The most ancient prayer to Mary - Beneath Thy Protection
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During the persecution led by the Roman Emperor Decius in 250 A.D. against Christianity, the monks in Egypt popularized a hymn to the Virgin Mary begging for her protection. Originally in Greek, the hymn has come down to us in the West under its Latin title “Sub Tuum Presidium”. The earliest manuscript with this prayer is the John Ryland papyrus 470, in a collection at the University of Manchester (see image below). It is the oldest prayer to Mary and the oldest hymn to her as theotokos (Greek for Mary, Mother of God or God-bearer). The earliest text of this hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas liturgy.
“We fly to Thy protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.”
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