The First Hymn

Free entry, registration required.

Join us for the UK premiere of The First Hymn. Having breathed new life into this ancient song, this historic documentary will be screened charting the story of the hymn's journey from discovery to performance.

About the event:

In the ancient ruins of Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, archaeologists unearthed a papyrus scrap containing the earliest known Christian hymn, complete with both its lyrics and musical notation.

Analyzed at Oxford University, this discovery challenges traditional views of church history by revealing the rich musical practices of early believers. Hosted by Australian historian John Dickson, the feature-length documentary “The First Hymn” chronicles the hymn’s journey from its desert origins to its modern resurrection, as acclaimed composers Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding transform the ancient melody into a contemporary worship piece, culminating in a live concert performance.

Wycliffe Hall has set itself the modest task of fostering a New Renaissance of Christian scholarship, leadership and culture. As both a Christian community and a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford, we want to see transformational scholarship, leadership and culture, born out of Christian community, offering the truth, beauty and goodness of the gospel to the world.

Photography and filming: This event will include photography and filming: please contact us directly if you have any questions about this: conferences@wycliffe.ox.ac.uk. 

Curzon Cinema has been hired as the venue for this event and this is not part of the Curzon programme. They are not involved in the ticketing or content of the screening.