O Adonai - II

How to remember the order of the O-Antiphons?

Well, in reverse order, the initials of the second word in each compose the phrase reverently put on the lips of Our Lord, the King Who is to come: Ero cras - "I shall be (with you) to-morrow". Holy Church, His Bride, therefore cries out, responding to His Advent in wondering joy, naming him with blessed titles drawn from Holy Writ, inspired by the Holy Ghost.

The Antiphons are therefore: O Sapientia, O Adonai, O Radix Jesse, O Clavis David, O Oriens, O Rex Gentium, O Emmanuel.

So to-night comes O Adonai: for the text, the chant and the sources, just follow this link to my post concerning all this last year...

(Obviously I refer to the Roman Rite here; the English mediæval rites began these anthems a day earlier, and had an extra one, O Virgo Virginum; and other mediæval uses had as many as twelve of them.)

O Adonai

At Vespers on the 18th of December:

 

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israël, qui Moysi in igne flammæ rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in bracchio extento.

O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, Who to Moses in the fire of flames of a bush didst appear, and to him on Sinai the Law didst give: come to redeem us with arm extended.

Suggested sources:

• …ex te enim exiet dux, qui regat populum meum Israël. (Mt 2:6d; cf. Mic 5:2c)

• …domus Israël… (appears 87 times in Vulg.)

• Apparuitque ei [Moyses] Dominus in flamma ignis de medio rubi… (Ex 3:2a; cf. v.1)

• qui apparui Abraham, Isaac et Jacob in Deo omnipotente: et nomen meum Adonai non indicavi eis. (Ex 6:3b et passim in lingua Hebraice)

• «et ei in Sina legem dedisti» – (cf. Ex 20:1 et passim)

• Quæ est autem ut populus tuus Israël gens in terra, propter quam ivit Deus ut redimeret eam sibi in populum, et poneret sibi nomen, faceretque eis magnalia et horribilia super terram a facie populi tui quem redemisti tibi ex Ægypto, gentem, et deum ejus. (2 Reg 7:23 et passim)

• Quia veni, et non erat vir; vocavi, et non erat qui audiret. Numquid abbreviata et parvula facta est manus mea, ut non possim redimere? aut non est in me virtus ad liberandum? Ecce in increpatione mea desertum faciam mare, ponam flumina in siccum; computrescent pisces sine aqua, et morientur in siti. (Is 50:2)

• Et eduxisti populum tuum Israël de terra Ægypti, in signis et in portentis, et in manu robusta et in brachio extento, et in terrore magno...  (Jer 32:21)