Which Christmas carol was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857?

Which Christmas carol was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857? “We Three Kings” was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr.

Hopkins wrote the carol in 1857 while serving as rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He composed it for a Christmas pageant connected with a college in New York City. The carol was originally titled “Three Kings of Orient.”

Unlike many traditional carols, Hopkins wrote both the words and the music. Its structure gives separate verses to the three Magi, with each describing one of the gifts: gold, frankincense, or myrrh. The refrain celebrates the Star of Bethlehem that guides them.

The carol is based on the Gospel of Matthew’s account of the Magi visiting Jesus. However, the biblical passage does not say that there were exactly three visitors, that they were kings, or that it names them. Those details come from later Christian tradition. The carol was published in 1863 and became the first widely popular Christmas carol written in America.