author
John Brownlie
1857–1925
A Scottish minister and hymn writer, he is best remembered for bringing early Greek and Latin Christian hymns into graceful English. His work opened a doorway to ancient church poetry for later generations of readers and singers.
4 Audiobooks
Hymns from the East Being Centos and Suggestions from the Office Books of the Holy Eastern Church
by John Brownlie
Hymns of the Early Church being translations from the poetry of the Latin church, arranged in the order of the Christian year
by John Brownlie
Hymns of the Greek Church Translated with Introduction and Notes
by John Brownlie
About the author
Born in Glasgow in 1857, John Brownlie was educated at the University of Glasgow and the Free Church College there. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Glasgow in 1884 and soon began ministry in Portpatrick, where he later took full charge of Trinity Free Church.
Brownlie became known not only as a pastor but also as a hymnodist and translator. He devoted much of his work to rendering early Greek and Latin hymns into English, helping English-speaking readers encounter the language and spirit of the ancient church in a fresh way.
He published several hymn collections and earned lasting recognition for his hymnological work, including an honorary doctorate from Glasgow University. He died in 1925, and he is still remembered for the blend of scholarship, devotion, and literary clarity in his writing.