Glory Be to the Father

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Glory Be to the Father, also known as Gloria Patri, is a doxology, a short hymn of praise to God in various Christian liturgies. It is also referred to as the Minor Doxology (Doxologia Minor) or Lesser Doxology, to distinguish it from the Greater Doxology, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo.

Contents

[edit] The Greek original

The original Greek wording is as follows:

Δόξα Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι,
καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

This is the form used in the early Church, both East and West, and which continues to be used by the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Eastern Catholic Churches.

[edit] The later Latin version

Pronunciation of the Glory Be to the Father (Gloria patri) in Latin.
Pronunciation of the Glory Be to the Father (Gloria patri) in Latin.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

In 529 the Second Synod of Vasio (Vaison in the province of Avignon) said that the additional words Sicut erat in principio are used in Rome, the East, and Africa as a protest against Arianism, and orders them to be said likewise in Gaul (can. v.). As far as the East was concerned, the synod was mistaken. These words have never been used in any Eastern rite and the Greeks complained of their use in the West [Walafrid Strabo (9th century), De rebus eccl., xxv].

The doxology in its current form has been used in the West since about the seventh century. (see Doxology, last paragraph, at New Advent)

[edit] English version

This doxology in the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches is most commonly found in the following form:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost/Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Strictly speaking, the translation of 'semper' as 'ever shall be', and 'in saecula saeculorum' as 'world without end' are mistranslations, and most commonly found in Roman Catholic, traditional Lutheran, and Anglican usage.

The doxology has a different translation in the use of the English-speaking Orthodox Churches, as following:

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Sprit,
now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

[edit] Usage

In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East and the Eastern Catholic Churches, it is frequently used at diverse points in services and private prayers. Among other instances, it is said three times by the reader during the usual beginning of every service, and as part of the dismissal 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 a Theotokion).

In the Roman Catholic Church, it is frequently chanted or recited in the Liturgy of Hours, or Divine Office, used by the clergy, principally at the end of psalms and canticles and in the responsories. It also figures in the introit and other prayers of the liturgy of Tridentine Mass. The prayer figures prominently in non-liturgical devotions, notably the rosary. The Glory Be prayer is prayed during the Rosary on the large beads which separate the five sets of ten smaller beads, called decades, upon each of which a Hail Mary is prayed.

Also, Lutherans have historically added the Gloria Patri after the recitation or chanting of the Psalm during the Service of the Word and at various times in the Daily Office.

In Methodism, including the United Methodist Church, the Gloria Patri is found in #70 of the United Methodist Hymnal.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen. Amen.

Similar wording is found in many other Protestant Hymnals.

[edit] In various languages

[edit] In Church Slavonic

The original version in Church Slavonic:

Слава Отцѹ и Сынѹ и Свѧтомѹ Дѹхѹ,
И нынѣ и приснω и во вѣки вѣкωмъ. Аминь.

This is the original phrasing, still used by the Old Believers, but with the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow, вѣкωмъ was replaced with вѣкωвъ, giving и во вѣки вѣкωвъ. This change initially only affected the Russian Orthodox state church, but the influence of liturgical books printed in the Russian Empire, eventually lead to the adoption of и во вѣки вѣкωвъ in most Slavic lands, displacing the older вѣкωмъ. Still, вѣкωмъ never died out entirely, and among those who were unaware of the older usage, any who used it were considered uneducated.

The Latin version, with the additional clause, reads in Slavonic thus:

Слава Отцѹ и Сынѹ и Свѧтомѹ Дѹхѹ,
Якоже бѣ искони, и нынѣ и приснω и во вѣки вѣкωмъ. Аминь.

[edit] In French

Gloire au Père, et au Fils et au Saint-Esprit.
Comme il était au commencement, et maintenant et toujours, et dans les siècles des siècles. Ainsi soit-il.

[edit] In Maltese language

Glorja lil Missier u lil Iben u lil Ispirtu Santu.
Kif kien mill-bidu, issa u għal dejjem ta' dejjem, Amen.

[edit] In Filipino

Catholics:
Ever since Christians first set foot in the Philippines in the year 1521 AD, the doxology among Filipino Roman Catholics has been and still is as follows:
"Luwalhati!" (Glory!)
Luwalhati sa Ama,
At sa Anak,
At sa Espiritu Santo,
Kapara ng unang-una,
Ngayon at magpakailan man!
At magpasawalang-hanggan,
Amen!/Siya nawa!

Protestants:
Ang Ama'y papurihan,
  At ang Anak,
    At ang Espiritu.
Buhat sa unang mula,
  Ngayo't magpakailanman,
    Walang hanggan.
Amen, Amen.

[edit] In Thai

ศิริพึงมี แด่พระบิดา และพระบุตร และพระจิต เหมือนในปฐมกาล บัดนี้และทุกเมื่อตลอดนิรันดร อาเมน


[edit] In Serbian language

Slava Ocu i Sinu, i Svetome Duhu.
Sada i uvek, i u vekove vekova, Amin.

[edit] In Chinese

For the Protestant church in China, different from　the doxology, only a few church, such as the church of christ in China sing the Gloria Patri every sunday. The Chinese lyrics can be found in Hymns of Universal Praise（in Chinese:普天頌讚）in 1977, published by the Chinese Christian Literature Council.
但願榮耀，歸於父子聖靈，父子聖靈
起初這樣現在這樣，以後也這樣
永無窮盡，阿們，阿們。

[edit] Media

Gloria Patri

Gloria Patri setting by Henry Wellington Greatorex
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Prayers of the Catholic Church
Prayers of the Mass
Marian Prayers
Other Prayers
Category · Portal