TheGloria Patri, also known in English as theGlory Be to the Father or, colloquially, theGlory Be, is adoxology, a shorthymn of praise toGod in variousChristianliturgies. It is also referred to as theMinor Doxology(Doxologia Minor) orLesser Doxology, to distinguish it from the Greater Doxology, theGloria in Excelsis Deo.
The earliest Christian doxologies are addressed to the Father "through" (διὰ) theSon,[1] or to the Father and theHoly Spirit with (μετά) the Son,[2] or to the Son with (σύν) the Father and the Holy Spirit.[2]
TheTrinitarian doxology addressed in parallel fashion to all three Divine Persons of the Trinity, joined byand (καί), as in the form of baptism,Matthew 28:19, became universal inNicaean Christianity, which was established as the official faith of the Roman Empire with theEdict of Thessalonica in 380.[3]
TheGreek wording is as follows:
The second part is occasionally slightly modified and other verses are sometimes introduced between the two halves.[3]
According toWorship Music: A Concise Dictionary, the lesser doxology is of Syrian origin.[6]
There is an alternative version which theSyriac Orthodox Church andSyriac Catholic Church use in their liturgies:
Arabic is one of the official liturgical languages of theChurch of Jerusalem[8] and theChurch of Antioch,[9] bothautocephalousOrthodox Churches and two of the four ancientPatriarchates of thePentarchy.[10][11]
TheArabic wording of this doxology is as follows:
This differs from the Greek version because of the insertion of "sicut erat in principio", which is now taken to mean "as it (glory) was in the beginning", but which seems originally to have meant "as he (the Son) was in the beginning", and echo of theopening words of theGospel according to John: "In the beginning was theWord".[3]
In 529, theSecond Synod of Vasio (Vaison-la-Romaine) inGaul said in its fifth canon that the second part of the doxology, with the words "sicut erat in principio", was used in Rome, the East, and Africa, and ordered that it be said likewise in Gaul.[3] Writing in the 1909Catholic Encyclopedia,Adrian Fortescue, while remarking that what the synod said of the East was false, took the synod's decree to mean that the form originally used in the West was the same as the Greek form.[3] From about the 7th century, the presentRoman Rite version became almost universal throughout the West.[3]
TheMozarabic Rite, originating in what is now Spain, uses a shorter version:
The following traditional form is the most common in Anglican usage and in older Lutheran liturgical books:
The translations of "semper" as "ever shall be", and "in saecula saeculorum" as "world without end" date at least fromThomas Cranmer'sBook of Common Prayer.
The Catholic Church uses the same English form, but today replaces "Holy Ghost" with "Holy Spirit",[13][14] as inThe Divine Office[15] the edition of theLiturgy of the Hours used in most English-speaking countries outside the United States.Divine Worship: The Missal, published by the Holy See in 2015 for use under theApostolic ConstitutionAnglicanorum Coetibus allows "Holy Spirit" and "Holy Ghost" to be used interchangeably.[16]
In 1971, theInternational Consultation on English Texts (ICET) used since 1971:
This was adopted in the publication,Liturgy of the Hours (Catholic Book Publishing Company). It is found also in some Anglican and Lutheran publications.
A variant found inCommon Worship has "shall" instead of "will":
(In the third person, "shall"—as opposed to "will"—implies a degree of promise on the part of the speaker over and above mere futurity.)[17]
Especially in Anglican circles,[citation needed] there are various alternative forms of the Gloria Patri designed toavoid masculine language. The form included inCelebrating Common Prayer is:
The doxology in use by the English-speaking Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches follows the Greek form, of which one English translation is:
The translation of the Greek form used by theMelkite Greek Catholic Church in the United States is:
In theEastern Orthodox Church,Oriental Orthodoxy,[citation needed] theChurch of the East,[citation needed] and theEastern Catholic Churches,[citation needed] the Lesser Doxology is frequently used at diverse points in services and private prayers. Among other instances, it is said three times by thereader during theusual beginning of every service, and as part of thedismissal at the end. When it is used in a series of hymns it is chanted either before the last hymn or before the penultimate hymn. In the latter case, it is divided in half, the "Glory..." being chanted before the penultimate hymn, and "Both now..." being chanted before the final hymn (which is usually aTheotokion).
In theRoman Rite, theGloria Patri is frequently chanted or recited in theLiturgy of the Hours principally at the end of psalms and canticles and in theresponsories. There are a few exceptions: for thecanticle in theBook of Daniel, Chapter 3 (The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children), theGloria Patri is not chanted;[18] rubrics in the liturgical books direct that:In fine huius cantici non dicitur Gloria Patri ("at the end of this canticle theGloria Patri is not to be said"). Instead, the phrase "Praise him, and magnify him forever" is used.
TheGloria Patri also figures in theIntroit of theLatin Mass. It is also present in the Introit in the form of the Roman Rite published inDivine Worship: The Missal. The prayer also figures prominently in pious devotions, notably theRosary, where it is recited at the end of each decade. AmongAnglicans, theGloria Patri is mainly used at the Daily Offices ofMorning andEvening Prayer, to introduce and conclude the singing or recitation of psalms, and to conclude the canticles that lack their own concluding doxologies.
Lutherans have historically added theGloria Patri both after the chanting of theResponsorial Psalm and following theNunc Dimittis during theirDivine Service, as well as duringMatins andVespers in theCanonical hours. InMethodism, theGloria Patri (usually in the traditional English form above) is frequently sung to conclude the "responsive reading" of the psalms as they are set out for congregational reading.[19]
On 11 July 1815,Pope Pius VII established anindulgence of 100 days for every prayer of theGloria Patri, obtainable up to a maximum of three times a day.[20]
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Doxology".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.| International | |
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