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Timothy Dudley-Smith

1926 - 2024 Scripture: Luke 23:26-44 Author of "A Purple Robe, a Crown of Thorn" in The Worshiping Church Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) Educated at Pembroke College and Ridley Hall, Cambridge, Dudley-Smith has served the Church of England since his ordination in 1950. He has occupied a number of church positions, including parish priest in the diocese of Southwark (1953-1962), archdeacon of Norwich (1973-1981), and bishop of Thetford, Norfolk, from 1981 until his retirement in 1992. He also edited a Christian magazine, Crusade, which was founded after Billy Graham's 1955 London crusade. Dudley-Smith began writing comic verse while a student at Cambridge; he did not begin to write hymns until the 1960s. Many of his several hundred hymn texts have been collected in Lift Every Heart: Collected Hymns 1961-1983 (1984), Songs of Deliverance: Thirty-six New Hymns (1988), and A Voice of Singing (1993). The writer of Christian Literature and the Church (1963), Someone Who Beckons (1978), and Praying with the English Hymn Writers (1989), Dudley-Smith has also served on various editorial committees, including the committee that published Psalm Praise (1973). Bert Polman

Keith Getty

b. 1974 Scripture: Luke 22:66-71, 23:1-46 Author of "Oh, to See the Dawn" in Lift Up Your Hearts Keith Getty (b. December 16, 1974) is a world-renowned modern hymn writer. Keith developed a passion for writing good songs for the church in his twenties, and began writing for his small Baptist church. He writes and performs with his wife, Kristyn and they regularly tour the United States and the United Kingdom. (Also known as Julian Keith Getty) Laura de Jong

Alfred V. Fedak

b. 1953 Person Name: Alfred V. Fedak, 1953- Scripture: Luke 23:49 Composer of "NEW DISCIPLES" in Worship and Rejoice Alfred Fedak (b. 1953), is a well-known organist, composer, and Minister of Music at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Capitol Hill in Albany, New York. He graduated from Hope College in 1975 with degrees in organ performance and music history. He obtained a Master’s degree in organ performance from Montclair State University, and has also studied at Westminster Choir College, Eastman School of Music, the Institute for European Studies in Vienna, and at the first Cambridge Choral Studies Seminar at Clare College, Cambridge. As a composer, he has over 200 choral and organ works in print, and has three published anthologies of his work (Selah Publishing). In 1995, he was named a Visiting Fellow in Church Music at Episcopal Seminary of the Soutwest in Austin, Texas. He is also a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, and was awarded the AGO’s prestigious S. Lewis Elmer Award. Fedak is a Life Member of the Hymn Society, and writes for The American Organist, The Hymn, Reformed Worship, and Music and Worship. He was a member of the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song that prepared Glory to God, the 2013 hymnal of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Laura de Jong

