The following hymns from the Sunday Matins service are directly related to the Fifth Eothinon Resurrection Gospel (Luke 24:13-35) read before the Canon, which speaks of the encounter of the two apostles with the Risen Christ on the road to Emmaus. There are eleven eothina all together, and each Sunday is successively dedicated to one of them, then the cycle starts again. Each of the eleven eothina symbolizes one of the eleven disciples to whom the Lord appeared following His Resurrection.
The first of these series of hymns are the Exaposteilarion with its related Theotokion chanted after the Ninth Ode of the Canon. The word "exaposteilarion" comes from the Greek verb exapostello, which means "to send forth", referring to the sending forth of the apostles to proclaim the gospel throughout the world. In ancient times a chanter was sent out from the choir into the center of the church to chant this hymn to indicate the sending forth of the apostles. The author of the eleven exaposteilaria for each Sunday eothinon was the Roman Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913-959).
Following the Praises (Ainoi) of Matins is the Doxastikon. The word "doxastikon" comes from the Greek word doxa, which means "glory" or "glorification", referring to the fact that preceding the hymn the verse "Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" is chanted. Each doxastikon on Sunday is directly related to one of the eleven Sunday eothina read earlier in the service. The eleven doxastika of Sunday Matins were all composed by the Roman Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886-912).
English
EXAPOSTEILARION 5
Christ, the life and the way, risen from the dead, accompanied Cleopas and Luke and became known at Emmaus at the breaking of bread. Their souls and hearts burned with ardor when he spoke to them on the way and interpreted what he had endured by the Scriptures. Let us cry with them: He is risen and has appeared to Peter.
Theotokion
I praise your immeasurable mercy, O my Creator. You have emptied yourself to bear and save human nature grown evil. And being God, you consented to be born of the pure Maiden, descended of God like me, and descended even into Hades, wishing to save me by the intercession of her that bore you, O all‑merciful Master.
DOXASTIKON
Eothinon 5
Plagal of the First Tone
O Christ, how wise are your judgments. By the grave clothes alone you made Peter understand your resurrection. Accompanying Luke and Cleopas, and while conversing with them you did not reveal yourself immediately. Therefore, you were reproached as a stranger in Jerusalem, not knowing what had taken place there. But disposing everything for the benefit of your creature, you revealed the prophecies concerning you and made yourself known to them by blessing the bread because their hearts were aflame for knowledge of you even before this. To the disciples already assembled they openly proclaimed your resurrection; through it have mercy on our souls.
Greek
ΕΞΑΠΟΣΤΕΙΛΑΡΙΟΝ Ε’
Η ζωή καί οδός Χριστός, εκ νεκρών τώ Κλεόπα καί τώ Λουκά συνώδευσεν, οίς περ καί επεγνώσθη, εις Εμμαούς κλών τόν άρτον, ών ψυχαί καί καρδίαι, καιόμεναι ετύγχανον, ότε τούτοις ελάλει εν τή οδώ, καί Γραφαίς ηρμήνευεν, ά υπέστη, μεθ’ ών , Ηγέρθη, κράξωμεν, ώφθη τε καί τώ Πέτρω.
Θεοτοκίον
Υμνώ σου τό αμέτρητον, έλεος Ποιητά μου, ότι σαυτόν εκένωσας, τού φορέσαι καί σώσαι, φύσιν βροτών κακωθείσαν, καί Θεός ών ηνέχου, εκ τής αγνής θεόπαιδος, κατ’ εμέ τού γενέσθαι, καί κατελθείν, μέχρις Άδου, θέλων με τού σωθήναι, πρεσβείαις της Τεκούσης σε, Δέσποτα πανοικτίρμον.
ΔΟΞΑΣΤΙΚΟΝ
Εωθινό Ε’
Ήχος πλ. α’
Ω τών σοφών σου κριμάτων Χριστέ! πώς Πέτρω μέν τοίς οθονίοις μόνοις, έδωκας εννοήσαί σου τήν Ανάστασιν, Λουκά δέ καί Κλεόπα, συμπορευόμενος ωμίλεις, καί ομιλών, ουκ ευθέως σεαυτόν φανεροίς; Διό καί ονειδίζη, ώς μόνος παροικών εν Ιερουσαλήμ, καί μή μετέχων τών, εν τέλει βουλευμάτων αυτής, Αλλ’ ο πάντα πρός τό τού πλάσματος συμφέρον οικονομών, καί τάς περί σού προφητείας ανέπτυξας, καί εν τώ ευλογείν τόν άρτον, εγνώσθης αυτοίς, ών καί πρό τούτου αι καρδίαι, πρός γνώσίν σου ανεφλέγοντο, οί καί τοίς Μαθηταίς συνηθροισμένοις, ήδη τρανώς εκήρυττόν σου τήν Ανάστασιν, δι’ ης ελέησον ημάς.
