"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

with words by the

Free Church of Scotland In contemporary usage, the Free Church of Scotland usually refers to: * Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), that portion of the original Free Church which remained outside the 1900 merger; extant It may also refer to: * Free Church of Scotland (1 ...

minister,

Walter Chalmers Smith Walter Chalmers Smith (5 December 1824 – 19 September 1908), was a hymnist, author, poet and minister of the Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900), Free Church of Scotland, chiefly remembered for his hymn "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise". In ...

, usually sung to the tune, "St. Denio", originally a Welsh ballad tune, which became a hymn (under the name "Palestrina") in ("Hymns of the Sanctuary", 1839) edited by

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a Moderate conservatism, moderate conservative judicial philosophy, thoug ...

(Welsh

bardic name A bardic name (, ) is a pseudonym used in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement. The Welsh language, Welsh term bardd ('poet') originally referred to the Welsh poets of the M ...

: ) (1822–1877). Of this hymn, musicologist

Erik Routley Erik Reginald Routley ( ; 31 October 1917, Brighton, UK – 8 October 1982, Nashville TN) was an English Congregational churchman, theologian, musician, and prominent hymnologist. Career His nearly 40 books on theological thought and music of t ...

has written:

" mmortal, Invisibleshould give the reader a moment's pause. Most readers will think they know this hymn, the work of another Free Kirk minister. But it never now appears as its author wrote it, and a closer look at it in its fuller form shows that it was by no means designed to be one of those general hymns of praise that the parson slams into the praise-list when he is in too much of a hurry to think of anything else but a hymn about the reading of
Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...
. Just occasionally editorial tinkering changes the whole personality of a hymn; it has certainly done so here."Erik Routley, ''A Panorama of Christian Hymnody'' (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1979), 132. When first published in ''Hymns of Christ and the Christian Life'' (1867), the hymn had six verses. https://archive.org/details/hymnschristandc00smitgoog (pp. 210–211).

Lyrics

Lyrics given in most English hymnals: Original version of last two stanzas from ''Hymns of Christ and the Christian Life'', 1867.

References

External links

The text and tune at Oremus Hymnal
{{Authority control Scottish Christian hymns Protestant hymns Hymns in The New English Hymnal