Wednesday, December 12, 2012

For Advent and Hanukkah: Ransom Captive Israel

Oh my. What a long way this has come from its origins to this haunting rendition.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-star, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads to Thee,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come to lead us Adonai,
Who to the tribes on height of Sinai
In ancient times did’st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

This hymn runs through my mind all the seaons long. At some level it still speaks to my childhood’s faith-deep grasp of the reality behind these ancient words with their whiff of the longing for things eternal.

Thanks to Nilk for leaving the link in the comments on The Hanukkah Party.

4 comments:

sgt.red.blue.red said...

Merry Christmas. Thanks for posting.

Papa Whiskey said...

This is one of my two favorite Christmas carols. Here is the other:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG86r2dx5yo

Anonymous said...

Atmospheric, haunting and beautiful. This is an example of what western civilisation can produce. We must preserve it at all costs.

Dymphna said...

It's an Advent hymn, not sung once the liturgical year swings 'round again to the Vigil of Christmas, or Christmas Eve.

It's probably Syriac, not really "western" at all. Like much of the liturgical and monastic traditions that came to define "western" Christianity, it's from the heart of what we now call the Middle East...the place were Christianity has largely been exterminated.

There is some speculation that the Koran began life as a Syriac liturgy from that area. But don't say anything - the Nuclear Reactors responsible for annihilating Middle Eastern Jews and Christians might "take offense"...and there goes the neighborhood.