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Sub tuum praesidium

Sub Tuum Præsidium (Ancient Greek: Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν; English: Under your Protection) is an ancient Christian hymn and prayer dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A religious processional banner from the Holy House of Mercy in Lisbon (1784) depicting the Virgin of Mercy; the first verse of the hymn is displayed below.

The hymn enumerates the three Marian truths: her special election by God the Father, the doctrine of perpetual virginity by the Holy Ghost, and her divine and sinless motherhood of God the Son. It is one of the oldest known Marian prayers and among the most ancient preserved hymns still currently in use.

The Papyrus No. 470, containing a substantial portion of the prayer was dated initially to the 3rd or 4th century; later proposed to the 9th century A.D. The dating of the Papyrus remains uncertain.[1] Accordingly, the celebrated hymn is well attested within the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Historicity

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The Papyrus No. 470, purported to be the earliest surviving manuscript in the Greek language, dated between 3rd to 9th centuries. Preserved today at the John Rylands library in Manchester, England.

The earliest text of this hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas liturgy. Rylands Papyrus 470 records the hymn in Greek, and was dated to the 3rd century by papyrologist Edgar Lobel and by scholar Colin Henderson Roberts to the 4th century.[2][3][4][5] By contrast, Hans Förster dates it to the 8th century and states that Roberts merely quoted Lobel, and that there is no consensus supporting the Lobel date.[6] Although he notes that a number of scholars support Lobel and Roberts, Towarek follows Förster and others in concluding that the earliest textual witness to the hymn is of 6th—7th century provenance and that it only became liturgically prevalent in the Middle Ages.[7]

Recent scholarship has identified the hymn in the Georgian Iadgari (Chantbook) of Jerusalem, demonstrating that the Sub Tuum Praesidium was in liturgical use during the 5th century.[8][9] The hymn is also part of the Order of Sulpician custom that all classes ended with a recitation of this prayer.[10] Besides the Greek text, ancient versions can be found in Coptic, Syriac, Armenian and Latin.[11]

The Frenchman, Henri de Villiers finds in the term "blessed" a reference to the salutation by Saint Elizabeth in Luke 1:42.[11] 'Praesidium' is translated as "an assistance given in time of war by fresh troops in a strong manner."[12]

The former medieval and post-medieval practice in several dioceses, especially in France, was to use the Sub tuum as the final antiphon at Compline instead of the Salve Regina,[11] and in the Rite of Braga, where it is sung at the end of the Catholic Mass.

Pontifical indulgence

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Pope Pius VI in the decree of 5 April 1786 granted the indulgence of one hundred days and, on Sundays, of 7 years and the same number of forty years to anyone who with a heart contrition recited in the morning the antiphon Salve Regina and in the evening the Sub tuum praesidium.[13]

During the modernization efforts of the Second Vatican Council, these types of indulgences (expressed in days or years) was suppressed by the Indulgentiarum Doctrina (1967).

The Enchiridion Indulgentiarum of 2004 provides for partial indulgence.[14]

Modern use

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In the Byzantine Rite used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, the hymn is the last apolytikion of Vespers celebrated during Great Lent on Sunday evenings and weekdays.[15] It is also the last apolytikion of Vespers on other Days of Alleluia outside of Great Lent.[16] In Greek practice, it is usually sung in Neo-Byzantine chant.

In the Armenian Rite, the hymn is sung on the Eve of Theophany and is also used as an acclamation (Armenian: մաղթանք) in the daily compline service known as the Rest Hour (Հանգստեան Ժամ). A slightly different version of the hymn is appended to the Trisagion when the latter is chanted in the daily Morning (Առաւօտեան) and Evening (Երեկոյեան) Hours of the Daily Office.

The Slavonic version of the hymn is also often used outside of Great Lent, with the triple invocation «Пресвятая Богородице, спаси нас!» ("Most Holy Theotokos, save us") appended.

The prayer has a special importance in Ukrainian Orthodoxy because Ukrainians connect it to the Intercession aspect of the Mother of God, which in its turn is outstandingly hallowed in the Ukrainian tradition.

