Sic transit gloria mundi

Last updated

Juan de Valdes Leal, Finis gloriae mundi (1672). Seville, Hospital de la Caridad Valdes Leal - Finis Gloriae Mundi.jpg
Juan de Valdés Leal, Finis gloriae mundi (1672). Seville, Hospital de la Caridad

Sic transit gloria mundi is a Latin phrase that means "thus passes the glory of the world". In idiomatic contexts, the phrase has been used to mean "fame is fleeting". [1] [2]

Contents

The phrase was used in the ritual of papal coronation ceremonies between 1409 (when it was used at the coronation of Alexander V) [3] and 1963. As the newly chosen Pope proceeded from the sacristy of St. Peter's Basilica in his sedia gestatoria, the procession stopped three times. On each occasion, a papal master of ceremonies would fall to his knees before the Pope, holding a silver or brass reed, bearing a tow of smoldering flax. For three times in succession, as the cloth burned away, he would say in a loud and mournful voice, "Pater Sancte, sic transit gloria mundi!" ("Holy Father, so passes worldly glory!"). [4] These words, thus addressed to the Pope, served as a reminder of the transitory nature of life and earthly honours. [5] [6] [7]

A form of the phrase appeared in Thomas à Kempis's 1418 work The Imitation of Christ: "O quam cito transit gloria mundi" ("How quickly the glory of the world passes away"). [8] [9]

In literature and art

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epigram</span> Brief memorable statement

An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek ἐπίγραμμα. This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas à Kempis</span> German canon regular

Thomas à Kempis, CRV was a German-Dutch Catholic canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of The Imitation of Christ, published anonymously in Latin in the Netherlands c. 1418–1427, one of the most popular and best known Christian devotional books. His name means "Thomas of Kempen", Kempen being his home town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dryden</span> English poet and playwright (1631–1700)

John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temporal power of the Holy See</span> Political and secular governmental activity of the popes of the Roman Catholic Church

The Holy See exercised sovereign and secular power, as distinguished from its spiritual and pastoral activity, while the pope ruled the Papal States in central Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papal coronation</span> Roman Catholic Church ceremony of placing the papal tiara on a newly-elected Pope

A papal coronation is the formal ceremony of the placing of the papal tiara on a newly elected pope. The first recorded papal coronation was of Pope Nicholas I in 858. The most recent was the 1963 coronation of Paul VI, who soon afterwards abandoned the practice of wearing the tiara. To date, none of his successors have used the tiara, and their papal inauguration celebrations have included no coronation ceremony, although any future pope may elect to restore the use of the tiara at any point during his pontificate.

<i>The Imitation of Christ</i> Book by Thomas à Kempis

The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis, is a Christian devotional book first composed in Medieval Latin as De Imitatione Christi. The devotional text is divided into four books of detailed spiritual instructions: (i) "Helpful Counsels of the Spiritual Life", (ii) "Directives for the Interior Life", (iii) "On Interior Consolation", and (iv) "On the Blessed Sacrament". The devotional approach of The Imitation of Christ emphasises the interior life and withdrawal from the mundanities of the world, as opposed to the active imitation of Christ practised by other friars. The devotions of the books emphasize devotion to the Eucharist as the key element of spiritual life.

<i>Sedia gestatoria</i> Ceremonial throne on which popes were carried

The sedia gestatoria or gestatorial chair is a ceremonial throne on which popes were carried on shoulders until 1978, which was later replaced outdoors in part with the popemobile. It consists of a richly adorned, silk-covered armchair, fastened on a suppedaneum, on each side of which are two gilded rings; through these rings pass the long rods with which twelve footmen (palafrenieri), in red uniforms, carry the throne on their shoulders. On prior occasions, as in the case of Pope Stephen III, popes were carried on the shoulders of men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria in excelsis Deo</span> Christian hymn

"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is a Christian hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn/Hymn of the Angels. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incipit</span> First few words of a text used instead of a title

The incipit of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose. The word incipit comes from Latin and means "it begins". Its counterpart taken from the ending of the text is the explicit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring of the Fisherman</span> Signet ring, part of the papal regalia

The Ring of the Fisherman, also known as the Piscatory Ring, is an official part of the regalia worn by the pope, who according to Catholic theology is the head of the Catholic Church and successor of Saint Peter, who was a fisherman by trade. It used to feature a bas-relief of Peter fishing from a boat, a symbolism derived from the tradition that the apostles were "fishers of men". The Fisherman's Ring is a signet used until 1842 to seal official documents signed by the pope. Since at least the Middle Ages it has been a tradition for Catholics meeting the pope to show their devotion by kissing the ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lappet</span> Hanging part of a headdress or garment

A lappet is a decorative flap, fold or hanging part of a headdress or garment. Worn in a pair, or as a singular long strip giving a symmetrical drape, lappets were a popular form of women's headwear until the early twentieth century, and are still a feature of religious garments. Examples of lappets are to be found on the papal tiara and on the nemes headdress of the kings of ancient Egypt. The same term is also used for similar-looking anatomical features on some animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Monkey and the Cat</span> Fable

The Monkey and the Cat is best known as a fable adapted by Jean de La Fontaine under the title Le Singe et le Chat that appeared in the second collection of his Fables in 1679 (IX.17). It is the source of popular idioms in both English and French, with the general meaning of being the dupe of another.

