View source for Kyrie

{{Short description|Common name of a Christian liturgical prayer}}
{{Other uses}}{{For|the basketball player|Kyrie Irving}}{{Redirect|Kyrie Eleison|the song by the Electric Prunes|Mass in F Minor|the song by Mr. Mister|Kyrie (song)|the song by Fates Warning|The Spectre Within}}
{{Redirect|Lord, have mercy upon us|other uses|Lord Have Mercy (disambiguation)|the work by Mendelssohn|Lord, have mercy upon us (Mendelssohn)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
[[File:Kyrie XI, orbis factor.png|thumb|{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}} XI ("orbis factor")—a fairly ornamented setting of the ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' in [[Gregorian chant]]—from the ''[[Liber Usualis]]'']]

'''''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}''''', a [[transliteration]] of [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|Κύριε}}, [[vocative case]] of {{lang|grc|Κύριος}} (''[[Kyrios]]''), is a common name of an important [[prayer]] of Christian [[liturgy]], also called the '''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie eleison}}''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɪr|i|.|eɪ|_|ɛ|ˈ|l|eɪ|.|i|s|ɒ|n}} {{respell|KEER|ee|ay|_|el|AY|eess|on}}; {{Langx|grc|Κύριε ἐλέησον|Kýrie eléēson|Lord have mercy}}).<ref name=yale>{{cite web|title=Definitions for Medieval Christian Liturgy: Kyrie eleison|url=http://www.yale.edu/adhoc/research_resources/liturgy/d_kyrie.html|publisher=Yale|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518232336/http://www.yale.edu/adhoc/research_resources/liturgy/d_kyrie.html|archive-date=2013-05-18}}</ref>

==In the Bible==
{{Further|Chesed|Eleos}}

The prayer, {{Transliteration|grc|Kýrie, eléison}}, "Lord, have mercy" derives from a Biblical phrase. Greek {{lang|grc|ἐλέησόν με κύριε}}, {{Gloss|have mercy on me, [[Lord]]}}, is the [[Septuagint]] translation of the phrase {{lang|he|חָנֵּנִי יְהוָה|rtl=yes}} often found in the [[Psalms]] ([[Psalm 6|6]]:2, [[Psalm 9|9]]:13, [[Psalm 31|31]]:9, [[Psalm 86|86]]:3, and [[Psalm 123|123]]:3).

In the [[New Testament]], the Greek phrase occurs three times in [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]]:
* [[Matthew 15]]:22: the [[Exorcism of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter|Canaanite woman]] cries out to Jesus, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David." ({{lang|grc|Ἐλέησόν με κύριε υἱὲ Δαβίδ}})
* Matthew 17:15: "Lord, have mercy on my son" ({{lang|grc|Κύριε ἐλέησόν μου τὸν υἱόν}})
* Matthew 20:30: two unnamed blind men call out to Jesus, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David." ({{lang|grc|Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς κύριε υἱὸς Δαβίδ}})

In the Parable of the [[Publican and the Pharisee]] (Luke 18:9–14) the despised tax collector who cries out "Lord have mercy on me, a sinner" is contrasted with the smug [[Pharisee]] who believes he has no need for forgiveness.

Luke 17:13 has {{Transliteration|grc|epistates}}, {{Gloss|master}}, instead of {{Transliteration|grc|kyrios}}, {{Gloss|lord}}, ({{lang|grc|Ἰησοῦ ἐπιστάτα ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς}}), being less suggestive of the {{Transliteration|grc|kyrios}} {{Gloss|lord}} used as [[adonai|euphemism]] for [[YHWH]] in the Septuagint.

There are other examples in the text of the gospels without the {{Transliteration|grc|kyrie}} {{Gloss|lord}}, e.g. Mark 10:46, where blind [[Bartimaeus (biblical character)|Bartimaeus]] cries out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me."

In the biblical text, the phrase is always personalized by an explicit object (such as "on me", "on us", "on my son"),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08714a.htm|first=Adrian|last=Fortescue|title=Kyrie Eleison|access-date=13 March 2017}}</ref> while in the Eucharistic celebration it can be seen more as a general expression of confidence in God's love.<ref name=":0" />{{rp|293}}

== In Eastern Christianity ==
{{See also|Hesychasm}}
The phrase {{Lang|grc-latn|Kýrie, eléison}} ({{langx|grc|links=no|Κύριε, ἐλέησον}}), whether in Greek or in other languages, is one of the most oft-repeated phrases in [[Eastern Christianity]], including the [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Assyrian Church of the East|Assyrian]], and [[Eastern Catholic Churches]]. The Greek phrase, ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kýrie, eléison}}'', is for instance extensively used in the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Coptic]] (Egyptian) Christian liturgy, which uses both the Coptic and the Greek languages.

The various [[Ektenia|litanies]], frequent in Eastern Orthodox rites, generally have ''Lord, have mercy'' as their response, either singly or triply. Some petitions in these litanies will have twelve or even forty repetitions of the phrase as a response.

