Pope Saint Gregory the Great is the last with Saint Jerome and Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine of Hippo of the Four Great Doctors (Doctor means teacher of the whole undefiled Catholic doctrine handed down from the Apostles) of the Church. Pope Saint Gregory the Great (died 604 A.D.) with Saint Isadore of Seville (died 636 A.D. - who destroyed the last of the Arian Heresy in the West) are the last two of the Church Fathers in the West and Saint John Damascene (last of the four Great Eastern Fathers/Doctors, died December 4, 749 AD, at Mar Saba near Jerusalem) is the last of the Church Fathers in the East.
Of the Four Great Doctors above, Saint Ambrose is the most ancient of the four and in fact led Saint Augustine of Hippo to the faith and also baptized Saint Augustine. Saint Jerome was a contemporary of Saint Augustine. Pope Saint Gregory the Great was in fact an Augustinian in his profession and theology. Pope Saint Gregory the Great declared unequivocally the no one earthly man could ever be in charge of the whole church. Our Lord Jesus Christ alone is the Head of His Church. Saint Ambrose is faithful to the earlier Church Fathers before him, as are all the Four Great Doctors of the Church (the East also has Four Great Doctors/Fathers - they are in agreement with the Western Four above). Those earlier Church Fathers are, in their turn looking back to the Apostles, faithful to the Apostles of Christ. The faith begins and ends with Jesus Christ - He is the Alpha and Omega.
One the distinctive marks of Ambrosian Liturgy and Rite is the six week period for Advent, corresponds more closely to the time in the ancient Eastern Church for Great Advent before Christmas. We will observe six weeks here on this site.
Ambrose is considered the Father of Latin hymnody for his introduction of metrical hymnody into the Daily Office of the West. Many later hymns from the sixth century Rule of Benedict were thought to be by him, or at least in his spirit, so they are called Ambrosian. By tradition, he is said to have introduced antiphonal or responsive singing in Milan, and, according to Mabillon (following Bellarmine), was the first in Italy to encourage general congregational singing.l This is borne out by the following classic passage from the Confessions of St. Augustine, whom Ambrose baptized:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Biographies/ambrose_of_milan.htm
Veni Redemptor Gentium
St. Ambrose (340-397)
English
Come, thou Redeemer of the earth,
Come testify thy virgin birth:
All lands admire, all times applaud:
Such is the birth that fits our God.
Forth from his chamber goeth he,
That royal home of purity,
A giant in twofold substance one,
Rejoicing now his course to run.
The Virgin's womb that glory gained,
its virgin honor is still unstained.
The banners there of virtue glow;
God in his temple dwells below.
From God the Father he proceeds,
To God the Father back he speeds;
Runs out his course to death and hell,
Returns on God’s high throne to dwell.
O Equal to thy Father, thou!
Gird on thy fleshly mantle now;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.
Thy cradle here shall glitter bright,
And darkness breathe a newer light,
Where endless faith shall shine serene,
And twilight never intervene.
All laud, eternal Son, to thee
Whose advent sets thy people free,
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Holy Ghost, for evermore. Amen
Latin
Veni redemptor gentium,
ostende partum Virginis;
miretur omne saeculum:
talis decet partus Deum.
Procedat e thalamo suo,
pudoris aula regia,
geminae gigas substantiae
alacris ut currat viam.
Alvus tumescit Virginis,
claustrum pudoris permanet,
vexilla virtutum micant,
versatur in templo Deus.
Egressus ejus a Patre,
Regressus ejus ad Patrem;
Excursus usque ad inferos,
Recursus ad sedem Dei.
Aequalis aeterno Patri,
carnis tropaeo accingere,
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.
Praesepe iam fulget tuum
lumenque nox spirat novum,
quod nulla nox interpolet
fideque iugi luceat.