The hymn is used in the Coptic liturgy, as well as in the Armenian, Byzantine, Ambrosian, and Roman Rite liturgies.

In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church it is used as the antiphon for the Nunc Dimittis at Compline in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in the Liturgy of the Hours may be used as the Marian antiphon after Compline or Vespers outside of Eastertide.

The prayer has a special significance for Marists,[10] and it is often heard in Marist schools and groups around the world. It is also commonly used by the Salesians in honor of Mary Help of Christians.

Since 2018, Pope Francis has asked to pray this hymn along with the Rosary and the Prayer to Saint Michael asking for the unity of the Church during October (2018) in the face of diverse scandals and accusations. In the official communiqué he added that "Russian mystics and the great saints of all the traditions advised, in moments of spiritual turbulence, to shelter beneath the mantle of the Holy Mother of God pronouncing the invocation 'Sub Tuum Praesidium'".[17]

In Poland, this prayer is often recited at the end of the Holy Rosary.

Musical settings

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A mosaic rendition of the Virgin of Mercy with the inscription in a school—orphanage administered by the Order of Saint Paul the Hermit in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The Latin version has been set to music in the West many times, notably by Marc-Antoine Charpentier,[18] (3 settings: H.20, for 3 voices and bc, 1670; H.28, for 3 voices unaccompanied, 1681–82; H.352, for 1 voice and bc; late1680s), Jan Dismas Zelenka, (10 settings for SATB and bc),[19] Antonio Salieri, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.[10]

Other than the traditional and modern chant settings, which are the most commonly used, the most well-known musical setting in Slavonic traditiona is perhaps that of the Ukrainian composer Dmitry Bortniansky. Another Ukrainian version was composed by Ihor Sonevytsky.

Authenticated Recensions

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Greek

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Greek Text English Translation
Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν,
καταφεύγομεν, Θεοτόκε.
Τὰς ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας,
μὴ παρίδῃς ἐν περιστάσει,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ κινδύνων λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς,
μόνη Ἁγνή, μόνη εὐλογημένη.
Beneath thy compassion,
We take refuge, O Theotokos [God-bearer]:
do not despise our petitions in time of trouble:
but rescue us from dangers,
only pure one, only blessed one.

Church Slavonic

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The earliest Church Slavonic manuscripts have the prayer in the following form:

Church Slavonic English Translation
Подъ твою милость,
прибѣгаемъ богородице дѣво,
молитвъ нашихъ не презри в скорбѣхъ.
но ѿ бѣдъ избави насъ,
едина чистаѧ и благословеннаѧ.
Beneath thy mercy,
we take refuge, O Virgin Theotokos:
disdain not our supplications in our distress,
but deliver us from perils,
O only pure and blessed one.

This version continues to be used by the Old Believers today, as well as those churches (Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic alike) which use the Ruthenian Recension.[20] In the 17th century, under the liturgical reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow, the Russian Orthodox Church adopted a new translation (but parishes continue to use the form given above):[citation needed]

Church Slavonic English Translation
Подъ твое благотробїе
прибѣгаемъ Богородице,
моленїѧ наша не презри во ωбстоѧнїй,
но ѿ бѣдъ исбави ны,
едина Чистаѧ, и Благословеннаѧ
Beneath thy tenderness of heart
we take refuge, O Theotokos,
disdain not our supplications in our necessity,
but deliver us from perils,
O only pure and blessed one.

This second version continues in use today.

