The 4th Day Of The Month Of September
Commemoration Of The Holy Hieromartyr Babylas,
Bishop Of Antioch The Great
Commemoration Of The Holy Prophet Moses The God-Seer
(for this day we provide also the service in honor of the Holy Hierarch Joasaph of Belgorod)
At Vespers
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera: 3 for the hieromartyr, in Tone VI: Spec. Mel.: “Having set all aside…”—
Having dyed thy sacred vestments in thy blood, thou didst enter into the Holy of holies, in that thou wast holy, O glorious Babylas, ever manifestly enjoying deification, adorned and resplendent in martyrdom, and showing thyself to be an angel through most pure fellowship. Wherefore, we honor thee and lovingly celebrate thy most sacred solemnity, O right blessed one.
Fettered with irons, O venerable one, thou didst walk without stumbling the path which leadeth to the city of heaven, arrayed in honorable wounds as with ornaments, O Babylas most wise. And entering it as a victor most true, an invincible martyr, and a most sacred performer of sacred acts, in a pure manner thou dost offer up with the angels the divine hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O consubstantial Trinity!
Tending the reason-endowed flock, with the staff of understanding, O hierarch, thou didst nourish it with the verdure of faith, didst save it from wild beasts and didst gladden God Who shepherdeth thee from on high. Proclaiming Him before the ungodly, O blessed one, thou wast slaughtered, rejoicing, like an innocent lamb, with the guileless youths, and with them wast offered up as a fragrant and unblemished sacrifice, O most wondrous Babylas.
And 3 stichera for the prophet, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Called from on high…”—
Having studied the mysteries of God and the wonders of His ineffable beauty and glory, O most lauded God-seer Moses, thou didst proclaim them in images through shadows and indistinct forms. Wherefore, through immaterial things and shadowy images thou dost bring to us the concepts of the primal origin of the divine Effulgence. Having acquired deification through the promise and grace, as a god, O blessed one, thou didst triumph over Pharaoh. Pray thou in behalf of all who honor thee.
Having excelled in the virtues, in a vision thou didst find thyself close to God. And having been amid the whirlwind and the darkness and in the midst of the cloud, thou wast wholly glorified. Hence, thou didst receive the tablets of the writing of God, and like an angel dost clearly shine forth with grace through the eyes of thy spirit and those of thy body, and dost cover the blindness of false faith; and, revealing God’s revelation to the faithful, thou dost transmit it by thy words. Pray thou, that we be saved.
Thou wast conversant with the fiery and divinely wrought love of God, O thrice blessed Moses, beholding Him face to face, one upon the other. And, gazing upon thine own Creator, thou didst manifestly behold His back-parts in His splendor, learning through a crevice in the rock of the future divine manifestation of the Word in the flesh. Wherefore, like the all-wondrous pillar which all-gloriously went before the divinely wise people thou goest before and savest those who praise thee with faith.
Glory…, idiomelon, in Tone VI—
The Church hath acquired thy struggles as a stairway which mounteth on high, O hieromartyr Babylas, and thou dost preserve it unharmed and unassailed by mighty wolves; it proclaimeth thy mighty deeds and magnifieth thee and the children who were slain with thee for Christ, O blessed one.
Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavroTheotokion: Spec. Mel.: “On the third day…”—
“Pondering Thy seedless conception and Thy painless nativity, I marvel exceedingly. How is it, O my Son, that it is Thy will to die thus like a malefactor?” the all-pure one cried out.
At the aposticha: Glory…, in Tone VI—
Standing before the tribunal of the tyrant and holding forth for piety, thou didst cry out: “Behold, here am I and the children which God hath given me!” Crowned with them in the heavens, O hieromartyr Babylas, pray thou unceasingly, that our souls be delivered from the snares of the enemy.
Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavroTheotokion: Spec. Mel.: “On the third day…”—
Beholding the most iniquitous people who unjustly nailed Thee to the Tree, the pure Virgin, Thy Mother, was wounded in her womb, as Symeon had foretold, O Savior.
Troparion of the hieromartyr, in Tone IV—
As thou didst share in the ways of the apostles and didst occupy their throne, thou didst find thine activity to be a passage to divine vision, O divinely inspired one. Wherefore, ordering the word of truth, thou didst suffer for the Faith even unto the shedding of thy blood. O hieromartyr Babylas, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.
