© Shulamit Hoffmann 2024
The Requiem text, for me, has always been in the service of performing musical Requiems in secular contexts, including several performances of Mozart Requiem. I, of course, am interested in the relationship between text and music. But I confess that, for me, the text largely has been handmaiden to the music; it has yielded clues about the representational gestures in the music and their affect. But some of the textual symbolism of the Requiem has always puzzled and eluded me. I have taken a deeper dive into the text and the symbols in it. One lovely warm afternoon last summer, sitting on our back porch and thanking my lucky stars that we once again had a back porch, I wrote into my singer score a translation of the text. The pdf of this Schirmer Edition with text translation is at https://www.vivalamusica.org/singer-resources. And as Dr Jervis has recently revised her translation of the text , that revision is included in a separate post on this blog.
As I was writing the words of the translation, rather than just reading them, I began to ponder some of the words and symbols that puzzled me. I started a list of my puzzlements. The text is familiar to me—Viva la Musica has performed many Requiems over the years, the last being Forrest Requiem for the Living (Carnegie Hall, 2019)—but is not within my personal purview. I began to ask questions, like a six year-old, that belie my naiveté: Why David? Why a Sybil? In a Roman Catholic rite, why is a promise to Abraham, Father of the Jews, so important that it gets its own music, not once, but twice? Why Zion? Why Jerusalem? Is Tartarus the same as hell? What’s wrong with goats that the supplicant would rather be with sheep? Why the need to escape from the mouth of a lion?
I started to ferret around, in the way I do, for information.
Thank you to my friend Terri Cook, who put me in touch with someone who could and would answer my questions. My deep gratitude goes to Rev Maaza, Pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Belmont, California, (https://www.ihmbelmont.org/). Father Maaza engaged with me in a way I could not have imagined, both informative and personal, and, in our talks about the Requiem text, he encouraged me to uncover my own roots, so that this enquiry became not only the satisfying of intellectual curiosity to make the making of the music more meaningful, but having deeply personal and somewhat mysterious, even mystical, resonances for me.
Thank you, Dr. Amy Jervis, for your insights stretching back to our 2011 collaboratively written program notes[1], and not only for your expertise and knowledge, but also your current colorful and convincing way in rehearsal of communicating —sometimes acting — the messages and meanings and subtleties of the text to Viva la Musica.
Dr Jervis has pointed out several things. For instance: the alternation in the text between the general e. g. dona eis, luceat eis, libera eas—and the personal—orationem meam, voca me, salva me. These alternations are sevocatively conveyed in the music.
Most of the content below is not my thought nor my words. Wikipedia provided lots of information. I have tried to be careful in acknowledging sources. Biblical references are not my bailiwick, so there may be some misquotes there—if you want to provide corrections, please do. Visual imagery is impactful to me, so I have included illustrations. (I am always fascinated by the vividness of the Last Judgement depictions!) And, for those for whom the Mass text is familiar territory, perhaps you will share with me an insight or a resource from your own understanding and experience. I invite more input and/or a two-way “conversation” (I almost typed “conversion”!) The whole is thoroughly derivative, therefore not authoritative, and is my personal exploration. It is very “drafty” and will probably just stay that way.
My compilation is arranged by musical movements, with movement titles and the particular word or symbol under discussion; aside from that, my organizational impetus is absent. It focusses mainly, although not entirely, on the movements of the musical Requiem that form the so-named Sequence: Dies Irae, Tuba Mirum, Rex Tremendae, Recordare, Confutatis, and Lacymosa; text that is particular to the Requiem. The Introitus Domine Jesu, Agnus Dei, and the final Lux Aeterna are also discussed because of some of the symbolism in them. The Kyrie and Sanctus, part of the Ordinary of the Mass, are not discussed here (although Agnus Dei, also part of the Ordinary, is discussed here because of the symbolism). [2] Somehow, I haven’t gotten around to the Benedictus.
