Gloria Patri
(May 2009)
This month we continue our series on thinking theologically through church music by considering the “Glory be to the Father.” Because we have previously examined its purpose (see article below), here we will unpack two phrases with the goal of helping us better understand what we sing. First, many of us have often wondered what the phrase “world without end, amen” means. Does it mean, for instance, that Jesus will never return and the world will literally never end? The phrase is actually the result of a translation chain from Hebrew to Greek to English. The Hebrew idiom meaning “forever and ever” has eventually manifested itself in English in the King James Version in places like Ephesians 3:21 where Paul writes, “Unto him be glory…throughout all ages, world without end, Amen.” In singing this phrase, then, we affirm the everlasting nature of God’s glory. A second, and more historically interesting, question asks what the “it” refers to when we sing “as it was in the beginning….” Clearly, as we have just mentioned, we understand the “it” as referring to the everlasting “glory” of the Father, Son, and Spirit. There was a time, though, when the “it” could just as easily have been translated “he,” referring specifically to Jesus. During the period around 500AD, the “Glory be to the Father” may have been used to combat the Arian heresy, which taught that Jesus was only a created being. Therefore, when we sing, “as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,” we acknowledge that all three members of the Trinity are fully God and have existed together throughout all eternity.
Earlier Article:
One of the dangers we face in repeating certain elements of our worship service each week is that these elements often lose their meaning and significance as they become routine. Theoretically, repetition and memorization should increase our ability to encounter what lies below the surface. This is why concert pianists, for example, play by memory. Unfortunately, when many of us memorize, this desired level of engagement with text or music is never fully realized. It is helpful, therefore, to remind ourselves from time to time why certain elements of our worship service are included and why they are important.
The Gloria Patri gives us an opportunity to confirm a crucial and distinctive component of our faith each week. It derives its name from the first words of the Latin text, "Glory be to the Father." The hymn was fully formed by the fourth century, although its Greek roots date from as early as the second century. When we sing, we join in the testimony of Christians throughout the history of the Church, praising the triune God. The Gloria Patri as been utlized in numerous liturgical traditions as a response to psalms and canticles, often being sung several times in each service. Of particular interest is the late addition of the text, "As it was in the the beginning," which was included as an objection to Arianism, which taught that God the Father and God the Son did not exist eternally together. Therefore, although the Gloria Patri is brief and simple in structure, its carfully crafted text connects us with the early Church's quest to establish and refine the doctrine of the Trinity.
(May 2009)
This month we continue our series on thinking theologically through church music by considering the “Glory be to the Father.” Because we have previously examined its purpose (see article below), here we will unpack two phrases with the goal of helping us better understand what we sing. First, many of us have often wondered what the phrase “world without end, amen” means. Does it mean, for instance, that Jesus will never return and the world will literally never end? The phrase is actually the result of a translation chain from Hebrew to Greek to English. The Hebrew idiom meaning “forever and ever” has eventually manifested itself in English in the King James Version in places like Ephesians 3:21 where Paul writes, “Unto him be glory…throughout all ages, world without end, Amen.” In singing this phrase, then, we affirm the everlasting nature of God’s glory. A second, and more historically interesting, question asks what the “it” refers to when we sing “as it was in the beginning….” Clearly, as we have just mentioned, we understand the “it” as referring to the everlasting “glory” of the Father, Son, and Spirit. There was a time, though, when the “it” could just as easily have been translated “he,” referring specifically to Jesus. During the period around 500AD, the “Glory be to the Father” may have been used to combat the Arian heresy, which taught that Jesus was only a created being. Therefore, when we sing, “as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,” we acknowledge that all three members of the Trinity are fully God and have existed together throughout all eternity.
Earlier Article:
One of the dangers we face in repeating certain elements of our worship service each week is that these elements often lose their meaning and significance as they become routine. Theoretically, repetition and memorization should increase our ability to encounter what lies below the surface. This is why concert pianists, for example, play by memory. Unfortunately, when many of us memorize, this desired level of engagement with text or music is never fully realized. It is helpful, therefore, to remind ourselves from time to time why certain elements of our worship service are included and why they are important.
The Gloria Patri gives us an opportunity to confirm a crucial and distinctive component of our faith each week. It derives its name from the first words of the Latin text, "Glory be to the Father." The hymn was fully formed by the fourth century, although its Greek roots date from as early as the second century. When we sing, we join in the testimony of Christians throughout the history of the Church, praising the triune God. The Gloria Patri as been utlized in numerous liturgical traditions as a response to psalms and canticles, often being sung several times in each service. Of particular interest is the late addition of the text, "As it was in the the beginning," which was included as an objection to Arianism, which taught that God the Father and God the Son did not exist eternally together. Therefore, although the Gloria Patri is brief and simple in structure, its carfully crafted text connects us with the early Church's quest to establish and refine the doctrine of the Trinity.