Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. VII, 1951 Liturgy Hymns and sequences

Magnae Deus Potentiae

Italian original Cite

MAGNAE DEUS POTENTIAE. - A hymn for Vespers on Thursday, belonging to the group of Irish-Anglo-Saxon origin, which makes its appearance in the 8th century (cf. C. Blume, Anal. hymnica, 41 Leipzig 1903, p. 37 ff.).

On the fourth day of creation God filled the sea with fish and the air with birds (Gen. 1:20-21). The poet sees in this the destiny of souls: in the birds that free themselves on high he represents those that ascend to heaven; in the fish, which are immersed in the waters, those that descend to hell. These animals which, having had one and the same origin, then divided into two different families, symbolize the souls which, washed by one and the same Baptism, then divide into those that are damned and those that are saved.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: C. S. Piment, Les hymnes du Bréviaire romain, I, Paris 1874, pp. 232-41; C. Albin, La poésie du Bréviaire, Lyon n.d., pp. 85-87; A. Mirra, Gli inni del Breviario romano, Naples 1947, p. 72.

Silverio Mattei

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By Silverio Mattei

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Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VII (1951), coll. 1839–1840.

More by Silverio Mattei: Magri, Pietro · Maestre Pie Venerini · Maestre Pie Filippini · Maestre di Santa Dorotea, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts · Lux O Decora Patriae

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Chicago

Mattei, Silverio. “Magnae Deus Potentiae.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VII, coll. 1839–1840. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951. https://azioneromana.com/article/magnae-deus-potentiae.

MLA

Mattei, Silverio. “Magnae Deus Potentiae.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VII, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951, coll. 1839–1840. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/magnae-deus-potentiae.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec7_magnae_deus_potentiae,
  author    = {Mattei, Silverio},
  title     = {Magnae Deus Potentiae},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {VII},
  pages     = {1839--1840},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1951},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/magnae-deus-potentiae}
}

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