Hymns by Gregory Nazianzus

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Louis L Sorenson
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Hymns by Gregory Nazianzus

Post by Louis L Sorenson »

I've been reading some of the Creeds as of late, and searching around the Church Fathers, found some hymns and other short writings of Gregory Nazianen (Gregory the Theologian).
Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329[1] – January 25 389 or 390[1]) (also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen) was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age.[2]:xxi As a classically trained speaker and philosopher he infused Hellenism into the early church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials.[2]:xxiv

Gregory made a significant impact on the shape of Trinitarian theology among both Greek- and Latin-speaking theologians, and he is remembered as the "Trinitarian Theologian". Much of his theological work continues to influence modern theologians, especially in regard to the relationship among the three Persons of the Trinity. Along with the two brothers Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, he is known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers. Read more on Wikipedia .....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_of_Nazianzus
I'm wondering several things, one, what is the meter of some of these hymns? Are there any tunes that go with them? I wonder if they would fit any modern tunes. Anyways, these hymns are some easy reading. You can cut and paste them into the Hopperizer to link them to the LSJ lexicon and parsing. http://www.katabiblon.com/tools/perseus-hopperizer/. He does seem to use some Homeric Greek phrases? Χριστοῖο Θεοῦ μεγάλοιο and πλῆσεν for ἔπλησεν(?).


ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΕΠΗ.
ΒΙΒΛΟΣ Αʹ. ΕΠΗ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΙΚΑ.
ΤΟΜΗ Αʹ. ΕΠΗ ΔΟΓΜΑΤΙΚΑ.
(Gregorius Nazianzenus Theol., Carmina dogmatica Page 510, line 2

ΛΑʹ. Ὕμνος ἄλλος.
Δόξα Θεῷ τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ Υἱῷ παμβασιλῆι·
Δόξα πανευφήμῳ Πνεύματι παναγίῳ.
Ἡ Τριὰς εἷς Θεός ἐστιν, ὃς ἔκτισε, πλῆσέ τε πάντα,
Οὐρανὸν οὐρανίων, γαῖαν ἐπιχθονίων·
Πόντον, καὶ ποταμοὺς, καὶ πηγὰς πλῆσεν ἐνύδρων,
Πάντα ζωογονῶν πνεύματος ἐξ ἰδίου·
Ὄφρα σοφὸν κτίστην πᾶσα κτίσις ὑμνήσειε,
Τοῦ ζῇν, τοῦ τε μένειν, αἴτιον ὄντα μόνον.
Ἡ λογικὴ δὲ μάλιστα φύσις διὰ παντὸς ἀείσῃ,
Ὡς βασιλεῖα μέγαν, ὡς ἀγαθὸν πατέρα.
Πνεύματι, καὶ ψυχῇ, καὶ γλώττῃ, καὶ διανοίᾳ,
Δὸς καὶ ἐμοὶ καθαρῶς δοξολογεῖν σε, Πάτερ.


What meter is this? Is this using morae (length of syllables) or an accented meter? Is there a song/tune that goes with this text? Accented syllables are given below, but it is tough to get a pattern.
Δόξα Θεῷ τῷ Πατρὶ, 7
καὶ Υἱῷ παμβασιλῆι· 7+?
Δόξα πανευφήμῳ 6
Πνεύματι παναγίῳ. 7
Ἡ Τριὰς εἷς Θεός ἐστιν, 8
ὃς ἔκτισε, πλῆσέ τε πάντα, 9
Οὐρανὸν οὐρανίων, 7
γαῖαν ἐπιχθονίων· 7
Πόντον, καὶ ποταμοὺς, 6
καὶ πηγὰς πλῆσεν ἐνύδρων, 8
Πάντα ζωογονῶν 6
πνεύματος ἐξ ἰδίου· 7
Ὄφρα σοφὸν κτίστην 6
πᾶσα κτίσις ὑμνήσειε, 8
Τοῦ ζῇν, τοῦ τε μένειν, 6
αἴτιον ὄντα μόνον. 7
Ἡ λογικὴ δὲ μάλιστα 8
φύσις διὰ παντὸς ἀείσῃ, 9-8
Ὡς βασιλεῖα μέγαν, 7
ὡς ἀγαθὸν πατέρα. 7
Πνεύματι, καὶ ψυχῇ, 6
καὶ γλώττῃ, καὶ διανοίᾳ, 8-7
Δὸς καὶ ἐμοὶ καθαρῶς 7-6
δοξολογεῖν σε, Πάτερ. 7

Here is a child's ditty for the names of the disciples?

