One of the First Liturgical Hymns of the Eastern and Western Christian Church: the Great Doxology – Gloria in excelsis Deo

The doxological character is one of the essential aspects of the Christian worship, taken from the Hebrew divine worship. Thus, the doxological character of many Christian prayers and liturgical hymns represents the foundation and at the same time the key which reveals and explains the theology of the Creation, its mystery and purpose. The role of the Creation is to praise the Creator, as invited conclusively by the last verse of the last canonical Psalm: ”Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (Ps. 150, 6). We will bring to the forefront of our debate the Great Doxology, one of the first liturgical hymns of the three basic doxological structures (the small, the great and the maximum doxologies) of the Eastern and Western Christian Church.