Ambrose of Milan was a Roman civil governor, unbaptized, when he went to calm a mob quarreling over the election of a bishop in 374. While he was speaking, a voice cried out “Ambrose, bishop!” and the whole crowd took it up. He was thirty-four. He was baptized on December 7 and consecrated, and went on to become one of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church. Very little ancient hymnody can be assigned to a named author with confidence; this one can, since Pope Celestine names him as its author in 430. Luther translated it in 1523 and made one deliberate change, cutting each line from eight syllables to seven so it would move like a folk song, and simplifying the old chant so a congregation could sing it. He also moved it: medieval breviaries assigned the Latin to Christmas Day, and in the last hymnal Luther ever wrote a preface for, the Babst book of 1545, it stands as one of only two Advent hymns. It has been the Hymn of the Day for this Sunday ever since. What we sing took sixteen centuries and eight hands.
Sung at Our Saviour
2025