This hymn is rooted in the ancient catechumenate: after a long period of instruction, new converts were baptized at Easter dawn, clothed in white garments, and immediately ushered in to receive the Eucharist for the first time. The text traces back to an ancient Latin hymn, Ad coenam agni providi (fifth to eighth century). In 1632, under Pope Urban VIII, the text was so drastically revised to conform to classical Latin prosody that later scholars lamented the original had been "shamefully treated." Ironically, it was this altered version that Robert Campbell used in 1850 to create the English translation we sing today. The hymn characterizes Christ in a threefold manner: He is the Victim sacrificed on the cross, the High Priest offering Himself to the Father, and the Host who feeds the Church with His body and blood.
Sung at Our Saviour
2026