« CRUDELIS HERODES DEUM ». – Hymn of Vespers for the feast of the Epiphany, composed of stanzas 8, 9, 11, and 13 of the celebrated hymn by Sedulius, which celebrate the three mysteries commemorated in the feast of the Epiphany: the adoration of the Magi, the Baptism in the Jordan, and the miracle of the wedding at Cana. The first stanza is a significant question addressed to Herod concerning his unfounded fear at the birth of the new king, who does not usurp earthly dominions but, on the contrary, grants the kingdom of heaven as a reward to his followers. The entire composition is inspired by a parallel between the divine and human nature of the born Messiah.
BIBL.: G. G. Belli, Gli iuni del Breviario romano tradotti, Rome 1857, p. 128; S. G. Piment, Les hymnes du Bréviaire romain, II, Paris 1884, pp. 88–95; C. Albini, La poésie du Bréviaire, I, Lyon n.d., p. 135. Silverio Mattei