And the troparion of the prophet, in Tone II—
Celebrating the memory of Thy Prophet Moses, O Lord, through him do we beseech Thee: save Thou our souls!
Or this troparion, in the same tone—
Thou didst ascend to the heights of the virtues, O Prophet Moses, for which cause thou wast vouchsafed to behold the glory of God and didst receive the grace-filled tablets of the law. And, bearing within thyself the lineaments of grace, thou wast the honored boast of the prophets and the great mystery of piety.
At Matins
One canon from the Octoechos, and two for the saints.
Ode I
Canon of the hieromartyr, the composition of John the Monk, in Tone VI—
Irmos: Traversing the deep on foot, as though it were dry land, and seeing the tyrant Pharaoh drowned, Israel cried aloud: Let us chant unto God a hymn of victory!
Passing calmly over on thy blood, like Moses crossing the Red Sea, O blessed Babylas, thou didst cry out to God the hymn of victory: Let us chant unto the Lord, for He hath been glorified!
Thou didst overcome the desire for earthly things, submitting thy desire to the Divine, that thou mightest live, O blessed Babylas who went forth to behold the beauty of Christ.
As a lover of the all-divine Trinity, thou didst die, rejoicing, with the three children, O blessed Babylas, ever guiding their souls with divine desire.
Theotokion: Having received thy Creator Who, in manner beyond comprehension, was incarnate of thy seedless womb, O pure one, as He Himself desired, thou wast truly shown to be the Mistress of all creatures.
Canon of the Prophet, the acrostic whereof is: “Let Moses, the first among the prophets, be praised in discourse”, the composition of John the Monk, though the theotokia are the work of Clement: in Tone IV—
Irmos: Having traversed the depths of the Red Sea with dryshod feet, Israel of old vanquished the might of Amalek in the wilderness by Moses’ arms stretched out in the form of the Cross.
Let Moses, the first among the prophets, be praised, for he was the first to converse openly with God, face to face, not in indistinct images, but beholding Him as in the guise of the flesh.
God gave thee to thy people Israel as a divine leader and deliverer, O God-seer Moses, for thou didst pray to the Father, announcing thy birth through the anointing of the promise.
Thy native virtues found thee to be a treasure of wisdom hidden by the knowledge of God as in a coffer, O God-seer Moses; wherefore thou wast reared by the queen and divine providence.
Theotokion: Moses was stricken with fear, beholding the all-glorious vision of old: the awesome mingling of bush and fire which prefigured the incorrupt God Who would come forth from the Virgin Mother, and Whom, with the passing of time, he would behold in the flesh.
Ode III
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: There is none as holy as Thee, O Lord my God, Who hast uplifted the horn of Thy faithful and established us on the rock of the confession of Thee, O Good One.
There is none as holy as Thou, O Lord my God, Who hast lifted up the horn of Thy faithful Babylas and crowned him with the crown of Thy confession.
Thy Cross was the might of the martyrs, O Lord, Who established the children with the blessed Babylas and through them cast down the audacity of the deceit of the ungodly.
The might of the devil hath utterly waned, O Christ; for the mighty one is vanquished by the innocent children and the godly Babylas, and is driven away by them in shame.
Theotokion: The wonder of thy divine birthgiving surpasseth every rank of nature, O pure one; for thou didst supernaturally conceive God in thy womb, and in giving birth remainest ever Virgin.
Canon of the Prophet
Irmos: The bow of the mighty is become weak, and the strengthless have girded themselves with power; wherefore, my heart is established in the Lord.
Thou wast filled exceedingly with ineffable knowledge, O God-seer, and the Holy Spirit, through an angel, manifestly gave thee a knowledge of events of the past.
Splendidly bearing divine rays, thou didst astonish Egypt with divine signs, most gloriously transforming the nature of the elements, O all-wise one.
The beauty of thy comeliness illumineth the splendid life with divine rays, O blessed one, and draweth all to the beauty of God of which one can never have enough.
Theotokion: Thou wast caught up in an awesome vision to behold a dread vision, O all-wise one; yet the Lord, Who was born in the flesh of the Virgin, restrained thy voice.
Kontakion of the prophet, in Tone II—
Today the choir of the prophets rejoiceth with Moses and Aaron, for the end of their prophecy hath found fulfillment in us: today the Cross shineth forth, whereby Thou hast saved us. Through their supplications, O Christ God, have mercy upon us!
