The Great Doxology By Emanuel Creekus I hope to post a continuing series of articles on liturgical hymns and their history and theology that both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics, and others who are interested, can share, learn from, and appreciate. Since I am an Orthodox Christian, I will be speaking from an Orthodox perspective, and will be using liturgical references from the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom or St. Basil the Great, but I think we have so much in common as far as the Eucharist is concerned, that Roman Catholics will also benefit. I will also try to use both Orthodox and equivalent RC terminology where possible. (Yes, I did take Latin!) There are several doxologies in use in our services today, but for the purpose of this series, we will only concern ourselves with two of them: the Great Doxology (In Catholic tradition, known as the "Gloria in Excelsis Deo") and the Dhoxa Patri (Gloria Patri). The word “doxology” derives from two Greek words: δοξα (dhoxa), which means “glory”, and λογια (logia), meaning “words”. Glory words. An apt description of their purpose. Since we are dealing with the Great Doxology first, let’s remind ourselves of the text as it is used in the Orthodox Church as we will be referring to it: 1. Glory to You who has shown us the light. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men. 2. We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You for your great glory. 3. Lord, King, heavenly God, Father, almighty; Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. 4. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, You who take away the sins of the world. 5. Receive our prayer, You who sit at the right hand of the Father, and have mercy on us. 6. For You only are holy, only You are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. 7. Each day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and to the ages of ages. 8. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. 9. Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your name forever, Amen. 10. Let Your mercy, Lord, be upon us as we have put our hope in You. 11. Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me your statutes. (3) 12. Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You. 13. Lord, I have fled to You; teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. 14. For with You is the fountain of life, and in Your light we shall see light. 15. Extend Your mercy to those who know You. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages, Amen. Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. The Great Doxology is an example of what we call «ψαλμοι ιδιοτικοι» (psalmoi idiotikoi) or “private psalms”. These were compositions that were popular in the 2nd to 3rd centuries, written by individuals for their private devotions in imitation of the Biblical Psalter. The venerable and ancient hymn Φως Ιλαρον (Gladsome Light) is also an example of this. The Great Doxology became part of Orthros (Matins) in the 4th Century, and the present form of the Dhoxa Patri also dates from that time. The Great Doxology can be broken down into three sections: First, quotes from and allusions to the New Testament; second, beginning with verse 7, quotes from the Old Testament; and the Trisayion (Holy God). The Trisayion will be dealt with when we get to the point in the Divine Liturgy where it is sung, as it requires a lengthy article of its own. Commentary The “light” in verse 1 has a dual meaning. Have you ever noticed that during Vespers and other evening services, when we recite what is known as the Lesser Doxology, that sentence is omitted? Of course, we all should know that ‘light’ refers to Christ, but at one time the priests and chanters would time the beginning of the Doxology with the rising of the sun! In many Slavic churches and monasteries, especially ones that still celebrate the All-Night Vigil, this is still true. In many OCA parishes, it is the priest, after putting on the phelonion (chasuble), who proclaims the first sentence, “Glory to You who has shown us the light”, and the choir or chanters follow with the remainder of the hymn. So just as the hymn Fos Ilaron of Vespers proclaims “…now that we have come to sunset, now that we have seen the evening light, we sing the praise of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God”, we proclaim the morning light with the Great Doxology; the point being that we should always be praising and thanking God no matter what time of day it is. The second part of this line is of course from Luke 2:14, the doxology the angels sang at the birth of Christ. Verse 2 is not a direct quote from Scripture, but is a reference to Revelation 4:9-10, which will be explained in greater detail when we talk about the consecration hymn Se Imnumen (We Praise Thee), which shares much of the same text, and the other hymns (4 in all!) that come out of Revelation chapter 4 and the parallel Scripture, Isaiah chapter 6. The explanation would take way too much space to be included here. Verse 3 is also not a quote from Scripture, but refers to the Trinity in much the same way and with similar wording as the Creed does. One of the reasons why the Great Doxology and the present form of Dhoxa Patri were put into our services back in the 4th century was to combat Arianism, the belief that Jesus Christ was not equal to God the Father, and at one time did not exist, essentially believing that He was a created being. This will be explained further when we discuss the