Isaac Watts’ Hymns and Spiritual Songs’ is the landmark publication in the history of English hymns. His ‘Joy to the World’, ‘When I Survey the Wonderous Cross’ and ‘O God our Help in Ages Past’ are still sung. Historian Daniel Johnson will share why they have such impact.
Born in 1674, Isaac Watts was one of the eighteenth-century’s most influential theologians.
He published widely on subjects including Logic, Education and the Passions, and multiple editions of his sermons on both sides of the Atlantic.Watts drew deeply from the Puritan tradition, but was heavily influenced by Descartes and Locke. He was an elder statesman of the Evangelical Revivals, and his works shaped this movement.
His 1707 ‘Hymns and Spiritual Songs’ became the landmark publication in the history of the English hymn, followed by his 1719 ‘The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament’. Watts’ hymns became ubiquitous, dominating the landscape of anglophone hymnody for over two centuries. ‘Joy to the World’, ‘When I Survey the Wonderous Cross’ and ‘O God our Help in Ages Past’ are still sung around the world.
Historian Daniel Johnson shares the findings from his doctoral research on Watts’ hymns and why they had and continue to have, such dynamic impact. He will explore the convictions that drove Watts to write his hymns, the key themes in his hymnody, and the influence they went on to have.
Location: St Olav Bookshop, 81A North Street, Chichester, PO19 1LQ
Organiser: St Olav Trust