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Document Details :

Title: L'origine du Sanctus
Author(s): TEN KATE, Albert A.S.
Journal: Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses
Volume: 83    Issue: 1   Date: 2007   
Pages: 193-201
DOI: 10.2143/ETL.83.1.2021749

Abstract :
Until now, the research on the origin of the Sanctus, a liturgical hymn, has been found in the quotation of Isaiah 6,3, where the prophet says a thrice “holy!”. But in the oldest testimony of this book, 1Q Isa, there is only a twofold exclamation of “holy!”. Usually this has been hold for a mistake of the copiist, but there are far more signs that the twofold exclamation is the original and that the threefold came only by influence of Christianity. As there were much more occurrences in Qumran liturgical practices, they all intend to make a superlative: “most holy” would then be the best translation. Later on, Christianity with its Trinitarian dogma influenced the liturgical practices to a threefold exclamation. In our article we will pass on the different prooftexts in the context of Early Christianity.

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