The O Antiphons: History, Theology and Spirituality
Note: this is a slightly revised version of an unpublished catechetical talk, given by the author in December 2015.
By Matthew Hazell
History of the O Antiphons
Part II
Theology of the O Antiphons
The O Antiphons are a magnificent mosaic of biblical passages, weaving together the Law, Prophets and Writings from the Old Testament along with their fulfilment in the New Testament. For the final stretch of our Advent preparation, the liturgy on each day gives us an entry point for meditation on the Incarnate Word, the Son of God who "by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man" (Nicene Creed), and thus they help us to focus on the true meaning of the Advent and Christmas seasons.
From our standpoint in history, the antiphons point us back towards the joyful event of the Incarnation, the First Coming of Christ, which makes possible the saving events of Holy Week and Easter. Yet they also point us forward to the Second Coming of Christ; they help us to "be alert at all times" (Luke 21:36). Our preparation during Advent for the coming of Christ at Christmas is a model of how we can prepare for his coming again, and the O Antiphons are a small yet vital part of how the Church, through her liturgy, helps us in this. To illustrate this, let us take a more detailed look at three of the antiphons: O Sapientia, O Oriens, and O Emmanuel.
"O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviter disponensque omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come, and teach us the way of prudence."
This antiphon draws us into the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, parts of which are quoted almost word for word in the first half of the antiphon: "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, the first-born before all creatures" (Sirach 24:3a); "She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well [Lat. suaviter]" (Wisdom 8:1).
Something that we need to bear in mind with the O Antiphons is that they do not just quote or point us towards specific biblical texts. They guide us towards biblical and theological themes. To begin to understand the antiphons—and, indeed, the liturgy of the Church in general—we must enter into the Bible, become ever more familiar with its texts. With the antiphon we are looking at in this case, O Sapientia, we should therefore look not only at the verses explicitly quoted, but also the passages implicit in the antiphon, such as Proverbs 8:
"The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth… When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the sons of men." (Proverbs 8:22-23, 27-31)"
This personification of wisdom in the Old Testament [7] prepares us for the revelation of the Trinity in the New Testament. John’s Gospel in particular identifies Jesus with the personification of divine wisdom. In the Old Testament, wisdom is "a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty" (Wisdom 7:24); Jesus had glory with the Father before the creation of the world, and manifests that glory to men on earth (John 1:14; 17:5, 22, 24). Wisdom roams the streets, seeking people and crying out to them (Proverbs 1:20-21; 8:1-4; Wisdom 6:16); Jesus searches out people and proclaims his invitation (John 1:43; 5:14; 7:37; 9:35; cf. Luke 19:10). And, quoting Sirach, O Sapientia tells us that wisdom came forth from the mouth of the Most High (Sirach 24:3a); John tells us that not only was Jesus "in the beginning with God", but that he is "the only-begotten Son from the Father" (John 1:1-2, 14; cf. 1 John. 4:2).
This first O Antiphon, then, shows us the "maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible" (Nicene Creed), and reveals to us the Wisdom of God, who is Christ.
"O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
O Rising Sun, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death."
This antiphon occurs on December 21, which here in the northern hemisphere is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. It is fitting, then, that on the day when darkness and shadows are at their most prominent in the natural world, the liturgy should call to our minds the light of Christ, the dawning of the Son of God. Indeed, in the Mass, the people of God, led by their priest, face ad orientem together, towards the rising sun, constantly looking for the second coming of Christ in worship, supplication and sacrifice. This is a practice that goes back to the earliest times of the Church, and it is only since the Second Vatican Council that this orientation has been disturbed by the practice of the priest facing the people (without mandate from the Council documents, it should be added. [8]
Even though this potent liturgical symbolism is in urgent need of recovery in the contemporary Church, the texts of the liturgy, especially in Advent, spiritually orient us towards the Rising Sun, the Oriens, Jesus Christ. For example, the epistle in the traditional Roman Rite for the 4th Sunday of Advent is from 1 Corinthians 4, in which we read: "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart." (v. 5; cf. Hebrews 2:3). [9] This theme of illumination and of the Son of God coming in glory permeates the Advent season. And in this O Antiphon, the words sol iustitiae point us towards part of the biblical background for the Lord’s coming: "But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings" (Malachi 4:2a [Vg 3:20]).
It is worth looking at this phrase in the wider context of Malachi, which talks about "the day" of the Lord, the day when he will return, the day when good and evil men alike will be judged by God. The evil, even though they may prosper now (Malachi 3:15), will be burned up by the Lord, and for them that day will be a day of destruction. But the "sun of justice", Jesus Christ, will come and save those who serve the Lord. Advent is not just a preparation to celebrate the first coming of our Saviour into the world, but a time of preparation for his second coming, when his light will expose all our deeds whether we are ready or not (cf. John 3:16-21). And our Lord himself warned us about this coming day:
"Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36)"
Addressing Christ as O Oriens is part of the liturgy’s constant help and encouragement for us to orient our lives towards God in this Advent season and receive his grace, in preparation not only to celebrate his first coming at Christmas, but also to be ready for his second coming at the end of time.
"O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.
O Emmanuel, our King and lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Saviour: come to save us, O Lord our God."
The biblical background of this antiphon is familiar to everyone: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." (Matthew 1:23; cf. Isaiah 7:14). Emmanuel means "God is with us", so it is fitting that this antiphon comes just before we celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation, that moment in history when the name “Emmanuel” was truly fulfilled.
As well as being a prophecy fulfilled by Jesus, Matthew’s quotation of Isaiah serves another purpose in the context of his Gospel. If we turn to the very last words of Jesus in Matthew 28:20, we read "behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age". We can thus see that the name Emmanuel brackets and surrounds the whole of Matthew’s Gospel. At the beginning, the promise is fulfilled in the most wonderful of ways by our Lord’s incarnation and birth; at the end, this fulfilment is shown to be everlasting by virtue of his death, resurrection and ascension. Indeed, Jesus also tells us in Matthew that "where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (18:20). [10] The presence of the Lord in his Church, especially in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, shows that this O Antiphon has a far wider scope than the Advent season. Our preparation to celebrate the Lord’s first coming means that the antiphon has particular significance for Advent, but it also draws us into the present: God is with us now in his Church and Sacraments, so that we might be saved by him.
"Ancient codex, containing the O Antiphon"
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