Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Oh Come All Ye Faithful is a hymn text by John Francis Wade (1751) in 8.8.8.8 with Alleluias meter. Translated by Frederick Oakeley. Found in bh08 86, ch95 148, elw 283, gtg 133. Sung to ADESTE FIDELES.

This hymn proclaims the joy of the Incarnation and invites all believers to witness and worship the Christ Child, emphasizing the universal invitation to salvation through Christ's birth. Its theological emphasis on joyful pilgrimage and faithful adoration reflects the Lutheran understanding of grace drawing believers to Christ in worship.

History & Background

Originally composed in Latin as 'Adeste Fideles' by John Francis Wade around 1751, this hymn was first published in a manuscript hymnal. Frederick Oakeley's English translation appeared in 1841 and became the standard version in English-speaking churches.

Scripture References In this well-known and loved Christmas hymn, we are invited as st. 1 = Luke 2:4-7 God’s faithful people to go to Bethlehem and adore Christ the Lord (st. 1). We sing words borrowed from the Nicene Creed to st. 3 = Luke 2:13-14 st. 4= John 1:14 express the Christian faith about the incarnation (st. 2). Then after exhorting the angels to sing their praise (st. 3), we greet Christ on his birthday (st. 4). The text has two unusual features for such a popular hymn: it is unrhymed and has an irregular meter. John Francis Wade (b. England, c. 1711; d. Douay, France, 1786) is now generally recognized as both author and composer of this hymn, originally written in Latin in four stanzas. The earliest manuscript signed by Wade is dated about 1743. By the early nineteenth century, however, four additional stanzas had been added by other writers. A Roman Catholic, Wade apparently moved to France because of discrimination against Roman Catholics in eighteenth-century England—especially so after the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. He taught music at an English college in Douay and hand copied and sold chant music for use in the chapels of wealthy families. Wade’s copied manuscripts were published as Cantus Diversi pro Dominicis etFestis per annum (1751). The translation in the Psalter Hymnal is based primarily on the work of Frederick Oakeley (b. Shrewsbury, Worcester, England, 1802; d. Islington, London, England, 1880), who translated the text for use at the Margaret Street Chapel (now All Saints’, Margaret Street) in London (1841). It is also based on translations found in both F. H. Murray’s A Hymnalfor Use in the English Church (1852) and William Mercer’s Church Psalter and Hymn Book (1854). Educated at Christ Church, Oxford, England, Oakeley was ordained in the Church of England in 1826. He served at Balliol College, Lichfield Cathedral, Whitehall, and Margaret Street Chapel in London. Influenced by the Oxford Movement, Oakeley and Richard Redhead , organist of Margaret Chapel, instituted “high” liturgies there, eliciting the charge of “Romanism.” Oakeley also asserted in a pamphlet that even though he would not “teach,” he certainly should be allowed to “hold” all Roman Catholic doctrines. These views caused him to be suspended from his office. Rather than retract his statement, he joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1845 and associat­ ed himself with John Henry Newman. Following his reordination in the Roman Catholic Church, Oakeley worked among

Hymnal Appearances

• Baptist Hymnal — 86
• Chalice Hymnal — 148
• Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 283
• Glory to God — 133
• The Hymnal 1982 — 83
• Lutheran Book of Worship — 45
• Lutheran Service Book — 379
• Lift Up Your Hearts — 76
• Lutheran Worship — 41
• New Century Hymnal — 135
• Psalter Hymnal — 340
• Trinity Hymnal — 208
• The Lutheran Hymnal — 102
• United Methodist Hymnal — 234
• Voices Together — 267

Translation

Frederick Oakeley

Liturgical Use

Christmas Day; a “must” hymn for a Christmas festival of lessons and carols (especially in more elaborate performances involving choir and instruments).

Bulletin Note

Composed by John Francis Wade in 1751, this hymn's Latin origins and enduring melody unite Christians across centuries in the ancient cry: "O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord."

Preaching Connection

This hymn transforms the Law's demand for faithfulness into the Gospel's joyful summons: all are invited not by their worthiness but by grace alone to adore the Incarnate Lord.

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Summons to faithful pilgrimage (Law) → Christological affirmation of Incarnation (Gospel) → Heavenly witness and worship (Gospel) → Personal greeting and submission (Gospel response)

Background Research

First printed in John Francis Wade's Cantus Diversi (1751); Wade was an English Catholic copyist in exile in France after the failed 1745 Jacobite rising. Bennett Zon proposed a coded Jacobite meaning ('Bethlehem' = England, Angelorum/Anglorum pun): unproven. Other claimed authors (John IV of Portugal, Bonaventure, Cistercians) unconfirmed. Oakeley's English 1841; tune called the 'Portuguese Hymn' after the Duke of Leeds heard it at the Portuguese embassy chapel in London (1795). Source: Wikipedia 'O Come, All Ye Faithful'.

Overview

The 'Adeste fideles' invites the faithful to come to Bethlehem (st. 1), confesses the child as the true Son of the Father (st. 2), joins the angels' Gloria (st. 3), and greets Jesus on his birthday as the incarnate Word (st. 4). The refrain 'Oh, come, let us adore Him' echoes Ps 95:6 and makes the hymn an act of worship. Its Latin original contained a phrase from the Nicene Creed ('God of God, Light of Light'), and st. 2 preserves that creedal focus.

Central theme: The invitation to come and adore Christ, true God born of the virgin

Structure

Invitation (1); creed (2); angels' song (3); greeting on his birthday (4); refrain throughout.

Law & Gospel Shape

Gospel and adoration.

Confessional Connections

Nicene Creed: 'begotten of His Father before all worlds… Very God of Very God… and was made man.'

Liturgical Use (Study Notes)

Christmas Eve and Day (often the processional); Christmas season.

Historical Notes

Earliest manuscripts c. 1743-1751 by John Francis Wade, an English Catholic layman in France. Many English translations combine.

About the Tune

ADESTE FIDELES — 18th-century, probably by Wade; the refrain builds to a climax.

Scripture References

Luke 2:15 Ps 95:6 John 1:1, 14 Isa 7:14 Luke 2:13-14 Phil 2:10-11

Stanza by Stanza

Themes

Incarnation Nativity of Christ Joy in salvation Worship and adoration Pilgrimage of faith

Look Further

• Search Hymnary.org for "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" ↗
• Search IMSLP for public-domain scores of "ADESTE FIDELES" ↗