A Brief History of the Exsultet
If you’ve ever been to an Easter Vigil Mass, you may remember the Exsultet: the lengthy chant that jubilantly announces Jesus’s resurrection and praises God for the extent of His love for us.
But did you know that this chant dates back to the early days of the Church? Or that the Exsultet as we hear it today dates back almost 1200 years?
In anticipation of Easter, here’s a quick history and a few fun facts about the Exsultet.
The Exsultet: A Quick History
The earliest traces of the Exsultet date back to 4th century Western Europe, where religious candle services, or “lucernaria,” took place during various evenings throughout the year. One of these services took place on the evening of Easter Vigil, giving us the earliest beginnings of the Exsultet.
Over the next few centuries, the Roman liturgy slowly incorporated the Exsultet into the Mass for Easter Vigil. The current chant that is sung today dates back to the 9th century, where it can be found in liturgical texts used in the court of Charlemange.
Why does the deacon sing the Exsultet and not the priest, you may wonder? This is actually a tradition that finds its origins in Northern Europe. As the Exsultet became part of the Easter Vigil liturgy, the deacon’s role as proclaimer of the Exsultet was also incorporated in as well.
5 Quick Facts about the Exsultet
References to light and dark balance each other out. When you look at the text of the Exsultet, you’ll find seven references to the night. You will also find seven references to the light of Christ. Additionally, in biblical numerology, seven is considered the perfect number. While there’s no evidence this was intentional, my personal opinion is that it probably wasn’t a coincidence.
There used to be an additional section all about bees. That’s right, bees. Bees are actually rich with Christian symbolism: they represent Christ’s Resurrection, the Blessed Mother, and the virtues of diligence and humility, among other things. Additionally, candles were often made from beeswax, which itself represented Christ’s humanity and divinity. Even though the Exsultet no longer waxes poetic about bees, two references still remain: “accept this candle, a solemn offering, the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,” and “for it is fed by melting wax, drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious.”
Tradition holds that St. Ambrose wrote the original text in the 5th century. However, this is not for certain, and like many things, can only be confirmed or denied in the next life. Fun fact: St. Ambrose is often portrayed with a beehive!
The text describes Adam’s sin as a “happy fault.” It’s really easy to look at Adam and Eve and think, “Thanks for ruining everything for the rest of us.” But the Exsultet reminds us so poetically and joyfully that God brings good out of all things, including the sin of Adam: “O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”
The Exsultet takes about ten minutes to chant. No wonder Easter Vigil’s the longest Mass of the year… I jest, I jest. It may take ten minutes to chant, but this is just one of many ways in which the Church, through Her liturgy, clearly shows us that the Resurrection of Jesus Chris is the climax, the high point, of salvation history.
I’ll leave you with a recording of this beautiful chant, so that you can listen and meditate on it. Wishing you a blessed Easter season!
