Once, only once, and once for all
Once, only once, and once for all. William Bright* (1824-1901).
First published in Bright’s Hymns and Other Poems (1866), in six stanzas. It was then printed in the Appendix (1868) to the First Edition of A&M, with alterations approved by Bright himself, and it appeared in The Hymnary* (1872).
It is based on phrases from the Prayer of Consecration at Holy Communion, with the repetition of ‘once’ emphasising the uniqueness of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross: ‘who made there (by his one oblation of himself once offered) a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world;…’.
Stanza 4 of Bright’s original text began:
Our Priest and...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Once, only once, and once for all."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 11 Apr. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/o/once,-only-once,-and-once-for-all>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Once, only once, and once for all."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed April 11, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/o/once,-only-once,-and-once-for-all.