Christian Hymns of the First Three Centuries Part 2

In the eighth book of the _Apostolic Const.i.tutions_ and also in the _Liturgy of St. James_ we have the _Tersanctus_, {Hagios, hagios, hagios},

Holy, holy, holy.

In another part of the same _Liturgy_ the _Trisagion_ appears, {Ho trisagios hymnos,},

Holy G.o.d, holy mighty, holy immortal, Have mercy upon us.[31]

An evening hymn, {Phos hilaron}, Joyful light, is mentioned by Basil in the fourth century as very old. It was sung at vespers in the Eastern Church:[32]

O gladsome light, O grace Of G.o.d the Father's face.[33]

Among ancient liturgical hymns the _Te deum_ should be mentioned. It is attributed to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana in Dacia, and dated from the end of the fourth century. It appears to be a combination of three distinct parts. The first thirteen verses, or parts one and two, probably originated earlier than the fourth century and may have been inspired by Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, 200-258, who wrote in terms almost identical with the phrases of this early section, used of prophets, apostles and martyrs.[34]

Biblical sources, especially the canticles, now appear as liturgical hymns, either in their original form or in an enlarged version.[35] The use of canticles, more particularly in their variations, is of supreme interest to the hymnologist, because it offers a theory of the origin of Christian hymnody apart from liturgical interpolations or from the psalms. Clement of Rome urged the Corinthians to unite in the spirit of praise as expressed in the seraphic chorus of Isaiah's vision,

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory,

a.s.sociating it with the praise of the angelic ministrants, "ten thousand times ten thousand," beheld by Daniel (_Dan. 7:10_). The same hymn had been heard in the apocalyptic mysteries of the _Book of Revelation_. Very early it was incorporated in the liturgy of the eucharist, continuing an ageless form of the praise of G.o.d from the old dispensation into the new.

The evolution of the Great Doxology from the words of the angelic song,

Glory to G.o.d in the highest,

to the _Gloria in excelsis_ ill.u.s.trates the expanding thought of the Church, corresponding to the growth of the Christian body within the culture of the Roman Empire. Again, the _Gloria_ ill.u.s.trates h.e.l.lenistic features of poetic style, bespeaking the oriental influences which had entered into Greek literature.[36] Note the repet.i.tion of the clauses,

We praise thee, we bless thee, we wors.h.i.+p thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory,

of the invocation,

O Lord G.o.d, heavenly King, G.o.d the Father almighty, O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord G.o.d, Lamb of G.o.d, Son of the Father,

of the relative clause,

That takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.

Thou that sittest at the right hand of G.o.d the Father, have mercy upon us,

of the p.r.o.noun,

For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord; thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of G.o.d the Father.

It is quite superfluous to a.n.a.lyze further the values of a poetic form which has helped to make the _Gloria_ one of the truly magnificent Christian hymns of all ages.[37]

Postponing for the present a more detailed inquiry into stylistic origins, we may regard the group of liturgical hymns here presented as a source collection of the utmost importance. It reveals not only the continuity of the Old and New Testament hymnology but also the evolution of wors.h.i.+p in song into the early Christian era. The fact that wors.h.i.+p was chiefly liturgical in this period and hymns were therefore liturgical appears an inevitable conclusion.

V. Contemporary Pagan and Heretical Hymns

Christianity expanded, as we have seen, in the environment of eastern Mediterranean culture. Its original heritage was that of Judaism, but within the first century it had entered upon the conquest of the Gentile world. As that conquest proceeded and the penetration of new ideas into pagan thought continued, a corresponding reaction of paganism upon the new faith took place. With the general aspects of this phenomenon all are familiar. It is significant here only in the field of lyrical expression.

The period of pagan influence in the sense of an imprint from Greek and Roman literature is also the period of impact with pagan heretical ideas derived either from current philosophies or the practices of mystery religions.

Once more the chart and compa.s.s offered by the direct extant sources are the best guides through the cross currents of the literature in our possession. Representative pagan poetry must be examined, at least of a few general types, in order to establish what influence, if any, was exerted upon contemporary Christian hymns.

