sanctus

{{for|the Latin adjective and its meanings|sanctitas|saint|holy}}

File:Sanctus Sans titre 13.JPGThe Sanctus ({{langx|la|Sanctus}}, "Holy") is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the epinikios hymnos ({{langx|el|ἐπινίκιος ὕμνος}}, "Hymn of Victory") when referring to the Greek rendition and parts of it are sometimes called "Benedictus". Tersanctus (Latin: "Thrice Holy") is another, rarer name for the Sanctus. The same name is sometimes used for the Trisagion.{{cite dictionary |year=2005 |entry=Tersanctus |dictionary=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |publisher=Oxford University Press |editor1-last=Cross |editor1-first=F. L. |editor2-last=Livingstone |editor2-first=E. A.}}

In Western Christianity, the Sanctus forms part of the Ordinary and is sung (or said) as the final words of the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer of remembrance, consecration, and praise. The preface, which alters according to the season, usually concludes with words describing the praise of the worshippers joining with the angels, who are pictured as praising God with the words of the Sanctus.

In the Byzantine Rite and general Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the Sanctus is offered as a response by the choir during the Holy Anaphora.

Text

=In Greek=

{{lang|grc|Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος Σαβαώθ· πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης σου, ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις. Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Ὡσαννὰ (ὁ) ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.}}{{refn|group=n|This is the text of the two present forms (with or without the parenthesised article) of the hymn in Greek; for more details, see the Sources and the Hymn forms in Eastern liturgies sections.}}{{refn|group=n|name=Asteres}}{{refn|group=n|name=Stanitsas}}
Hágios, hágios, hágios, Kýrios Sabaṓth; plḗrēs ho ouranós kaí hē gê tês dóxēs sou, hōsanná en toîs hupsístois. Eulogēménos ho erkhómenos en onómati Kyríou. Hōsanná (ho) en toîs hupsístois.

In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the Liturgy of St. Basil:{{Cite web|url=http://www.prophet-elias.com/deutsch/ελληνικά/ελληνικά-1/|title=Ελληνικά 1|website=Kirchengemeinde des heiligen Propheten Elias in Stuttgart|language=de-DE|access-date=2020-02-04}}

Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος Σαβαώθ·

πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης σου,

ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.

Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου.

Ὡσαννὰ ὁ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.

Hágios, hágios, hágios, Kýrios Sabaṓth;

plḗrēs ho ouranós kaí hē gê tês dóxēs sou,

hōsanná en toîs hupsístois.

Eulogēménos ho erkhómenos en onómati Kyríou.

Hōsanná ho en toîs hupsístois.

In the Liturgy of St. James:{{refn|group=n|name=Stanitsas}}

Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος Σαβαώθ.

Πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης σου.

Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.

Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου.

Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.

Hágios, hágios, hágios, Kýrios Sabaṓth.

Plḗrēs ho ouranós kaí hē gê tês dóxēs sou.

Hōsanná en toîs hupsístois.

Eulogēménos ho erkhómenos en onómati Kyríou.

Hōsanná ho en toîs hupsístois.

=In Latin=

In the Roman Rite:Missale Romanum 2002, p. 517 ([http://www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/pt/2s.htm#b5q electronic text])

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus

Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua.

Hosanna in excelsis.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

Hosanna in excelsis.

In the Roman Rite, the Sanctus also forms part of the solemn hymn of praise Te Deum laudamus, but with the addition of a reference to the "majesty" of the Lord's glory in the Pleni sunt verse (the phrase pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua becomes pleni sunt caeli et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae). The Benedictus is not included in the Te Deum, and the Sanctus is therefore included as part of that hymn as follows:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Pleni sunt cæli et terra maiestatis gloriæ tuæ.

In the Mozarabic Rite:[http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2010/04/mozarabic-rite-offertory-to-post.html#.U0Q2BldLs8w Shawn Tribe, "The Mozarabic Rite: The Offertory to the Post Sanctus" (with regularized spelling)]. English translation: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth: Heaven and earth are full of the glory of Thy majesty. Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Holy, holy, holy art thou Lord God ([http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/Liturgy/Mozarabic.html The Mozarabic Liturgy]).