origins of Dhoxa Patri. Verse 4 is a reference to John 1:29, the words of John the Forerunner’s testimony to Christ when John baptized Him, and also later in verse 36 when John told the same thing to two of his disciples (Andrew and possibly John the Evangelist), who then began following Jesus. Verse 5 is a petition, in the same vein as the petitions chanted by the Deacon during the Divine Liturgy; and just as our response during the Liturgy is, “Lord, have mercy”, we entreat the Lord here to have mercy on us when He receives our prayer. This is one of several reasons why the priest censes during the time the Great Doxology is sung, and at other times as well, that our prayers may be sent up and received by Christ (see Psalm 141 (140):2). Notice that here is another wording similar to the Creed: “…and ascended on the third day, and is seated at the right hand of the Father…” Verse 6 is virtually identical to the hymn we chant (“Eis Ayios”—“One is Holy”) at the Fraction (Breaking) of the Amnos or Lamb (the consecrated Body of Christ), when the priest exclaims, “Holy things unto the holy people.” St. Maximus the Confessor explains that this signifies the future gathering and unity, beyond reason or understanding, of those who have been mystically and wisely fulfilled by God, gazing with the heavenly powers upon the light of God’s invisible and ineffable glory. This verse, along with the hymn “One is Holy”, is therefore a looking forward to or an anticipation of the reception of Holy Communion. St. Germanus of Constantinople (+733) says that we sing this knowing that instead of Moses sprinkling the blood at the first Passover and saying that it was the blood of the covenant of God, that now Christ has given His own Body and Blood, and it is with this understanding that we receive Holy Communion. Verse 7 is where we begin the quotes from the Old Testament. This verse is a direct quote of Psalm 145 (144):2. The Church blesses the Son of God for all His works every day, and will continue to do so until the end of time. Verse 8 is another petition, asking the Lord to keep us this day without sin. For a very short line, this has a very deep meaning that we can only barely touch on here. How does God help us to keep ourselves sinless? It is through our “synergia” or working together with Him, of our own free will. This is a reference to the Orthodox doctrine of theosis or deification. It is the process by which man is restored to the union or communion we had with God before the fall of Adam and Eve, or, in the words of St. Athanasius, “God became man that we may become gods.” It is how we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). This is the final goal to which all Christians must strive. In Orthodox teaching, to be saved and redeemed is to become deified. St. Maximus the Confessor taught that theosis goes beyond simply restoring humankind to its pre-fall nature. Through Christ, we can become more God-like than Adam and Eve were, and be restored to our full potential, because of Christ’s dual nature and His sacrifice on the Cross. We pray for this restoration at every Funeral Service when we chant the Evloghitaria for the Dead. What is this “synergia” with God, and how do we achieve it? Our synergia with God is our working together with Him in order to do His will and that which pleases Him; in other words, the cooperation of the divine will and our human will. This is done by several means. Especially important is the participation in the life of the Church, including the regular partaking of the sacraments, in particular Holy Communion, and the sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation. Through the Eucharist, we are reunited with His being or energia, the theosis that all of creation is called to and to be transformed into, that is, its full and true God-like form. The word “eucharist” literally means “thanksgiving”, and it is through this thanksgiving that the fullness of the soul is restored. Here again, we find a restoration or reversion of humanity to its previous nature. The entire Divine Liturgy, in fact, is a synergia of all the faithful acting together in full accord with the will of God, and we can look upon this very meaningful verse as another reference to preparing ourselves to receive Holy Communion. Other means of acting in synergia with God are through fasting and almsgiving, which would take too long to go into here. Do not confuse theosis with the one-time “born again” experience taught by most Protestants. It is the restoration of man to Adam’s pre-fall state, it is a goal that is a life-long struggle to attain, and it can only be done through our faith in Jesus Christ and acting in synergia or working together with God through various means. It is the true Orthodox doctrine of salvation, and through it, by Christ’s Resurrection, “Adam is recalled from the dead, the curse is made void, Eve is set free, death is slain, and we are endowed with life…” as the hymn sung immediately before the Great Doxology says. Verse 9 is a quote from I Chronicles 29:10. This is the beginning of the praise David gives to God for the offerings the people of Israel gave for the purpose of building the temple, which was completed by Solomon. The offerings of precious metals, iron, and precious stones are a precursor of the offerings we make in the Divine Liturgy of the bread and wine, as David says later in this passage, “For all things are Yours, and of Your own we give to You” (verse 14). In the Divine Liturgy, the priest echoes these