This 1,700-Year-Old Song Is the Oldest Christian Music We Have (VIDEO)

This 1,700-Year-Old Song Is the Oldest Christian Music We Have (vIDEO)

Welcome to the home of Episode 190 of the Misquoting Jesus Podcast with Bart Ehrman. Below, you can watch the entire episode, read its description, and see links to related resources.

links mentioned in this episode:

Biblical Studies Symposium

episode description

Disclaimer: We use an AI generation tool for episode summaries.

This episode explores one of the most remarkable artifacts from early Christianity: the earliest surviving Christian hymn with musical notation, discovered on a papyrus fragment in the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus. Dr. Charles Cosgrove explains how the hymn was found in a garbage dump alongside thousands of other papyri and why scholars date it to the late third century CE.

The conversation examines how researchers know the fragment is a hymn rather than simply a poem or prayer. The key evidence is the presence of ancient Greek musical notation written above the text, allowing scholars to reconstruct the melody. Cosgrove discusses how this notation system worked, how ancient musicologists preserved knowledge of it, and why the hymn represents a unique bridge between the musical world of classical antiquity and later Christian traditions.

Misquoting Jesus

Never Miss an Episode of Misquoting Jesus

Get key insights, episode summaries, and exclusive content you won't hear on the podcast.

By signing up, you agree to receive marketing emails. Unsubscribe anytime.

PLUS: Get our free course:

Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Actually Write the Gospels?

PLUS: Get our free course:

Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Actually Write the Gospels?

A major theme is what the hymn reveals about early Christian worship. Contrary to modern congregational singing, early Christian music appears to have been largely soloistic, often performed during communal meals and worship gatherings. The discussion also compares Christian musical practices with those found in Greek and Roman religious settings.

The episode concludes with an exploration of the hymn’s text and melody. The hymn calls both earthly worshippers and heavenly powers to praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, blending Christian theology with literary conventions inherited from Greek hymn traditions. Listeners also hear how the reconstructed melody differs from modern church music while sharing some similarities with later Gregorian chant.