Aeterne rerum conditor explained
Aeterne rerum conditor (English "Eternal Maker of all") is an early Christian hymn among those attributed to Ambrose of Milan.[1]
A dawn hymn, the hymn refers to Lucifer, the Morning Star, Christ, following 2 Peter 1:19 "until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts". The hymn, as in the Vulgate of 2 Peter, employs the Latin noun "lucifer" to refer to "the Bringer of Light".[2] Lines 15-16 refer to the denial of Peter.[3]
The poem is written in the iambic tetrameter metre. The lines form couplets, each couplet having the rhythm | u – u – | u – u – || u – u – | u – u – |.
In the Roman Breviary of 1632, some small changes were made to the wording in stanzas 2, 3, 7 and 8.
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Notes and References
- John McGuckin At the Lighting of the Lamps: Hymns of the Ancient Church Carmen Aurorae - A Hymn at Dawn pp.32-33
- http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Hymni/AeterneRerum.html Latin from the Liturgia Horarum, and Latin Hymns, F. A. March, 1894. Translation by W J. Copeland (1804-1885).
- Charles Kraszewski Rossetti’s Armadillo 2014 -Now, “Aeterne rerum Conditor” is not merely a hymn of thanksgiving for the return of safety implicit in the gift of the renewing light. It is also a hymn of praise to the Creator, an expression of awe at the beauty of the world that surrounds us, p.50 "The didactic core of “Aeterne rerum Conditor” is not the creative power of God, but rather His inexhaustible capacity for love and forgiveness. In the most recognizable Gallic allusion in the poem, lines 15-16, St. Ambrose has the rooster's crow remind the reader of Peter's breakdown in Caiaphas' courtyard." p.51
