View source for Nunc dimittis

{{Short description|Passage from the Gospel of Luke}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Aert de Gelder - Het loflied van Simeon.jpg|thumb|250px|''Simeon's Song of Praise'' by [[Aert de Gelder]], {{Circa|1700–1710}}]]

The '''Nunc dimittis'''<ref name="Machen1903">{{cite book|last=Machen|first=Minnie Gresham |author-link=Minnie Gresham Machen|title=The Bible in Browning: With Particular Reference to The Ring and the Book|url=https://archive.org/details/bibleinbrowning00machgoog|year=1903|publisher=Macmillan|page=[https://archive.org/details/bibleinbrowning00machgoog/page/n167 157]}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|lang|n|ʊ|ŋ|k|_|d|ɪ|ˈ|m|ɪ|t|ɪ|s}}), also known as the '''Song of Simeon''' or the '''Canticle of Simeon''', is a [[canticle]] taken from the second chapter of the [[Gospel of Luke]], verses 29 to 32. Its [[Latin language|Latin]] name comes from its [[incipit]], the opening words, of the [[Vulgate]] translation of the passage, meaning "Now you let depart".<ref>[https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/nunc-dimittis "Nunc dimittis", ''Collins Dictionary'']</ref> Since the 4th century it has been used in Christian services of evening worship such as [[Compline]], [[Vespers]], and [[Evensong]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nunc-Dimittis |title=Nunc Dimittis|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref>

==Biblical account==
The title is formed from the opening words in the Latin Vulgate, "{{Lang|la|Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine}}" ("Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord"). Although brief, the [[canticle]] abounds in [[Old Testament]] allusions. For example, "Because my eyes have seen thy salvation" alludes to Isaiah 52:10.<ref name=Henry>{{Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Nunc Dimittis|volume=11|inline=1|prescript=}}</ref>

According to the narrative in Luke 2:25–32, [[Simeon (Gospel of Luke)|Simeon]] was a devout Jew who had been promised by the [[Holy Spirit]] that he would not die until he had seen the [[Messiah]]. When [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]] and [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]] [[Presentation of Jesus|presented]] the baby [[Jesus]] to the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] for the [[Pidyon haben|ceremony of redemption of the firstborn son]] (after the time of Mary's [[Impurity after childbirth#Jewish and Christian practices|purification]]: at least 40 days after the birth, and thus distinct from the [[Brit milah|circumcision]]), Simeon was there. He took Jesus into his arms and uttered words rendered variously as follows:

==Versions==
[[File:Folio 63r - The Presentation in the Temple.jpg|thumb|The start of the ''Nunc dimittis'' in the [[Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry]]]]
[[File:GerhardTolzien.JPG|thumb|German translation on a tombstone]]
The "Nunc dimittis" passage in the original [[Koine Greek|Koiné Greek]]:
{{quote|<poem>{{lang|grc|νῦν ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου, δέσποτα, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ·}}
{{lang|grc|ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τὸ σωτήριόν σου,}}
{{lang|grc|ὃ ἡτοίμασας κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν λαῶν,}}
{{lang|grc|φῶς εἰς αποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ.}}</poem>}}

Transliterated:
{{quote|<poem>Nyn apolyeis ton [[Slavery in ancient Greece|doulon]] sou, despota, kata to rhēma sou en eirēnē.
Hoti eidon hoi ophthalmoi mou to [[Salvation|sōtērion]] sou,
ho hētoimasas kata prosōpon pantōn tōn laōn.
Phōs eis apokalypsin [[Goy|ethnōn]] kai doxan laou sou [[Israelites|Israēl]].</poem>}}

Latin ([[Vulgate]]):
{{quote|<poem>{{lang|la|Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:
Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum
Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:
Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.|italic=no}}</poem>}}

English (Translation of the [[Vulgate]]):
{{quote|<poem>{{lang|en|Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; 
Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, 
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: 
A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.|italic=no}}</poem>}}

English (''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'', 1662):
{{quote|<poem>Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel.</poem>}}

English ([[Roman Breviary]]):

{{quote|<poem>Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace. You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness; the glory of your people Israel.</poem>}}

The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (1662) was derived from the [[King James Version]] (1611) of the Bible. Its text for this canticle is the same as in the prayer book, except for the last line. The Bible  ({{bibleref|Luke|2:32}}) reads: "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."

