The Book of Jonah and Great and Holy Saturday

The Prophet Jonah (source)

  
The Sign of Jonah, by Fr. John Breck
Of the fifteen Old Testament passages read in Orthodox practice at the vesperal Divine Liturgy of Holy Saturday, the fourth consists of the entire, brief book of Jonah. Although the book is numbered among the “Minor Prophets,” it is unique: rather than offer a compilation of prophetic utterances, it recounts a spiritual pilgrimage. However we may assess its “historicity,” the work is preserved in the Church’s canon of Scripture because of its timeless proclamation of God’s universal saving grace and love. It is a story of rebellion and redemption, of God’s forgiveness and mercy extended alike to Jew and Gentile, saint and sinner, you and me.
  
To the Fathers of the Church, Jonah is a “type,” a prophetic image that points forward to and is fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. The blessed Augustine declares, “as Jonah went from the [wooden] ship into the belly of the whale, so Christ went from the tree [of the cross] into the tomb, or into the abyss of death. As Jonah was sacrificed for those endangered by the storm, so Christ was offered for those who are drowning in the storm of this world” (Letter 102). St Cyril of Jerusalem compares Jonah and Jesus in the following way. Both were sent by God to preach repentance; both were able to calm the tempestuous sea; both sojourned in a place of death and emerged by the will and power of God. “As Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Catechetical Lectures, on Mt. 12:40). In the case of Jonah, however, the calming of the sea and his “resurrection” from the belly of the great fish are works wrought by God, whereas in the case of Jesus the miraculous power is His own as One of the Holy Trinity.
  
More specifically, Jonah is an image of the Jewish people in the time of their reconstruction following the Exile into Babylon. The prophet is identified as “Jonah, son of Amittai,” who lived under the reign of King Jeroboam II (ca.786-746; 2 Ki. 14:25). Most commentators, however, date the book during the post-Exilic period (from the late 6th century BC). At that time, the great figures of Ezra, Nehemiah and the prophet Obadiah were struggling to preserve Jewish tradition over against the religious syncretism and idolatry of surrounding pagan countries. The result was to lead Israel into a period of strict isolation, expressed as a rejection and even a despising of heathen nations. Jonah, by this reading, is a didactic figure, who finally, if reluctantly, proclaims God’s pardon to the repentant people of Nineveh. Thereby he serves to prepare for the coming of Christ, the Messiah, whose life, death and resurrection will work redemption not only for the chosen people of Israel, but for the world as a whole.
  
Twice in His recorded teachings Jesus speaks of “the sign of Jonah” (Mt 12:39; Lk 11:29). These are parallel passages, although each evangelist has shaped the received tradition in such a way as to drive home a particular theological point. If the Church has retained the prophecy of Jonah in its Holy Saturday lectionary, it is primarily because of the parallel between Jonah and Jesus presented in images of death, burial and resurrection. The prophet, having been cast into the sea (an image of chaos and death), is swallowed by a “great fish” or “whale,” symbol of the tomb; after three days and nights he is expelled onto the shore, in order to continue his mission to call the Ninevites to repentance. The Lord Jesus is crucified, then buried in Joseph’s tomb, to rise “on the third day,” in order to pursue His own mission to call the world to repentance and salvation. The message of Holy Saturday, with the reading of the prophecy of Jonah, is the message of victory over death, of Christ’s resurrection and the destruction of the power of Sheol. It is the paschal message that proclaims God’s universal love, offered freely and without limit to both Hebrew and Ninevite, to Jew and Gentile alike, that is, to all those who seek their salvation through the person and work of the Son of God.
The sign of Jonah, though, is not limited to a prophetic announcement of Christ’s resurrection. In St Luke’s version of Jesus’ saying (11:29-32), there is no allusion to resurrection at all. Here Jesus declares, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” If Jonah is not a “sign,” a wondrous portent, of Christ’s victory over death in this Gospel, then in what sense is he a sign? To the evangelist Luke, the sign is Jonah’s proclamation, his fervent appeal to the Ninevites to repent of their sinful ways, to abandon their idolatry, and to commit their lives to the God of Israel, the unique Lord of heaven and earth. Jesus, like Jonah, comes from afar (may we see here an allusion to His “preexistence,” His eternal presence with the Father?). He comes, like his predecessor, as a prophetic witness to God’s work of salvation that seeks to embrace all of humankind. And like that earlier message, Jesus’ words summon an “evil generation”—which signifies every generation, including our own—to repent: to turn from and reject the deception of idolatry and the lure of sinful and corrupting behavior, in order to welcome and embrace the One who comes to proclaim and to offer salvation to all.
  