Sit, Christe, rex piissime,
tibi Patrique gloria
cum Spiritu Paraclito,
in sempiterna saecula. Amen
_________________________________________________________________________________
Other Ambrosian Hymns
The Most Famous is the Te Deum Laudamus (We praise Thee, O God) which was composed by both St. Augustine and St. Ambrose at the time of the Baptism of St. Augustine by St. Ambrose.
Prayers on awakening
To the eternal creator of the world
Eternal maker of the world, who rules over night and day dividing up our daily round to ease the body’s weariness.
O night light for wayfarers
Which distinguishes night from night, the dawn bird now sings aloud calling up the light of the sun.
Holy day star unveiled by him, drives darkness from the face of heaven and malefactors in their troops abandon now their brigandage.
Sailors gain strength as he appears, and the sea’s waves grow calm again; hearing him, the Rock of the Church Christ Jesus our only Lord and Saviour, [Peter] weeping, mourns his sin.
Let us arise then speedily.
The cock awakens those who sleep and rouses up the drowsy ones; the perjurors are accused by him.
At cock crow hope is born again, and health returns to those who ail; the brigand hides his dagger now, and faith revives in apostate soul.
Jesus, look on those who waver; and, looking, help us to be firm; under your care shame fades away and tears wipe out the stain of sin.
O light, shine now within our souls and torpor fly from every mind; and at the dawn our voices rise
in songs of prayer and praise to you.
AMBROSE AND AUGUSTINE
Preface for Epiphany
On the banks of the Jordan
[Father] your voice resounded in the roll of thunder coming from heaven making manifest the Saviour,
showing yourself as Father of eternal light.
You have rent the heavens,
blessed the air,
purified the water,
made manifest your only Son
through the Holy Spirit
appearing in the form of a dove.
Today the fountains, having received your blessing,
cast off the ancient curse;
and so, the faithful, purified from their sins,
are presented to God, for eternal life,
as sons by adoption.
In fact those who through birth in the flesh
were destined for the life of time,
those whom death had seized through the complicity of sin are welcomed into eternal life
and brought back to the glory of heaven.
Ambrosian liturgy
Preface for Easter
It is necessary, and for our well-being, to give you thanks God, Holy and Almighty,
to celebrate your praise with devotion, Father of glory, creator and author of the universe,
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
He, being God, full of majesty, humbled himself
to the point of accepting the punishment of the cross
for the salvation of men.
In the depth of ages
Abraham prefigured this in his son;
the people of Moses with the paschal lamb they immolated.
He it is of whom
announcement was made by the voice of the prophets:
he would take upon himself the sins of all men,
cancel out the whole of our misdeeds.
This is the great Pasch
which the blood of Christ has covered with glory,
making the Christian people exult with joyous devotion!
O mystery of grace!
Inexpressible mystery of divine munificence!
O festival most venerated among all festivals,
in which he abandoned himself to men
even unto death, to save mere slaves!
O blessed death, which has broken the chains of death!
Now the prince of hell is vanquished,
and we, saved from the abyss of guilt,
exult in joy and take with Christ once more
the road to heaven.
Ambrosian liturgy
Of the Four Great Doctors above, Saint Ambrose is the most ancient of the four and in fact led Saint Augustine of Hippo to the faith and also baptized Saint Augustine. Saint Jerome was a contemporary of Saint Augustine. Pope Saint Gregory the Great was in fact an Augustinian in his profession and theology. Pope Saint Gregory the Great declared unequivocally the no one earthly man could ever be in charge of the whole church. Our Lord Jesus Christ alone is the Head of His Church. Saint Ambrose is faithful to the earlier Church Fathers before him, as are all the Four Great Doctors of the Church (the East also has Four Great Doctors/Fathers - they are in agreement with the Western Four above). Those earlier Church Fathers are, in their turn looking back to the Apostles, faithful to the Apostles of Christ. The faith begins and ends with Jesus Christ - He is the Alpha and Omega.
One the distinctive marks of Ambrosian Liturgy and Rite is the six week period for Advent, corresponds more closely to the time in the ancient Eastern Church for Great Advent before Christmas. We will observe six weeks here on this site.
