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Paschal troparion

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The Paschal troparion or Christos anesti (Greek: Χριστός ἀνέστη) is the characteristic troparion for the celebration of Pascha (Easter) in the Byzantine Rite.

Like most troparia, it is a brief stanza often used as a refrain between the verses of a psalm, but is also used on its own. It is sung in the first plagal (or fifth) tone. Its author or date is unknown.

Text

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Greek Transliteration English translation[1] Poetic English translation
by Vladimir Morosan
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν,
θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας,
καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι,
ζωὴν χαρισάμενος!
 Christós anésti ek nekrón,
thanáto thánaton patísas,
ké tís en tís mnímasi,
zoín charisámenos!
Christ is risen from the dead,
by death trampling death,
and to those in the tombs
granting life!
Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs
bestowing life!

The first line paraphrases from 1 Corinthians 15:20 (Νυνὶ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν).[2] The troparion is part of the Paschal Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Rite, and it was certainly in use in the 5th or 6th century.[2] Its ultimate origin is unknown; Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) (2009) has suggested a 2nd-century origin.[3]

Usage

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According to the testimony of the Jerusalem tropologion (or iadgari, an ancient hymnography surviving only in a Georgian translation of the 8th century[4]), the troparion was sung at the end of the Easter Vigil in the late ancient Jerusalem Easter liturgy.[2] Based on the Typikon of the Great Church, the troparion was part of the non-monastic liturgy at the Hagia Sophia by the 10th century.[2]

In Finland, the Orthodox Church of Finland is a minority church. However, the Orthodox Easter Vigil has been broadcast on radio and television for decades, and so the troparion gradually became well-known to non-Orthodox Finns. In 1986, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland – the largest religious denomination in the country — added the troparion to its revised official hymnal, where it is hymn number 90, used for Easter. It is recommended to be sung three times in succession.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Greek". Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America. 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  2. ^ a b c d Derek Krueger, "The transmission of liturgical joy in Byzantine hymns for Easter", in: Bitton-Ashkelony and Krueger (eds.) Prayer and Worship in Eastern Christianities, 5th to 11th Centuries (2016), p. 139 and note 41.
  3. ^ Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective, Crestwood, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (2009), p. 34.
  4. ^ Andrew Wade, The Oldest Iadgari: The Jerusalem Tropologion V-VIII c. (1984)
  5. ^ Hanna (2017-11-21). "Virsi 90 - Kristus nousi kuolleista". Virsikirja.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2022-09-06.
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