Epiphany
O Chief of Cities Bethlehem
- Words:
- Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-413). v. 1,2,4 Translated by N. B. Smithers, 1879,
- Music:
- 'Puer Nobis Nascitur' Michael Praetorius, 1609.
- Setting:
- George Ratcliffe Woodward for "The English Hymnal", 1906.
- Metre:
- 8 8 8 8
- 1O chief of cities, Bethlehem,Of David's crown the fairest gem,But more to us than David's name,In you, as man, the Savior came.
- 2Beyond the sun in splendor bright,Above you stands a wondrous lightProclaiming from the conscious skiesThat here, in flesh, the Godhead lies.
- 3The wise men, seeing Him so fair,Bow low before Him, and with prayerTheir treasured eastern gifts unfoldOf incense, myrrh, and royal gold.
- 4The golden tribute owns Him King,But frankincense to God they bring,And last, prophetic sign, with myrrh,They shadow forth His sepulcher.
- 5O Jesus, whom the Gentiles see,With Father, Spirit, One in Three:To You, O God, be glory giv'nBy saints on earth and saints in Heav'n.
Scripture
Topics
In the hymnals
- The words are in 3 hymnals indexed by Hymnary.org. Their history →
- The tune, Puer Nobis Nascitur, is in 267 hymnals. The tune →
Words, music and setting are in the public domain. The score is from the Open Hymnal Project (Brian J. Dumont), which places its own work in the public domain. The piano is the FluidR3 General MIDI sound font (MIT licence). How many hymnals print a hymn, and when it was written, is from Hymnary.org.