Christian Identity Liturgy in the Book of Odes

The Book of Odes is a collection of passages from Scripture which were once employed as a Christian Liturgy in the Eastern Orthodox Church. They are known to us only from the Codex Alexandrinus. Here William Finck presents the Odes and demonstrates that their teachings parallel our assertions of Christian Identity. The conclusion is that the Book of Odes is a Christian  Identity Liturgy, and that Christian Identity is the original (small 'c') catholic faith.

Christian Identity Liturgy in the Book of Odes

The Book of Odes is known to us mostly from Alfred Ralfs’ publication of the Septuagint, and it consists of a collection of songs or poems which were found placed at the end of the Book of Psalms in the Codex Alexandrinus. Sir Francis Brenton did not include them in his Septuagint translation, ostensibly because that work was based primarily upon the slightly older Codex Vaticanus, where the collection is not found. The Odes are only pericopes which were extracted from other portions of Scripture, so by themselves they are not an actual Biblical book. However to us they are interesting, because of the nature of the pericopes themselves.

The Book of Odes should not be confused with the Odes of Solomon, which is an entirely different work. However we believe that the Book of Odes is significant, because it is clearly a collection of particular hymns and prayers chosen from throughout Scripture that were valued for liturgical purposes by the scribes who maintained this Codex. A liturgy is the customary public worship performed by a group or community of Christians. We shall see that this Book of Odes is certainly a liturgy, and once we understand its theme, then we can understand what this community of Christians believed. And although in our own translations of the New Testament we generally prefer the readings found in the Codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, wherever they may differ from the Alexandrinus, the Codex Alexandrinus is nevertheless of significant importance. It is esteemed to be from the 5th century AD, and it is said to have been brought to Constantinople from Alexandria in the 17th century. The library at Alexandria was destroyed in 642 AD, so if it is truly that old, the Codex must have somehow escaped the flames. According to the British Library, where the codex now resides, it was presented to King Charles I of England by Cyril Lucaris, the Patriarch of Constantinople and the former Patriarch of Alexandria. Evidently Lucaris, while a patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a Calvinist and therefore he was the center of much controversy. He was also friendly to the Church of England.

To us, the Book of Odes reflects the medieval Christian thought of at least one significant sect of Christians from which it is preserved. In addition to the Book of Odes and all of the books which we know from the Septuagint, the Codex Alexandrinus also included 3 and 4 Maccabees, which are certainly Christian in nature, and a psalm often referred to as Psalm 151, which is alleged to be a song of David after his victory over Goliath. Additionally, the codex contains copies of all of the books which we now know from the New Testament, and it also includes 1 and 2 Clement, two epistles believed to have been written by Clement of Rome, a bishop of the very late 1st century.

There is an academic contention which I must discuss here, even if it is not that well known. In my own podcasts and some of my writings, I label this Codex Alexandrinus as well as the very similar Codex Ephraemi Syri as reflecting the “Alexandrian tradition”. This is after William MacDonald, who diagrammed Westcott and Hort’s textual groupings on page 30 of his Greek Enchiridion grammar handbook. There he listed the Codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus as “Neutral”, the Codices Alexandrinus, Ephraemi Syri and the Gospel portions of the Codex Regius as “Alexandrian”, the Codices Bezae, Claromontanus, Boernerianus and the Old Testament portions of Regius as “Western”, and the Codices Basilensis, Boreelianus, Seidelianus I, Seidelianus II, Mutinensis, Coislinianus and Angelicus as “Syrian”. Many of these manuscripts I ignore in my translations and my notes simply because they are of a late date, since I only considered manuscripts and papyri from the 6th century and earlier.

We are not necessarily agreeing that the Westcott and Hort system is ideal. But this was the system that many scholars of the 19th and early 20th centuries followed, and it is by this that we label the Codices Alexandrinus and Ephraemi Syri as representing the “Alexandrian tradition”. What should not be in doubt, however, is that these manuscripts did come to us from Alexandria.

But now, it seems that the Codex Alexandrinus is classified by more modern scholars under the label of “Byzantine Text Type”, as it is apparently the antecedent to the Majority Text, even if there are places where many manuscripts of the Majority Text do not agree with the Codex Alexandrinus. It is my opinion, however, that the Majority Text is usually closer to the Codex Alexandrinus rather than the Codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, where there are differences among the three. Sometimes, however, the Majority Text is actually closer to the Codices Bezae and Claromontanus – especially in the Book of Acts and a few times in Paul’s epistles. This reflects another problem, that not all of the books in any ancient manuscript are of similar quality, or follow closely any of the surviving ancient codices.

Now, apologists for the Majority Text often attempt to connect the Codex Alexandrinus to early Christian Antioch, but there is no solid historical basis for making such a connection. The Codex Ephraemi Syri, which very often agrees with the Alexandrinus when other codices have differences, is also called the Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus. It has no direct connection to Ephrem the Syrian, the early Christian writer, as is commonly supposed. Rather, it received its name because it is a palimpsest, meaning that it was washed of its text and rewritten. A scribe in the Middle Ages washed the Biblical text from the pages of the codex and then recycling them, he overwrote them with Greek translations of the treatises of Ephrem the Syrian. This evidently happened some time before the fall of Constantinople, after which the manuscript made its way to Florence, and eventually to Paris, where it is now found in the National Library of France. This episode informs us that the particular scribe did not particularly esteem the value of the content of that codex. The “lower text”, meaning the text that was washed and overwritten, was deciphered and then edited by palaeographer and Biblical scholar Constantin von Tischendorf from 1840 to 1845. For these reasons, while we give variant readings from the codex in our notes, we do not rely on it as a primary source in our translations.

