The First Hymn
In the 200s someone wrote down the words and music for a hymn now called The Oxyrynchus Hymn. It is a hymn of praise to the Trinity. In 2025 a version called "The First Hymn" was produced. Watch the documentary in late October!
At our Combined service on Sunday 31st August at Kincumber, we had the third part in a two-part series called “True Worship”. I introduced a second century hymn called the Oxyrynchus Hymn. It is written in Greek and has musical notation.
An English translation is:
.. Let it be silent
Let the Luminous stars not shine,
Let the winds (?) and all the noisy rivers die down;
And as we hymn the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Let all the powers add "Amen, Amen"
Empire, praise always,
and glory to God,
The sole giver of good things,
Amen, Amen.
In other words, may all of Creation be silent before singing a hymn to our God in Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The hymn clearly demonstrates that the concept of the Trinity was alive and active in the early Church well before it was enshrined in what we call the Nicene Creed (written in the 300s).
At our Combined service, and then on 14th September at Umina, we listened to a modern version of the Oxyrynchus hymn which is called “The First Hymn”. As well as producing what I believe is an inspired hymn, the producers have also made a documentary called “The First Hymn: Resurrecting a song buried for millennia”. It was shown in cinemas earlier this year, but you will have the opportunity to watch it later this month! At the Kincumber Friendship Group, at 10am on Tuesday 28th October, we will show the documentary. The next day we will hold a special screening at Umina also at 10am. We are able to screen it by purchasing a 72-hour licence. It is not (yet) available for sale.
On Sunday 28th September I showed the Trailer for the documentary. You can watch that, and find out more about “The First Hymn”, by going to their website: https://www.thefirsthymnmovie.com/.
Regardless of whether or not we choose to sing “The First Hymn”, may we all sing to God in the words of Psalm 150:
1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
With hope and joy,
Rev. Frank (Van Der Korput), Supply Minister