John Brownlie

1857 - 1925 Person Name: John Brownlie, 1859-1925 Scripture: Luke 23:7 Translator of "O Light That Knew No Dawn" in Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) Brownlie, John, was born at Glasgow, Aug. 6, 1857, and was educated at Glasgow University, and at the Free Church College in the same city. In 1884 he was licensed by the Presbytery of Glasgow; in 1885 he became Assistant Minister of the Free Church, Portpatrick, and on the death of the Senior Minister in 1890 he entered upon the full charge of the Church there. He has interested himself in educational matters, became a Member of the local School Board in 1888, a governor of Stranraer High School in 1897, and Chairman of the governors in 1901. His hymnological works are:— 1. The Hymns and Hymnwriters of the [Scottish] Church Hymnary, 1899. This is a biographical, historical, and critical companion to that hymnal, and is well done and accurate. 2. Hymns of Our Pilgrimage, 1889; Zionward; Hymns of the Pilgrim Life, 1890; and Pilgrim Songs, 1892. These are original hymns. The Rest of God, 1894, a poem in three parts. 3. Hymns of the Early Church, Being Translations from the Poetry of the Latin Church, arranged in the Order of the Christian Year . . . 1896. 4. Hymns from East and West, Being Translations from the Poetry of the Latin and Greek Churches . . . 1898. 5. Hymns of the Greek Church, Translated with Introduction and Notes, 1900. Second Series: Hymns of the Holy Eastern Church, Translated from the Service Books, with Introductory Chapters on the History, Doctrine and Worship of the Church, 1902. Third Series: Hymns from the Greek Office Books, Together with Centos and Suggestions, 1904. Fourth Series: Hymns from the East, Being Centos and Suggestions from the Office Books of the Holy Eastern Church, 1906. Of Mr. Brownlie's original hymns the following have come into common use:— 1. Ever onward, ever upward. Aspiration. From Pilgrim Songs, 3rd Series, 1892, p. 11. 2. Girt with heavenly armour. The Armour of God. Pilgrim Songs, 3rd Series, 1892, p. 49. 3. Hark! the voice of angels. Praise. Pilgrim Songs, 3rd Series, 1892, p. 57. 4. O bind me with Thy bonds, my Lord. The Divine Yoke. From Hymns of our Pilgrimage, 1889, p. 27. 5. O God, Thy glory gilds the sun. Adoration. From Zionward, &c, 1890, p. 33. 6. Spake my heart by sorrow smitten. Seeking God. From Pilgrim Songs, 3rd series, 1892, p. 25. 7. The flowers have closed their eyes. Evening Pilgrim Songs, 3rd series, 1892, p. 6tf. 8. There is a song which the angels sing. The Angels' Song. A cento from the poem The Best of God, 1894, p. 36. 9. Thou art my Portion, saith my soul. God, the Portion of His People. From Pilgrim Songs, 1892, p. 45. 10. Close beside the heart that loves me. Resting in God. This is one of the author's "Suggestions " based upon the spirit rather than the words of portions of the Greek Offices. It was given in Hymns of the Holy Eastern Church, 1902, p. 128. Mr. Brownlie's translations from the Latin have been adopted in the hymnals to a limited extent only, mainly because the ground had been so extensively and successfully covered by former translators. With the translations from the Greek the case was different, as for popular use few translations were available in addition to the well known and widely used renderings by Dr. Neale. Mr. Brownlie's translations have all the beauty, simplicity, earnestness, and elevation of thought and feeling which characterise the originals. Their suitability for general use is evidenced in the fact that the number found in the most recently published hymn-books, including Church Hymns, 1903, The New Office Hymn Book, 1905, and The English Hymnal, 1906, almost equal in number those by Dr. Neale. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

St. Gregory of Nazianzus