Now with this background, we should return to discuss the Odes. While the Codex Alexandrinus itself is not our most preferred of the ancient surviving manuscripts of Scripture, that does not mean that we cannot learn from it, and we can. The Book of Odes is, in our opinion, a collection of Scriptures explicitly selected for regular liturgical use. Most of these Odes have indeed been used for that very purpose in the Eastern Orthodox Church liturgy, as the Book of Odes also survives in Eastern Orthodox bibles. But to us, the substance of the Book of Odes is certainly what we would consider to be nationalist. While some of the Odes deal with repentance and the glorification of God, many of them express nationalist aspects of Scripture and view the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament in Christ from that very aspect.

So here we are going to read the 14 Odes. But while we had to read and even translate a few lines from the last of them, not finding a complete English translation, for most of the others we only needed a precursory examination of the original language, because they are all pericopes from Canonical Scriptures. For those from the Old Testament we shall use Brenton’s Septuagint, and for those from the New Testament we shall use the Christogenea translation.

Odes 1: First Ode of Moses (Exodus 15:1–19)

Exodus 15:1 … Let us sing to the Lord, for he is very greatly glorified: horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. 2 He was to me a helper and protector for salvation: this is my God and I will glorify him; my father's God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord bringing wars to nought, the Lord is his name. 4 He has cast the chariots of Pharao and his host into the sea, the chosen mounted captains: they were swallowed up in the Red Sea. 5 He covered them with the sea: they sank to the depth like a stone. 6 Thy right hand, O God, has been glorified in strength; thy right hand, O God, has broken the enemies. 7 And in the abundance of thy glory thou hast broken the adversaries to pieces: thou sentest forth thy wrath, it devoured them as stubble. 8 And by the breath of thine anger the water parted asunder; the waters were congealed as a wall, the waves were congealed in the midst of the sea. 9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils; I will satisfy my soul, I will destroy with my sword, my hand shall have dominion. 10 Thou sentest forth thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty water. 11 Who is like to thee among the gods, O Lord? who is like to thee? glorified in holiness, marvellous in glories, doing wonders. 12 Thou stretchedst forth thy right hand, the earth swallowed them up. 13 Thou hast guided in thy righteousness this thy people whom thou hast redeemed, by thy strength thou hast called them into thy holy resting-place. 14 The nations heard and were angry, pangs have seized on the dwellers among the Phylistines. 15 Then the princes of Edom, and the chiefs of the Moabites hasted; trembling took hold upon them, all the inhabitants of Chanaan melted away. 16 Let trembling and fear fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm, let them become as stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till this thy people pass over, whom thou hast purchased. 17 Bring them in and plant them in the mountain of their inheritance, in thy prepared habitation, which thou, O Lord, hast prepared; the sanctuary, O Lord, which thine hands have made ready. 18 The Lord reigns for ever and ever and ever. 19 For the horse of Pharao went in with the chariots and horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought upon them the water of the sea, but the children of Israel walked through dry land in the midst of the sea.

This first Ode glorifies God, but it also celebrates the national deliverance of the children of Israel and God’s favor for them at the expense of the other nations. Furthermore it celebrates Israel’s inheritance and relationship with God.

Odes 2: Second Ode of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1–43)

Deuteronomy 32:1 Attend, O heaven, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words out of my mouth. 2 Let my speech be looked for as the rain, and my words come down as dew, as the shower upon the herbage, and as snow upon the grass. 3 For I have called on the name of the Lord: assign ye greatness to our God. 4 As for God, his works are true, and all his ways are judgment: God is faithful, and there is no unrighteousness in him; just and holy is the Lord. 5 They have sinned, not pleasing him; spotted children, a froward and perverse generation. 6 Do ye thus recompense the Lord? is the people thus foolish and unwise? did not he himself thy father purchase thee, and make thee, and form thee? 7 Remember the days of old, consider the years for past ages: ask thy father, and he shall relate to thee, thine elders, and they shall tell thee. 8 When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. 9 And his people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, Israel was the line of his inheritance. 10 He maintained him in the wilderness, in burning thirst and a dry land: he led him about and instructed him, and kept him as the apple of an eye. 11 As an eagle would watch over his brood, and yearns over his young, receives them having spread his wings, and takes them up on his back: 12 the Lord alone led them, there was no strange god with them. 13 He brought them up on the strength of the land; he fed them with the fruits of the fields; they sucked honey out of the rock, and oil out of the solid rock. 14 Butter of cows, and milk of sheep, with the fat of lambs and rams, of calves and kids, with fat of kidneys of wheat; and he drank wine, the blood of the grape. 15 So Jacob ate and was filled, and the beloved one kicked; he grew fat, he became thick and broad: then he forsook the God that made him, and departed from God his Saviour. 16 They provoked me to anger with strange gods; with their abominations they bitterly angered me. 17 They sacrificed to devils, and not to God; to gods whom they knew not: new and fresh gods came in, whom their fathers knew not. 18 Thou hast forsaken God that begot thee, and forgotten God who feeds thee. 19 And the Lord saw, and was jealous; and was provoked by the anger of his sons and daughters, 20 and said, I will turn away my face from them, and will show what shall happen to them in the last days; for it is a perverse generation, sons in whom is no faith. 21 They have provoked me to jealousy with that which is not God, they have exasperated me with their idols; and I will provoke them to jealousy with them that are no nation, I will anger them with a nation void of understanding. 22 For a fire has been kindled out of my wrath, it shall burn to hell below; it shall devour the land, and the fruits of it; it shall set on fire the foundations of the mountains. 23 I will gather evils upon them, and will fight with my weapons against them. 24 They shall be consumed with hunger and the devouring of birds, and there shall be irremediable destruction: I will send forth against them the teeth of wild beasts, with the rage of serpents creeping on the ground. 25 Without, the sword shall bereave them of children, and terror shall issue out of the secret chambers; the young man shall perish with the virgin, the suckling with him who has grown old. 26 I said, I will scatter them, and I will cause their memorial to cease from among men. 27 Were it not for the wrath of the enemy, lest they should live long, lest their enemies should combine against them; lest they should say, Our own high arm, and not the Lord, has done all these things. 28 It is a nation that has lost counsel, neither is there understanding in them. 29 They had not sense to understand: let them reserve these things against the time to come.