Regarding the cla.s.sical influence, _per se_, a large number of Greek hymns were in existence when Christianity was founded,[38] and Roman lyrics were appearing in that very century. Paul was obviously acquainted with the Hymn of Cleanthes, a Stoic writer of the third century, B.C., for he quoted his words on the Areopagus. The original pa.s.sage to which Paul refers has been translated as follows:

Thee it is meet that mortals should invoke, For we Thine offspring are and sole of all Created things that live and move on earth Receive from Thee the image of the One.[39]

It is evident that the Christian hymns embedded in the books of the New Testament were not constructed after a cla.s.sical model of this type. The influence of Old Testament poetry was too strong, the a.s.sociations of paganism repellant and, moreover, the Greek poetry, familiar to the average man of that day, quite different. The older Greek hymns, such as the _Homeric Hymns_, the _Odes_ of Pindar, the choruses of Greek tragedy, were produced in the h.e.l.lenic or pre-h.e.l.lenic ages which had been followed by more than two centuries of h.e.l.lenistic culture. Dr. Edward Delavan Perry, writing of h.e.l.lenistic poetry, said, "Other forms of poetry, particularly the lyric, both the choral and the 'individual,'

died out almost completely."[40]

There remain, then, only the extant hymns of the mystery cults. In spite of many references to the use of singing in connection with these religions, very few specimens of their hymns actually survive. The mystery religion was a sacramental religion "which stressed the approach to Deity through rite and liturgy after a severe probation and an oath pledging to secrecy."[41] The leading cults were those a.s.sociated with Orpheus, the Magna Mater (Cybele) and Attis, Mithra, Serapis, Isis, Adonis, and especially the Eleusinian Mysteries, which flourished for twelve centuries, ending with their extinction by the Christians in 397.[42]

During the period under consideration in this study Isis was honored in all parts of the Graeco-Roman world. An authentic hymn to Isis appears in the writings of Apuleius (b. 125), who describes a procession in honor of the G.o.ddess and gives the words of the chorus, closing,

Thy divine countenance and most holy deity I shall guard and keep forever in the secret place of my heart.

Variants of the Isis cult hymn or hymns have been preserved in inscriptions; for example, a hymn of some fifty lines from Cyme in Aeolia,

I am Isis the sovereign of the whole land.[43]

Liturgical survivals of the cult of Mithra are almost unknown. Franz c.u.mont, the great student of Mithraism, quotes one hymn fragment only,

Hail bridegroom, hail thou new light![44]

He is of the opinion, however, that the Manichaean song mentioned by Augustine, 354-430, affords some idea of Mithraic poetry. The song or hymn in question represents a chief divinity surrounded by twelve minor divinities, symbolizing the seasons, all clothed with floral tributes.[45] c.u.mont also suggests that hero hymns were in existence, celebrating the exploits of the G.o.ds.[46] The so-called _Liturgy of Mithra_, a magic formula not considered by c.u.mont, contains hymn fragments, one of which begins,

Lord, hail, potentate of the water, hail, ruler of the earth, hail, potentate of the spirit.[47]

Hippolytus, a presbyter of Rome who died in 236, in his _Refutation of all Heresies_, quotes certain hymns in praise of Attis:

Whether thou art the race of Saturn or happy Jupiter,

and

I will hymn Attis, son of Rhea.[48]

Here, as in so many cases, our information concerning pagan hymns is derived from an opponent, a Christian writer and defender of orthodox religion, but this circ.u.mstance in no way affects the validity of the text.

For the Orphic cult which had the longest period of influence, we possess what may be termed a hymn book containing eighty-seven hymns. It has been variously dated from the third century, B.C., to the fourth or fifth century, A.D. With a mental reservation as to the relevancy of the citations, we find that some of these hymns in praise of the G.o.ds are full of dignity, for instance,

Mother of G.o.ds, great nurse of all, draw near, Divinely honored, and regard my prayer.[49]

So debatable is the subject of the Orphic hymns, both in respect to date and usage, that they offer little or no a.s.sistance to the student who is interested in a possible influence upon Christian hymnology.[50]

Sooner or later, one must turn to the land of Egypt, if one desires a complete picture of early Christian culture. The mystery of the Egyptian Isis, mentioned above, was one element in the background of the times, ill.u.s.trative of the religious syncretism which had been fostered throughout the Ptolemaic period. The identification of the Egyptian Thot with the Greek Hermes is reflected in the Hermetic literature of which the _Poimandres_ is the oldest known writing.[51] From this source a hymn of praise is derived: