AKATHIST
TO OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS PHOTIOS,
PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE, THE CONFESSOR AND EQUAL TO THE APOSTLES
Composed by Monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanites
Kontakion. Plagal of the Fourth Tone.
To thee, O Guardian Leader.
As a most flower-decked meadow of wisdom and an unshakable
foundation of the Church do we bless thee, O Divine Hierarch. Yea, as one
filled with the illumination of the Divine Spirit, do thou enlighten the minds
of us who cry unto thee: Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
Thou wast shown forth as an Angel of truth and as a servant of wisdom,
O God-revealer Photios (3x—Holy Father Photios, intercede for us); and by thine
Angelic voice thou dost proclaim the Grace of Orthodoxy; wherefore,
marveling at thy brilliance, we cry:
Rejoice, thou through whom the Trinity is extolled;
rejoice, thou through whom the enemy is driven away.
Rejoice, great Teacher of the Church;
rejoice, all-wise orator of the true Faith.
Rejoice, Divinely-speaking mouthpiece of sacred doctrines;
rejoice, lips thundering from Heaven with holy dogmas.
Rejoice, for thou dost refute heresies with vigor;
rejoice, for thou didst undergo persecutions in a Divinely-wise manner.
Rejoice, companion of renowned Martyrs;
rejoice, co-dweller with venerable Ascetics.
Rejoice, thou through whom error is abolished;
rejoice, thou through whom the truth shineth forth,
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
Thou didst prove to be a foundation of the Church through thine
Apostolic zeal and manifold wisdom, O wondrous Photios, dashing in pieces
the arrogance of heretics; for thou dost teach all to chant unto the Trinity:
Alleluia.
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By the will of the Lord thou didst proceed from an illustrious family as a
fruitful palm tree, and with the fruits of thy virtues, O most sacred Photios,
thou dost nourish the multitudes who with faith cry unto thee:
Rejoice, offspring of eminent ancestry;
rejoice, fruit of holy cultivation.
Rejoice, blossom of holy parents;
rejoice, treasury of Divine bounty.
Rejoice, height hard to behold of abundant knowledge;
rejoice, depth much proclaimed of far-famed Grace.
Rejoice, for thou dost shine forth with the rays of thy virtues;
rejoice, for thou dost illumine all of creation with thy light.
Rejoice, all-radiant luminary of the Faith;
rejoice, unsetting star of the Almighty.
Rejoice, inundation of wise teachings;
rejoice, lyre of venerable spiritual gifts.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
Though dwelling in royal courts, as one filled with prudence, thou didst
disdain attachment to earthly glory, O wise one, and didst wholeheartedly
gaze upon Christ, illumined by Whom, O Father Photios, thou dost exclaim:
Alleluia.
Thou didst shine forth in wisdom and a resplendent way of life, and didst
prove to be an orator of piety; wherefore, by Divine good pleasure, O
Photios, thou wast elevated as a wise Chief Shepherd of the Church, which
doth cry unto thee such things as these:
Rejoice, orator of the true Faith;
rejoice, mouth of the truth.
Rejoice, Divinely-appointed Shepherd of the Church;
rejoice, most inspired Hierarch of Christ.
Rejoice, all-wondrous name, enlightenment of the Orthodox;
rejoice, report of great renown, support of the pious.
Rejoice, for thou dost censure the error of the Iconoclasts;
rejoice, for thou didst drive away the harm of the Manichæans.
Rejoice, wise in words and deeds;
rejoice, great in works and gifts.
Rejoice, thou who dost cleanse the filth of souls;
rejoice, thou who dost radiate the compassion of God.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
2
Thou didst show thyself to be a zealot of Christ’s Apostles in all things, O
most sacred Father; wherefore, thou didst rightly preach the light of the
Gospel among the Bulgarians, whom thou didst offer unto Christ, O Father
Photios, crying:
Alleluia.
Thy luminous wisdom and the all-radiant light of thy holy life, O
Divinely-eloquent one, brought unto Christ many who sat in the darkness of
heresies; wherefore, marveling at thy brilliance, we exclaim:
Rejoice, luminary of the benighted;
rejoice, lantern of the erring.
Rejoice, great teacher of piety;
rejoice, successor of the Holy Apostles.
Rejoice, Divinely-moved mouth of salvific instruction;
rejoice, serene eye of a soul shining with light.
Rejoice, for thou dost gush forth the sweetness of salvation;
rejoice, for thou dost dry up the venom of wickedness.
Rejoice, Divinely-engraved Icon of Pastors;
rejoice, yardstick of holy meekness.