Church Slavonic (in Cyrillic)<ref>Sluzhebnik, Moscow Synodal Press 1896</ref>

{{quote|<poem>{{lang|cu|Ны́нѣ ѻ҆тпꙋща́еши раба́ Твоегѡ̀, Влады́ко, по глаго́лꙋ Твоемꙋ́ съ ми́ромъ;}}
{{lang|cu|ꙗ҆́кѡ ви́дѣста ѻ҆́чи мои́ спасе́ніе Твое́,}}
{{lang|cu|є҆́же є҆си́ оу҆гото́валъ предъ лице́мъ всѣ́хъ люде́й,}}
{{lang|cu|свѣтъ во открове́ніе ꙗ҆зы́ковъ, и҆ сла́ву люде́й Твои́хъ Изра́илѧ.|italic=no}}</poem>}}
{{quote|<poem>{{lang|cu|Nýně otpushcháeshi rabá Tvoyegó, Vladýko, po glagólu Tvoyemú s" mírom";}}
{{lang|cu|yáko víděsta óchi moí spaséníe Tvoyé,}}
{{lang|cu|ếzhe êsí ugotóval" pred" litsém" vsěkh" lyudéy,}}
{{lang|cu|svět" vo otkrovéníe yazýkov", i slávu lyudéy Tvoíkh" Izráilya.}}</poem>}}

==Commentary==

Writing in the early 20th century, [[Justus Knecht|Friedrich Justus Knecht]] concludes from this passage that "belief in Jesus Christ drives away all fear of death." He writes:
<blockquote>
Simeon now rejoiced at the prospect of death. Such a sensation was hitherto unknown in Israel. "Pious Israelites closed their eyes in death, weary of life and submissive to God’s will; not altogether hopeless, but full of horror of the future. Death was a thing to be feared, and each new day of life which was granted was looked on as a gain" (Grimm). But all at once every thing was changed. Holy Simeon had seen the Saviour, and was now ready to die joyfully. In fact, he did die very soon after; a pious tradition even goes so far as to say that he died before he left the Temple. He was thus the first to take the joyful news to [[Limbo#Limbo of the Patriarchs|Limbo]] that the Saviour was born and the day of salvation at hand.<ref>{{cite book|chapter = [[s:A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture/VII. The Presentation in the Temple|VII. The Presentation in the Temple]]|title = A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture|year = 1910| publisher = B. Herder |author=Friedrich Justus Knecht}}</ref>
</blockquote>

While serving as Prefect at Georgetown College, English Jesuit [[Roger Baxter]] reflects on this passage in his 19th-century ''Meditations'', saying: "Oh that you would also bid farewell to all earthly things, and say with the Apostle, 'But I am straitened — having a desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ.' (Phil. 1:23.)"<ref>{{cite book|chapter=[[s:Meditations_For_Every_Day_In_The_Year/Historical_Narratives#484|Simeon's Prophecy]]|title=Meditations For Every Day In The Year|year=1823|publisher=Benziger Brothers|first=Roger|last=Baxter|author-link=Roger Baxter|location=New York}}</ref>

==Liturgical and musical settings==
[[File:St. Albans - Fenster Nunc dimittis.jpg|thumb|Stained-glass window in [[St. Alban's Church, Copenhagen|St. Alban's Anglican Church]] in [[Copenhagen]], Denmark, depicting the "Nunc dimittis" scene]]

The ''Nunc Dimittis'' is the traditional "Gospel Canticle" of Night Prayer ([[Compline]]), just as ''[[Benedictus (canticle)|Benedictus]]'' and ''[[Magnificat]]'' are the traditional Gospel Canticles of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, respectively.<ref name=Henry/> The Nunc Dimittis is found in the liturgical night office of many western denominations, including [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] [[Evensong]] in the [[Book of Common Prayer (1662)|1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'']], Compline (A Late Evening Service) in the [[Book of Common Prayer (1928, England)|1928 ''Book of Common Prayer'']], and the Night Prayer service in the [[Common Worship]]. Both the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] and [[Lutheran]] services of Compline include this canticle. In eastern tradition the canticle is included in [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] [[Vespers]]. 