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,

Dominus Deus Sabaoth:

Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria maiestatis tuæ,

Hosanna filio David.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

Hosanna in excelsis.

Hagios, hagios, hagios Kyrie o Theos.

=In English=

The Sanctus appears thus in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer (and as set to music by John Merbecke in 1550{{cite web|url=http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Merbecke/Merbecke_Communion7.htm |title=The Book of Common Prayer Noted: Communion, part 7 |publisher=Justus.anglican.org |access-date=2014-03-11}}):

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of thy glory

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord:

Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.

In the 1552 Book of Common Prayer and 1559 BCP it appears without the Benedictus:{{cite web|url=http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1559/Communion_1559.htm |title=The Ordre for the Administracion of the Lordes Supper, or Holy Communion |publisher=Justus.anglican.org |access-date=2014-03-11}}

Holy, holy, holy, lord god of hostes,

heven and earth are ful of thy glory,

glory be to the, O Lord most hyghe.

The 1662 BCP has it thus:{{cite book |title=The Book of Common Prayer |date=1662 |publisher=The Church of England |url=http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1662/HC.pdf |access-date=11 April 2022}}

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hoſts,

heaven and earth are full of thy glory;

Glory be to thee, O Lord Moſt High.

Later Anglican prayer books following the ritualist and liturgical movements of the twentieth century,Walker, Charles (1901). The Ritual Reason Why. Revised and edited by T. I. Ball. Oxford; London: A. R. Mowbray. "The words 'Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest,' which are sometimes added to the Sanctus are a restoration of a clause which forms part of the hymn in nearly every ancient Liturgy, Eastern or Western, and which was retained in our English 'Mass' of 1549."Ritual Notes: A Comprehensive Guide to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Book of Common Prayer of the English Church (1926). 7th ed. London: W. Knott & Son. p. 120. restored the Benedictus to this form, yielding:{{Cite book|title=The Practice of Religion: A Short Manual of Instructions and Devotions|last=Knowles|first=Archibald Campbell|publisher=Morehouse-Gorham|year=1935|edition=7th|location=New York|pages=117}}{{Cite book|title=Saint Augustine's Prayer Book|editor-last=Gavitt|editor-first=Loren |publisher=Holy Cross Publications|year=1947|location=West Park, New York|pages=73}}{{Cite book|title=Anglican Missal in the American Edition|publisher=The Frank Gavin Liturgical Foundation|year=1961|location=Mount Sinai, New York|pages=284}}{{Cite book|title=The Book of Common Prayer|last=Anglican Church of Canada|publisher=Anglican Book Centre|year=1962|location=Toronto}}{{Cite book|title=The Book of Common Prayer, The Holy Eucharist: Rite One|publisher=Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America|year=1979|pages=334}}{{Cite web|url=http://justus.anglican.org/~ss/commonworship/hc/orderonetrad.html|title=Common Worship, Order One in Traditional Language|website=justus.anglican.org|access-date=2019-06-04}}

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts,

heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Glory be to thee, O Lord most high.

Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

The following English version was used by most Lutherans in North America until 1978 when the ICET version was adopted in the Lutheran Book of Worship.Service Book and Hymnal: Authorized by the Lutheran Churches cooperating in The Commission on the Liturgy and Hymnal (1958). Co-published: Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House; Philadelphia: Board of Publication, Lutheran Church in America. pp. 32-33, 61. This traditional version has continued to be used in the Divine Service of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod:Lutheran Worship (1982),

Divine Service I. The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod.

Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House. pp. 148-149.Lutheran Service Book (2006). Divine Service III. Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;

heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord

Hosanna in the highest.

In 1973 the International Consultation on English Texts (ICET) produced an ecumenical version that at that time was adopted by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and others:{{cite web|author=Felix Just, S.J. |url=http://catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/Mass.htm#Eucharist |title=Liturgy of the Eucharist |publisher=Catholic-resources.org |access-date=2014-03-11}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q7VLVVt_RQ0C&pg=PA373 |title=Book of Common Prayer |date= September 1979|access-date=2014-03-11|isbn=9780898690606 |publisher=Church Publishing}}{{cite book|title=Lutheran Book of Worship|date=1978|place=Minneapolis|publisher=Augsburg}}{{cite book|title=The United Methodist Hymnal: Book of United Methodist Worship|date=1989|publisher=The United Methodist Publishing House}}

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Since 2011 the Roman Missal in English has:Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal. {{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/order-of-mass.pdf |title=The Order of Mass |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806055319/http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/order-of-mass.pdf |archive-date=Aug 6, 2011 |publisher=International Committee on English in the Liturgy |website=United States Conference of Catholic Bishops}}

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

=In Coptic=

As part of the Alexandrian rite, the Benedictus is not present in the Liturgy of Saint Cyril:[https://www.copticchurch.net/pdf/liturgy/liturgy_of_st_cyril.pdf Liturgy of Saint Cyril] copticchurch.net

Αγιος, αγιος, αγιος.

Ⲭⲟⲩⲁⲃ `Ⲡϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲥⲁⲃⲁⲱⲑ:

`ⲧⲫⲉ ⲛⲉⲙ `ⲡⲕⲁϩⲓ ⲙⲉϩ ⲉⲃⲟⲗϧⲉⲛ ⲡⲉⲕⲱⲟⲩ

ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ `Ⲡϭⲟⲓⲥ Ⲡⲉⲛⲛⲟⲩϯ.

Sources

As Enrico Mazza writes:

The Sanctus became part of the Roman Eucharistic Prayer only in the first half of the fifth century; all in all, this was a fairly late period, inasmuch as by then the text of the Roman Canon had become fixed and was regarded as a text possessing great authority.

There exist two fundamental types of Sanctus: the Alexandrian and the Antiochene. The Sanctus of the Roman Eucharist derives from the Antiochene liturgy and has two parts: (a) the Sanctus true and proper, consisting of the acclamation from Isaiah 6:3; and (b) the Benedictus, a christological acclamation taken from Matthew 21:9. The Sanctus has been given a christological interpretation and a trinitarian interpretation, and this in both the East and the West. These differing interpretations may be due to the presence, in the text of the Sanctus, of a theological section, namely, the acclamation from Isaiah 6:3, and a christological part, namely the acclamation from Matthew 21:9.

The text of the Sanctus passed from Jewish use to Christian use at a very early time, since it is cited in the Apocalypse of John and in the letter of Clement to the Corinthians.{{cite book|title=The Celebration of the Eucharist: The Origin of the Rite and the Development of Its Interpretation|author=Enrico Mazza|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rNv2NOKNAekC&pg=PA285|page=285|year=1999|publisher=Liturgical Press|isbn=9780814661703}}

As can be read in the same source, in the Alexandrian tradition on the other hand,

the Sanctus consisted of only the first part, the citation of Isaiah 6:3, and lacked the Benedictus; this was the earliest form taken by the Sanctus in the Eucharist. This early state can be seen in the testimonies of Eusebius of Caesarea, the Mystagogical Catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem, and, above all, the Ritual used in the Church of Theodore of Mopsuestia. In the latter, too, that is, in the archaic stage of the Syrian liturgy, the Benedictus was unknown, and the Sanctus consisted solely of the acclamation from Isaiah 6:3.

The first part of the Sanctus, the adaptation from {{Bibleverse||Isaiah|6:3}}, describes the prophet Isaiah's vision of the throne of God surrounded by six-winged, ministering seraphim. A similar representation is found in {{Bibleverse||Revelation|4:8}}. In Jewish liturgy,On the relationship of the Christian Sanctus to ancient Jewish liturgy, see David Flusser, "Sanctus und Gloria," in Abraham Unser Vater: Juden und Christen im Gespräch Über die Bibel Festschrift für Otto Michael (ed. Otto Betz, Martin Hengel, and Peter Schmidt; Leiden: Brill, 1963), 129-152; repr. in David Flusser, Entdeckungen im Neuen Testament (2 vols.; Neukirchener, 1987-1999), 1:226-244. For an [https://wholestones.org/sanctus-and-gloria/ English translation] of this article, click [https://wholestones.org/sanctus-and-gloria/ here]. the verse from Isaiah is uttered by the congregation during Kedusha, a prayer said during the leader's repetition of the Amidah (18 Benedictions):

Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh Adonai Tz'vaot

Melo Kol Haaretz Kevodo.

