Of the Father's Love Begotten is one of the oldest Christmas hymns still sung. It comes from a Latin poem by Prudentius, a Christian lawyer and governor in Spain, written around the year 400. John Mason Neale translated it into English in 1854, and Henry Baker revised it for Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861. Each verse ends Evermore and evermore. The hymn celebrates Christ as eternal before His birth, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13), and as the Babe born of the Virgin to redeem the world.
Most Christmas carols start in Bethlehem. This one starts before the worlds began. Prudentius wrote it when the church was still defending the truth that Jesus is fully God, and his hymn answers that question in its first line: Christ is the Son begotten of the Father's love before creation, the source and the ending of all things. Only then does it move to the Virgin and the Babe, then to the prophets who foretold Him, and finally to a call for every voice in heaven and on earth to praise Him. Below are all nine verses as printed in 1861, followed by 12 KJV passages that stand behind them.
Of the Father's Love Begotten: the words
Verse 1
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!
Verse 2
At His word the worlds were framed;
He commanded; it was done:
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean
In their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun,
Evermore and evermore!
Verse 3
He is found in human fashion,
Death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam's children,
Doomed by Law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish
In the dreadful gulf below,
Evermore and evermore!
Verse 4
O that Birth for ever blessed,
When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bare the Saviour of our race;
And the Babe, the world's Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred Face,
Evermore and evermore!
Verse 5
This is He Whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord;
Whom the voices of the Prophets
Promised in their faithful word;
Now He shines, the long-expected:
Let creation praise its Lord:
Evermore and evermore!
Verse 6
O ye heights of heaven adore Him;
Angel-hosts His praises sing!
All 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!
Verse 7
Righteous Judge of souls departed!
Righteous King of them that live!
On the Father's throne exalted
None in might with Thee may strive:
Who at last in vengeance coming
Sinners from Thy Face shalt drive,
Evermore and evermore!
Verse 8
Thee let old men, Thee let young men,
Thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens
With glad voices answering;
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the heart its praises bring,
Evermore and evermore!
Verse 9
Christ! to Thee, with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee!
Hymn, and chant, and high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be,
Honour, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore! Amen.
Words: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-about 413), from his Latin hymn Corde natus ex parentis; English translation by John Mason Neale (1854), revised and extended by Henry Williams Baker for Hymns Ancient and Modern. Text copied from the first music edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern (London: Novello, 1861), Christmas section (Internet Archive scan, Princeton Theological Seminary copy), where it appears under the text God was manifest in the flesh; that printing marks verses 2, 3 and 7 as ones that may be left out if the hymn is thought too long. Most hymnals today sing 4 or 5 verses. Tune: Divinum mysterium, a plainsong melody from Piae Cantiones (1582). Public domain.
Ere the worlds began to be: Christ before Christmas
1. Revelation 22:13
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
The first verse of the hymn borrows its central title from the last chapter of the Bible. The risen Christ says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, so the title means Christ is the A to Z of everything. Prudentius drew out the meaning: He the source, the ending He, of the things that are, that have been, and that future years shall see. The child in the manger is not a new arrival in the universe. He is the One from whom all history starts and toward whom it moves.
2. John 17:5
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
On the night before the cross Jesus prayed, And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Here is the first line of the hymn in Jesus' own words. Before the world was, the Son shared the Father's glory and love. He did not become the Son at Bethlehem; He was begotten of the Father's love, as the hymn says, ere the worlds began to be. Christmas is the eternal Son laying that glory aside for a time.
3. Colossians 1:16-17
"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
Paul writes of Christ, For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. He adds, And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. The hymn's second verse paints the same picture: at His word the worlds were framed, heaven and earth and depths of ocean, all that grows beneath the moon and burning sun. Christ not only made the world; He holds it together moment by moment. The hands that held the stars were small enough to grasp Mary's finger.
4. Psalms 33:9
"For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast."
The line He commanded; it was done comes almost word for word from this psalm: For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. Creation needed no raw materials and no long struggle. God spoke, and the universe obeyed. The New Testament reveals that the Word through whom God spoke is the Son (John 1:3). That makes the Christmas story all the more humbling. The One whose word framed the worlds was born unable to speak a word at all. Prudentius lets the contrast sit there for the singer to wonder at: the Commander of creation became a helpless Babe.
O that Birth for ever blessed: God manifest in the flesh
5. Luke 1:35
"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
The fourth verse, O that Birth for ever blessed, retells the angel's message to Mary: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. The hymn calls Mary the Virgin, full of grace, by the Holy Ghost conceiving, and the words stay close to Luke. The virgin birth is how the eternal Son entered the human race. For more, see our page on Mary, the mother of Jesus.