Speaking personally, as a performing musician, I am so focused on learning the music that I might not always take text meaning into thoughtful account, even though I understand that the text comes before the music chronologically and that the music is illustrative of the text. So I share with you the information i have uncovered and some musings in hopes that it might give a con-text for the music we make, and that this context infuses, permeates, deepens, and transforms our understanding of the music and our performance of it and, thus also, ourselves.
The Dies Irae Plainchant
Mozart chose the Dies Irae plainchant as melodic inspiration, and its key of d minor as the overall key for his Requiesm, so this musical aspect has historical and symbolic "resonance." The original setting of the Dies Irae [1] was as a plainchant (or Gregorian chant) dating from the Medieval Era (some time between 400 and 1400 BCE) in the Dorian mode (D-D on the white keys on the piano: minor third, minor seventh).
"Dies irae" (plainchant) This link takes you to the Wikipedia page where you can hear the chant.
Symbols adopted from Judaism
The inclusion of Old Testament/Hebrew/Jewish references, alongside New Testament/Christian symbols in the Requiem has puzzled me. I now better understand the inclusionary, historical context and continuum that this admixture of symbols provides. And, for me, personally, it is a great joy that my own heritage is included, so perhaps I too, can ask "salve me" and my petition will be heard!
The influence of Judaism upon Christian symbolism as early as the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, is apparent both in painting and in sculpture, the most frequent motives being those that occur in the Mishnah as formulas for prayer on fast-days.[2] The prayer beginning with the words "Mi she-'anah", which was included in the selihah at an early date, was adopted in the Christian ritual as the litany "Libera domine". This litany was figuratively used in a certain sequence as a symbol, for the sacrifice of Isaac was regarded as a symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus, since the early religions, and the act of sacrifice emblemized the death on the cross.
Abraham was represented as the symbol of the power of faith and Isaac as the sacrificed redeemer. The ascension of Elijah (English : Elia or Elias) was believed to typify the ascension of Jesus Christ, who was regarded by Christian symbolism as an analogue to Elijah, although this ascension was also taken as a type of the general resurrection from the dead. Job sitting among the ashes was the symbol of patience and of the power of resistance of the flesh; and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in the fiery furnace typified steadfastness in persecution and faith in the aid of God. Christian sarcophagi contained artistic representations of the fall of man, Noah and the ark, scenes from the life of Moses in three variations, Joshua, David, and Daniel.
Introitus: Requiem aeternam
Light
Et lux perpetua luceat eis
“And let perpetual light shine on them”
The first creative act of God recorded in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, concerns light: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen. 1:3 KJV). The last book of the Christian New Testament has the same idea: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev. 21:23 KJV).
Light imagery bookends the Requiem text, appearing in in the Introitus (first movement):
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis
“Rest eternal grant them, Lord, and (let) light perpetual shine on them.”
and in the Lux Aeterna (penultimate or last movement, depending on whether you count the Cum Sanctis as a separate movement), again:
Lux Aeterna luceat eis, Domine….Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
“Rest eternal grant them, Lord,” and “ (let) light perpetual shine on them.”
Light is a recurring Biblical symbol, in both Old and New Testaments.[3]
Here are some instances:
The first creative act of God recorded in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, “And God said, ‘Let there be light’: and there was light” (Gen. 1:3). God creates light and separates it from darkness, establishing day and night (Genesis 1:3-4).
“The Lord being our light and salvation” (Psalm 27:1).
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples like tongues of fire, symbolizing the presence and power of God.
The appearance of the Lord’s glory “was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop” (Exodus 24:17)
“For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life” (Proverbs 6:23)
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1).
“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light” (Revelation 22:5).
“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light” (Ephesians 5:13-14).
Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).[4]
Sion/Zion
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.