The text of the second part, beginning with the word Benedictus (Latin for "Blessed") is taken from {{bibleref2|Matthew|21:9|RSV}}, describes Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, which is in turn based on the first half of Psalm 118:26. In its present liturgical context "it points to the expected presence of the Lord in the eucharistic gifts".[https://books.google.com/books?id=HMdkpEGy4KAC&dq=Emminghaus+%22expected+presence%22&pg=PA181 Johannes H. Emminghaus, The Eucharist: Essence, Form, Celebration] (Liturgical Press 1997 {{ISBN|978-0-81461036-7}}), p. 181[https://books.google.com/books?id=qffUIEkWEqsC&pg=PA110 Tim Gray, Mission of the Messiah] (Emmaus Road Publishing 1998 {{ISBN|978-0-96632231-6}}), pp. 109–110 Within Anglicanism, the 1552 Book of Common Prayer omitted it and, though it is now permitted, "the choice whether or not to use the Benedictus is still for some a matter of Eucharistic theology and churchmanship".[https://books.google.com/books?id=LUXeAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA102 Paul Thomas, Using the Book of Common Prayer] (Church House Publishing 2012 {{ISBN|978-0-71514276-9}}), p. 102

The Sanctus appears in the Sacramentary of Serapion of Thmuis (the saint died in 360), but may go as far back to Christian liturgy in North Africa in the year 200.Perspectives on Christian Worship by J. Matthew Pinson, Timothy Quill, Ligon Duncan and Dan Wilt (Mar 1, 2009) {{ISBN|0805440992}} pages 64-65

Hymn forms in Eastern liturgies

The present form of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the primary liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Church, reads (when in Greek) the following text:

Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος Σαβαώθ· πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης σου, ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις. Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Ὡσαννὰ ὁ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.{{cite web|url=http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/liturgy_hchc-el|website=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|title=Ἡ Θεία Λειτουργία τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου|language=el}}. For an English translation, see [http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/liturgy/liturgy.html The Orthodox Page: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostomos]{{refn|group=n|name=Asteres|A recorded example of the hymn chanted-sung in the form with the {{lang|grc|ὁ}} article, can be listened to [http://www.ec-patr.net/music/Agios_MV_LA.rm here] {{Plays audio}} (realmedia format). The cantor is the Archon Protopsaltes of the Great Church of Christ [http://www.ec-patr.net/en/psaltai/asteris.htm Leonidas Asteres], promoted to that position and title by Patriarch Demetrios.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ec-patr.net/en/index.htm|title=Ecumenical Patriarchate - Byzantine music|website=www.ec-patr.net}}}}

Hágios, hágios, hágios Kýrios Sabaṓth; plḗrēs ho ouranós kaí hē gê tês dóxēs sou, hōsanná en toîs hupsístois. Eulogēménos ho erkhómenos en onómati Kyríou. Hōsanná ho en toîs hupsístois.

