayer.
Of course this hymn is familiar to Orthodox Christians, who still sing it
at the end of nearly every Vespers (evening prayer) service during the
fasting season of Lent. It is also found prominently in the liturgies of the
Oriental churches and in Roman Catholic worship. It can be heard in
Greek at the three minute mark of the video below:
http://silouanthompson.net/2014/03/oldest-hymn-to-the-theotokos/

 , , .

,
,

,
, .
Chanted by the Archon Protopsaltes T. Stanitsas Danielides and the Archon
Lambadarios N. Danielides:
http://www.ec-patr.net/en/psaltai/danielides/index.php?what=4

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