“To Thee a song, O God, in Zion, and to Thee a vow shall be paid in Jerusalem”
The ancient Hebrew word Tsiyon (Zion) is “a Canaanite hill fortress in Jerusalem captured by David and called in the Bible ‘City of David.’" Zion can refer to one of three places: the hill where the most ancient areas of Jerusalem stood; the city of Jerusalem itself; or the dwelling place of God. In the Bible, the term "Zion" holds great significance and is used in both the Old Testament and, to a lesser extent, in the New Testament. Its meaning and symbolism can vary depending on the context. Here are some key aspects of the concept of Zion in the Bible:
Initially, Zion referred to a specific location in Jerusalem, particularly the city of David. This was the original Zion, also known as Mount Zion. It was a hill or mountain within Jerusalem where the city of David was established. Over time, it came to symbolize the city of Jerusalem and, by extension, the entire land of Israel.
Zion is often used as a symbol of the presence of God. In the Old Testament, it was considered the dwelling place of God. The Bible’s first reference talks about “the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.” (2 Samuel 5:7).
"For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, 'This is my resting place forever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.'" (Psalm 132:13-14 (NIV)). Zion is the Lord’s “holy mountain” (Psalm 2:6), the place where the Lord is “enthroned” (Psalm 9:11), and from which David yearns for salvation to emerge (Psalm 9:14).
“Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy” (Isaiah 4:3); “gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 18:7)
Zion appears numerous times in other books of the Old Testament including Lamentations, Jeremiah, and Micah. Zion is associated with establishing God's kingdom on Earth. It is seen as a place of righteousness, justice, and God's rule. Some passages in the Old Testament, particularly in the books of the prophets, speak of Zion in a prophetic sense. These prophecies often foretell a time of restoration and redemption for God's people, including the return of the Jewish exiles and the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan. It is sometimes used to express hope for the future reign of the Messiah.
In the New Testament, Zion can take on a more spiritual and symbolic meaning. In the context of Christianity, it is associated with the heavenly Jerusalem and the assembly of believers in Christ. For example, Hebrews 12:22-23 (NIV) says, "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." New Testament writers Matthew, John, and Paul quote what has already been written in the Old Testament when they speak of Zion. “In Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33) 1 Peter 2:6 says this stone in Zion is Jesus, “a chosen and precious cornerstone.” In his vision of end times, John saw “on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,0000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1) Commentators indicate that “Daughter of Zion” from Isaiah 1:8 means “the daughter of God’s people.” David Kowalski explains how this verse is “expressive of the tenderness with which the Lord had regarded the relation […] he had established between Jerusalem (as representing His people) and Himself.”
"Zion" in the Bible is a term that encompasses both a physical location in Jerusalem and a rich array of spiritual and symbolic meanings. It is closely associated with the presence of God, His kingdom, and His ultimate plan for salvation and redemption. The concept of Zion has played a significant role in the religious and prophetic thought of the biblical texts and continues to hold importance in various religious traditions today.
Zion can refer to one of three places: the hill where the most ancient areas of Jerusalem stood; the city of Jerusalem itself; or the dwelling place of God. The ancient Hebrew word Tsiyon (Zion) is “a Canaanite hill fortress in Jerusalem captured by David and called in the Bible ‘City of David.’" According to Patheos.com, Zion also means “mountain,” another term for “governments or nations,” but biblical writers often mean “the mountain of the Lord, […] the Rock of Israel” from Isaiah 30:29b. Mount Zion represents “the Kingdom of God” in Revelation 21 and “looks ahead to the New Jerusalem that will descend out of heaven.”
Sion as a mispronunciation or alternative pronunciation of Zion (Strong’s concordance). Sion: “another name for Mount Hermon.” While still important in the Bible as the potential place of Jesus’ transfiguration (Mark 9:3), Sion is not the site of the Holy Kingdom. As a prominent feature of the landscape, however, the Hebrew meaning of Hermon - "chief mountain" is a backdrop to the events of Christ’s life and ministry.
Scriptural imagery suggests both a temporal and a spiritual structure. Zion is a section of Jerusalem or the center of a wider building project encompassing all of Jerusalem. It is a social center, a church made up of individuals faithful to God through Christ. In both senses, Zion is a defense: fortress literally means “fortified place” or “stronghold.”
While the Kingdom of Heaven is real, a physical entity begun with a literal cornerstone, Jesus is the metaphorical equivalent. He is the point of reference from which Zion is built in one’s heart, as important to a Christian’s spiritual foundation and development as a stone to the foundations of the temple that David’s son, Solomon, built.
“Daughters of Zion,” a term evocative of God’s relational tenderness. According to Tim Keller, Christ’s attitude to the oppressed (Luke 4:18) and His Beatitudes (Luke 6:20-35) “show the implication of the gospel that the broken-hearted, unrecognized, and oppressed now have a central place in the economy of the Christian community.” Christ as the Cornerstone of a spiritual Zion gives hope once more to the poor, the weak, and the hungry in preference to the powerful and wealthy of 1st Century Jerusalem and today. [6]
Dies Irae
Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
teste David cum Sibylla.
The Triumph of Death is a fresco created around 1440-5 now housed in the Regional Gallery of Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo, southern Italy. The name of the artist of the work has been debated.
The fresco depicts a luxurious garden surrounded by a hedge. Death enters riding a skeletal horse, firing arrows from a bow. Death aims at characters belonging to all social levels, killing them. The horse occupies the center of the scene, with its ribs visible and an emaciated head showing teeth and the tongue. Death has just released an arrow, which has hit a young man in the lower right corner; Death also wears a scythe at the side of the saddle, its typical attribute.
On the lower part are corpses of the people previously killed: emperors, popes, bishops, friars (both Franciscans and Dominicans), poets, knights and maidens.[1] Each character is portrayed differently: some still have a grimace of pain on the face, while others are serene; some have their limbs dismembered on the ground, and others are kneeling after having been just struck by an arrow. On the left is a group of poor people, invoking Death to stop their suffering, but being ignored. Among them, the figure looking towards the observer has been proposed as a possible self-portrait of the artist.[citation needed]
On the right, a group of richly dressed noblewomen and knights with fur clothes are entertained by a musician. They appear to have no interest in the events and continue to socialize. The women in this group wear ostentatious necklaces and some are adorned with long, dangling earrings. A sumptuary law passed in Sicily in 1420 prohibited the wearing of expensive gold jewelry, except for rings, and declared that earrings could only be worn at particularly important celebrations.[2] A man with a falcon on his arm and another is leading two hounds represent common pursuits of the noble classes in the Renaissance.
David (/ˈdeɪvɪd/; Biblical Hebrew: דָּוִד, romanized: Dāwīḏ, "beloved one")[a][5] was a king of ancient Israel and Judah
In the biblical narrative of the Books of Samuel, David is described as a young shepherd and harpist whose heart is devoted to Yahweh, the one true God. He gains fame and becomes a hero by killing Goliath. He becomes a favorite of Saul, the first king of Israel, but is forced to go into hiding when Saul suspects David of plotting to take his throne. After Saul and his son Jonathan are killed in battle, David is anointed king by the tribe of Judah and eventually all the tribes of Israel. He conquers Jerusalem, makes it the capital of a united Israel, and brings the Ark of the Covenant to the city. He commits adultery with Bathsheba and arranges the death of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. David's son Absalom later tries to overthrow him, but David returns to Jerusalem after Absalom's death to continue his reign. David desires to build a temple to Yahweh, but is denied because of the bloodshed of his reign. He dies at age 70 and chooses Solomon, his son with Bathsheba, as his successor instead of his eldest son Adonijah. David is honored as an ideal king and the forefather of the future Hebrew Messiah in Jewish prophetic literature, and many psalms are attributed to him.
