The Trisagion?

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Do all Eastern Catholic Churches have a form of Trisagion sung or said during the Liturgy? The Trisagion of the Syro Malabar Church is ancient and is sung during the Syriac Holy Qurbana.

**
You Can here it sung:**
Starting at 14:50 youtube.com/watch?v=8WVp-eM4jyI
Starting at 18:40 youtube.com/watch?v=rACyNMX4LS8

**The Hymn: **
“Kandisa Alahaye, Kandisa Hylsana,
Kandisa Alahaye, Kandisa Hylsana.
aalam aalam Aalam, Aamenu Aamen.
shliha Mar Yose, Almaduba-ha Qudisa-ha,
angene Dhanusa, Nyahveh Dukrana”.

“aalam aalam Aalam, Aamenu Aamen,
shliha Mar Yose, Almadbaha Qudisa-ha.
angene Dhanusa, Nyahveh Dukrana.
Kandisa Alaha, Kandisa Hylsana, Kandisa La Ma Yosa Isaraham Alem”.
 
The Byzantine Rite has it sung during the Divine Liturgy. Here is the English text:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

The Coptic Church has it sung during the Divine Liturgy. Here is the English text:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Who was born of the Virgin, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Who was crucified for us, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Who rose from the dead and ascended into the heavens, have mercy on us.

The Ethiopian Church has it sung during the Divine Liturgy. Here is the English text:

God, holy Mighty, holy Living, Immortal, Who was born from the holy Virgin Mary, have mercy upon us. Lord.
Holy God, holy Mighty, holy living, Immortal, Who was baptized in Jordan and crucified on the tree of the cross, have mercy upon us. Lord.
Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Living, Immortal, Who did rise from the dead on the third day, ascend into heaven in glory, sit at the right hand of Thy Father and again will come in glory to judge the quick and the dead, have mercy upon us, Lord.
 
I think a better question is why the Roman Rite does not have the Trisagion.
 
I think a better question is why the Roman Rite does not have the Trisagion.
They do. Well, at least those who choose to employ it do. It is a part of the Improperia or “Reproaches” of Good Friday.
My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? Answer me!
I led you out of Egypt, from slavery to freedom, but you led your Saviour to the cross.
Holy is God!
Holy is God!
Holy and strong!
Holy and strong!
Holy immortal One, have mercy on us.
Holy immortal One, have mercy on us.
 
I think a better question is why the Roman Rite does not have the Trisagion.
They sing it on Good Friday:

First Choir: Ágios o Theos.
Second Choir: Sanctus Deus.
First Choir: Ágios íschyros.
Second Choir: Sanctus fortis.
First Choir: Ágios athánatos, eléison imas.
Second Choir: Sanctus immortális, miserére nobis.

My copy of the Daily Roman Missal (third edition) replaces the Latin with English.
 
This is Trisagion in church-slavonic used in Croatian Byzantine Catholic church:
Svjatij Bože, svjatij krjepkij, svjatij besmertnij, pomiluj nas!

And this is in Croatian:
Sveti Bože, sveti jaki, sveti besmrtni, smiluj nam se.
 
Peace!

The Thrice-Holy prayer is sung in the Chaldean liturgy. Here is the text, taken from the liturgy link in my signature, which I rearranged a bit for easier reading:

========================================

Deacon: Arym qalkhon w-shabbah kulleh ‘amma l-Alaha hayya. [Lift your voices, all you people, and glorify the living God.]

People: Qaddysha Alaha [Holy God]
Qaddysha Hayilthana [Holy Mighty One]
Qaddysha La Mayotha [Holy Immortal One]
Ithraham ‘layn [Have mercy on us]

Deacon: Shuha l-Aba w-laBra wal-Ruha d-Qudsha. [Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.]

People: Qaddysha Alaha … [Holy God …]

Deacon: Min ‘alam wa’dhamma l-‘alam amen, w-amen. [From age to age, amen, amen.]

People: Qaddysha Alaha … [Holy God …]

Deacon: Nsalle. Shlama ‘amman. [Let us pray. Peace be with us.]

Priest: O Holy, Glorious, Mighty and Immortal One, who dwells in the saints and delights in them: we implore you: turn to us, O Lord, pardon us and have mercy on us as you always do: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, forever.

People: Amen.

========================================

God bless,

Rony
 
Although it’s not part of their Liturgy, the Western church does have it in one of their devotionals: “The Divine Mercy Chaplet”. 🙂
 
The Trisagion was at one time used in some parts of the West.

In churches in Gaul (France) and Spain, the so-called Aius (from Greek Hagios) was sung as one of the canticles at the beginning of the Liturgy - just after the entrance chant - followed by the triple Kyrie eleison (chanted in unison by three boys) and the Benedictus (the Canticle of Zechariah; Luke 1:68-79). It was intoned by a bishop or priest first in Greek and then in Latin, finally concluding with an Amen. The Aius was again sung, this time by all the clergy, just before the gospel. The Roman Rite got the practice of singing the Trisagion in Greek and Latin during the Good Friday Improperia (Reproaches) from the Gallican liturgies.