Sessional hymn of the hieromartyr, in Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Of the divine Faith…”—
Pouring forth the confession of the Faith, thou didst extinguish the deception of false religion, denouncing the ungodliness of idolatry; and as a divine immolation, thou dost bedew the ends of the earth with miracles. O venerable father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.
Glory…: Sessional hymn of the prophet, in Tone IV—
Piously acknowledging thee as among all the prophets, we, the faithful, praise thee; for thou wast the first to behold God insofar as it is possible for man to see Him.
Now & ever…: Theotokion—
Stretching forth thine all-pure hands, O Virgin Mother, protect those who place their trust in thee and cry out to thy Son: O Christ, grant Thy mercies unto all!
Stavrotheotokion—
Beholding thy Son lifted up upon the Tree, O all-pure one, thou didst cry out in distress, thy maternal womb rent asunder: “Woe is me! How is it Thou hast waned, O my timeless Light?”
Ode IV
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: Christ is my power, my God and my Lord, the honored Church doth sing, crying out in godly manner with a pure mind, keeping festival in the Lord.
Christ is my power, my God and Lord, thou didst cry out before the tribunal, undaunted by the threats of the tyrant, O hieromartyr Babylas, rejoicing in the Lord.
Offering up the immaculate, awesome and unbloody sacrifice to the Lord, in the blood of thy martyrdom thou didst bring thyself to Him as an unblemished holocaust, O hieromartyr Babylas.
Nurturing the young minds of the children on spiritual milk as a wise pedagogue, O hieromartyr Babylas, thou didst guide them to perfection.
Theotokion: The mysteries of thy magnificent birthgiving are truly ineffable and unapproachable to those on earth and in heaven, O Ever-virgin Theotokos.
Canon of the Prophet
Irmos: Beholding Thee lifted up upon the Cross, O Sun of righteousness, the Church stood rooted in place, crying out as is meet: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
When the impediment to thy speech and voice were removed by divine providence, O God-seer, thou wast revealed as a proclaimer of the mysteries of God by thy words and didst smite the Egyptians with plagues.
How glorious is thy calling, O God-seer! How awesome the working of thy wonders! For God, He Who Is, appeared to thee, and, exalting thee with glory, sent thee to Israel as its savior.
Thou didst strike down all the firstborn of Egypt, just as Christ slew the might of the demons; for the things wrought by thee were truly an image of that which was to come, O glorious one.
Theotokion: Moses heard the voice of God crying out from the flame in the bush, saying: “Draw not nigh”; for the place holy in splendor prefigured Christ Who would be born in the flesh of the pure one.
Ode V
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: With Thy divine light illumine the souls of those who with love rise at dawn unto Thee, O Good One, that they may know Thee, O Word of God, to be the true God Who calleth all forth from the darkness of sin.
Truly the hieromartyr Babylas received Thy divine grace from on high, O Jesus, for he led young children to Thy love and the overcoming of death.
Illumined with Thy divine knowledge, O Lord, the hieromartyr Babylas taught all to know Thee as the one God Who is Lord, and calleth us forth from darkness and deception.
Foreordained by Thy divine election to shepherd Thy flock, O Word of God, the hieromartyr Babylas offereth his own blood to Thee, wisely guiding all to the path of salvation.
Theotokion: O good Mistress of the world, save those who with all their soul confess thee to be the Theotokos; for thee do we have as an invincible intercessor, who art the Theotokos.
Canon of the Prophet
Irmos: Thou hast come, O my Lord, as a light into the world: a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance those who hymn Thee with faith.
Thou strikest the Red Sea and makest great divisions with thy staff, O God-seer, that therein thou mayest show forth the divine power of the Cross.
“O most lovely boldness! O pure purity of soul! For thou hast acknowledged me beyond all others, appearing to me noetically!” the God-seer cried out to God.
Sheltered by the stone, thou didst not see the face of God, for it was hidden, O God-seer, but didst recognize the incarnation of the Word in His back-parts.
Theotokion: Thou didst enter into the darkness with thy senses, and didst learn ineffable things, O God-seer: that God the Savior would be born in the flesh of the Virgin.
Ode VI
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: Beholding the sea of life surging with the tempest of temptations, fleeing to Thy calm haven I cry unto Thee: Lead up my life from corruption, O greatly Merciful One!
Beholding the sea of life surging with the storm of deception, Babylas, the all-glorious athlete, cried out: Lead up my life from corruption, O greatly Merciful One!
Emulating Christ, thou didst lay down thy life for thy flock, O glorious martyr and athlete, blessed Babylas, and didst break down the walls of deception.
With his suffering the ever-memorable and all-glorious athlete Babylas wisely rendered the unsteady minds of the children steadfast, guiding them from earth to the life of heaven.
Theotokion: O all-pure Mistress who gavest birth to the Lord, the Helmsman of mortals, calm thou the tumultuous and grievous turmoil of my passions and grant tranquility to my heart.
Canon of the Prophet
Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.
Having mustered Israel as a mighty army of God, thou didst destroy the evils of the seven Canaanite nations, giving their land to the people for their inheritance.
Ineffably entering the divine darkness into which God called thee, O Moses, thou didst receive the tablets of the law which His finger inscribed, in that thou wast His great favorite.
God appointed the God-seer Moses to listen to His voice, revealing Himself to him, that he might show forth His dread mysteries with glory.
Theotokion: With a divine gesture the glorious Moses described thee beforehand, O Theotokos, as the ark covered with the glory of God as with gold, shining overall with the beams of the Spirit.
Kontakion of the hieromartyr, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “As firstfruits…”—
Illumined today, the church glorifieth thee as the preacher of piety and confirmation of athletes, O glorious Babylas. As thou hast boldness before the Lord, pray thou to Christ, O much suffering one, that He preserve those who magnify and praise thee in perfect peace.
Ikos: Pondering the vanity of the world, and truly separate from the world, thou didst emulate the sufferings of Christ and didst mortify the passions of the flesh; and, taking up thy cross, thou didst follow after thy Creator, O martyr. And now, abiding with Him, pray thou in behalf of those who truly honor thee, O much suffering one.
Ode VII
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: The Angel caused the furnace to pour forth dew upon the pious youths, and the command of God, which consumed the Chaldæans, prevailed upon the tyrant to cry out: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Beholding the youths and the wondrous Babylas as victors over deception, the armies of heaven have cried out to Christ today, rejoicing: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
The radiant grace of the Master, descending, illumined the faithful, and the glorious Babylas, having been crowned, commandeth those who suffer to cry out: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
The minds of the tyrants were at a loss how to help their false gods; but the wondrous Babylas commandeth them to cry out to the All-holy Trinity: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!
Theotokion: Through thee, O Mother and Virgin, hath the radiant Light shone forth upon the whole world; for thou gavest birth to God, the Creator of all. Entreat Him, O most pure one, that He send down great mercy upon us, the faithful.
Canon of the Prophet
Irmos: The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, afire with love of piety more than with the flame, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
As the divine recorder of ineffable visions of God, O wise God-seer Moses, devising by word the whole plan of the tabernacle thou didst commit its fashioning to Bezalel the chief artisan.
When Korah dared to perform priestly ministry with thee, he was seen carried down into hades alive, when thou, O Moses, didst preserve the order of sacrifice precious to God, and the kingdom and the priesthood.
When thou didst did command the army of the Hebrew people of old, O Moses, Michael, the commander of the armies of heaven and the divine guardian of thy body, appeared to thee; and he put to shame the author of evil who opposed thee.
Theotokion: The divine rod of Aaron showed thee budding forth as the loosing of the sins of all, O Theotokos; for thou wast for mortals the removal of the dread threat of God, in that they had murmured against God.
Ode VIII
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: From the flame didst Thou pour forth dew upon the venerable ones, and didst consume the sacrifice of the righteous one with water; for Thou, O Christ, dost do all things soever Thou desirest. Thee do we exalt supremely for all ages!
In the flame the youths were commanded to hymn God, the Father and Creator, the consubstantial Son, and the divine Spirit: Let all creation bless the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
The youths in the flame, O brethren, command that today the memory of the hieromartyr Babylas be hymned: Bless the Lord, all ye works, and exalt Him supremely forever!
Crowned today with their elder, the young disciples of Babylas, the priest and martyr, command that the hymn of the youths in the furnace be chanted: Bless the Lord, all ye works, and exalt Him supremely forever!
Theotokion: Thou gavest birth in the flesh to God Who holdeth all things in His hands, and didst bear Him in thine arms, O Virgin. Him do we hymn as Lord, O ye works, and exalt supremely for all ages.
