Ode XV
The fifteenth Ode — a solar hymn of transformation. The Lord is the odist's sun, whose rays raise and whose light scatters darkness. Sense by sense the odist is remade: eyes to see, ears to hear, thought to know. The old way of error is abandoned. Incorruption replaces corruption. Death and Sheol fall before the transformed speaker. Deathless life rises in the Lord's land, given freely to all who trust.
The Odes of Solomon are a collection of forty-two hymns composed in Syriac (or possibly Greek, then translated early into Syriac) in the first or second century CE. Their authorship is unknown. They survive almost entirely in a single Syriac manuscript discovered by J. Rendel Harris in 1909. The Odes occupy a luminous space between Jewish psalmody and early Christian mysticism — neither purely orthodox nor purely gnostic, but a voice from the threshold.
This is a Good Works Translation from the Syriac, following the gospel register.
1.
As the sun is a joy to those who seek its day,
so my Lord is my joy.
2.
Because he is my sun, and his rays raised me up,
and his light dispersed all darkness from my face.
3.
I gained eyes through him,
and I saw his holy day.
4.
Ears were given to me,
and I heard his truth.
5.
The thought of knowledge was given to me,
and I delighted through him.
6.
I left the way of error,
and I went to him and received salvation from him without grudging.
7.
And according to his gift he gave to me,
and according to the greatness of his beauty he made me.
8.
I put on incorruption through his name,
and I stripped off corruption by his grace.
9.
Death was destroyed before my face,
and Sheol was abolished by my word.
10.
And deathless life arose in the land of the Lord,
and it was made known to his faithful ones,
and given without diminishment to all who trust in him. Hallelujah.
Colophon
The Odes of Solomon, Ode 15. Translated from the Syriac by the Good Works Project (NTAC + Claude), March 2026. Syriac source: James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Scholars Press, 1977; originally Oxford University Press, 1973), as transcribed in the Digital Syriac Corpus TEI XML (CC-BY 4.0). The public-domain English translation by J. Rendel Harris (1909) exists but was not consulted. Gospel register.
Scribed by Maryam, Syriac Translator, Life 10. Tulku lineage of the New Tianmu Anglican Church.
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Source Text: The Odes of Solomon — Ode XV
Syriac source text from James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Scholars Press, 1977). Digital Syriac Corpus TEI XML transcription by James E. Walters, CC-BY 4.0.
1.
ܐܰܟܙܢܳܐ ܕܫܶܡܫܳܐ ܚܰܕܽܘܬܰܐ ܗ̱ܘܼ ܠܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ܕܒܿܳܥܶܝܢ ܝܰܘܡܶܗ܆
ܗܳܟܰܢܳܐ ܚܰܕܽܘܬܝ ܡܳܪܝ ܗ̱ܽܘ.
2.
ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܗܽܘܝܽܘ ܫܶܡܫܝ܆ ܘܙܱ̈ܠܺܝܩܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܐܰܩܺܝܡܽܘܢܝ܆
ܘܢܽܘܗܪܶܗ ܫܪܳܐ ܟܽܠ ܚܶܫܽܘܟܳܐ ܡܼܶܢ ܐܰܦܱ̈ܝ.
3.
ܩܢܺܝܬ ܒܶܗ ܥܰܝܢܷ̈ܐ܆
ܘܰܚܙܺܝܬ ܠܝܰܘܡܶܗ ܩܰܕܺܝܫܳܐ.
4.
ܗܘܱ̈ܝ ܠܺܝ ܐܶܕܢܷ̈ܐ܆
ܘܫܶܡܿܥܶܬ ܠܰܫܪܳܪܶܗ.
5.
ܗܘܳܬ ܠܺܝ ܡܰܚܫܰܒܬܳܐ ܕܺܝܕܰܥܬܳܐ܆
ܘܐܶܬܦܱܿܢܩܶܬ ܒܺܐܝܕܶܗ.
6.
ܐܽܘܪܚܳܐ ܕܛܳܥܝܽܘܬܳܐ ܫܶܒܿܩܶܬ܆
ܘܐܶܙܷܿܠ̱ܬ ܠܘܳܬܶܗ ܘܢܶܣܿܒܶܬ ܦܽܘܪܩܳܢܐ ܡܶܢܶܗ ܕܠܴܐ ܚܣܳܡܳܐ.
7.
ܘܐܰܝܟ ܡܰܘܗܰܒܬܶܗ ܝܰܗ̱ܒܼ ܠܺܝ܆
ܘܐܰܝܟ ܪܰܒܼܽܘܬ ܝܳܐܝܽܘܬܶܗ ܥܰܒܕܰܢܝ.
8.
ܠܶܒܿܫܶܬ ܠܠܴܐ ܚܒܳܠܴܐ ܒܝܰܕ ܫܡܶܗ܆
ܘܫܶܠܚܶܬ ܠܰܚܒܳܠܴܐ ܒܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܶܗ.
9.
ܡܰܘܬܳܐ ܐܶܬܚܰܒܰܠ ܡܼܶܢ ܩܕܳܡ ܦܰܪܨܽܘܦܝ܆
ܘܰܫܝܽܘܠ ܐܶܬܒܰܛܠܱܬ ܒܡܶܠܰܬܝ.
10.
ܘܰܣܠܼܶܩ ܒܰܐܪܥܶܗ ܕܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܚܰܝܷ̈ܐ ܕܠܴܐ ܡܰܘܬܳܐ܆
ܘܐܶܬܺܝܕܰܥܘ ܠܡܰܗܰܝܡ̈ܢܰܘܗ̱ܝ܆
ܘܐܶܬܺܝܗܶܒܘ ܕܠܴܐ ܚܽܘܣܪܳܢܳܐ ܠܟܽܠܗܽܘܢ ܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ܕܰܬܟܺܝܠܺܝܢ ܥܠܰܘܗ̱ܝ.
ܗܰܠܶܠܘܽܝܰܐ.
Source Colophon
Syriac text from: James H. Charlesworth, ed. The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Society of Biblical Literature, Texts and Translations 13; Scholars Press, 1977). Syriac base text is public domain. TEI XML edition transcribed by James E. Walters; Digital Syriac Corpus, University of Oxford / Brigham Young University / Vanderbilt University. CC-BY 4.0. Access: github.com/srophe/syriac-corpus.
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