Ecce Sacerdos
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a piece of
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
religious music. It is an
antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are usually taken from the Psalms or Scripture, but may also be freely compo ...
and a
responsory A responsory or respond is a type of chant in western Christian liturgies. Definition The most general definition of a responsory is any psalm, canticle, or other sacred musical work sung responsorially, that is, with a cantor or small group sing ...
from the
common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...
of confessor bishops in the
Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (), Divine Office (), or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the Latin Church. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official ...
and in the
Graduale Romanum The ''Roman Gradual'' (Latin: ''Graduale Romanum'') is an official liturgical book of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church containing chants, including the proper and many more, for use in Mass. The '' editio typica'' dates from 1908. T ...
, and the Epistle in their proper Mass. It belongs to Sir 50,
Ecce sacerdos magnus


Background

The words are taken from the Bible, in particular,
Ecclesiasticus The Book of Sirach (), also known as The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, The Wisdom of Jesus son of Eleazar, or Ecclesiasticus (), is a Jewish literary work originally written in Biblical Hebrew. The longest extant wisdom book from antiqui ...
44:16-27, recalling the blessings given to godly men in the
Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
.


Contents

Its words are, '','' which means "behold the great priest, who in his days, pleased God". In certain cases, those words are followed by: ', meaning "and has been found just". In others, the response is: (no one has been found to be like him in the keeping of the laws of the Most High) ir 44:20 The following is a complete text and translation of a different version, which may be used at the procession of a bishop at a solemn celebration of ordination: '
Behold a great priest who in his days pleased God: Therefore by an oath the Lord made him increase among his people. He gave him the blessing of all nations, and confirmed His covenant upon his head. Therefore by an oath the Lord made him to increase among his people. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost ...Classical Ex Burns website, profile of Anton Bruckner
/ref>


Meaning and Usage

The priest mentioned in the hymn refers to Christ, the high priest, in whose place the bishop stands. It has been often set to music by composers, including
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (between 3 February 1525 and 2 February 1526 – 2 February 1594) was an Italian composer of late Renaissance music. The central representative of the Roman School, with Orlande de Lassus and Tomás Luis de V ...
,
Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...
,
Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
and
Jules Van Nuffel Jules Jozef Paul Maria Van Nuffel ( Hemiksem 21 March 1883 – Wilrijk 25 June 1953) was a Belgian priest, composer, choirmaster, music pedagogue, musicologist and a renowned expert on religious music. Education Van Nuffel was born on 21 Marc ...
.


See also

* Ecce sacerdos magnus (Bruckner)


References

Christian liturgical music {{Christian-music-stub