Appendix 4: Stichera to the Martyrs at Vespers on Friday
IN THE EIGHT TONES FROM THE OCTOECHOS
TONE ONE
To Lord, I have cried, after the sticheron for the day in the Triodion, we sing the following stichera to the Martyrs:
At the prayers, O Lord, of all the saints and of the Theotokos, grant us Thy peace and have mercy upon us, for Thou only art compassionate.
The confession of faith that ye made in the arena, O ye saints, filled with fear the hosts of demons and set men free from error. As ye were beheaded ye cried out: ‘May the sacrifice of our souls be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord; for, desiring Thee who lovest man, we have despised this quickly passing life.’
Wise was the exchange ye made, O saints! Ye gave your blood, and received heaven as your reward; ye suffered tribulation for a time, and now make glad eternally. Wisely have ye traded: forsaking things corruptible, ye have received things incorruptible; and rejoicing with the choirs of angels ye sing continually the praises of the consubstantial Trinity.
O martyrs worthy of all praise, your bodies were not buried in the earth, yet heaven has received you; the gates of Paradise were opened to you, and entering within ye have eaten from the tree of life. Pray to Christ that He may grant peace and great mercy to our souls.
Glory be to the Father…
For the Dead
by St. John of Damascus
What pleasure in this life remains unmarked by sorrow? What glory can endure upon this earth unchanged? All is feebler than a shadow, more deceptive that a dream; for death in a single moment takes all things away. But in the light of Thy countenance, O Christ, and in the joy of Thy beauty, give rest to those whom Thou hast chosen, for Thou lovest mankind.
Both now…
Dogmatic Theotokion
Let us praise the Virgin Mary, glory of all the world and gate of heaven, Daughter of men and Mother of the Lord, song of the angelic hosts and adornment of the faithful. For she is revealed as heaven and the temple of the Godhead. She it is who, breaking down the middle wall of enmity, established peace and opened the palace of the King. With her, therefore, as anchor of our faith, we have as our defender the Lord whom she has borne. Be of good courage, then, people of God, be of good courage: for in His almighty power He will make war upon our foes.
TONE TWO
To Lord, I have cried, the stichera to the Martyrs:
Not desiring earthly pleasure, the victorious martyrs were granted heavenly blessings, and they have become fellow-citizens with the angels. At their prayers, O Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Because the holy martyrs intercede for us and sing in praise of Christ, all error is destroyed and mankind is saved by faith.
The company of martyrs resisted tyrants, saying: ‘We are soldiers of the Ruler of the powers on high; though ye give us up to fire and torture, we shall not deny the power of the Trinity.’
Great is the glory, O ye saints, that ye have gained through your faith. For by your sufferings ye were victorious over the enemy; and after death, as physicians of body and soul, ye drive out evil spirits and bring healing to the sick. Intercede before the Lord, that mercy be given to our souls.
Glory be to the Father…
For the Dead
by St. John of Damascus
Woe is me! How great a struggle the soul endures at its parting from the body. Woe is me! How many tears it sheds, but there is none to pity it. Turning to the angels, it supplicates in vain; stretching out its hands to men, it finds no-one to help. Therefore, my beloved brethren, reflecting on the shortness of our life, let us ask Christ to give rest to the departed and to grant our souls great mercy.
Both now…
Dogmatic Theotokion
The shadow of the Law has passed away at the coming of grace. For as the bush burned with fire and yet was not consumed, so as virgin thou hast given birth and yet remained a virgin. Instead of the pillar of fire there has risen the Sun of righteousness; instead of Moses we have Christ, the salvation of our souls.
TONE THREE
To Lord, I have cried, the stichera to the Martyrs:
Great is the power of Thy martyrs, O Christ! Though they lie in their tombs, they drive out evil spirits and fight in the defence of true devotion, subduing the dominion of the enemy through faith in the Trinity.
The prophets, the apostles of Christ and the martyrs have taught mankind to sing the praises of the consubstantial Trinity; they have given light to the nations that were gone astray, and they have made the sons of men companions of the angels.
Supported by faith and made strong by hope, Thy martyrs, O Lord, destroyed the tyranny of the enemy; and, receiving crowns of glory, together with the angels they make intercession for our souls.
Great is the power of Thy Cross, O Lord! It was set up in the place of the skull, and it acts in all the world; it made the fishermen into apostles and the Gentiles into martyrs, that they might intercede for our souls.
