🏅 With Olympics season upon us, it is fitting to focus on the theme of “crowns” in a very familiar hymn – “Yajamanan varumanneram” (in Malayalam) or “Thoobayhoon l-abde thobe” (in Syriac) or “Blessed are those good servants”. It is usually sung as a hymn after the Gospel reading in the Syriac Orthodox Qurbono, and is based on a parable taught by our Lord Jesus Christ recorded in St. Luke 12:35-40.
▶️ At the end of the hymn, we see the Holy Spirit crowning these servants when the Lord comes. Why a crown? Are we going to become kings and queens or is there another meaning? Swipe left through the Instagram post below to learn more.
🎙️ Please listen to the Syriac version of the hymn below, sung by our late lamented Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Ya’qub III (1913-1980). Audio is taken from the Beth Gazo app.
🎙️ The Malayalam version of the hymn below is sung by H.E. Mathews Mor Aphrem, Metropolitan of Perumbavoor Region of Angamali Diocese. Audio courtesy of Koinonia Vision (https://youtu.be/_GjLtsIeirc).
▶️ Please share and comment below if you like this format and if you learned something new today.
References
- Fr. K. Mani Rajan. 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 2008, pp. 58-59.
- St. John Chrysostom, 𝘐𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘭, 4.21 (The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Biblical Interpretation. 2019, p. 623)
- 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯. 2017. blogs.getty.edu
- 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘎𝘢𝘻𝘰 𝘈𝘱𝘱. Qolo Quqoyo Tone 6.
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