Sanctus and Benedictus

Recent scholarship suggests that the Sanctus or angelic hymn first entered the eucharistic prayer in the East. The earliest references are from East Syria, Cappadocia, and Jerusalem. It spread rapidly in both the East and the West. Its use no doubt arose from the thought that the worshipers who had lifted their hearts to the Lord were sharing in the worship of heaven.

The Sanctus (lines 1-3) sometimes appears without the Benedictus (lines 4-5) as in the Egyptian Liturgy of Serapion (fourth century) and The Book of Common Prayer of 1552 and 1662. Some liturgies have used the Benedictus but not in immediate conjunction with the Sanctus. A space has therefore been left between the two texts.

These texts are acclamations of praise based upon Scripture, but not exactly conforming to the texts of Isaiah 6:3 or Mark 11:9-10 respectively. At an early stage in the Church’s liturgical use the reference to “heaven” was added in line 2. Some early liturgies expand the text in other ways.

The version printed above accords with that proposed earlier by ICET. It has found general favor and there was little call to amend it.

Line 1. The punctuation of this line differs from that followed in most older versions and in the phrasing of older musical settings. The coupling of the words “holy Lord” without a comma results from treating line 1 as a vocative addressed to God rather than as a declaration with the verb understood (“Holy, holy, holy [is the] Lord, the God of hosts”). The latter follows the text of Isaiah, which continues: “The whole earth is full of his glory.”

For liturgical purposes, when the context is an offering of praise and thanksgiving to the Father, the conversion of “his” to “your” has been accepted for one-and-a-half millennia. The treatment of line 1 as an address to God seems equally appropriate. Some authority for this is the fact that the printed editions of the Missale Romanum , beginning at least in 1570, omit the comma between Sanctus and Dominus. The more common punctuation in English follows The Book of Common Prayer (“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts”) separating “holy” and “Lord” by a comma but not supplying the verb “is,” which is rightly added in most translations of the Bible.

Another problem for the translator lies in the Hebrew word Sabaoth , which means either “armies” or “heavenly hosts of angels.” The concept is rendered in the Greek of Revelation 4:8 as pantocrator , “the Almighty.” The common English translation of Sabaoth as “hosts” is open to misunderstanding, because of other associations of the word. Some people object to stressing the military metaphor which is certainly part of the original meaning. The translation “God of power and might” seems to satisfy the meaning of the text in Isaiah and to avoid misconceptions.

Line 3. The Book of Common Prayer paraphrased this line by “Glory be to thee, O Lord most high,” thus highlighting two problems: How should Hosanna be handled, and what is the best translation of in excelsis? The Consultation believed that Hosanna was one of the abiding links with Hebrew and Aramaic (like Amen and Hallelujah) that should continue in use in English, just as such words found themselves embedded in Greek and Latin liturgies. At the very least it expresses a cry of joyous welcome. Its literal meaning (“Save us!”) shows that it was an acclamation addressed to one who was being recognized as a Savior and deliverer. Recent studies indicate that Hosanna belongs to the Benedictus and was then added to the Sanctus at Easter and major festivals.

As in the Gloria in Excelsis (see note there on line 1) it was decided to adopt the familiar and joyous translation of in excelsis as “in the highest.” The whole line now has the same rhythm in English as in Latin.

Line 4. “Blessed.” This renders benedictus (a passive participle, corresponding to the Greek eulogetos ) and not beatus (an adjective, corresponding to the Greek makarios ). For this reason, many will prefer to pronounce, and perhaps to spell, the word as “blest.” It is also uncertain whether the verb to be supplied is “is” or “be.” The latter is perhaps more likely in an acclamation (compare “Blessed be God” and “Hallowed be your name”). The Consultation decided that no change should be made to an expression (“Blessed is he”) which has been found acceptable when proposed by ICET and is over four hundred years old.

The only point where there was some call for change was that “he who comes” should be altered to “the one who comes.” The quotation of Psalm 118:26a in the eucharistic celebration refers not to everyone who comes in God’s name but specifically to Jesus our Savior.