A Christmas Carol in Latin, German, and English

The traditional carol “Adeste fideles” is popular in the English-speaking world and in France and Germany. Its 18th century Latin origins are known, but it is not entirely clear who actually wrote those Latin verses. As is often the case in Germany, there are two German versions: a Catholic version and a Protestant version. The German Catholic version (by Joseph Hermann Mohr, 1873) follows the Latin/French tradition, whereas the German Protestant version (by Friedrich Heinrich Ranke, 1823) follows the Latin/English tradition. (Ranke’s German Protestant version is the one you’ll find below.) There are also several different English translations, but the version by Frederick Oakeley (1872) is now the most common.

Learn more in “About this Carol” below, and also see the traditional Latin version and the traditional English version of this carol, plus a video in Latin and German below.

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This closeup view of a 1704 Baroque Nativity Scene depicts the Adoration of the Magi with the Holy Family and angels (the topic of “Adeste fideles”). It is the largest of eight scenes on display in the former abbey church of Gutenzell in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The nativity diorama is publicly exhibited each year between Christmas and February 2 (Candlemas/Mariä Lichtmess). PHOTO: Andreas Praefcke (Wikimedia Commons)

“Adeste fideles” in Latin (Latein)

The following Latin verses were first published by the Catholic layman John Francis Wade (ca. 1711-1786) in 1751. “Adeste fideles” is now traditionally the final anthem during Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. In the video below, the popular German songstress Helene Fischer sings these Latin verses before singing the German version. The German and English song texts generally correspond to the four Latin verses below. There are some minor exceptions, mainly for poetic or religious reasons. See the traditional English verses by Frederick Oakeley below.

Adeste fideles
laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite
in Bethlehem.
Natum videte
Regem angelorum.
Venite adoremus
Dominum.

Deum de Deo,
lumen de lumine,
Gestant
puellae viscera.
Deum verum,
genitum non factum.
Venite adoremus
Dominum.

Cantet nunc ‘Io’
chorus angelorum;
Cantet nunc
aula caelestium,
Gloria!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Venite adoremus
Dominum.

Ergo qui natus
die hodierna,
Jesu,
tibi sit gloria,
Patris aeterni
Verbum caro factum.
Venite adoremus
Dominum.

“O Come, All ye Faithful” (“Adeste fideles”) in English

Frederick Oakeley (1802-1880) was a Protestant pastor in the Church of England when he first translated “Adeste fideles” into English in 1841. After converting to Roman Catholicism in 1845, Oakeley wrote the following English verses. His original second line for the first verse was “joyfully triumphant.” In A Hymnal for Use in the English Church, published by F.H. Murray in 1872, that line was changed to “joyful and triumphant” – as it is sung today.

O come, all ye faithful,
joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye
to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him born,
the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

God of God,
light of light,
Lo, he abhors not
the Virgin’s womb;
Very God,
begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
sing in exultation,
Sing,
all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God,
glory in the highest:
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
born this happy morning;
Jesus,
to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

About This Carol

The “Adeste fideles” carol originated in Latin. It first appeared in John Francis Wade’s 1751 collection of Latin hymns (Cantus Diversi), with four Latin verses, and music set in the traditional square notation used for medieval liturgical music. Wade, a Catholic layman who had fled England because of religious persecution, was living in France at the time. He merely collected and transcribed the Latin hymns; he was not the author. We may never know who actually created the Latin verses or how old they actually are.

The best known English translation, “O Come, All ye Faithful” by Frederick Oakeley, was published in 1872. It is often sung in English following a Latin introduction. Bing Crosby’s classic 1942 recording (with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Max Terr’s Mixed Chorus) is a good example. Over the years, “Adeste fideles” has also become popular outside of church and religious settings, and many other musical artists have recorded “Adeste fideles”/”O Come, All ye Faithful”: Andrea Bocelli, Bob Dylan, Céline Dion, Helene Fischer, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Mahalia Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Mariah Carey.

“Adeste fideles” is included in all German hymnals. It has been a popular German carol ever since the German translation (based on Wade’s Latin version) was published by the Protestant (Lutheran) theologian Friedrich Heinrich Ranke (1798-1876) in 1823. Ranke studied theology and philology at the University of Jena, and later became a private tutor in Frankfurt an der Oder. After 1842 he became a senior pastor and a church council member in Bavaria. In addition to his hymn and carol lyrics, Ranke also published several scholarly works on religious topics. He held important Lutheran church positions in Munich, where he died in September 1876.

VIDEO 1: “Adeste fideles” • “Herbei, O ihr Gläubigen”
Helene Fischer live in Vienna – “Adeste fideles” in Latin and German (Live aus der Hofburg, Wien)

Next | German Christmas Carol Lyrics in German and English

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