The phrase is also the origin of the [[Jesus Prayer]], beloved by Eastern Christians as a foundation of personal prayer, and is increasingly popular among some Western Christians.

The prayer is simultaneously a petition and a prayer of thanksgiving; an acknowledgement of what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will continue to do. It is refined in the [[Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican]] ({{bibleverse||Luke|18:9–14|KJV}}), where the Publican prays "God, have mercy on me, a sinner", thus showing more clearly its connection with the Jesus Prayer.

== In Western Christianity ==
{{Roman Rite of Mass}}
[[File:Kyrie XI.ogg|thumb|''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' from the [[Gregorian chant|Gregorian]] [[Kyriale|Mass XI]]]]
In Rome, the liturgy was first celebrated in Greek. Josef Jungmann suggests the ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' in the Roman Mass is best seen as a vestige of an opening [[Ektenia|litany]] like those in some Eastern churches, which was retained even after Latin became normative.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Jungmann |first=Josef Andreas |year=1951 |title=The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development (Missarum Sollemnia) |translator=Francis A. Brunner |location=New York |publisher=Benzinger Brothers |oclc=3441693}}</ref>{{rp|335f.}} The ''Kyrie'' is positioned after the [[Thanksgiving after communion|Prayer of Thanksgiving]] in the Lutheran Mass.<ref name="COS2007">{{cite web |title=The Eucharist also called Holy Communion (High Mass) |url=http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/gudstjanstbanken/service_book/01hogmassa.htm#TopOfPage |publisher=[[Church of Sweden]] |access-date=19 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704082152/http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/gudstjanstbanken/service_book/01hogmassa.htm#TopOfPage |archive-date=4 July 2007 |date=2007}}</ref>

As early as the sixth century, [[Pope Gregory the Great]] noted that there were differences in the way in which Eastern and Western churches sang the ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}''. In the Eastern churches it is sung in unison by those present, whereas in the Western church the clergy sing and the people respond. Also, the Western church would sing ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Christe, eléison}}'' as many times as ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kýrie, eléison}}''.<ref name=yale/><ref>Gregory the Great, Epistles 9:26, trans. Baldovin, ''Urban Worship'', pp. 244–245</ref> In the [[Roman Rite]] liturgy, the variant {{Lang|grc-latn|Christe, eléison}}, is a transliteration of Greek, {{lang|grc|Χριστέ, ἐλέησον}}.

''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kýrie, eléison}}'' may also be used as a response of the people to intentions mentioned in the Prayer of the Faithful. Since 1549, [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]] have normally sung or said the ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' in English. In the 1552 ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'', the ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' was inserted into a recitation of the [[Ten Commandments]]. Modern revisions of the Prayer Book have restored the option of saying the ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' without the Commandments. Other denominations, such as [[Methodism]], also use the ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' in their liturgies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy) (StF 788) |url=https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/resources/hymns/kyrie-eleison-lord-have-mercy-stf-788/ |website=The Methodist Church |language=en}}</ref>

=== ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' as section of the Mass ordinary ===
{{See also|Mass ordinary#I. Kyrie}}
In the [[Tridentine Mass]] form of the [[Roman Rite]], ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kýrie, eléison}}'' is sung or said three times, followed by a threefold ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Christe, eléison}}'' and by another threefold ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kýrie, eléison}}''. Collectively, the nine invocations are said to unite the petitions of the faithful to those of the nine [[Hierarchy of angels|choirs of angels]] in heaven.

====Text====
<blockquote>''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kýrie, eléison}}'' ({{lang|grc|Κύριε, ἐλέησον}})
: {{Gloss|Lord, have mercy}}
''{{Lang|grc-latn|Christe, eléison}}'' ({{lang|grc|Χριστέ, ἐλέησον}})
: {{Gloss|Christ, have mercy}}</blockquote>

==== Musical settings ====
{{Further|Mass (music)#I. Kyrie}}
The {{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}} is the first sung prayer of the [[Mass ordinary]] and is usually part of any [[Mass (music)|musical setting of the Mass]], one exception being the [[Early music of the British Isles|early English school]], whose liturgy featured a [[trope (music)|troped]] {{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}} that was therefore [[Proper of the Mass|proper to the day]]. ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' movements sometimes have a [[ternary form|ternary]] (ABA) musical structure that reflects the symmetrical structure of the text. [[Polyphony|Polyphonic]] settings can be found in five (or four) movements, calling for [[alternatim]] performance, i. e. alternating with [[Gregorian chant]] or with [[organ mass|organ verset]]s. Musical settings exist in a variety of styles.

