Ad Cenam Agni Providi 1, 2, 3,
 
|
|
|
Cuius corpus sanctíssimum in ara crucis tórridum, sed et cruórem róseum gustándo, Deo vívimus. |
Tasting his most holy body and red blood4 on the torrid altar of the cross, we live for God.5 |
|
Protécti paschæ véspero a devastánte ángelo, de Pharaónis áspero sumus erépti império. |
Protected on Passover evening from the angel of death, we are freed from Pharaoh's harsh rule.6 |
|
Iam pascha nostrum Christus est, agnus occísus ínnocens; sinceritátis ázyma qui carnem suam óbtulit. |
Christ has now become our Passover, the innocent lamb who was slain, the unleavened bread of purity the priest who offers his own flesh.7 |
|
O veram digna hóstia, per quam frangúntur tártara, captíva plebs redímitur, reddúntur vitæ præmia! |
O true and worthy victim by whom the underworld is shattered, a captive people redeemed, the prizes of life regained! |
|
Consúrgit Christus túmulo, victor redit de bárathro, tyrránum trudens vínculo et paradísum réserans. |
Christ breaks out of the tomb, the conqueror returns from the abyss, driving the tyrant chained before him and rising up to paradise. |
|
Esto perénne méntibus paschále, Iesu, gáudium et nos renátos grátiæ tuis triúmphis ággrega. |
O Jesus, gladden us with perennial Paschal joy, and join us, reborn of grace, to your triumph. |
|
Iesu, tibi sit glória, qui morte victa prænites, cum Patre et almo Spíritu, in sémpiterna sæcula. Amen. |
Glory to you, O Jesus, who with the Father and the blessed Spirit, outshine conquered death from age to age.8 Amen. |
1
This is a reference to the eschatological wedding banquet of the Lamb
(see for example Rev. 19.6-9).
2In Latin and Greek, there is an important double-meaning to the word sozo/salus; it can mean either "salvation" or "health". Unfortunately, translators all too often translate the word as "salvation". Readers, hearers, and preachers generally misunderstand the word in such a narrow, legalistic sense that they completely exclude the idea of sin as a mortal sickness infecting humanity (which is at times a far more apt metaphor, see for example Matthew 9.12 and Mark 2:17). When understood in this way, the necessity of God's intervention becomes more obvious, as does the idea of a "merciful" God demanding the "sacrifice" of his only Son in such a brutal way as crucifixion. The author of this hymn understands the metaphor clearly.
3Christianity sees the story of Moses leading the ancient Hebrews through the Red Sea as a prefiguring of Christ's leading saved humanity through death. See for example St. Gregory Nazianzen's Life of Moses .
4This is a reference to Holy Communion (see for example John 6.55 and 1 Corinthians 11.27).
5I may have mistranslated this; the grammatical construction is not familiar to me.
6As in note 3, the story of the blood of the passover lamb protecting the Hebrews from the angel of death (see Exodus, chapters 11-13) prefigures the blood of Christ protecting the elect.
7This is a reference to the once-for-all, eternal sacrifice of Christ, as opposed to the yearly sacrifices of lambs demanded by the Jewish law (see Hebrews, chapter 8).
8The Latin phrases in sempiterna sæcula and in sæcula sæculorum are the Latin way of saying "for ever" or "for ever and ever". Rather than translating that way, I usually go with “from age to age” because it's also accurate, it's actually closer to the Latin, and (most important for me) I like the sound better.
2In Latin and Greek, there is an important double-meaning to the word sozo/salus; it can mean either "salvation" or "health". Unfortunately, translators all too often translate the word as "salvation". Readers, hearers, and preachers generally misunderstand the word in such a narrow, legalistic sense that they completely exclude the idea of sin as a mortal sickness infecting humanity (which is at times a far more apt metaphor, see for example Matthew 9.12 and Mark 2:17). When understood in this way, the necessity of God's intervention becomes more obvious, as does the idea of a "merciful" God demanding the "sacrifice" of his only Son in such a brutal way as crucifixion. The author of this hymn understands the metaphor clearly.
3Christianity sees the story of Moses leading the ancient Hebrews through the Red Sea as a prefiguring of Christ's leading saved humanity through death. See for example St. Gregory Nazianzen's Life of Moses .
4This is a reference to Holy Communion (see for example John 6.55 and 1 Corinthians 11.27).
5I may have mistranslated this; the grammatical construction is not familiar to me.
6As in note 3, the story of the blood of the passover lamb protecting the Hebrews from the angel of death (see Exodus, chapters 11-13) prefigures the blood of Christ protecting the elect.
7This is a reference to the once-for-all, eternal sacrifice of Christ, as opposed to the yearly sacrifices of lambs demanded by the Jewish law (see Hebrews, chapter 8).
8The Latin phrases in sempiterna sæcula and in sæcula sæculorum are the Latin way of saying "for ever" or "for ever and ever". Rather than translating that way, I usually go with “from age to age” because it's also accurate, it's actually closer to the Latin, and (most important for me) I like the sound better.