David is also richly represented in post-biblical Jewish written and oral tradition and referenced in the New Testament. Early Christians interpreted the life of Jesus of Nazareth in light of references to the Hebrew Messiah and to David; Jesus is described as being directly descended from David in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. In the Quran and hadith, David is described as an Israelite king as well as a prophet of Allah.[13][14] The biblical David has inspired many interpretations in art and literature over the centuries.
The Messiah concept is fundamental in Christianity. Originally an earthly king ruling by divine appointment ("the anointed one", as the title Messiah had it), in the last two centuries BCE the "son of David" became the apocalyptic and heavenly one who would deliver Israel and usher in a new kingdom. This was the background to the concept of Messiahship in early Christianity, which interpreted the career of Jesus "by means of the titles and functions assigned to David in the mysticism of the Zion cult, in which he served as priest-king and in which he was the mediator between God and man".
The early Church believed that "the life of David foreshadowed the life of Christ; Bethlehem is the birthplace of both; the shepherd life of David points out Christ, the Good Shepherd; the five stones chosen to slay Goliath are typical of the five wounds; the betrayal by his trusted counsellor, Ahitophel, and the passage over the Cedron remind us of Christ's Sacred Passion. Many of the Davidic Psalms, as we learn from the New Testament, are clearly typical of the future Messiah." In the Middle Ages, "Charlemagne thought of himself, and was viewed by his court scholars, as a 'new David'. [This was] not in itself a new idea, but [one whose] content and significance were greatly enlarged by him."
In European Christian culture of the Middle Ages, David was made a member of the Nine Worthies, a group of heroes encapsulating all the ideal qualities of chivalry. His life was thus proposed as a valuable subject for study by those aspiring to chivalric status. This aspect of David in the Nine Worthies was popularized first through literature, and thereafter adopted as a frequent subject for painters and sculptors. David was considered a model ruler and a symbol of divinely ordained monarchy throughout medieval Western Europe and Eastern Christendom. He was perceived as the biblical predecessor to Christian Roman and Byzantine emperors and the name "New David" was used as an honorific reference to these rulers. Charlemagne himself occasionally used "David" his pseudonym.
Sibyl
A woman regarded as oracle or prophet by the ancient Greeks and Romans / endowed with a spirit of prophecy.
Five Sibyls Seated in Niches: The Persian, Libyan, Delphic, Cimmerian and Erythraean Lippi [8]
or: the Samian, Cumean, Hellespontic, Phrygian and Tiburtine
Rex tremendae
In the midst of the dramatic depictions of Rex Tremendae majestatis, the “King of tremendous majesty,” the plaintive and personal beseeching, salve me–”save me” in the first person.
Recordare (“Remember”)
Recordare, Jesu pie, quod sum causa tuae viae, ne me perdas illa die.
“Remember, kind Jesus, that my salvation caused your suffering; do not forsake me on that day.”These words echo the words of the thief: “Remember me.” If, he says, the thief was listened to, then he claims that same grace for himself. This request appears several times in the Requiem text: the speaker repents of his sins and asks for mercy, asks to be spared from the coming judgment.
The Sheep and the Goats
Inter oves locum praesta, et ab hoedis ne sequestra, statuens in parte extra.
“Among the sheep grant me a place, and from the goats remove afar, to stand with those upon Thy right”
“Amongst the sheep provide me a place, and separate me from the goats, to stand at Thy right (hand).” (Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46). This passage is often called a “parable” but it seems to be describing future events and not symbolic ones. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 3When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 4I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46 NIV)[9]
As the scene progresses, the sheep are blessed (“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world”) and the goats are condemned (“Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”). [10]
Commentators (since John Chrysostom (ca. 344/354-407), have sought to explain why the goats should stand for the rejected, on Judgment Day. One says it is because of the goat’s unruly nature, another because of his lust and bad smell. Both animals mingled together in the same herd—just as righteous people and otherwise mingle together in the world—and the great Shepherd and Judge can easily tell the difference.
Dividing the sheep from the goats[11]
Confutatis
Confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis, voca me cum benedictis
“When sentence on the damned is passed, and all to piercing flames are sent, among the blessed call my name.”
