Singing Hymns to the Martyrs: The ‘Antiphons of the Sāhdē’ in the Assyrian Church of the East

Abstract

n the Christian Church, hymns and antiphons are usually sung to God, for hymning is an act of thanksgiving to the Father for the economy of salvation fulfilled in Christ. On account of persecutions during the early centuries of the Church, the singing of hymns was also directed toward those men and women who died for the name of Christ. This paper will examine the development of the theme of ‘hymning to the martyrs,’ or the singing of antiphons in honour of those who gave their life for Christ, in the liturgical tradition of the Assyrian Church of the East. These antiphons, though seemingly glorifying the martyrs, are in fact hymns that glorify God.