The Ancient Hymn of the ‘Hilarious Light’
The Ancient Hymn of the ‘Hilarious Light’
O Gladsome Light – GENTRI / Lyceum Philharmonic at American Heritage School #LIGHTtheWORLD
“Phos Hilaron”:
“Hail Gladdening Light
of His pure glory poured
Who is the immortal Father, Heavenly Blest
Holiest of Holies, Jesus Christ our Lord
Now we come to the sun’s hour of rest
The lights of evening around us shine
We hymn the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Divine
Worthiest are thou, at all times to be sung
with undefiled tongue
Son of our God, Giver of life alone,
Therefore, in all the world, thy glories Lord
Thine own.”
Phos hilaron (Park) Cambridge Chorale at Ely Cathedral
In this exquisite, ancient hymn of worship, the first line sets the stage for the rest of the hymn with the two words that say it all: Joy and Light. Jesus is the light, and His light gladdens the heart and fills it with joy. The original Greek has translated gladdening into words like joyous, gladsome, and radiant. The light of Jesus radiates joy and gladness. This hymn was originally called Phos Hilaron, which happily and literally means “hilarious light.” The light of Jesus radiates so much joy that it is hilarious. Perfect.
Phos Hilaron is the oldest hymn in the Christian church. It’s so old that in the 4th century, it was considered ancient! It has been a traditional evening hymn down through history, sung around the world in most denominations. Back in the early church, it was sung at the ceremony called the “lighting of the lamps.” During this time a candle in the tomb of Christ was kept perpetually burning. And that candle was brought from the tomb into the nearby worship space, probably even some catacombs, and lit another candle. This candle ceremony was to symbolize the eternal living light of Christ. Jesus was seen as the light that would never go out. As the believers worshiped with this lit candle in their midst, they were reminded of the resurrected Lord, the everlasting Spirit of Jesus that brought His body back to mortal life, never to be snuffed out again. The Phos Hilaron was sung during this candle ceremony as they worshiped the risen Christ.
Phos Hilaron was originally written in Greek, and then translated to Latin and to countless other languages. It was finally translated into English in 1834 by Kebel in a way that could be put to music. Many musical settings have followed. The verbatim translation from the original Greek is this:
“O Light gladsome of the holy glow of the Immortal Father,
the heavenly, the Holy, the Blessed, O Jesus Christ,
having come upon the setting of the sun,
having seen the light of the evening,
we praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: God.
Worthy it is at all times to praise thee in joyful voices,
O Son of God, Giver of life, for which the world glorifies thee.”
There are a number of other English translations, including the one in the Book of Common Prayer on page 139. For some reason though, the translation placed the word “gracious” in place of gladdening, which seems to miss the point. Please enjoy this completely different setting for this ancient hymn, a rendition with a jazz arrangement:
Phos Hilaron (O Gladsome Light)