Doxology

A doxology is a short hymn of praise to God the Trinity in various Christian liturgies, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives from a similar practice in the Jewish synagogue.

By far the most common doxology (and often simply called "The Doxology"), used by Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestants, is the Gloria Patri:

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum, Amen.

Glory [be] to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

"World without end", it might be noted, is a sort of paraphrase of the original, which is more precisely translated by the most commonly encountered Orthodox English version:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now, ever and unto the ages of ages.

This doxology, as well as praising God, has been regarded as a short declaration of faith in the co-equality of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. Another early form ("Glory be to the Father, with the Son, through the Holy Spirit") was originally used by the Orthodox along with the more familiar wording, but came to be used exclusively by Arians and others who denied the divinity of the Son and Holy Spirit.

Another doxology in widespread use in English is:

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

This is usually sung to the tune Old 100th, but also to Duke Street, by John Hatton and The Eight Tune by Thomas Tallis.

Yet another familiar doxology is the phrase at the end of the traditional Lord's Prayer not found in the original scripture: "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen."

At Matins, Orthodox worship specifies a Great Doxology for feast days and a Small Doxology for ordinary days. (Both include the Gospel doxology Gloria in Excelsis of the angel's (Luke 2:14): Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill among men.)

Because most Christian worship services include a doxology, and these hymns therefore were familiar and well-practiced among church choirs, the English word sockdolager arose, a deformation of doxology, which came to mean a "show-stopper", a production number.