Antiphona 2

'Hi sunt qui viventes in carne, plantaverunt Ecclesiam sanguine suo' is a liturgical composition summarizing apostolic martyrdom. 'Viventes in carne' (living in the flesh) emphasizes the Apostles were not angels but mortal men who chose death. The verb 'plantaverunt' (planted) uses agricultural imagery: the Church grows from seed watered by martyrs' blood, echoing Tertullian's 'sanguis martyrum semen Christianorum.' This antiphon reminds those at Lauds that the morning Church they praise was purchased at the cost of apostolic lives poured out as seed for future harvest.