Agnus Dei

Liturgical usage

Latin Catholic

The Syrian custom of a chant addressed to the Lamb of God was introduced into the Roman Rite Mass by Pope Sergius I (687–701), in the context of his rejection of the Council of Trullo of 692 (which was well received in the Byzantine East), whose canons had forbidden the iconographic depiction of Christ as a lamb instead of a man.

|Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem. |Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

The verse used in the first and second invocations may be repeated as many times as necessary whilst the celebrant prepares the host and wine for communion.

In a Tridentine Requiem Mass, the words miserere nobis are replaced by dona eis requiem ('grant them rest'), while dona nobis pacem is replaced by dona eis requiem sempiternam ('grant them eternal rest'). Virtually every Mass setting includes an Agnus Dei.

The priest uses the phrase "Lamb of God" again, later in the Mass. While displaying the Eucharistic species to the people before giving them Holy Communion, he says: "Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi. Beati qui ad cenam Agni vocati sunt." ("Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.")

Lutheran

The version found in the Lutheran Service Book of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is:

Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us Your peace, grant us Your peace.}}

In celebrations of the Mass done in English, the following translation is employed by the Church of Sweden:

Lamb of God, you take away, the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away, the sin of the world, grant us peace.}}

Anglican

The following instances are found in the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer:

From "The Litany":

O Lamb of God: that takest away the sins of the world; Have mercy upon us.}}

From "Holy Communion":

The following versions are found in Common Worship, the alternative Anglican liturgical resources, and also in the Episcopal Church's liturgical resources:

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace.}}

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace.}}

Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us. Jesus, redeemer of the world, grant us peace.}}

Evangelical Protestants

A popular worship song among Evangelical Protestants is a reaction to the Lamb of God being seated on the throne in Revelation 5 by Michael W. Smith. This version is response of praise to scene, while the other liturgical versions are prayers.

The words are:

For our Lord God Almighty reigns Alleluia Alleluia For our Lord God Almighty reigns Alleluia Holy

Holy Are You Lord God Almighty Worthy is the Lamb Worthy is the Lamb You are Holy [Last stanza repeats 3 times]}}

A Ukrainian translation was sung in 2015 in Lviv, Ukraine, during the War in Donbas{{cite web |access-date = 4 April 2023 |archive-date = 4 April 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230404215115/https://billygraham.org/story/christians-in-ukraine-after-festival-of-hope-great-and-mighty-is-our-god/ |url-status = dead | access-date = 4 April 2023

References

References

1. (2003). "The Harvard Dictionary of Music". Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
2. Atkinson, Charles Mercer. (1975). "The Earliest Settings of the Agnus Dei and Its Tropes". University of North Carolina.
3. {{bibleverse. John. 1:29
4. Duffy, Eamon. (2006). "Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes". Yale University Press.
5. Reader Daniel Lieuwen. "Lives of Orthodox Western Saints". St Nicholas Orthodox Church.
6. Ekonomou, Andrew J.. (2007). "Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes: Eastern Influences on Rome and the Papacy from Gregory the Great to Zacharias, A.D. 590–752". Lexington Books.
7. "Texts for Order of Mass Settings". International Committee on English in the Liturgy and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
8. "[[General Instruction of the Roman Missal]]".
9. (2007). "The Eucharist also called Holy Communion (High Mass)". [[Church of Sweden]].