kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth» Aled Jones http://www.paulsibley.net A husband, father, and Licensed Lay Minister (Reader) reflecting on life, faith, and the prayers we pray in the Church of England Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:00:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel http://www.paulsibley.net/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/ http://www.paulsibley.net/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2008 12:00:36 +0000 Paul Sibley http://www.paulsibley.net/2008/12/07/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/ candle

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

One of the things I really like about the season of Advent is the singing — I love to hear, and to sing the Advent carols. And, I guess, my favourite has got to be “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”.

The words we know and love today come from a mid-19th century translation, by John Mason Neale, of a 12th century Latin hymn.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

It’s believed that the traditional music stems from a 15th Century French processional for Franciscan nuns, but it may also have 8th Century Gregorian origins. It’s one of the most solemn Advent hymns.

Here’s a beautiful recording of Aled Jones singing this classic:

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