4th Friday of Lent Message

By Fr. Nick Kotsis - On the first 5 Fridays during Great Lent, we honor Christ and the Theotokos through the Service of the Salutations to the Virgin Mary.  Why?
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​The origins go back to the 7th century AD.  In 626 AD, the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire (known as the Byzantine Empire at this point by historians), was attacked by the Avars.  The Avars where a nomadic people from the Asian steppe.  They entered Europe in the early 6th century and settled in eastern Europe (especially in Austria, Hungary, and Romania).  For a century, the Avars attacked the Roman Empire in the Balkans and were quite a problem for them.

In 626 AD, Heraclios, the Emperor of the Romans, left Constantinople on a campaign against another perennial enemy, the Persians.  While he was far from the capital, the Avars attacked Constantinople. Patriarch Sergios took an icon of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ-child around Constantinople and around the great walls of the city.  While doing this, the bishops, priests, and people offered up prayers to the Mother of God for deliverance from the Avars.  During these long prayers, the people remained standing.  That night, a great storm came to the area, destroyed the fleet the Avars were using, and forced the Avars to retreat.  Because of this great victory, especially with the absence of the Emperor and the army,  the Church has offered the service of the Salutations to the Virgin Mary, and over time, it became part of the Lenten schedule of services.

The great hymn that comes from the service, Ti Ipermaho, recounts the Virgin Mary helping to deliver the City (Constantinople) from the enemy (“Oh Champion General, I your city now inscribe to you…”)  Today, however, the hymn is not just meant for one city, but for all of the faithful Orthodox who seek intercession and deliverance from the Virgin Mary from any sort of calamity.

The Salutations to the Virgin Mary is essentially a Compline Service.  However, 24 stanzas (one for each letter of the Greek alphabet and each stanza begins with that letter in Greek) are added recounting the importance and purpose of the Virgin Mary to the Orthodox Faith.  Many of the prayers recount instances from the Old Testament in which the Virgin Mary is understood to be present spiritually.  For example, the Virgin Mary is understood as the rock in the desert, which Moses struck with his staff, which then poured out water for the Israelites.  Thus, the Virgin Mary is the source of the life-sustaining water, Christ.  There are many such allusions to the Virgin Mary in the Old Testament during this service.

For the first 4 Fridays of Great Lent, the 24 stanzas are broken up into 6 stanzas per night.  On the 5th Friday of Great Lent, all of the stanzas are prayed throughout the course of the entire service.  That last service is also called the Akathistos (meaning “not sitting”) recounting the people of Constantinople standing all night in prayer to the Theotokos for deliverance from the enemy.

​Below, I’ve included some information about the Virgin Mary as understood in the Old Testament.  That’s addendum A.  In addendum B, is a little information about what happened when Emperor Heraclios conquered the Persians – as it is pertinent to the history of the Holy Cross of Christ.

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ADDENDUM A
 
The Theotokos – Part II
Allusions in the Old Testament

1. As we discussed last week, the Theotokos is discussed specifically on few occasions in the Holy Scripture:

• Most of what we know if from Tradition and extra-scriptural texts

2. Fathers of the Church see her in the Old Testament:

• As the Ark (of the covenant, not of Noah) – (Ex 25:10-22) – because the glory of God settled on her, just as the glory of God descended on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant
  • Hail! O tabernacle of God the Logos… (p.41)
• As Aaron’s Rod (Num 17:1-11) – Just as Aaron’s Rod sprouted miraculously in the OT, so too, The Theotokos has budded forth the Flower of Immortality, Christ
  • Hail! O mystical Rod which blossomed the unfading flower… (p.21)
• Burning bush (Ex 3:1-6) – On Sinai, Moses saw the burning bush that was not consumed.  So too, the Theotokos bore the fire of Divinity, but was not consumed
  • O cause of joy, gladden our minds, so that we may cry unto You: Hail! O Bush unburning… (p. 20)
  • Verily Moses comprehended in the bush the great Mystery of Your Birth-giving.  This was pre-signified clearly by the three Youths, who stood in the fire and yet were not burned.  For this O Pure, Holy Virgin we praise you in all the ages. (p. 23)
• Candlestick (Ex 25:31-40) – Golden Candlesticks in the Sanctuary.  The Theotokos is the candlestick which held that Light Which illumines the world
  • As a light-bearing candle, shining upon those in darkness we behold the Holy Virgin, for enkindling the celestial Light, she guides everyone to Divine knowledge, and by her radiance illuminating the mind… (p. 40)
• Censer (Lev 16:12, Heb 9:1-6) – Just as the censer holds a burning coal, so too the Theotokos held the Living Coal which did not burn her – she also offers up her prayers to her son and her God for all of us – as the incense sends up our prayers to God
  • Hail! O incense acceptable for intercession… (p. 30)
• Cloud (Ex 13:20-22) – The Israelites were led by a Cloud of Light in the day and a cloud of fire by night, showing the presence of God in their midst.  The Theotokos is a Cloud, bearing God within.
  • He who sits in Glory on the Throne of Divinity, Jesus, the Most-High God came in a light cloud and saved… (p. 16)
  • Hail!…Cloud ever-shining, incessantly shading the faithful (p. 20)
  • Hail! O fiery pillar, leading the earthly to the Heavenly life (p. 24)
• Fleece (Judges 6:36-40) – Here we read about the dew which appeared miraculously on Gideon’s fleece.  The Dew, Christ, appeared miraculously on the living fleece, the Theotokos
  • From you dripped the dew that extinguished the flame of polytheism.  Wherefore we cry unto You: Hail! O Virgin, the dewy fleece which Gideon foresaw of old
• Holy of Holies (Ex 26:31-35, Heb. 9:1-7) – Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies.  The Theotokos is the Holy of Holies into which only the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, entered
  • Hail! You, who are the only Gate through which only the Logos had passed, and who shattered the bars and gates of Hades, with your birth-giving…(p. 16)
  • Ladder (Gen 28:10-17) – In a dream Jacob saw a ladder ascending to Heaven, with angels ascending and descending it.  The Theotokos is the Ladder, stretching from the earth to Heaven, for on it God descended to man, and upon it man can become like God (St. Athanasios)
  • Hail! O Ladder, elevating all from earth by Grace.  Hail! O Bridge, which leads all who praise you from death unto life. (p. 17)
  • Hail! O heavenly ladder, by which God descended.  Hail! O bridge, conveying those from earth to heaven…(p. 28)
• Mountain (Dan 2:34, 45) – The prophet Daniel saw a mountain, from which was cut a stone, not by the hand of man.  This is a reference to the miraculous Virgin Birth which was accomplished without the hand of man.
  • In faith with voices of song O all-praised one, we sing unto you; Hail! O mountain of spiritual riches seasoned by the Spirit…(p.17)
  • Hail! Unhewn mountain and depth unfathomable (p. 19)
• Stem of Jesse (Is 11:1, 10, Lk 3:31, 32) – In the Nativity services, the Christ is referred to as the Rod from the Stem of Jesse, indicating His lineage from David, which was fulfilled through the Theotokos, who was a stem of the line of David, the son of Jesse
• Palace (Dan 6:18) – The Theotokos was the palace within which the King, Christ, dwelt
  • Hail! O blameless one, the palace of the only King…(p. 14)
• Tabernacle and Holy Table (Ex 40:34) – Refers to the Holy Table on which, at the Divine Liturgy, the Divine Food is offered.  The Theotokos is the Holy Table which bore the Bread of Life (John 6:30-59)
  • Hail! O living table holding the Bread of Life… (p. 15)
  • Hail! O pure maiden, spacious tabernacle of the Logos…(p.19)
  • Praising your Son, we all praise you, O Theotokos, as a living temple; for dwelling in your womb, the Lord, Who holds the universe in His hands, sanctified and glorified you and taught all to cry unto you…(p. 41)
• Temple (Ezek 44:1-2) – The prophet Ezekiel speaks of the temple whose east gate remains sealed, through which only the Lord, God of Israel, has entered.  This prophesies the virgin birth of the Theotokos
  • Let us stand reverently in the Temple of our God and let us cry out…(p. 24)
• Throne (Ps 9:7, 11:4, 45:6, Is 6:1, Dan 7:9) – The Theotokos is the throne upon which Christ, the King of all, rests.
  • Hail! O fiery Throne of the Almighty (p. 14)
  • Hail! For you are the King’s throne.  Hail! That you bear Him, Who bears the universe (p. 27)
• Urn (Ex 16:33, Heb 9:1-7) – The Ark of the Covenant contained within itself a golden urn filled with the heavenly manna.  The Theotokos is the Urn which contained Christ, the Divine Manna
• Vine (Gen 49:10-12, Zech 8:12) – The Theotokos is the Vine which bore the Ripe Cluster of Grapes, Christ our Lord.
  • Hail!...O true vine which sprouted the mystical grapes, dripping with spiritual wine, and satisfying the souls of those who faithfully glorify you (p. 21)
  • Hail! O branch of the unwithering Vine.  Hail! O possession of Fruit untainted (p. 29)
• Rock (Ex 17:6, Num 20:11) – Moses struck a rock with his rod and water came forth, giving life to the people as they sojourned in the wilderness.  The Theotokos is the rock from which springs forth Living Water, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
  • Hail! O rock, refreshing those who thirst for life (p. 33)

