The O Antiphons are Magnificat antiphons used at Vespers of the last seven days of Advent in Western Christian traditions.
Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture. They are:
In the Roman Catholic tradition in which they originated, the O Antiphons are sung or recited at Vespers from December 17 to December 23 inclusive (but see note below on alternative English usage).
In the Church of England they have traditionally been used as antiphons to the Magnificat at Evening Prayer during this period, and although not printed in the Book of Common Prayer, have long been part of secondary Anglican liturgical sources, such as the English Hymnal. More recently they have found a place in primary liturgical documents throughout the Anglican Communion, including the Church of England's Common Worship liturgy.
Use of the O Antiphons also occurs in many Lutheran churches. In the Book of Common Worship published by the Presbyterian Church (USA), the antiphons can be read as a praise litany at Morning or Evening Prayer.
The hymn O come, O come, Emmanuel (in Latin, Veni Emmanuel) is a lyrical paraphrase of these antiphons.
The first letters of the titles taken backwards form a Latin acrostic of "Ero Cras" which translates to "Tomorrow, I will be there", mirroring the theme of the antiphons.
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According to Fr. William Saunders:[1]
| “ | The exact origin of the "O Antiphons" is not known. Boethius (480–524/5) used language which may be a reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence in the sixth century. At the Benedictine Saint Benedict Abbey of Fleury (now Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire), these antiphons were recited by the abbot and other abbey leaders in descending rank, and then a gift was given to each member of the community. By the eighth century, they were in use in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. The usage of the "O Antiphons" was so prevalent in monasteries that the phrases "Keep your O" and "The Great O Antiphons" were common parlance. One may thereby conclude that in some fashion the "O Antiphons" have been part of Western liturgical tradition since the very early Church.
The Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose.[2] If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one—Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia—the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come". Therefore Jesus, whose coming Christians have prepared for in Advent and whom they have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to them: "Tomorrow, I will come." So the "O Antiphons" not only bring intensity to their Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion. |
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A number of other antiphons were found in various medieval breviaries.[3]
The importance of the "O Antiphons" is twofold. First, each one is a title for the Messiah. Secondly, each one refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. The Latin antiphons are from the Breviarium Romanum. The English versions, which are not always literal translations of the Latin, are from the Church of England's Common Worship liturgy. Biblical quotations are from the NRSV.
Latin:
English:
Isaiah had prophesied:
Also compare Sirach 24:3 and Wisdom of Solomon 8:1
This prophecy is also relevant in that it describes the Messiah as "coming forth from the mouth of the Most High", which is very significant in light of the Christian doctrine, rooted in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, according to which Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the Incarnate Word of God the Father.
Latin:
English:
Isaiah had prophesied:
Also compare Exodus 3:2 and Exodus 24:12
Latin:
English:
Isaiah had prophesied:
Jesse was the father of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Also compare Isaiah 45:14, Isaiah 52:15 and Romans 15:12.
Latin:
English:
Isaiah had prophesied:
Latin:
English:
(Note: A literal translation of the Latin yields "O Rising Sun", but the poetic "O Morning Star" is often preferred.)
Isaiah had prophesied:
Also compare Isaiah 60:1-2 and Malachi 4:2; Ml 3,20
Latin:
English:
Isaiah had prophesied:
Also compare Isaiah 28:16 and Ephesians 2:14
Latin:
English:
Isaiah had prophesied:
(Emmanuel means God is with us).
Although the antiphons and dates shown above have been fairly universally recognised throughout western Christendom, an alternative English medieval practice arose of moving all of the antiphons forward by one day (commencing therefore on 16 December) and adding an additional (eighth) antiphon on 23 December, with the acrostic thus becoming Vero cras, "truly, tomorrow". This is the antiphon O Virgo virginum (O Virgin of virgins), with the following text:
Latin:
English:
Given the English origins of this alternative, it has traditionally been the version used in the Church of England (including Canterbury Cathedral) until modern times, and is the version printed in traditional Church of England liturgical sources including the English Hymnal and New English Hymnal. From 2000, however, the Church of England appears to have taken an official step away from English medieval practice towards the more universal norm, as Common Worship makes provision for the sevenfold version of the antiphons, and not the eightfold version. This antiphon also appears in the Graduale of the Premonstratensian Order and it is still used by those monasteries.
Accompanying the O Antiphons are two Antiphons said at Lauds, on December 21 and 23, also relating to the theme of the upcoming birth of Christ. The first, due to the feast of St Thomas falling on December 21, is traditionally used instead in the commemoration of the feria. With the transference of this feast to July 3 in the revised calendar, these are again used in the Liturgy of the Hours as antiphons. The Monday through Saturday which fall on the days of the O Antiphons also have their own antiphons for the psalms of Lauds, rather than repeating the antiphons of the previous Sunday, as is otherwise done in Advent.
Nolite timere: quinta enim die veniet ad vos Dominus noster.
Ecce completa sunt omnia, quae dicta sunt per Angelum de Virgine Maria.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier completed a setting of the O antiphons in the early 1690s. In the twentieth century, the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt set a German translation of these antiphons for SATB unaccompanied choir, under the title Magnificat Antiphonen. The British composer Bob Chilcott has set the Latin version of these antiphons for SSAATTBB unaccompanied choir, under the title Advent Antiphons. Other examples include a major setting in Latin (35 minutes) by Polish composer Paweł Łukaszewski (b. 1968) composed between 1995–99; settings by American composers John Muehleisen (b. 1955), composed in 1996, and R. Anthony Lee (b. 1936), composed in 1999; and by the well-known American composer of liturgical music in the Episcopalian and Anglican traditions, Peter Hallock (b. 1924), whose setting was composed in 1986.