Advent Devotional: December 2

Divinum Mysterium is another one of the church's most ancient Christmas hymns still sung today, and just as Veni Redemptor Gentium by Ambrose of Milan was written as an apologetic for the true nature of Christ, Marcus Aurelius Predentius wrote to defend Christ's eternal nature, Deity, and humanity. A contemporary of Augustine, Predentius held a high social rank in the Roman Empire, and also like Augustine, as an unbeliever, Predentius was laden with the guilt of sin from his youth. When he grew into adulthood, he became deeply moved by the testimonies of the martyrs during the Diocletian persecution, whose examples of steadfast faith were used by the Lord to save him.

After experiencing salvation, being justified by faith, Predentius was greatly influenced by the works of Ambrose. It was mainly through his work that Predentius became convinced of the importance of sound doctrine and began to write poetry and allegorical works (like Pilgrim's Progress) as a means of teaching theology. Most of his writings defended the faith against Arianism and Marcionism (Marcion taught that Jesus was not God in the flesh or the long-expected Messiah, but a "spiritual entity" sent from an unknown god of mercy and love who destroyed the wrathful and vindictive god of the Old Testament). For that reason, Divinum Mysterium, or as it was originally titled, "Corde Natus ex Parentis" (Of the heart of the Father), was a poem written specifically to defend the eternal, Trinitarian God the Father, Son (who is also the Redeemer and Messiah), and Spirit. Although Christians continued to "sing" or "chant" the hymn long after the 4th century when it was written, it was probably first set to music sometime around the 15th or 16th centuries. 

From the very first line, Predentius directly responds to last line of Arius' jingle, "...he was made and not begot." There are several different versions that exist today - mainly due to phrases or verses being modified as the lyrics were translated from the original Latin, but in the version below, the first three verses then develop who Christ is according to Scripture, and the final two instruct us how we should respond.