Do you know the hymn Praxeon Ton?
By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-08
The hymn Ⲡⲣⲁⲝⲉⲟⲛ ⲧⲱⲛ (Praxeon ton), also known as the Hymn of the Acts, is a specific liturgical chant that precedes the reading of the Praxis (the Book of the Acts of the Apostles) during the Divine Liturgy.
Liturgical Ritual
In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the reading of the Acts of the Apostles is the final Pauline epistle/epistle reading before the Synaxarium and the Gospel. The hymn Ⲡⲣⲁⲝⲉⲟⲛ ⲧⲱⲛ is chanted while the priest processes around the entire church with the censer.
This incense circuit represents the preaching of the Apostles, who traveled to the "four corners of the earth" to spread the Good News. By chanting this hymn, the congregation acknowledges the work of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles in establishing the ⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ (Church).
Greek vs. Coptic Text
The title and the opening of the hymn are in Greek, as is common with many ancient liturgical headings in our tradition. The word Ⲡⲣⲁⲝⲉⲟⲛ (Praxeon) is the Greek word for "Acts."
Musical Arrangement
The hymn is typically chanted in a brief, joyful tune during most of the year. However, it has specific variations depending on the liturgical season:
- Annual Tune: A simple, standard melody.
- Kiahk Tune: Chanted with the festive "Kiahk" melody during the month of Kiahk (the fast of the Nativity).
- Great Fast (Lent): Replaced or preceded by specific responses that reflect the spirit of repentance.
- Joyful Feast Tune: Chanted in the joyful (ⲫⲁⲣⲓϩ) tune during the Feasts of the Cross and the Fifty Holy Days (ⲡⲉⲛⲧⲏⲕⲟⲥⲧⲏ).
The Leading Cantors
To hear the authentic and precise delivery of this hymn according to the various seasons, one should listen to the ⲙⲟⲁⲗⲉⲙⲓⲛ (Great Cantors) who have preserved these melodies:
- Moalem Ibrahim Ayad
- Moalem Gad Lewis
- Moalem Zaher Andrawes
- Moalem George Mikhail
- Moalem Mina Makar
- Moalem Milad Nady
Authentic Text (Greek and Coptic)
The primary response usually begins with:
Ⲡⲣⲁⲝⲉⲟⲛ ⲧⲱⲛ ⲁⲅⲓⲱⲛ ⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲱⲛ: ⲧⲟ ⲁⲛⲁⲅⲛⲱⲥⲙⲁ: ⲉⲩⲗⲟⲅⲏⲥⲟⲛ ⲇⲉⲥⲡⲟⲧⲁ ⲧⲱⲛ ⲁⲅⲓⲱⲛ.
(The reading of the Acts of the Holy Apostles: Bless, O Master of the Saints.)
This is followed by the Coptic response:
Ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ ⲡⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ ⲡϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ⲛⲓϫⲟⲙ...
(Jesus Christ, the Lord of Hosts...)
This hymn serves as a bridge between the writings of St. Paul and the history of the early Church, leading us eventually to the climax of the Liturgy of the Word: the Holy Gospel (ⲡⲓⲉⲩⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲓⲟⲛ).