Tantum Ergo Line

[GoodTony]

In Eucharistic Exposition, The Tantum Ergo prayer contains the following line:

“Over ancient forms of worship
Newer rites of grace prevail”

Exactly what does that mean?

 

[callmeChris]

In Eucharistic Exposition, The Tantum Ergo prayer contains the following line:

“Over ancient forms of worship
Newer rites of grace prevail”

Exactly what does that mean?

I’m no decoder but let’s see what we can cover ok?

DOWN in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail,
Lo! oe’r ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

It seems it is talking about Christ’s sacrifice and the new and eternal covenant which he gave to us at the last supper. "Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” - Matt 26: 27-28

So pretty much this ejaculation is one of praise to The Church as Christ’s spouse and God’s Kingdom on earth. Before Christ many Sacrifices both pagan and Godly were used. Jesus came to fulfill all things in The Father and so he did by giving us himself as a pure and holy sacrifice. No other can substitute nor come near. Hope this helped

 

[jimrob]

The Tantum Ergo is the last two verses of a longer hymn by St Thomas Acquinas, the Pange Lingua. There are always problems translating hymns because you have to maintain it in verse and with the same metric pattern.

The lines: Et antiquum documentum novo cedat ritui
Translate as: and old documents (practices) yield new rituals.

The main theme in Pange Lingua is that the sacrifice represented by the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament supersedes the ritual sacrifices of Jewish tradition.

 

[Thomas_Redd]

In Eucharistic Exposition, The Tantum Ergo prayer contains the following line:

“Over ancient forms of worship
Newer rites of grace prevail”

Exactly what does that mean?

That is my favorite line in the song. I studied anthropology and comparative religions in college and I soon recognized that the ancient apostolic Christian churches such as the Catholic, Orthodox, Assyrian, Coptic, etc that continue to recognize the Real Presence in the Eucharist are really fulfilling the ancient yearning of all religions. These ancient religions would offer bloody and even human sacrifice that were essentially meaningless to gods who did not exist. Their sacrificial rites were the re-enactment of some ancient myth where the divinity would be killed to create the cosmos. The ancient people believed that the sacrificial victim actually became their god or goddess during the ritual and the creative sacrificial act was actually being made present again. Sound familiar doesn’t it.

We believe that by Jesus’s death on the Cross, mankind and the Cosmos was actually recreated anew. The old meaningless religious yearnings were fulfilled in reality. The Lord’s Supper again makes present in reality Jesus’s death and resurrection.

All the empty rites of the past must now give way to the real saving action of the real God.

From the earliest times, Christianity recognizied that it was was the fullfillment of off these ancient religions which were mere shadows of the reality of what “eye has not seen.”

Sorry I used “reality” and “actually” so many times but I had no other way to express it.

 

[Thomas_Redd]

The Tantum Ergo is the last two verses of a longer hymn by St Thomas Acquinas, the Pange Lingua. There are always problems translating hymns because you have to maintain it in verse and with the same metric pattern.

The lines: Et antiquum documentum novo cedat ritui
Translate as: and old documents (practices) yield new rituals.

The main theme in Pange Lingua is that the sacrifice represented by the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament supersedes the ritual sacrifices of Jewish tradition.

Thanks. In my previous post, I took the point view of other religions not Judaism. However, your point about Christianity being the fulfillment of Jewish sacrificial rites is well taken. Of course their sacrifices were not meaningless but incomplete because they awaited the coming the Annointed One, who is King, Priest and Victim.

 

[MarkThompson]

The Tantum Ergo is the last two verses of a longer hymn by St Thomas Acquinas, the Pange Lingua. There are always problems translating hymns because you have to maintain it in verse and with the same metric pattern.

The lines: Et antiquum documentum novo cedat ritui
Translate as: and old documents (practices) yield new rituals.

The main theme in Pange Lingua is that the sacrifice represented by the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament supersedes the ritual sacrifices of Jewish tradition.

That translation is not quite correct. Documentum does not mean “a document,” but rather “a lesson, example; a pattern, warning; a proof, instance, specimen, etc.” More importantly, “cedat” does not mean “yields” in the sense of “creates, gives rise to,” but rather “gives way to, yields precedence to; passes away in favor of.” Thus the direct translation of this line would be closest to something like “And the ancient practice gives way to a new rite.”

 

[TheMc]

That translation is not quite correct. Documentum does not mean “a document,” but rather “a lesson, example; a pattern, warning; a proof, instance, specimen, etc.” More importantly, “cedat” does not mean “yields” in the sense of “creates, gives rise to,” but rather “gives way to, yields precedence to; passes away in favor of.” Thus the direct translation of this line would be closest to something like “And the ancient practice gives way to a new rite.”

So is that “yield” as in “Our army yielded [gave up] the fortress”?

 

[YoungTradCath]

So is that “yield” as in “Our army yielded [gave up] the fortress”?

Yes.

 

[MarkThompson]

Yes.

Cedo is the root of the English word “cede,” which reflects the basic meaning. That explains why “novo ritui” is in the dative case, because it is the indirect object to which the “antiquum documentum” yields or gives way. If “cedat” had meant “gives rise to,” then it would have taken a direct object in the accusative case.

 

[TheMc]

Cedo is the root of the English word “cede,” which reflects the basic meaning. That explains why “novo ritui” is in the dative case, because it is the indirect object to which the “antiquum documentum” yields or gives way. If “cedat” had meant “gives rise to,” then it would have taken a direct object in the accusative case.

Thanks, both of you! I’m still working on teaching myself latin, but it’s great to have real people to ask questions once and a while.