E07429
Literary - Poems
Liturgical texts - Hymns
Ymnum sancti Patrici magister Scotorum
Audite omnes amantes Deum sancta mereta
uiri in Christo beati Patrici episcupi
quomodo bonum ob actum similatur angelis
perfectamque propter uitam aequatur apostolis.
(5) Beata Christi custodit mandata in omnibus
cuius opera refulgent clara inter homines
sanctumque cuius sequuntur exemplum mirificum
unde et in caelis Patrem magnificant Dominum.
Constans in Dei timor? et fide inmobilis
(10) super quern aedificatur ut Petrus aecclesia
cuiusque apostolatum a Deo sortitus est
in cuius porte aduersum inferni non praeualent [...]
(25) Gloriam habet cum Christo honorem in saeculo
qni ab omnibus ut Dei ueneratur angelus
quem Deus misit ut Paulum ad gentes apostolum
ut hominibus ducatum praeberet regno Dei [...]
'Listen, all of you who love God, to the holy merits
of the bishop Patrick, a man blessed in Christ.
Because of his excellent ways he is like unto the angels,
and because of his perfect life he is the equal of the apostles.
(5) He keeps in every way the blessed teachings of Christ.
His deeds shine brightly among the people,
those who follow his holy and wondrous example,
and thus praise the Father and Lord in the heavens.
He is constant in his fear of God and unshakable in his faith.
(10) On him the church is built, as on Peter.
He has received his apostleship from God.
The gates of hell will not prevail against him...
(25) He has glory with Christ and honor in this age.
He is venerated by all as an angel of God,
whom God sent, as he did Paul, an apostle to the gentiles,
so that he might guide them to the kingdom of God...'
Text: Bieler 1952/3, 119-22.
Translation: Freeman 2014, 44-8.
Chant and religious singing
Non Liturgical ActivityVisiting/veneration of living saint
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Theorising on SanctityConsiderations about the hierarchy of saints
Source
The twenty-three stanza hymn Audite omnes amantes is traditionally attributed to Secundius (Sechnall), supposedly a companion of Patrick in Ireland. It survives through five medieval manuscripts, first appearing in the 'Antiphonary of Bangor' (680/91). An argument has been made for dating the text to within Patrick's own lifetime (see Bieler 1952/3, 117): even if this goes too far, on linguistic grounds we may still date the hymn to as early as the fifth or sixth centuries.Discussion
The Hymn of Secundius may well be our earliest surviving evidence for cult, or cult-like activity, around the figure of Patrick.Bibliography
EditionL. Bieler, 'The Hymn of Saint Secundius,' Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature, 55 (1952/53), 117-12
Translations
The Works of Saint Patrick, trans. L. Bieler (Westminster, Maryland, and London, 1953), 55-66.
The World of Saint Patrick, trans. P. Freeman (Oxford, 2014), 43-8.
Text, translation, and discussion
A. Orchard, ''Audite omnes amantes': a Hymn in Patrick's Praise,' in D. Dumville, et al., Saint Patrick, A.D. 493-1993 (Woodbridge, 1993), 153-74.
Benjamin Savill
08/03/2019
ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00008 | Paul, the Apostle | Paulus | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S01962 | Patrick, missionary and bishop of Ireland, 5th c. | Patricus | Certain |
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