Akathist to Saint John, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord
Kontakion I
Chosen
from days of old to be the Forerunner and Baptist
of Christ
God, the Saviour of the world, Divinely-praised
John,
while glorifying the Lord Who glorified thee, we sing
thee
hymns of praise as to the greatest of those born of
woman, as
to an angel in the flesh and preacher of
repentance.
For as thou hast great boldness before the Lord,
free us
from dangers of all kinds and move us to repentance,
as we cry
to thee with love:
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Ikos I
Archangel
Gabriel, who stands before God, was sent to
the
priest Zachariah, when he, serving according to his rank,
entered
with incense into the Sanctuary of the Lord. Standing
to the
right of the Altar of Incense, the angel announced to
him the
good news of thy birth, great John, proclaiming to
Zachariah
joy and gladness, as many would rejoice at God’s
awesome
good will concerning thee, reverently crying out in
praise of
thee:
Rejoice,
ineffable confidant of the counsel of God!
Rejoice,
fulfillment of His marvelous dispensation!
Rejoice,
thou who wast revealed many years
before by
the prophecy of Isaiah!
Rejoice,
messenger before the face of the Lord,
prophesied
of old!
Rejoice,
thou who wast foreordained to be a
great
prophet of the Most High!
Rejoice,
thou who wast born according to the
promise
of an angel!
Rejoice,
thou who wast filled with the Holy
Ghost
even in thy mother’s womb!
Rejoice,
thou who wast consecrated for a great
ministry
before thy birth!
Rejoice,
release of parents’ barrenness!
Rejoice,
joy and gladness of a priest of God!
Rejoice,
offspring of a daughter of Aaron!
Rejoice,
God-given fruit of prayer!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion II
When
Zachariah saw the angel appearing to him, he was
disturbed
and fear fell upon him, and he did not believe the
words of
his announcement concerning thy birth; but when
he was
stricken with dumbness for his disbelief, he marveled
at this
most glorious wonder, crying to God with all his
heart:
Alleluia!
Ikos II
Seeking
to understand the unfathomable Mind, the people
awaited
Zachariah, wondering at his tarrying in the
Sanctuary;
but when he came out and could not speak to
them, but
only made signs, they all understood that he had
beheld a
vision in the Sanctuary. And we, glorifying God,
the
marvelous Creator of miracles, cry unto thee:
Rejoice,
good source of thy father’s silence!
Rejoice,
change of thy mother’s tears into joy!
Rejoice,
removal of her reproach among
the
people!
Rejoice,
great consolation for those who gave
thee
birth!
Rejoice,
for in the sixth month after thy
conception,
the Most Holy Virgin Mary
was
visited by an angel in Nazareth!
Rejoice,
for many rejoiced over thy birth!
Rejoice,
for thou didst receive a Grace-filled
name,
given by an angel!
Rejoice,
for by thy name the silence of thy
father
Zachariah was ended!
Rejoice,
for the name of God was blessed by
thy
father on account of thee!
Rejoice,
for fear and wonder over thy
miraculous
birth came upon those
living
round about!
Rejoice,
for the news of thy miraculous birth
spread
over the entire land of Judea!
Rejoice,
for by thee salvation appeared to
many in
this world!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion III
The power
of the Most High ended the barrenness of the
righteous
Elizabeth, who was beyond the natural age for
bearing
children, for she conceived thee, the glorious
Forerunner
of the Lord, and keeping this secret for five
months,
she said: For thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the
days
wherein He looked on me to take away my reproach
among
men. But when she received Her Who bore Christ in
Her Womb,
she was filled with the Holy Ghost and cried
with a
loud voice: Whence is this to me that the Mother of
my Lord
should come to me?, and rejoicing with Her, she
cried
unto God: Alleluia!
