Hail, Gladdening Light!
October 24, 2007 by Ingrid Schlueter
This weekend I got a chance to listen to a CD that was given to me some time ago. I had never had the chance to listen to it until now. It contained what scholars believe to be the oldest hymn on record (150 A.D.) in the Christian church that has survived complete, “Hail, Gladdening Light”. This Greek hymn was not sung in congregations, but rather by Christians at home when they would light their oil lamps at sunset. It is a hymn of praise to the Trinity, but emphasizes Christ, the Light of the World. The English translation, like the original, is not written metrically so it could not be put to an ordinary hymn tune, but instead uses a chant setting. (This means that because certain lines are longer than others, the extra words are sung on the same note until the line is complete.)
I told my son that whenever we turn our lamps on at night, we can remember these early Christians who lit their lamps to light their homes and sang this hymn to the Light of the World. These words of praise can be learned today.
Hail, gladdening Light, of his pure glory poured,
who is immortal Father, heavenly blest;
Holiest of Holies, Jesus Christ our Lord!
Now are we come to the sun’s hour of rest;
the lights of evening round us shine,
we hymn the Father, Son and Holy Spirit divine.
Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung,
with undefilèd tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of life, alone!
Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.
If you would like to hear how this sounds to the hymn tune written by John Stainer in the 19th century, click here where it is on CD. There is an audio sample of the first minute of this hymn–cut number 4. This entire CD is superb, by the way, if you’re looking for a great hymn collection.
Thank you so much for telling us about this hymn…I marveled that it was so old. I listened to the sample and it is beyond beautiful. I plan on ordering the whole CD!
Dear Mrs. Schleuter,
You may or may not remember me, but over ten years ago, I was an announcer at VCY’s affiliate, WSEB in Englewood, Florida. I taught at Heritage Christian Academy which was a ministry of Calvary Baptist Church. Wally Metts, the founder of WSEB was my pastor. Anyway, in the providence of God, I managed to move well beyond the station and school, and am now a professor of theology and church history at Eucon International College in Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands. I also teach theology as an adjunct member of the graduate faculty of Northland Baptist College in Dunbar. I am a Ph.D candidatate in historical theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.
I must say that I appreciated both your Slice of Laodicea site and this one as well. I had often directed my students to the Slice site so that they may be aware of the trends within contemporary evangelicalism, which like you, I also lament.
As a specialist in the English Reformation, I would like to share with you a citation from John Jewel’s Apology of the Church of England (1562). John Jewel (1522-1571) was bishop of Salisbury during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Apology was the first definitive defense of the Protestant Church of England against the Catholic Church. At the time the Apology was published, the last session of the Council of Trent was meeting. This citation is the opening paragraph of the Apology which speaks of the truth wandering as a stranger. You may or may not wish to post this on this present Hope site. Here is the citation.
“It hath been an old complaint, even from the first time of the patriarchs and prophets, and confirmed by the writings and testimonies of every age, that the truth wandereth here and there as a stranger in the world and doth readily find enemies and slanderers amongst those that know her not. Albeit perchance this may seem unto some a thing hard to be believed, I mean to such as have scant well and narrowly taken heed thereunto, specially seeing all mankind of nature’s very motion without a teacher doth covet the truth of their own accord; and seeing our Saviour Christ himself, when he ws on earth, would be called ‘the truth,’ as by a name most fit to express all his divine power; yet we–which have been exercised in the Holy Scriptures, and which have both read and seen what hath happened to all godly men commonly at all times; what to the prophets, to the apostles, to the holy martyrs, and what to Christ himself; with what rebukes, revilings, and despites they were continually vexed whiles they here lived, and and that only for the truth’s sake–we (I say) do see that this is not only no new thing or hard to be believed, but that it is a thing already received and commonly used from age to age. Nay, truly, this might seem much rather a marvel and beyond all belief, if the devil, who is ‘the father of lies’ and enemy to the truth, would now upon a sudden change his nature and hope that truth might otherwise be suppressed than by belying it, or that he would begin to establish his own kingdom by using now any other practices than the same which he ever used from the beginning. For since any man’s remembrance we can scant find one time, either when religion did first grow, or when it was settled, or when it afresh spring up again, wherein truth and innocency were not by all unworthy means and most despitefully entreated. Doubtless the devil well seeth that so long as truth is in good safety, himself cannot be safe nor yet maintain his own estate.”
Also, I am negotiating an abriged edition of Jewel’s sermons with Ambassador-Emerald.
I hope you will find the above citation useful.
In Christ,
Andre Gazal, Ph.D (candidate)
[...] and the Council of Nicea in the fourth century. Why? Because the oldest recorded Christian hymn, Hail, Gladdening Light!, which was being sung as early as 150 AD, is utterly Trinitarian! Now this date is key, because [...]
Thank you for sharing the hymns and links to audio samples. I long to be in a church where such rich and beautiful works are part of the worship. If I can’t find them in church, I am grateful you have shown where we can purchase the music and bring it into our homes. I will be doing so.
Marilyn