Rejoice, emulator and servant of Christ;
rejoice, beholder of celestial light.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
With thy Divinely-eloquent tongue thou didst wisely confute the error of
Nicholas, the Prelate of Old Rome, O Photios, and didst humble his
haughtiness to the earth; for he, the foolish one, had not the wisdom to cry
correctly to the Trinity:
Alleluia.
Guiding the Holy Church of Christ in sacred manner to the pastures of
salvation, thou didst undergo harsh persecutions and wast forcibly separated
from thy flock; but the faithful did not cease to cry unto thee, O Saint:
Rejoice, great among Hierarchs;
rejoice, inspired among Chief Shepherds.
Rejoice, unshakable tower of endurance;
rejoice, unceasing hymn of the pious.
Rejoice, most luminous sun shining on all the earth;
rejoice, two-edged sword cutting down Papal arrogance.
Rejoice, for thou didst suffer persecutions and hardships;
rejoice, for thou dost reprove thy persecutors to their faces.
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Rejoice, elect Pastor of Pastors;
rejoice, bulwark of all the faithful.
Rejoice, most Godly initiate of Christ;
rejoice, our helper and deliverer.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
Being a herald of piety, thou dost proclaim in Orthodox manner, O
Father Photios, that the All-Holy Spirit proceedeth from the Father and didst
refute the false teaching of the Latins, teaching the faithful to chant unto the
Trinity:
Alleluia.
Shining in the East as a bright morning star, thou dost shed light upon the
whole earth, and by thy luminous dogmas dost triumph over the darkness of
the West, O all-wondrous Hierarch, hearing from us such things as these:
Rejoice, mighty ray of the East;
rejoice, acclaim of all the faithful.
Rejoice, refutation of Western darkness;
rejoice, partaker of Divine illumination.
Rejoice, coal burning every error of the Latins;
rejoice, lamp shining the Grace of the Trinity upon all.
Rejoice, for thou dost proclaim the Holy Trinity;
rejoice, for thou dost smite the deception of the Latins.
Rejoice, thou who art filled with immaterial light;
rejoice, thou who art replete with many gifts of Grace.
Rejoice, expounder of the attributes of God;
rejoice, wise and illustrious revealer of God.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
As a writer initiating us into Orthodox dogmas, O Photios, by thy
discourses thou didst confute the error of the Manichæans and didst thunder
against the violence of the Iconoclasts; for thou wast seen to be a Godly
revealer of the sacred mysteries of the Church, crying:
Alleluia.
* * *
4
Wisely defending the holy laws and precepts of the Church, O Divinely-
eloquent one, thou didst most staunchly withstand the incursion of the
Latins, O Photios; wherefore, marveling at thy meekness, we exclaim:
Rejoice, catapult against the Latins;
rejoice, destroyer of error.
Rejoice, thou who dost emulate the zeal of the Apostles;
rejoice, thou who dost vanquish the audacity of the misbelievers.
Rejoice, Divinely-inspired instrument of the wisdom of God;
rejoice, fiery sword against the deceit of the enemy.
Rejoice, vessel containing the myrrh of heavenly virtues;
rejoice, monument of holy struggles.
Rejoice, wellspring of the waters of Grace;
rejoice, ray of light from on high.
Rejoice, exponent of a holy life;
rejoice, true educator of the faithful
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
The wealth of thy great wisdom, O Divinely-eloquent one, doth astound
the hearts of the faithful; for, having passed through all that is good, thou
wast shown to be a bestower of virtue and great in renown, O Photios,
illumining those who cry:
Alleluia.
Wholly filled with tranquillity, manifesting the radiance of thy soul in thy
countenance, O Father, thou didst stand before the council of thy
persecutors that convened against thee, and didst astonish by thy Godly
conduct the faithful who cry:
Rejoice, steward of Grace;
rejoice, most powerful theologian.
Rejoice, thou who didst endure most irrational wrath;
rejoice, thou who didst exhibit indestructible strength.
Rejoice, model of meekness and treasury of love;
rejoice, repository of the Spirit and guide of souls.
Rejoice, for thou didst stand before the unjust Synod;
rejoice, for thou dost educate by the discourse of Grace.
Rejoice, thou who didst not fear the madness of thy foes;
rejoice, thou who dost enlighten the minds of the faithful.
Rejoice, shame of unjust judges;
rejoice, our God-given victory.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
5
Conducting thy life by the Holy Spirit, thou didst endure persecutions
with valor, and as thou didst conform thyself to the sufferings of Christ, O
most sacred Photios, thou didst share in His Divine Glory, radiantly crying:
Alleluia.