On Holy Saturday the Church announces the good news of Christ’s resurrection, and it does so in part by recalling the story of the reluctant prophet Jonah. Together with his story, however, there goes a summons that takes its final shape in these words of Jesus, that resurrection from death and salvation to eternal life are offered to those—to all those, but only to those—who hear the prophetic call to repentance, heed that call, and embrace, with faith and with love, the One God and Author of Life.
Christ is risen!
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The Holy Prophet Jonah (source)

  
The Book of Jonah

1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonas the son of Amathi, saying, 2Rise, and go to Nineve, the great city, and preach in it; for the cry of its wickedness is come up to me. 3But Jonas rose up to flee to Tharsis from the presence of the Lord. And he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid his fare, and went up into it, to sail with them to Tharsis from the presence of the Lord.

4And the Lord raised up a wind on the sea; and there was a great storm on the sea, and the ship was in danger of being broken. 5And the sailors were alarmed, and cried every one to his god, and cast out the wares that were in the ship into the sea, that it might be lightened of them. But Jonas was gone down into the hold of the ship, and was asleep, and snored. 6And the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, Why snorest thou? arise, and call upon thy God, that God may save us, and we perish not.

7And each man said to his neighbour, Come, let us cast lots, and find out for whose sake this mischief is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonas. 8And they said to him, Tell us what is thine occupation, and whence comest thou, and of what country and what people art thou? 9And he said to them, I am a servant of the Lord; and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea, and the dry land.

10Then the men feared exceedingly, and said to him, What is this that thou hast done? for the men knew that he was fleeing from the face of the Lord, because he had told them.

11And they said to him, What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm to us? for the sea rose, and lifted its wave exceedingly. 12And Jonas said to them, Take me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm to you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13And the men tried hard to return to the land, and were not able: for the sea rose and grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14And they cried to the Lord, and said, Forbid it, Lord: let us not perish for the sake of this man's life, and bring not righteous blood upon us: for thou, Lord, hast done as thou wouldest.

15So they took Jonas, and cast him out into the sea: and the sea ceased from its raging. 16And the men feared the Lord very greatly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and vowed vows.

17Now the Lord had commanded a great whale to swallow up Jonas: and Jonas was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights.

Icon depicting the Book of Jonah (source)

  

1And Jonas prayed to the Lord his God out of the belly of the whale,

2and said, I cried in my affliction to the Lord my God, and he hearkened to me, even to my cry out of the belly of hell: thou heardest my voice.

3Thou didst cast me into the depths of the heart of the sea, and the floods compassed me: all thy billows and thy waves have passed upon me.

4And I said, I am cast out of thy presence: shall I indeed look again toward thy holy temple?

5Water was poured around me to the soul: the lowest deep compassed me, my head went down

6to the clefts of the mountains; I went down into the earth, whose bars are the everlasting barriers: yet, O Lord my God, let my ruined life be restored.

7When my soul was failing me, I remembered the Lord; and may my prayer come to thee into thy holy temple.

8They that observe vanities and lies have forsaken their own mercy.

9But I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of praise and thanksgiving: all that I have vowed I will pay to thee, the Lord of my salvation.

10And the whale was commanded by the Lord, and it cast up Jonas on the dry land.

The Prophet Jonah from the Menologion of Basil (source)

  

1And the word of the Lord came to Jonas the second time, saying, 2Rise, go to Nineve, the great city, and preach in it according to the former preaching which I spoke to thee of. 3And Jonas arose, and went to Nineve, as the Lord had spoken. Now Nineve was an exceeding great city, of about three days' journey. 4And Jonas began to enter into the city about a day's journey, and he proclaimed, and said, Yet three days, and Nineve shall be overthrown.

5And the men of Nineve believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloths, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6And the word reached the king of Nineve, and he arose from off his throne, and took off his raiment from him, and put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes. 7And proclamation was made, and it was commanded in Nineve by the king an by his great men, saying, Let not men, or cattle, or oxen, or sheep, taste any thing, nor feed, nor drink water. 8So men and cattle were clothed with sackcloths, and cried earnestly to God; and they turned every one from their evil way, and from the iniquity that was in their hands, saying, 9Who knows if God will repent, and turn from his fierce anger, and so we shall not perish?

10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways; and God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did it not.

The Prophet Jonah from the Paris Psalter (source)

  

1But Jonas was very deeply grieved, and he was confounded. 2And he prayed to the Lord, and said, O Lord, were not these my words when I was yet in my land? therefore I made haste to flee to Tharsis; because I knew that thou are merciful and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, and repentest of evil. 3And now, Lord God, take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 4And the Lord said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved?