Ikos III
Thou who
wast to go before the Lord in the spirit and
power of
Elijah wast filled with the Holy Ghost while still in
thy
mother’s womb, whence thou didst appear as a
marvelous
prophet, when thou didst leap with rejoicing at the
coming of
the Mother of the Lord; for thou didst recognize
God borne
in the womb of Her Who is full of Grace, and by
thy
mother’s voice didst preach Him; for it was proper for
the
beginning of Divine things to be most glorious.
Wherefore,
reverently marveling at this, with joy we cry to
thee:
Rejoice,
while still in thy mother’s womb
proclaiming
with miraculous gladness the
Lord Who
glorified thee!
Rejoice,
for because of thee and thy mother Elizabeth
the
incarnation of Christ was revealed!
Rejoice, for
she also was filled with the Holy Ghost!
Rejoice,
for she appeared as a most marvelous
prophetess!
Rejoice,
for by her the Most Holy Virgin Mary was
called
blessed among women!
Rejoice,
for by her She was also named the Mother
of the
Lord!
Rejoice,
for Her seedless fruit was declared most
blessed!
Rejoice,
manifestation of divine wisdom!
Rejoice,
blessing of a holy marriage!
Rejoice,
wonderful offspring of a barren womb!
Rejoice,
thou who astonished men by thy birth!
Rejoice,
radiant voice of the Word!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion IV
Disturbed
by a storm of doubt, the priest Zachariah was
unable to
speak, according to the angel’s word. But when
after thy
birth, O Forerunner of the Lord, he wrote thy
Grace-filled
name, immediately his lips and tongue were
loosened,
and he spake, blessing God and prophesying,
saying:
Blessed by the Lord God of Israel, for He hath
visited
and redeemed His people, and thou, child, shalt be
called
the prophet of the Highest, singing unto Him:
Alleluia!
Ikos IV
On
hearing of thy most glorious and miraculous birth, the
people
who lived round about said among themselves with
amazement:
What will this child become? But we unworthily
honoring
thee, most glorious Forerunner of the Lord, as the
greatest
of those born of women, glorify thee thus:
Rejoice,
thou who wast filled with manifestations of
Grace
from thy conception!
Rejoice,
thou who wast glorified by God in thy birth!
Rejoice,
thou who wast in thine infancy called a
prophet
of the Most High by the father!
Rejoice,
thou who wast in thy childhood enlightened
and
strengthened by the Holy Ghost!
Rejoice,
thou who wast a blood relative of God
incarnate!
Rejoice,
thou who didst receive from God the lofty
calling
of Forerunner and Baptist!
Rejoice,
ray proclaiming New Light to the World!
Rejoice,
star illumining the path that leadeth to
Christ!
Rejoice,
morning star of the unsetting sun!
Rejoice,
lamp of the Never-waning Light!
Rejoice, thou
who preparest the way for the
approaching
Christ!
Rejoice,
thou who appearest as both angel and man!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion V
The
ungodly command of the lawless murserer of
children,
Herod, drove thee out of thy father’s house into the
trackless
wilderness, carried by thy mother, O Forerunner of
the Lord,
and there thou didst abide until the day of thy
appearance
unto Israel, eating akrida and wild honey, and
calling
to God: Alleluia!
Ikos V
Beholding
God’s wonderful providence concerning thee,
O John
praised by God, thou didst appear as a lover of a life
of
fasting from infancy’s swaddling clothes, whence by the
will of
the Most High thou wast sent to preach the
approaching
salvation in Christ. For this reason with
amazement
and love we cry out to thee:
Rejoice,
for, while yet an infant, thou didst terrify
King
Herod!
Rejoice,
thou who wast preserved from his vain
murdering
by the right hand of the Most
High!
Rejoice,
fragrant rose of the desert!
Rejoice,
thou who amazed all by the height of
thine
ascetic labors!
Rejoice,
faithful indicator of the true way!
Rejoice,
most wonderful preserver of purity
and
chastity!
Rejoice,
perfect example of the self-denial of
the
Gospel!
Rejoice,
monastics’ protection and security!
Rejoice,
enlightenment of theologians’ minds!
