«AETERNE REX ALTISSIME». - Hymn of the Roman Breviary for Matins on the feast of the Ascension. Its author is unknown, but it is ancient, though not earlier than the 5th century. The hymn first of all greets the eternal King, the Redeemer of souls, who today, having triumphed over death, ascends to the stars to take possession of all things, exalted by heaven, earth, and hell, festively received by the angels, who marvel at the sublime transformation undergone by mortal flesh: for one flesh, that of Adam and of men, sins; one flesh, that of Jesus, purifies (stanzas 1-4). Before such glory, which for man, a pilgrim on earth, is a reminder of the eternal homeland toward which he tends with a sense of longing, the hymn bursts forth in a humble yet heartfelt invocation: may Jesus Christ forgive us our sins, raise our hearts on high, so that, at his final appearing as judge of the world, he may avert the punishments that we have deserved through our faults and restore to us the crown that we have lost because of them (stanzas 5-8).
AETERNE REX ALTISSIME
BIBL.: G. M. Dreves and C. Blume, Analecta hymnica, 51 (1908), pp. 94 ff.; L. Venturi, Gli Inni della Chiesa tra-dotti e commentati, 3ª ed., Firenze 1880, pp. 258-61; S. G. Pinon, Les Hymnes du Bréviaire romain, III, Parigi 1884, pp. 113-24; K. Kastner, Praktischer Brevier-Kommentar, I, Breviaire 1923, pp. 246-47; C. Albin, La poésie du Bréviaire, Lione s. d., pp. 190-94; A. Mirra, Gli Iuni del Breviario romano per i Licei filosofici e per il clero, Napoli 1947, pp. 121-23.
Cite this article
“AETERNE REX ALTISSIME.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I (1948), p. 234. Azione Romana digital edition, https://azioneromana.com/article/aeterne-rex-altissime.