Ambrose of Milan
ca. 340 - 397
ca. 340 - 397
Born: Augusta Treverorum, in Gallia Narbonensis in the Roman province of Gaul. Today the city of Trier, Germany, stands there.
The third child of Ambrosius, who was the Prefect of the Gauls, Ambrose is thought to have been born in Trier. After the death of their father, the children, with their mother, went to Rome, where Ambrose received a typical Roman education, excelling in Greek. At first he studied law, as did his brother, and began his career in the court of Probus, the Pretorian Prefect of Italy. In 374 he was appointed Consular of Liguria and Aemilia, which brought him to Milan. While in Milan, the old bishop, Auxentius, died. As the church was electing a new one, and Ambrose was helping to keep order, a child was said to have called out--"Let Ambrose be bishop!"
Although he was only a catechumen at the time -- not a priest, and not even baptized -- the mob took up the cry. In the fourth century, Church order was not so rigid as it afterwards became; it could adapt itself to emergencies. And so within eight days, after his reluctance to accept the sacred office so unexpectedly conferred had been overcome, Ambrose was baptized, ordained, and a week later, on December 7, 374, Ambrose was consecrated bishop of Milan at the age of 34.
After Emperor Valentinian died in 375, Ambrose began to have violent disagreements with his widow, the empress Justina, since she was an adherent of the Arian party and who had who had sent soldiers to arrest him. Ambrose and his faithful flock stayed in the sanctuary of the church for days, singing and praying. In his battles with Justina, Ambrose received the support of Gratian, the elder son of Valentinia, and Theodosius, who later became emperor. Ambrose had to fight the Arians alone, which he did successfully. His eloquence was noteworthy enough to bring the young Augustine to Milan to hear his preaching, which converted him to the Christians faith. At the Easter Vigil of 388 Ambrose baptized Augustine of Hippo, who was to become the greatest theologian in the West. Medieval legend has it that he and Augustine composed the Te Deum during the baptism. Historians, however, are not persuaded it happened thus.
He proved a strong statesmanlike bishop, and no mean theologian. He took the reins at a crisis when Arianism and Orthodoxy were in fierce conflict, but ere he died, and mainly through his influence, the Catholic faith was triumphant in Milan. Masterful as Hildebrand, he asserted himself successfully alike against the Arian Empress Faustina, his enemy, and the Orthodox Emperor Theodosius, his friend, in whose face he shut the doors of the Basilica, until he had done penance for ruthless slaughter at Thessalonica.
Ambrose is considered the Father of Latin hymnody for his introduction of metrical hymnody into the Daily Office of the West. Many later hymns from the sixth century Rule of Benedict were thought to be by him, or at least in his spirit, so they are called Ambrosian. By tradition, he is said to have introduced antiphonal or responsive singing in Milan, and, according to Mabillon (following Bellarmine), was the first in Italy to encourage general congregational singing.l This is borne out by the following classic passage from the Confessions of St. Augustine, whom Ambrose baptized:How did I weep in Thy hymns and canticles, sharply affected by the voices of Thy Church sweetly sounding them I Those tones flowed into mine ear, and the truth distilled into my heart, and thence the affection of my devotion overflowed and tears ran down, and they did me good. Not long had the Church of Milan begun to practise this kind of conso1ation and exhortation, the brethren giving great care to the tuneful harmony of voices and hearts. For it was a year, or not much more, since Justina, mother of the boy Emperor Valentinian, persecuted Thy servant Ambrose, on account of her heresy, to which she had been seduced by the Arians. The devout people kept watch in the church, ready to die with their bishop, Thy servant. There my mother, Thy handmaid, bearing a chief part of those anxieties and watchings, lived in prayers. We, though as yet unmelted by the heat of Thy spirit, were nevertheless excited by the alarm and tumult of the city. Then it was first instituted that according to the custom of Eastern regions, hymns and psalms should be sung, lest the people should faint through the fatigue of sorrow, and from that day to this the custom has been retained; and to-day many, indeed almost all, Thy congregations throughout other parts of the world follow that example.
