Nunc Dimittis
Nunc Dimittis
A prayer said by Simeon on the occasion of the presentation of Jesus in the temple, beginning with “Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine” (Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord). It is one of the three “evangelical canticles.” Included in the Roman Breviary for Compline daily throughout the year, it is recited on 2 February, the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin or Candlemas, at the blessing of the candles, and forms the Tract in the Mass of the feast when the latter follows Septuagesima. The “Nunc Dimittis” is at once a petition, a prophecy, and a hymn of thanksgiving (Luke 2).
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Nunc Dimittis
(The Canticle of Simeon).
Found in St. Luke’s Gospel (ii, 29-32), is the last in historical sequence of the three great Canticles of the New Testament, the other two being the Magnificat (Canticle of Mary) and the Benedictus (Canticle of Zachary). All three are styled, by way of eminence, the “Evangelical Canticles” (see CANTICLE). The title is formed from the opening words in the Latin Vulgate, “Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine” etc.). (“Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord” etc.). The circumstances under which Simeon uttered his song-petition, thanksgiving, and prophecy are narrated by St. Luke (ii. 21-35) (see CANDLEMAS). The words following those quoted above, “according to thy word in peace”, are explained by v. 26: “And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.” Brief though the Canticle is, it abounds in Old-Testament allusions. Thus, in the following verses, “Because my eyes have seen thy salvation” alludes to Isaias, lii, 10, rendered afterwards by St. Luke (iii, 6), “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God”. Verse 31, “Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples” accords with the Psalmist (xcvii, 2); and verse 32, “A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel”, recalls Isaias, xlii, 6.
The text of the Nunc Dimittis is given in full in the brief evening prayer found in the Apostolic Constitutions (Book VII, xlviii) (P.G., 1, 1057). In the Roman Office, the canticle is assigned to Complin. If St. Benedict did not originate this canonical Hour, he gave to it its liturgical character; but he nevertheless did not include the Canticle, which was afterwards incorporated into the richer Complin Service of the Roman Rite, where it is preceded by the beautiful responsory, “In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum” (Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit) etc., with the Antiphon following, “Salva nos, Domine, vigilantes, custodi nos dormientes” (O Lord, keep us waking, guard us sleeping) etc., all this harmonizing exquisitely with the spirit of the Nunc Dimittis and with the general character of the closing Hour of the Office. In the blessing of the candles on the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, the Canticle, of course, receives great prominence both in its text and in the references to Simeon in the preceding prayers. Its last verse, “Lumen ad revelationem” etc., forms the Antiphon which not only precedes and follows the Canticle, but also precedes every verse of it and the Gloria Patri and Sicut erat of the concluding doxology. The symbolism of the Canticle and of its Antiphon is further emphasized by the lighted candles of Candlemas. The complete Canticle also forms the Tract in the Mass of the feast, when the 2 February follows Septuagesima.
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For a fuller explanation of the Nunc Dimittis, the following commentaries (in English) may be consulted: CORNELIUS A LAPIDE, St. Luke’s Gospel, tr. MOSSMAN (London, 1892), 113-116; MCEVILLY, An Exposition of the Gospel of St. Luke (New York, 1888), 61, 62; BREEN, A Harmonized Exposition of the Four Gospels, I (Rochester, N.Y., 1899), 209-16; MARBACH, Carmina Scripturarum (Strasburg, 1907), 438-40 (gives detailed references to the use of its verses in Mass and Office); The Office of Compline, in Latin and English, according to the Roman Rite, with full Gregorian Notation (Rome, 1907); SQUIRE in GROVE, Dict. of Music and Musicians, gives s.v. Nunc Dimittis, an explanation of its use in Anglican Evensong; HUSENBETH, The Missal for the Use of the Laity (London, 1903), 562-66, for the prayers and canticles on the feast of the Purification.
