<P> `` What a Friend We Have in Jesus '' is a Christian hymn originally written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada . Scriven originally published the poem anonymously , and only received full credit for it in the 1880s . The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868 . William Bolcom composed a setting of the hymn . </P>
who wrote song what a friend we have in jesus
Joseph M. Scriven Charles Crozat Converse