5And Jonas went out from the city, and sat over against the city; and he made for himself there a booth, and he sat under it, until he should perceive what would become of the city. 6And the Lord God commanded a gourd, and it came up over the head of Jonas, to be a shadow over his head, to shade him from his calamities: and Jonas rejoiced with great joy for the gourd. 7And God commanded a worm the next morning, and it smote the gourd, and it withered away. 8And it came to pass at the rising of the sun, that God commanded a burning east wind; and the sun smote on the head of Jonas, and he fainted, and despaired of his life, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

9And God said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved for the gourd? And he said, I am very much grieved, even to death. 10And the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the gourd, for which thou has not suffered, neither didst thou rear it; which came up before night, and perished before another night: 11and shall not I spare Nineve, the great city, in which dwell more than twelve myriads of human beings, who do not know their right hand or their left hand; and also much cattle?

-The Book of Jonah, read at Vesperal Liturgy on Great Saturday

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The Prophet Jonah (source)

  

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

"Let my soul rejoice in the Lord; for He hath clothed me in the garment of salvation..."

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Christ beholding the risen Christ (source)

  

Let my soul rejoice in the Lord; for He hath clothed me in the garment of salvation, and with the vesture of gladness hath He covered me: he hath placed a crown upon me as on a bridegroom, and He hath adorned me as a bride with comeliness. And as the earth putting forth her flowers, and as a garden its seed; so shall the Lord, even the Lord, cause righteousness to spring forth, and exultation before all nations. For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as light, and my salvation burn as a torch. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and kings thy glory: and one shall call thee by a new name, which the Lord shall name. And thou shalt be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. And thou shalt no more be called Forsaken; and thy land shall no more be called Desert: for thou shalt be called My Pleasure, and thy land Inhabited: for the Lord has taken pleasure in thee, and thy land shall be inhabited. And as a young man lives with a virgin, so shall thy sons dwell in thee: and it shall come to pass that as a bridegroom will rejoice over a bride, so will the Lord rejoice over thee.

-Isaiah 61:10 – 62:5

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Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and upon those in the tombs He has granted life!

Truly the Lord is risen!

"Thus saith the Lord: wait upon me until the day when I rise up..."

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

The Holy Myrrhbearers at the Tomb of Christ beholding the Angel who announces to them the Resurrection of Christ (source)

  

Thus saith the Lord: wait upon me until the day when I rise up for a witness: because my judgment shall be on the gatherings of the nations, to draw to me kings, to pour out upon them all my fierce anger: for the whole earth shall be consumed with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the peoples a tongue for her generation, that all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve him under one yoke. From the boundaries of the rivers of Ethiopia will I receive my dispersed ones; they shall offer sacrifices to me. In that day thou shalt not be ashamed of all thy practices, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then will I take away from thee thy disdainful pride, and thou shalt no more magnify thyself upon my holy mountain. And I will leave in thee a meek and lowly people; and the remnant of Israel shall fear the name of the Lord, and shall do no iniquity, neither shall they speak vanity; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed, and lie down, and there shall be none to terrify them. Rejoice, O daughter of Zion; cry aloud , O daughter of Jerusalem; rejoice and delight thyself with all thine heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away thine iniquities, he has ransomed thee from the hand of thine enemies: the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

-Zephaniah 3:8-15

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Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and upon those in the tombs He has granted life!

Truly the Lord is risen!

"Christ God has brought us from death to life, and from earth to heaven..."

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Moses praying and striking the waters of the Red Sea, while the Lord divided the waters and saved the Israelites (source)

  

1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2Speak to the children of Israel, and let them turn and encamp before the village, between Magdol and the sea, opposite Beel-sepphon: before them shalt thou encamp by the sea. 3And Pharao will say to his people, As for these children of Israel, they are wandering in the land, for the wilderness has shut them in. 4And I will harden the heart of Pharao, and he shall pursue after them; and I will be glorified in Pharao, and in all his host, and all the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so.

5And it was reported to the king of the Egyptians that the people had fled: and the heart of Pharao was turned, and that of his servants against the people; and they said, What is this that we have done, to let the children of Israel go, so that they should not serve us? 6So Pharao yoked his chariots, and led off all his people with himself: 7having also taken six hundred chosen chariots, and all the cavalry of the Egyptians, and rulers over all. 8And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharao king of Egypt, and of his servants, and he pursued after the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went forth with a high hand. 9And the Egyptians pursued after them, and found them encamped by the sea; and all the cavalry and the chariots of Pharao, and the horsemen, and his host were before the village, over against Beel-sepphon.

10And Pharao approached, and the children of Israel having looked up, beheld, and the Egyptians encamped behind them: and they were very greatly terrified, and the children of Israel cried to the Lord; 11and said to Moses, Because there were no graves in the land of Egypt, hast thou brought us forth to slay us in the wilderness? What is this that thou hast done to us, having brought us out of Egypt? 12Is not this the word which we spoke to thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in this wilderness.