ΙΘʹ. Μαθηταὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ΙΒʹ.

Δώδεκα δ' αὖ Χριστοῖο Θεοῦ μεγάλοιο μαθηταί.
Πέτρος τ' Ἀνδρείας τε, Ἰωάννης τ', Ἰάκωβος.
Πέμπτος δ' ἦε Φίλιππος· ὁ δ' ἕκτος, Βαρθολομαῖος,
Ματθαῖος, Θωμᾶς τε, καὶ Ἀλφαίου Ἰάκωβος·
Ἰούδας τε, Σίμων τε, καὶ οὐ φατὸς ἄλλος Ἰούδας.

ΚΘʹ. Ὕμνος εἰς Θεόν.
Ὦ πάντων ἐπέκεινα τί γὰρ θέμις ἄλλο σε μέλπειν;
Πῶς λόγος ὑμνήσει σε; σὺ γὰρ λόγῳ οὐδενὶ ῥητόν.
Πῶς νόος ἀθρήσει σε; σὺ γὰρ νόῳ οὐδενὶ ληπτός.
Μοῦνος ἐὼν ἄφραστος· ἐπεὶ τέκες ὅσσα λαλεῖται.
Μοῦνος ἐὼν ἄγνωστος· ἐπεὶ τέκες ὅσσα νοεῖται.
Πάντα σε καὶ λαλέοντα, καὶ οὐ λαλέοντα λιγαίνει.

Λʹ. Ὕμνος πρὸς Θεόν.
Σὲ τὸν ἄφθιτον μονάρχην
Δὸς ἀνυμνεῖν, δὸς ἀείδειν,
Τὸν ἄνακτα τὸν δεσπότην·
Δι' ὃν ὕμνος, δι' ὃν αἶνος,
Δι' ὃν Ἀγγέλων χορεία,
Δι' ὃν αἰῶνες ἄπαυστοι,
Δι' ὃν ἥλιος προλάμπει,
Δι' ὃν ὁ δρόμος σελήνης,
Δι' ὃν ἄστρων μέγα κάλλος,
Δι' ὃν ἄνθρωπος ὁ σεμνὸς
Ἔλαχε νοεῖν τὸ θεῖον,
Λογικὸν ζῶον ὑπάρχων.
Σὺ γὰρ ἔκτισας τὰ πάντα
Παρέχων τάξιν ἑκάστῳ,
Συνέχων τε τῇ προνοίᾳ.
Λόγον εἶπας, πέλεν ἔργον.
Ὁ Λόγος σου Θεὸς Υἱός·
Ὁμοούσιος γάρ ἐστιν,
Ὁμότιμος τῷ τεκόντι,
Ὃς ἐφήρμοσεν τὰ πάντα,
Ἵνα πάντων βασιλεύσῃ.
Περιλάμβανον δὲ πάντα
Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τὸ θεῖον
Προνοούμενον φυλάσσει.
Τριάδα ζῶσαν ἐρῶ σε,
Ἕνα καὶ μόνον μονάρχην,
Φύσιν ἄτρεπτον, ἄναρχον,
Φύσιν οὐσίας ἀφράστου,
Σοφίας νοῦν ἀνέφικτον,
Κράτος οὐρανῶν ἄπταιστον,
Ἄτερ ἀρχῆς, ἀπέραντον,
Ἀκατασκόπητον αὐγὴν,
Ἐφορῶσαν δὲ τὰ πάντα,
Βάθος οὐδὲν ἀγνοοῦσαν
Ἀπὸ γῆς μέχρις ἀβύσσου.
Πάτερ, ἵλεως γενοῦ μοι.
Διὰ παντὸς θεραπεύειν
Τὸ σέβασμα τοῦτο, δός μοι
Τὰ δ' ἁμαρτήματα ῥίψον,
Τὸ συνειδὸς ἐκκαθαίρων
Ἀπὸ πάσης κακονοίας,
Ἵνα δοξάσω τὸ θεῖον
Ὁσίας χεῖρας ἐπαίρων
Ἵνα Χριστὸν εὐλογήσω,
Γόνυ κάμπτων ἱκετεύσω
Τότε προσλαβεῖν με δοῦλον,
Ὅτ' ἂν ἔλθῃ βασιλεύων.
Πάτερ, ἵλεως γενοῦ μοι,
Ἔλεον καὶ χάριν εὕρω·
Ὅτι δόξα καὶ χάρις σοι
Ἄχρις αἰῶνος ἀμέτρου.