===In litanies===
Reflecting its original liturgical function, the ''{{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}'' is the standard beginning for public and private litanies in the Roman Rite, such as the [[Litany of the Saints]] or the [[Litany of Loreto|Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary]].<ref>{{Catholic|wstitle=Kyrie Eleison}}</ref>

== Modern Catholic thought ==
The terms ''[[aggiornamento]]'' (bringing up to date) and ''[[ressourcement]]'' (light of the Gospel) figure significantly into the documents of [[Vatican II]]: “The Church carries the responsibility of scrutinizing the signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel” (''[[Gaudium et spes]]'', 4).<ref>{{cite book | title =Ressourcement: A Movement for Renewal in Twentieth-Century Catholic Theology. Chapter 24, Ressourcement and Vatican II| publisher =Oxford| date =2011| url=http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199552870.001.0001/acprof-9780199552870-chapter-25| isbn = 9780199552870 |access-date=12 March 2017 | doi =10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199552870.001.0001| editor1-last =Flynn| editor1-first =Gabriel| editor2=Paul D. Murray}}</ref> [[Louis Bouyer]], a theologian at Vatican II, claimed that there was a distortion of the [[Eucharist#Eucharist|Eucharistic]] spirit of the [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] over the centuries, so that "one could find merely traces of the original sense of the Eucharist as a thanksgiving for the wonders God has wrought.”<ref>{{cite book| title = Eucharist| publisher =Notre Dame University| date =1989| isbn = 978-0268004989}}, p. 318</ref> The ''[[General Instruction of the Roman Missal]]'' (''GIRM'') notes that at the [[Council of Trent]] "manuscripts in the Vatican&nbsp;... by no means made it possible to inquire into 'ancient and approved authors' farther back than the liturgical commentaries of the [[Middle Ages]]&nbsp;... [But] traditions dating back to the first centuries, before the formation of the rites of East and West, are better known today because of the discovery of so many liturgical documents" (7f.).

Consonant with these modern studies, theologians have suggested that there be a continuity in praise of God between the [[Processional hymn|opening song]] and the praise of the [[Gloria in excelsis Deo|''Gloria'']]. This is explained by Mark R. Francis of [[Catholic Theological Union]] in [[Chicago]], speaking of the {{Lang|grc-latn|Kyrie}}:
<blockquote>Its emphasis is not on us (our sinfulness) but on God’s mercy and salvific action in Jesus Christ. It could just as accurately be translated "O Lord, you are merciful!" Note that the sample tropes all mention what Christ has done for us, not how we have sinned. For example, “you were sent to heal the contrite,” “you have shown us the way to the Father,” or “you come in word and sacrament to strengthen us in holiness,” leading to further acclamation of God’s praises in the Gloria.<ref>{{cite book|first=Mark R.|last=Francis| chapter = Well Begun Is Half Done: The New Introductory Rites in the Revised Sacramentary|title=Liturgy for the New Millennium: A Commentary on the Revised Sacramentary: Essays in Honor of Anscar J. Chupungco|editor-first= Mark R. |editor-last=Francis |editor2=Keith F. Pecklers.| publisher =Liturgical Press|page=74| date =2000| location =Collegeville, MN| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cKddgvgVFEsC&q=tropes&pg=PA74
| isbn =978-0-8146-6174-1 |access-date=26 June 2017 }}</ref></blockquote>

In this same line, [[Hans Urs von Balthasar]] calls for a renewal of the focus at the Eucharist:
<blockquote>We must make every effort to arouse the sense of community within the liturgy, to restore liturgy to the ecclesial plane, where individuals can take their proper place in it…. Liturgical piety involves a total turning from concern with one’s inner state to the attitude and feeling of the Church. It means enlarging the scope of prayer, so often narrow and selfish, to embrace the concerns of the whole Church and, indeed – as in the Our Father – of God.”<ref>{{cite book| title =Church and World| publisher = Herder and Herder
| date =1967| url= https://www.amazon.com/Church-world-Hans-Urs-Balthasar/dp/B001UESR2I|access-date=12 March 2017 }}</ref></blockquote>

In the ''New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship,'' the need to establish communion is reinforced as it quotes the GIRM to the effect that the purpose of the introductory rites is “to ensure that the faithful who come together as one ''establish communion'' and dispose themselves to listen properly to God's word and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily” (''GIRM'', 46, emphasis added).<ref>{{cite book| title =New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship| publisher =Liturgical Press | date =1990| location =Collegeville, MN| pages =944f| isbn = 978-0814657881}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Jesus Prayer]]
* [[Kyriacos]]
* [[List of Greek phrases]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General and cited references ===
* Hoppin, Richard. ''Medieval Music''. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 1978. {{ISBN|0-393-09090-6}}. pp.&nbsp;133–134 (Gregorian chants), 150 (tropes).

; Attribution
{{Catholic|wstitle=Kyrie Eleison}}

{{Catholic Mass}}
{{Prayers of the Catholic Church}}
{{Lutheran Divine Service}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Christian prayer]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:New Testament Greek words and phrases]]
[[Category:Order of Mass]]
[[Category:Religious formulas]]