In the old Mozarabic rite (Spain) there was the practice of singing a version of the Trisagion just after the Gloria in excelsis was retained for Easter Sunday - followed by the Song of the Three Young Men along its use in the Improperia for Good Friday (a Roman import).

Sanctus Deus, qui sedes super cherubin, solus invisibilis.
Sanctus fortis, qui in excelsis glorificaris vocibus angelicis.
Sanctus immortalis, qui solus es inmaculatus Salvator, miserere nobis, alleluia, alleluia.
V. Dignus es, Domine, Deus noster, accipere gloriam et honorem et virtutem.
P. Sanctus fortis.
V. Quoniam omnes gentes venient et adorabunt in conspectu tuo, Domine, et dicent:
P. Sanctus immortalis.
V. Benedictio et honor et gloria, virtus et potestas tibi, Deo nostro, in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
P. Miserere nobis, alleluia.


Holy God, who sit above the cherubim, (Psalm 79 [80]:1) who alone is invisible.
Holy Mighty, who on high is glorified by the voice of angels.
Holy Immortal, who alone is immaculate Savior, have mercy on us, Alleluia, Alleluia.
V. You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory, honor and virtue. (Revelation 4:11)
P. Holy Mighty.
V. For all nations shall come and shall worship in your sight, O Lord, and say: (Revelation 15:4)
P. Holy Immortal.
V. Blessing and honor and glory, virtue and power be yours, O our God, for ever and ever. (Revelation 5:13)
P. Have mercy on us, Alleluia.

After the rite was revised in the 1990s the Trisagion was sung during solemnities (the Good Friday one was struck out). There are at least two or three official forms of the Mozarabic Trisagion: one was the form described above. A variant of the above form is now the one used for the feasts of the Nativity (Year II), the Apparition (aka Epiphany; Year II), the Resurrection and Pentecost (both Years I and II). The only difference is in the final responses:

*V. Dignus es, Domine, Deus noster, accipere gloriam et honorem et virtutem.
R. Sanctus immortalis, qui solus es inmaculatus Salvator, miserere nobis, alleluia, alleluia.
V. Quoniam omnes gentes venient et adorabunt in conspectu tuo, Domine, et dicent:
*R. Miserere nobis, alleluia, alleluia. **
V. Benedictio et honor et gloria virtus et fortitudo tibi, Deo nostro, in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
R. Miserere nobis, alleluia, alleluia.


The third one (which is simply the Greek and Latin version without any tropes) is used for the feast of the Circumcision.

*Hagios o Theos,
Hagios Ischyros,
Hagios Athanatos,
eleison himas.

V. Sanctus Deus,
Sanctus fortis,
Sanctus immortalis,
miserere nobis.
R. Hagios Athanatos, eleison himas.

V. Doxa Patri ke Hyio ke Hagio Pneumati, ke nyn ai ke is tus eonas ton eonon. Amin.
R. Hagios Athanatos, eleison himas.*
 
It seems every Church except the Maronite Church has kept the Trisaigon as a dialogue :(.
 
Nor is it a dialogue in the Coptic Church.
Really? When I was at St. Patrick’s for a Coptic prayer service for Egypt that did a sort of two choir kind of deal with the Agios. Perhaps my memory is faulty 🤷.
 
Really? When I was at St. Patrick’s for a Coptic prayer service for Egypt that did a sort of two choir kind of deal with the Agios. Perhaps my memory is faulty 🤷.
The parish I used to belong to had a three man choir. That might account for my experience.
 
The parish I used to belong to had a three man choir. That might account for my experience.
In my very limited experience with Coptic Liturgy, the Agios has been done in two “choirs” … even if a “choir” is one person. 🙂
It isn’t a dialogue in the Byzantine rite, if I’m reading you correctly.
How is it done? I seem to recall the clergy and congregation piping up at different times, but maybe my memory is faulty.
 
Everyone sings the whole thing together.
Oh. If I remember correctly, the Melkite parish by me sings it as a dialogue as well: the left side with the deacon and the right side with the priest. Is this an anomalous method or do Melkites/Antiochians diverge from other Byzantine traditions on this?
 
Everyone sings the whole thing together.
Could it be local variants? I recall some sort of alternation, but whether it was “Agios O Theos” from the clergy with the congregation continuing, or alternating the whole thing, I just don’t remember. :o
 
In the Maronite Church it is sung in Syriac (qadeeshat) and as has been quite rightly pointed out it is not sung in a dialogue (many of us grew up with it as a dialouge) although it seems from some other posters neither is being done so in practice by some of the other eastern churches…

In English it is

You are holy, O God
You are holy, Strong One
You are holy, O Immortal One

Have Mercy on us.
 
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