In many Lutheran orders of service, the ''Nunc Dimittis'' may be sung following the reception of the [[Eucharist]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Lutheran Service Book |title-link=Lutheran Service Book |date=2005 |publisher=Concordia Publishing House}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Evangelical Lutheran Worship |title-link=Evangelical Lutheran Worship |date=2006 |publisher=Augsburg Fortress}}</ref> A 1530 rhymed version by {{ill|Johannes Anglicus|de}}, "[[Im Frieden dein, o Herre mein]]", with a melody by [[Wolfgang Dachstein]], was written in Strasbourg for that purpose.<ref>{{cite book |last=Marti |first=Andreas |title=Liederkunde zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch |publisher=[[Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-3-64-750302-8 |editor-last=Herbst |editor-first=Wolfgang |pages=8–13 |language=de |chapter=222 Im Frieden dein, oh Herre mein |editor2-last=Alpermann |editor2-first=Ilsabe |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=azrFSCtv0jMC&pg=PA8 |issue=16}}</ref> [[Heinrich Schütz]] wrote at least two settings, one in [[Musikalische Exequien]] (1636), the other in [[List of compositions by Heinrich Schütz#Symphoniae sacrae II|Symphoniae sacrae II]] (1647). The feast day ''Mariae Reinigung'' was observed in the Lutheran Church in [[J. S. Bach]]'s time. He composed several cantatas for the occasion, including [[Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125|''Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin'', BWV 125]], a chorale cantata on [[Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin|Martin Luther's paraphrase of the canticle]], and [[Ich habe genug, BWV 82|''Ich habe genug'', BWV 82]].

Many composers have set the text to music, usually coupled in the Anglican church with the [[Magnificat]], as both the Magnificat and the Nunc dimittis are sung (or said) during the Anglican service of [[Evening Prayer (Anglican)|Evening Prayer]] according to the Book of Common Prayer, 1662. This prayer book merged the older offices of Vespers (Evening Prayer) and Compline (Night Prayer) into one service, which contained both Gospel canticles. In Common Worship, this is listed among "Canticles for Use at Funeral and Memorial Services"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/worship/texts/pastoral/funeral/canticles.aspx|title=The Church of England - Common Worship - Canticles for Use at Funeral and Memorial Services|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929045020/https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/worship/texts/pastoral/funeral/canticles.aspx|archive-date=29 September 2017}}</ref> One of the most well-known [[List of English settings of Magnificats and Nunc dimittis|settings in England]] is a [[Plainsong|plainchant]] theme by [[Thomas Tallis]]. Herbert Howells composed 20 settings of this pair of canticles, including the [[Gloucester Service]] (1947) and the [[St Paul's Service]] (1951). A setting of the Nunc dimittis by [[Charles Villiers Stanford]] was sung as the [[Recessional hymn|recessional]] at the [[Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher#Funeral|funeral of Margaret Thatcher]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Margaret Thatcher: the funeral Order of Service|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/9992142/Margaret-Thatcher-the-funeral-Order-of-Service.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/9992142/Margaret-Thatcher-the-funeral-Order-of-Service.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=Telegraph|date=17 April 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Stanford wrote many settings of both the ''Magnificat'' and ''Nunc dimittis''.<ref>[http://amp2.sharp-stream.com/amp2/client.php?client_id=8&show_id=5319 ''Nunc dimittis'', sung by the choir of King's College, Cambridge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129055538/http://amp2.sharp-stream.com/amp2/client.php?client_id=8&show_id=5319 |date=2014-11-29 }} (1 Nov 2014)</ref>

The [[Genevan Psalter]] used by [[Reformed Christianity|Calvinist]] churches also included the metrical versification for ''Nunc Dimittis''. The music was composed by [[Louis Bourgeois (composer)|Louis Bourgeois]] and the lyrics were versified from the biblical text by [[Clément Marot]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schuler |first=Duck |title=The History of the Genevan Psalter |url=https://genevanpsalter.com/files/articles/Gen_Psal_intro_Schuler.pdf |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=21 October 2024 |website=The Genevan Psalter}}</ref>

A setting by British composer [[Geoffrey Burgon]] is featured during the end credits of episodes in the 1979 television adaptation of [[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (TV series)|''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'']].

