Magnificat
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The Magnificat (
of the Latin version of the text.The text of the canticle is taken from the Gospel of Luke (1:46–55) where it is spoken by Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.[2] In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, the latter moves within Elizabeth's womb. Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith (using words partially reflected in the Hail Mary), and Mary responds with what is now known as the Magnificat. Some ancient authorities have Elizabeth, rather than Mary, speaking the Magnificat.[3][4]
The Magnificat is one of the eight most ancient Christian
Context
Mary's Magnificat, recorded only in Luke's Gospel, is one of four hymns, distilled from a collection of early Jewish-Christian canticles, which complement the promise-fulfillment theme of Luke's
Although there is some scholarly discussion of whether the historical Mary herself actually proclaimed this canticle, Luke portrays her as the singer of this song of reversals and the interpreter of the contemporary events taking place. Mary symbolizes both ancient Israel and the Lucan faith-community as the author/singer of the Magnificat.[10]
The canticle echoes several biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the
As with other canticles and psalms, Western liturgical tradition usually adds the doxology known as Gloria Patri to the end of the Magnificat. This is not found in the original text.[citation needed]
Structure
In a style reminiscent of Old Testament poetry and song, Mary praises the Lord in alignment with this structure:
- Mary rejoices that she has the privilege of giving birth to the promised Messiah (Luke 1:46–48).
- She glorifies God for His power, holiness, and mercy (Luke 1:49–50).
- Mary looks forward to God transforming the world through the Messiah. The proud will be brought low, and the humble will be lifted up; the hungry will be fed, and the rich will go without (Luke 1:51–53).
- Mary exalts God because He has been faithful to His promise to Abraham (Luke 1:54–55; see God's promise to Abraham in Gen 12:1–3).[11]
Text
Latin and Anglican translation
Vulgate[12] | Book of Common Prayer (1662) |
---|---|
The Gloria Patri is appended to the canticle but is not part of Luke's Gospel.
|
The Gloria Patri is appended to the canticle, but is not part of Luke's Gospel.
|
Roman Catholic translation
Traditional
- My soul doth magnify the Lord,
- And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour
- Because He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
- Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His name.
- And His mercy is from generation unto generations to them that fear Him.
- He hath shewed might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
- He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
- He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away.
- He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy.
- As He spoke to our fathers; to Abraham and his seed forever.
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,
- As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.[14]
Modern
- My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
- my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
- for He has looked with favor on His humble servant.
- From this day all generations will call me blessed,
- the Almighty has done great things for me,
- and holy is His Name.
- He has mercy on those who fear Him
- in every generation.
- He has shown the strength of his arm,
- He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
- He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
- and has lifted up the humble.
- He has filled the hungry with good things,
- and the rich He has sent away empty.
- He has come to the help of His servant Israel
- for He has remembered his promise of mercy,
- the promise He made to our fathers,
- to Abraham and his children for ever.
- Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
- as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
- Amen, Alleluia.[15]
Greek
The oldest (likely original) version of the Magnificat was written in Koine Greek.[16]
- Μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον καὶ ἠγαλλίασεν τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρί μου,
- ὅτι ἐπέβλεψεν ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης αὐτοῦ. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν μακαριοῦσίν με πᾶσαι αἱ γενεαί,
- ὅτι ἐποίησέν μοι μεγάλα ὁ δυνατός, καὶ ἅγιον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰς καὶ γενεὰς τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν.
- Ἐποίησεν κράτος ἐν βραχίονι αὐτοῦ, διεσκόρπισεν ὑπερηφάνους διανοίᾳ καρδίας αὐτῶν·
- καθεῖλεν δυνάστας ἀπὸ θρόνων καὶ ὕψωσεν ταπεινούς, πεινῶντας ἐνέπλησεν ἀγαθῶν καὶ πλουτοῦντας ἐξαπέστειλεν κενούς.
- ἀντελάβετο Ἰσραὴλ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ, μνησθῆναι ἐλέους, καθὼς ἐλάλησεν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν τῷ Αβραὰμ καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
In Eastern Orthodox worship, the Ode of the Theotokos is accompanied by the following refrain sung between the verses (a sticheron) and a megalynarion, which is the second part of the Axion Estin hymn:
- Τὴν τιμιωτέραν τῶν Χερουβὶμ καὶ ἐνδοξοτέραν ἀσυγκρίτως τῶν Σεραφίμ, τὴν ἀδιαφθόρως Θεὸν Λόγον τεκοῦσαν, τὴν ὄντως Θεοτόκον, σὲ μεγαλύνομεν.
- ('You who are more to be honoured than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, you who, uncorrupted, gave birth to God the Word, in reality the God-bearer, we exalt you.')
