{"id":13835,"date":"2013-04-03T15:03:16","date_gmt":"2013-04-03T19:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/?p=13835"},"modified":"2013-04-03T15:03:16","modified_gmt":"2013-04-03T19:03:16","slug":"the-oldest-christian-hymn-with-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2013\/04\/the-oldest-christian-hymn-with-music.html","title":{"rendered":"The Oldest Christian Hymn with Music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

There may be older Christian hymns, but the oldest hymn accompanied with musical notation is surely the fragmentary one found at Oxyrhynchus<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/iframe>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/ancientpeoples.tumblr.com\/post\/46949162370\/the-oxyrhynchus-hymn-papyrus-oxyrhynchus\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Ancient Peoples blog provided a transcription and translation of the text<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>[?\u03c0\u03c1]\u03c5\u03c4\u03b1\u03bd\u03b7\u03c9 \u03c3\u03b9\u03b3\u03b1\u03c4\u03c9 \u03bc\u03b7\u03b4\u1fbd \u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1 \u03c6\u03b1\u03b5\u03c3\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u03b1 \u03bb[\u03b5\u03b9\u03c0]\u03b5<\/p>\n[\u03c3]\u03b8\u03bf\u03bd[.].\u03bb\u03b5\u03b9[\u2026]\u03c1[\u2026]\u03c0\u03bf\u03c4\u03b1\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd \u03c1\u03bf\u03b8\u03b9\u03c9\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c5\u03bc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03bd \u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03b4\u1fbd \u03b7\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd<\/p>\n[\u03c0]\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03b1 \u03a7\u1fbd \u03c5\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd \u03a7\u1fbd \u03b1\u03b3\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd \u03c0\u03bd\u03b5\u03c5\u03bc\u03b1 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03bc\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 \u03b5\u03c0\u03b9\u03c6\u03bf\u03c9\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03bd\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03b1\u03bc\u03b7\u03bd \u03b1\u03bc\u03b7\u03bd \u03ba\u03c1\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 \u03b1\u03b9\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2<\/p>\n[\u2026]\u03b4[\u03c9\u03c4]\u03b7[\u03c1\u03b9] \u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03c9 \u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03b1\u03b3\u03b1\u03b8\u03bf\u03bd \u03b1\u03bc\u03b7\u03bd \u03b1\u03bc\u03b7\u03bd<\/p>\nThese lyrics have been translated as:<\/p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00004TVG7\/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00004TVG7&linkCode=as2&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" style=\"border: 0px\" src=\"http:\/\/ws.assoc-amazon.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00004TVG7&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20\" alt=\"\" width=\"110\" height=\"97\" border=\"0\"><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0px !important\" src=\"https:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00004TVG7\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\">\u2026 Let it be silent<\/em><\/p>\nLet the Luminous stars not shine,<\/em><\/p>\nLet the winds (?) and all the noisy rivers die down;<\/em><\/p>\nAnd as we hymn the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,<\/em><\/p>\nLet all the powers add \u201cAmen Amen\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nEmpire, praise always, and glory to God,<\/em><\/p>\nThe sole giver of good things, Amen Amen.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSee\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rakkav.com\/biblemusic\/pdfs\/booklets\/mga_new_bklt.pdf\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">the booklet<\/a> that comes with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00004TVG7\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00004TVG7&linkCode=as2&tag=jamefmcgrshom-20\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">the CD with a recording of the hymn, Musique de la Grece Antique<\/em> (Ancient Greek Music)<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0px !important\" src=\"https:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=jamefmcgrshom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00004TVG7\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\">, for more information.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There may be older Christian hymns, but the oldest hymn accompanied with musical notation is surely the fragmentary one found at Oxyrhynchus: The Ancient Peoples blog provided a transcription and translation of the text: [?\u03c0\u03c1]\u03c5\u03c4\u03b1\u03bd\u03b7\u03c9 \u03c3\u03b9\u03b3\u03b1\u03c4\u03c9 \u03bc\u03b7\u03b4\u1fbd \u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1 \u03c6\u03b1\u03b5\u03c3\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u03b1 \u03bb[\u03b5\u03b9\u03c0]\u03b5 [\u03c3]\u03b8\u03bf\u03bd[.].\u03bb\u03b5\u03b9[\u2026]\u03c1[\u2026]\u03c0\u03bf\u03c4\u03b1\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd \u03c1\u03bf\u03b8\u03b9\u03c9\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c5\u03bc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03bd \u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03b4\u1fbd \u03b7\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd [\u03c0]\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03b1 \u03a7\u1fbd \u03c5\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd \u03a7\u1fbd \u03b1\u03b3\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd \u03c0\u03bd\u03b5\u03c5\u03bc\u03b1 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b4\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03bc\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[131,63],"tags":[1846,3562,4902,7803,8590,8691],"class_list":["post-13835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity-religion","category-music","tag-christianity-religion","tag-fragment","tag-hymn","tag-music","tag-oxyrhynchus","tag-papyrus"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>The Oldest Christian Hymn with Music<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There may be older Christian hymns, but the oldest hymn accompanied with musical notation is surely the fragmentary one found at Oxyrhynchus: The Ancient\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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