As a hymn-writer Ambrose belongs to the transition period when the classical meters were beginning to be laid aside, and rhymed verse was preparing to take their place. The golden age of Latin rhyme was yet to come. Many hymns are attributed to him, but only between four and twelve on good authority, including "Splendor paternae gloriae," "Veni redemptor gentium," and "Aeterna Christi munera."
O Jesus, Lord of heavenly grace, is a rendering by Chandler of his morning hymn.. A verse of an evening hymn is quoted in the Confessions of St. Augustine as coming to his mind in bed the night after his mother's funeral. In Cooke's Hymnary this verse is rendered by J. D. Chambers as follows :-
O Blest Creator, God Most High,
Great Ruler of the starry sky,
Who robing day with beauteous light
Hast clothed in soft repose the night,That sleep may wearied limbs restore,
And Fit for toil and use once more;
may gently soothe the careworn breast,
And lull our anxious griefs to rest
Ambrose died on Easter, 397 at Milan, Italy.
Note:
1 According to tradition, Ignatius, c.-109, was the first to introduce responsive singing into the service of the Church, "because he had seen a vision of angels praising God in antiphonal hymns."
Sources:
Rev. Duncan Campbell, Hymns and Hymn Makers (London: A. & C. Black, 1908, Fourth Edition)
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Biographies/ambrose_of_milan.htm
Veni Redemptor Gentium
St. Ambrose (340-397)
English
Come, thou Redeemer of the earth,
Come testify thy virgin birth:
All lands admire, all times applaud:
Such is the birth that fits our God.
Forth from his chamber goeth he,
That royal home of purity,
A giant in twofold substance one,
Rejoicing now his course to run.
The Virgin's womb that glory gained,
its virgin honor is still unstained.
The banners there of virtue glow;
God in his temple dwells below.
From God the Father he proceeds,
To God the Father back he speeds;
Runs out his course to death and hell,
Returns on God’s high throne to dwell.
O Equal to thy Father, thou!
Gird on thy fleshly mantle now;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.
Thy cradle here shall glitter bright,
And darkness breathe a newer light,
Where endless faith shall shine serene,
And twilight never intervene.
All laud, eternal Son, to thee
Whose advent sets thy people free,
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Holy Ghost, for evermore. Amen
Latin
Veni redemptor gentium,
ostende partum Virginis;
miretur omne saeculum:
talis decet partus Deum.
Procedat e thalamo suo,
pudoris aula regia,
geminae gigas substantiae
alacris ut currat viam.
Alvus tumescit Virginis,
claustrum pudoris permanet,
vexilla virtutum micant,
versatur in templo Deus.
Egressus ejus a Patre,
Regressus ejus ad Patrem;
Excursus usque ad inferos,
Recursus ad sedem Dei.
Aequalis aeterno Patri,
carnis tropaeo accingere,
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.
Praesepe iam fulget tuum
lumenque nox spirat novum,
quod nulla nox interpolet
fideque iugi luceat.
Sit, Christe, rex piissime,
tibi Patrique gloria
cum Spiritu Paraclito,
in sempiterna saecula. Amen
_________________________________________________________________________________
Other Ambrosian Hymns
The Most Famous is the Te Deum Laudamus (We praise Thee, O God) which was composed by both St. Augustine and St. Ambrose at the time of the Baptism of St. Augustine by St. Ambrose.
TE DEUM
-
We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud, the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud, the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praises thee.
The admirable company of the Prophets praises thee.
The white robed army of Martyrs praises thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee;
The Father, of an infinite Majesty.
Thine adorable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praises thee.
The admirable company of the Prophets praises thee.
The white robed army of Martyrs praises thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee;
The Father, of an infinite Majesty.
Thine adorable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Thou, having taken upon thee to deliver man, didst not disdain the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sting of death, thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
When thou hadst overcome the sting of death, thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious Blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints, in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine heritage.