Glory be to the Father…
For the Dead
by St. John of Damascus
All human things are vain, and endure not after death. Our wealth will not remain, our glory will not go with us upon the way; for when death comes, all these things will disappear. Therefore let us cry to Christ who is immortal: Give rest to our departed brethren and make them dwell with the joyful.
Both now…
Dogmatic Theotokion
How shall we not be filled with wonder, O Virgin honoured by all, since thou hast given birth to God incarnate? Not knowing man, all-pure, thou hast borne in the flesh a Son without a father, who was begotten without mother from the Father before all ages. Suffering no change, confusion or division, He preserved in full what is proper to each nature. Therefore, Virgin Mother and Queen, pray to Him for the salvation of our souls, for with true worship we confess thee to be Theotokos.
TONE FOUR
To Lord, I have cried, the stichera to the Martyrs:
Thou art glorified in the memorials of Thy saints, O Christ our God: at their intercessions send down upon us Thy great mercy.
Thou hast accepted the patient suffering of the holy martyrs: in Thy love accept our hymns of praise, and at their intercessions grant us Thy great mercy.
Since, O saints, ye have boldness in the presence of the Saviour, pray without ceasing for us sinners, asking that remission of offences and great mercy may be granted to our souls.
O martyrs of the Lord, living oblations, spiritual burnt-offerings, perfect victims sacrificed to God, sheep that know God and are known by Him, whose fold no wolf can enter: pray that we be led with you to feed beside the waters of repose.
Glory be to the Father…
For the Dead
by St. John of Damascus
Where are all the attractions of this world? Where is the vain show of passing things? Where are the silver and the gold? Where are the crowds of servants and their clamour? All are dust, all ashes, all a shadow. Come, then, and let us cry to the immortal King: O Lord, count worthy of eternal joy those whom Thou hast taken from us, and give them rest in the blessedness that grows not old.
Both now…
Dogmatic Theotokion
David the Prophet, O Theotokos, has through thee become the forefather of God. In hymns of praise to the Lord who magnified thee, he spoke of thee, saying: ‘At Thy right hand stood the Queen.’ Choosing to become incarnate from thee without a father, God has made thee Mother and source of life, that He might renew His own image, corrupted by the passions. Finding the lost sheep that had wandered on the hills, He laid it on His shoulders, and brought it to the Father, and united it by His own will to the powers of heaven, and saved the world: for He is Christ, great and rich in mercy.
TONE FIVE
To Lord, I have cried, the stichera to the Martyrs:
Despising every earthly thing, bravely withstanding torture, ye attained the blessedness for which ye hoped, and were made heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, O martyrs worthy of all praise. Since ye have boldness before God who loves mankind, pray that peace be given to the world, and to our souls great mercy.
Taking up the shield of faith, strengthening themselves with the sign of the Cross, Thy saints, O Lord, went willingly and bravely to torture, and they overthrew the pride and error of the devil. At their supplications, O Almighty God, send down peace upon the world, and on our souls great mercy.
Intercede on our behalf, O holy martyrs, that we may be delivered from our sins: for to you is given grace to pray for us.
Your souls, O holy martyrs, were filled with an insatiable love; not denying Christ ye endured great sufferings and torments, and ye cast down the tyrant’s pride. Ye kept the faith unaltered and unharmed, and now have gone to dwell in heaven. Since ye have boldness before Christ, pray that He may grant us His great mercy.
Glory be to the Father…
For the Dead
by St. John of Damascus
I called to mind the Prophet’s words, ‘I am dust and ashes.’ I went also to the tombs, and saw the naked bones, and said: ‘Which now is the king or the soldier, the rich man or the beggar, the upright or the sinner?’ But give rest, O Lord, unto Thy servants with the righteous, for Thou lovest mankind.
Both now…
Dogmatic Theotokion
Upon the Red Sea once there was inscribed an ikon that foreshadowed the Virgin Bride. There Moses parted the waters; here Gabriel serves as minister of the miracle. Then Israel walked dry-shod through the deep; now the Virgin has without seed given birth to Christ. After Israel had crossed, the sea remained impassable, as it was before; and after conceiving Emmanuel, the All-Pure remained still inviolate. O God who art and who hast ever been, who hast appeared as man, have mercy upon us.
TONE SIX
To Lord, I have cried, the stichera to the Martyrs:
Thy martyrs, O Lord, denied Thee not and forsook not Thy commandments; at their intercessions have mercy upon us.
Those who suffered martyrdom for Thee, O Christ, endured great torments: at their prayers and intercessions, O Lord, preserve us all.
Thy victorious martyrs, when they contended on this earth, endured great torments; but now they dwell in heaven and have received a perfect crown, that they may offer intercession for our souls.
Thy Cross was for the martyrs an invincible weapon, O Lord. They saw death before them; but, looking to the life that is to come, they were strengthened by their hope in Thee. At their intercessions have mercy upon us.
Glory be to the Father…
For the Dead
by St. John of Damascus
Thy creative ordinance was my beginning and foundation. For Thou hast willed to fashion me as a living creature from natures visible and invisible: Thou hast made my body from the earth, and given me a soul by Thy divine and quickening breath. Therefore, O Saviour, grant rest to Thy servants in the land of the living, in the tabernacles of the righteous.
Both now…
Dogmatic Theotokion
Who will not call thee blessed, O most holy Virgin? Who will not sing the praises of thy childbearing without the pangs of birth? For the only Son, eternally begotten by the Father, has now been born from thee, pure Lady, taking flesh in a way beyond our powers of speech. Being God by nature, for our sake He became by nature man, not divided into a duality of persons but revealed to us without confusion in two natures. O honoured and all-blessed, pray to Him that He may have mercy on our souls.
TONE SEVEN
To Lord, I have cried, the stichera to the Martyrs:
Glory be to Thee, O Christ our God, boast of the apostles, joy of the martyrs, whose preaching was the consubstantial Trinity.
O holy martyrs, who have fought the good fight and received your crowns, pray to the Lord for mercy on our souls.
Despising every earthly thing, O holy martyrs, and bravely preaching Christ in the arena, ye received from Him the due reward for all your sufferings. Since He is Almighty God and ye have boldness in His presence, to you we run for help; we entreat you, pray to Him for the salvation of our souls.
O martyrs worthy of all praise, sheep of Christ’s spiritual flock, ye are a living offering and a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. Earth did not cover you, but heaven has received you. Ye have become companions of the angels: we entreat you, pray with them to God our Saviour, that peace be given to the world, and salvation to our souls.
Glory be to the Father…
For the Dead
by St. John of Damascus
O Life-Giver and Saviour, give rest to our brethren whom Thou hast taken from this temporary life, for unto Thee they cry: O Lord, glory to Thee.
Both now…
Dogmatic Theotokion
In ways surpassing nature, beyond speech and understanding, thou wast revealed, O Theotokos, as a mother, yet hast thou remained a virgin. Our tongue cannot express the wonder of thy giving birth. Marvellous, O pure Lady, was thy conceiving, and beyond our comprehension was the manner of thy bearing child; for when God wills, nature’s rules are overthrown. And so, confessing thee as Mother of God, we fervently entreat thee: intercede for the salvation of our souls.
TONE EIGHT
To Lord, I have cried, the stichera to the Martyrs:
O martyrs of the Lord, ye hallow every place and heal every ill: and now we entreat you to pray that our souls may be delivered from the snares of the enemy.
O martyrs of the Lord, we beseech you, offer intercession to our God: pray for abundant mercy on our souls and the forgiveness of our many sins.
Thy martyrs, O Lord, forgetting the things of the present life, and despising torture in their longing for the life to come, were granted this eternal life as their inheritance, and now they rejoice with the angels. At their supplications bestow upon Thy people Thy great mercy.
If there be any virtue and if there be any praise, rightly are these things ascribed to the saints. They bowed their necks beneath the sword, for Thy sake who hast bowed the heavens and come down. They shed their blood for Thee, who hast emptied Thyself and taken the form of a servant; they humbled themselves even unto death, following the example of Thy poverty. At their prayers have mercy upon us, O God, according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies.
Glory be to the Father…
For the Dead
by St. John of Damascus
I lament and weep whenever I see death and look upon our beauty, formed according to God’s image, lying in the grave disfigured and inglorious, its outward form destroyed. O strange wonder! What mystery is this concerning us? How have we been delivered to corruption? How have we been yoked to death? All this, so it is written, is by the ordinance of God, who grants rest to the departed.
Both now…
Dogmatic Theotokion
The King of Heaven, out of love for us, appeared on earth and dwelt with men. Taking flesh from a pure Virgin, He came forth from her in the human nature that He had assumed. He is one Son, twofold in Nature yet not in Person. And so we make a true confession of our faith in Christ our God, proclaiming Him as perfect God and perfect man. Pray to Him, O Virgin Mother, that He may have mercy on our souls.