Peace, Perfect Peace is a hymn whose lyrics were written in August 1875 by Edward H. Bickersteth at the bedside of a dying relative. He read it to his relative immediately after writing it, to his children at tea time that day, and soon published it along with four other hymns he had written in a tract called Songs in the House of Pilgrimage. Of the dozens of hymns he wrote, this one became the most popular. A century later, it was still a popular choice for Christian funerals.
George Thomas Caldbeck (1852–1918) later wrote the tune, which is usually called Pax Tecum. Caldbeck's tune was substantially altered by a hymnal editor, Charles Vincent.
Each short stanza begins one line asking a simple question about whether peace is possible under a difficult circumstance. The second line answers the question. The opening phrase of "Peace, perfect peace" is based upon Isaiah 26, verse 3, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee". "Perfect peace" is a translation from an epizeuxis of the word for peace the original Hebrew, which adds emphasis.
Lyrics
References
External links
- A capella version with lyrics and score on YouTube
