Of The Father’s Love Begotten
Of the Father’s Love Begotten
Of the Father’s love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He;
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore.
O ye heights of heaven, adore Him;
Angel hosts, His praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before Him,
And extol our God and King;
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert ring,
Evermore and evermore.
Christ, to Thee with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be:
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore.
Translated by John Mason Neale (1818–1866) and Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877)
SINCE ITS INCEPTION, the church has been troubled by heresy. One of the most enduring heresies has been Arianism, which teaches that Jesus is not God by nature but gained His divinity because God the Father foresaw His righteous life. This heresy was condemned at the Council of Nicaea in 325, but to this day it persists in many different forms.
Aurelius Prudentius, a Spaniard by birth, lived at a time when Arianism was still in its infancy. In this hymn he presents a poetic defense for an orthodox confession of Jesus’ divinity and coeternal relationship with God the Father. We can be thankful for God’s many faithful saints throughout history who, like Prudentius, have passed on to us the true Christian faith.
Through [Christ] God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
Colossians 1:16-18
From the book