Canon of the Prophet
Irmos: Stretching forth his hands, Daniel shut the lions’ mouths in the pit; and the young lovers of piety, girded about with virtue, quenched the power of the fire, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
In that thou art meek thou didst hearken, and by thy works didst truly become the favorite of God. Wherefore, thou wast favored by the Lord more than all other prophets, O Moses; and He abode with thee and taught thee to chant with faith: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Manifest as an initiate of the mysteries of God, His minister, and the ruler of Israel, O God-seer Moses, thou didst proclaim that Christ would come in the flesh, describing His dread and divine advent by thyself; for thou wast manifestly shown to be a faithful prophet and His animate image.
By the words of thy prophecy and through the precepts of the law, with faith thou didst instruct the people, guiding them with signs, wonders and the performing of miracles; for thou wast shown by God to be their leader, O God-seer Moses. Wherefore, with great glory thou hast passed over to thy fathers.
Theotokion: No prophet heard ought before thee, O glorious God-see Moses, thou favorite of Christ, for thou didst recount the whole dispensation of the Virgin, describing beforehand her divine birthgiving; for in the flame of the bush thou didst behold the visage of the Invisible One.
Ode IX
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: It is not possible for men to behold God, upon Whom the ranks of angels dare not gaze; but through thee, O most pure one, hath the Word appeared incarnate unto men; and magnifying Him with the armies of heaven, we call thee blessed.
Through the Cross God hath shown men the smooth path to the heights of heaven. Wherefore, death is vanquished by mortals, for the young children and the wondrous Babylas, whom we call blessed, were not afraid of it.
As Thou art light most pure, O Master Christ, cleanse my soul of the darkness of the passions through the supplications of Thine athletes, Babylas and the children. Celebrating their annual commemoration, we right gloriously hold festival.
Resorting to the glorious church of the martyrs, let us draw forth healing of our passions; for choirs of angels and the souls of all the righteous have come thither with the heavenly Mistress and the wondrous Babylas, bestowing healings upon all.
Theotokion: Ineffably conceiving in thy womb the Son Who shone forth eternally from the Father, thou gavest birth to Him, O pure Mother of God. O all-holy Virgin, entreat God Who alone loveth mankind, in behalf of thy servants, that He save our race.
Canon of the Prophet
Irmos: Christ, the Chief Cornerstone uncut by human hands, Who united the two disparate natures, was cut from thee, the unquarried mountain, O Virgin. Wherefore, in gladness we magnify thee, O Theotokos.
Even after thy death thou didst see the Lord, O God-seer, and not in dim images as before thou didst in the rock; but thou didst behold Him as Christ in a human body, illumining all with His divinity.
Mount Tabor hath achieved glory far surpassing that of Sinai, for there Moses from among the dead and the Tishbite from the lands of the living, together with the apostles, beheld Christ transfigured as God.
Save me by thy merciful supplication and the boldness of thy prayers, as thou didst save Israel from misfortunes, O God-seer Moses, and save the fullness of the Christian race from all harm, for it hymneth thee.
Theotokion: Of old, Moses described thee, O Virgin, as the golden jar, the tablet of the law, and the divine table, manifestly indicating that God would be born of thee. And having beheld Him in the flesh, with faith we conclude thy hymnody.
Exapostilarion: Spec. Mel.: “The heaven with stars…”—
O Babylas, thou wast shown to be both priest and sacrifice of God, offering to Him the unbloody sacrifice and being slain in thine own blood with the blameless children. With them we now praise thee.
Theotokion—
Those who do not with pure faith venerate thine image and that of thy Son and God, O Virgin, do thou cast down as impious and commit to Gehenna.
At Liturgy
Prokimenon, in Tone IV—
In the saints that are in His earth hath the Lord been wondrous; He hath wrought all His desires in them.
Stichos: I beheld the Lord ever before me.
Epistle to the Hebrews, § 330
[Heb. 11: 33-40]
Brethren: All the saints who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Alleluia, in Tone IV—
Stichos: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and He delivered them out of all their tribulation.
Stichos: Many are the tribulations of the righteous, but the Lord shall deliver them out of them all.
Gospel according to Luke, § 67
[Lk. 12: 32-40]
The Lord said: Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Communion Verse—
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright.