The first mention of Christian Latin hymns by a known author occurs in
the writings of St. Jerome who states that Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers
(c. 310-366), a noted author of commentaries and theological works,
wrote a _Liber Hymnorum_.[1] This collection has never been recovered in
its entirety. Hilary’s priority as a hymn writer is attested by Isidore
of Seville (d. 636) who says:
Hilary, however, Bishop of Poitiers in Gaul, a man of unusual
eloquence, was the first prominent hymn writer.[2]
More important than his prior claim is the motive which actuated him,
the defense of the Trinitarian doctrine, to which he was aroused by his
controversy with the Arians. A period of four years as an exile in
Phrygia for which his theological opponents were responsible, made him
familiar with the use of hymns in the oriental church to promote the
Arian heresy. Hilary wrested a sword, so to speak, from his adversaries
and carried to the west the hymn, now a weapon of the orthodox. His
authentic extant hymns, three in number, must have been a part of the
_Liber Hymnorum_. _Ante saecula qui manens_, “O Thou who dost exist
before time,” is a hymn of seventy verses in honor of the Trinity;
_Fefellit saevam verbum factum te, caro_, “The Incarnate Word hath
deceived thee (Death)” is an Easter hymn; and _Adae carnis gloriosae_,
“In the person of the Heavenly Adam” is a hymn on the theme of the
temptation of Jesus.[3] They are ponderous in style and expression and
perhaps too lengthy for congregational use since they were destined to
be superseded.
In addition to these the hymn _Hymnum dicat turba fratrum_, “Let your
hymn be sung, ye faithful,” has been most persistently associated with
Hilary’s name. The earliest text occurs in a seventh century manuscript.
It is a metrical version of the life of Jesus in seventy-four lines,
written in the same meter as that of _Adae carnis gloriosae_.[4]
Pope Damasus, a Spaniard by birth (c. 304-384), is believed to have
written hymns in addition to the _Epigrams_ on the martyrs which
constitute his authentic poetry. It would seem probable that his
activities in identifying and marking the sites associated with the
Roman martyrs might have been supplemented by the production of hymns in
their honor. Two hymns bearing his name are extant, one in praise of St.
Andrew the Apostle and one for St. Agatha. Upon internal evidence the
ascription is dubious for they bear the mark of authorship too late to
be considered among the poems of this famous Pope.
As a matter of fact, Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (340-397), remains the
uncontested originator of the medieval Latin hymn as it becomes familiar
to us in a uniform series of metrical stanzas adapted to congregational
use. Like Hilary, Ambrose was born in Gaul.[5] He was the son of
Ambrose, Prefect of the Gauls, and like his father he attained official
appointment under the Roman government as Consular of Liguria and
Aemilia, with Milan as place of residence. Theological controversy
between the Arians and the orthodox was raging at Milan, the Bishop
himself, Auxentius, having adopted the Arian position. Ambrose at this
time was a catechumen but at the death of Auxentius was obliged to
preserve order when the election of his successor took place. At that
very moment the popular mandate created Ambrose Bishop of Milan at the
age of thirty-four years. The period immediately following his election
found him constantly battling for orthodoxy in a contest which passed
beyond the limits of theological debate to the actual siege of orthodox
churches by the Arian forces.
Ambrose was acquainted with the Syrian practice of hymn singing, and
like Hilary, he recognized the effective use of the hymn by the
proponents of the Arian heresy. It was not long before the congregations
in the basilica at Milan were chanting antiphonally the praises of the
Trinity in a similar form. Ambrose himself recorded his achievement, his
biographer Paulinus mentions the event and Augustine in his
_Confessions_ describes the congregational singing which he himself had
heard.
We, though as yet unmelted by the heat of Thy Spirit, were
nevertheless excited by the alarm and tumult of the city. Then it was
first instituted that according to the custom of the eastern regions,
hymns and psalms should be sung, lest the people should faint through
the fatigue of sorrow.[6]
Ambrose wrote hymns appropriate for morning and evening worship, four of
which now extant, can be proved to be of his authorship, _Aeterne rerum
conditor_, “Maker of all, eternal King,” _Deus creator omnium_, “Creator
of the earth and sky,” _Iam surgit hora tertia_, “Now the third hour
draws nigh,” and _Veni redemptor gentium_, “Come Redeemer of the
earth.”[7] Many others in keeping with his style and inspiration have
been preserved and subjected to critical study with the result that
eighteen hymns on varied themes are generally conceded to be Ambrosian.
