Search - Petits Chanteurs Du Mont-Royale :: Adeste Fideles

The original text was at one time attributed to various groups and individuals, including claims that it was written by the 13th century St. Bonaventure or King John IV of Portugal. Though it was more commonly believed that the text was written by an order of monks, the Cistercian, German, Portuguese and Spanish orders have, at various times been given credit. The original text consisted of four Latin verses, and it was with these that the hymn was originally published, however The Abbé Etienne Jean Francois Borderies wrote an additional three verses in the early 18th century. These are normally printed as the third to fifth of seven verses, while another anonymous additional Latin verse is rarely printed. The text has been translated innumerable times, but the most used version today is the English "O Come, All Ye Faithful." This is a combination of one of Frederick Oakeley's translations of the original four verses, and by William Thomas Brooke of the remainder, which was first published in Murray's Hymnal in 1852.