Rector Potens, Verax Deus

Rector Potens, Verax Deus is the name of the daily hymn for the midday office of Sext in the Roman Breviary and in the Benedictine Rite.

The text of the hymn

Latin text

Literal translation

Rector Potens Verax Deus, Qui temperas rerum vices, Splendore mane illuminas,* (instruis) Et ignibus merediem. Extingue flammas litium, Aufer calorem noxium, Confer salutem corporum, veramque pacem cordium. Praesta, Pater piissime, Patrique compar Unice, Cum Spiritu Paraclito, Regnans per omne sæculum. Amen.

Leader, Powerful, Truthful God (You) who arrange 'of things' the changes With splendor the morning you illuminate* (you establish) And with fire the midday (you illuminate/you establish) Extinguish the flames of argument Take away the harmful heat Grant health of body And-true peace of heart Grant (these things) Father most Holy And-to-the-father the equal unique-one With the Spirit, the Paraclete Reigning through all time. Amen

The original version of the Hymn ended the third line with the verb 'instruis.' This was amended during the Renaissance to the more stylistic verb 'illuminas'

The purpose and meaning of the hymn

As a hymn for the midday office, the focus of the hymn is physically upon the midday sun. Metaphorically and allegorically the hymn goes from the heat of the sun, to the heat of argument, which the hymn asks God's assistance to avoid. In Christian tradition midday was considered the time when Eve was tempted by Satan and committed the first sin, and so this gives added force to the prayer of the hymn, asking God to protect against strife.

The origins of the hymn are unknown. But the similarity of this hymn with the hymns for Terce (Nunc sancte nobis spiritus) and None (Rerum Deus Tenax Vigor) means that it probably shares the same author. Baudot ("The Roman Breviary", London, 1909, 34) thinks the hymn is "probably" by Ambrose. However, none of this set of three hymns are found in the oldest Benedictine collections of hymns, where Ambrose's other works are found. All three of these hymns are found in later Celtic collections. suggesting that they probably have a different author. (For discussion of authorship, see Rerum Deus Tenax Vigor).

English translations of the hymn

J. M. Neale (1818-1866)

J. H. Newman

O GOD of truth, O Lord of might, Who orderest time and change aright, Arraying morn with joyful gleams, And kindling noonday's fiery beams. Extinguish Thou each sinful fire, and banish every ill desire: and while Thou keepest the body whole shed forth Thy peace upon the soul. Almighty Father, hear our cry through Jesus Christ, Our Lord most High Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee, doth live and reign eternally. Amen.

O God Unchangeable and True, Of all the life and power: Dispensing light in silence through Every successive hour: Lord, Brighten our declining day, That it may never wane, Till death, when all things round decay, Bring back the morn again. This grace on thy redeem'd confer, Father, coequal Son, And Holy Ghost the Comforter, Eternal three in one.

Music and chants for the hymn

The hymn has been set to many different tunes. The following links give examples:

• Rector Potens Verax Deus (Ferial Tone)
• Rector Potens (Schola Hungarica)

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Rector Potens, Verax Deus — The daily hymn for Sext in the Roman Breviary finds its theme in the great heat and light of the noonday (hora sexta, or sixth hour of the day) sun, and prays the Almighty Ruler to take from the heart the heat of passion. Baudot ("The Roman Breviary", London, 1909, 34) thinks the hymn "probably" by St. Ambrose: "We know, moreover, that the hymns for Vespers, Terce, and None (probably also the hymn for Sext) are his." Perhaps, however, Baudot refers to other hymns ascribed to the saint by Bäumer ("Gesch. des Breviers", 1895, 135). Whatever probability attaches to the hymns for Terce and None affects equally that for Sext, none of the three being found in the oldest Benedictine cycle, while all three are found in the later Celtic cycle. (For discussion of authorship, see RERUM DEUS TENAX VIGOR.) It is interesting to note that the second stanza is in rhyme throughout:

Extingue flammas litium,

Aufer calorem noxium,

Confer salutem corporum

Veramque pacem cordium.

Biraghi thinks the rhyme merely a matter of chance; Piedmont thinks it deliberate, but finds no sufficient reason in this fact for denying it to St. Ambrose. Johner ("A New School of Gregorian Chant", tr. New York, 1906, 55) selects the first line to illustrate his contention that whilst in ordinary speech anyone would pronounce the line thus:

Réctor pótens vérax Deús,

a singer commits no fault in stressing as follows:

Rectór poténs veráx Déus.

"In German (or English), this kind of thing is impossible. But that does not give us a right to forbid the composer of Gregorian melodies to make use of this and similar licenses. We Germans (and English-speaking people) frequently pronounce Latin with such an exaggerated accent that the words fall too heavily on the ear. Other nations, the French, for example, pronounce the words more smoothly, with a lighter accent." (For the full argument, see pp. 55, 56.) JULIAN, Dict. of Hymnology, s.v., for MSS., references, authors, first lines of trs., etc. To his list should be added the Catholic trs. of BAGSHAWE, Breviary Hymns and Missal Sequences (London, 1900), 19; DONAHOE, Early Christian Hymns (New York, 1908), 47; RUSSELL, Hymni Horarum in Irish Eccl. Record (1905), 231; HENRY, Hymns of the Little Hours in Eccl. Review (Sept., 1890), 204-09, with Latin text and commentary; PIMONT, Les hymnes du breviaire romain, I (Paris, 1874), 106-10, for text and comment. For hamonized plain-song, modern musical setting, Latin text and Eng. tr., see Hymns Ancient and Modern (historical edition, London, 1909), no. 10. For additional bibliography, see RERUM DEUS TENAX VIGOR.