Lacrimae rerum is the Latin phrase for "tears of things." It derives from Book I, line 462 of the Aeneid, by Roman poet Virgil. Some recent quotations have included rerum lacrimae sunt or sunt lacrimae rerum meaning "there are tears of things."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades</span> 2003 single by Brand New

"Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" is a single by American rock band Brand New from their second album Deja Entendu. "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" was released to radio on November 18, 2003.

<i>Missa Papae Marcelli</i> Mass by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Missa Papae Marcelli, or Pope Marcellus Mass, is a mass sine nomine by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. It is his best-known mass, and is regarded as an archetypal example of the complex polyphony championed by Palestrina. It was sung at the papal coronation Masses.

"This too shall pass" is an adage about impermanence of Persian origin. It reflects the temporary nature, or ephemerality, of the human condition — that neither the negative nor the positive moments in life ever indefinitely last. The general sentiment of the adage is found in wisdom literature throughout history and across cultures, but the specific phrase seems to have originated in the writings of the medieval Persian Sufi poets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Between Scylla and Charybdis</span> Idiom deriving from Greek mythology, "to choose the lesser of two evils"

Being between Scylla and Charybdis is an idiom deriving from Greek mythology, which has been associated with the proverbial advice "to choose the lesser of two evils". Several other idioms such as "on the horns of a dilemma", "between the devil and the deep blue sea", and "between a rock and a hard place" express similar meanings. The mythical situation also developed a proverbial use in which seeking to choose between equally dangerous extremes is seen as leading inevitably to disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor</span> Crowning ceremony of the newly-elected Holy Roman Emperor

The Holy Roman Emperor received the imperial regalia from the hands of the Pope, symbolizing both the pope's right to crown Christian sovereigns and also the emperor's role as protector of the Catholic Church. The Holy Roman empresses were crowned as well.

<i>Ad maiorem Dei gloriam</i> "For the greater glory of God."

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam or Ad majórem Dei glóriam, also rendered as the abbreviation AMDG, is a Latin quote which can be translated as "For the greater glory of God." It has been used as a rallying cry for Catholics throughout history, especially during the Thirty Year's War, and is currently the motto of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), an order of the Catholic Church.

<i>Der Mensch lebt und bestehet</i>

Der Mensch lebt und bestehet, Op. 138, No. 1, is a sacred motet for unaccompanied mixed choir by Max Reger. The German text is a poem by Matthias Claudius, beginning with "Der Mensch lebt und bestehet nur eine kleine Zeit". The piece is in A minor and scored for eight voices in two choirs SATB. Composed in Meiningen in 1914, it was published in 1916 after Reger's death as the first of Acht geistliche Gesänge.

References

  1. Merton, Sophia (2022-10-07). "'Sic Transit Gloria Mundi': Definition, Meaning, and Examples". Writing Tips. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  2. "30 Latin Phrases Everyone Should Know – Page 6 – 24/7 Wall St" . Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  3. Elizabeth Knowles, ed. (2005). The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (Second ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-860981-0.
  4. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Papal Coronation 07 -Sic transit gloria mundi" via www.youtube.com.
  5. King, William Henry Francis (1904), Classical and Foreign Quotations, London: J. Whitaker & Sons, p. 319, retrieved November 10, 2010
  6. Richardson, Carol M. (2009), Reclaiming Rome: cardinals in the fifteenth century, BRILL, p. 393, ISBN   978-9004171831 , retrieved November 10, 2010
  7. Bak, János M. (January 1990), Coronations: medieval and early modern monarchic ritual, University of California Press, p. 187, ISBN   9780520066779 , retrieved November 10, 2010
  8. Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (via Oxford Reference)
  9. à Kempis, Thomas. "Book 1 Chapter 3". Imitation of Christ: translated from Latin into English. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  10. "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi — an early poem by Emily Dickinson (1852)". Literary Ladies Guide. 2020-12-29. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  11. Dickinson, Emily (1998). The Poems of Emily Dickinson. Harvard University Press. p. 8. ISBN   978-0-674-67622-0.
  12. "The Sailors Progress: Sic transit gloria Mundi". metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  13. "The Sailors Progress. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi". philamuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-10-17.