Had Ambrose never conferred upon the church his gift of hymnody he would
still remain one of the great Latin Fathers of the fourth century, in
his functions as statesman, organizer and scholar. His contribution to
ecclesiastical poetry and music have made him influential century after
century. In this role he has spoken directly to multitudes of Christians
throughout the world, many of whom have been unacquainted with his name
or unaware that they were following the Ambrosian tradition of
congregational song. (See Illustrative Hymns, I. _Splendor paternae
gloriae_, “O Splendor of God’s glory bright.”)
Spain shares the honors with Gaul as the birthplace of the earliest hymn
writers, claiming first Damasus and then Prudentius, (348-413?), a
lawyer, judge and poet of his era. Little is known of his life aside
from his literary work which includes two collections of hymns, the
_Cathemerinon_, a series for the hours of the day and the ecclesiastical
seasons and the _Peristephanon_, a series of much longer poems in praise
of the great martyrs of the early church. In his effort to learn more of
the circumstances attending their martyrdom, Prudentius went to Rome to
visit the scenes made sacred by their death and sufferings. Neither of
these collections was written for liturgical use but for devotional
reading. Both were destined to be appropriated by compilers of
hymnaries, especially in Spain. Hymns from the _Cathemerinon_, either in
their original form or in centos, spread throughout the Christian church
while the martyr hymns were also drawn upon but to a lesser extent. The
hymns selected for festival use are perhaps most familiar today, for
example, for Advent, _Corde natus ex parentis ante mundi exordium_, of
which the translation “Of the Father’s love begotten,” suggests the
original meter. The Epiphany hymn, _O sola magnarum urbium_, “Earth hath
many a noble city,” is also well known.[8]
Considered merely as Latin poetry, the hymns of Hilary, Ambrose and
Prudentius are transitional in their literary character. They belong
neither to the poetry of the Silver Age of Latin literature nor do they
represent the medieval literary tradition. Of the metrical aspect
something will be said presently. By some the Ambrosian hymn is regarded
as a daring innovation and the model from which vernacular European
verse was later to develop. In that case, it constitutes a class by
itself. For evidence of the continuity of Latin poetry from the
classical to the medieval age we must turn to the _Carmina_ of Venantius
Fortunatus.
Fortunatus (c. 530-600) was born near Treviso and lived as a youth in
northern Italy, studying at Ravenna. The greater part of his life,
however, was spent in Gaul which he visited first as a pilgrim to the
shrine of St. Martin at Tours, who, he believed, had been instrumental
in restoring his eyesight. At Poitiers he met Queen Rhadegunda, wife of
Clothair, King of Neustria. She had founded a convent at Poitiers and
there lived in retirement. This was his introduction to a life of travel
and of intercourse with the great. He was acquainted with bishops,
noblemen and kings whose praises he sang in many graceful tributes,
occasional poems and epitaphs. Through the influence of Rhadegunda, his
lifelong patron and friend, he was ordained, and after her death he
became Bishop of Poitiers, 597, where he lived until his death. As a
churchman he was an admirer and biographer of the saints of Gaul,
preeminently St. Martin whose life and miracles he recounted in poetic
form.
Fortunatus seems to have carried with him from the Italian scenes
associated with the poetry of Virgil—an inspiration which was never
entirely lost. His poems suggest a familiarity with the literary
background of classical verse. During his mature life he lived in the
environment of sixth century Gallic society which was already assuming
its medieval Frankish outlines. Natural beauty and human companionship
were alike important to him. He was acquainted with men and women of
every degree from the monarch to the slave.
Although the spirit of religious devotion and of orthodox belief is
evident in many of the hundreds of lyrics which he composed, four only
may be classed as hymns. Three of these are concerned with the theme of
the Holy Cross, _Pange lingua, gloriosi proelium certaminis_, “Sing, my
tongue, the glorious battle,” _Vexilla regis prodeunt_, “The banners of
the king advance,” and _Crux benedicta nitet_, “Radiant is the blessed
cross.” The fourth, _Tempora florigero rutilant distincta sereno_,
“Season of luminous days, marked bright with the birth of the flowers,”
is a Resurrection hymn.[9] It is impossible to indicate here the
extraordinary influence which this group of hymns has exerted in the
evolution of Christian hymnody, continuing in Gaul the tradition, as it
were, which Hilary first established. The circumstances of their origin
and their lasting values will be considered in connection with
processional hymns in Chapter VI.
(See Illustrative Hymns, II. _Vexilla regis prodeunt_, “The banners of
the king advance.”)