Author: Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, 348-413
Latin title: Corde natus ex parentis
Translation: John Mason Neale, 1818-1866; and Henry W. Baker, 1821-1877
Relevant Scripture verse: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” – Revelation 1:8 ESV
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 O that birth forever blessed, when the virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving, bore the Savior of our race;
and the Babe, the world’s Redeemer, first revealed His sacred face,
evermore and evermore!
3 This is He whom seers in old time chanted of with one accord,
whom the Scriptures of the prophets promised in their faithful word;
now He shines, the long-expected; let creation praise its Lord,
evermore and evermore!
4 Let the heights of heav'n, adore Him; angel hosts, His praises sing:
pow'rs, dominions, bow before Him and extol our God and King;
let no tongue on earth be silent, every voice in concert ring,
evermore and evermore!
5 Christ, to Thee with God the Father, and, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving and unwearied praises be,
honor, glory, and dominion, and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore!
In my years of service as a pastor, I have often encountered people who tell me they would like to sing more of the “old hymns” in worship. Digging a little deeper, I discovered that what they consider “old” has to do not with when a hymn was written, but rather what hymns they remember singing in church when they were growing up. Most often, these “old” hymns are actually not that old in the grand scheme of history. Most of these “old” hymns were written in the nineteenth century and became popular in many “mainline” churches, including Lutheran churches, in the twentieth century.
Such “old” hymns from the late 1800s are not all bad, and in fact a few of them found their way onto my list of fifty-two favorite hymns. But if we want a truly old hymn, this ancient Christmas chant from the late fourth century is about as old as we are going to find in our hymnals. Written as a Latin poem by Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius in northern Spain, it became available to English speakers in the nineteenth century.
For most people, even unfortunately many Christians, the “Christmas season” is essentially a secular observance and comes to an end the night of December 25, at least in the United States. Radio stations, which play secular Christmas music all through December, return to the usual musical fare even that night. On the Christian calendar, however, Christmas is a season of twelve days, beginning on, not leading up to, December 25. So, while people often begin taking down their Christmas trees and decorations the next day, my tree will remain in place until at least January 5.
There are certainly more important issues in the life of the church and the world than quibbling about when Christmas begins and ends. But understanding Christmas as a season of twelve days rather than a single day emphasizes the importance of reflection on the incarnation of the Son of God, the Word made flesh for us. It is an opportunity for a deeper Christmas. The eternal Word of God being born among us as our Savior is indeed a lot to take in. It reveals the depth of our sinful nature. It also reveals the height and depth of God’s love for the world. Christmas is about so much more than a baby in a manger, shepherds, the announcement of the angel, and the multitude of the heavenly host. Without the message of who this baby actually is, none of the things we associate with Christmas mean much of anything.
“Of the Father’s Love Begotten” has become for me a staple of the Christmas season, and Christmas Eve would not be quite the same without it. But there is more than sentimentality at work here. At stake is the foundation of our faith. At the time this was written, Christians were still wrangling about the theological issues that would come to define orthodoxy (correct praise) against heresy (false teaching). The Council of Nicaea in 325 rejected the views of the man named Arius, which claimed that the Son of God was not eternal, was created by God, and was therefore subordinate to God the Father. The claim was that the Son of God was “of similar substance” but not “the same substance” as God. The Council of Nicaea agreed with the man named Athanasius who rejected Arius’ heretical teaching, for if the Son of God is not equal to God the Father, then he is a creature of God, and a creature cannot redeem another creature.
Even though the Council of Nicaea made its decree, which led in time to the official declaration of the doctrine of the Trinity: God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it took many more years for the heretical Arian version of Christianity to give way to the faith that we know today. It was for quite some time still “up in the air” as to which competing version of Christianity would emerge victorious in the Christian West.
But every year, Prudentius’ poem set to chant reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas. The baby in the manger is not to be adored because babies are cute. That birth was blessed because the baby is the Lord of all creation, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Therefore, let no tongue on earth be silent, every voice in concert ring, evermore and evermore!
You can access here a recording of “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” at the following link:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=of+the+father%27s+love+begotten&iax=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DFpsj25M1QdI&ia=videos