Lyrics: Aurelius Prudentius. Translated by John Mason Neale.

Music: DIVINUM MYSTERIUM

Theme: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOd, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:1-3.

I posted about this hymn last Christmas, so I thought I’d do a repost. This hymn has become one of my favorite Christmas carols.

*****************This week we’ve been learning and singing this o-l-d hymn from the fourth century. (We’re studying the Middle Ages and the Renaissance this year in school.) Anyway, the hymn poem was written by a man named Aurelius Prudentius who lived in Spain and wrote in Latin in the fourth or fifth century. It was translated into English by John Mason Neale in the mid-nineteenth century in England. The version I copied for the urchins and me to sing runs to nine verses, and we sang them all, much to someone’s chagrin. I always want to sing all the verses.

1. Of the Father’s love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!

2. At His Word the worlds were framèd;
He commanded; it was done:
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean
In their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun,
Evermore and evermore!

3. He is found in human fashion,
Death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam’s children
Doomed by law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish
In the dreadful gulf below,
Evermore and evermore!

4. O that birth forever blessèd,
When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bare the Savior of our race;
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred face,
Evermore and evermore!

5. This is He Whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord;
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful word;
Now He shines, the long expected,
Let creation praise its Lord,
Evermore and evermore!

6. O ye heights of heaven adore Him;
Angel hosts, His praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before Him,
And extol our God and King!
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert sing,
Evermore and evermore!

7. Righteous judge of souls departed,
Righteous King of them that live,
On the Father’s throne exalted
None in might with Thee may strive;
Who at last in vengeance coming
Sinners from Thy face shalt drive,
Evermore and evermore!

8. Thee let old men, thee let young men,
Thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens,
With glad voices answering:
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the heart its music bring,
Evermore and evermore!

9. Christ, to Thee with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
Hymn and chant with high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be:
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore!

Here’s a different translation, this one by R.F. Davis.

Lyrics: Theodulph of Orleans, c.820. Translated by John Mason Neale, 1854.

Music: ST THEODULPH by Melchoir Tesner, 1615. This tune, and the lyrics, cry out for organ:

Theme: Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9

Another hymn that’s not on my playlist nor that of any church I’ve ever attended. This one started out as in Latin written as a processional hymn, in the Middle Ages when the priest and the congregation used to carry the cross or relics through the town in procession on special occasions such as Palm Sunday.

Refrain:
All glory, laud, and honor
to thee, Redeemer, King!
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou art the King of Israel,
thou David’s royal Son,
who in the Lord’s Name comest,
the King and Blessed One.

The company of angels
are praising thee on high;
and mortal men and all things
created make reply.

The people of the Hebrews
with palms before thee went;
our praise and prayer and anthems
before thee we present.

To thee before thy passion
they sang their hymns of praise;
to thee, now high exalted,
our melody we raise.

Thou didst accept their praises;
accept the prayers we bring,
who in all good delightest,
thou good and gracious King.

Theodulph of Orleans was born in Spain about 760 AD. He was both a poet and a theologian.The Emperor Charlemagne appointed him Bishop of Orleans, France. However, when Charlemagne died, his son, Louis the Pious suspected Theodulph of treason, and he was imprisoned in Angiers in 818.

While in prison, Theodulph wrote the verses that give us this hymn. Theodulph died in while still in prison in 821.

John Mason Neale noted “another verse was usually sung until the seventeenth century, at the quaintness of which we can scarcely avoid a smile”:
Be Thou, O Lord, the Rider,
And we the little ass,
That to God’s holy city
Together we may pass.

Quaint. Yes, and we think some of today’s praise songs have somewhat foolish lyrics. I don’t know whether we can blame Theodulph or Neale or someone else for trying to make us all into donkeys.

Sources:
The Center for Church Music: All Glory Laud and Honor.
Precious Lord Take My Hand.
Catholic Encyclopedia: Theodulf

Lyrics: Ignacz Franz. Translated from German to English by Clarence A. Walworth, 1858. Verse 7 by Hugh T. Henry.

Music: GROSSER GOTT.

Theme:

Cry out, “Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
that we may glory in your praise.”
I Chronicles 16:35

Holy God, we praise thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before thee;
all on earth thy scepter claim;
all in heaven above adore thee.
Infinite thy vast domain;
everlasting is thy reign.

Hark the glad celestial hymn
angel choirs above are raising;
cherubim and seraphim,
in unceasing chorus praising,
fill the heavens with sweet accord:
Holy, holy, holy Lord.

Lo! the apostolic train
joins thy sacred name to hallow;
prophets swell the glad refrain,
and the white-robed martyrs follow.
And from morn to set of sun,
through the church the song goes on.

Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit: three we name thee,
though in essence only one;
undivided God we claim thee,
and adoring bend the knee
while we own the mystery.

Thou art King of glory, Christ:
Son of God, yet born of Mary;
For us sinners sacrificed,
And to death a tributary:
First to break the bars of death,
Thou has opened Heaven to faith.

From Thy high celestial home,
Judge of all, again returning,
We believe that Thou shalt come
In the dreaded doomsday morning;
When Thy voice shall shake the earth,
And the startled dead come forth.

Therefore do we pray Thee, Lord:
Help Thy servants whom, redeeming
By Thy precious blood out-poured,
Thou hast saved from Satan’s scheming.
Give to them eternal rest
In the glory of the blest.

Spare Thy people, Lord, we pray,
By a thousand snares surrounded:
Keep us without sin today,
Never let us be confounded.
Lo, I put my trust in Thee;
Never, Lord, abandon me.

I’ve never heard this hymn, know nothing about it. I’m thinking it’s a Roman Catholic hymn, but I don’t know that its use is limited to that church. Ah, yes, here it says, “It is usually sung during the Benediction ceremony of the Catholic Church, when the Eucharist is placed back in the tabernacle after Eucharistic Adoration.You can listen to a beautiful instrumental (with dulcimer) version of the melody here.

In the 1937 movie Heidi with Shirley Temple, Heidi and her grandfather sing this hymnwith the congregation when Grandfather returns to church and to society as a result of the influence of his adorable granddaughter.

I rather like the hymn itself, and I don’t see anything that would disturb a good Protestant in the lyrics.

Lyrics: Edward Mote, 1834.
Alternate Title: On Christ the Solid Rock

Music: SOLID ROCK by William Bradbury, 1863. the vocalists are a group of homeschooled sisters called The Cadet Sisters:

Or MELITA by John Dykes. Here it is sung by Deborah Liv Johnson:

Theme: For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 3:11

Read here for the story of Edward Mote’s writing the hymn’s lyrics.

LifeSpring Hymn Stories: The Solid Rock.

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.