Clement of Alexandria
Hymn to Christ the Savior is considered to be the oldest preserved Christian poem. It was composed in Egyptian Alexandria around the year 190 in an ancient and complex Greek meter, using picturesque language with many archaic expressions referring to classical Greek authors.
The author of the hymn, a theologian and teacher of the local church community, Clement, included it at the end of his work The Instructor, in which he summarized the basic teachings for Christians, a kind of essential preparation or "pre-school education" without which, in his view, it is impossible to enter into a deeper understanding of Christian doctrine.
The emphasis here is primarily on spiritual childhood, which is entered through the baptismal rebirth and signifies not only acceptance as God's children but also the adoption of childlike innocence, simplicity, purity, freedom, and "untamed" by evil,1 humility and generosity, teachability and devotion. The hymn summarizes the most important elements of the entire book and gives thanks to Jesus as the only true Instructor of the faithful.
In antiquity, this hymn was not very well known. Since the nineteenth century, its translations into various languages have been set to music several times and are a beloved part of many hymnals. The translation of the entire work The Instructor, including this concluding hymn, will be published this year by the Oikúmené publishing house.
1Bit for unbroken foals,
wing for wayward birds,
rudder for unfailing ships,
shepherds of royal sheep,5gather your simple children,
that they may sing sacredly,
praise purely
with innocent mouths
10Christ, the leader of children.King of the saints,
Word of the Most High Father,
subduing all,
ruler of wisdom,
15support in labors
ever joyful,
Jesus, Savior
of mortal kind,
shepherd, plowman,
20rudder, bit,
wing that lifts
the most holy flock
fisher of people
saved from the ocean of evil,
25enticing innocent fish
with the bait of sweet life
out from hostile waves.Holy shepherd
of spiritual sheep,
30rule, O King,
over untouched children:
the footsteps of Christ
are the way to heaven.35Everlasting Word,
without end,
eternal light,
source of mercy,
creator of virtue
40in those who praise God
with worthy life.Christ Jesus,
heavenly milk
from the sweet breasts
45of the delightful Bride,
your wisdom,
gushing forth.
The little ones,
who guard the tenderness of lips
50nourished
by the dew of the Spirit
from the bosom of the Word,
let us dance together
55with simple praises,
infallible songs
to King Christ
as a sacred offering
for the life-giving teaching;
60let us be a humble company
of the mighty Child.Procession of peace,
balanced people,
offspring of Christ,
65let us sing together
to the God of peace.
Two explanatory notes on the hymn's text:
To verse 2: "wing for wayward birds." According to Plato's Phaedrus, the soul of a person grows wings in contact with divine beauty, wisdom, and goodness. Clement follows this image, saying that "wings on the way to heavenly Jerusalem" are given to the person who completely surrenders to God and strives to resemble Him (especially through mercy).
To verses 21–22: "wing that lifts / the most holy flock." Here Clement surprisingly did indeed use the word "flock," even though the idea of winged sheep is somewhat bizarre. (The word used here for "flock" in Greek is employed for sheep and, by extension, for people – and by the way, also in old texts independent of the Bible). Following the image of the winged human soul, however, the idea of a winged "flock" becomes more acceptable.
(Translated from Greek and provided with an introduction and notes by Veronika Černušková.)
