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2008/01/06

Ancient Epiphany Hymn of Prudentius

Before the ancient hymn of Prudentius, I bid you to pray the Epiphany collect:

O GOD, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we, we who know thee now by faith, may be brought to the contemplation of thy Majesty through sight; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Aurelius Clemens "Marcus" Prudentius
"Prince of early Christian poets"
for other translations and bio see here

Click here for tune

 
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.

Jesus, whom the Gentiles worshiped
at thy glad epiphany,
unto thee, with God the Father
and the Spirit, glory be.



-- trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Ed­ward Cas­wall, Ly­ra Ca­thol­i­ca, 1849.
"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another" [St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans 14:19]

IN HOC SIGNO VINCES - TIME DEUM ET OPERAREIUSTITIAM
www.OrderofCenturions.org

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