Passion Week
Holy Week sounds beautiful, but I prefer the nomenclature Passion Week, which reflects what we have preserved in ge’ez as simune himamat (the week of sufferings). I follow the Ephremian formula of feeding the flock scripture and liturgy. For all matters scripture and patristics, and the exegesis (interpretation) thereof, I look toward Antioch. And for all matters of liturgy, I look toward Alexandria. This is Aksum.
Fr. Theodore Ghaly, Coptic priest and podcaster of Into the Deep, recently mentioned their Alexandrine hymn Ⲑⲱⲕ ⲧⲉ ϯϫⲟⲙ (Thok te tigom):: The words were immediately familiar to me, and I have seen SPOT church in DC using identical lyrics to the common translation of theirs in English:
Thine is the power, the glory, the blessing, and the majesty, forever Amen.
Fr. Theodore says we sing this hymn at each hour, as a substitute liturgy of hours. The ge'ez is as follows:
leke hayl, kbr, we’sibhat, we’izez iske le’alem
unto you is power, honor, glory, and command unto forever
This is interspersed with a hundred and one names of Jesus including my favorite, despot. The ge’ez of Passion Week is bursting at the seems with Old Greek and Coptic. It reminds us how multicultural our Afroasiatic Orthodox communion really is.
If you are stuck at work, or otherwise unable to attend Passion Week services, please prostrate or bow-down at least once every canonical hour (6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm, and midnight) and say this beautiful hymn, remembering that in his death is power.
Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. (1 Chronicles 29:11)