Thomas, John, Jean and John

I previously wrote about the quintessential “doubting Thomas” hymn, “O sons and daughters let us sing” (H40: 99; H82: 206). The English translation by John Mason Neale (of the Latin text “O Filli et Filiae”) was first published in his Medieval Hymns and Sequences (1851).

For the first Sunday after Easter, the doubting Thomas passage (John 20:19-31) is found in Years A,B and C of the Revised Common Lectionary as it was in the one year lectionary of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. The 1549, 1559 and 1662 BCP only read John 20:19-23, which has the fearful disciples in a locked room and Jesus showing his hands, but not Thomas satisfying his doubts.

However, I said little about the author of the original Latin text, Jean Tisserand. Little is known about him, other than he was a Franciscan monk, founded a women’s order, and died in Paris in 1494. His text is his most enduring legacy.

Even more mysterious is the origin of the tune, appropriately dubbed O Filli et Filiae, of which the oldest extant source is a Paris publication from 1624. The Hymnal 1940 Companion (1951, p. 74) says

The tune, O fillii et filiae, is probably the original contemporary melody since none other has been used with the text.

Thirty years later, the Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (p.236) concluded essentially the same thing

O FILLI ET FILIAE belongs to this text and probably is contemporary with it.

Thus, I think it’s safe to say this is one of the oldest pairings of text (translated into the vernacular) with its corresponding tune. (The likely prize-winner is the plainsong Lord’s prayer, which is believed to be from the patristic era.)

As I’ve argued before, a central part of our Christian heritage is not just the teachings and beliefs of the church, but also the liturgy and music used to catechize those beliefs. Let us hope that the Church keeps Friar Tisserand’s contribution for another 500 years.