If anyone had a side hustle or a gig, it was the Anglican priest and hymn writer, John Mason Neale.
Neale (1818-1866) not only founded a nursing order of Anglican nuns, helped social welfare organizations care for orphans and young woman, and was a warden of Sackville college, but he translated early and medieval Greek and Latin hymns in his spare time—focusing on the ancient ones that were written around “the feasts and the fasts of the Christian year.”[1]
He is most notably known for bringing us that beloved carol, O Come O Come Emmanuel.
While the hymn as we find it today was first published in the mid 19th century, its origins are actually found in a Benedictine Gregorian chant from the late 8th and 9th century. History tells us that beginning the week before Christmas, the monks would sing a verse a day to prepare their hearts and minds for Christmas.
What’s fascinating about the original seven verses is that each began with a Messianic title from the Scriptures that prophesied and foreshadowed Jesus’ coming:
- O Sapentia (Wisdom)
- O Adonai (God)
- O Radix Jesse (Stem or root of Jesse)
- O Clavis David (Key of David)
- O Oriens (Dayspring)
- O Rex genitium (King of the Gentiles)
- O Emmanuel (God with us)
If you’re interested in how each verse points to Jesus, you can watch the sermon that I preached on this hymn at the bottom of this article.
[Read more…] about The (Hidden) Theology and History of O Come O Come Emmanuel