Sermons

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” - Romans 10:17

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Tasbeha (Midnight Praise)

Tasbeha is the Midnight Praise of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Praise consists of various canticles directly from the Holy Bible, known in the Coptic Language as a "Hoos", as well as other praises that vary by day of the week.

• The 1st Hoos (the praise after crossing the Red Sea) is based on Exodus 15.

• The 2nd Hoos is based on Psalm 135.

• The 3rd Hoos (the praise of the 3 saintly youth) is based on the hymn sung by the 3 youth in the furnace of Babylon.

• The 4th Hoos is based on Psalm 148, 149 & 150.

The Theotokias in Tasbeha were written by St. Kyrillos the Pillar of Faith to defeat Nestorius' heresy at the time that St. Mary wasn't the mother of God and that she was just the mother of Christ who was just a normal person who had His divinity descend upon Him later. St. Kyrillos wrote the Theotokias to prove that St. Mary was the God-bearer through the use of all the Old Testament symbols. Theotokos = mother of God/God-bearer.

If you would like to access the Tasbeha lyrics, click here. If you would like to listen to Tasbeha, above is an audio sample.