"Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee"

Episode 17: The history behind “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee”: Born in A.D. 1090, Bernard of Fontaine, who originally wrote the words of this hymn in Latin, had all the advantages of high birth and became a boy of graceful manners and elegance of expression. His mother taught him to believe in Christ, and he lived as an ascetic, with great zeal for Christ. Bernard later became known as Bernard of Clairvaux, a name taken from the first monastery he founded. Martin Luther, 400 years later, called him “the best monk that ever lived, whom I admire beyond all the rest put together.” “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee” was translated from Latin to English by Edward Caswall. John Bacchus Dykes composed the tune. This program includes contemporary renditions of the hymn by the following artists: Greg Hansen, Michael Dowdle, Lex de Azevedo, Meredith Campbell, Kay Hicks Ward, Kenneth Cope, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.