Hymn Story
All Glory, Laud and Honor
This hymn was written by Bishop Theodolph of France while serving a prison sentence imposed by King Louis I, the son of Charlemagne. The charges, false as nearly as we can determine, were that Theodolph had plotted against the king.
While in prison, Theodolph wrote a total of 78 verses (39 couplets) for this hymn. The hymn celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It tells of the crowd shouting “Hosanna!” and laying palm branches in Jesus’ pathway. It tells of them singing hymns of praise to Jesus, just as we do today—and asks that Jesus will accept our praises as worthy today.
There is a legend that surrounds this hymn. According to the legend, King Louis visited Angers, where Theodolph was imprisoned, and heard Theodolph singing this hymn in his cell as a part of his daily worship. Moved by the beauty of the hymn, the king pardoned Theodolph and had him released from prison.
— Copyright 2007, Richard Niell Donovan