Scripture Verse

Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me One who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2

Introduction

portrait
Edward Caswall
1814–1878
National Portrait Gallery

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Words: Au­re­li­us Pru­den­ti­us (348–413) (O so­la mag­na­rum ur­bi­um). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Ed­ward Cas­wall, Ly­ra Ca­tho­li­ca, 1849, al­tered by the com­pil­ers of Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern.

Music: Stutt­gart in Psal­mo­dia Sac­ra, by Chris­tian F. Witt (Go­tha, Ger­ma­ny: 1715). Adapt­ed by Hen­ry J. Gaunt­lett (1805–1876) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Pru­den­ti­us or Witt (head-and-shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Henry J. Gauntlett
1805–1876
National Portrait Gallery

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Lyrics

Earth has many a noble city;
Bethlehem, thou dost all excel;
Out of thee the Lord from Heaven
Came to rule His Israel.

Fairer than the sun at morning
Was the star that told His birth,
To the world its God announcing
Seen in fleshly form on earth.

Eastern sages at His cradle
Make oblations rich and rare;
See them give, in deep devotion,
Gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Sacred gifts of mystic meaning:
Incense doth their God disclose,
Gold the King of kings proclaimeth,
Myrrh His sepulcher foreshows.

Jesu, whom the Gentiles worshipped
At Thy glad Epiphany,
Unto Thee, with God the Father
And the Spirit, glory be.