The above differs from the Roman Rite Latin text

in that the Latin adds to the word Dominus (Lord), which is the regular Latin translation of יהוה, the Deus (God), which is found in neither the Greek nor the Latin translations nor in the original text of Isaiah 6:3,{{cite book|chapter-url=http://biblehub.com/text/isaiah/6-3.htm |title=Tanakh|chapter=Isaiah 6:3|website=biblehub.com|language=he|quote=קָדֹ֛ושׁ קָדֹ֖ושׁ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאֹ֑ות מְלֹ֥א כָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ כְּבֹודֹֽו׃}}{{cite book|title=Old Testament|language=el|chapter=Isaiah 6|chapter-url=http://www.myriobiblos.gr/bible/ot/chapter.asp?book=43&page=6|website=myriobiblos.gr|quote=ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος σαβαώθ, πλήρης πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ}}{{cite book|chapter-url=http://biblehub.com/vul/isaiah/6.htm|title=Vulgata Old Testament|chapter=Isaiah 6|website=biblehub.com|language=la|quote=sanctus sanctus sanctus Dominus exercituum plena est omnis terra gloria eius}} but is found in {{bibleverse||Revelation|4:8|ESV}}: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
in that the Latin has the plural caeli, and the Greek the singular {{lang|grc|οὐρανός}} for the mention of "heaven", which appears in neither the Latin nor the Greek translation of Isaiah 6:3.
in that the Greek gives two different forms of the phrase corresponding to Hosanna in excelsis, the second one including an {{lang|grc|ὁ}} article. The article is not found in Matthew 21:9.{{cite book|title=New Testament|chapter-url=https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/21-9.htm|chapter=Matthew 21:9|website=biblehub.com/interlinearm|language=el,en}} The form of the hymn without the article is also used in the Greek Liturgy of Saint James, and in modern settings, practises and contexts.{{cite book|script-title=el:Εκλογή Ελληνικής Ορθοδόξου Υμνογραφίας|trans-title=Selection of Greek Orthodox Hymnography|last=Trempelas|first=Panagiotes N.|year=1978|orig-year=1949|publisher=Soter|place=Athens|language=el}}{{refn|group=n|name=Stanitsas|A recorded example of the hymn chanted-sung in the form without the {{lang|grc|ὁ}} article, can be listened to [http://www.ec-patr.net/music/Agios_MXA_A_Stan.rm here] {{Plays audio}} (realmedia format). The cantor is the Archon Protopsaltes of the Great Church of Christ [http://www.ec-patr.net/en/psaltai/stanitsas.htm Thrasyboulos Stanitsas] (1907 or 1910–1987), promoted to that position and title by Patriarch Athenagoras.}}

The Liturgy of Saint Basil of the Eastern Orthodox Church has the same form of the Sanctus as the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, with its two variants of the Hosanna phrase.{{Cite web|url=https://www.goarch.org/-/the-divine-liturgy-of-saint-basil-the-great|title=The Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great - Liturgical Texts of the Orthodox Church - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|website=www.goarch.org|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-04}}

In older Greek liturgical manuscripts, various forms of the hymn are attested; the ones that will follow below, belong to the ones edited by Swainson in his 1884 book The Greek liturgies. Among these forms, there are variations of the hymn being composed of practically only the Old testament part. Others include:

In the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, one of them excludes not only the article {{lang|grc|ὁ}}, but also the article «τῆς»:

Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος, Κύριος Σαβαώθ· πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ δόξης σου. Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις· εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.{{Cite book|title=The Greek liturgies: Chiefly from original authorities|others=With an appendix containing the Coptic ordinary canon of the mass from two manuscripts in the British Museum, edited and translated by Dr. C. Bezold|editor-last=Swainson|editor-first=Charles Anthony|year=1884|place=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/greekliturgies00swai#page/128/mode/1up|chapter=Liturgy of Saint John the Chrysostom|pages=128}} At the Internet Archive.

Hágios, hágios, hágios, Kýrios Sabaṓth; plḗrēs ho ouranós kaí hē gê dóxēs sou. Hōsanná en toîs hupsístois; eulogēménos ho erkhómenos en onómati Kyríou; hōsanná en toîs hupsístois.

The Liturgy of Saint James as given in Swainson reads as follows:

Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος, Κύριε σαβαώθ· πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης σου· ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις. Eὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.{{Cite book|editor-first=Charles Anthony|editor-last=Swainson|year=1884|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/greekliturgies00swai#page/269/mode/1up|chapter=Liturgy of Saint James|pages=268–269 |title=The Greek liturgies chiefly from original authorities, with an appendix containing the Coptic ordinary canon of the mass from two manuscripts in the British Museum |publisher=Cambridge, Univ. Press }}For an English translation of the Liturgy of Saint James, see [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.xii.ii.html Christian Classics Ethereal Library, "The Divine Liturgy of James the Holy Apostle and Brother of the Lord"]

Hágios, hágios, hágios, Kýrie sabaṓth. Plḗrēs ho ouranós kaí hē gê tês dóxēs sou; hōsanná en toîs hupsístois. Eulogēménos ho erkhómenos en onómati Kyríou; hōsanná en toîs hupsístois.

