Scripture Verse

His only begotten Son. John 3:16

Introduction

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John M. Neale (1818–1866)
Wikipedia

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Words: Un­known au­thor, 6th Cen­tu­ry (Chris­te Re­demp­tor om­ni­um). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by John M. Neale, The Hym­nal Not­ed (Lon­don & New York: No­vel­lo & Ew­er, 1851), num­ber 13.

Music: Vom Him­mel hoch, from Geist­liche Lied­er, by Val­en­tin Schu­mann (Leip­zig, Ger­ma­ny: 1539). Har­mo­ny by Jo­hann S. Bach (🔊 pdf nwc).

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Johann S. Bach (1685–1750)

Lyrics

Jesu, the Fa­ther’s on­ly Son,
Whose death for all re­demp­tion won,
Before the worlds, of God most high
Begotten all in­ef­fa­bly.

The Fa­ther’s light and splen­dor Thou,
Their end­less hope to Thee that bow;
Accept the pray­ers and praise to­day
That through the world Thy ser­vants pray.

Salvation’s Au­thor, call to mind
Thou took’st the form of hu­man­kind,
When of the vir­gin un­de­filed,
Thou, in man’s flesh, be­came a child.

Thus tes­ti­fies the pre­sent day,
Through ev­ery year in long ar­ray,
That Thou, sal­va­tion’s source alone,
Proceedest from the Fa­ther’s throne.

Whence sky, and stars, and sea’s ab­yss,
And earth, and all that there­in is,
Shall still with laud and ca­rol meet,
The Au­thor of Thine ad­vent greet.

And we who, by Thy pre­cious blood
From sin re­deemed, are marked for God,
On this the day that saw Thy birth,
Sing the new song of ran­somed earth.

For that Thine ad­vent glo­ry be,
O Je­su, vir­gin born, to Thee!
With Fa­ther, and with Ho­ly Ghost,
From men and from the heav’n­ly host.