Daily Stormer The Most Censored Publication in History
Gabe Martini
On Behalf of All
August 8, 2013
Did you know that there was once a Christian hymnal in the middle of the Old Testament?
And no, I’m not referring to the Psalter of David, or even the later Odes of Solomon. I’m talking about the “Book of Odes” (ᾠδαί), a collection of fourteen Scriptural hymns or canticles, which are still regularly sung in the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church.
The earliest known collection of these fourteen Odes is found in the Old Testament of Codex Alexandrinus.
Codex Alexandrinus is a four-volume compilation of the Scriptures in the Greek language, and includes what the Orthodox Church calls Anaginoskomena, as well as some other pseudepigraphal and apostolic-era works. For example, a summary of the Psalms written by Eusebius of Caesarea, as well as St. Athanasius’ Epistle to Marcellinus are included before the traditional Psalter, with the 151st Psalm of David and the ᾠδαί immediately following. The epistle of St. Clement to the Corinthians (1 Clement), as well as a sermon attributed to him (2 Clement) are also placed after the traditional twenty seven books of the New Testament.
Given the inclusion of St. Athanasius’ letter, the earliest date for this codex can be A.D. 373, and most scholars today date it between the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century.
The Book of Odes aptly begins with the chorus, “Sing to the Lord! For he is eminently glorified” (Odes 1:1). As already mentioned, most of these hymns are found in the canon of Matins—or “Orthros,” a morning prayer service—in the Orthodox Church. Of the fourteen, nine are included in the following order (versification according to Orthodox Psalter):
1. Ode of Moses (Exo. 15:1-19)
2. Ode of Moses in Deuteronomy (Deut. 32:1-43; sung during Great Lent)
3. Prayer of Anna (1 Sam. 2:1-10; 1 Kings/Reigns in LXX)
4. Prayer of Habakkuk (Hab. 3:2-19)
5. Prayer of Isaiah (Isa. 26:9-20)
6. Prayer of Jonah (Jon. 2:3-10)
7. Prayer of the Three Holy Youths (Dan. 3:26-56)
8. Hymn of the Three Holy Youths (Dan. 3:57-88)
9a.Hymn of the Theotokos (Lk. 1:46-55)
9b.Prayer of Zacharias (Lk. 1:68-79)
