August 16, 2016
Kostis Palmas and the Olympic Hymn Presented by Museum of the Bible
The Olympic Hymn, “Ancient Immortal Spirit,” is from
a poem written for the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens by Greek poet Kostis Palamas.
However, it wasn’t used again until the 1960 games.
It has been sung at every Olympic Games since, in both the opening and closing ceremonies!
Considered one of the most important poets of Greece, Kostis Palamas was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Biblical themes appear in many of his poems.
He was also part of a movement to adopt the use of a vernacular “everyday” Greek language, rather than the artificial classical Greek language used by the cultural and political elite.
A movement that led to a translation of the Bible into this everyday Greek language in 1901.
The Bible: Impacting the 2016 Olympic Games!