Doxology

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow (Doxology)

Today is the first part of a two part series on the Doxology. We sing this hymn every week as part of our worship service as we give our tithes and offerings. Why do we sing it? Where did it come from? Hopefully we’ll discover the answers and learn a little more about this great hymn of faith. 

Here is a contemporary recording (and I use that phrase lightly) of the Doxology. Hope you enjoy it! 

The Doxology | Anthem Lights ft. Selah

Blessings,
Dorene


Praise God from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

The words to this hymn were written in 1674 by an Anglican Bishop named Thomas Ken. These particular lyrics were originally intended to be the final verse of each of “Three Hymns for Morning, Evening, and Midnight.” 

During the time this hymn was written, many people in the Church considered it a sin to sing lyrics that were not in the Bible, so during the Bishop’s lifetime this hymn (which is not taken directly from Scripture) was not allowed to be sung during church services.

The melody is even older than the lyrics. Another hymn set to this melody appeared in the 1551 Edition of the Genevan Psalter, which is one of the oldest hymnals that still exists. 

Before the Protestant Reformation, only professional musicians were allowed to sing in churches. In Germany, Martin Luther began writing new hymns (including “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”) and taught that everyone should sing praises to God! Shortly after Luther published his first hymnal (which was in German), the Frenchman John Calvin, who lived in Geneva, Switzerland, published a hymnal for his people to be able to sing – a psalter which included this melody by French composer Louis Bourgeois. This melody is often called “Old 100th”, because another popular hymn using this melody, “All People That On Earth Do Dwell”, is based on Psalm 100.

Today, we often call this hymn “the Doxology”. The word doxology comes from two Greek words: doxa – meaning “glory”, and logos – meaning “speaking”. Therefore, a “doxology” is an expression of praise which gives glory to God. It has been a Christian tradition since the ancient church to begin and end services of worship with a hymn of praise to the Holy Trinity.

Source: https://fbchurch.org/resource/hymnology-praise-god-from-whom-all-blessings-flow-doxology