The Doxology

The Glory Be is a short Trinitarian doxology — a prayer of praise to God — with deep roots in early Christian liturgical worship. Doxologies were common in Jewish prayer, and the early Church adapted the form to express their Trinitarian faith, with versions appearing in Christian writings as early as the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The phrase "as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be" was added in the 4th century, partly as a response to Arianism, to affirm the eternal co-equality of the Son with the Father. In Catholic practice it is prayed between the decades of the Rosary, throughout the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours), and at the end of each psalm in the breviary. Though brief, it is regarded as one of the most complete acts of worship a Christian can offer.