The O Antiphons, sometimes called The Great O’s, were originally written in Latin around the 7th or 8th centuries. They come from the Old Testament prophets who expressed a longing for the coming of the Christ. Each Antiphon begins the words O come, and are followed by a Messianic title:

O’ Sapientia (O Wisdom) Isaiah 11:2-3a

O’ Adonai (O Lord) Isaiah 11:4-5 and 33:22

O’ Radix (O Root of Jesse) Isaiah 11:1

O’ Clavis (O Key of David) Isaiah 22:22

O’ Oriens (O Radiant Dawn) Isaiah 9:1

O’ Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations) Isaiah 2:4

O’ Emmanuel (O God with Us) Isaiah 7:14

In reverse order, these Antiphons form an acrostic ERO CRAS, which means “I am coming soon.”

This exhibition consists of original work from artists within our community who considered these Great O’s and the ways in which we are storied by Jesus Christ, whose glorious return we anticipate and patiently await during the Advent season.

A couple of our artists released an original Advent song for the O Emmanuel submission! You can find it on your favorite platform here.