This Akathist was recently translated into English by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance and same for his grandfather who is gravely ill.
*Translator’s Note:
We live in an age where both teachings about Creation and Eschatology (but the End Times are another subject) are distorted. Many people doubt the existence of Adam and Eve and the literal aspect of Genesis 1-11, instead believing in Evolution, an Old Earth and a 14 Billion Years old Universe. It is my firmest of my firm beliefs that God Himself would address these doubts, were the people but to humble themselves, have patience (remember that Saint Monica prayed for 18 years till God brought back Saint Augustine to His Church), and pray unceasingly to God and the Saints to reveal the Truth to them regarding these issues.
Thus, I would say to those who doubt the existence of Adam and Eve, the Flood etc. , those who are not sure on the authenticity of the Genesis 1-11 account – to pray daily the Akathist to Prophet Moses (after all, he wrote Genesis!), the Akathist to Saint Basil the Great (considering he’s the interpreter par excellence of the Book of Genesis in the Eastern Greek Tradition), the Akathist to Adam and Eve below, and finally the Akathist to Saint Righteous Patriarch Abraham, because he is a great intercessor before the Throne of the Lord.
Pray continually even if in your own words, short prayers if not the Akathists, to Saints Moses, Basil, Adam and Eve, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham – daily, continually, even if you have doubts about their existence. Take their names, choose them as your patrons, pray to them, buy their icons, venerate their icons and ask them for help. I really do think that if you do all of this continually and daily, the Lord will answer you and putting an end to ALL DOUBTS.
For some of you the answers will be swift. Maybe in a month or a couple of months. For others it might take a year, or three, or seven. Others will be like Saint Monica, and will have to wait almost all their life – though I think in these cases the Lord will send some consolations from time to time, just like He did with/to Saint Monica by sending Angels who announced to her that Saint Augustine will return to the Faith, though she still had more time to wait. If you persevere to the end, you will receive your answers. God decides how long it will take for each one of us individually.
And for some of you, my dear ones, the answer might be exactly one second before you die, as some of you may be granted that Adam and Eve, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah will visit you on your deathbed and take you together with them to Heaven. If you pray to them in your last moments on this Earth, and have lived a virtuous Christian life.
Keep continually praying to these Saints. Persevere to the end. And you will receive your answers.
God bless, Maxim
Feast Day: the Sunday of the Forefathers/Ancestors of Christ and also 24 December in the Western Calendar
Kontakion 1
Let us sing words of praise with faith to God’s chosen creation, Adam, our first ancestor, together with Eve, who was created from his rib. Even though they fell from Paradise, through the work of the New Adam and the second Eve who came into the world, they received salvation and were lifted up to Heaven. First created Adam and Eve, pray for us your children who cry out to you: Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Ikos 1
The angels of God glorified the Creator, for in six days He created the world, and on the sixth day He made Adam, placed him in Eden, and gave him a wife named Eve, meaning “life,” because she was to be the mother of all living things, and we pray:
Rejoice, perfect creation of God;
Rejoice, adornment of the heavens;
Rejoice, created in the image of God;
Rejoice, in the likeness of His creation;
Rejoice, lords of creation;
Rejoice, masters of the earth;
Rejoice, formed from clay and receiving the breath of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, heavenly mind;
Rejoice, dwelling in Eden;
Rejoice, feeding from the Tree of Life;
Rejoice, for you have received God’s commandments;
Rejoice, for His commandments are not burdensome;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 2
Seeing His creation, the Creator rested on the seventh day, making that day a day of worship and glory, so that all His creation might sing to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
With the foolish minds of men that you are, you have allowed yourselves to be conquered by the cunning of the evil one, Adam and Eve, who once said: “I will ascend into heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God, I will sit on the mountain of the assembly of the gods, at the end of midnight; I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” But all creation was glorified through the Wisdom of the Father, for the devil’s schemes were shattered by God, and we cry out to Adam and Eve:
Rejoice, first light of the Holy Spirit in man;
Rejoice, for you did not know what evil was;
Rejoice, for you spoke with God face to face;
Rejoice, contemplating the wonder of His creation;
Rejoice, Adam, great illuminator;
Rejoice, Eve, full of light;
Rejoice, witnesses of the Creator of love;
Rejoice, for God loved you very much;
Rejoice, for you walk freely on the earth;
Rejoice, ascending with your spirit to heaven;
Rejoice, masters of all living things;
Rejoice, caring for all creatures;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 3
The power of the Most High and Almighty is boundless, for He gave man free will and allowed the enemy of mankind, the serpent, to tempt Eve, and we bow our heads and call upon God with great humility: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
With a cunning mind, the serpent said to Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” And Eve replied, “We may eat the fruit of the trees in paradise; only the fruit of the tree in the middle of paradise God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. The serpent then said cunningly, “No, you will not die! But God knows that on the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” These flattering words were spoken by the serpent to Eve, and we pray:
Rejoice, speaking with God in paradise;
Rejoice, you who are happy in His love;
