Faith & RitualGreek → English
Doxology
/dɒkˈsɒlədʒi/noun
A short formula of praise to God, sung or said at the end of a psalm, hymn or prayer.
The Greek roots
δόξα
dóxa
glory, opinion
λόγος
lógos
word, speech
Literally: “words of glory”
The story of the word
δόξα in classical Greek means opinion or reputation, which is the sense preserved in orthodox, right opinion, and paradox, against opinion. Its shift to 'glory' happened in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, where δόξα was pressed into service for kavod, the weight or splendour of God. Christian Greek inherited the new meaning, and doxology was built on it, so the word carries a translator's decision made in Alexandria.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Medieval Latin → English
- First recorded
- 17th century
Same family
orthodoxparadoxheterodoxdogma
In a sentence
The congregation stood for the doxology without being asked.