This refers to the same time where, as we see later in these Odes in the passages selected from Luke, by the arm of Yahweh the same children of Israel would be redeemed from their enemies, to fulfill the same promises made to the fathers. So in reference to this, when we see the Odes which are taken from Luke chapter 1, if this is a liturgy then these passages which were selected from the Old Testament and the passages which were selected from Luke in the New Testament must be seen as presenting a consistent interpretation of Scripture. Otherwise, why would these passages, and the passages later included from Luke, be selected at all?

Continuing this Ode, from Deuteronomy 32:30:

30 How should one pursue a thousand, and two rout tens of thousands, if God had not sold them, and the Lord delivered them up? 31 For their gods are not as our God, but our enemies are void of understanding. 32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and their vine-branch of Gomorrha: their grape is a grape of gall, their cluster is one of bitterness. 33 Their wine is the rage of serpents, and the incurable rage of asps. 34 Lo! are not these things stored up by me, and sealed among my treasures? 35 In the day of vengeance I will recompense, whensoever their foot shall be tripped up; for the day of their destruction is near to them, and the judgments at hand are close upon you. 36 For the Lord shall judge his people, and shall be comforted over his servants; for he saw that they were utterly weakened, and failed in the hostile invasion, and were become feeble: 37 and the Lord said, Where are their gods on whom they trusted? 38 the fat of whose sacrifices ye ate, and ye drank the wine of their drink-offerings? let them arise and help you, and be your protectors. 39 Behold, behold that I am he, and there is no god beside me: I kill, and I will make to live: I will smite, and I will heal; and there is none who shall deliver out of my hands. 40 For I will lift up my hand to heaven, and swear by my right hand, and I will say, I live for ever. 41 For I will sharpen my sword like lightning, and my hand shall take hold of judgment; and I will render judgment to my enemies, and will recompense them that hate me. 42 I will make my weapons drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, it shall glut itself with the blood of the wounded, and from the captivity of the heads of their enemies that rule over them. 43 Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye [Nations], with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.

The last line should be interpreted not that God would purge his people from off the land, but rather, He would purge the land which belongs to His people. This song of Moses first celebrates the relationship which Yahweh had with the children of Israel, it celebrates their election, and commences to lament the punishment they would suffer for their sin. It describes how their enemies would come to prevail over them in their time of punishment and how they would be scattered afar. But ultimately God will avenge His people, destroy their enemies that had come to rule over them in their time of punishment, and upon His revenge the people are told to rejoice, where he promises to cleanse all of their enemies from their land. So this is also a song of national election, sin, and redemption for the children of Israel. Later, we shall see this same message included in the Book of Odes from Luke chapters 1 and 2, from the only three New Testament passages included in the Odes.

Odes 3: Prayer of Anna, the Mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 2:1–10)

1 Samuel 2:1 My heart is established in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, I have rejoiced in thy salvation. 2 For there is none holy as the Lord, and there is none righteous as our God; there is none holy besides thee. 3 Boast not, and utter not high things; let not high-sounding words come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and God prepares his own designs. 4 The bow of the mighty has waxed feeble, and the weak have girded themselves with strength. 5 They that were full of bread are brought low; and the hungry have forsaken the land; for the barren has born seven, and she that abounded in children has waxed feeble. 6 The Lord kills and makes alive; he brings down to the grave, and brings up. 7 The Lord makes poor, and makes rich; he brings low, and lifts up. 8 He lifts up the poor from the earth, and raises the needy from the dunghill; to seat him with the princes of the people, and causing them to inherit the throne of glory: 9 granting his petition to him that prays; and he blesses the years of the righteous, for by strength cannot man prevail. 10 The Lord will weaken his adversary; the Lord is holy. Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his wealth; but let him that boasts boast in this, to understand and know the Lord, and to execute judgment and justice in the midst of the earth. The Lord has gone up to the heavens, and has thundered: he will judge the extremities of the earth, and he gives strength to our kings, and will exalt the horn of his Christ….

And while this is a song glorifying Yahweh which Hannah sang for her own personal joy, she also seems to offer herself as a type for the nation. Hannah’s words were inspired. She was going to be redeemed out of her own barren state and bear a son. But the son, Samuel, would in turn deliver Israel from their enemies as well as from the injustices of the sons of Eli who were corruptly judging Israel at that time. The word Christ in the final verse should have been translated as Anointed, in reference to the people of Israel collectively. The same mistake is more frequently made in the New Testament. Hannah’s song is one of salvation for the nation, and not only for herself.

So in the prayer of Hannah we see the same general message as we had in the second ode of Moses which preceded it. The people of Israel would come to be ruled over by oppressors on account of their sin. They would be made low. But the humble among them, in this case represented Hannah herself, would repent and turn to Yahweh, and through them the nation would have salvation.

