# Evening Hymn (Phos hilaron)

- Author: Anonymous
- Latin title: *Hymnus vespertinus*
- Date: second or third century (approximate)
- Source: Martin Joseph Routh, ed., Reliquiae sacrae, 2nd ed., vol. 3 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1846), p. 515, from the Internet Archive scan

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hymnus-vespertinus/
- Passages: 1

## Evening hymn (Phos hilaron)

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hymnus-vespertinus/1/#p-1
- Source: Routh, Reliquiae sacrae 3:515
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: An ancient evening hymn praises Jesus Christ as the joyful light of the Father's glory and gives glory to the Trinity at lamp-lighting.

### Greek text

Φῶς ἱλαρὸν ἁγίας δόξης ἀθανάτου Πατρὸς, οὐρανίου, ἁγίου, μάκαρος, Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ· ἐλθόντες ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡλίου δύσιν, ἰδόντες φῶς ἑσπερινὸν, ὑμνοῦμεν Πατέρα, καὶ Υἱόν, καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ. Ἄξιος εἶ ἐν πᾶσι καιροῖς ὑμνεῖσθαι φωναῖς ὁσίαις, Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ζωὴν ὁ διδούς· διὸ ὁ κόσμος σε δοξάζει.

### English translation (Claude)

O gladsome light of the holy glory of the immortal Father, heavenly, holy, blessed, Jesus Christ: having come to the setting of the sun and seen the evening light, we sing the praise of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of God. You are worthy at all times to be praised with holy voices, Son of God, giver of life; therefore the world glorifies you.

### Scripture references

- Heb 1:3: echo, medium confidence
- Rev 5:12: echo, low confidence

### Translation notes

- The Phos hilaron, sung at the lighting of the evening lamps, is already called ancient by Basil of Caesarea (On the Holy Spirit 29.73), who quotes its line 'We praise the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of God'. Routh prints 'at the setting' (ἐπὶ δύσιν); the scan reads 'at the setting of the sun'; the sense is the same.

### Citation (SBL)

Hymn. vesp. 1 (Routh, Reliquiae sacrae 3:515; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/hymnus-vespertinus/1/#p-1).