13And Moses said to the people, Be of good courage: stand and see the salvation which is from the Lord, which he will work for us this day; for as ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Moses parting the Red Sea (Source)

    

15and the Lord said to Moses, Why criest thou to me? speak to the children of Israel, and let them proceed. 16And do thou lift up thy rod, and stretch forth thy hand over the sea, and divide it, and let the children of Israel enter into the midst of the sea on the dry land. 17And lo! I will harden the heart of Pharao and of all the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them; and I will be glorified upon Pharao, and on all his host, and on his chariots and his horses. 18And all the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I am glorified upon Pharao and upon his chariots and his horses.

19And the angel of God that went before the camp of the children of Israel removed and went behind, and the pillar of the cloud also removed from before them and stood behind them. 20And it went between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and stood; and there was darkness and blackness; and the night passed, and they came not near to one another during the whole night.

21And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the Lord carried back the sea with a strong south wind all the night, and made the sea dry, and the water was divided. 22And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the water of it was a wall on the right hand and a wall on the left. 23And the Egyptians pursued them and went in after them, and every horse of Pharao, and his chariots, and his horsemen, into the midst of the sea. 24And it came to pass in the morning watch that the Lord looked forth on the camp of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and troubled the camp of the Egyptians, 25and bound the axle-trees of their chariots, and caused them to go with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.
 

Moses and the Israelites being led by the pillar of fire (source)

   

26And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth tine hand over the sea, and let the water be turned back to its place, and let it cover the Egyptians coming both upon the chariots and the riders. 27And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the water returned to its place toward day; and the Egyptians fled from the water, and the Lord shook off the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28and the water returned and covered the chariots and the riders, and all the forces of Pharao, who entered after them into the sea: and there was not left of them even one. 29But the children of Israel went along dry land in the midst of the sea, and the water was to them a wall on the right hand, and a wall on the left.

30So the Lord delivered Israel in that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead by the shore of the sea. 31And Israel saw the mighty hand, the things which the Lord did to the Egyptians; and the people feared the Lord, and they believed God and Moses his servant.

  

Moses parting the Red Sea through the power of God (source)

  

1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song to God, and spoke, saying, Let us sing to the Lord, for he is very greatly glorified: horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

2He was to me a helper and protector for salvation: this is my God and I will glorify him; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

3The Lord bringing wars to nought, the Lord is his name.

4He has cast the chariots of Pharao and his host into the sea, the chosen mounted captains: they were swallowed up in the Red Sea.

5He covered them with the sea: they sank to the depth like a stone.

6Thy right hand, O God, has been glorified in strength; thy right hand, O God, has broken the enemies.

7And in the abundance of thy glory thou hast broken the adversaries to pieces: thou sentest forth thy wrath, it devoured them as stubble.

8And by the breath of thine anger the water parted asunder; the waters were congealed as a wall, the waves were congealed in the midst of the sea.

9The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils; I will satisfy my soul, I will destroy with my sword, my hand shall have dominion.

10Thou sentest forth thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty water.

11Who is like to thee among the gods, O Lord? who is like to thee? glorified in holiness, marvellous in glories, doing wonders.

Moses leading out the Israelites (source)

   

12Thou stretchedst forth thy right hand, the earth swallowed them up.

13Thou hast guided in thy righteousness this thy people whom thou hast redeemed, by thy strength thou hast called them into thy holy resting-place.

14The nations heard and were angry, pangs have seized on the dwellers among the Phylistines.

15Then the princes of Edom, and the chiefs of the Moabites hasted; trembling took hold upon them, all the inhabitants of Chanaan melted away.

16Let trembling and fear fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm, let them become as stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till this thy people pass over, whom thou hast purchased.

17Bring them in and plant them in the mountain of their inheritance, in thy prepared habitation, which thou, O Lord, hast prepared; the sanctuary, O Lord, which thine hands have made ready.

18The Lord reigns for ever and ever and ever.

19For the horse of Pharao went in with the chariots and horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought upon them the water of the sea, but the children of Israel walked through dry land in the midst of the sea.

20And Mariam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, having taken a timbrel in her hand—then there went forth all the women after her with timbrels and dances.

21And Mariam led them, saying, Let us sing to the Lord, for he has been very greatly glorified: the horse and rider has he cast into the sea.

-Exodus 14-15,
read during the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil on Great Saturday

(source)

  

The Resurrection of Christ, foreshadowed by the passing of Israel through the Red Sea, which brought humanity not out of physical bondage, but "from death to life, and from earth to heaven" (source)

  
The day of Resurrection, let us be radiant, O peoples! Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha; for Christ God has brought us from death to life, and from earth to heaven, as we sing the triumphal song.

-from the Canon of the Resurrection of St. John of Damascus

  

Christ has risen from the dead, by death he has trampled on death, and to those in the graves given life!

Truly the Lord is risen!

""As a yearling lamb, for us a crown of goodness, the Blessed One..."