329 - 389 Person Name: Gregory of Nazianzus, 325-290 Scripture: Luke 23:7 Author of "O Light That Knew No Dawn" in Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) Gregory of Nazianzus (St. Gregory Nazianzen), Bishop of Sasima and of Constantinople, son of Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus in Cappadocia, and Nonna, his wife, was born at a village near that city where his father had an estate, and called Arizanzus. The date of his birth is unknown, but is generally given as A.D. 325. In early childhood he was taught to read the Scriptures by his mother. From his home he passed with his brother Caesarius to a school at Caesarea, the capital of Cappadocia, where he was instructed by one Carterius, supposed by some to be the same as the subsequent head of the monasteries of Antioch, and instructor of St. Chrysostom. At Caesarea he probably met with Basil, with whom he maintained a life-long friendship. From Caesarea Basil went to Constantinople, and Gregory and his brother to Caesarea in Palestine. In a short time his brother passed on to Alexandria, whilst he remained behind to study rhetoric, and then followed his brother to that city. From Alexandria he went to pursue his study at Athens. On his journey there the ship in which he sailed encountered a severe hurricane, so much so, that all despaired of life. The voyage, however, terminated safely, and Gregory felt his deliverance to be a fresh call upon him to devote himself to God. At Athens, Julian (the Emperor) was a fellow student, and there he also met Basil again, and rendered him much assistance. His studies at Athens extended over some ten years. About 356 he returned to Nazianzus, from whence, after great persuasion on the part of Basil he joined the latter at Pontus, and devoted himself for some two or three years to an ascetic life. On returning to his home the holy office of the priesthood was forced upon him by his father: but instead of exercising his office he fled to Pontus, only to return again in a few months. Ordained, probably at Christmas, he preached his first sermon in the Church at Nazianzus on the following Easter-day, A.D. 362. In 370, through Basil, who had become Metropolitan of Cappadocia and Exarch of Pontus, Gregory consented most unwillingly to be consecrated as Bishop of Sasima. Subsequently he became for a short time his father's coadjutor at Nazianzus. About Easter, A.D. 379, he was called by the oppressed orthodox Christians of Constantinople to that city. The people's wish was supported by the voice of many of the bishops. He arrived there, it is supposed, about Easter. He found the adherents of the Nicene Creed few, and crushed by the heretics, and without a church in which to worship. His work, and the opposition he met with in that city, we cannot detail here. Failing health, and a dispute respecting the validity of his position as Bishop of Constantinople, led him, in A.D. 381, to retire to Nazianzus. After administering the affairs of that diocese for a short time he retired to his birthplace at Arizanzus, and occupied his remaining years--probably about six-—in writing poems, &c. He died cir. 390. St. Gregory's extant writings were published in two folio volumes, the first in 1778; and the second in 1840. This is commonly known as the Benedictine edition and is entitled Sancti Patris nostri Gregorii Theologi vulgo Nazianzeni Archiepiscopi Constantinopolitani, Opera omnia quae extant vel ejus nomine circumferuntur, ad MSS. codices Gallkanos, Vaticanos, Germanicos, Anglicos, nee non ad antiquiores editiones castigata, &c, &c. Vol. i. contains 45 Sermons, and vol. ii. Letters on Various Subjects, and his poems. The latter are in two Books: Book. i. (1) dogmatic, (2) moral; Book. ii. historical, (1) relating to himself, (2) relating to others, including epitaphs, &c. The dogmatic poems are 38; the moral 40; those relating to his own life 99, and miscellaneous over 60. Many of these are given in the Anthologia Graeca Carminum Christianorum, and Daniel, iii. pp. 5, 16, and 8 are trans¬lated by Mr. Chatfield in his Songs and Hymns of the Greek Christian Poets, 1876. For fuller details of St. Gregory's Life and Writings, his works in ms. and book form and other matters relating thereto, see Dictionary of Christian Biographies., vol. i. pp. 741-761, and for criticism of his poetry, Greek Hymnody, § iv. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Thomas H. Troeger

