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CHRISTMAS EVE
“God shall come from Teman (the South), and the Holy One from the shady mount Paran (ἐξ ὄρους κατασκίου δασέος) из горы приосененныя чащи).” (Habbakuk/Avvakum 3:3, LXX)
This mystifying verse from the Song of the Prophet Habbakuk/Avvakum occurs frequently throughout our church-services for Christmas, because it is traditionally seen to be a prophecy about the Virgin Birth in Bethlehem.
The term “Teman” (Greek: Θαιμαν, Hebrew: תימן), among its various meanings, was used in Biblical Hebrew also in the sense of “the South.” This is how the term is translated in the Old Slavonic: Бог «от юга» приидет… (God shall come from “the South”). The Prophet Habbakuk is presumed to have lived in Jerusalem at the time of his prophecy, although his home is not identified in the Bible. Bethlehem lies about ten kilometers south of Jerusalem, hence we recognize here a prophecy about the birth of Christ. At other times, God has revealed Himself from “the South” in the sense of Mount Sinai, which lies to the south of Israel.
The next part of the verse is more difficult to unpack, and its translations into English are varied. Before looking at the term “shady mountain,” which means the Holy Virgin, let’s look first at the term “Paran,” translated in the Greek Septuagint-translation as “δασύ” that means “forested country” (or an area with a thick forest, hence the Slavonic translation, «чаща» that means a thick forest). The Hebrew etymology of the word “Paran” is more interesting. In the form of a verb פאר (pa'ar) it means “to glorify; to branch out in glory and beauty; the branching out or diversifying into a spectrum of glorious nuances.”
The “shady” or “overshadowed” mountain Paran (as indicated above, one branching out in glory and beauty) is the Holy Virgin, who is an elevated place, like a mountain, and “overshadowed” in the sense that shadows in the Bible often symbolize God’s presence and character. The Theotokos is seen to be “overshadowed” by God’s presence, as the Archangel says to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you.”(Lk 1:35) She is identified as this “overshadowed” mountain with “thick forest” in Heirmos 4 of the first Christmas canon at the matins-service of this feast: “Stem and flower of the root of Jesse, You have blossomed from the Virgin, O Christ. From the overshadowed mountain of thick forest, You are come, made flesh from her that knew no man…” Let’s note also that she is identified with the “mountain” in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, from which a stone is cut“without hands.” (Dan 2:45)
Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One! Thank you, Theotokos! Thank You, Lord! A blessed Christmas Eve, my beloved friends! In today's reflection, we find some pretty careful exegesis of some of the prophetic images taken from the Scriptures
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A generous offering by Sister Vassa, as she follows the old Julian calendar and will not actually celebrate the Birth of Christ until January 7. In today's reflection, we find some pretty careful biblical exegesis of some of the prophetic images taken from the Scriptures.
