O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine

It has always been one of my favorite hymns.
O radiant light, O sun divine
Of God the Father's deathless face,
O image of the light sublime
That fills the heav'nly dwelling place.

O Son of God, the source of life,
Praise is your due by night and day;
Our happy lips must raise the strain
Of your esteemed and splendid name.

Lord Jesus Christ, as daylight fades,
As shine the lights of eventide,
We praise the Father with the Son,
The Spirit blest and with them one.

I always thought it came from Latin. And there is a Latin version.

Lumen hilare sanctae gloriae immortalis Patris,
Coelestis, sancti, beati, Iesu Christe,
Quum ad solis occasum pervenerimus,
lumen cernentes verspertinum, Laudamus Patrem,
et Filium, et sanctum Spiritum Dei.
Dignus es in tempore quovis sanctis vocibus celebrari,
Fili Dei, vitae dator. Qua propter te mundus glorificat.


But it is actually from a more ancient Koine Greek hymn of the 3rd century, Phos hilaron.

Φῶς ἱλαρὸν ἁγίας δόξης ἀθανάτου Πατρός,

οὐρανίου, ἁγίου, μάκαρος, Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ,

ἐλθόντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλίου δύσιν, ἰδόντες φῶς ἑσπερινόν,

ὑμνοῦμεν Πατέρα, Υἱόν, καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, Θεόν.

Ἄξιόν σε ἐν πᾶσι καιροῖς ὑμνεῖσθαι φωναῖς αἰσίαις,

Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ζωὴν ὁ διδούς· διὸ ὁ κόσμος σὲ δοξάζει.

Then I found this:

This is the earliest known manuscript of a Christian hymn (audio included)

GreekOrthodox said:

WOW, I had never heard of this one! That is amazing!

Click to expand...

I thought so also.