Glory Be....

[Duc_In_Altum]

[i]"Glory be to the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be- world without end. Amen."[/i]


Just a question about why we say "world without end..." I imagine this refers to the kingdom of heaven that is to become the world. I'm not entirely sure though. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Also, where does this prayer come from? Thakyou


-Joe

[Adeodatus]

'World without end' is a translation of 'saecula saeculorum' which can mean two things:
1. unto ages of ages, i.e. in the sense of unendingness;
2. but 'saecula' does also carry the connotation of 'worlds' and not just of 'ages'.

The English translation, done 500 years ago, tried to capture both senses and putting 'world' and 'without end' side by side. Yes, the world we are talking about is 'the new heavens and the new earth' and it is unending.