Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

I invested a little time this morning in the search for a fresh version of "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel," the oldest (and my favorite) hymn of Advent. We'll light the fourth and final candle of the season (save the Christ candle on Christmas Eve) tomorrow morning.

Translated into English as "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," the hymn (or carol) is based upon the “O” Antiphons --- seven brief prayers traditionally spoken, chanted or sung in sequence, one each during evening prayer, or vespers, in the final days of Advent --- the Octave before Christmas which begins today, Dec. 17, and concludes on Dec. 24.

The Great O’s are among the oldest liturgical elements of Advent, found in literature dating to the sixth century and familiar in monasteries across Christendom by the eighth. Traditionally used with the Magnificat, the O’s are most familiar in the Roman Catholic, Anglican/Episcopal and Lutheran churches.

Each antiphon begins with the acclamation “O,” followed by titles for the Messiah based upon the prophecy of Isaiah --- O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Dayspring), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations) and O Emmanuel (O God with Us).

Another cool thing about the O’s is that the monks who arranged these antiphons centuries ago in prescribed order incorporated a message by doing so. By starting with the last title and taking the first letter of each, Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai and Sapientia, the Latin words “ero cras,” translated as “Tomorrow, I will come,” are formed, an ancient way of announcing a joyful end to Advent preparations for the Messiah.

The performers here are members of the Valley Arts Society, a community choral performance society  open to anyone in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and West Virginia. Look carefully and you'll see that many of the singers are affiliated with anabaptist congregations in the region. This version was recorded in December of 2019.