00:00Theophanes the hymnographer, born in Jerusalem towards the end of the 8th century, was not a man destined for a
00:07quiet life.
00:08As a young man, he embraced monastic life with his brother Theodore, joining the monastery of Mars Abba.
00:15But their era was tumultuous. The Byzantine Empire was then torn apart by the iconoclasm crisis, this madness which
00:23saw the destruction of the holy images.
00:26Theophanes, a fervent defender of orthodoxy, could not remain silent in the face of this heresy.
00:33With his brother, he went to Constantinople to plead the cause of the holy icons before Emperor Leo V
00:40Armenian.
00:42Their courage comes at a high price. They are imprisoned and tortured.
00:47Under Emperor Theophilus, the persecution intensified. Theophanes suffered terrible punishments.
00:54Tradition tells that, like his brother Theodore, he was branded on the forehead with insulting verses.
01:02towards icons,
01:03a shameful sign, meant to dishonor them, but which became for them a mark of honor and unwavering faith.
01:13They were exiled, facing adversity with unwavering determination.
01:18His liberation only came in 843 with the definitive restoration of the veneration of icons.
01:26a major event for the Eastern Church, celebrated as the triumph of orthodoxy.
01:33Exhausted by his suffering, but with his soul at peace, Theophanes passed away a little later, around 845.
01:41But Theophanes is not only a confessor of the faith.
01:45He is, as his nickname indicates, an exceptional hymnographer.
01:50Despite the hardships, he composed an impressive number of canons and liturgical hymns.
01:57His writings are true treasures of theology and spirituality,
02:02and many are still sung today in the Orthodox liturgy.
02:07He gave voice to faith, expressing the beauty of the saints, the feasts, and the divine mysteries with a
02:15profound poetry.
02:17Today, Théophane the hymnographer reminds us of the power of conviction.
02:23He is a witness to a faith that does not waver in the face of persecution.
02:27but who, on the contrary, finds in hardship an inspiration to create and celebrate.
02:34His legacy is this double victory: that of loyalty to icons.
02:39and that of a poetic work which continues to lift souls towards God.
02:44We celebrate it on October 10th or 11th.
