In an exploration of music, faith, and history, the highly anticipated documentary The First Hymn is set to premiere in the United States this week. The documentary tracks the discovery of an 1800-year-old Christian hymn - the first to be discovered with words and music - and the process of giving it back to the world.
Hosted by Australian historian John Dickson, the feature-length documentary “The First Hymn” chronicles the hymn’s journey from its desert origins to its modern resurrection, as acclaimed composers Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding transform the ancient melody into a contemporary worship piece, culminating in a live concert performance.
The papyrus known as P.Oxy 1786 is the oldest Christian hymn ever to be found with both lyrics and musical notation. For the first time, the world can not only know what ancient believers were singing about, they can once again sing along.
With rich visual storytelling, John Dickson explores the hymn’s historical context, revealing how it shaped the foundation of Christian worship and continues to resonate across cultures and generations.
The First Hymn includes special contributions from some of the most influential voices in contemporary worship music, including two Grammy Award winning singer/songwriters: Chris Tomlin, known for hits like How Great Is Our God and Our God, and Ben Fielding, the acclaimed writer and worship leader behind What a Beautiful Name, Goodness of God and other global anthems. Together, they resurrect the ancient hymn and offer it anew to the modern church.
John Dickson, Host
“To give back to the church a song that hasn’t been sung for nearly 2000 years just seemed irresistible," says John Dickson. "To stand in the footsteps of early Christians and witness the enduring power of their words is humbling.”
“For me the First Hymn represents Christianity before there were denominations – it’s a point of unity. It demonstrates that from the very beginning Christianity revolved around the Triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
“It’s also testament to the confidence of the ancient Church right in the middle of their period of persecution. At times they were being hunted down, but here they were singing with joy and exuberance about ‘the only Giver of all good gifts’. It’s inspiring!”
“How amazing to be able to stand together with those ancient believers and sing the same words, today.”
Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding, Featured Artists
Chris Tomlin reflects, “The First Hymn is a precious gift from early believers, some who literally gave their life for the gospel. And now, 2000 years down the road, we can stand in that long line of faithful believers and sing with them.”
“This is one of those things that reminds us of the history of our faith, the story of our faith. It’s not 30 minutes old. It is ancient and historical. And the worship of the one true God - the only giver of all good gifts - is eternal. It's been going on forever, and it will go on forever. And we just continually join that song.”
Ben Fielding shares, “I couldn't be more excited to hear congregations sing this song. Our hope is to give back to the modern church the very hymn that echoed through the halls of the early church. That we can still sing today those same words written 1800 years ago, in unity, is a profound gift.”
The World Premiere
The world premiere of The First Hymn was taking place on April 14 at Biola University in southern California, and at the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC on April 15, with a special performance by Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding.
After the premiere, the documentary will be widely available to download on demand via Wonder in the United States. Global video-on-demand will be available from August 2025.
About John Dickson
John Dickson is an historian, author, and documentary host known for his ability to communicate profound historical and theological insights to a wide audience. He is the host of the top religion podcast Undeceptions which seeks to advocate for the Christian faith in a sceptical world. His books include Bullies and Saints: An honest look at the good and bad of Christian history, A Doubter’s Guide to World Religions, and Is Jesus History? He is the Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor at Wheaton College, Illinois.
About Chris Tomlin
Chris is one of the most significant creators and performers in Christian music today. Chris has sold over twelve million records and he has over seven billion streams to his name. He’s a GRAMMY winner with over 30 top ten hits. It’s estimated that 30 million people sing Chris’s music in churches each week. Time Magazine described him as “potentially the most often sung artist in the world.”
About Ben Fielding
Ben Fielding is a GRAMMY award winning, multi-platinum, Australian songwriter and artist. A prolific song-writer, Ben has written many of the most sung and loved modern hymns across the Church globally. He is the only songwriter to have four songs reach #1 on CCLI as the most sung songs in the global Church: Goodness Of God, What A Beautiful Name, Who You Say I Am and Mighty To Save. Ben also wrote the certified Gold This I Believe (The Creed) which, like The First Hymn, is the translation of an ancient text into a modern worship song.