​Much of this was taken from, These Truths We Hold O The Holy Orthodox Church: Her life and Teachings, published by St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press written by a monk of St. Tikhon’s Monastery.

ADDENDUM B
Emperor Heraclios and the Holy Cross

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The Holy Cross was found by St. Helen, the mother of St. Constantine, in the 4th century AD (once it was discovered and proven to be the true Cross, Patriarch Makarios of Jerusalem held it high – it was September 14th, and thus the feastday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14th every year thereafter).  It was kept in Jerusalem at that point, probably in the Church of the Resurrection.  In 613 AD, Jerusalem, under the Roman Empire (the capital being Constantinople) was sacked by the Persians and the Cross was taken to Persia.  In 626 AD, during Emperor Heraclios’ campaign against the Persians, the Romans defeated the Persians, and the son of the Persian king gave the Holy Cross back to Emperor Heraclios as part of the terms of peace.  Heraclios took a portion back to Constantinople, but he brought most of it back to Jerusalem.

At this same time, just when the war was over with the Persians, the armies of Islam burst out of the Arabian peninsula.  Possibly because the Empire’s resources had been so depleted due of the war with the Persians, coupled with the ferocity of the Islamic armies, the Muslims quickly conquered most of the Middle East and north Africa within a century.  However, the cross remained in Jerusalem throughout much of this period and was often hidden if things were not going well with the Muslims overlords.

The cross re-appeared after the 1st Crusade c. 1099 AD, when the Latin crusaders took Jerusalem from the Muslims.  However, in 1187 AD, the crusaders lost Jerusalem to Saladin.  From that point on, the main portion of the cross has been lost.

The part that was in Constantinople remained there until 1204, when during the 4th Crusade, the Latin crusaders conquered, and completely sacked, the city.  Nearly all the important relics that were in Constantinople, including the piece of the Holy Cross that Heraclios had brought to the city, were taken to Venice or other places in the Roman Catholic world.  Louis IX of France (also known as St. Louis in the Roman Catholic Church – died 1270 AD), bought 2 pieces of the cross that were taken from Constantinople.  He had a church (Sainte-Chapelle) built in Paris to hold these relics.  However, during the French Revolution, those pieces were lost (either pious people hid them and they have never been found, or the lunatic revolutionaries destroyed them, as they did with so many relics that were in French churches during the revolution).

I don’t know what happened to the portion of the cross Louis IX did not buy.  It was probably kept by the Venetians, but I’m not sure. ​​