"Long Ago, Prophets Knew", also called "Long Ago, Prophets Knew, Christ would come born a Jew", is an English Christian

Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...

carol written by Reverend

Fred Pratt Green The Reverend Fred Pratt Green (2 September 1903 – 22 October 2000) was a British Methodist minister and hymnodist. Born in Roby, Lancashire, England, he began his ministry in the Filey circuit. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in 19 ...

in 1970.

Textual history

"Long Ago, Prophets Knew" was written by

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister Fred Pratt Green in 1970 at the behest of John Wilson. It was self-published in his "''26 Hymns''" a year later. The carol gained popularity within the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

when it was published within the ''More Hymns for Today'' hymnal in 1980 and '' Hymns Ancient and Modern – New Standard''" in 1983. In 1986, when ''

The New English Hymnal ''The New English Hymnal'' is a hymn book and liturgical source aimed towards the Church of England. First published in 1986, it is a successor to, and published in the same style as, the 1906 ''English Hymnal''. It is published today by SCM C ...

'' was being compiled with hymns appropriate for

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

services being prioritised, "Long Ago, Prophets Knew" was included at the behest of the former Archdeacon of Hackney, George Timms, in order to fill required spaces in the hymnal for feast days and promote newer hymns. "Long Ago, Prophets Knew" was one of around 50 hymns written after 1950 to be included in the collection of 506 hymns. Though the carol was written for Advent, it has also been used as a

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

use the carol in connection with Bible readings from

2 Samuel The Book of Samuel () is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) that constitute a theological ...

:7 and

Romans 16 Romans 16 is the sixteenth and final chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It was authored by Paul the Apostle, while Paul was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of a secretary (amanuensis), T ...

:17-25. Methodists use the carol on the

Fourth Sunday in Advent Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

Tune

Green set it to the tune of "'' Personent hodie''". While the carol was written for organ with a 66.666 metre, an additional alternate accompanying supplement for thirteen

handbell A handbell is a bell designed to be rung by hand. To ring a handbell, a ringer grasps the bell by its slightly flexible handle – traditionally made of leather, but often now made of plastic – and moves the arm to make the hinged cla ...

s was also written to tie into the chorus of "ring bells, ring, ring, ring!" The carol was an example of a modern hymn that utilised an older style of including a repetitive monosyllable in the chorus.

References

{{authority control Advent songs Christmas carols 1970 songs Hymns in The New English Hymnal