At the Name of Jesus
| At the Name of Jesus | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Hymn |
| Written | 1870 |
| Text | Caroline Maria Noel |
| Based on | Philippians 2:10-11 |
| Meter | 6.5.6.5 D |
| Melody | "King's Weston" by Ralph Vaughan Williams, "Evelyns" by William Henry Monk, "Camberwell" by Michael Brierley |
"At the Name of Jesus" is an 1870 hymn with lyrics written by Caroline Maria Noel.[1][2] The hymn appears in at least 206 hymnals.[1]
History[edit]
The hymn was first published in Noel's 1870 collection The Name of Jesus, and Other Verses for the Sick and Lonely. The original title was "Ascension Day"[3] In some books, the incipit begins "In the Name of Jesus", rather than "At the Name of Jesus".[3] This is said to be a response to correspondence sent by the hymnwriter's family to the editors of Church Hymns (1903), expressing a wish for the text to follow the wording of the 1881 Revised Version of the Bible, rather than the 1611 Authorized Version.[3]
Text[edit]
The hymn is based on the New Testament passage Philippians 2:5-11, which describes the incarnation, crucifixion and exaltation of Jesus.[3] In the Authorized Version, verses 10-11 state 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."
There are various versions of the text. As originally printed, the hymn had eight stanzas. The 1875 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern included seven stanzas, omitting the second verse. This seven-stanza version has been commonly reprinted, although some hymnals shorten the text further to just four or five stanzas.[3]
The text is sometimes edited to change the gender-exclusive lines "Name him, brothers, name him" and "Brothers, this Lord Jesus".[3]
The text below is attributed to Oxford University Press on the Hymnary website.[4]
1 At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,
every tongue confess him King of glory now;
'tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord,
who from the beginning was the mighty Word.
2 At his voice creation sprang at once to sight:
all the angel faces, all the hosts of light,
thrones and dominations, stars upon their way,
all the heavenly orders in their great array.
3 Humbled for a season, to receive a name
from the lips of sinners, unto whom he came;
faithfully he bore it spotless to the last,
brought it back victorious when from death he passed;
4 bore it up triumphant, with its human light,
through all ranks of creatures, to the central height,
to the throne of Godhead, to the Father's breast,
filled it with the glory of that perfect rest.
5 In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdue
all that is not holy, all that is not true.
Look to him, your Savior, in temptations' hour;
let his will enfold you in its light and power.
6 Christians, this Lord Jesus shall return again,
with his Father's glory o'er the earth to reign;
for all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow,
and our hearts confess him King of glory now.
Tune[edit]
The hymn text has been set to various tunes in hymnbooks. One of the earliest tunes was "Evelyns", which was composed for these words by William Henry Monk, first appearing in the 1875 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern. This has remained a popular tune, and is still included in contemporary hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Hymnologist Erik Routley described this as "one of Monk’s most successful tunes".[5]
In 1906, The English Hymnal paired the words with the Ralph Vaughan Williams tune "King's Weston". Another common early tune was "Cuddesdon", by William Harold Ferguson, which was included in the Revised Church Hymnary (1927).[3]
In modern hymnbooks, the hymn commonly appears with the tune "Camberwell", written by Michael Brierley.[3] This tune was first included in the 1960 book Thirty 20th Century Hymn Tunes, published under the aegis of the 20th Century Church Light Music Group.[6] This tune is known for its rousing interlude between each stanza.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "At the Name of Jesus Every knee shall bow (Noel)". Hymnary.org. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ "Miss Caroline Maria Noel, 1817-1877". STEM Publishing. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Watson, J. R. "At the name of Jesus". The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press.
- ^ "At the Name of Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11)". Hymnary.org. Further information and full 6-verse text
- ^ Routley, Erik; Parry, K. L., eds. (1953). Companion to Congregational Praise. Independent Press. p. 101.
- ^ Glover, Raymond F. (1990). The Hymnal 1982 Companion. Church Hymnal Corporation. p. 558.
- ^ "At the Name of Jesus". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
 | This song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Christian music-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |