Agnus Dei (liturgy) whose canons had forbidden the iconographic depiction of Christ as a lamb instead of a man. Based upon John the Baptist's reference in to Jesus ("Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world"), the text in Latin is: which means: The text used in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Church (Rite Two) is: The following three versions are all found in the Church of England's "Common Worship" liturgical resources, and also in the Episcopal Church's liturgical resources: The version found in the Lutheran Service Book of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is: The General Instruction of
Agnus Dei (Barber) for a solo soprano. Soprano and alto are divided in two parts, tenor and bass occasionally even in three. The music is dominated by a melody, first presented by the soprano, which begins on a long note and then undulates in even rhythm and diatonic steps, a melisma of two measures on the words "Agnus Dei". The other voices enter half a measure later on a chord, move to a different chord in measure 2 and sustain it throughout the measure, while the soprano holds its first note through measure one and moves only after the supporting chord has changed