Rejoice,
thou who dost open the doors of
God’s
compassion to the sinful!
Rejoice,
thou who dost help to bring forth
fruits
worthy of repentance!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion VI
A
glorious preacher, a Divine Forerunner, wast thou
shown to
be in the desert of Jordan on the day of the
appearance
of Christ God to the world, for upon His
approaching
thee, thou didst show Him to the people, saying:
Behold,
the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the
world!
And we, having known Him through faith, sing unto
Him:
Alleluia!
Ikos VI
Thou
didst shine as a light of truth, O John, enlightened
by God,
manifesting unto all the effulgence of the Glory of
the
Father, appearing in the flesh for our sake. For thou didst
cry out
to the people in the wilderness: Repent ye; for the
kingdom
of Heaven is at hand; bring forth fruit worthy of
repentance.
For behold, there cometh after me, One Who
shall
baptize you with water and the Spirit. Therefore we cry
out to
thee with praises:
Rejoice,
herald of the coming of the Messiah!
Rejoice,
preparer of the paths of the Lord!
Rejoice,
intercessor of the old and new Grace!
Rejoice,
end of the prophets and beginning of
the
apostles!
Rejoice,
renowned voice of the Word!
Rejoice,
thundering preacher of repentance!
Rejoice,
thou who didst convert many of the
sons of
Israel to the Lord!
Rejoice,
thou who didst make people perfect
for the
Lord!
Rejoice,
thou who boldly didst expose the
Pharisees
and Sadducees!
Rejoice,
teaching to bear fruit worthy
of
repentance!
Rejoice,
indicator of spiritual enlightenment!
Rejoice,
untiring intercessor for those seeking
thy
protection!
Rejoice, great
John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion VII
When the
Lord Jesus wanted to be baptized, O Divinelyblessed John, thou didst say: I
have need to be baptized of
Thee;
however, submitting to Him Who sai, Let it be so
now! Thou
didst raise thy right hand upon His head and
having
baptized Him Who did not need purification, thou
didst cry
out: Alleluia!
Ikos VII
Giving
thee new Grace, the Lord willed to be baptized by
thee,
granting thee to behold the coming of the Spirit and to
hear the
Father’s voice from the heavens testifying to His
Sonship.
Whenceforth thou didst teach us to worship one
God in
Three Persons; Whom glorifying with lips of clay, we
offer
these praises to thee:
Rejoice,
first preacher of the Trinity’s Theophany!
Rejoice,
true worshipper of the one God in
Three
Persons!
Rejoice,
clear beholder of the Holy Ghost in the
form of a
dove!
Rejoice,
witness to His descent from the Father
upon the
Son!
Rejoice,
hearer of the voice of God the Father
from
Heaven!
Rejoice,
beholder of the revelation of the
Father’s
love for the Son!
Rejoice,
chosen baptist of the Son of God!
Rejoice,
fulfiller of His holy will!
Rejoice,
zealous struggler in the glorious service
for the
salvation of the human race!
Rejoice,
first celebrant of the great Mystery
of
Baptism!
Rejoice,
herald of divine joy!
Rejoice,
first teacher of the New Testament!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion VIII
Having
beheld the strange and ineffable humility of the
Incarnate
God the Word, O Divinely-blessed Baptist, when
He bowed
His Divine Head to thee and received a servile
baptism,
thou thyself wast wholly filled with great humility.
Entreat
therefore this Divinely-loved virtue for us also, who
are
possessed by pride, that we may cry to Him from a
humble
heart: Alleluia!
Ikos VIII
Wholly
filled with the gifts of Grace, in finishing the
course of
earthly life, John the Divinely-chosen, thou didst
teach all
to please God well through fulfillment of the Law
and repentance.
Therefore, we sing out thankful praises to
thee, the
great teacher of truth:
Rejoice,
planter of the law and statues of
the Lord!
Rejoice,
exposer of Herod’s lawlessness!
Rejoice,
zealot for his correction!