Rejoice, living near the Tree of Life;
Rejoice, first ancestors, living in Eden with four rivers;
Rejoice, Adam, for you named all the creatures of the earth;
Rejoice, Eve, helper and wife of man;
Rejoice, you who gave birth to the human race;
Rejoice, parents of all the living;
Rejoice, for God has filled the earth with good things for you;
Rejoice, you who are always satisfied;
Rejoice, for God created you never to see death;
Rejoice, being endowed with immortality;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 4
A storm of cunning thoughts arose in Eve’s mind, and considering that the fruit of the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye and desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it, and gave some to her husband, and he ate it too. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings, but they could no longer sing to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, “Adam, where art thou?” And he said, “I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And God said to him, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” Adam said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “Why did you do this?” And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you shall be cursed among all animals and among all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall crawl and eat dust all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” And to the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree that I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat,’ cursed is the ground for your sake! With toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life! Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.” In anticipation of deliverance and complete forgiveness, please receive these words:
Rejoice, you who rule over all beings on earth;
Rejoice, having free will;
Rejoice, for God has set you free for the good of human beings;
Rejoice, for the Lord did not want you to seek your own will;
Rejoice, for you have fed on the fruit of the tree of good and evil;
Rejoice, for you have not obeyed the commandment of the Creator*;
Rejoice, you who have fallen;
Rejoice, for you have not been deprived of the Lord’s mercy;
Rejoice, for you have lived in repentance all your life;
Rejoice, for your death has not brought you communion with God;
Rejoice, for God has made you mortal from immortality;
Rejoice, for your faith has been tempted by the deceiver;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
*(Translator’s note: While some of these “Rejoice” lines sound baffling and understandably so, it should be pointed out that what the original authors of the Akathist mean by these things is that our Saints Adam and Eve are actually greater now after their fall because of their utmost and total REPENTANCE, just like our Lord Jesus Christ says in the Gospel that there is a greater joy in Heaven when one sinner repents than for one man who is righteous all his life. Same in regards to the saying “the last should be the first and the first should be the last” and “the least should be the greater and the greater should be the least”. This applies in this context to these “weird” Rejoice-s.
For fidelity to the original text I chose to maintain this translation even though it might sound scandalous and wrong and instead chose to write this small explicative note for clarifying any possible misunderstanding amongst the readers. We are choosing to keep the text as it is in the original till a priest, or an abbot, or a bishop, or a synod decides to change the text in the future.
God bless.)
Kontakion 5
And God drove Adam out, and placed him near the garden of Eden, and set cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life, and Adam was driven out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken, and the angels sang unceasingly to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Then an angel came and closed the gates of Eden, and Adam sighed and lamented his nakedness, crying out: Woe is me, I have been rebuked by God for my deceitful deception, and I have been condemned and cast out from His glory! Woe is me, for now I lie naked! O lost Paradise, I will no longer enjoy your sweetness, I will not see my Lord and Creator, and I will not hear these words:
Rejoice, for you have lived the heavenly life;
Rejoice, you who have had no cares;
Rejoice, Eve, formed from Adam’s rib;
Rejoice, Eve, beloved by your husband;
Rejoice, for you did not fear animals;
Rejoice, for even the beasts obeyed you;
Rejoice, enjoying the beauty of the trees of paradise;
Rejoice, for even the birds of Eden listened to you;
Rejoice, speaking to God as to a friend;
Rejoice, for we are nothing without God our Creator;
Rejoice, you who have lived in grace;
Rejoice, for God did not abandon you in your fall;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 6
Adam and Eve bore sons, the human race multiplied, and God sent their Savior and Deliverer, who crushed the head of the serpent and freed man from the power of death; Cain, however, was overcome by envy and malice, multiplying sin in the world by killing his brother Abel, and no longer sang to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
Eve brought new light to the world through the birth of her third son, Seth, from whom an unbroken line of prophets and believers was born: Enoch, who was taken up to Heaven with his body, Methuselah, Noah, and Shem. And Eve said, “God has raised up a new seed for me, instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” We marvel at God’s great kindness, and we cry out:
Rejoice, Eve, obedient to God;
Rejoice, wife who obeys her husband;
Rejoice, you who labor in the sweat of your brows;
Rejoice, seeing your children grow up;
Rejoice, that a Savior will come from your seed;
Rejoice, that the Seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent;
Rejoice, hope of the fallen;
Rejoice, for you have put your trust in God;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, for after sorrow came the joy of forgiveness;
Rejoice, you who are nourished by the bitterness of the loss of Paradise;
Rejoice, praying always to God;
Rejoice, you who cry out to Him always;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 7
