GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO by James R. Coggins

Do we pay enough attention to the songs we sing?

One of the frequently sung Christmas carols is “Angels We Have Heard on High.” The carol is about the angels telling the shepherds to go to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. The song’s author is unknown, but the song seems to have originated in France at least a couple of centuries ago and was soon translated into English by James Chadwick. It might be that the chorus was sung in the fields by French shepherds.

Many people sing the song without thinking about the meaning of the chorus, “Gloria in excelsis Deo.” This is not French, but Latin. It is a translation of what the angels proclaimed to the shepherds in Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest heaven.” There is no Greek word for “heaven” in this verse, but just the word hupsos, meaning “highest.” The Greek just says, “Glory to God in the highest.” This might be an echo of the Old Testament phrase “God Most High.” It is not the heavens that are the highest, but God Himself.

About jrcoggins

James R. Coggins is a professional writer and editor based in British Columbia, Canada. He wrote his first novel in high school, but, fortunately for his later reputation as a writer, it was never published. He briefly served as a Christian magazine editor (for just over 20 years). He has written everything from scholarly and encyclopedia articles to jokes in Reader’s Digest (the jokes paid better). His six and a half published books include four John Smyth murder mysteries and one other, stand-alone novel. In his spare time, he operates Mill Lake Books, a small publishing imprint. His website is www.coggins.ca

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