Be known to us in breaking bread

Author: James Montgomery

James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >

Be known to us in breaking bread. J. Montgomery. [Holy Communion.] First published in his Christian Psalmist, 1825, No. 528, in 2 stanzaz of 4 lines, and entitled "The Family Table." It was subsequently republished in his Original Hymns, 1853, No. 207, with the same title. Its use is limited in its original form, but as a part of the cento “Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless" (q.v.), it is widely known in America.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)