|
by
Doug Ward |
Between 1896 and 1907, Oxford University scholars Bernard Grenfell and Arthur
Hunt unearthed many papyrus fragments at the Egyptian site of Oxyrhynchus. The
papyri, mostly in Greek, date from the period between the second century BC and
the seventh century AD.
Among
the half million fragments are legal documents, records of business
transactions, and private letters, providing insights into everyday life in an
ancient Greek city in Egypt. For example, in a contract from 267 AD, a young
man named Demetrius is offered 3800 drachmas (the price of a donkey) to lose in
an upcoming wrestling match with another young man.
One
important papyrus from the collection, catalogued as P. Oxy 1786, measures
about a foot wide and two inches high. It has a corn contract on one side, and
on the other side is part of a Christian hymn from the third century AD.
Translated into English, here are the words that survive:
"Let
all be silent: the shining stars not sound forth. All rushing rivers stilled,
as we sing our hymn. To the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As all powers cry out
in answer, Amen, Amen. Might, praise, and glory forever, to God, the only Giver
of all good gifts. Amen. Amen."
These
lyrics reflect the world of early Christians at Oxyrhynchus. In a culture in
which many gods were worshiped, songs to the gods often began with a call to
silence. This song also starts that way but recognizes only one God, "the
only Giver of all good gifts" who is "Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit."
Also
preserved, along with these lyrics, are Greek musical notations. In songs of
that era, the Greek alphabet was used to indicate the pitches at which the
syllables were sung, with letters later in the alphabet corresponding to higher
pitches. If you are curious about how this hymn sounded, search online for
"The First Hymn: Original Greek" to hear a choir singing it on You
Tube. Historians say that the music is like that of other known ancient Greek
songs.
P.
Oxy 1786 is not the earliest Christian hymn. Christians from the start have
sung "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19), and it
is believed that New Testament passages like Philippians 2:6-11 and Colossians
1:15-20 are based on early hymns. But P. Oxy 1786 is the earliest known hymn
for which we have musical notation.
To
raise awareness of this hymn, Wheaton College historian John Dickson has
founded the First Hymn Project, which commissioned songwriters Chris Tomlin and
Ben Fielding to compose a modern worship song based on the hymn. This song
first appeared online in the summer of 2025, and I have a feeling that many
churches will enjoy singing it.
Another
initiative of the project is a documentary film, The First Hymn, which
will be showing at theaters on March 24 and 26, 2026. This film and Dickson's
"Undeceptions" Podcast are good places to learn more about the hymn
and its story.
File
translated from TEX by TTH,
version 3.66.
On 10 Mar 2026, 14:31.
