Hosea the Prophet
October 17
Apolytikion in the Second Tone
As we celebrate the memory of Thy Prophet Hosea, O Lord, through him we beseech
Thee to save our souls.
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Initiated by divine illumination, thou wast deemed worthy of the lofty gift of
prophecy and foretoldest of the promise of grace, O Prophet. O Hosea, since
thou dwellest in God's glory now, do thou rescue from all manner of adversity
us who cry to thee: Rejoice, thou vessel of grace divine.
Reading:
According to some, Hosea, whose name means "God is help," was from the tribe of
Issachar, or more likely, from that of Reuben; he was the son of Beeri. He is
the first in order of the twelve minor Prophets and the most ancient of all. He
prophesied in the days of the divided Kingdom; the Lord told him to take a
harlot to wife (Hosea 1:2), and then an adulteress (ibid., 3:1). The harlot, a
known sinner, was a figure of the Kingdom of Israel in Samaria, which openly
worshipped idols; the adulteress, lawfully married yet sinning secretly with
her lovers, was a figure of the Kingdom of Judah in Jerusalem, which, while
having the Temple, and the priesthood, and the divine worship according to the
Law, stealthily served the idols also. The Prophet Hosea prophesied for sixty
years, and lived for some ninety years, from 810 to 720 B.C. His book is
divided into fourteen chapters.
October 17
Apolytikion in the Second Tone
As we celebrate the memory of Thy Prophet Hosea, O Lord, through him we beseech
Thee to save our souls.
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Initiated by divine illumination, thou wast deemed worthy of the lofty gift of
prophecy and foretoldest of the promise of grace, O Prophet. O Hosea, since
thou dwellest in God's glory now, do thou rescue from all manner of adversity
us who cry to thee: Rejoice, thou vessel of grace divine.
Reading:
According to some, Hosea, whose name means "God is help," was from the tribe of
Issachar, or more likely, from that of Reuben; he was the son of Beeri. He is
the first in order of the twelve minor Prophets and the most ancient of all. He
prophesied in the days of the divided Kingdom; the Lord told him to take a
harlot to wife (Hosea 1:2), and then an adulteress (ibid., 3:1). The harlot, a
known sinner, was a figure of the Kingdom of Israel in Samaria, which openly
worshipped idols; the adulteress, lawfully married yet sinning secretly with
her lovers, was a figure of the Kingdom of Judah in Jerusalem, which, while
having the Temple, and the priesthood, and the divine worship according to the
Law, stealthily served the idols also. The Prophet Hosea prophesied for sixty
years, and lived for some ninety years, from 810 to 720 B.C. His book is
divided into fourteen chapters.
