SALVE THEOTOKOS !!!

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Reproduced by courtesy of the University Librarian and Director, The John Rylands University Library, The University of Manchester

A oração "Sub tuum praesidium"- À vossa proteção, é a mais antiga oração a Nossa Senhora que se conhece. Encontrada num fragmento de papiro, em 1927, no Egito, remonta ao século III. (VER DOCUMENTO ACIMA) Tem uma excepcional importância histórica pela explícita referência ao tempo de perseguições dos cristãos (“Estamos na provação” e “Livrai-nos de todo perigo) e uma particular importância teológica por recorrer à intercessão de Maria invocada com o título de Theotókos que traduzindo do grego para o português significa :Mãe de Deus, este título é o mais importante e belo da Virgem Santíssima.Já no século II era dirigido a Maria e foi objeto de definição conciliar em Éfeso em 431. O texto primitivo do qual derivam as diversas variações litúrgicas (copta, grega, ambrosiana e romana) é o seguinte: “Sob a asa da vossa misericórdia nós nos refugiamos, Theotókos; não recuse os nossos pedidos na necessidade e salva-nos do perigo: somente pura, somente bendita” .

Oração: À vossa proteção recorremos, Santa Mãe de Deus.Não desprezeis as nossas súplicas em nossas necessidades, mas livrai-nos sempre de todos os perigos, ó virgem gloriosa e bendita. Amém

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You can also go to Rylands Papyri and use the insight browser viewer to search by Reference number for Greek Papyrus 470 and view it in zoomable high resolution.This papyrus fragment is a prayer to the Theotokos written about 250 A.D., per papyrologists who have examined the handwriting style. (Theotokos means "God-bearer," a term for Mary that was formally affirmed at the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431.)

Some initially placed the papyrus in the fourth or fifth century (the John Rylands Library description below lists it as 3rd - 4th century), perhaps because they didn't think that Christians would have been praying to the Theotokos that early. If the early dating is correct, this prayer must have already been part of the Church's services or prayers, showing that petitions and prayers to the Theotokos and the Saints go back to the early days of the Church, perhaps to the second century.

Date created: 3rd - 4th century Time period covered: 1 BCE - 500 CEPlace covered: Egypt Language.

The present form of the prayer in the Greek services and prayer books is:Υπο την σην ευσπλαγχνιανκαταφευγομεν Θεοτοκε.τας ημων ικεσιας μη παριδης εν περιστασει,αλλ' εκ κινδυνων λυτρωσαι ημας,μονη αγνη, μονη ευλογημενηThis roughly translates as (adapted from the Wikipedia entry for "Sub tuum praesidium," the Latin version):Beneath your compassionwe take refuge, Theotokos.Our petitions do not despise in time of trouble,but from dangers ransom us,Only Holy, Only BlessedIn uncial (capital) letters this would be:ΥΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΣΗΝ ΕΥΣΠΛΑΓΧΝΙΑΝΚΑΤΑΦΕΥΓΟΜΕΝ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΕ.ΤΑΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΚΕΣΙΑΣ ΜΗ ΠΑΡΙΔΗΣ ΕΝ ΠΕΡΙΣΤΑΣΕΙ,ΑΛΛ' ΕΚ ΚΙΝΔΥΝΩΝ ΛΥΤΡΩΣΑΙ ΗΜΑΣ,ΜΟΝΗ ΑΓΝΗ, ΜΟΝΗ ΕΥΛΟΓΗΜΕΝΗ.

The papyrus reads:Note:

The writer uses a lunate Sigma (i.e., "C") for Σ

Gray letters are those missing or partly missing from the papyrus; I wasn't always consistent with whether to put a partial letter in gray or not Some words are split at the end of a line and continue on the next line The papyrus does not have spaces between words, but I used spaces in my transcription of the text

1 ΥΠΟ ΤΗΝ CΗΝ2 ΕΥCΠΛΑΓΧΝΙΑΝ3 ΚΑΤΑΦΕΥΓΟΜΕΝ4 ΘΕΟΤΟΚΕ ΤΑC ΗΜΩΝ5 ΙΚΕCΙΑC ΜΗ ΠΑ6 ΡΙΔΗC ΕM ΠΕΡΙCΤΑCΕΙ7 ΑΛΛ' ΕΚ ΚΙΝΔΥΝΟΥ8 ΡΥCΑΙ ΗΜΑC9 ΜΟΝΗ ΑΓΝΗ, ΜΟΝ10 Η ΕΥΛΟΓΗΜΕΝΗ1 Beneath your2 compassion3 we take refuge4 Theotokos Our5 petitions do not de-6 spise in time of trouble7 but from danger8 rescue us9 Only Holy On-10 ly BlessedNote the following differences from the traditional reading:6 "ΕΝ" is (mis)spelled as "ΕΜ," probably because the "Ν" sound would have assimilated with the "Π" in the next word and been pronounced like "ΜΠ," with the "Ν/Μ Π" perhaps even becoming a "mb" sound7 ΚΙΝΔΥΝΟΥ (singular) is used instead of ΚΙΝΔΥΝΩΝ (plural)8 ΡΥCΑΙ (ΡΥΣΑΙ) is used instead of ΛΥΤΡΩCΑΙ (ΛΥΤΡΩΣΑΙ)