Wanting to show mercy to His creation, the descendants of Abraham, Moses, and David prophesied the incarnation of the Savior from the chosen Virgin, and we sing to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
The glorified God did not allow the ancestral sin of Adam and Eve to defile the human race forever, and chose the Virgin Mary to conceive the New Adam from the second Eve without seed, preserving her Virginity. We remember these great wonders and say to our ancestors:
Rejoice, for your salvation is near;
Rejoice, for the Word has become flesh;
Rejoice, receiving forgiveness from God;
Rejoice, you who have ascended again into Paradise;
Rejoice, heavenly Adam and Eve;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, saved by the God-Man;
Rejoice, Eve, receiving salvation through the obedience of your daughter;
Rejoice, Eve, in her humility;
Rejoice, for Joy has come;
Rejoice, for the Lord is merciful;
Rejoice, seekers of paradise;
Rejoice, you who seek its sweetness;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 8
The entire human race joyfully received the news of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world to wipe away Adam’s sin, humbling Himself unto death to give us eternal life, and we cry out in gratitude: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
Out of love for His creation, the Holy Word Jesus Christ was sent to the land of sorrow to be baptized with water by His Forerunner, Saint John the Baptist, and we sing:
Rejoice, for now you see the beloved God;
Rejoice, for your prayers have been heard;
Rejoice, for the Deliverer has come;
Rejoice, for the Savior has ascended into Heaven;
Rejoice, waiting with hope for deliverance;
Rejoice, for you are now in Heaven with the angels;
Rejoice, for the Seed of Abraham is born without seed;
Rejoice, for the Lion comes from Judah;
Rejoice, for He was incarnated from the Virgin;
Rejoice, for God has preserved her virginity;
Rejoice, you who have been forgiven all your debts by God;
Rejoice, for the Savior has wiped away your sin;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 9
The angelic hosts are amazed at the great incarnation of Christ God, how the Incomprehensible One was contained in the womb of a Virgin, and we praise God: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
The eloquent orators are speechless before God’s great mercy toward you, Adam and Eve, and we say to you:
Rejoice, our father and mother;
Rejoice, for every human being comes from you;
Rejoice, blessed with salvation;
Rejoice, for you show us the truth;
Rejoice, Adam, created on the sixth day;
Rejoice, Eve, created from your husband’s rib;
Rejoice, for you dwelt in Eden;
Rejoice, now seated in the Kingdom of Heaven;
Rejoice, souls who see the Holy Face of the Lord;
Rejoice, sowing joy in the human race;
Rejoice, praying for us;
Rejoice, for you do not forsake us, your children;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 10
To save the world, the Word of God came down to earth from the Father’s bosom, took flesh from the Virgin, was born as a human being, and through His death gave eternal life to all mankind. Today Adam and Eve rejoice and cry out to the Savior: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
Be a wall of defense for your faithful children who follow the teachings of the Gospel with love, Adam and Eve; help us to guard ourselves from the darkness of this age, lest we stray and fall into sin, and we pray:
Rejoice, beloved creation of God;
Rejoice, for He has saved you from sin;
Rejoice, now standing in the Light of Life;
Rejoice, for darkness has disappeared for you;
Rejoice, for you have received again the gift of seeing the mysteries of God;
Rejoice, teaching us also to understand what seems incomprehensible;
Rejoice, our supporters;
Rejoice, lifting our minds up to God;
Rejoice, for though you were fallen into sin, you wept all your lives for forgiveness;
Rejoice, those saved by the sacrifice of the Savior;
Rejoice, our first parents;
Rejoice, teach us, for we are your children;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 11
Our weak hymnody is not enough to chant of the wonderful deeds of the Lord, to speak of Adam and Eve, mortal bodies whose souls were saved and raised back to Heaven, but we open our minds and souls and learn to cry out silently to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
Adam and Eve, you are now two shining Lights, receiving light from the only true Light, and we, your faithful children, joyfully sing to you:
Rejoice, you who endure suffering;
Rejoice, you who are full of patience;
Rejoice, preachers of repentance;
Rejoice, teachers of hope;
Rejoice, for all your life you have longed for the lost Paradise;
Rejoice, for the Promised One is born;
Rejoice, for He has brought the Word of salvation;
Rejoice, receiving sanctification from Him;
Rejoice, now clothed in shining grace;
Rejoice, partaking of the Light of the Tree of Life;
Rejoice, living in eternal dwellings;
Rejoice, contemplating the Holy Trinity;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 12
Jesus Christ came to wipe away the debts of our ancestors Adam and Eve and, breaking the ancestral curse, sacrificed Himself, dying so that we might be resurrected in His Grace with Him Himself, and we worship Him with gratitude: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing of the countless mercies of the Lord shown to the human race, we see our ancestors Adam and Eve standing beside the throne of God in the Paradise of eternal life to come, and with hope and joy we say to them:
Rejoice, you who have been raised back to Paradise by Christ the Savior;
Rejoice, our intercessors;
Rejoice, living in silence;
Rejoice, fathers of those who pray to God;
Rejoice, our guides;
Rejoice, teachers of piety;
Rejoice, protecting us from the temptations of the cunning serpent;
Rejoice, destroying the devil’s schemes;
Rejoice, guiding us to heaven;
Rejoice, opening our minds to understand heavenly teaching;
Rejoice, our hope;
Rejoice, our boldness to ask Jesus Christ for forgiveness of the sins of our people;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 13
O, our holy ancestors Adam and Eve! Accept this small praise of ours and pray to the Creator and Savior to welcome us into His Kingdom, so that together with you and all the Saints we may sing to Him: Alleluia. (This Kontakion is said 3 times).