Odes 4: Prayer of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:2–19)

Habakkuk 3: 2 O Lord, I have heard thy report, and was afraid: I considered thy works, and was amazed: thou shalt be known between the two living creatures [the cherubim], thou shalt be acknowledged when the years draw nigh; thou shalt be manifested when the time is come; when my soul is troubled, thou wilt in wrath remember mercy. 3 God shall come from Thaeman, and the Holy One from the dark shady mount Pharan. 4 His excellence covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And his brightness shall be as light; there were horns in his hands, and he caused a mighty love of his strength. 5 Before his face shall go a report, and it shall go forth into the plains, 6 the earth stood at his feet and trembled: he beheld, and the nations melted away: the mountains were violently burst through, the everlasting hills melted at his everlasting going forth. 7 Because of troubles I looked upon the tents of the Ethiopians: the tabernacles also of the land of Madiam shall be dismayed. 8 Wast thou angry, O Lord, with the rivers [races of people]? or was thy wrath against the rivers, or thine anger against the sea? for thou wilt mount on thine horses, and thy chariots are salvation. 9 Surely thou didst bend thy bow at scepters, saith the Lord. The land of rivers shall be torn asunder. 10 The nations shall see thee and be in pain, as thou dost divide the moving waters: the deep uttered her voice, and raised her form on high. 11 The sun was exalted, and the moon stood still in her course: thy darts shall go forth at the light, at the brightness of the gleaming of thine arms. 12 Thou wilt bring low the land with threatening, and in wrath thou wilt break down the nations. 13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, to save thine anointed: thou shalt bring death on the heads of transgressors; thou has brought bands upon their neck. 14 Thou didst cut asunder the heads of princes with amazement, they shall tremble in it; they shall burst their bridles, they shall be as a poor man devouring in secret. 15 And thou dost cause thine horses to enter the sea, disturbing much water. 16 I watched, and my belly trembled at the sound of the prayer of my lips, and trembling entered into my bones, and my frame was troubled within me; I will rest in the day of affliction, from going up to the people of my sojourning. 17 For though the fig-tree shall bear no fruit, and there shall be no produce on the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall produce no food: the sheep have failed from the pasture, and there are no oxen at the cribs; 18 yet I will exult in the Lord, I will joy in God my Saviour. 19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will perfectly strengthen my feet; he mounts me upon high places, that I may conquer by his song.

Just like the song of Moses, this song of Habakkuk laments the oppression of the people of Yahweh, the genetic children of Israel, and celebrates the wrath of God which is to come upon all of the other nations so that He may deliver His people Israel. We also see the same term, “thine anointed”, referring to the people of Israel, and here Brenton translated it correctly. Throughout the New Testament, it usually refers to the Anointed One, to Yahshua Christ, but it also frequently describes His people collectively, the same people of Israel, the lost sheep for whom He had come.

We will see this theme develop further, but we must remember that while these are songs, or odes, they are also prophecies and promises which are yet in the future, and there is no evidence that the compiler of the Odes thought that they were written in reference to the Jews. There is also no evidence that the compiler of the Odes imagined himself to be some “spiritual” Israel, or that Israel was no longer a genetic entity, but some “church” organization instead. Those ideas are not found in Scripture, and the liturgy outlined here in these Odes actually refutes those ideas.

Odes 5: Prayer of Isaias (Isaiah 26:9–20)

Isaiah 26: 9 ... my spirit seeks thee very early in the morning, O God, for thy commandments are a light on the earth: learn righteousness, ye that dwell upon the earth. 10 For the ungodly one is put down: no one who will not learn righteousness on the earth, shall be able to do the truth: let the ungodly be taken away, that he see not the glory of the Lord. 11 O Lord, thine arm is exalted, yet they knew it not: but when they know they shall be ashamed: jealousy shall seize upon an untaught nation, and now fire shall devour the adversaries. 12 O Lord our God, give us peace: for thou hast rendered to us all things. 13 O Lord our God, take possession of us: O Lord, we know not any other beside thee: we name thy name. 14 But the dead shall not see life, neither shall physicians by any means raise them up: therefore thou hast brought wrath upon them, and slain them [so they were “dead” while they were living], and hast taken away every male of them. [They were “twice dead”, as described by the apostle Jude who used the term to describe those who are not of the children of Israel.] Bring more evils upon them, O Lord; 15 bring more evils on the glorious ones of the earth. [Those in high places, the princes of this world. Christ said that the princes of this world had nothing to do with Him.] 16 Lord, in affliction I remembered thee; thy chastening was to us with small affliction. 17 And as a woman in travail draws nigh to be delivered, and cries out in her pain; so have we been to thy beloved. 18 We have conceived, O Lord, because of thy fear, and have been in pain, and have brought forth the breath of thy salvation, which we have wrought upon the earth: we shall not fall, but all that dwell upon the land shall fall. 19 The dead shall rise, and they that are in the tombs shall be raised, and they that are in the earth shall rejoice: for the dew from thee is healing to them: but the land of the ungodly shall perish. 20 Go, my people, enter into thy closets, shut thy door, hide thyself for a little season, until the anger of the Lord have passed away.

Here we see the liturgy teach the necessity of keeping the law in order to have a relationship with God. More significantly, the chastening and affliction of which Isaiah sings is a chastening and affliction upon the children of Israel for their sins, and the prayer ends with a promise to “my people”, those children of Israel who are humble and obedient to their God, to find refuge until He destroys all of His enemies, who are described as dead even while they live. But he dead of His people shall rise, and fire shall devour His adversaries. So this is also a song of national chastisement and national punishment for sin with a promise of national redemption. By national, we mean racial, the true sense of the word national, because a true nation is a racially homogeneous entity.

Odes 6: Prayer of Jonah (Jonah 2:3–10)

Jonah 2: 3 … I cried in my affliction to the Lord my God, and he hearkened to me, even to my cry out of the belly of hell: thou heardest my voice. 4 Thou didst cast me into the depths of the heart of the sea, and the floods compassed me: all thy billows and thy waves have passed upon me. 5 And I said, I am cast out of thy presence: shall I indeed look again toward thy holy temple? 6 Water was poured around me to the soul: the lowest deep compassed me, my head went down 7 to the clefts of the mountains; I went down into the earth, whose bars are the everlasting barriers: yet, O Lord my God, let my ruined life be restored. 8 When my soul was failing me, I remembered the Lord; and may my prayer come to thee into thy holy temple. 9 They that observe vanities and lies have forsaken their own mercy. 10 But I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of praise and thanksgiving: all that I have vowed I will pay to thee, the Lord of my salvation.

