''Tasbeha'' (a transliteration of the Arabic word for "praise") is the ''Midnight Praise'' of the
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي ...
. The Praise consists of various canticles directly from the Holy
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
, known in the
Coptic language
Coptic (Bohairic Coptic: , ) is a language family of closely related dialects, representing the most recent developments of the Egyptian language, and historically spoken by the Copts, starting from the third-century AD in Roman Egypt. Coptic ...
as a "Hoos", as well as other praises that vary by day of the week. As its name suggests, the Midnight Praise typically happens late at night, preceding a liturgy in the morning. Outside the monasteries, this usually only happens on Saturday night followed by the Sunday liturgy, and often happens in the evening though not necessarily at midnight. In monasteries the Midnight praise usually occurs every night, often in the early hours before dawn. It typically lasts from 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Structure
After praying the
Agpeya
The ''Agpeya'' (Coptic: Ϯⲁⲅⲡⲓⲁ, ar, أجبية) is the Coptic Christian "Prayer Book of the Hours" or breviary, and is equivalent to the Shehimo in the Indian Orthodox Church (another Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination), as we ...
, Tasbeha begins with the hymn known as Ten Theno which calls on God to awaken us from our slumber so that we may praise Him fittingly. The Sunday Tasbeha (that occurs on Saturday night) then proceeds with 4 "Hoos"-es or
canticle
A canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a hymn, psalm or other Christianity, Christian song of praise with lyrics usually taken from biblical or holy texts. Canticles are used in Christian liturgy.
Ca ...
s. Each canticle is sung directly from the Bible, followed by a "Lobsh" or explanation hymn.
#The first canticle is the
Song of Moses
The Song of Moses is the name sometimes given to the poem which appears in Deuteronomy of the Hebrew Bible, which according to the Bible was delivered just prior to Moses' death on Mount Nebo. Sometimes the Song is referred to as Deuteronomy 32, ...
({{bibleverse, , Exodus, 15:1-19).
#The second canticle or ''hoos'' is
Psalm 135
Psalm 135 of the Bible, biblical Book of Psalms begins and ends "Praise ye the YHWH, LORD" ( he, הַלְלוּ יָהּ, ''hallelujah''). The New King James Version entitles it "Praise to God in Creation and Redemption". In the numbering system ...
, which thanks God for "His mercy
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
endures forever".
#The third canticle is the praise of the
Three Holy ChildrenDaniel 3:26-56,
[ In many Protestant versions of the Bible, this is found separately in the ]Apocrypha
Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
. followed by the Greek hymn Aripsaleen.
#After some additional hymns,
doxologies, and commemorations of the saints, the fourth canticle is sung, which consists of Psalms
148 148 may refer to:
*148 (number), a natural number
*AD 148, a year in the 2nd century AD
*148 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
*148 (album), an album by C418
*148 (Meiktila) Battery Royal Artillery
*148 (New Jersey bus) 148 may refer to:
*148 (numb ...
,
149, and
150 150 may refer to:
*150 (number), a natural number
*AD 150, a year in the 2nd century AD
*150 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
*150 Regiment RLC
*Combined Task Force 150
See also
* List of highways numbered 150
The following highways are numbered ...
.
Tasbeha continues with the Psalm of the day, glorifications of
St. Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
that intricately explore the various symbols of the Virgin and Christ's incarnation present in the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
, and the reading of the
Gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
and Antiphonarium. Tasbeha concludes with the
Creed
A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets.
The ea ...
, praise of God for His mercy, the prayer "Holy Holy Holy" and, if a priest is present, the Midnight Absolution.
Symbolism
Tasbeha is often regarded by Copts as the closest time to Heaven on Earth in that the community joins with the angels in the heavenly praise of God.
Explanation of Praises
/ref>
References
External links
Tasbeha.org
Coptic Orthodox Church