God is the great and terrible Judge. God is fearsome.
The earth trembles “when the Judge descends from heaven to examine all things closely.” Those that He accuses will be “confounded and doomed to flames of woe.” The “righteous Judge of vengeance” is asked, “Grant me the gift of absolution before the day of retribution.” Man’s repentance—"I kneel with submissive heart, my contrition is like ashes, help me in my final condition.” The entire work ends with the words “because You are merciful,” leaving the listener to contemplate not man’s role in salvation, but God’s.[12]
Lacrymosa
On a day of “tears and mourning, when from the ashes shall arise all humanity to be judged.”
Two conditions are necessary for this deliverance to take place. God’s mercy—"Spare us by your mercy, Lord, gentle Lord Jesus, grant them eternal rest.” And man’s repentance.
Domine Jesu
Libera eas de ore leonis
“Deliver them from the mouth of the lion.”
David compares his enemies to lions in the book of Psalms: “How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions” (34:17). Daniel gets thrown into the lions’ den when he refuses to stop praying, but, as he tells the king the next morning from the lion's den: "My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm" (Daniel 6:22).
“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.” (2 Timothy 4:17 NIV)[13]
The reference in the Requiem, given its proximity in the text to Tartarus, is probably to the devil himself: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8).
Lions (detail) in the Northumberland Bestiary, about 1250–60, unknown illuminator, made in England. Pen-and-ink drawing tinted with body color and translucent washes on parchment, 8 1/4 × 6 3/16 in. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. 100, fol. 8. Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program[14]
Michael
Sed signifier sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam…
“Let the standard-bearer, holy Michael, bring them into holy light…”
The Requiem text portrays Michael as a servant or messenger or an usher. He is “the standard-bearer, holy Michael,” and his role is to lead the souls of the faithful into “holy light.” One passage specifically commands angels not be worshipped: “At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!’” (Rev. 19:10).
Michael is called an archangel (New Testament, Book of Jude). He leads the angelic hosts against Satan (Old Testament book of Daniel and in the final book of the Bible, Revelation). As time went on in church history, Michael came to be more and more honored, often being called “Saint Michael.” Churches were dedicated to him, prayers were made to him, devotions were paid.
This veneration doesn’t fit into the biblical attitude towards angels in general. The only other angel mentioned by name in the Bible is Gabriel, who makes several appearances, always as a messenger. There seems to be some a ranking within angels, but the system isn’t spelled out. The most common reaction in the Bible to the appearance of an angel is abject fear. For instance, the first statement of the angels to the shepherds is “Fear not.”
Angels are both the messengers and warriors of God. They are often described as fearsome beings, such as the Cherubim with four wings and heads, covered with eyes and flaming wheels about them, or the Seraphim sporting four wings and towering stature. This gives good reason as to why they greeted most mortals with the phrase “Be not afraid”. One of the best known of the angels is St. Michael the Archangel, the high prince and one of the principal angels. Michael was a great leader of the angels in the war against Satan and his followers. His name, meaning “Who is like to God?”, served as the war-cry of the good angels as they plunged into battle to “fight the dragon”.
The image of Michael defeating Satan is one of the most popular depictions of the archangel prince. He is often shown with a spear, sword, armor, banner, and/or scales. Michael was known especially for his strength and courage, and many applaud him for his chivalry and determination to boldly fight for justice,
He is featured more than any other named angel in religious texts, and is the oldest angelic devotion.
Michael is the leader of the four archangels, or chief angels. Michael is charged with the tasks of protecting those who love God, transporting the souls of the dead, and leading the battle against Satan. He also is traditionally the one called upon for the freeing of the possessed in spiritual bondage from evil spirits.
