Originally penned as “See, the Conqueror mounts in triumph” by Anglican cleric Christopher Wordsworth (1807–85) and published in his 1862 collection The Holy Year, this hymn was described by Julian’s Dictionary of Hymnology as “one grand rush of holy song” and is widely considered Wordsworth’s finest poetic work. One of its most fascinating features is its brilliant use of Old Testament typology to explain the Ascension: Christ lifts His hands in blessing like Jacob and Aaron; like Enoch, He walks with God and is translated to heaven; He serves as our heavenly Aaron, entering within the veil bearing His own blood; He is our greater Joshua, securing a resting place for His people; and like Elijah taken up in a whirlwind, He leaves His disciples behind yet grants them a “double portion of his grace.” The fifth stanza joyfully confesses that because Christ shares our human nature, “Man with God is on the throne.”
Sung at Our Saviour
2026