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The exact periods of the origin of the liturgical doxologies are unknown, iwing to the scantiness of early Christian literature. But it may be safely conjectured that, in their earliest forms, they came into use soon after the circulation of the Gospel narratives. The "Gloria in Excelsis" is unquestionably of Eastern origin. Liturgical speculators have ingeniously discovered a reference to its existence in very early writers. It has frequently been assumed that it was, in fact, "the hymn" which Christians sang on all solemn occasions, including such as are referred to in Act_16:25; 1Co_14:26; and Col_3:16. The origin and history of the "Gloria Patri," or lesser doxology, is even more obscure than that of the "Gloria in Excelsis," and in its present shape it is the result of the Arian controversies concerning the nature of Christ.