1In a hymn of repeating couplets Sedulius traces sacred history from the devil's fall and Adam's sin through the figures of the Old Testament (Abel, the flood, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, the Exodus, the conquest, Gideon, Jephthah, David) to their fulfillment in Christ's birth, death, resurrection and coming judgment, ending with a doxology to the Trinity.
2In an alphabetical hymn Sedulius sings the life of Christ from the virgin birth, the shepherds, the magi and the holy innocents, through his baptism and miracles, to his betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, victory over hell and return to heaven.
authentic · The two hymns ascribed to Sedulius; Hymn 1 is abecedarian (Cantemus socii Domino), Hymn 2 is A solis ortus cardine.
Standing
Not honoured as a saint or in a church calendar by the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant traditions. Writer in the church of his time, not venerated by any of the three traditions.
Date
ca. 425-450 (approximate)
Written at
Italy or Achaia (disputed) (disputed)
Language
Latin
Genre
poem
Reference system
hymn (1 = Cantemus socii Domino, 2 = A solis ortus cardine); each hymn is one passage. Source page numbers are approximate.
SBL abbreviation
Hymn.Not yet checked
Text from
Johann Huemer, ed., Sedulii opera omnia, CSEL 10 (Vienna: Gerold, 1885) (Printed edition in the public domain; digital text CC BY-SA 4.0)