H.T. HENRY Transcribed by Michael T. Barrett Dedicated to Dr. Wallace Long and the Willamette University choirs
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XICopyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Nunc Dimittis
are the first words of the Latin song of Simeon, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, appointed as one of the hymns to be used in the rubric of the Church of England and in the Protestant Episcopal service after the second lesson at even-song. It was used in this place in the most ancient times. It is found in the apostolical constitutions. Even at the present day this hymn is repeated at evening prayer in the patriarchate of Constantinople. After the second evening lesson out of the epistles of the holy apostles this hymn is most commonly used. The author of it is supposed to be that holy doctor whom the Jews call Simeon the Just, son of the famous rabbi Hillel, a man of eminent integrity, and one who opposed the then common Opinion of the Messiah’s temporal kingdom. The occasion of composing it was his meeting Christ in the Temple when he came to be offered there, wherein God fulfilled his promise to him that he should not die till he had seen the Messiah; taking Jesus therefore in his arms, inspired with joy and the Holy Ghost, he sang this Nunc dimittis. This hymn comes very properly after the second lesson, which is always taken out of the New Testament, wherein is contained and delivered that Gospel, the enjoyment and participation of which is the ground and foundation of the whole hymn. It should be added that this hymn is addressed to God; and, since it may be used as the personal address of every devout Christian, no one should repeat it in a careless manner.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Nunc Dimittis
NUNC DIMITTIS (Luk 2:29-32), so called from the opening words in the Latin version, is the third and shortest of the hymns of the Incarnation preserved to us by St. Luke. Like the other two, it speaks of Christ; but whereas Benedictus, the Song of the priest Zacharias, is naturally of His Priesthood, and Magnificat, the Song of the royally-descended Virgin Mary, of His Kingdom, this, the Song of Simeon (wh. see), as beseems the utterance of a prophet, is of Messiah fulfilling the prophetic function assigned to Him in the OT (cf. Deu 18:15), and especially by Isaiah.
The feature in Simeons character which is to the Evangelist the climax of his virtues is that he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. The words are a reminiscence of Jacobs, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord (Gen 49:18); and they describe what was precisely the attitude of Abraham in regard to Gods promise of the land (Act 7:9 and Heb 11:13), and of David in regard to the kingdom (1Sa 26:9-11), both of whom did not fret themselves in anywise to do evil (Psa 37:8), but waited till the Lord would give what He had spoken. So our Lord, speaking of those in danger of being led away by false Christs, bids His followers in patience possess their souls (Luk 21:19). This was part of the faith of Simeon: his waiting for the Lords Christ (Luke 2) saved him from going after any turbulent pretender, or accepting, with the Herodians, a mere king of this world. The consolation of Israel was a phrase with the Rabbis for the times of Messiah: Lightfoot (Hor. Heb.) gives five illustrations of its use.
The repeated mention of the Holy Spirit guiding Simeon at each successive step evinces the fact that prophecy, silent since the days of Malachi, is again about to stir (de Wette, Oosterzee); yet the difference also is to be observed between the repeated comings of the Spirit upon Simeon, and His abiding on Jesus (Joh 1:33) and remaining with the Church (Joh 14:16). By what sign Simeon was taught of the Spirit to recognize the child of Mary as the Christ we are not told: perhaps the Virgins poverty, evidenced by her offering of doves, was the token to him, as the manger-cradle had been to the shepherds (Luk 2:12). Anyhow the Child was pointed out to him; he went up to Him, received Him in his arms, and, as he held Him, he blessed God, and uttered his Nunc dimittis. There are no different readings in the text of it; but the Syriac renders the verb in the first clause, which in Greek, Latin, and English is in the indicative mood, by an optative, My Lord, now release thou thy servant in peace. The mistake has been followed by several in this country who should have known better: e.g. by Logan, in the Scottish Paraphrases (Par. 38):
Now, Lord, according to thy word,
Let me in peace depart.
At length my arms embrace my Lord,
Now let their vigour cease,
and even by John Keble, usually so accurate:
Whose prayers are struggling with his tears,
Lord, let me now depart.
As a matter of fact, Simeon does not pray for death. He thanks God for permitting him to see, what many prophets and kings had desired to see and were not permitted (Luk 10:24), the salvation He had promised; and having seen it he says that he is ready to go when God wills.
The hymn is in three couplets:
(1) Thanksgiving for permission at last to leave his post, as the sentinel when the hour of his watch is over (Godet). Death will be to him as sleep to a labouring man (Bruce).
Now thou art letting thy servant depart, O Lord,
According to thy word, in peace.
The word, of course, is the promise of v. 26 that he should not see death before he had seen the Lords [own] Christ; and the fulfilment of the promise has brought him peace, because in Christ there is sure salvation for him and for all Gods people.
