The Akathist Hymn || O Ἀκάθιστος Ὕμνος

The Akathist is also known by the first three words of its prooimion (preamble), Te upermacho stratego (Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ στρατηγῷ, "To you, invincible champion") addressed to Holy Mary (Panagia Theotokos, "The all-holy birth-giver of God").

The akathist par excellence is the one written during the seventh century for the feast of Annunciation of the Theotokos (25 March). This kontakion was traditionally attributed to Romanos the Melodist since kontakia of Romanos dominated the classical repertoire 80 kontakia sung during the cathedral rite of the Hagia Sophia, though recent scholarship rejects this authorship like in case of many other kontakia of the core repertoire. The exceptional case of the Akathist is that the Greek original consists of 24 oikoi, each one beginning with the next letter of the alphabet.[1] Due to the excessive length the kontakion became truncated like the others, but even the earliest chant books with musical notation (the Tipografsky Ustav, for instance) have the complete text of all 24 oikoi written out, but the last 23 oikoi without musical notation.[2]

Since the 14th century the Akathist moved from the menaion to the moveable cycle of the triodion, and the custom established that the whole hymn was sung in four sections throughout Lent. As such it became part of the service of the Salutations to the Theotokos (used in the Byzantine tradition during Great Lent).

Another particular characteristic feature of the Akathist is the extraordinary length of the refrain or ephymnion which conists of a great number of verses beginning with χαῖρε (“Rejoice”) which are called in Greek Chairetismoi (Χαιρετισμοί, "Rejoicings") or in Arabic Madayeh, respectively; in the Slavic tradition it is known as Akafist. The chairetismoi are only repeated in every second oikos, and from a musical point of view the ephymnion consists just of a short musical phrase, either about the last χαῖρε verse or about allelouia.

The writing of akathists (occasionally spelled acathist) developed within the Slavic traditions as a genre of its own as part of the general composition of an akolouthia, although not all compositions are widely known nor translated beyond the original language. Reader Isaac E. Lambertsen has done a large amount of translation work, including many different akathists. Most of the newer akathists are pastiche, that is, a generic form imitating the original 6th-century akathist to the Theotokos into which a particular saint's name is inserted. In the Greek, Arabic, and Russian Old Rite traditions, the only akathist permitted in formal liturgical use is the original akathist.

[apmikalogran]

This is our real national anthem in Greece
and has to be for all of you I think
No need for war is going to become Greek Christian again

[georgios_]

Βασιλεῦ τῆς εἰρήνης, παντοδύναμε κύριε, σύντριψον ἐχθρῶν πολεμίων τὰ κακότεχνα σχέδια· κατάβαλε τῆς γῆς τῶν ἰσχυρῶν, τὸ θράσος καὶ τὴν ἄνομον βουλὴν, ἐξαιρέτως τῆς Πατρίδος διατηρὼν τὴν ἐθνικὴν ἑνότητα. Δόξα τῇ σῇ ἰσχύϊ κραταιέ, δόξα τῇ σῇ χρηστότητι· δόξα τῇ παναγάθῳ πρὸς ἡμᾶς προνοίᾳ σου φιλάνθρωπε.

[mansourannab]

اني انا مدينتك يا والدة الاله اكتب لك رايات الغلبة يا قائدة محامية واقدام لك الشكر كمنقذة من الشدائد لكن بما ان لك العز اه التي لا تحارب تعتقيني من صنوف الشدائد حتى اصرخ اليك
افرحي يا عروسا لا عروس لها

[noeldanielkaragiannis]

Long Live Greece!
Long Live The Greek Byzantine Empire!
Amin
🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷☦️☦️☦️☦️

[eclectic]

Hail Mary, Full of grace, The Lord is with Thee, Blessed art thou amongst women, and Blessed is the fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death, Amen

[johncarsone]

Holy Mother of God imtercede in our behalf.❤❤❤❤❤

[θοδωρηςΚερκυρα-οπ]

Eastern Roman empire. Nova Roma (Constantinople) Victor. BBBB Βασιλεία των Ρωμαίων.

[KingCanada]

Civilization 6's Byzantine theme brought me here. Also first...

[Pan_Z]

One wonders how different history would be had the Roman Empire survived to modern times, the age of the nation-state.

[xrty]

Instabul ☦️📿must be prepared... congratulations to the Son with🇬🇷in front

[sbreheny]

Is this being sung with modern Greek pronunciation? Some of the letters are being pronounced quite differently than Koine or Attic Greek (for example σοί is being pronounced like English "see" and not "soy")

[borisbadanov]

Will there be another Christian Emperor?

[constantius]

Eastern Christendom tragically lost Constantinople in 1453 AD but Islam then lost Granada to Western Christendom in 1492. After that Western Christendom founded dozens of new countries and many hundreds of new cities across four continents while Islam has done virtually nothing new to this day: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Wellington, Buenos Aires, Montreal, Lagos, Capetown to name but a few. The fall of the long decaying city of Constantinople to the Ottomans was a lot less serious for the West that it would have seemed in 1453.

[wardafournello]

Ο Ακάθιστος ύμνος.8 Αυγούστου, 626 ΜΧ. Αφιέρωσις της Κωνσταντινούπολης στην Παναγία.
«Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ στρατηγῷ τὰ νικητήρια,
ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια,
ἀναγράφω σοι ἡ Πόλις σου Θεοτόκε.
Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον,
ἐκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον,
ἵνα κράζω σοι· Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε».

The unseated anthem. 626 AD, August 8. Dedication Constantinople to Panagia (Virgin Mary)
<<Victories to the mighty general,
as I was redeemed from my troubles, thanks,
I ascribe to you the city, Theotokos.(God's birth)
As you have the state invincible,
freed from all dangers,
to shout at you Hail, Bride unmarried.>>

[Yalova-pf]

We are Pannonian Avars ... Avar's fighter don't conqueror Konstantinopolis but Ottoman is was conqueror this City, Akathist Hymn did not protect !! Elhamdülillah-
--Eşhedü en la ilahe illallah ve eşhedü enne Muhammeden abdühü ve resulühü

[wardafournello]

Ο Ακάθιστος ύμνος.8 Αυγούστου, 626 ΜΧ. Αφιέρωσις της Κωνσταντινούπολης στην Παναγία.
«Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ στρατηγῷ τὰ νικητήρια,
ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια,
ἀναγράφω σοι ἡ Πόλις σου Θεοτόκε.
Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον,
ἐκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον,
ἵνα κράζω σοι· Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε».

The unseated anthem. 626 AD, August 8. Dedication Constantinople to Panagia (Virgin Mary)
<<Victories to the mighty general,
as I was redeemed from my troubles, thanks,
I ascribe to you the city, Theotokos.(God's birth)
As you have the state invincible,
freed from all dangers,
to shout at you Hail, Bride unmarried.>>