ΛΒʹ. Ὕμνος ἑσπερινός.
Σὲ νῦν εὐλογοῦμεν,
Χριστέ μου, Λόγε Θεοῦ,
Φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς ἀνάρχου,
Καὶ Πνεύματος ταμίας,
Τριττοῦ φωτὸς εἰς μίαν
Δόξαν ἀθροιζομένου·
Ὃς ἔλυσας τὸ σκότος,
Ὃς ὑπέστησας τὸ φῶς,
Ἵν' ἐν φωτὶ τὰ πάντα κτίσῃς,
Καὶ τὴν ἄστατον ὕλην
Στήσῃς μορφῶν εἰς κόσμον,
Καὶ τὴν νῦν εὐκοσμίαν·
Ὃς νοῦν ἐφώτισας ἀνθρώπου
Λόγῳ τε καὶ σοφίᾳ,
Λαμπρότητος τῆς ἄνω
Καὶ κάτω θεὶς εἰκόνα,
Ἵνα φωτὶ βλέπῃ τὸ φῶς,
Καὶ γένηται φῶς ὅλος.
Σὺ φωστῆρσιν οὐρανὸν
Κατηύγασας ποικίλοις.
Σὺ νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν
Ἀλλήλαις εἴκειν ἠπίως
Ἔταξας, νόμον τιμῶν
Ἀδελφότητος καὶ φιλίας.
Καὶ τῇ μὲν ἔπαυσας κόπους
Τῆς πολυμόχθου σαρκός·
Τῇ δ' ἤγειρας εἰς ἔργον,
Καὶ πράξεις τάς σοι φίλας,
Ἵνα τὸ σκότος φυγόντες
Φθάσωμεν εἰς ἡμέραν,
Ἡμέραν τὴν μὴ νυκτὶ
Τῇ στυγνῇ λυομένην.
Σὺ μὲν βάλοις ἐλαφρὸν
Ὕπνον ἐμοῖς βλεφάροις,
Ὡς μὴ γλῶσσαν ὑμνῳδὸν
Ἐπὶ πολὺ νεκροῦσθαι.
Μήτ' ἀντίφωνον ἀγγέλων
Πλάσμα σὸν ἡσυχάζειν.
Σὺν σοὶ δὲ κοίτη εὐσεβεῖς
Ἐννοίας ἐταζέτω,
Μηδέ τι τῶν ῥυπαρῶν
Ἡμέρας νὺξ ἐλέγχῃ,
Μηδὲ παίγνια νυκτὸς
Ἐνύπνια θροείτω·
Νοῦς δὲ καὶ σώματος δίχα
Σοὶ, Θεὲ, προσλαλείτω,
Τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ,
Καὶ τῷ ἁγίων Πνεύματι,
ᾯ τιμὴ, δόξα, κράτος,
Εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.
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KathyMac
Posts: 4
Joined: December 31st, 2011, 11:42 am

Re: Hymns by Gregory Nazianzus

Post by KathyMac »

Hi,

I do not think you will find any music or musical setting for Nazianzus' hymns and I doubt the meter would be 'classical'.
A short intro on early Christian and Byzantine music is here. There are many examples of Byzantine music and chant on You Tube.

It if funny you should mention Nazianzus' hymns as I was looking at his poetry just this week. I believe that his poetic works have been largely neglected by Western scholars until recently (happy to be corrected). Selections from his poetry/hymns have been translated into English by Brian Daley in Gregory of Nazianzus and also Christos Simelidis in Selected Poems of Gregory Nazianzus but many others probably remain untranslated, at least not into English.

It made me think it would be a great if teachers set students exercises to translate early Christian and other texts that have not been translated before. Those translations could then be placed online for free access and input by a wider audience. One need not have access to critical editions (I'd say there would be a lot that is unedited anyway) but I doubt the Migne volumes have been completely translated for example, and I am sure there would be lots of untranslated short texts in old out of copyright journals. Anyway, this would serve mutliple purposes - practice in Greek for students (and perhaps a bit of relief from boredom for teachers who must surely get tired of setting the same texts year in year out?) as well as exposure to a wider set of literature, making these texts available to a wider audience and hopefully from there, sparking more scholarly interest and hence more demand for Greek scholars and teachers.

Yes I am naive.
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