Gloria
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The word Gloria is (as gloria , "fame, honor") a common word in the Latin Bible and in the Western Church - i.e. Roman or Old Catholic , Evangelical or Anglican - liturgies , but also occurs in the liturgies of Eastern Church and Oriental worship services ( mostly as a translation for hebr. כבוד kabod and gr. δόξα doxa , ru. слава slawa ). There glory is one of the attributes of God (in the sense of “glory”) who possesses it, from whom it proceeds and to whom it is due. In this sense it does not belong to people ( soli deo gloria - “God alone the glory!”).
The word is also used as a short form for the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo ("Glory to God in the highest"). The hymn is part of Western church liturgies as praise.
Emergence
The story of the birth of Jesus ( Luke 2) tells that the angels , after delivering the news of the newborn Messiah child to the shepherds in the field , glorify God together ( Luke 2.14 EU ).
Biblical Latin version
The words that the Vulgate reproduces in Latin are:
"Gloria in altissimis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis"
In the Vetus Latina the verse is:
"Gloria in excelsis Deo,
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis"
In the latter version, Psalm 148.1 EU is listened to, which in the Latin version prompts:
"Laudate Dominum de caelis
laudate eum in excelsis."
German Bible translations
Luke 2:14 in various German Bible translations:
| Luther 2017 | Standard translation 2016 | Good news bible | New Geneva translation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Glory to God |
Glory to God |
Great is God's glory |
Glory and glory to God |
Hymn angelicus
Because this glorification of God emanates from angels and the heavenly choirs, these lines of the Gospel of Luke are also called hymn angelicus in the church tradition , ie “angelic hymn of praise”.
Text development
These biblical words from the Gospel of Luke were placed in front of a popular early Christian hymn to save it from the verdict of the Council of Laodicea (between 341 and 380), which forbade all self-made hymns ( Psalmi idiotici ). The Greek text can be found in the Codex Alexandrinus of the New Testament from the 5th century and had its place in the morning prayer, the lauds , as it is today in the Byzantine liturgy. The oldest form in Latin is found in the Antiphonar of Bangor handed down from the 7th century. In the version at that time, the Gloria contains slight deviations from the text used today; so the Holy Spirit was called Domine Fili unigenite, Iesu Christe , immediately after the passage and not at the end. The current shape was used in the 9th century at the latest. It is possible that the version was made by Hilary of Poitiers , as is sometimes stated in the Middle Ages .
text
| Greek | Latin | German |
|---|---|---|
|
Δόξα Σοι τῷ δείξαντι τὸ φῶς. |
Gloria in excelsis Deo |
Glory to God in the highest |
The German version is the official translation into German for the Roman Catholic dioceses (cf. Gotteslob , no. 583), which must be used in Catholic worship services. However, it differs from the Latin version in two respects. Actually, the first sentence should be: "... people who are of good will" (literally: "people of good will"). However, this translation was already questioned in the Protestant churches of the Reformation period, since the New Testament text uses the Greek word εὐδοκία (eudokia). This can literally be translated into Latin bonae voluntatis. In doing so, the crucial content is lost. Eudokia best describes the good intention or goodwill of God towards people. This is expressed in the post-conciliar translation by the word grace. The Latin translation, on the other hand, suggests the misunderstanding that God does not mean well with people, but that people must acquire peace through their goodwill.
Instead of “sin of the world”, the plural “sins of the world” should be used (the Greek text here has the singular and the plural). This translation can also be found in the German edition of the Missale Romanum from 1962. In the German-speaking countries, however, the text was changed in connection with the liturgical reform at the end of the 1960s, although the Latin version had not changed. Conservative theologians and clergy in particular criticize the new translation as being tendentious. However, because of the obedience owed to the magisterium of the responsible bishops according to Catholic belief, most of the critics also adhere to the new version.