Being a Divine orator, thou didst set words of salvation before thy reason-
endowed flock and the entire Church as a wise Chief Shepherd, O Photios;
for thou didst show thyself to be a luminary of all, enlightening those who
cry:
Rejoice, luminary of the whole Church;
rejoice, lightning that burneth up soul-destroying error.
Rejoice, O mighty Photios, who art much admired;
rejoice, most sacred and glorious Pastor.
Rejoice, stream proceeding from the mystical Eden;
rejoice, indestructible rampart of the Holy Church.
Rejoice, for thou dost shine forth heavenly knowledge;
rejoice, for thou dost provide healing for them that ask.
Rejoice, venerable exultation of the faithful;
rejoice, total defeat of thine adversaries.
Rejoice, thou through whom the Latins fall silent;
rejoice, thou to whom the faithful exclaim.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
The Savior of all, in His goodness, brought thee, the unmanning
splendor, back to the Church as a light to shine, guide, and cultivate by thy
Divinely-wise discourse, O Photios, those who cry unto the Master:
Alleluia.
All the sages of the West are in no wise able to gainsay the power of thine
all-wise words and Divine dogmas, and they move their blasphemous
tongues against thee, O Father; but we faithfully cry unto thee:
Rejoice, all-radiant morning star;
rejoice, most mighty theologian.
Rejoice, most fragrant meadow of wisdom;
rejoice, refuter of unsound education.
Rejoice, treasure-house of Divine gifts;
rejoice, sacred alabaster vessel of sublime thoughts.
Rejoice, for thou dost shepherd thy people with all wisdom;
rejoice, for thou dost consume the tinder of heresies.
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Rejoice, thou who dost kindle celestial fire;
rejoice, thou who dost divert the most wicked enemy.
Rejoice, most sacred renown of the wise;
rejoice, God-given strength of the faithful.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
All the Holy Church doth extol thee in sacred hymns, as is meet, O wise
Hierarch Photios; for through thee She hath been delivered from most evil
heresies by Divine Grace, and She chanteth to Her Archpastor:
Alleluia.
The defender of darkness doth shudder at thy light, and the cohort of
heresies doth depart, being chased away as from fire by thy luminous
appellation, while we, the pious, cry unto thee in gladness, O Photios:
Rejoice, inspired teacher of sacred mysteries;
rejoice, servant of the Lord.
Rejoice, thou who dost burn up the tares of error;
rejoice, thou who dost trounce the arrogance of wickedness.
Rejoice, coal emitting the sparks of the Orthodox Faith;
rejoice, star emitting the rays of Divine Traditions.
Rejoice, for thou dost censure Papal madness;
rejoice, thou who didst bestow mystical gladness.
Rejoice, most fervent worshipper of Christ;
rejoice, most wise Pastor of Pastors.
Rejoice, thou who dost illumine the minds of the faithful;
rejoice, thou who dost triumph over the horn of their foes.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
Thou wast translated, rejoicing, to the heavenly abodes, and dost behold
with face unveiled the radiance past telling of the All-Holy Trinity, O
Divinely-inspired Photios, being deified by participation and chanting
unceasingly:
Alleluia.
Singing of thy contests, O Hierarch Photios, I fall down before thee with
all contrition. Yet, O Father, foundation of Fathers, grant to me also a drop
of thy wisdom, illumining my heart, that I may cry unto thee without
ceasing:
Rejoice, great Chief Hierarch;
rejoice, protector of all the faithful.
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Rejoice, radiance of Orthodox peoples;
rejoice, adornment of Divinely-speaking Fathers.
Rejoice, might and confirmation of the Church of Christ;
rejoice, most mighty destroyer of the deceit of the enemy.
Rejoice, thou who dost shine forth the Grace of Orthodoxy;
rejoice, thou who dashest in pieces the error of cacodoxy.
Rejoice, thou through whom I shall be delivered from darkness;
rejoice, thou through whom I shall be filled with light.
Rejoice, mediator before Christ for the faithful;
rejoice, deliverer and light-giver of me also.
Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
O Divine Father, Hierarch Photios, splendor of all the Church (3x—Holy
Father Photios, intercede for us), favorably accepting our hymns and odes, beseech
for us Divine and heavenly light, that we may cry unto the Trinity:
Alleluia.
And again, the Kontakion:
As a most flower-decked meadow of wisdom and an unshakable
foundation of the Church do we bless thee, O Divine Hierarch. Yea, as one
filled with the illumination of the Divine Spirit, do thou enlighten the minds
of us who cry unto thee: Rejoice, O all-wise Photios.
Couplet
“Rejoice, O Father Photios, vessel of light,”
Doth Gerasimos cry unto thee with love.
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