Another of the important writers of the early Greek period was Anatolius. Concerning this man very little is known except that he lived in the seventh or eighth century. He has left about one hundred hymns, among them, at least three that are still in common use, “Fierce was the wild billow,” “The day is past and over,” and “A great and mighty wonder.” This last is a little Christmas hymn of unusual charm. His description of the storm of Galilee is one of the classics of Greek hymnology:
Fierce was the wild billow,
Dark was the night;
Oars labored heavily,
Foam glimmered white;
Trembled the mariners,
Peril was nigh;
Then said the God of God,
“Peace! It is I.”
To John of Damascus, who died about 780 A.D., we are indebted for two of the most popular Easter hymns in use today, namely, “The day of resurrection” and “Come, ye faithful, raise the strain.” Further reference to these will be found in the chapter on the great translator of Greek and Latin hymns, John Mason Neale.