Sun of Righteousness

“Sun of Righteousness,” beginning “All this night bright angels sing,” is a Christmas carol by William Austin, an English writer associated with Lincoln's Inn in the early seventeenth century. The poem was published posthumously in 1635 in Devotionis Augustinianae Flamma, a collection of Austin's devotional writings published by his widow, Ann Austin. The carol celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ through the imagery of heavenly light breaking into the darkness of the world. Its central image, the Sun of Righteousness, draws upon biblical language to portray Christ as the divine Light who brings salvation and joy to humanity.

The opening stanza imagines angels singing throughout the night and calling the world to awaken to the joyful news of Christ's birth. The darkness of night becomes a picture of the spiritual darkness into which the Saviour has come. The message turns sadness into gladness because the promised Redeemer has entered the world. The following stanza expands the scene to include the earth, the heavens, and the angelic hosts, all summoned to rejoice at the coming of Christ. Creation itself is portrayed as responding to the birth of the One through whom God's saving purpose is revealed.

The final stanza addresses Christ directly as the blessed Light sent into the world. It asks that His heavenly power shine into the darkness of human souls and concludes with a confession of His divine and human nature. This makes the carol more than a celebration of a beautiful nativity scene. It expresses a theological confession that the child born at Bethlehem is truly God and man, worthy of worship and able to bring spiritual light to those who receive Him.

The title reflects Malachi 4:2, which speaks of the Sun of righteousness arising with healing in His wings. The carol also draws upon the themes of Luke 2:8-14, where angels announce the birth of Christ, and John 1:4-9, which presents Christ as the Light shining in darkness. Its language of heavenly glory and incarnate divinity connects the Christmas narrative with the wider Christian confession of who Jesus is. The prayer that His light would shine within human souls also makes the carol appropriate for personal devotion and reflection on spiritual renewal.

The carol has appeared with several musical settings. Hymnary records a setting by Arthur Seymour Sullivan, and other settings have also been associated with the text. The Sullivan setting is suitable for choral performance and Christmas services, while the words may be sung to other melodies where the musical meter permits. This carol is especially appropriate for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, lessons and carols services, and concerts celebrating the incarnation of Jesus Christ.