GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO (Hymnus angelicus). - A very ancient liturgical hymn found in various recensions: a Greek one in the codex of the Alexandrian Library (=A) and in the Apostolic Constitutions, VII 47 (=C); a Syriac one in the Nestorian liturgy (=O); a Latin one in the Antiphonary of Bangor (7th century). There also exists a Latin Milanese recension, a Mozarabic one, and that of the "textus receptus" of the Roman Missal. According to Lebreton and Capelle, recension A represents the authentic text better than C, although A was altered under the influence of Origen's ideas; C was reworked in the Arian sense of the inequality and subordination of the Son in relation to the Father; recension O (with its additions and mutilations) bears the mark of many influences. The text of the Roman Missal was drawn up in the 9th century.
Two parts are distinguished: 1) a praise, 2) a supplication, a prayer. The first part, the praise, very ancient on account of the characteristic testimonies of the sub-apostolic writers, goes back already to the 2nd century and is composed of a) the canticle of the Angels (Lk. 2:14), very close to an ancient messianic chant "Hosanna" (=Glory) in the form given by Luke (19:38) with reference to Ps. 117:25 ff.; b) exaltations of God in the form of acclamations; but there is probably no relation between these and the imperial acclamations to the Roman Senate. Their true origin is Jewish (Baumstark); c) it closed with an appropriate finale that repeated the three divine names (codex Alexandrinus, Bangor, Milan, Mozarabic). Today the mention of the Holy Spirit is missing. To this first part, already existing in pre-Constantinian times, was added, against the Arians, the second, Christological part (following the example of the "Te Deum"), containing a) Christological acclamations "Domino Deus, Agnus Dei", "Filius Patris" (originally it closed at "Domine Deus"); b) a kind of the most ancient litanies; c) a threefold proclamation; d) the Trinitarian finale. The omission of the mention of the Holy Spirit, in the first part, gave the hymn a more strictly Christological cohesion; already in recension C, in fact, the whole "Gloria" is directed to the Father through the Son.
The most ancient documents, both Eastern and Western (Rules of Caesarius, of Aurelian, Milanese, Bangor) assign the "Gloria" to the liturgy of the morning hour; in the Roman Church it was already in use by the 6th century in the Mass of Christmas. Pope Symmachus (d. 514) extended its use for bishops to Sundays and the feasts of martyrs. For priests the use was permitted only on the day of Ordination and on the Easter vigil until the 9th century; from the 11th century the use became general. It is not sung during Advent, nor from Septuagesima to the Easter vigil, and this already in the time of Amalarius; today it is said on feasts throughout the Easter season and on ordinary Sundays and on days when the "Te Deum" is recited in the Office.
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Pietro Siffrin