Now, Jonah was a type for Christ, and the belly of the whale represented the certainty of death, but while facing death, at his lowest point Jonah turned his thoughts to his God and he was delivered. So in this instance Jonah is representative of the children of Israel, and of the magnificence of the saving power of Yahweh.

Next we have two odes from apocryphal literature relating to the Book of Daniel. The Prayer of Azariah is supposed to belong to the Azariah of Daniel’s companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who are first mentioned in Daniel 1:6. Then in Daniel 1:7 we read that these three were renamed by Nebuchadnezzar as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, where Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Following this is the Song of the Three Young Men, which are Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Odes 7: Prayer of Azariah (From the apocryphal Book of Azariah, verses 2 through 21)

Prayer of Azariah: 2 Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers: thy name is worthy to be praised and glorified for evermore: 3 For thou art righteous in all the things that thou hast done to us: yea, true are all thy works, thy ways are right, and all thy judgments truth.

Daniel and his friends were in captivity in Babylon. They were there not for their own sakes, but on account of the sins of the nation. Yet they declare to God that “thou art righteous in all the things that thou hast done to us.” So even thought they were being punished for the sins of the nation, they nevertheless honored and glorified God for His judgments, even though those judgments went against their own personal considerations, damaging their own personal interests, so we should see that in this respect such personal things should not even matter to Christians. Continuing from verse 4:

4 In all the things that thou hast brought upon us, and upon the holy city of our fathers, even Jerusalem, thou hast executed true judgment: for according to truth and judgment didst thou bring all these things upon us because of our sins [their collective sins, not necessarily their individual sins]. 5 For we have sinned and committed iniquity, departing from thee. 6 In all things have we trespassed, and not obeyed thy commandments, nor kept them, neither done as thou hast commanded us, that it might go well with us. 7 Wherefore all that thou hast brought upon us, and every thing that thou hast done to us, thou hast done in true judgment. 

And we, being Identity Christians, knowing our connection to the Israelites of the Old Testament and knowing the importance of keeping the law, should have this same attitude today as our own Christian nations are now being judged in this very same manner, and for these very same reasons. Continuing from verse 8:

8 And thou didst deliver us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful forsakers of God, and to an unjust king, and the most wicked in all the world. 9 And now we cannot open our mouths, we are become a shame and reproach to thy servants; and to them that worship thee. 10 Yet deliver us not up wholly, for thy name's sake, neither disannul thou thy covenant: 11 And cause not thy mercy to depart from us, for thy beloved Abraham's sake, for thy servant Isaac's sake, and for thy holy Israel's sake;

The children of Israel shall be saved not on account of themselves, but in spite of themselves, on account of the promises to the fathers. The same liturgist recognizes these things in the New Testament as well, where he cites certain passages from Luke which explain this same thing. The liturgist cited only three New Testament passages, all from Luke, and all three of the passages which he cited from Luke relate to the promises to the fathers and national salvation. That is not a coincidence. Rather, it is a purposeful exposition of doctrine. Continuing from verse 12:

12 To whom thou hast spoken and promised, that thou wouldest multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that lieth upon the seashore. 13 For we, O Lord, are become less than any nation, and be kept under this day in all the world because of our sins. 14 Neither is there at this time prince, or prophet, or leader, or burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place to sacrifice before thee, and to find mercy. 15 Nevertheless in a contrite heart and an humble spirit let us be accepted. 16 Like as in the burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, and like as in ten thousands of fat lambs: so let our sacrifice be in thy sight this day, and grant that we may wholly go after thee: for they shall not be confounded that put their trust in thee. 17 And now we follow thee with all our heart, we fear thee, and seek thy face. 18 Put us not to shame: but deal with us after thy lovingkindness, and according to the multitude of thy mercies. 19 Deliver us also according to thy marvellous works, and give glory to thy name, O Lord: and let all them that do thy servants hurt be ashamed; 20 And let them be confounded in all their power and might, and let their strength be broken; 21 And let them know that thou art God, the only God, and glorious over the whole world.

Here we see the same pattern of election, sin in the transgression against the law, the resulting national punishment, and an appeal to the promises based on the covenants of Yahweh God with the race of Israel. Israel was made lower than all the other nations, and Azariah prays for national redemption, saying of those other nations “let them be confounded in all their power and might, and let their strength be broken”. This liturgy is displaying a consistent message of national redemption and salvation and the fact that the substance of the promises of God is to the literal seed of the children of Israel, at every turn.

The prayer of Azariah is esteemed, by those who would accept its canonicity, to belong to the end of Daniel chapter 3, where the companions of Daniel are placed in a furnace as punishment for refusing to worship the idols of Babylon. The prayer may very well be canonical, and certainly seems to be inspired. If it was rejected by the Masoretes, I do not know why, but I find it difficult to believe that it was the work of a later hand. I would include the Prayer of Azariah as well a Susanna, if I ever translated Daniel from the Septuagint. I would not include Bel and the Dragon, which I do not believe is canonical. This is an opinion I cannot prove, but that is my impression.

Odes 8: Song of the Three Young Men (From the apocryphal Book of Azariah, verses 28 through 65)

Prayer of Azariah: 28 Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 29 And blessed is thy glorious and holy name: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 30 Blessed art thou in the temple of thine holy glory: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever.

