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| Be Thou My Health and Life |
Lord Jesus, Think On Me is a translation of the Greek hymn, Mnoheo Christe by Synesius of Cyrene (c.375-430). He was the Bishop of Ptolomais, one of the ancient capitals of Cyrenaica that is today part of modern day Libya. Early in life he was schooled in Greece and Alexandria in Neo-Platonism. We still have many of his letters, essays, and homilies. Mnoheo Christe is one of 10 hymns that he is believed to have written. In 1876 it was translated by the Anglican Priest, Allen William Chatfield (1808-1896). His text is set to the tune, Southwell (Daman), written in 1579 by William Daman. In the Divine Office (1974), Lord Jesus, Think On Me is used during Lent and Holy Week.
There is a marvellous setting of this hymn, scored for full orchestra and congregation, by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) as the opening of his opera Noye's Fludde (1958).
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