Govern them, and lift them up for ever.
Day by day we bless thee.
O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine heritage.
Govern them, and lift them up for ever.
Day by day we bless thee.
And we praise thy name for ever, yea for ever and ever.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy be upon us,as we have hoped in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted, let me not be confounded for ever.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy be upon us,as we have hoped in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted, let me not be confounded for ever.
V. Blessed art thou, O Lord the God of our fathers.
R. And worthy to be praised and glorious for ever.
V. Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit.
R. Let us praise and magnify him for ever.
V. Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
R. And worthy to be praised and glorious and exalted for ever.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O GOD, whose mercies are numberless and the treasure of whose goodness has no end, we give thanks to thy most gracious Majesty for the gifts thou hast bestowed, beseeching thy mercy that, as thou grantest the petitions of them that ask, so, not forsaking them, thou wilt prepare them for rewards to come, through Christ Jesus our only Lord and Saviour Who lives and reigns with Thee in the Unity and Power and Bond of Love of the Holy Spirit our Paraclete unto the endless ages of ages to come. R. Amen.
ABIDE WITH US O LORD
FOR IT IS TOWARD EVENING
Prayers on awakening
To the eternal creator of the world
Eternal maker of the world, who rules over night and day dividing up our daily round to ease the body’s weariness.
O night light for wayfarers
Which distinguishes night from night, the dawn bird now sings aloud calling up the light of the sun.
Holy day star unveiled by him, drives darkness from the face of heaven and malefactors in their troops abandon now their brigandage.
Sailors gain strength as he appears, and the sea’s waves grow calm again; hearing him, the Rock of the Church Christ Jesus our only Lord and Saviour, [Peter] weeping, mourns his sin.
Let us arise then speedily.
The cock awakens those who sleep and rouses up the drowsy ones; the perjurors are accused by him.
At cock crow hope is born again, and health returns to those who ail; the brigand hides his dagger now, and faith revives in apostate soul.
Jesus, look on those who waver; and, looking, help us to be firm; under your care shame fades away and tears wipe out the stain of sin.
O light, shine now within our souls and torpor fly from every mind; and at the dawn our voices rise
in songs of prayer and praise to you.
AMBROSE AND AUGUSTINE
Preface for Epiphany
On the banks of the Jordan
[Father] your voice resounded in the roll of thunder coming from heaven making manifest the Saviour,
showing yourself as Father of eternal light.
You have rent the heavens,
blessed the air,
purified the water,
made manifest your only Son
through the Holy Spirit
appearing in the form of a dove.
Today the fountains, having received your blessing,
cast off the ancient curse;
and so, the faithful, purified from their sins,
are presented to God, for eternal life,
as sons by adoption.
In fact those who through birth in the flesh
were destined for the life of time,
those whom death had seized through the complicity of sin are welcomed into eternal life
and brought back to the glory of heaven.
Ambrosian liturgy
Preface for Easter
It is necessary, and for our well-being, to give you thanks God, Holy and Almighty,
to celebrate your praise with devotion, Father of glory, creator and author of the universe,
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
He, being God, full of majesty, humbled himself
to the point of accepting the punishment of the cross
for the salvation of men.
In the depth of ages
Abraham prefigured this in his son;
the people of Moses with the paschal lamb they immolated.
He it is of whom
announcement was made by the voice of the prophets:
he would take upon himself the sins of all men,
cancel out the whole of our misdeeds.
This is the great Pasch
which the blood of Christ has covered with glory,
making the Christian people exult with joyous devotion!
O mystery of grace!
Inexpressible mystery of divine munificence!
O festival most venerated among all festivals,
in which he abandoned himself to men
even unto death, to save mere slaves!
O blessed death, which has broken the chains of death!
Now the prince of hell is vanquished,
and we, saved from the abyss of guilt,
exult in joy and take with Christ once more
the road to heaven.
Ambrosian liturgy
No comments:
Post a Comment