Veni veni Emmanuel (O come, O come, Emmanuel)

Veni veni Emmanuel (O come, O come, Emmanuel)

As someone who is drawn towards more modern, alternative music, it may seem strange that the classic Christmas hymns invoke the most exuberant expressions of joy for me. One reason is something that a fellow twitterer (with protected updates) expressed so well the other day:

I have never really understood why some quality hymns are only played at Christmas time. Then again, many Christmas hymns have far better theology than much of what is considered worship music.

One other reason is that a great deal of thought was often put into these poems and/or hymns, causing both the mind and heart to join together in rejoicing at what would eventually come to be our release from eternal bondage.

Today's carol - Veni, veni, Emmanuel or O come, O come, Emmanuel by John Mason Neale has a very rich, intricate and somewhat incomplete history in that what we sing is actually a composition of seven separate prayers which would have been (in one tradition) recited, chanted or sung at evening services across the seven days before Christmas Eve. Each verse originally began with an "O [title]" (which is one reason why this format is generally referred to as an "O Antiphon"), with each [title] giving a name to Jesus:

O Sapientia (Wisdom)
O Adonai (Lord of might)
O Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse)
O Clavis David (Key of David)
O Oriens (Dawn or Dayspring)
O Rex Gentium (King of the nations)
O Emmanuel (God with us)

I highlighted the letters after the 'O' in bold since if you read them backwards they spell "Ero Cras" which is loosely translated as "will be tomorrow" and is more correctly translated in this context as "I will come tomorrow". I suspect you had no idea you were singing something so full of meaning just by the way it was originally arranged!

The full text of Neale's adapted hymn/carol follows. The penultimate verse - "O come, Desire of nations, bind / in one the hearts of all mankind / bid thou our sad divisions cease, / and be thyself our King of Peace." came from its "O" counterpart - "O come, desire of nations! Show thy kingly reign on earth below; thou cornerstone, uniting all, restore the ruin of our fall." which I personally find far more descriptive of what Christ's birth, life and sacrifice calls us to be: firmly fixed upon Him and under Him, united in purpose and mission, of which the central part is:

John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
John 15:12"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:17These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

O come, O come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
who orderest all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go. Refrain

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory over the grave. Refrain

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death's dark shadows put to flight. Refrain

O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery. Refrain

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times once gave the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

O come, thou Root of Jesse's tree,
an ensign of thy people be;
before thee rulers silent fall;
all peoples on thy mercy call. Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid thou our sad divisions cease,
and be thyself our King of Peace. Refrain

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear. Refrain

421 reads |

Tags: 2009, advent, carol, christmas, o come emmanuel, veni veni emmanuel

Post new comment