1945 - 2022 Person Name: Thomas H. Troeger, 1945- Scripture: Luke 23:33-43 Author of "The Hands That First Held Mary's Child" in Worship and Rejoice Thomas Troeger (1945-2022), professor of Christian communication at Yale Divinity school, was a well known preacher, poet, and musician. He was a fellow of Silliman College, held a B.A. from Yale University; B.D. Colgate Rochester Divinity School; S.T. D. Dickinson College, and was awarded an honorary D.D. from Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1970 and the Episcopal Church in 1999, and remained dually aligned with both traditions. Troerger led conferences and lectures in worship and preaching throughout North America, as well as in Denmark, Holland, Australia, Japan, and Africa. He served as national chaplain to the American Guild of Organists, and for at least three years he hosted the Season of Worship broadcast for Cokesbury. He was president of the Academy of Homiletics as well as Societas Homiletica. He had, as of 2009, written 22 books in the areas of preaching, poetry, hymnody, and worship. Many of his hymn texts are found in New Hymns for the Lectionary (Oxford, 1992), and God, You Made All Things for Singing (Oxford, 2009). Laura de Jong

William Farley Smith

1941 - 1997 Scripture: Luke 23:42 Adapter and Arranger of "DITMUS" in The United Methodist Hymnal

Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus

540 - 600 Person Name: Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (c. 535-609) Scripture: Luke 23:35-41 Author of "Sing, my tongue, how glorious battle" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Venantius Honorius Clematianus Fortunatus (b. Cenada, near Treviso, Italy, c. 530; d. Poitiers, France, 609) was educated at Ravenna and Milan and was converted to the Christian faith at an early age. Legend has it that while a student at Ravenna he contracted a disease of the eye and became nearly blind. But he was miraculously healed after anointing his eyes with oil from a lamp burning before the altar of St. Martin of Tours. In gratitude Fortunatus made a pilgrimage to that saint's shrine in Tours and spent the rest of his life in Gaul (France), at first traveling and composing love songs. He developed a platonic affection for Queen Rhadegonda, joined her Abbey of St. Croix in Poitiers, and became its bishop in 599. His Hymns far all the Festivals of the Christian Year is lost, but some of his best hymns on his favorite topic, the cross of Jesus, are still respected today, in part because of their erotic mysticism. Bert Polman ================== Fortunatus, Venantius Honorius Clementianus, was born at Ceneda, near Treviso, about 530. At an early age he was converted to Christianity at Aquileia. Whilst a student at Ravenna he became almost blind, and recovered his sight, as he believed miraculously, by anointing his eyes with some oil taken from a lamp that burned before the altar of St. Martin of Tours, in a church in that town. His recovery induced him to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Martin, at Tours, in 565, and that pilgrimage resulted in his spending the rest of his life in Gaul. At Poitiers he formed a romantic, though purely platonic, attachment for Queen Rhadegunda, the daughter of Bertharius, king of the Thuringians, and the wife, though separated from him, of Lothair I., or Clotaire, king of Neustria. The reader is referred for further particulars of this part of the life of Fortunatus to Smith and Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biography, vol. ii. p. 552. It is sufficient to say here that under the influence of Rhadegunda, who at that time lived at Poitiers, where she had founded the convent of St. Croix, Fortunatus was ordained, and ultimately, after the death of Rhadegunda in 597, became bishop of Poitiers shortly before his own death in 609. The writings, chiefly poetical, of Fortunatus, which are still extant, are very numerous and various in kind; including the liveliest Vers de Societé and the grandest hymns; while much that he is known to have written, including a volume of Hymns for all the Festivals of the Christian Year, is lost. Of what remains may be mentioned, The Life of St. Martin of Tours, his Patron Saint, in four books, containing 2245 hexameter lines. A complete list of his works will be found in the article mentioned above. His contributions to hymnology must have been very considerable, as the name of his lost volume implies, but what remains to us of that character, as being certainly his work, does not comprise at most more than nine or ten compositions, and of some of these even his authorship is more than doubtful. His best known hymn is the famous "Vexilla Regis prodeunt," so familiar to us in our Church Hymnals in some English form or other, especially, perhaps, in Dr. Neale's translation, "The Royal Banners forward go." The next most important composition claimed for him is "Pange, lingua, gloriosi praelium certaminis," but there would seem to be little doubt according to Sirmond (Notis ad Epist. Sidon. Apollin. Lib. iii., Ep. 4), that it was more probably written by Claudianus Mamertus. Besides these, which are on the Passion, there are four hymns by Fortunatus for Christmas, one of which is given by Daniel, "Agnoscat omne saeculum," one for Lent, and one for Easter. Of "Lustra sex qui jam peregit," of which an imitation in English by Bishop. Mant, "See the destined day arise," is well-known, the authorship is by some attributed to Fortunatus, and by some to St. Ambrose. The general character of the poetry of Venantius Fortunatus is by no means high, being distinguished neither for its classical, nor, with very rare exceptions, for its moral correctness. He represents the "last expiring effort of the Latin muse in Gaul," to retain something of the "old classical culture amid the advancing tide of barbarism." Whether we look at his style, or even his grammar and quantities, we find but too much that is open to criticism, whilst he often offends against good taste in the sentiments he enunciates. Occasionally, as we see in the "Vexilla Regis," he rises to a rugged grandeur in which he has few rivals, and some of his poems are by no means devoid of simplicity and pathos. But these are the exceptions and not the rule in his writings, and we know not how far he may have owed even these to the womanly instincts and gentler, purer influence of Rhadegunda. Thierry, in his Récits des Temps Mérovingiens, Récit 5, gives a lively sketch of Fortunatus, as in Archbishop Trench's words (Sacred Latin Poetry, 1874,p. 132), "A clever, frivolous, self-indulgent and vain character," an exaggerated character, probably, because one can hardly identify the author of "Vexilla Regis," in such a mere man of the world, or look at the writer of "Crux benedicta nitet, Dominus qua carne pependit" q.v., as being wholly devoid of the highest aspirations after things divine. A quarto edition of his Works was published in Rome in 1786. [Rev. Digby S. Wrangham, M.A.] - John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ==================== Fortunatus, V. H. C., p. 384, i. The best edition of his poems is F. Leo's edition of his Opera Poetica, Berlin, 1881 (Monumenta Germaniae, vol. iv.). --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

William Henry Monk

1823 - 1889 Person Name: William H. Monk Scripture: Luke 23:34 Composer of "["Father, forgive them ; for they know not what they do."]" in Church Hymnal, Mennonite William H. Monk (b. Brompton, London, England, 1823; d. London, 1889) is best known for his music editing of Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861, 1868; 1875, and 1889 editions). He also adapted music from plainsong and added accompaniments for Introits for Use Throughout the Year, a book issued with that famous hymnal. Beginning in his teenage years, Monk held a number of musical positions. He became choirmaster at King's College in London in 1847 and was organist and choirmaster at St. Matthias, Stoke Newington, from 1852 to 1889, where he was influenced by the Oxford Movement. At St. Matthias, Monk also began daily choral services with the choir leading the congregation in music chosen according to the church year, including psalms chanted to plainsong. He composed over fifty hymn tunes and edited The Scottish Hymnal (1872 edition) and Wordsworth's Hymns for the Holy Year (1862) as well as the periodical Parish Choir (1840-1851). Bert Polman

Anonymous

Person Name: Unknown Scripture: Luke 23:33 Composer of "[Ah, poor sinner, think of Calv'ry]" in Timeless Truths In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries.