Aneste triemeros

Written around the middle of the ninth century by St. Joseph the Hymnographer, this Ascension Canon is found in the Pentecostarion and is widely regarded as Joseph's crowning achievement. Dr. John Mason Neale famously remarked that in this work Joseph boldly surpassed St. John of Damascus. Consisting of eight Odes (omitting the second in keeping with festival Canon structure), it vividly portrays the lower angels shouting to the higher as the Lord ascends, the celestial awe at Christ's human body, and universal rejoicing. Neale translated the full canon into English for his Hymns of the Eastern Church (1862), preserving the acrostic structure of the Greek text. Individual Odes were subsequently adopted into several collections including Lyra Messianica, Christ in Song, and The People's Hymnal. Note that Ode VIII was actually composed by St. John of Damascus, whose Ascension Canon is sung alongside Joseph's in the Eastern Office.