Paschal troparion
  • JamJam
    Posts: 636
    I was wondering if there is, or ever has been, a tradition in the West of singing the Paschal troparion during the Paschal season. That would be, "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life." Usually it is sung three times in succession, but sometimes it is sung with psalm verses ("let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from before His face..." and so on).

    I found a Latin translation thereof: "Christus resurrexit a mortuis, morte mortem calcavit, et entibus in sepulchris vitam donavit." However, I don't know if this is an ancient translation from before the schism, or if someone after the schism translated it into Latin just for the fun of it. (Or maybe Western-rite Orthodoxy?)

    I've heard a praise and worship song that uses these words. :/ that is not what I'm looking for. I'm glad that the P&W crowd is using deep, ancient words, but the song bothers me on a few levels... one because it feels like a parody of the troparion (think, like, the exultet with guitar and drums or something), and two because it has typically banal and shallow words mixed in with the troparion and scripture (who are we telling to rise from the dead? Christ, or everyone else? And why does anyone need to be told?) and it's repetitive and... well... P&W music.

    But, I digress. This look familiar to anyone? Or is there a particular sequence/gradual/proper or something which is associated with Easter and could be considered analogous?
  • Rebecca Bridget C-
    Posts: 79
    I believe the Paschal troparion is an exclusively Eastern gem, though I definitely am not certain. The sequence Victimae Paschali is similar-ish, but mostly because they are both for Easter :-)

    Now for total speculation: the role that the Pascal Troparion plays in the service, the anticipation of singing it, the recurrence of it, the emotional satisfaction of the declaration... I get that same effect from the abundance of Alleluias that suddenly pop in everywhere for us, after a whole Lent of fasting from Alleluias. We squeeze them in wherever we can, append them to other refrains, everywhere you can, an Alleluia or three. I'm certainly not trying to say they're functionally equivalent, but in my experience they do something similar emotionally. My Orthodox friends say they really feel like Christ is risen when the troparion is being sung. I know it's really the Paschal feast when alleluias are thicker in the air than the incense. Maybe that's why something similar in Latin was never needed.
  • JamJam
    Posts: 636
    That's a good point. In the East, we do not fast from alleluias during Lent, so they do not gain that particularly Paschal quality they have for you guys.
  • JMJ_coder
    Posts: 19
    The closest to it would probably be the Resurrexi Tamquam from the Beneventan Liturgy.

    But, different liturgical traditions often have very disparate practices. For instance, I don't know of any Eastern Church that uses any sequences (such as the Victimae Paschales) nor the Exsultet.
  • JamJam
    Posts: 636
    ooh, that sounds interesting. What is the Beneventan liturgy?

    I figured as much about the troparion, but the existence of a Latin translation of it had me confused.
  • JMJ_coder
    Posts: 19
    The Beneventan Liturgy is the Liturgy of the Cathedral of Benevento, a town outside of Naples, Italy. It was a major metropolitan and center of Liturgy and ecclesiastics in the first millennium. It was also heavily influenced by the Byzantines, since Southern Italy was in the Byzantine empire for much of that time. This shows in the Liturgy and chant from that area. Unfortunately, most good information requires subscriptions such as JSTOR, so I can't easily link to it.

    The Latin translation is probably due to the practice of proclaiming the Paschal Troparion in as many languages as they can think of (sort of like the Holy Father's Urbi et Orbi message in dozens of languages).
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,151
    I've sung it many times in Ukrainian Catholic churches, both in Slavonic and in Ukrainian:

    Khristos voskrese iz mertvikh, smertiyu smert' poprav, i suschim vo hrob'ich zhivot darovav. (3x)
    I nam darova zhivot vichniy poklanyayemsya Yeho tridnevnonu Voskreseniyu!

    Khristos voskres' iz mertvikh, smertyu smert' podolav, i tihm shcho v hrobakh, zhittya daruvav. (3x)
    I nam daruvav zhittya vichne, poklonyaemos' Yoho tridnevnomu Voskreseniyu!

    Christ is risen from the dead, conquering death by death, and to those in the tombs bestowing life. (3x)
    And He gave us eternal life, we bow down to the third day Resurrection!
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