Latin

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The Latin translation, likely derived from the Greek, dates from the 11th century:

Latin Text English Translation
Sub tuum praesidium
confugimus,
Sancta Dei Genetrix.
Nostras deprecationes ne despicias
in necessitatibus,
sed a periculis cunctis
libera nos semper,
Virgo gloriosa et benedicta
We fly to thy protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.[21]

Some of the Latin versions have also incorporated the following verses often attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux[22] to the above translation:

Domina nostra, Mediatrix nostra, Advocata nostra (Our Lady, our Mediatrix, Our Advocate)

tuo Filio nos reconcilia (Reconcile us to your Son)

tuo Filio nos recommenda (Recommend us to your Son)

tuo Filio nos representa (Represent us to your Son)[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ Roberta Mazza (2019). Dating Early Christian Papyri: Old and New Methods – Introduction, in Journal for the Study of the New Testament, vol. 42(1) (2019) [1]
  2. ^ Matthewes-Green, Frederica (2007). The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts. Brewster MA: Paraclete Press. pp. 85–87. ISBN 978-1-55725-536-5.
  3. ^ See the Leuven Database of Ancient Books, P. Ryl. 470. About the date of the papyrus Rylands III 470, see also Hans Förster, «Die älteste marianische Antiphon - eine Fehldatierung? Überlegungen zum "ältesten Beleg" des Sub tuum praesidium», in Journal of Coptic Studies 7 (2005), pp. 99-109.
  4. ^ O'Carroll, Michael (1982). Theotokos. A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Wilmington: Michael Glazier Inc. p. 336.
  5. ^ Mercenier, François (1939). L'Antienne mariale grecque la plus ancienne (in French). Le Muséon 52. pp. 229–233.
  6. ^ Hans Förster, «Die älteste marianische Antiphon - eine Fehldatierung? Überlegungen zum "ältesten Beleg" des Sub tuum praesidium», in Journal of Coptic Studies 7 (2005), pp. 99-109.
  7. ^ Towarek, Piotr (2021). "Prayer "Sub Tuum praesidium": Time of Origin, Place in Liturgy and Reception in Musical Culture. Outline of the Issues". Vox Patrum. 80: 239–268. doi:10.31743/vp.12929. S2CID 245321013.
  8. ^ The first Christian hymnal : the songs of the ancient Jerusalem church. Stephen J. Shoemaker. Provo, Utah. 2018. pp. xxviii. ISBN 978-1-944394-68-4. OCLC 1047578356.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ^ Frøyshov, Stig Simeon. "[Hymnography of the] Rite of Jerusalem". Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology.
  10. ^ a b c "Green, Michael. "The History of the Sub Tuum"" (PDF). Static.squarespace.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "The Sub Tuum Praesidium". Newliturgicalmovement.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Help of Christians : University of Dayton, Ohio". Udayton.edu. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  13. ^ Cancani Amadeo (1826). Brief instruction on ecclesiastical indulgences in general and on the jubilee (in Italian). in the Andreola typography editr. p. 65.
  14. ^ Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, Concessiones, n°. 17 $2, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 4th edition, 2004, p. 63. ISBN 88-209-2785-3.
  15. ^ The Lenten Triodion. The Service Books of the Orthodox Church. Translated by Mother Mary; Ware, Kallistos. South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon's Seminary Press. 2002. pp. 90–92.
  16. ^ Service-Book for Clergy: Vespers. Pittsburgh, PA: Metropolitan Cantor Institute. 2019. p. 81.
  17. ^ "Pope Francis invites the faithful to pray the Rosary in October". Vaticannews.va. 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  18. ^ Charpentier, Marc-Antoine (2017) [ca. 1687]. "Sub tuum praesidium, H.352". Imslp.org. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  19. ^ Zelenka, Jan Dismas (2015) [ca. 1725-34]. "10 Sub tuum praesidium, ZWV 157". Imslp.org.
  20. ^ "Pod tvoju milost'".
  21. ^ ""Sub tuum Praesidium", KofC" (PDF). Kofc.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  22. ^ Schneider, Josephus (1900). Manuale Sacerdotum (in Latin). J. P. Bachem.
  23. ^ Crowther, Arthur Anselm (1663). Jesus, Maria, Joseph: Or, The Devout Pilgrim of the Ever Blessed Virgin Mary. In His Holy Exercises Upon the Sacred Mysteries of Jesus, Maria, Joseph. p. 187.
  24. ^ Gebet- und Gesang-Buch für die Schüler des Znaimer Gymnasiums (in German). Lenck. 1865. p. 116.
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