There are two fine Patristic commentsCyprians (On the Mortality, 3), He bears witness that the servants of God have peace, are free, and tranquil when, withdrawn from the whirlwinds of this world, they reach the port of the eternal home, and pass through death to immortality; and Ambroses (Exposition of St. Luke, Bk. ii. ii. 59), Let him who wishes to depart come into the Temple; let him come to Jerusalem; let him wait for the Lords Christ; let him take in his arms the Word of God, embracing Him by the arms of faith. Servant (), Lord ()slave, master are terms appropriate at all times to express the relation between God and men, yet savouring of the Law (Bruce).
(2) The reason of Simeons peace in the prospect of death:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou preparedst before the face of all peoples.
What we see with our eyes is sure (cf. Joh 1:14; Joh 19:35 and 1Jn 1:2). And Jesus Christ is salvation (Isa 49:6), for salvation is in Him and in none other (Act 4:12). Moreover, He is the salvation which God Himself provided, not which man might have fancied. Preparedst is a more correct rendering than Authorized Version hast prepared, for the tense refers to a definite historical fact (cf. Luk 1:47); and this God means for all peoples (Luk 2:10) (plural)both the sections of mankind of whom, in the next verse, Simeon is to speak, viz. the Gentiles and Israel. The Greek word used () usually means Israel only, the people [of the Lord]. But now the privilege is extended, and they who were not a people are to be the people of the living God (Hos 2:1, Rom 9:25-26, 1Pe 2:13).
(3) The different prophetic functions Christ is to discharge towards the Gentiles and the Jews respectively:
A light to lighten the Gentiles,
And the glory of thy people Israel.
(a) To the Gentiles who sat in darkness (Isa 9:2) He is to be a Light (Isa 49:6); but not only by giving them light. The thought is greater than merely that Christ is to reveal truth to the Gentiles. He is a Light for their revealing ( )to show what the Gentiles are, how dear to Almighty God (cf. Rom 3:29), and how capable they are through His grace of producing saints. The prophecy of Simeon is thus akin to that of John the Baptist (Mat 3:7), and has its OT roots in such passages as Isa 25:7 and Hos 2:3. How wonderfully has it been fulfilledthat out of Judaism He could bring a Peter, a John, a Paul; out of decadent Rome an Augustine and an Ambrose; out of the wild Irish a Columba; out of the Saxon knife-men a Wilfrid and a Bede! We have yet to see what He will make of China and Japan, when they are Christianized, (b) Of Israel, who had produced so many saints, prophets, and teachers, the lights of the world in their several generations, Christ is to be the supreme Glory, of more honour than Moses (Heb 3:3), with a better priesthood than Aaron (Heb 7:27), Himself the very Brightness of the Fathers glory (Heb 1:3), which was beheld in Him (Joh 1:14). St. Paul saw, in the 1st cent., how true is this prophecy of Christ (Rom 9:4-6), and all subsequent history is its confirmation.
A parallel is given by Carpenter (The Synoptic Gospels) from Buddhist legend of one who, discerning in a babe the signs of perfection, predicted, Thou wilt be a Buddha, and remove the veils of sin and ignorance from the world. But the Indian seer could not rejoice with Simeon, he could only weep that he would not be alive to share the light; which reminds us that Simeons peace is through the Christian hope of a better life to come, when we shall be with Christ.
Simeons attitude towards the Gentiles, while in full accord with that of the OT (Gen 22:18; Gen 49:10, Psa 98:3; Psa 100:1, Isa 42:6; Isa 49:6; Isa 60:3), is in striking contrast to that of the nearest contemporary Jewish writings, the Psalms of Solomon, in which, though there is the same longing for Messiah and His kingdom, the lot of the heathen is not light or salvation, but only judgment (Ps-Sol 16:4).
The singular sweetnessthe calm beauty, as of a perfect pearlof the Song of Simeon has always been recognized; and for ages it has entered into the evening service of the Church. Both the Roman Catholic and the Anglican Churches have appointed it as a hymn at Vespers, teaching us (as it does) to live each day as if we knew it to be our last; and, embracing Christ by faith, to thank God for Him and be ready in peace to depart in Him. In the Church of Scotland, while Knoxs Prayer-Book held its place, and again after the introduction of the Paraphrases (1781), it became customary to use it at the close of the Communion Service; while in a few churches, both Episcopal and Presbyterian, it is sung at funerals when the body is being carried out of the church.
Literature.T. A. Gurney, Nunc Dimittis (1906); A. M. Stewart, Infancy and Youth of Jesus (1905), 53; T. D. Bernard, Songs of the Holy Nativity (1895), 120, 131; S. Cox, Expositions (1888), iv. 1.
James Cooper.