Rejoice,
thou who didst suffer imprisonment and
Bonds for
the sake of righteousness!
Rejoice,
thou who wast beheaded for the truth!
Rejoice,
for thy body was given an honorable
burial by
thy disciples!
Rejoice,
for by God’s providence thy head was
preserved
incorrupt!
Rejoice,
for it has granted consolation,
sanctification,
and healing to Christians!
Rejoice,
for the faithful piously bow down also
before
thy right hand which baptized
the Lord!
Rejoice,
for many miracles are thereby
accomplished
even to the present day!
Rejoice,
for by thee the faithful are delivered
from the
dishonor of passions!
Rejoice,
for by thee the sinful are moved
to
repentance!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion IX
The
angelic realm was amazed at the loftiness of thy
ministry,
and the Church reverently praiseth thee as the
friend of
Christ God, coming before Him in the spirit and
power of
Elijah. For, zealous for truth, thou didst boldly
expose
the Pharisees and lawless Herod, from whom thou
didst
receive a martyr’s end. Therefore, we bow down before
thy holy
head, and pray to thee: deliver us from the dishonor
of
passions, that with a pure heart and lips we may chant:
Alleluia!
Ikos IX
No
rhetoric of the earthly-born can suffice worthily to
praise
thee, John the Divinely-praised; for the lips of Christ
praised
thee, calling thee higher than the prophets and the
greatest
of all those born of woman. Wherefore, not knowing
how to
offer thee worthy praise, we cry to thee such thins as
these:
Rejoice,
great glory of the Church of Christ!
Rejoice,
most marvelous wonder of the angels!
Rejoice,
joy and glorification of the forefathers!
Rejoice,
lofty praise of the prophets!
Rejoice,
divinely-illumined crown of
the
apostles!
Rejoice,
magnificent beauty of hierarchs!
Rejoice,
beginning of martyrs in the new Grace!
Rejoice,
perfection of holy monastics!
Rejoice,
adornment of the righteous!
Rejoice,
foundation of virgins and fasters!
Rejoice,
great consolation of all Christians!
Rejoice,
for thy name is glorified by all
Christian
generations!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion X
Thou
didst proclaim to those in Hades the good news of
Christ,
come in the flesh to save the world; for like the
morning
star preceding the sun, thou didst illumine those
sitting
in the darkness and shadow of death, whence thou
wast soon
lead forth by the Lord with all the righteous from
the
beginning of the age, chanting to Him as the Deliverer
and
Conqueror of death: Alleluia!
Ikos X
Thou art
a wall and saving refuge to all who hasten to
thee in
prayer, Divine John; therefore, we bless thee with
hymns of
praise thus:
Rejoice,
our mighty intercessor and faithful
preserver
from harm!
Rejoice,
quick helper and deliverer of those
suffering
from the spirits of malice!
Rejoice,
thou who dost send down the blessing
from God
on the barren!
Rejoice,
thou who dost deliver those who run
to thee
with faith from great
disturbance
of passions!
Rejoice,
thou who dost quickly reconcile those
who are
at enmity!
Rejoice,
thou who dost grant speedy help to
those who
fervently hasten to thee in
every
need and sorrow!
Rejoice,
thou who dost rescue those who are
running
the good race from selfdeception and prelest!
Rejoice,
thou who dost help those who entrust
themselves
to thine intercession at the
hour of
death!
Rejoice,
thou who by thine intercession dost
deliver
those who love thee from the
toll-houses
of the air!
Rejoice,
thou who dost vouchsafe eternal life to
those who
honor thy glorious memory!
Rejoice,
defense of the poor and widows
and
orphans!
Rejoice,
after God and the Theotokos, the
refuge
and hope of Christians!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion XI
No hymn
is sufficient to praise thee according to the
legacy of
thy great deeds, O Baptist of the Lord. But we,
compelled
by love, dare to hymn thy greatness. Do thou
mercifully
accept this from us, O intercessor before the
Throne of
the Most Holy Trinity, and pray to free us from
every
sinful corruption, that with pure heart and lips we may
chant to
God: Alleluia!