This text not only omits the article {{lang|grc|ὁ}} that is used in the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, but also has Kyrie (vocative case) where the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom has Kyrios (nominative).{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

In current use, the Liturgy of Saint James may use the nominative rather than the vocative case of {{lang|grc|Κύριος}}; the article {{lang|grc|ὁ}} is also not present in this form at the concluding Hosanna.{{cite book|url=http://www.saint.gr/files/2792/leitoyrgia_iakwbos_adelfo8eos.pdf|title=Ἡ Θεία Λειτουργία τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἰακώβου τοῦ Ἀδελφοθέου|trans-title=The Holy Liturgy of Saint James the Brother of God|page=28|others=Ἐπιστασίᾳ Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἀθηνῶν Χρυσοστόμου|language=el|edition=11th|place=Athens}}

Moreover, a different variant of the Liturgy of Saint James is found in the margin of a manuscript that gives only the three words {{lang|grc|Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος}} in the body: "In the margin, much abbreviated, may be discerned the following: {{lang|grc|Κύριος σαβαώθ, πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης σου. Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις· εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐλθὼν καὶ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.}}{{Cite book|editor-last=Swainson|editor-first=Charles Anthony|year=1884|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/greekliturgies00swai#page/268/mode/1up|chapter=Liturgy of Saint James|page=268 |title=The Greek liturgies chiefly from original authorities, with an appendix containing the Coptic ordinary canon of the mass from two manuscripts in the British Museum |publisher=Cambridge, Univ. Press }} This produces the text:

Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος, Κύριος σαβαώθ, πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης σου· ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις. Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐλθὼν καὶ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.

Hágios, hágios, hágios, Kýrios Sabaṓth, plḗrēs ho ouranós kaí hē gê tês dóxēs sou; hōsanná en toîs hupsístois. Eulogēménos ho elthṓn kaí erkhómenos en onómati Kyríou; hōsanná en toîs hupsístois.

This version adds "he who came and" before "he who comes"; in this it resembles the Liturgy of Saint James in the tradition of the Syriac Orthodox Church:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty; heaven and earth are full of His glories. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He Who came and will come in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.{{Cite web|url=https://syriacorthodoxresources.org/|title=Margoneetho: Syriac Orthodox Resources|website=syriacorthodoxresources.org}}

The Syriac Orthodox Church also has what it calls the Liturgy of Saint Dionysius, in which the Hosanna phrase appears only at the end:

Holy Holy Holy, Lord of Sabbaoth, Heaven and Earth are full of Thy Glory. Blessed is He that cometh in the Lord's Name; Hosanna in the highest.{{Cite web|url=http://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Historical/LiturgyOfStDionysius.htm|title=Liturgy Of St Dionysius|website=www.liturgies.net}}

The form used in the ancient Liturgy of Addai and Mari is much shorter:

ܩܲܕܝܫ: ܩܲܕܝܼܫ: ܩܲܕܝܼܫ: ܡܵܪܝܵܐ ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ ܚܲܝܠܬ݂ܵܢܵܐ: ܕܲܡܠܹܝܢ ܫ̈ܡܲܝܵܐ ܘܐܲܪܥܵܐ ܡܸܢ ܬܸܫ̈ܒ݁ܚܵܬܹܗ: ܘܡܸܢ ܟܝܵܢ ܐܝܼܬ݂ܘܼܬܹܗ: ܘܡܸܢ ܗܸܕ݂ܪܵܐ ܕܙܝܼܘܹܗ ܡܫܲܒ݁ܚܵܐ܀ ܐܘܿܫܲܥܢܵܐ ܒܲܡܪ̈ܲܘܡܹܐ: ܐܘܿܫܲܥܢܵܐ ܠܲܒ݂ܪܹܗ ܕܕ݂ܵܘܝܼܕ݂: ܒܪܝܼܟ݂ ܕܐܸܬ݂ܵܐ ܘܐܵܬܹܐ ܒܲܫܡܹܗ ܕܡܵܪܝܵܐ: ܐܘܿܫܲܥܢܵܐ ܒܲܡܪ̈ܲܘܡܹܐ.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord is the Lord God of hosts, for heaven and earth are full of his praises, and of the nature of his being, and for the excellency of his glorious splendor. Hosanna in the heights. Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who came and will come in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the heights.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.xii.iv.html|title=Philip Schaff: ANF07. Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies - Christian Classics Ethereal Library|website=www.ccel.org}}

The Coptic version of the Liturgy of Saint Basil also gives a short text of what it calls the Hymn of the Seraphim:

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Your holy glory.{{Cite web|url=http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/liturgy/liturgy_of_st_basil.pdf|title=Abraam D. Sleman (editor), St Basil Liturgy: Reference Book, p. 83}}

=Alternative ancient names and ancient secrecy=

The priest's introductions, following the rubrics that set what should be done by whom with each passage, uniformly call the hymn the {{lang|grc|ἐπινίκιος ὕμνος}}, i.e. "the hymn of victory". On the other hand, it used to be that, as Swainson notes about an attested variant form wherein only {{lang|grc|Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος}} is being quoted:

In the margin, much abbreviated, may be discerned the following: {{lang|grc|Κύριος σαβαώθ, πλήρης ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης σου. Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις· εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐλθὼν καὶ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις}}. Chrysostom frequently refers to this: sometimes as {{lang|grc|τὸ μυστικὸν μέλος}}; sometimes as {{lang|grc|ὁ πανάγιος ὕμνος}}; sometimes as the {{lang|grc|τρισάγιος ὕμνος}}. The knowledge of it as a whole was confined to the faithful.{{refn|group=n|See {{lang|grc|μυστικόν}}, mystikon; {{lang|grc|μέλος}}, melos; {{lang|grc|πανάγιος}}, panagios.{{LSJ|mustiko/s|μυστικόν}}, {{LSJ|me/los|μέλος}}, {{LSJ|pana/gios|πανάγιος|shortref}}.}}

:Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth; pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua

::Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

:Hosanna in excelsis

::Hosanna in the highest

:Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

::Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord

:Hosanna in excelsis

Musical settings

The Sanctus has been set to numerous plainchant melodies, many of which are given in the Roman Missal, and many more composers have set it to polyphonic music, both in single settings and as part of cyclic mass settings.

Parts of the Hymn have also been used in modern music, notably "Prism of Life" by Enigma (album Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!){{Citation|title=Enigma – Prism of Life|url=https://genius.com/Enigma-prism-of-life-lyrics|access-date=2021-12-23}}

Modern versions of the content of Sanctus include the 1986 German hymn "Du bist heilig, du bringst Heil", derived from a Swedish model.

Accompanying gestures

In the Tridentine Mass the priest joins his hands while saying the word "Sanctus" and then, bowing, continues to recite the whole of the Sanctus in a lower voice, while a small bell is rung; then, on reaching the words "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini", he stands erect again and makes the Sign of the Cross.Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, VII, 8 He then continues immediately with the Canon of the Mass, while the choir, if there is one, sings the Sanctus. In the pre-1962 form, the choir pauses for the Consecration and continues with the Benedictus part afterwards. As a result of this division, the Sanctus has sometimes been spoken of as "Sanctus and Benedictus".{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13432a.htm |title=Adrian Fortescue, "Sanctus" in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York 1912) |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1912-02-01 |access-date=2014-03-11}}{{cite web|url=http://www.naal-liturgy.org/pav/docs/seminars/language/ramshaw.pdf |title=Gail Ramshaw, "Wording the Sanctus" |access-date=2014-03-11}}{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/sm1875.09381 |title=Library of Congress |publisher=Loc.gov |access-date=2014-03-11}} However, in line with Pope John XXIII's revision of the rubrics of the liturgy, the splitting of the Sanctus, when sung to Gregorian chant (though not if sung polyphonically) was forbidden{{Cite web|url=https://media.musicasacra.com/pdf/musicrubrics_ef.pdf|title=De ritibus servandis in cantu missae, VII}} and is thus not allowed in celebrations of the 1962 Tridentine Mass as authorized by Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum.

In the Mass revised after the Second Vatican Council, the Sanctus may, of course, not be split, since the whole of the eucharistic prayer is sung or spoken aloud, and the only ceremony prescribed for the priest during the Sanctus is to join his hands. He and the people sing or recite together the whole of the Sanctus, before the priest continues the Eucharistic Prayer.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}