Thus begins the first of the Odes of Solomon. These lovely hymns of praise were composed by an anonymous Christian poet near the close of the first century. Their attribution to Solomon was not an attempt to deceive people (as is the case with some pseudepigrapha) but was the consequence of the Church's recognition that these edifying songs were written by an inspired musician much like the noted Solomon.

Forty-one of the original forty-two Odes have survived to our day. Although some of their imagery is different than Christians in the West are accustomed to, and despite the fact that some Gnostic heretics may have attempted to usurp these hymns for their own, their devout Christian spirit will shine through to those who read them. They were even regarded as New Testament "Scripture" by some early Christian communities in the Near East.

The primary theme of the Odes is the joy of the believer's union with Christ. They also offer a delightful blending of sacramental (baptismal) and charismatic (prophetic) theology.

The contemporary paraphrases of the Odes appearing on this page are copyrighted by Robert C. Stroud. The scholarly edition of the Odes of Solomon edited by James Charlesworth (Scholar's Press) is still available, but it passes far beyond the interests of the popular reader. Here are several of the Odes, offered for your enjoyment.

We end this brief introduction to the Odes with the precious hymn with which we began. Here is the entire text of Ode One.