[[Sergei Rachmaninoff]] wrote a setting of the Slavonic ''Nunc dimittis'' text, Ны́не отпуща́еши (''Nyne otpushchayeshi''), as the fifth movement of his ''[[All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff)|All-Night Vigil]].'' It is known for its final measures, in which the basses sing a descending scale ending on the B♭ below the bass clef.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/rachmaninov-vespers-4|title=Rachmaninov Vespers|last=Warrack|first=John|date=2013-01-09|website=www.gramophone.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-05-28}}</ref>

The neoclassical electronic music group [[Mannheim Steamroller]] used the text of ''Nunc Dimittis'' in the song "Lumen" on their album [[Fresh Aire V]], that was otherwise based on [[Johannes Kepler]]'s novel [[Somnium (novel)|Somnium]].

==Literary settings==
* [[Thomas Jefferson]], Letter to [[Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette|Marquis de Lafayette]] (17 May 1816), Joseph Cabell (31 January 1821), and General Andrew Jackson (18 December 1823)
* [[T. H. White]] novel ''[[The Once and Future King]]'' – recitation by [[Merlin|Merlyn]]
* [[T. S. Eliot]] poem ''[[A Song for Simeon]]'' (1928)
* [[Joseph Brodsky]] poem "Nunc Dimittis" (1972)
* [[Ezra Pound]] poem "Cantico del Sole" (1918)
* [[Karel Čapek]] play ''[[R.U.R.]]'' (1920)
* [[Roald Dahl]] short story "[[Nunc Dimittis (short story)|Nunc Dimittis]]" (1953–1979)
* [[Tanith Lee]] story "[[Dreams of Dark and Light: The Great Short Fiction of Tanith Lee|Nunc Dimittis]]" (1984–1986)
* [[Walter M. Miller Jr.|Walter Miller]], ''[[A Canticle for Leibowitz]]'' (1959)
* [[John le Carré]] novel ''[[A Murder of Quality]]'' (1962)
* [[John le Carré]] novel ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]'' (1974) – closing theme of TV adaptation
* [[John le Carré]] novel ''[[The Constant Gardener]]'' (2001) – sung at the funeral of Tessa Quayle
* [[H. W. Brands]] novel '' [[The Strange Death of American Liberalism]]<ref name="Brands2003">{{cite book|last=Brands|first=H. W. |title=The Strange Death of American Liberalism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yMSpsHEXND0C|year=2003|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-09824-2}}</ref>''
* [[David Mitchell (author)|David Mitchell]] novel ''[[Cloud Atlas (novel)#The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing (Part 1)|Cloud Atlas]]'' – "Pacific journal of Adam Ewing, part 1"
*[[Edith Pargeter]] novel, writing as Ellis Peters in the 6th and 15th volumes of "[[The Cadfael Chronicles]]", ''[[The Virgin in the Ice]]'' and ''[[The Confession of Brother Haluin]]''

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
* {{section link|Our Lady of Sorrows|Seven Sorrows of Mary}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
*[http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Nunc_dimittis List of available settings] at [[Choral Public Domain Library]].

{{Catholic Prayers}}
{{Lutheran Divine Service}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Vulgate Latin words and phrases]]
[[Category:Canticles]]
[[Category:Christian hymns in Latin]]
[[Category:Christian prayer]]
[[Category:Gospel of Luke]]
[[Category:Nativity of Jesus in the New Testament]]
[[Category:New Testament Latin words and phrases]]