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Christ symbolized as the Lamb of God, Who was slain and is alive again, on the throne before the seven seals (Revelation 5), 7th Century Mosaic, Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian in Rome (source)

  

"The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be to you the beginning of months: it is the first to you among the months of the year. Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, On the tenth of this month let them take each man a lamb according to the houses of their families, every man a lamb for his household. And if they be few in a household, so that there are not enough for the lamb, he shall take with himself his neighbor that lives near to him, as to the number of souls, every one according to that which suffices him shall make a reckoning for the lamb. It shall be to you a lamb unblemished, a male of a year old: ye shall take it of the lambs and the kids. And it shall be kept by you till the fourteenth of this month, and all the multitude of the congregation of the children of Israel shall kill it toward evening. And they shall take of the blood, and shall put it on the two door-posts, and on the lintel, in the houses wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in this night roast with fire, and they shall eat unleavened bread with bitter herbs. Ye shall not eat of it raw nor sodden in water, but only roast with fire, the head with the feet and the appurtenances. Nothing shall be left of it till the morning, and a bone of it ye shall not break; but that which is left of it till the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it: your loins girded, and your sandals on your feet, and your staves in your hands, and ye shall eat it in haste. It is a Passover to the Lord."

-Exodus 12:1-11,
reading during the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil on Great and Holy Saturday
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Christ, the Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God (source)

  
"Christ appeared as a ‘male’ who opened the virgin womb. As our food he is called ‘lamb’; ‘unblemished’, as our Passover without stain; and ‘perfect’, for he is true God.
  
"As a yearling lamb, for us a crown of goodness, the Blessed One, the cleansing Passover has been sacrificed for all; and from the tomb the fair Sun of justice has shone for us again."
-from the Paschal Canon of St. John of Damascus
  

Christ as the Lamb of God in the Holy Chalice, surrounded by the Holy Angels (source)

  

Christ has risen from the dead, by death he has trampled on death, and to those in the graves given life!

Truly the Lord is risen!

"Shine, Shine, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee..."

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

The Holy Myrrhbearers beholding the empty Tomb of Christ at His Resurrection (source)

    

"Shine, Shine, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is
risen upon thee. Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and there shall be gross

darkness on the nations: but the Lord shall appear upon thee, and his glory shall be

seen upon thee. And kings shall walk in thy light, and nations in thy brightness. Lift
up thine eyes round about, and behold thy children gathered: all thy sons have come

from far, and thy daughters shall be borne on men's shoulders. Then shalt thou see,

and fear, and be amazed in thine heart; for the wealth of the sea shall come round to

thee, and of nations and peoples; and herds of camels shall come to thee, and the

camels of Midian and Ephah shall cover thee: all from Saba shall come bearing gold, and shall bring frankincense, and they shall publish the salvation of the Lord. And all

the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered, and the rams of Nebaioth shall come; and

acceptable sacrifices shall be offered on my altar, and my house of prayer shall be

glorified. Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves with young ones to me? The

isles have waited for me, and the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring thy

children from afar, and their silver and their gold with them, and that for the sake of

the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorified. And

strangers shall build thy walls, and their kings shall wait upon thee: for by reason of

my wrath I smote thee, and by reason of mercy I loved thee. And thy gates shall be

opened continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; to bring in to thee the power

of the Gentiles, and their kings as captives. For the nations and the kings which will

not serve thee shall perish; and those nations shall be made utterly desolate. And the

glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, with the cypress, and pine, and cedar together,

to glorify my holy place. And the sons of them that afflicted thee, and of them that

provoked thee, shall come to thee in fear; and thou shalt be called Zion, the city of the

Holy One of Israel. Because thou hast become desolate and hated, and there was no

helper, therefore I will make thee a perpetual gladness, a joy of many generations.

And thou shalt suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt eat the wealth of kings: and

shalt know that I am the Lord that saves thee and delivers thee, the Holy One of
Israel."
-Isaiah 60:1-16,
read during the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil on Great and Holy Saturday
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Holy Prophet Isaiah (source)

  

Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs, He has granted life!

Truly, the Lord is risen!

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord..."

Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!

The Resurrection of Christ (source)

  

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda: 32not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they abode not in my covenant, and I disregarded them, saith the Lord. 33For this is my covenant which I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will surely put my laws into their mind, and write them on their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. 34And they shall not at all teach every one his fellow citizen, and every one his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them: for I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins I will remember no more."
-Jeremiah 31:31-34,
Read during the Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil on Great and Holy Saturday
   
(source)
   

Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs, He has granted life!

Truly the Lord is risen!

The Prophets Daniel and the Three Children in the Furnace: Christ Prefigured

Greetings!