6. 1 Timothy 3:16
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."
Hymns Ancient and Modern printed this hymn under one line of Scripture: God was manifest in the flesh. It comes from what may be an early Christian hymn quoted by Paul: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. In six short lines Paul moves from the incarnation to the ascension, just as Prudentius moves from the eternal Son to the Babe and on to the throne. Christmas is the first line of that ancient song.
7. 1 Peter 1:10-11
"Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."
The fifth verse sings of the One whom seers in old time chanted of with one accord. Peter says the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. They spoke of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow, often without knowing when it would happen. Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah and the psalmists all looked ahead to the same Person. When the hymn says now He shines, the long-expected, it is announcing that those searching prophets finally have their answer. See our page on prophecies about Jesus for the main Old Testament promises.
8. 1 Corinthians 15:22
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
The third verse is the most serious in the hymn: Christ is found in human fashion so that the race of Adam's children may not die and perish. Paul puts the same truth in one line: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. The first man brought death to the whole human family. The second Man came to bring life. That is why the Son had to be born as a real human being, a true son of Adam through Mary, and also why He had to be more than a son of Adam. The manger is where God's rescue of Adam's children began.
Let creation praise its Lord: evermore and evermore
9. Psalms 148:2
"Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts."
The sixth verse, added by Henry Baker, begins O ye heights of heaven adore Him; angel-hosts His praises sing. It is built on Psalm 148, which calls the whole creation to worship: Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. The psalm starts in the heavens and moves down through sun, moon, stars, sea creatures, weather, mountains and animals to people of every age. On the night Christ was born, the angels did exactly what the psalm commands, filling the sky over Bethlehem with praise (Luke 2:13-14). The hymn invites us to join a chorus that was already singing.
10. Philippians 2:10-11
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
All dominions bow before Him, the hymn says, and let no tongue on earth be silent. Paul describes the same scene: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. These verses come right after Paul describes Christ emptying Himself and taking the form of a servant. The way down to Bethlehem and Calvary led to the highest name. The Babe of Christmas is the Lord before whom every knee will bow. See also our Bible verses about Jesus as King.
11. 2 Timothy 4:1
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;"
The seventh verse is the one most often left out today: Righteous Judge of souls departed, righteous King of them that live. It echoes Paul's solemn charge to Timothy, made before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Quick is old English for living. The Christ of Christmas will come again, not as a baby but as King and Judge. The Lord who came in mercy will come in righteousness, so the time to welcome Him is now.
12. Psalms 148:12-13
"Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven."
The eighth verse, Thee let old men, Thee let young men, Thee let boys in chorus sing, comes straight from the end of Psalm 148: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent. Prudentius wrote for the whole church, from grandparents to the youngest children, and the hymn has been sung that way ever since, often by boys' choirs in cathedrals at Christmas. No one is too old or too young to praise Christ. The hymn then closes with a doxology to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, evermore and evermore.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son begotten of the Father's love before the worlds began, You are Alpha and Omega, the source and the ending of all things. Thank You for being found in human fashion, born of the Virgin, so that Adam's children need not perish. Let me join the angels and the prophets, the old and the young, in praising You. Keep me ready for Your appearing as righteous Judge and King. To You, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be honour, glory and dominion, evermore and evermore. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
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Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Of the Father's Love Begotten?
The Latin original, Corde natus ex parentis, was written by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-about 413), a Roman lawyer and provincial governor from Spain who devoted his later years to writing Christian poetry. John Mason Neale translated it into English in 1854, and Henry Williams Baker revised the translation and added verses for Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861.
How old is Of the Father's Love Begotten?
The words are about 1,600 years old, from around the year 400, which makes this one of the oldest hymns still sung at Christmas. The tune, Divinum mysterium, is a medieval plainsong melody printed in the Finnish collection Piae Cantiones in 1582.
What does Evermore and evermore mean in the hymn?
It translates the Latin refrain saeculorum saeculis, for ages of ages, which in English Bibles is usually for ever and ever. It reminds singers that Christ's reign has no end. It echoes doxologies such as Revelation 5:13.
Is Of the Father's Love Begotten an Advent or a Christmas hymn?
It is sung in both seasons. Its verses about the prophets and the long-expected One fit Advent, and its verses about the Virgin and the Babe fit Christmas Day. Many churches sing it during the twelve days of Christmas and at services of lessons and carols.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel · Good Christian Men, Rejoice · O Come, All Ye Faithful · John 1:14 Meaning · Names of Jesus · Christmas · Jesus Is God · Advent
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