Ikos XI
Knowing
thee to be a lamp of the Unapproachable Light
and
entirely filled with the all-radiant gifts of Grace, John the
Divinely-enlightened,
joyfully we offer thee such words as
these:
Rejoice,
eyewitness of the Divine Light shining
from on
high!
Rejoice,
thou who dost praise God by the light
of thy
virutes!
Rejoice,
thou who dost reveal the majestic
glory of
the Most Holy Trinity!
Rejoice,
thou who dost point out the correct
and
marvelous path to Heaven!
Rejoice,
harbinger of the good news of God
Incarnate
for those in Hades!
Rejoice,
bearer of glad tidings for the righteous
held in
the nether regions from the
beginning
of the age!
Rejoice,
sincere friend of the Master, Christ God!
Rejoice,
thou who dost reveal to the world the
True
Light!
Rejoice,
radiance of the shining light of
the
Gospel!
Rejoice,
glorification of the Christian race!
Rejoice,
fulfillment of the Counsel of God!
Rejoice,
for from the rising of the sun unto the
going
down of the same the name is
to be
praised!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion XII
Bearing
the name of Grace, O Baptist of the Lord, and
enriched
thereby, thou didst appear as a most glorious bearer
of victory;
for thou didst conquer enemies and every malice,
and thou
didst seal thy ministry with martyrdom. And now,
standing
before the throne of the King of kings, entreat Him
to grant
to all the faithful victory over their enemies and
Godspeed
in all things, and the strengthening of Grace in
virtues,
as they chant to Him: Alleluia!
Ikos XII
Hymning
God, Who was wonderously glorified in thee,
we praise
thee, Divinely-blessed Baptist, as the sincere
friend of
Christ; we praise thy great ascetic struggles, we
bless thy
martyr’s death, and joyfully we cry to thee such
things as
these:
Rejoice,
universal apostle and first martyr of
the New
Testament!
Rejoice,
first preacher of the Kingdom of
Heaven
manifested by the appearance
of Christ
on the earth!
Rejoice,
foreteller of the divine calling of
the
gentiles!
Rejoice,
thou who didst manifest unto the
world the
hidden and secret things of
the
wisdom of God!
Rejoice,
thou who wast shown to be more
fruitful
than others in divine deeds!
Rejoice, for
by the light of thy deeds the
Heavenly
Father was glorified!
Rejoice,
for thou dost unspeakably gladden the
Church of
Christ concerning thy memory!
Rejoice,
for now thou dost eternally enjoy
abundant
gladness!
Rejoice,
illuminated by the divine rays of the
Light of
the Three-sunned Light!
Rejoice,
for thou dost unceasingly chant with
the
bodiless ones the thrice-holy hymn
to God!
Rejoice,
for now with the mirror removed, thou
dost
directly behold the Holy Trinity!
Rejoice,
great John, Prophet, Forerunner, and
Baptist
of the Lord!
Kontakion XIII
O great
and most glorious John, Forerunner and Baptist of
the Lord!
Receive from us now this supplication offered to
thee, and
by thy prayers, which are pleasing to God, deliver
us from
evil of all kind, and rescue us from eternal torment,
and make
us heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, that
throughout
the ages we may chant unto God: Alleluia!
This Kontakion is recited thrice, whereupon
Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1 are repeated.
Prayer to
Saint John the Baptist
O Baptist
of Christ, Holy Forerunner, last of the prophets,
first of
the martyrs, instructor of fasters and desert-dwellers,
teacher
of purity and close friend of Christ! I pray thee; I run
to thee.
Do not reject me from thy protection, but lift me up
who am
fallen in many sins; renew my soul by repentance,
as by a
second Baptism. Purify me, corrupted by sins, and
compel me
to enter therein where no corruption can enter:
into the
Kingdom of Heave. Amen.