words at the moment of consecration: “Thine of Thine own we offer to Thee, in all and for all.” Here again, as in other places in the Divine Liturgy, we are singing and praying these words in anticipation of receiving the Eucharist. Verse 10 is a quote from Psalm 33 (32):22. According to the Orthodox Study Bible, this Psalm is a prophecy that reveals the Holy Trinity as creator of the world. This particular verse is another petition, entreating the Trinity for continued mercy. Verse 11 is from Psalm 119 (118):12. You may recognize it also as the refrain of the Evloghitaria that are sung during Matins and at the Vespers of Holy Saturday (the Good Friday Lamentations service), and the ones that are sung at funerals and memorial services. In fact, quite a bit of the Orthodox funeral service comes from this, the longest of all the Psalms (176 verses!). Its theme deals with the keys to a dynamic spiritual life through repentance and God’s help, and that this is how we should prepare for our eventual death. See the reference to theosis above in the explanation for Verse 8. Verse 12 comes from Psalm 90 (89):1 and Psalm 41 (40):5 in the Septuagint. In the Hebrew Psalm 41 it is verse 4. Psalm 90 was not written by David; it was the morning prayer of Moses, so it is appropriate to be a part of the morning prayer of Christians. This verse is a reference to the timelessness of God. Psalm 41 is a prophecy of Christ’s death and resurrection; the reference is to Christ taking on our sins at the Cross and remitting them. Verse 13 is from Psalm 143 (142):10. This Psalm is recited in its entirety as the last of the 6 Psalms during Orthros (Matins). In the Septuagint (Greek) text, the Psalm’s heading is “A Psalm by David, when his son persecuted him.” This heading is not in the Hebrew. Its theme is that man’s efforts to attain righteousness through the Jewish Law are futile, because the enemy overcomes our feeble efforts. The “enemy” in this Psalm has two meanings; that of David’s son Absalom, who revolted against his father, but it also refers to the devil. It is only through God and the gift of His righteousness through faith, and following His will, that the Spirit guides us into the land of uprightness (verse 10b). This is why David asks God to teach him God’s will, similar to the petition “…teach me Your statutes…” in the Doxology’s Verse 11 discussed above. It is this second half of this Psalm verse that we use as the Communion Hymn on the Sunday of Pentecost (“May Your good Spirit lead me into the land of uprightness.”, or, “May Your good Spirit guide me on level ground.”). Verses 14 and 15 come from Psalm 36 (35):10-11. In the Hebrew Psalm 36 it is verses 9 and 10. This Psalm refers to the right and wrong uses of free will. In the verse immediately preceding these, it speaks of the upright, through the right use of free will, being intoxicated by drinking the abundant water of the river of God’s delight, a reference to Baptism, hence the reference to the fountain. The fountain is God; the line “in Your light we shall see light” is a reference to Christ, and is where the phrase in the Creed, “…Light of light, true God of true God…” derives from. Most of the choral arrangements we sing today set the Great Doxology in either the 3rd or the 4th Tone; today, chanters chant the Doxology in the same tone as the preceding Doxastikon at the end of Matins unless a rubric instructs otherwise. However, this was almost certainly not always the case. While the Great Doxology is like many of our hymns in that we don’t know what its original melody may have been, we can infer what its preferred tone probably was. Many manuscripts infer that in 10th century Constantinople, the preferred tone for the Great Doxology was the 2nd Tone. Further evidence of this is indicated by the fact that from the 13th century at the latest, until the present time, the Great Doxology is preceded by the Theotokion “Yperevloghimeni yparhis, Theotoke Parthene” (“Most blessed are you, O Virgin Mother of God”). While at this point in the service this is sung in all tones today, it is also the Theotokion (hymn to the Mother of God) of the 2nd Kathisma for the 2nd Tone, from earlier in the Matins service. It is hoped that this article gives the reader a further insight into the origins and meaning of the Great Doxology. Isn’t it amazing that there is so much meaning and theology attached to just this one hymn? But wait until we get into some of the other ones! There are some people who, when they come to the Divine Liturgy for the first time, wonder how Scriptural the Liturgy is, why all the ceremonials and rituals, and so on. You will see that the Divine Liturgy is the Bible unfolded and opened for all to see, and is truly more than just a window into the Kingdom, it IS the Kingdom, as the priest proclaims with his very first statement, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages, AMEN.” Sources The Orthodox Study Bible ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΚΑΙ ΜΥΣΤΙΚΗ ΘΕΩΡΙΑ (Ecclesiastical History and Mystical Contemplation) by St. Germanus, Archbishop of Constantinople The Eucharist by Fr. Alexander Schmemann Wikipedia article on The Great Doxology The Philokalia, Volume Two, trans. Palmer, Sherrard, and Ware Essays on Music in the Byzantine World by Dr. Oliver Strunk Mystagogy by St. Maximus the Confessor The Orthodox Liturgy: The Development of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite by Hugh Wybrew
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 01:57:26 +0000