Vespers Aposticha for the Entry of the Theotokos to the Melody "Rejoice"

A recording of the Aposticha (verses on the [psalm] verses), sung to the joyous special melody (podoben), “Rejoice, [O Life-Giving Cross]” at Vespers for the Great Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, on which the Church celebrates the offering of the three-year-old Virgin Mary to be raised in the Temple in Jerusalem, as promised to God by Joachim and Anna, if but He would grant the aged pair a child.
Sung by St. Tikhon's Seminary Choir at the Eve of the Vigil for the Feast on November 20th, 2014.
The text is as follows:
In the 5th Tone, to the melody “Rejoice, [O Life-Giving Cross]…”
Heaven and earth rejoice,
beholding the spiritual Heaven,
the only Virgin without blemish,
enter the house of God, there to be reared in reverence.
To her Zacharias in amazement cried:
‘O Gate of the Lord!
Unto thee I open the gates of the temple:
rejoice and go ‘round it in gladness.
For I know and believe
that the deliverance of Israel
shall now come to dwell openly in our midst,
and that from thee shall be born God the Word,
who grants the world great mercy.’
The virgins who follow after her shall be brought to the King; those near her shall be brought to Thee. (Psalm 44:15)
Anne, truly blessed by God’s grace,
led with gladness into the temple of the Lord
the pure and ever-Virgin who is full of grace,
and she called the young girls to go before her lamps in hand.
‘Go, Child’, she said,
‘go to Him who gave thee unto me;
be unto Him an offering and a sweet smelling incense.
Go into the place where none may enter:
learn its mysteries
and prepare thyself to become the pleasing and beautiful dwelling place of Jesus,
who grants the world great mercy.’
They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing; they shall enter into the King’s palace. (Psalm 44:16)
The most holy Virgin,
Temple that is to hold God,
is dedicated within the temple of the Lord;
and young girls, bearing lamps, now go before her.
Her noble parents,
Joachim and Anne,
leap for joy and dance,
for they have borne her that is to bear the Creator;
and she the All-Pure,
with rejoicing goes ‘round the divine habitations
and is fed by the hands of an angel.
She it is who shall become the Mother of Christ,
who grants the world great mercy.’
In the 6th Tone: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Today let us the arrays of the assembled faithful,
triumph in spirit and reverently praise the Child of God,
Virgin and Theotokos,
as she is offered in the temple of the Lord:
she who was forechosen from all generations
to be the dwelling-place of Christ, the Master and God of all.
O virgins bearing lamps, go ye before her,
honouring the majestic advance
of the ever-Virgin.
Ye mothers, setting aside every sorrow,
follow them in gladness,
singing the praises of her
who became the Mother of God
and mediatrix of joy for the world.
With the angel joyfully let us all cry ‘Rejoice!’
to her that is full of grace
and ever intercedes for our souls.
The reference for these hymns can be found in the Protoevangelium of James: 7-8:
"[When] the child [Mary] was two years old, and Joachim said: Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be not received. And Anna said: Let us wait for the third year, in order that the child may not seek for father or mother. And Joachim said: So let us wait. And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord. And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest [Zachariah, the father of St. John the Baptist] received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her. And her parents went down marvelling, and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there."
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[@susannacarlson1689]

Absolutely beautiful words and well sung, thanks for sharing.

[@gracehaggerty1472]

So beautiful...Thank you!

[@severianmonk7394]

Beautifully adapted. Masterful - so often there are false accents and clumsy transitions in samohlasen but this is utterly fluent.