On December 17th we begin the seven days of proximate preparation for Christmas, analogous to the more familiar twelve days of Christmas, which follow after the great feast. In the Western tradition of the Catholic Church, one of the liturgical means to elevate and focus our minds and hearts for the great feast are the ‘O Antiphons’, seven titles from the Old Testament which point to, or typify, the coming Messiah.
The origin of their compilation goes back to the very dawn of the Middle Ages, with reference to them in the writings of the Roman counsel and philosopher Boethius (480-524 a.d.). These seven antiphons, which begin on December 17th, and end on December 23rd, Christmas Eve’s Eve – a sort of novena, or rather septena, of seven days, if you will – are as follows, in their Latin original:
O Sapientia, O Adonai, O Radix Iesse, O Clavis David, O Oriens, O Rex Gentium, and O Emmanuel.
They are, in their somewhat variable English translations, O Wisdom, O Lord God, O Root (or Rod) of Jesse, O Key of David, O Rising Sun (or Morning Star), O King of the Nations (or Gentiles) and O Emmanuel. They are the basis for the verses in the traditional chant hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
Quote from John Paul Meenan, “The O Antiphons and the Last Seven Days of Advent,” Catholic Insight (December 17, 2025). For Latin & English, go to LyricsTranslate.Image credit: Chantal & Ole. Visit other blog readers under “Who You Are.” Comment by clicking on “Leave a Reply” below or the Contact tab above.
Watching this late on Christmas Eve. Beautiful.