Gloria in excelsis Deo

The hymn begins with the words that the angels sang when announcing the birth of Christ to shepherds in Luke 2:14: Douay-Rheims (in Latin).

[4] An article by David Flusser links the text of the verse in Luke with ancient Jewish liturgy.

[5] Gloria in excelsis Deo is an example of the psalmi idiotici ("private psalms", i.e., compositions by individuals in imitation of the biblical Psalter) that were popular in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

Πρόσδεξαι τὴν δέησιν ἡμῶν, ὁ καθήμενος ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρός, καὶ ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.

Γένοιτο, Κύριε, τὸ ἔλεός σου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καθάπερ ἠλπίσαμεν ἐπὶ σέ.

Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Κύριε, ἐλέησόν με, ἴασαι τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι ἥμαρτόν σοι.

Κύριε, πρὸς σὲ κατέφυγον, δίδαξόν με τοῦ ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημά σου, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεός μου.

Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς.

Ⲓⲥϫⲉⲛ ϫⲱⲣϩ ⲁ̀ ⲡⲁⲡ̀ⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁ ϣⲱⲣⲡ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟϥ ϩⲁⲣⲟⲕ Ⲡⲁⲛⲟⲩϯ: ϫⲉ ϩⲁⲛⲟⲩⲱⲓⲛⲓ ⲛⲉ ⲛⲉⲕⲟⲩⲁϩⲥⲁϩⲛⲓ ϩⲓϫⲉⲛ ⲡⲓⲕⲁϩⲓ.

Dómine Fili Unigénite, Iesu Christe, Dómine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius Patris, qui tollis peccáta mundi, miserére nobis; qui tollis peccáta mundi, súscipe deprecatiónem nostram.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of The Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father have mercy on us.

It is recited collectively by the congregation during the Morning Raising of Incense, as well as at the Matins prayer of the Agpeya (the Alexandrian Canonical Book of the Hours).

[13] By contrast, in the Roman Rite this hymn is not included in the Liturgy of the Hours, but is sung or recited at Mass, after the Kyrie, on Sundays outside of Lent and Advent, during the octaves of Easter and Christmas, and on solemnities and feasts.

In the 1962 form it is also said on ferias of Christmastide and Paschaltide even outside the octaves, but is omitted during the Septuagesima season, which does not exist in the post-Vatican II liturgy.

The Gloria is also sung in both the pre-Vatican II and in the later form of the Roman Rite at the Mass of the Lord's Supper in the evening of Maundy Thursday and at the Easter Vigil.

the use of the hymn at the Mass of Christmas Day and to Pope Symmachus (498–514) its use on Sundays and the feasts of martyrs, but only by bishops; the right to use it was later extended to priests, at first only at Easter and on the day of their ordination, but by the end of the 11th century priests, as well as bishops, used it in the Mass on Sundays and feasts outside of Lent and Pre-Lent.

After the 12th century Advent began to be considered a penitential period in imitation of Lent, to the exclusion therefore of the Gloria in excelsis Deo.

[16] In the Church of England's 1549 edition of the Book of Common Prayer, it was used in the same position as in the Roman Rite but was later moved to the end of the service, immediately before the concluding blessing.

In a Rite Two (i.e., contemporary language) service of Holy Eucharist, the Gloria, or another song of praise, is sung or said on all Sundays except those in Advent or Lent.

Domine Fili unigenite, Iesu Christe, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

He is then to continue the recitation standing erect with hands joined and bowing his head to the cross at the words "Adoramus te", "Gratias agimus tibi", "Iesu Christe" (twice), and "Suscipe deprecationem nostram", and at the concluding phrase (as also at the concluding phrase of the Nicene Creed and the Sanctus), to make a large sign of the cross on himself.

[17] At High Mass the priest intones the opening phrase, while the deacon and subdeacon stand behind him; then they join him at the altar and together with him quietly recite the rest of the hymn,[18] after which they sit down and wait for the choir to finish its singing of the same text.

When it comes time for the Great Doxology the deacon opens the Holy Doors, and the priest raises his hands orans and exclaims: "Glory to Thee, Who hast shown us the Light!

If the bishop is present he vests in his full pontifical vestments for the Great Doxology, and the subdeacons stand behind the Holy Table (altar) holding the lit dikirion and trikirion.

When the Lesser Doxology is called for, it is simply said by the reader, the priest does not put on his phelonion, the Holy Doors remain closed and no lamps or candles are lit.

In addition, several "farced" Glorias were composed in the Middle Ages and were still sung in places when the Roman Missal was revised by order of Pope Pius V in 1570.

In addition, there are a number of settings of the Gloria alone, including: A paraphrase of the text in German, the early Lutheran hymn Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, has also been commonly set to music, in the form of chorale preludes or as part of larger compositions.

The free paraphrase "Ich lobe meinen Gott, der aus der Tiefe mich holt" became a 1979 hymn of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied, similarly "Ich lobe meinen Gott von ganzem Herzen" the same year.

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople New Rome, Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain[27] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men.