March 10, 2026
Dr. John Dickson’s documentary about the oldest known Christian hymn reaches national audiences this month.
On March 24 and 26, The First Hymn will be released in cinemas throughout the United States. This exciting documentary carries viewers from Egypt to Oxford to Memphis as it tells of the discovery and revitalization of the oldest known Christian hymn with musical notation. Dr. John Dickson, Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Public Christianity at Wheaton College, created and narrated the film, which uncovers the original hymn’s story and the resurrection of the song for a new generation by award-winning musicians Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding, who crafted new music for the hymn.
“I constantly find myself thinking about the original churches that sang this,” Dickson said. “It brings me to tears thinking about how I wish those suffering Christians in the mid-200s could see their efforts are still bringing glory to God.”
The documentary concludes with footage from Tomlin and Fielding’s debut performance of the new hymn in front of a 10,000-person crowd in Nashville.
Filming for The First Hymn took place in Egypt, Oxford, Australia, and Wheaton and includes numerous members of the Wheaton College community, including Dean of the Conservatory of Music Dr. Michael Wilder, Dr. John Trotter, Dr. Esau McCaulley, the Wheaton College Concert Choir, and members of the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra. The film was originally prescreened on Wheaton College’s campus in April 2025 before premiering at Biola University and the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.
Learn more about The First Hymn and its origins here: Arts News - Wheaton College.
—Juliana Bacote