In the Evangelical Church in Germany, the text and melody version of the Strasbourg Gloria from 1524 is predominantly used. The biblical opening verse reads: “Glory to God on high, and peace on earth, a pleasure to men.” The translation of εὐδοκία (eudokia) with pleasure is retained because it is also culturally anchored. The original genitive (εὐδοκίας, eudokias) is z. B. in the seldom used alternative version of the Evangelical Hymnal, EG No. 180.3 reproduced: "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth with the people of his pleasure." The full text version (EG 180.1) is rarely used.
liturgy
In early Christianity, the Gloria was initially not an integral part of Holy Mass . The hymn was only part of certain liturgies , such as the papal mass . Then it became part of episcopal masses. Because of their consecration, bishops were viewed as more like angels and were therefore allowed to sing the angelic song. The bishop turned to the people, after the hymn back to the altar . Of priests , however, the Gloria was allowed to son since the 12th century, only a day ordination and sung at Easter.
According to the Liber Pontificalis , Pope Telesphorus added the Gloria as an integral part of the mass. This appears to be a very early date; Nevertheless, one can conclude from this that it was already an integral part of the liturgy of western Christians by 530 at the latest, when the Liber Pontificalis was created. According to the Liber Pontificalis , the use of the Gloria for Sundays and martyrs' feasts was permitted by Pope Symmachus at the beginning of the 6th century. However, according to tradition from Abbot Berno von Reichenau, priests still asked in the 11th century why they were only allowed to sing the Gloria at Christmas. At the latest by the end of that century, however, the Gloria was likely to have been established as an integral part of the Order of Mass in the form that was later laid down by Pope Pius V , in clear contrast to secular, above all imperial “fame” ( cf. Investiture Controversy ).
Since then, the Gloria has been part of the ordinarium (the constant texts) of the mass and has been set to music by composers of all epochs. It is usually only sung on Sundays outside of Advent and Lent and at festivals . The Gloria is also part of the votive masses for priestly ordination, the taking of perpetual religious vows and the consecration of virgins . It sounds particularly solemn on Maundy Thursday , and altar bells and bells are often rung and can only be heard again on Easter Vigil. In the Christmas and Easter octaves, the Gloria is sung every day. On the Sundays of Advent and Lent as well as on days of penance and in the Requiem, the Gloria is omitted.
Gloria Patri
→ Main article: Gloria Patri
The so-called Little or Trinitarian Doxology begins with the same word .
Settings of the Gloria
Most of the settings of the Gloria are part of a complete mass , consisting of Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei. Johann Sebastian Bach musically divided the Gloria in the Lutheran Masses or Small Masses into five parts. These works consist only of the Kyrie and the Gloria and are also known as Missa brevis . In some cases the Gloria has also been set to music as a stand-alone piece, for example by Antonio Vivaldi , Francis Poulenc , John Rutter , Colin Mawby , Karl Jenkins , Heinrich Sutermeister , Albrecht Kronenberger or Carsten Braun .
The Gloria in the Protestant service
In the Evangelical-Lutheran liturgy , a glory song composed by Nikolaus Decius in 1525 is sung regularly, in the German-speaking Catholic mass , alone God in the heights be honor , the melody of which goes back to the glory of an Easter mass in the 10th century, and its four Stanzas the Gloria of the Mass are very close to the original in rhymes. Liturgically only the first stanza is usually used:
Only God on high be honor
and thanks for his grace,
so that now and never
can we move, no harm.
God is pleased with us;
now there is great peace without ceasing,
all feuds are now over.
Regionally, the congregation only sings the second stanza - as a continuation of the opening lines of the Gloria performed by the liturgy and choir. In the Passion time it is left out entirely or replaced by another song ( glory be to you, Christian, for whom you suffered hardship ... ) .
See also
literature
- Ewald Jammers: Gloria . In: Religion Past and Present (RGG). 3. Edition. Volume 2, Mohr-Siebeck, Tübingen 1958, Sp. 1627.
- Karl Ferdinand Müller : Article Das Gloria in excelsis : in: Leiturgia. Handbook of Evangelical Worship Service , Volume 2; Kassel: Stauda, 1955; Pp. 23-29
Web links
- Marvel at God (explanations on the Gloria, Liturgical Institute of German-speaking Switzerland)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Vulgate. Biblia Sacra iuxta vulgatam versionem. Stuttgart 1969, ISBN 3-438-05303-9 .
- ↑ Novum Testamentum Latine, Textum Vaticanum. Stuttgart 1971
- ↑ Evangelical Hymnbook , No. 179 (also dated 1523) and Praise to God , No. 457 (there, however, dated 1522)