[During the podcast, the following was described extemporaneously, and here I have shall make a few minor corrections in these notes:]

Now some people may wonder at this last passage, this being related to the Book of Daniel. However, it is generally esteemed, and we accept the assertions, that the early chapters of the Book of Daniel were descriptive of a period very early in his life, and that as a young man, Daniel, along with his companions, was taken from Jerusalem to Babylon years before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. Ostensibly, Daniel was among those who were taken hostage to Babylon with King Jehoiachin, in the account given in 2 Kings chapter 24 and only mentioned concisely in 2 Chronicles chapter 36. The destruction of the temple came eleven years later, at the end of the rule of the last king, Zedekiah. [In the podcast I had said that a thousand of the princes of Jerusalem were taken at this time, but the total number of hostages was ten thousand.]

Continuing from verse 31:

31 Blessed art thou that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubims: and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 32 Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom: and to be praised and glorified above all for ever. 33 Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven: and above all to be praised and glorified for ever. 34 O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever, 35 O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 36 O ye angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 37 O all ye waters that be above the heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 38 O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 39 O ye sun and moon, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 40 O ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 41 O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 42 O all ye winds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever, 43 O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 44 O ye winter and summer, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 45 O ye dews and storms of snow, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 46 O ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord: bless and exalt him above all for ever. 47 O ye light and darkness, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 48 O ye ice and cold, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 49 O ye frost and snow, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 50 O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 51 O let the earth bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 52 O ye mountains and little hills, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 53 O all ye things that grow in the earth, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 54 O ye mountains, bless ye the Lord: Praise and exalt him above all for ever. 55 O ye seas and rivers, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 56 O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 57 O all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 58 O all ye beasts and cattle, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 59 O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 60 O Israel, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 61 O ye priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 62 O ye servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 63 O ye spirits and souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 64 O ye holy and humble men of heart, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 65 O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever….

THE OCCASION THE TRAILS The Song of the Three Young Men was a general praise of Yahweh God which nevertheless accentuated the national relationship which Israel has with God in its closing verses. Now we shall witness that same thing in the passages of the Odes which are taken from the New Testament:

Odes 9a: The Prayer of Mary the Theotokos (Luke 1:46–55)

Luke 1: 46 … Yahweh has magnified my life, 47 and my spirit rejoices in Yahweh my Savior, 48 because He has looked upon the low estate of His servant. For behold, from this time all the generations shall pronounce me happy, 49 because the Powerful One has done greatly by me, and holy is His Name, 50 and His mercy is for generations and generations for those who fear Him. 51 For He has made victory by His arm! He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts! 52 He has deposed potentates from thrones and He has elevated the lowly! [The same hope expressed in the previous Old Testament passages, such as the prayer of Hannah.] 53 Those who hunger He has filled with good things, and those who are rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has come to the aid of His servant Israel, to call mercy into remembrance, 55 just as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring for the age [… to his seed forever].

First, many believe that the title Mary the Theotokos was by itself an elevation of Mary to the position in which the later Roman Catholics had lifted her, which is sheer idolatry. However theotokos only means bearer of God, and it merely distinguishes this Mary from the several other women of the New Testament who bore that same name. The name Mariam itself means rebellion of the people, which is exemplary of the relationship which Yahweh has with Israel, and of the need for their salvation in the first place.

Here the connections are solidified, the liturgical purpose of the Book of Odes is to demonstrate the relationship of Old Covenant Israel to New Covenant Israel, that they are one and the same people. Of all of the passages a liturgist may select from the Old Testament, most of those selected here had to do with Israel’s election, Israel’s sin, Israel’s having been punished and ruled over by their enemies on account of their sin, and the ultimate promise of Israel’s deliverance. So now the liturgist selects his first New Testament passage, and we read the same promise of deliverance for the people of Israel, the seed of Abraham, from the hands of their enemies, to keep all of the promises made to Abraham and his offspring, and that is given as the very reason for the incarnation of the Christ.

Perhaps this aspect of the passage may be glossed over if it stands alone. But if the liturgist does it twice, then it cannot be overlooked. And if he does it three times, then with all certainty it must be the main purpose of the liturgy.

Odes 9b: Prayer of Zachariah (Luke 1:68–79)

Luke 1: 68 Blessed is Yahweh the God of Israel, that He has visited and brought about redemption for His people, 69 and has raised a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant, 70 just as He spoke through the mouths of His holy prophets from of old: 71 preservation from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us! 72 To bring about mercy with our fathers and to call into remembrance His holy covenant, 73 the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, which is given to us: 74 being delivered fearlessly from the hands of our enemies to serve Him 75 in piety and in righteousness before Him for all of our days. 76 And now you, child, shall be called a prophet of the Highest: for you shall go on before the face of Yahweh to prepare His path. 77 For which to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the dismissal of their errors, 78 through the affectionate mercies of our God, by whom dawn visits us from the heights 79 to shine upon those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death [which is how the captives of Israel are described in Isaiah chapters 42 and 49], to guide our feet in the way of peace.

So here we have it. The Book of Odes is not a history, but it is nevertheless a liturgy which teaches Christian Identity. If the people celebrating this liturgy are not the offspring of Abraham who were the subjects of these promises, then the liturgy makes no sense whatsoever. It would be a religion practised by a people who had no connection to it whatsoever. A little further on in these Odes, the liturgist will choose another passage, a third passage from Luke, which further stresses the message of national salvation for the children of Israel. So we see that this is indeed the purpose of the liturgy: to teach national salvation for Israel from the oppression of the other nations and races.