Amharic
In the Oriental Orthodox Church Scripture of Ethiopia according to the Ye' Luqas Wongel, Gospel of Luqas (Luke):
46፤ ማርያምም እንዲህ አለች።
47፤ ነፍሴ ጌታን ታከብረዋለች፥ መንፈሴም በአምላኬ በመድኃኒቴ ሐሴት ታደርጋለች፤
48፤ የባሪያይቱን ውርደት ተመልክቶአልና። እነሆም፥ ከዛሬ ጀምሮ ትውልድ ሁሉ ብፅዕት ይሉኛል፤
49፤ ብርቱ የሆነ እርሱ በእኔ ታላቅ ሥራ አድርጎአልና፤ ስሙም ቅዱስ ነው።
50፤ ምሕረቱም ለሚፈሩት እስከ ትውልድና ትውልድ ይኖራል።
51፤ በክንዱ ኃይል አድርጎአል፤ ትዕቢተኞችን በልባቸው አሳብ በትኖአል፤
52፤ ገዥዎችን ከዙፋናቸው አዋርዶአል፤ ትሑታንንም ከፍ አድርጎአል፤
53፤ የተራቡትን በበጎ ነገር አጥግቦአል፤ ባለ ጠጎችንም ባዶአቸውን ሰዶአቸዋል።
54-55፤ ለአባቶቻችን እንደ ተናገረ፥ ለአብርሃምና ለዘሩ ለዘላለም ምሕረቱ ትዝ እያለው እስራኤልን ብላቴናውን ረድቶአል።
Slavonic
The translation of the hymn into Church Slavonic is as follows:
Liturgical use
The text forms a part of the
In Eastern Orthodox liturgical practice, the Magnificat is always sung during the Matins service before the Irmos of the ninth ode of the canon (except on greater feasts of the Lord or the Theotokos, where the magnificat is excluded completely). After each biblical verse, i.e. as a sticheron, the following megalynarion or troparion is sung:
More honourable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word: true Theotokos, we magnify thee.[17]
As a canticle, the Magnificat has frequently been set to music. Most compositions were originally intended for liturgical use, especially for Vesper services and celebrations of the Visitation, but some are also performed in concert.
Indulgence
In the Roman Catholic Church, the
Musical settings
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
As the Magnificat is part of the sung Vespers, many composers, beginning in the Renaissance, set the words to music, for example Claudio Monteverdi in his Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610). Henry Dumont, André Campra (1713), Antoine-Esprit Blanchard (1741), Marc-Antoine Charpentier, 10 settings (H.72, H.73, H.74, H.75, H.76, H.77, H.78, H.79, H.80, H.81), François Giroust (12 settings), Vivaldi composed a setting of the Latin text for soloists, choir, and orchestra, as did Johann Sebastian Bach in his Magnificat (1723, rev. 1733). Other notable examples include C.P.E. Bach's Magnificat and two extant settings by Jan Dismas Zelenka (ZWV 106 is missing).
Anton Bruckner composed a Magnificat for soloists, choir, orchestra, and organ. Rachmaninoff and, more recently, John Rutter also composed a setting, inserting additions into the text.
Dieter Schnebel wrote a Magnificat in 1996/97 for small choir (schola), percussion and additional instruments ad libitum. Arvo Pärt composed a setting for choir a cappella. Kim André Arnesen's Magnificat for choir, strings, piano, and organ premiered in 2010.[citation needed] The Taizé Community have also composed an ostinato setting of the text.
Together with the Nunc dimittis, the Magnificat is a regular part of the Anglican
An Eastern Orthodox setting of the Magnificat (text in Latin and English) is to be found in the 2011 All-night Vigil (Section 11) by the English composer Clive Strutt.
Maria Luise Thurmair wrote in 1954 the lyrics for a popular German ecumenical hymn based on the Magnificat, "Den Herren will ich loben", set to a 1613 melody by Melchior Teschner (that of Valet will ich dir geben). Timothy Dudley-Smith wrote "Tell Out, My Soul", a popular paraphrase of the Magnificat, in 1962. Krzysztof Penderecki composed an extended Magnificat for the 1200th anniversary of the Salzburg Cathedral in 1974, for bass soloist, men's and boys' voices, two mixed choirs and orchestra.
The oratorio Laudato si' composed in 2016 by Peter Reulein on a libretto by Helmut Schlegel includes the full Latin text of the Magnificat, expanded by writings of Clare of Assisi, Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis.[19]
Society and politics
In
See also
- 4Q521, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Magnificat - Description, Uses, & Text". britannica.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ a b Breed 2009, p. 17.
- ^ National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America 2021, Footnote to Luke 1:46.
- ^ Kloha 2014, pp. 200–219.
- ^ Reeves 2006, pp. 3–5.
- ISBN 0-7151-2000-X.
- ^ "Magnificat". churchofengland.org. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ Book of Common Prayer. New York: The Church Pension Fund. 1928. p. 26.
- ISBN 0-89869-080-3.
- ^ a b c Casey, Daniel. "Mary's Magnificat". Scripture from Scratch. American Catholic. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ Lexham Bible Dictionary (Digital ed.). Bellingham WA: Lexham Press. 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ "Luke 1:46-55 VULGATE - - Bible Gateway".
- ^ "EVANGELIUM SECUNDUM LUCAM - Nova Vulgata, Novum Testamentum". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ "Divinum Officium". www.divinumofficium.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ The Liturgy of the Hours.
- ^ Luke 1:46–55
- ^ "Hymn to the Theotokos". Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ISBN 88-209-2785-3.
- ISMN979-0-50226-047-7.
- ^ Cardenal 1978, p. 25.
Sources
- Breed, David R. (2009). The History and Use of Hymns and Hymn-Tunes. ISBN 978-1-110-47186-7.
- Cardenal, Ernesto (1978). The Gospel in Solentiname. Maryknoll: Orbis.
- Henry, Hugh Thomas (1910). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- Kloha, Jeffrey (2014). "Elizabeth's Magnificat (Luke 1:46)". Texts and Traditions: Essays in Honour of J. Keith Elliott: 200–219. ISBN 9789004273931.
- National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America (2021). New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition.
- Reeves, Marjorie (2006). Favourite Hymns. A&C Black. ISBN 0-8264-8097-7.
External links
- "The 'Merciless' Magnificat": A Magnificat reflection by Father Johann Roten, S.M., University of Dayton's Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute. The Marian Library/IMRI is the world's largest repository of books, artwork and artifacts devoted to Mary and a pontifical center of research and scholarship.
- The Magnificat
- Exegesis and Sermon Study of Luke 1:46–55: The Magnificat, by Curtis A. Jahn
- ChoralWiki: Magnificat
- Officium pro defunctis, following the unrevised Vulgate text