«Kom og ta del!» – Romanos’ Julehymne og dens liturgiske kontekst

Abstract

How does the language of the kontakia by Romanos address their liturgical context? This article presents a new translation of the poet’s famous Christmas Hymn and investigates liturgical aspects of the drama by proposing a liturgical reading of it. Furthermore it suggests that in retelling the story of the adoration of the Magi the Melodist tells the story of the adoration of the congregation. The Bethlehem scene becomes a liturgical scene and the contemporary Christmas celebration, for which the kontakion is written, becomes a synaxis in a Bethlehem cave.