Was the order of the Great O Antiphons dictated by something in the
OT, decided upon by a person, or did it come about by tradition?
I don't know who devised it, but it does contain a most wonderful
bit of mediaeval word play.
Just think:
You have a whopping big folio on your lectern and all the "O"
antiphons are lined up with BIG illuminated Initials.
S apientia (Wisdom)
A donai (Lord)
R adix Jesse (The Offspring of Jesse)
C lavis David (The Key - or Sceptre ? - of King David)
O riens (The Dayspring from on High)
R ex gentium (King of the Gentiles / Nations )
E Emmanuel (God-with-us)
You get to Christmas Eve and you LOOK BACK and read them off
from RIGHT to LEFT
E R O C R A S
Ero cras
"I will come tomorrow!" ie on Christmas Day.
Was it deliberate or was it one of those seriously spooky
coincidences ?
When I first discovered this, it made the hair on my neck
creep.
It still make me twitch. I wonder how many more little things like
this are lurking about unappreciated in liturgy, in scripture, in art
.......?
Merry Christmas everyone - May the Light shine out of the darkness
for all of us.
Brenda.
