ADVENT TIP OF THE DAY 5: Luke 2:14 in the early second century

MJ. Smith

I am adding these posts to the previous tip list L/V 10 Tip of the Day ;

QUESTION: How long has Luke 2:14, the “Angels’ Hymn” been part of the Christmas worship?

SOFTWARE: An all search yielded useful results. I used the search argument "Pope Telesphorus" "Angels' Hymn" but Christmas “Angels’ Hymn” also works well.

ANSWER: from the all search synopsis:

The "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," also known as the "Angels' Hymn," is an ancient doxology used in Christian worship. While the article does not directly connect Pope Telesphorus to the hymn's creation, it mentions that according to the Liber Pontificalis, Pope Telesphorus (128-139 AD) ordered that the angelic hymn be said before the sacrifice during Christmas night Masses[1]. The hymn begins with words sung by angels at Christ's birth (Luke 2:14) and has evolved over time. It was translated into Latin, possibly by St. Hilary of Poitiers, and its use in the Mass was gradually expanded from Christmas to other occasions, initially only for bishops and later for priests as well.

QUESTION: How does hymnus angelicus (Great Doxology) appear in the Apostolic Constitutions?

SOFTWARE: I used the link in the search results to Fortescue, Adrian. “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” Edited by Charles G. Herbermann, Edward A. Pace, Condé B. Pallen, Thomas J. Shahan, and John J. Wynne. The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church. New York: The Encyclopedia Press; The Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1907–1913. Then I took the link to the Apostolic Constitutions.

ANSWER: from Roberts, Alexander, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds. “Constitutions of the Holy Apostles.” In Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies, translated by James Donaldson. Vol. 7. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886.

a morning prayer.

xlvii. “Glory be to God in the highest, and upon earth peace, good-will among men.” We praise Thee, we sing hymns to Thee, we bless Thee, we glorify Thee, we worship Thee by Thy great High Priest; Thee who art the true God, who art the One Unbegotten, the only inaccessible Being. For Thy great glory, O Lord and heavenly King, O God the Father Almighty, O Lord God, the Father of Christ the immaculate Lamb, who taketh away the sin of the world, receive our prayer, Thou that sittest upon the cherubim. For Thou only art holy, Thou only art the Lord Jesus, the Christ of the God of all created nature, and our King, by whom glory, honour, and worship be to Thee.[1]

QUESTION: How did this text develop differently in the Syriac, Greek, and Latin?

SOFTWARE: I have so little of the Syriac tradition in Logos/Verbum that I go to Google or third party chat bots for Syriac data.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

The Angel's Hymn, also known as the Gloria in Excelsis Deo, exists in Syriac, Greek, and Latin versions. Here's a comparison of these texts:

Syriac Version

The Syriac Orthodox Church refers to this hymn as "teshbuhto d'malakhe," meaning "Praise of the Angels." The full text is not provided in the search results, but it's mentioned that the hymn begins with the angels' praise from Luke 2:14.

Greek Version

The Greek text begins with:

"Δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ"

(Doxa en hypsistois Theo)

Meaning: "Glory to God in the highest"

Latin Version

The Latin text starts with:

"Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis."

Meaning: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will."

1. Language: Each version is in a different language, reflecting the linguistic diversity of early Christianity.

2. Length: The Latin version eventually became longer than the Greek original, with additional verses composed by the fourth century.

3. Wording: While the core meaning remains similar, there are subtle differences in wording:

The Greek uses "ὑψίστοις" (hypsistois) for "highest," while Latin uses "excelsis."

For "peace," Greek uses "εἰρήνη" (eirene), and Latin uses "pax."

4. Final Phrase: The Greek version has "ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία" (en anthropois eudokia), meaning "good will among people." The Latin expands this to "hominibus bonae voluntatis," meaning "to people of good will."

5. Usage: While all versions are used liturgically, their specific uses vary among different Christian traditions.

These differences reflect the hymn's evolution as it was translated and adapted across different Christian communities and time periods2.

[1] Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds., “Constitutions of the Holy Apostles,” in Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies, trans. James Donaldson, vol. 7, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886), 478.

2 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_in_Excelsis_Deo and https://brgbible.com/2021/01/27/gloria-in-excelsis-deo-%CE%B4%CF%8C%CE%BE%CE%B1-%E1%BC%90%CE%BD-%E1%BD%91%CF%88%CE%AF%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B9%CF%82-%CE%B8%CE%B5%E1%BF%B7/ https://hozana.org/en/prayer/in-latin/gloria