The Oxyrhynchus Hymn

The Oxyrhynchus Hymn is the earliest known manuscript that has both lyrics and musical notation of a Christian hymn.   It is believed to be from the 3rd century.  Only a fragment was found so researchers have done their best to  try to fill in the missing pieces.  The fragment is known as P. Oxy. XV 1786.  It is a papyrus fragment that was discovered in 1918 and published in 1922.  It is now kept at a library in Oxford.
The hymn was written and notated in Greek.  This is the English translation of the hymn found on Wikipedia.

... Let it be silent
Let the Luminous stars not shine,
Let the winds (?) and all the noisy rivers die down;
And as we hymn the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Let all the powers add "Amen Amen"
Empire, praise always, and glory to God,
The sole giver of good things, Amen Amen.

The ellipses and question mark must indicate where the fragment is damaged and the text in undecipherable.

I found 4 versions of this hymn being performed.

The first one began with a man reading or reciting.  Then a group of men began singing the melody along with a stringed instrument that  plucked the melody.  Periodically there were bells and some type of percussion.  The melody sounded like it was in a major key, but there was a whole step down from the tonic instead of a leading tone which makes me want to place it is Mixolydian mode.

I found another version on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bYqOIwbNAM&feature=player_embedded#!
This performance began with a bell that seemed to count out measures before the singing began and also in the middle.  It did not say what the purpose was, but I wonder if it is to indicate where the text and notation is lost and instead of recreate it, they used that method instead.  That is the impression that I got.   This performance began with a chorus of men's and  women's voices all singing the same text and melody.  Except for the bell, there were no instruments.   It then alternated between a solo man's voice, a chorus of men, a chorus of women, and the mixed chorus.

After listening to this version I could picture a small group of worshipers in the 3rd century gathered at in the early morning or by candlelight and singing the hymn.

I found one more version that had been arranged to sing in a modern church.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQKVILQsbv4&feature=player_embedded#!

This version began with a flute that played the entire melody.   A piano and female choir performed this.  It was clearly a modern arrangement with harmony and multiple parts, but it was very enjoyable to listen to.   I liked how it began simply without much embellishment and then grew more complex.  i thought it was great imagery for the continuity of the ancient church to the church today.  I don't know if that was the intent of the arranger and the performers but that is the impression that I was left with.