Agnus Dei (liturgy)

In the Mass of the Roman Rite and also in the Eucharist of the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church, and the Western Rite of the Orthodox Church the Agnus Dei is the invocation to the Lamb of God sung or recited during the fraction of the Host.

The Syrian custom of a chant addressed to the Lamb of God was introduced into the Roman Rite Mass by Pope Sergius I (687–701) in the context of his rejection of the Council of Trullo (692), which was well received in the Byzantine East and called the Quinisext Council, but whose canons had forbidden the iconographic depiction of Christ as a lamb instead of a man.

Based upon John the Baptist's reference in to Jesus ("Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world"), the text in Latin is:

which means:

The text used in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Church (Rite Two) is:

The following three versions are all found in the Church of England's Common Worship liturgical resources, and also in the Episcopal Church's liturgical resources:

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