Michael is the patron saint of the Military, Police officers, Firemen, death, and people who work in dangerous conditions. His feast day is celebrated on the 29th of September. St. Michael the Archangel has inspired artists, accompanied souls, and protected God’s people throughout the ages as the leader of the angels and a true warrior of God. [16a]
Memling’s triptych depicts the Last Judgment during the second coming of Jesus Christ. The central panel showing Jesus sitting in judgment on the world, while St Michael the Archangel is weighing souls and driving the damned towards Hell (the sinner in St. Michael's right-hand scale pan is a donor portrait [15] of Tommaso Portinari); the left hand panel showing the saved being guided into heaven by St Peter and the angels; and the right-hand panel showing the damned being dragged to Hell.
Hans Memling triptych Last Judgment Das Jüngste Gericht (c. 1467–1471)[16]
Tartarus
Ne absorbeat eas Tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum.
“Lest hell swallow them up, lest they fall into darkness.”
In Greek mythology, Tartarus (/ˈtɑːrtərəs/; Ancient Greek: Τάρταρος, romanized: Tártaros)[1] is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans.[17]
Tartarus, derived from the Greek word for the underworld, occurs only once in the Bible.
Tartarus occurs in the Septuagint translation of Job (40:20 and 41:24) into Koine Greek, and in Hellenistic Jewish literature from the Greek text of the Book of Enoch, dated to 400–200 BC. This states that God placed the archangel Uriel "in charge of the world and of Tartarus" (20:2). Tartarus is generally understood to be the place where 200 fallen Watchers (angels) are imprisoned.
Reference to the watchers of the book of Enoch is also observed in Jude 1:6-7 where scripture describes Angels being bound by chains under everlasting darkness, and 2 Peter 2:4 which further describes fallen angels committed to chains in Tartarus.
In Hypostasis of the Archons (also translated 'Reality of the Rulers'), an apocryphal gnostic treatise dated before 350 AD, Tartarus makes a brief appearance when Zōē (life), the daughter of Sophia (wisdom) casts Ialdabaōth (demiurge) down to the bottom of the abyss of Tartarus.[24]
In The Book of Thomas, Tartaros is claimed by Jesus to be the place where those who hear the word of Judas Thomas and "turn away or sneer" are to be sent. These damned will be handed over to the angel or power Tartarouchos.
Agnus Dei
“Lamb of God.”
The title of a section of text, also a section of the Mass, also a musical movement:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, don eis requiem
“Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Grant them eternal rest.”
The Jewish Feast of Passover centered around a lamb, commemorating Israel’s deliverance from slavery and from God’s judgment, as He “passed over” the households that had slaughtered a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts and lintels of their homes. The idea of a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
This is an almost exact quotation: “…John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (Gospel of John 1:29). John’s hearers would have been familiar with the idea of a sacrificial lamb. Animals were still being sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem at this time, many of them lambs. (Those sacrifices would end in 70 A.D. with the destruction of the Temple by Roman legions under Titus.)
Agnus Dei c. 1635–1640, by Francisco de Zurbarán, Prado Museum [19]
The book of Revelation in the Christian New Testament repeatedly refers to Christ as a lamb. (Revelation was written by John the Apostle, who also wrote the Gospel quoted above. He’s not the same John as the one who called Jesus the Lamb of God. That was John the Baptist, a different person entirely. As far as we know, John the Baptist didn’t write anything.) One representative verse is from verse 12 of chapter 5: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.” (You’ll almost certainly recognize that phrase from Handel’s Messiah.) And of course there are many, many references throughout the New Testament to Christ’s death as being a sacrifice for sins. This central Christian doctrine is given its own section in the requiem mass. [20]
Sources
[6] https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-meaning-of-zion-in-the-bible.html - google_vignette
[7] https://cdn.britannica.com/14/714-050-40831657/Delphic-Sibyl-detail-fresco-Michelangelo-Sistine-Chapel.jpg
[8] Filippino Lippi, Five Sibyls Seated in Niches: The Persian, Libyan, Delphic, Cimmerian and Erythraean, ca. 1465-1470, Christ Church, Oxford.
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