Prayers... to objects?

[AMM]

(Note that you are in the Orthodox subforum)

So, I can get behind prayers to the saints, to the Theotokos, etc. That's lovely. But I don't understand the invocation of objects. Here's a few examples I'm thinking of:

• The Akathist to the Holy Cross
  
  • Kontakion 1: "But since you [the Cross] are the trophy and unconquered weapon, by your grace protect, cover, and shelter those who cry to you: Rejoice, O Wood most blessed. "
• Akathist to the Life-bearing Tomb
  • "Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!"
• Prayer to the Holy Cross
  • "(...) O most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, help me with our holy Lady, the Virgin Theotokos, and with all the Saints throughout the ages. Amen."

So, to put it bluntly - what's the deal here? Why are we praying to these inanimate objects? I can understand venerating them - it's not any different than venerating an icon. But we wouldn't pray to an icon itself (we would pray to the saint), so why do we pray to the cross, the tomb, and other things?

 

[truefiction1]

(Note that you are in the Orthodox subforum)

So, I can get behind prayers to the saints, to the Theotokos, etc. That's lovely. But I don't understand the invocation of objects. Here's a few examples I'm thinking of:

• The Akathist to the Holy Cross
  • Kontakion 1: "But since you [the Cross] are the trophy and unconquered weapon, by your grace protect, cover, and shelter those who cry to you: Rejoice, O Wood most blessed. "
• Akathist to the Life-bearing Tomb
  • "Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!"
• Prayer to the Holy Cross
  • "(...) O most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, help me with our holy Lady, the Virgin Theotokos, and with all the Saints throughout the ages. Amen."

So, to put it bluntly - what's the deal here? Why are we praying to these inanimate objects? I can understand venerating them - it's not any different than venerating an icon. But we wouldn't pray to an icon itself (we would pray to the saint), so why do we pray to the cross, the tomb, and other things?

These are hymns written in the strongly metaphorical language of poetry. The words are not interpreted literally, they are to be sung/chanted and serve to invoke joyful reverence and thanksgiving to God for His gift of our Salvation and Eternal Life.

In other words, these things you quote here are not prayers: they are hymns that sing "about" things pertaining to our salvation, and they invoke us to offer our prayerful hearts of thanksgiving to God.

 

[ArmyMatt]

yep, it's poetic language to objects because of what Christ did through them.

 

[AMM]

I see, okay! That makes sense/helps me understand it. (Although I'll confess, it still feels a little odd to me) Thank you!

 

[All4Christ]

I see, okay! That makes sense/helps me understand it. (Although I'll confess, it still feels a little odd to me) Thank you!

I’ve also heard that some thoughts and clarifications are lost in translation.

 

[Knee V]

To put another spin on this...

Every icon of a saint has a "halo" (I forget the Greek word that is more common in our circles) around the saint's head. That halo is the glory of God shining through them, the same glory which is Christ's. So even when an icon doesn't appear to have Christ in it, it actually does by virtue of His glory seen around the saint's head, and when we venerate an icon of a saint, we are also, therefore venerating an icon of Christ.

The same goes with prayers/hymns to saints. When we sing about what a saint accomplished, we are not only singing about the saint, but also simultaneously about the work that Christ has done in that saint's life.

And to continue with the ramifications of the Incarnation, God also works in and through material objects, not just through people. By singing a hymn to/about the Cross, we are singing about what Christ has done through it.

 

[jamiec]

(Note that you are in the Orthodox subforum)

So, I can get behind prayers to the saints, to the Theotokos, etc. That's lovely. But I don't understand the invocation of objects. Here's a few examples I'm thinking of:

• The Akathist to the Holy Cross
  • Kontakion 1: "But since you [the Cross] are the trophy and unconquered weapon, by your grace protect, cover, and shelter those who cry to you: Rejoice, O Wood most blessed. "
• Akathist to the Life-bearing Tomb
  • "Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!"
• Prayer to the Holy Cross
  • "(...) O most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, help me with our holy Lady, the Virgin Theotokos, and with all the Saints throughout the ages. Amen."

So, to put it bluntly - what's the deal here? Why are we praying to these inanimate objects? I can understand venerating them - it's not any different than venerating an icon. But we wouldn't pray to an icon itself (we would pray to the saint), so why do we pray to the cross, the tomb, and other things?

(From a non-EO POV):

How is this any different from addressing one's country ?

"Oh Canada, our home and native land..."

"Deutschland, Deutschland, ueber alles..."

"My country, 'tis of thee..."

"Rule, Britannia ! Britannia rules the waves..."

"I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above..."

"Advance, Australia fair..."

- each of these patriotic songs addresses a country. Not forgetting:

"Hills of the North, rejoice...." - which is the first line of a hymn about the Second Coming.

Why are those OK, and addressing the Holy Cross, wrong ?

If the hymn

"Holy Bible, book Divine"

is OK - why is

"O Crux, ave ! Spes unica..."

or any of those Orthodox hymns, a problem ?

"Glorious things of thee are spoken
Zion, city of our God…"

is a well-known Protestant hymn. And a very fine one it is too.

"Hail to the Chief" may not be addressed to anything inanimate, but neither is it addressed to God.

These are examples of the rhetorical device of invocation, because something or someone - it does not matter what - is addressed by the speaker. People, places, abstractions, things real or unreal, can all be invoked. It does not follow that the speaker or writer thinks they are deities.

"Hear, O Israel...." in Deut 6 is another, very familiar, invocation. The same rhetorical figure is found elsewhere in the Bible. The Church has adopted this way of speaking, and it is quite common in the liturgies of East & West, as well as in vernacular hymns.

 

[prodromos]

Just realised the thread is 3 years old.