A Great and Mighty Wonder

A Great and Mighty Wonder is a hymn text by St. Germanus of Constantinople (734) in 8.7.8.7 D meter. Translated by John Mason Neale. Found in CW21 349, CW93 36, ELH 113, elw 294.

The hymn expresses the Lutheran understanding of the Incarnation as God's supreme act of condescension and love, wherein the divine nature entered creation to accomplish redemption. Its imagery of nature responding to Christ's birth—sun and moon obey, darkness flees—reflects the cosmic significance of salvation history central to Lutheran Christology.

History & Background

This ancient Greek hymn was composed by St. Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople in the 8th century, celebrating the Incarnation and Mary's role in salvation history. John Mason Neale translated it from Greek into English in 1862, making it accessible to English-speaking congregations and establishing its prominence in Western hymnody.

Hymnal Appearances

• Christian Worship: Hymnal — 349
• Christian Worship — 36
• Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary — 113
• Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 294
• Glory to God — 166
• The Hymnal 1982 — 71
• Lutheran Service Book — 383
• Lift Up Your Hearts — 76
• Lutheran Worship — 51
• Trinity Hymnal — 194
• The Lutheran Hymnal — 76
• Voices Together — 220

Translation

John Mason Neale

Bulletin Note

Composed by St. Germanus, an eighth-century Byzantine bishop, this hymn has anchored Christian worship for thirteen centuries. Its cosmic imagery—sun and moon obeying Christ—reflects patristic theology of the Incarnation's universal redemptive significance.

Preaching Connection

This hymn amplifies the Gospel's resolution by showing how the Incarnation satisfies the Law's exposure of human helplessness—only God entering creation can accomplish what we cannot do for ourselves.

Background Research

Greek 'Mega kai paradoxon thauma', from the Menaea (Christmas stichera); attributed to St Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople (c. 655-before 754), a defender of icons. Neale credited it to St Anatolius because it sits next to Anatolius's stanzas in the source; published in Hymns of the Eastern Church (1862).

Sources: Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology; Wikipedia 'Germanus I of Constantinople'.

In the Church Year

Suggested in the one-year series

• Christmas Day (2×)
• Advent 4 (1×)
• Christmas 1 (1×)
• Christmas 2 (1×)
• St. Stephen (1×)

Suggested in the three-year series

• Christmas Day (2×)
• Christmas Eve (2×)
• Christmas 2 (1×)

From LCMS Worship's published hymn suggestions, 2014–2026. The count is how many of those yearly lists suggested this hymn for that day.

Overview

A Greek Christmas hymn attributed to Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople, who defended icons. Neale's translation keeps its Eastern focus on the mystery of the incarnation: the virgin birth (st. 1), the Word incarnate yet still on high (st. 2), creation's joy (st. 3), universal ransom (st. 4), and the end of idols (st. 5). The refrain repeats the angels' Gloria.

Central theme: The wonder of the incarnation: the Word made flesh yet remaining on high, come to ransom all

Structure

Five stanzas with the Gloria refrain.

Law & Gospel Shape

Gospel: 'A full and holy cure'; 'all He comes to ransom.'

Confessional Connections

'The Word becomes incarnate / And yet remains on high' — the classical teaching that the Son was not confined by the incarnation; Lutherans stress the personal union (FC VIII). Universal ransom (st. 4).

Liturgical Use (Study Notes)

Christmas Day and season.

Historical Notes

Germanus (c. 634-733), Patriarch of Constantinople. Neale, 'Hymns of the Eastern Church' (1862).

About the Tune

ES IST EIN ROS ENTSPRUNGEN (Cologne, 1599) — the familiar 'Lo, How a Rose' melody.

Scripture References

Isa 7:14 John 1:14 Luke 2:13-14 Ps 98:8 Isa 55:12 1 Tim 2:6 Isa 2:18 1 Tim 3:16

Stanza by Stanza

Themes

Incarnation of Christ Divine mystery and wonder Nature's response to salvation Mary and childbearing God's redemptive plan

Look Further

• Search Hymnary.org for "A Great and Mighty Wonder" ↗