Today (December 17th), along with the two Sundays before Christmas celebrate the memory of the Holy Prophets who were Christ's ancestors through the Holy Theotokos, especially the Prophets Daniel and Ananias, Azarias and Misael, the Three Hebrew Children in the Furnace. There is an excellent description of their feastday today on: http://goarch.org/chapel/saints_view?contentid=341&type=saints :

Icon of the Three Holy Youths in the Furnace - A Depiction by Christians from the Late 3rd to 4th Century in the Catacombs of Priscilla, Rome (taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fiery_furnace_01.jpg)
  

"Daniel the Prophet & Ananias, Azarias, & Misail, the Three Holy Youths - December 17
Reading:
The Prophet Daniel and the Three Children were all descended from the royal tribe of Judah In the year 599 before Christ, in the reign of Joachim, who was also called Jechonias (I Chron. 3:16, and II Chron. 36:8), while yet children, these righteous ones were led away as captives into Babylon together with the other Jews by Nabuchodonosor. He singled them out from among the other captives to serve him, and renamed them thus: Daniel was named Baltazar; Ananias, Sedrach: Misael, Misach; and Azarias, Abednago. They were reared in the royal court, and taught the wisdom of the Chaldeans; and after the passage of three years, they surpassed all the Chaldean sages (Dan. 1).

Thereafter, Daniel, being still a lad, interpreted that mysterious image seen by Nabuchodonosor in a dream, an image that was composed of different metals, but was shattered and ground to dust by a certain stone which had been hewn out of a mountain without the hand of man. This vision clearly portrayed through the mountain the height of the Virgin's holiness and the power of the Holy Spirit which overshadowed her. Through the image of the Stone, Christ was portrayed, Who was seedlessly born of her, and Who by His coming as the Godman would shatter and destroy all the kingdoms of the word, which were portrayed through the image; and He would raise them that believe in Him into His Heavenly Kingdom, which is eternal and everlasting (ibid. 2:31-45). Thereupon, he signified in prophecy the time of His appearance in the Jordan, the beginning of His preaching of the Gospel, the time of His saving Passion, and the cessation of the worship according to the Mosaic Law, (ibid. 9:14-27). He portrayed most excellently the majestic and dread image of His second coming, presenting by means of words, as with living colours, the fiery throne which shall be set, the Eternal Judge Who shall sit thereon, the river of fire that shall flow forth before Him, the calling to account before the impartial judgment seat, the opened books of each ones deeds, the thousands upon thousands of them that minister to Him, and the ten thousands of them that stand in His presence (ibid. 7: 9-10). Daniel (whose name means "God is judge) was called "man of desires" by the Angels that appeared (ibid. 9:23), because he courageously disdained every desire of the body, even the very bread that is necessary for nourishment. Furthermore, he received this name because, in his longing for the freedom of those of his tribe, and his desire to know their future condition, he ceased not supplicating God, fasting and bending the knee three times a day. Because of this prayer he was cast into the den of lions, after he had been accused by his enemies as a transgressor of the decree issued through the proclamation of the king, that no one should worship or ask for anything from God or from men for thirty days, but only from the king. But having stopped the mouths of the lions by divine might, and appearing among them as though he were a shepherd of sheep, Daniel showed the impious the might of godlinness (ibid. 6:1-23).

As for the Three Children, Ananias ("Yah is gracious"), Misael ("Who is what God is?), and Azarias ("Yah is keeper"), since they refused to offer adoration to Nabuchodonosor's image, they were cast into the furnace of fire. They were preserved unharmed amidst the flames - even their hair was untouched - by the descent of the Angel of the Lord, that is, the Son of God. Walking about in the furnace, as though in the midst of dew, they sang the universal hymn of praise to God, which is found in the Seventh and Eighth Odes of the Holy Psalter. And coming forth therefrom, without even the smell of the fire on their clothes (Dan. 3), they prefigured in themselves the Virgin's incorrupt giving of birth; for she, on receiving the Fire of the Godhead within her womb, was not burned, but remained virgin, even as she was before giving birth.
Therefore the Church celebrates the Three Children and Daniel on this day, on the Sunday of the Forefathers, and on the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, since they prefigured and proclaimed His Incarnation. Furthermore, they were of the tribe of Judah, wherefrom, Christ sprang forth according to the flesh. The holy Three Children completed their lives full of days; as for the Prophet Daniel, he lived until the reign of Cyrus, King of Persia, whom he also petitioned that his nation be allowed to return to Jerusalem and that the Temple be raised up again, and his request was granted. He reposed in Peace, having lived about eighty-eight years. His prophetical book, which is divided into twelve chapters, is ranked fourth among the greater Prophets." (taken from:http://goarch.org/chapel/saints_view?contentid=341&type=saints)

Here are some excerpts from the Old Testement Readings that are alluded to above. The first is read at the Great Vespers for Christ's Nativity, and as mentioned above, is a prophecy of Christ's Incarnation (and his destruction of the kingdoms of the earth) from the Most-Holy Theotokos. The second is taken from the Great Vespers on Holy Saturday (and is followed by the hymn that is attributed to the Three Holy Youths in the Furnace. A quick explanation by Fr. Schmemann: "the pivotal point of the service [of Great Vespers on Holy Saturday] occurs after the Entrance, when fifteen lessons from the Old Testament are read, all centered on the promise of the Resurrection, all glorifying the ultimate Victory of God, prophesied in the victorious Song of Moses after the crossing of the Red Sea ("Let us sing to the Lord for gloriously has He been glorified"), the salvation of Jonah, and that of the three youths in the furnace." (taken from: http://www.schmemann.org/byhim/holysaturday.html) Both texts below are transled by Fr. Ephraim Lash:

Icon of the Holy Prophet Daniel (Taken from: http://www.christopherklitou.com/saints_17th_december.htm)
  

"The Reading is from the Prophecy of Daniel.(2:31-36, 44-45)
Daniel said to Nabuchodonosor, ‘You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was lightening. The head of this image was of pure gold, its hands, breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out from a mountain by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever; just as you saw that a stone was cut from the mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation trustworthy.’" (taken from the text of Great Vespers for Christ's Nativity: http://www.anastasis.org.uk/25decves.htm)

"The Reading is from the Prophecy of Daniel.[3:1-88]
In the eighteenth year Nabuchodonosor made a golden image; its height was sixty cubits and its breadth was six cubits; and he set it up in the plain of Deοra, in the country of Babylon. And he sent to gather all the governors and generals and magistrates and chiefs and princes, all those with authority, all the governors of countries to come to the dedication of the image. And they were gathered, the magistrates, governors, generals, chiefs, great princes, those with authority, all the governors of countries for the dedication of the image which Nabuchodonosor the king had set up; and they stood before the image. And the herald cried loudly: To you it is ordered, peoples, tribes, languages, at what hour you shall hear the sound of trumpet, pipe, harp, sackbut, psaltery and every kind of music, you shall fall down and worship the golden image which Nabuchodonosor the king has set up. And any one who does not fall down and worship, at that hour shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire. And it came to pass that when the people heard the sound of trumpet, pipe, harp, sackbut, psaltery and every kind of music, all the peoples, tribes and languages fell down and worshipped the golden image which Nabuchodonosor had set up. Then certain Chaldean men approached and accused the Jews and they spoke and said to king Nabuchodonosor: O king, live for ever! You, O king, have given an order that everyone who hears the sound of trumpet, pipe, harp, sackbut, psaltery and every kind of music and does not fall down and worship the golden image, shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire. There are Jewish men, whom you have placed over the works of the country of Babylon, Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago, who have not obeyed your order, O king, and do not serve your gods and who do not worship the golden image which you have set up. Then in rage and anger Nabuchodonosor ordered Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago to be brought; and they were brought before the king; and Nabuchodonosor answered and said to them: Is it true, Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago that you do not serve my gods, and do not worship the golden image that I have set up? Now therefore, when you hear the sound of trumpet, pipe, harp, sackbut, psaltery and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that I have set up; and if you do not worship, in that hour you will be cast into the burning furnace of fire. And who is the god that will rescue you from my hands? Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago answered king Nabuchodonosor: We have no need to answer you over this matter; for our God, whom we serve, is in heaven, able to rescue us from the burning furnace of fire and he will from your hands, O king, because we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden image that you have set up. Then Nabuchodonosor was filled with rage, and his countenance was changed towards Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago, and he ordered the furnace to be heated sevenfold, so that it should burn to the uttermost; and he ordered his strongest men to fetter Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago and to cast them into the burning furnace of fire. Then the man bound then with their coats, caps, leggings and other clothing and they were cast into the middle of the burning fiery furnace, since the word of the king was pressing; and the furnace was heated exceedingly, sevenfold. And these three, Sedrach, Misach and Abdenago, fell bound into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, and they walked in the middle of the flame, praising god and blessing the Lord. And Azarias prayed thus; and opening his mouth in the middle of the fire he said: Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers: and praised and glorified is your name to the ages. For you are just in all that you have done for us. And all your works are true, and your ways are right, and all your judgements are true. And judgements of truth you have executed in all that you have brought upon us. And upon Jerusalem the holy city of our fathers. Because in truth you have brought all these things upon us, because of our sins. Because we have sinned and committed iniquity in departing from you, and we have sinned in all things, and we have not obeyed your commandments, nor kept them, nor have we done as you commanded us, that it might be well with us. And all that you have done to us, and all that you have brought upon us, you have done with true judgement; and you handed us over into the hands of our lawless foes, hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the earth. And now we cannot open our mouth; we have become a shame and disgrace to your servants, and to those who honour you. Do not hand us over for ever, for your holy name’s sake, and do not annul your covenant, and do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham your beloved, and Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one. To whom you said that you would multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the shore of the sea. Because, Master, we have become smaller than all the nations, and we are humbled in all the earth to-day because of our sins. And at this moment there is neither prince, nor prophet nor leader; neither holocaust, nor sacrifice, not offering, nor incense; no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy. Yet with a contrite heart and with a spirit of humility may we be accepted, as though with holocausts of rams and bulls and tens of thousands of fat lambs, so may our sacrifice be acceptable before you to-day, and may it be perfected behind you; because there is no shame for those who trust in you. And now we are following you with our whole heart, and we fear you, and seek your face; do not put us to shame. But do with us according to your fairness, and according to the multitude of your mercy. Deliver us according to your wondrous works, and give glory to your name, O Lord. And let all who harm your servants be disgraced, and put to shame from all their power, and let their strength be smashed. And let them know that you Lord, alone are God, and glorious in the whole inhabited world. And the king’s servants, who cast them in, did not cease stoking the furnace with naphtha, pitch, tow and brushwood. And the flame poured out above the furnace forty nine cubits; and it spread out and burnt up those of the Chaldeans it found around the furnace. But the Angel of the Lord came down into the furnace with Azarias and his companions, and shook the flame of the fire out of the furnace. And he made the midst of the furnace as though a moist wind were whistling through it; and the fire did not touch them at all, nor hurt them, nor trouble them. Then the Three as with one voice, hymned, blessed and glorified God in the furnace, saying: Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers: to be praised and exalted unto the ages. And blessed is your glorious, holy name: to be praised and exalted unto the ages. Blessed are you in the temple of your glory: to be praised and exalted unto the ages. Blessed are you who behold the deeps and sit upon the Cherubim: to be praised and exalted unto the ages. Blessed are you on the glorious throne of your kingdom: to be praised and exalted unto the ages. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven: to be praised and exalted unto the ages."

Icon of the Holy Three Youths in the Furnace (taken from: http://www.christopherklitou.com/saints_17th_december.htm)
  

[Then we stand and sing in Tone 6 [Tone 1]]
Praise the Lord, and highly exalt him, unto the ages.[Then the Canonarch reads the following hymn, while we, after each verse sing the refrain: Praise the Lord as above.]
Bless the Lord all you works of the Lord; praise, and highly exalt him to all the ages.
Bless the Lord Angels of the Lord, heavens of the Lord;
Bless the Lord all you waters above the heavens, all you powers of the Lord;
Bless the Lord sun and moon, stars of heaven;
Bless the Lord, every shower and dew, all the winds;
Bless the Lord fire and warmth, cold and heat;
Bless the Lord dews and snows, ice and cold;
Bless the Lord frosts and snows, lightnings and clouds;
Bless the Lord light and dark, nights and days;
Bless the Lord earth, mountains and hills, and all that grow in it;
Bless the Lord springs, seas and rivers, whales and all that move in the waters;
Bless the Lord all you birds of the air, beasts and cattle;
Bless the Lord you sons of men. Let Israel bless the Lord;
Bless the Lord priests of the Lord, servants of the Lord;
Bless the Lord spirits and souls of the just, holy and humble of heart;
Bless the Lord Ananias, Azarias and Misael;
Bless the Lord Apostles, Prophets and Martyrs of the Lord;
We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,[Singers:] We praise the Lord and highly exalt him unto the ages.[Reader:] Both now.[Singers:] Praise the Lord, and highly exalt him, unto the ages.[Reader:] We praise, bless and worship the Lord, praising and highly exalting him unto the ages. [Singers:] We praise the Lord and highly exalt him unto the ages." (Reading and Hymn of the Three Holy Youths, taken from the Great Vespers of Holy Saturday: http://www.anastasis.org.uk/HWSat-V.htm)

Icon of the Holy Prophets Daniel and the Three Youths in the Furnace (taken from: http://www.uncutmountainsupply.com/proddetail.asp?prod=1TY10)

Apolytikion in the Second Tone
Great are the accomplishments of faith. In the fountain of flame the three Holy Youths rejoiced as though they were resting by the waters. And the Prophet Daniel showed himself to be a shepherd to the lions, as though they were sheep. Through their prayers O Christ our God, save our souls.
  

Kontakion in the Third Tone
Since thy pure and hallowed heart had been made pure by the Spirit, it became His dwelling-place and clearest prophecy's vessel; for thou didst behold things far off as near and present, and when cast into the den, thou didst muzzle lions; for which cause, O blessed Prophet, glorious Daniel, we all revere thee in faith.

(taken from:http://goarch.org/chapel/saints_view?contentid=341&type=saints)

Holy Prophets Daniel, Ananias, Azarias and Misael, intercede for us!

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!