The nineteenth-century British hymn scholar John Mason Neale, whom hymnologist Albert Bailey calls “the prince of translators,” found a particular fascination with old Greek and Latin texts from the earliest days of the Church. In 1851 he translated the versification of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” into English. It soon became attached to a fitting thirteenth-century chant melody and has remained a staple of Advent observances ever since.
How is it that one of the oldest and best-known Christmas carols asks for the Messiah to come, when in actuality he has already done so?
The answer lies in the fact that “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is, strictly speaking, not a Christmas carol but an Advent hymn. Advent, the roughly four-week period leading up to Christmas Day, is traditionally a time of remembering, of waiting—and of hope.
To understand “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” place yourself in the position of a faithful follower of Yahweh in the centuries after Malachi. God has threatened a curse to those who reject his word (Mal 4:6), but has also promised to send Elijah (Mal 4:5) in the days before the sun of righteousness arises with healing in its wings (Mal 4:2). All throughout Scripture, God has spoken of his coming one by a poetic array of names: Emmanuel—God with us (Isa 7:14). The Rod of Jesse (Isa 11:1). The Dayspring from on high (Lk 1:78). The Key of David (Isa 22:22). The hearts of the faithful yearn for the fulfillment of God’s word, and in pondering his promises, they cry out, “O come, O come, Emmanuel!”
This carol originated with a series of Latin liturgical texts used in the week leading up to Christmas. Each of the seven antiphons, or short chants, addresses Jesus by an Old Testament title, and begins with the word “O,” lending these chants the name “O antiphons.” Though possibly in existence as early as the sixth century, they were in common use by the ninth century. By the twelfth century, they had been converted into poetic form, and were published by 1710.
The nineteenth-century British hymn scholar John Mason Neale, whom hymnologist Albert Bailey calls “the prince of translators,” found a particular fascination with old Greek and Latin texts from the earliest days of the Church. In 1851 he translated the versification of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” into English. It soon became attached to a fitting thirteenth-century chant melody and has remained a staple of Advent observances ever since.
