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The Oxyrhynchus Hymn (P. Oxy. XV 1786) is the earliest known Christian hymn preserved with both lyrics and musical notation, generally dated to the late 3rd century CE.
Audio Recordings
YouTube performance with English subtitles
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ksqqcBanAhs%3Frel%3D0%26playsinline%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fchatgpt.com%26enablejsapi%3D1%26widgetid%3D1%26forigin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fchatgpt.com%252Fc%252F6a297262-ded0-83ea-b5e3-1182e08573a7%26aoriginsup%3D1%26gporigin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fauth.openai.com%252F%26vf%3D1
Article with embedded audio/video performance
Aleteia article on the Oxyrhynchus Hymn (includes performance)
Images of the Manuscript and Transcription
The papyrus image and a scholarly transcription can be viewed at:
English Translation
Because the papyrus is damaged, translations contain reconstructed portions. A commonly cited translation is:
Let all be silent:
the shining stars not sound forth,
all rushing rivers be stilled,
while we hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Let all the powers answer:
Amen, Amen.
Might, praise, and glory forever to God,
the sole giver of all good things.
Amen. Amen.
This translation is adapted from the version published in the Aleteia article and reflects the fragmentary state of the text.
Greek Text
A transcription of the surviving Greek text (with scholarly restorations) is available at:
Scholarly Background
The hymn invokes cosmic silence before the praise of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a motif known as “cosmic stillness” in Greek hymnody. The manuscript was discovered among the Oxyrhynchus papyri in Egypt and published in 1922.
If you would like, I can also provide:
- A line-by-line Greek text with a literal English translation.
- The reconstructed musical notation.
- Links to academic editions and discussions by musicologists and patristic scholars.
Response to the suggested item 1 above.
The text of the Oxyrhynchus Hymn is fragmentary, and several words are reconstructed by scholars. Below is a commonly accepted reconstruction based primarily on the editions discussed by Charles Cosgrove and reflected in scholarly transcriptions. Brackets [ ] indicate restored text not fully preserved in the papyrus. (Wikipedia)
| Greek Text | Literal English Translation |
|---|---|
| [Σε Πάτερ κόσμων, Πάτερ αἰώνων, μέλπωμεν] ὁμοῦ | “[You, Father of the worlds, Father of the ages, let us hymn] together” |
| πᾶσαι τε Θεοῦ λόγιμοι δο[ῦλο]ι | “and all the articulate/rational servants of God” |
| Ὅσα κ[όσμος ἔχει πρὸς ἐπουρανίων ἁγίων σελάων] | “all that the world contains beneath the holy heavenly lights” |
| [Πρ]υτανήω σιγάτω, μηδ᾿ ἄστρα φαεσφόρα λ[αμπέ]σθων | “Let the presiding order be silent, and let not the light-bearing stars shine” |
| [ἀπ]ολει[πόντων] ῥ[ιπαὶ πνοιῶν, πηγαὶ] | “Let the gusts of winds cease, [and the sources]” |
| ποταμῶν ῥοθίων πᾶσαι | “of all rushing rivers” |
| Ὑμνούντων δ᾿ ἡμῶν Πατέρα χ᾿ Υἱὸν χ᾿ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα | “While we hymn Father and Son and Holy Spirit” |
| πᾶσαι δυνάμεις ἐπιφωνούντων· Ἀμήν, Ἀμήν | “let all the powers cry out in response: ‘Amen, Amen'” |
| Κράτος, αἶνος [ἀεὶ καὶ δόξα Θεῷ δωτῆρι μόνῳ πάντων] ἀγαθῶν | “Power, praise, [forever and glory to God, the sole giver of all] good things” |
| Ἀμήν, Ἀμήν | “Amen, Amen” |
A somewhat smoother translation, preserving the sense rather than the word order, would be:
Let all God’s rational servants together sing to the Father of the worlds and ages.
Let all creation fall silent; let not even the shining stars give their light.
Let the winds cease their rushing and the springs of roaring rivers be still.
As we praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, let all heavenly powers answer:
“Amen, Amen! Power, praise, and glory forever to God, the sole giver of every good thing. Amen, Amen.” (Wikipedia)
One point of scholarly interest is that the hymn explicitly names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a liturgical context, making it one of the earliest surviving non-biblical Christian texts that clearly reflects Trinitarian worship. The papyrus itself is generally dated to the late third century CE. (Wikipedia)
