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Lyrics

O Splendor of God’s glory bright,
From light eternal bringing light,
O Light of light, the fountain spring,
O Day, all days illumining:

Come, very Sun of heaven’s love,
In lasting radiance from above,
And pour the Holy Spirit’s ray
On all we think or do today,
On all we think or do today.

Confirm our will to do the right,
And keep our hearts from envy’s blight;
Let faith her eager fires renew,
And hate the false and love the true,
And hate the false and love the true.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

And now to You our prayers ascend,
O Father, glorious without end;
We plead with Sovereign Grace for power
To conquer in temptation’s hour,
To conquer in temptation’s hour.

All praise to God the Father be,
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee,
Whom with the Spirit we adore
Forever and forevermore.

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be:
World without end!
Amen, amen.

Words: Ambrose of Milan, 4th c., tr. composite; Gloria Patri
Music: Zac Hicks, 2010
©2011 Unbudding Fig Music (ASCAP)

Video Tutorial: How to Play “O Splendor of God’s Glory Bright”

About

We throw around the phrase “old hymn” quite liberally, even applying it to songs written in the 1950s.  Unlike these, “O Splendor” is the genuine article.  It is perhaps one of the oldest hymns still in use today in many hymnals.  It was originally a Latin text, Splendor paternae gloriae, dating back to around 374 a.d., according to hymnologist Albert Bailey.  Hymn-writer Ambrose of Milan was a devout Christian, born of an ancient Roman family.    Ambrose became the Bishop of Milan (in northern Italy) during a time in the church’s history when many were questioning whether Jesus was truly God.  The teachings of Arius (c. 250-336 a.d.) had spread, leading not a small amount of Christians to doubt Jesus’ divinity and eternality.  The Council of Nicaea (325 a.d.) addressed this, defending Christ’s full deity according to the Scriptures, against Arius, who was condemned for teaching heresy.  It was the aftermath of this reality that became the context of Ambrose’s ministry.

It is not surprising, then, that many of the hymns composed in this period were addressing issues of the nature of God as a Trinity (one God in three persons), with a particular eye toward the deity of Christ.  We see it here in the last verse of this hymn:

All praise to God the Father be,
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee,
Whom with the Spirit we adore
Forever and forevermore.

Ambrose would be an influential figure in the history of Church music.  His hymn- and poetry-writing styles would codify a whole canon of hymns written in iambic pentameter, known as “Ambrosian hymns” and “Ambrosian chant.”  This classification became so pervasive that such songs were called “Ambrosian” even when Ambrose didn’t write them.  In a sense, then, Ambrose became one of the first great “Worship Pastors,” melding ministry, music, and hymn-writing.  Notice in this hymn the juxtaposition of high theology and very personal application and expression.  Ambrose wasn’t an ivory tower academic, but chose to let theology inform his spirituality.