Ikos 1
The angels of God glorified the Creator, for in six days He created the world, and on the sixth day He made Adam, placed him in Eden, and gave him a wife named Eve, meaning “life,” because she was to be the mother of all living things, and we pray:
Rejoice, perfect creation of God;
Rejoice, adornment of the heavens;
Rejoice, created in the image of God;
Rejoice, in the likeness of His creation;
Rejoice, lords of creation;
Rejoice, masters of the earth;
Rejoice, formed from clay and receiving the breath of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, heavenly mind;
Rejoice, dwelling in Eden;
Rejoice, feeding from the Tree of Life;
Rejoice, for you have received God’s commandments;
Rejoice, for His commandments are not burdensome;
Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Kontakion 1
Let us sing words of praise with faith to God’s chosen creation, Adam, our first ancestor, together with Eve, who was created from his rib. Even though they fell from Paradise, through the work of the New Adam and the second Eve who came into the world, they received salvation and were lifted up to heaven. First created Adam and Eve, pray for us your children who cry out to you: Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!
Prayer after the Akathist:
We run to you, Adam and Eve, our ancestors, we your weak children. Look upon us with mercy from the height of your heavenly glory, awaken us and be our help in the temptations that try us from the enemy of the human race.
Even though you were tempted by the deceitful words of the serpent and lost the sweetness of Paradise, you lived the rest of your earthly life in repentance and weeping over your fall, but God promised you that from your seed He would bring to earth the One who would crush the head of the serpent.
Hear these prayers from us, sinners who call ourselves your children after the flesh! God did not turn away from you but fulfilled His covenant, for His Son, the Savior of the world, suffered death by crucifixion in order to descend into hell, from which He raised you back to Paradise, reconciling you and the whole human race with God. Now you are joyful and exalted in spirit, seeing our Savior, God who is without beginning, and the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life.
Help us also to live this earthly life weeping for our sins, in repentance. Intercede with Christ the Lord to forgive our known and unknown sins, ours and those of our kin, so that we may rejoice in His heavenly Kingdom both in this life and in eternity, where you and the Angels sing a song of victory to the Holy Trinity: To the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Another prayer to our Holy Forefathers Adam and Eve:
O Adam, father of the living, and Eve, mother of all who call upon the Lord—
You who walked in the cool of the garden with God, yet tasted the dust of exile;
You who hid in shame from the Divine Face, yet heard His voice calling in mercy;
You who clothed yourselves in fig leaves of frailty, only to be robed by the Father’s tender hand—
Pray for us now, we your children lost in the wilderness of doubt.
In your repentance, you turned from the serpent’s whisper to the Promise of the Woman who would crush his head;
Through your sorrow, you became the dawn of salvation’s light, heralding the New Adam and the New Eve.
We beseech you, intercede for us who wander amid the shadows of divided flocks,
Seeking the one fold where the Good Shepherd gathers His sheep.
Guide our steps back to the Tree of Life, now flowering in the Holy Church,
Where the wounds of the Fall are healed in the wounds of the Cross,
And the bread of Eden’s loss is restored in the Bread of angels.
Open our eyes to behold the unity Christ prayed for—
That all may be one, as You, Father, are in Him and He in You.
Saints Adam and Eve, patrons of the penitent and the searching soul,
By the blood that washed away your sin and ours,
Lead us to the gates of the True Church of Jesus Christ,
That we may enter her embrace and dwell forever in the paradise regained.
Through Christ our Lord, who makes all things new.
Amen.
Original Source:
