Agnus Dei


Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within the Roman Catholic Mass and, by extension, other Christian liturgies descending from the Latin tradition. It is the name given to a specific prayer that occurs in these liturgies, and is the name given to the music pieces that accompany the text of this prayer.
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The use of the title "Lamb of God" in liturgy is based on, in which St. John the Baptist, upon seeing Jesus, proclaims "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

Liturgical usage

Roman Catholic

The Syrian custom of a chant addressed to the Lamb of God was introduced into the Roman Rite Mass by Pope Sergius I in the context of his rejection of the Council of Trullo of 692, whose canons had forbidden the iconographic depiction of Christ as a lamb instead of a man.
LatinEnglish


Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.



Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.



Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.



Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.



Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.



Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.


The verse used in the first and second invocations may be repeated as many times as necessary.
In a Tridentine Requiem Mass, the words "miserere nobis" are replaced by "dona eis requiem", while "dona nobis pacem" is replaced by "dona eis requiem sempiternam".
The priest also uses the phrase "Lamb of God" again, later in the Mass. While displaying the Eucharistic species to the people before giving them Holy Communion, he says: "Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi. Beati qui ad cenam Agni vocati sunt."

Anglican

The following three versions are all found in the Church of England's Common Worship liturgical resources, and also in the Episcopal Church's liturgical resources:

Lutheran

The version found in the Lutheran Service Book of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is:

Musical settings

Religious music

Virtually every Mass setting includes an Agnus Dei. Here are some examples:
With a slightly changed text, the Agnus Dei is also part of musical settings composed for the Requiem Mass for the Dead. Such settings include:
Some composers set the text as an independent movement, such as Samuel Barber, who wrote a version for his Adagio for Strings.

In popular culture

Outside of religious use, the text has been used by composers such as: