Jesus Refulsit Omnium is the oldest Christmas Carol historians have knowledge of, it is a 4th century motet or Epiphany: ‘Jesus Refulsit Omnium’ – Jesus, Light of All the Nations – The exact translation would be ‘Jesus, the brilliance of all.’ It depicts the sudden realization that enlightened the Magi, the Wise Men, when they finally arrived to the stable where infant Jesus had been born and it was created by St. Hilary of Poitiers between 310 – 367 (most probably without any instrumental backing).
The lyrica which are in Latin are as follows:
Jesus refulsit omnium
Pius redemptor gentium
Totum genus fidelium
Laudes celebret dramatum
Quem stella natum fulgida
Monstrat micans per authera
Magosque duxit praevia
Ipsius ad cunabula
Illi cadentes parvulum
Pannis adorant obsitum
Verum fatentur ut Deum
Munus ferendo mysticum.
This is the English translation by Kevin Hawthorne, PhD :
‘Jesus, devoted redeemer of all nations, has shone forth,
Let the whole family of the faithful celebrate the stories
The shining star, gleaming in the heavens,
makes him known at his birth and, going before,
has led the Magi to his cradle
Falling down, they adore the tiny baby hidden in rags,
as they bear witness to the true God by bringing a mystical gift.’
This rendition of Jesus Refulsit Omnium as performed by the Chamber Choir of George Watson’s College at the annual Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, in December 2015.
“Corde natus ex Parentis” (“Of the Father’s Love Begotten”) While this is not a popular Christmas song today, it is probably the oldest known Christmas song that is still performed by a few churches. The oldest written record of the hymn appears in a manuscript dating back to the 10th century. The song, which is actually a Christian hymn, was written by Roman Christian poet Aurelius Prudentius. The words, which were originally written in Latin, were translated and paired with a medieval plainchant melody called Divinum mysterium. Today, two English translations of the song are used in its performance: one by John M. Neale from 1851, which was later extended by Henry W. Baker a decade later and the other by Robert Furley Davis for the English Hymnal in 1906.
