Passion Hymns

This article is about Hallgrímur Pétursson's collection. For other Passion hymns, see List of Passion hymns. For the 2004 album, see Passion: Hymns Ancient and Modern.

The Passíusálmar or Passion Hymns are a collection of 50 poetic texts written by the Icelandic minister and poet, Hallgrímur Pétursson.[1] The texts explore the Passion narrative, as traditionally presented, from the point where Jesus enters the Garden of Gethsemane to his death and burial.

History

Hallgrímur began composing the work in 1656, while serving as pastor of Saurbær in Hvalfjörður. It took him three years to complete, the final poem being written in May 1659; the first edition was published seven years later, in 1666. By the end of the century they had become so popular in Iceland that five editions had been published. Since that time, they have been reprinted more than 75 times, a unique achievement in Icelandic literature. The poems were translated into many other languages, including Latin, English, Chinese and Danish.

The first English edition was published in 1913. In the 1950s a new translation was made by Arthur Charles Gook. This new translation received the imprimatur of the Bishop of Iceland, Sigurbjörn Einarsson, and is published by Hallgrímskirkja. In addition, a selection of texts were translated by Anglican Bishop Charles Venn Pilcher and published in a pamphlet entitled "Thirty-One Meditations on Christ's Passion"; this translation, although incomplete, is regarded as more faithful to Hallgrímur's Lutheran theology.

The Passíusálmar quickly became an important part of Icelandic religious expression, being sung or read during Lent in every Icelandic home; today, they are broadcast on the radio during that time of year. They have been set to music by many composers of Icelandic church music, including Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson and Jón Hlöðver Áskelsson, but use outside Iceland is rare.

Antisemitism

Since 1943, state broadcaster RÚV has annually broadcast the hymns during Lent, a tradition initiated at the urging of Sigurbjörn Einarsson. For each of the fifty days leading up to Easter, an Icelander reads one verse of the hymns.[2] In 2012, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center attempted and failed to stop this practice, arguing that their many negative references to Jews reinforced antisemitic hatred.[3][4] However, RÚV director Páll Magnússon rejected the request, telling Cooper to "bear in mind that the hymns are written 350 years ago and they describe the poet's feelings about events that supposedly took place around 2000 years ago."[5] Vilhjálmur Örn Vilhjálmsson has commented that the episode revealed that "no Icelandic researcher on Pétursson's poetry had ever considered whether the Passiusalmar were perhaps not a uniquely Icelandic phenomenon," but representative of European antisemitism prevalent at the time of their writing.[2]

Hymns

  1. Christ goes to the Garden
  2. Christ's Suffering in the Garden
  3. “Sorrowful, even unto Death”
  4. Christ's Appeals to His Disciples
  5. The Jews arrive in the Garden
  6. Judas' Kiss and Christ's Arrest
  7. Peter's Defence and Malchus' Wounded Ear
  8. Christ's Address to the Jews
  9. The Flight of the Disciples
  10. The First Enquiry before Caiaphas
  11. Peter's Denial
  12. Peter's Repentance
  13. The False Witnesses and Caiaphas' Judgment
  14. The Soldiers mock Christ
  15. The Priests' Conference
  16. The Remorse of Judas
  17. The Potter's Field
  18. The Jews' First Charge before Pilate
  19. Christ's Confession before Pilate
  20. The Jews' Second Charge before Pilate
  21. Herod's Curiosity and the Gorgeous Robe
  22. The Demand for Crucifixion
  23. The Scourging of Christ
  24. The Scarlet Robe and Crown of Thorns
  25. Christ led from the Judgment Hall
  26. Christ and Pilate
  27. Pilate and the Jews
  28. Pilate's unjust Judgment
  29. Release of Barabbas
  30. Christ bears His Cross
  31. Christ's Address to the Women
  32. The Green and the Dry Tree
  33. The Crucifixion of Christ
  34. The First Cry from the Cross
  35. The Superscription on the Cross
  36. Christ's Garments divided
  37. The Second Cry from the Cross
  38. The Mocking suffered on the Cross
  39. The Thief's Repentance
  40. The Third Cry from the Cross
  41. The Fourth Cry from the Cross
  42. The Fifth Cry from the Cross
  43. The Sixth Cry from the Cross
  44. The Seventh Cry from the Cross
  45. The Death of Christ
  46. The Signs that accompanied His Death
  47. Christ's Friends, who stood far off
  48. The Saviour's wounded Side
  49. The Burial of Christ
  50. The Guard on Watch

Passíulykill, text of the Passíusálmar with index by Adalsteinn Eythorsson

References

  1. ^ Grindal, Gracia (2017). "Icelandic Baroque: Poetic Art and Erudition in the Works of Hallgrímur Pétursson by Margrét Eggertsdóttir (review)". Lutheran Quarterly. 31 (4): 473–475. doi:10.1353/lut.2017.0096.
  2. ^ a b Vilhjálmsson, Vilhjámur Örn (2019). "Iceland: A Study of Antisemitism in a Country without Jews". In Adams, Jonathan (ed.). Antisemitism in the North: History and State of Research. DeGruyter.
  3. ^ Gerstenfeld, Manfred (10 July 2018). "Iceland, Israel, and the Jews: A Largely Negative History". The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  4. ^ "Vilja banna Passíusálmana vegna gyðingahaturs". visir.is (in Icelandic). 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  5. ^ "From Iceland — State Broadcasting Responds To Simon Wiesenthal Institute". The Reykjavik Grapevine. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
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