Odes 10: The Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1–9)

Isaiah 5: 1 Now I will sing to my beloved a song of my beloved concerning my vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a high hill in a fertile place. 2 And I made a hedge round it, and dug a trench, and planted a choice vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and dug a place for the wine-vat in it: and I waited for it to bring forth grapes, and it brought forth thorns. [An allegory much like Christ had given in the parable of the fig tree in the Gospel.] 3 And now, ye dwellers in Jerusalem, and every man of Juda, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What shall I do any more to my vineyard, that I have not done to it? Whereas I expected it to bring forth grapes, but it has brought forth thorns. 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be for a spoil; and I will pull down its walls, and it shall be left to be trodden down. 6 And I will forsake my vineyard; and it shall not be pruned, nor dug, and thorns shall come up upon it as on barren land; and I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Juda his beloved plant: I expected it to bring forth judgment, and it brought forth iniquity; and not righteousness, but a cry. 8 Woe to them that join house to house, and add field to field, that they may take away something of their neighbor's: will ye dwell alone upon the land? 9 For these things have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts….

One may read “men of Judah” here and think that perhaps the liturgist does intend to describe the Jews. Christ warned against those who called themselves Judaeans, but were not, and were truly the synagogue of Satan. A Judaean was certainly not always a man of Judah in the time of Christ, and while every true man of Judah was an Israelite, Judaea was considered the house of Judah, but it was not the house of Israel, which was being scattered abroad as Isaiah wrote this song. In the previous Odes the liturgist had already included Scriptures that described the children of Israel as being scattered, and that is also what this song prophesies.

Odes 11: Prayer of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:10–20)

Isaiah 38: 10 I said in the end of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I shall part with the remainder of my years. 11 I said, I shall no more at all see the salvation of God in the land of the living: I shall no more at all see the salvation of Israel on the earth: I shall no more at all see man. 12 My life has failed from among my kindred: I have parted with the remainder of my life: it has gone forth and departed from me, as one that having pitched a tent takes it down again: my breath was with me as a weaver's web, when she that weaves draws nigh to cut off the thread. 13 In that day I was given up as to a lion until the morning: so has he broken all my bones: for I was so given up from day even to night. 14 As a swallow, so will I cry, and as a dove, so do I mourn: for mine eyes have failed with looking to the height of heaven to the Lord, 15 who has delivered me, and removed the sorrow of my soul. 16 Yea, O Lord, for it was told thee concerning this; and thou hast revived my breath; and I am comforted, and live. 17 For thou hast chosen my soul, that it should not perish: and thou hast cast all my sins behind me. 18 For they that are in the grave [Hades] shall not praise thee, neither shall the dead bless thee, neither shall they that are in Hades hope for thy mercy. 19 The living shall bless thee, as I also do: for from this day shall I beget children, who shall declare thy righteousness, 20 O God of my salvation; and I will not cease blessing thee with the psaltery all the days of my life before the house of God.

The prayer of Hezekiah is a prayer recognizing and thanking Yahweh God as the giver of life as well as the Savior of men. So is the Prayer of Manasseh which follows. But even with that, notice that when Hezekiah thought he may die, he lamented and said “I shall no more at all see the salvation of Israel on the earth”, which is also the central theme throughout this Book of Odes.

Odes 12: Prayer of Manasseh (from the Apocrypha, mentioned in 2 Chronicles 33:11–13)

Prayer of Manasseh 1: 1 O Lord, Almighty God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed; 2 who hast made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof; 3 who hast bound the sea by the word of thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep, and sealed it by thy terrible and glorious name; 4 whom all men fear, and tremble before thy power; 5 for the majesty of thy glory cannot be borne, and thine angry threatening toward sinners is importable: 6 but thy merciful promise is unmeasurable and unsearchable; 7 for thou art the most high Lord, of great compassion, longsuffering, very merciful, and repentest of the evils of men. Thou, O Lord, according to thy great goodness hast promised repentance and forgiveness to them that have sinned against thee: and of thine infinite mercies hast appointed repentance unto sinners, that they may be saved. 8 Thou therefore, O Lord, that art the God of the just, hast not appointed repentance to the just, as to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, which have not sinned against thee; but thou hast appointed repentance unto me that am a sinner: 9 for I have sinned above the number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions, O Lord, are multiplied: my transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to behold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of mine iniquities. 10 I am bowed down with many iron bands, that I cannot lift up mine head, neither have any release: for I have provoked thy wrath, and done evil before thee: I did not thy will, neither kept I thy commandments: I have set up abominations, and have multiplied offences. 11 Now therefore I bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching thee of grace. 12 I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge mine iniquities: 13 wherefore, I humbly beseech thee, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and destroy me not with mine iniquities. Be not angry with me for ever, by reserving evil for me; neither condemn me to the lower parts of the earth. For thou art the God, even the God of them that repent; 14 and in me thou wilt shew all thy goodness: for thou wilt save me, that am unworthy, according to thy great mercy. 15 Therefore I will praise thee for ever all the days of my life: for all the powers of the heavens do praise thee, and thine is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Manasseh was taken off into captivity to Babylon, and later restored, which is why this prayer is important. So even the portions of Scripture chosen by our liturgist which glorify God are connected to the subject of national, or racial, salvation for the children of Israel. And the Christian liturgist who sang of “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed” could not have imagined that he was singing about Jews. The sin, repentance and forgiveness promised to the children of Israel is also the theme here, as it was in the earlier odes, and in this Old Testament context that can only apply to the genetic children of Israel, just as in Luke chapter 1 it can only apply to the genetic children of Israel. The passage cited in the following ode is often mistranslated by common Bible versions, which in their universalist paradigm simply cannot understand it. However we are convinced that our Alexandrian liturgist must have understood it as we do.

Odes 13: Prayer of Simeon (Luke 2:29–32)

Luke 2: 29 Now release Your servant, Master, in peace according to Your word: 30 Because my eyes have seen Your Salvation, 31 which You have prepared in front of all the people: 32 a light for the revelation of the Nations and honor of Your people Israel!

Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Consolation of Israel, as it is recorded in Luke 2:25. So in the temple, holding the Christ child, he announced the fulfillment of those words.

Commenting on this verse in June of 2012 as we presented Luke chapter 2 here, we said:

The phrase φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν here is “a light for the revelation of the Nations”, and it may have been rendered “a light for a revelation of the Nations”. The word ἀποκάλυψις (602) is a noun, meaning an uncovering, a revelation (Liddell & Scott), and it is the same word which supplies the alternate name for the Book of Revelation in our Bible, the Apocalypse. The King James Version rendering, “a light to lighten the Gentiles”, uses the noun ἀποκάλυψις as a verb, which is both impossible and inexcusable…. Paul defines the faith which Abraham had as being the belief in the promise of Yahweh, that his offspring would become many nations, in Romans Chapter 4. Here we see that it is the light of the Gospel which would make those nations manifest, and certainly it did once the people of Europe became known collectively as Christendom. This wonderful truth of the Christian Israel fulfillment of Scripture is therefore hidden in the mistranslations of the King James Version and most other Bibles.

The liturgist must have understood that the children of Israel had been spread abroad from ancient times, and that as they accepted the Gospel of Christ, they fulfilled this prophecy. Nearly every one of these Odes has been based around the same theme, and this one is nearly conclusive to that theme, that the children of Israel were punished for their sins, but now they had redemption in Christ, and that they would become manifest simply upon accepting that redemption and repenting of their sins.

This liturgist only chose three passages from the New Testament for his liturgy [with the exception of one line in the last of the Odes], and they were all from Luke, and they were all related to national redemption and salvation, and the keeping of the promises to the fathers, while most of the Odes which were selected from the Old Testament have to do with the sin, punishment, scattering, oppression and promise of redemption, which were all promised to the same children of Israel. This is a Christian Identity liturgy. There is no doubt about it.

Odes 14: Hymn of the Early Morning (It is often noted, in various sources, that this Ode is comprised of some lines from Luke 2:14, Psalm 144:2 and Psalm 118:12)

Some sources give Luke 2:14, Psalm 144:2 and Psalm 118:12 as sources for this final Ode, but except for the short passage in Luke, they are wrong. The two passages from the Psalms which are usually cited are not a source for this Ode, although the Ode has similarities with other passages in the Psalms. Now, I wish they were a source for this Ode, since in Psalm 144:2 David sings “ 2 My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me”, and then in Psalm 118:10-12 David prays that “10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them. 11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 12 They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.”

That would indeed have been the perfect ending to this Christian Identity Liturgy, however I do not find the words in the Greek versions, so I do not know why the sources make these claims. Furthermore, I could not even find an acceptable English translation of the entire Ode, except for the first half, so what follows is sort of a hybrid translation, partly copied from others and part my own, although I have checked it all against the Greek:

Luke 2: 14 Honor to Yahweh in the heights, and peace upon the earth among approved men.

Then the Ode continues with a prayer that seems to be an original arrangement:

We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we give thanks to you for your great glory. Lord, King, heavenly God, Father, almighty; Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father who take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, you who take away the sins of the world. Receive our prayer, you who sit at the right hand of the Father, and have mercy on us. For you only are holy, only you are Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Each day we bless you, and we praise your name forever and to the ages of ages.

Make us worthy, O Lord, even this day, to keep us without sin. Blessed are You, and praiseworthy, O Lord God of our fathers, even Your name has been honored for the ages, truly. Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes. Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes. Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes. Lord, You became a refuge for us for generation and generation.

The word “became” being in the past, and a “refuge for us” referring to people in the liturgist’s present, the term “generation and generation” thereby necessarily extending into the past, the liturgist must have understood that he was indeed an Israelite, and that Christianity was indeed for him.

The Ode concludes:

I said O Lord have mercy on me. Heal my soul, because I sinned against You. Lord, I flee to You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God, because from You is a well of life. In Your light I shall see light. Extend Your mercy to those having come to know You.

The Alexandrian Liturgist certainly didn’t believe that the laws of Yahweh God were disposed of in Christ. Of course, Christ Himself demands that Christians keep His commandments. Once again, notice the words “You became a refuge for us for generation and generation,” which claims that the laws of God were a refuge on a national, or racial scale. Of course that also would only be applicable to the children of Israel, because ever had His law .

Practically every Scripture included here laments the punishment of Israel, the scattering of Israel, the oppression of Israel due to national sin, and the ultimate promises of the reconciliation of Yahweh God and Israel in fulfillment of the promises which were made to the fathers. These particular passages could not have been selected randomly. These passages must have been purposely chosen to convey this message, since that is the message which they consistently convey. This being a liturgy, this must be the message that the liturgist wanted to pass on to his Christian readers as doctrine. The liturgist must have been aware of the relationship between Yahweh God and the genetic children of Israel as it is expressed in both Testaments.

This is the true, small ‘c’, catholic doctrine, as the original Greek meaning of the word catholic is according to the whole, meaning that the catholic doctrine was based on an understanding of both Old and New Testaments, and not merely one or the other, as opposed to the Jews who would deny the New Testament, or the Marcionites who would deny the Old Testament. So in every way, the Book of Odes is a Christian Identity Liturgy, and we see that in at least one ancient codex, as late as the 5th century AD, the true meaning of Scripture was not yet obscured by the lies of the Jews.

Postscript:

What is missing from the liturgy of the Book of Odes is as informative as what it contains. There is nothing of John 3:16, or salvation for “gentiles”. There is nothing about dispensationalism or of being “born again”. All of the fallacies of modern denominational churchianity which are built on taking convenient passages out of context and twisting them for a particular agenda are missing in this liturgy.