There is no part of the general field of Christian hymnology so baffling
to the student or so full of difficulties as the one under consideration
in this paper. Many accounts of the subject are in existence but are far
from conclusive. This is due, first of all, to the unexpected scarcity of
original sources. When one views the rise of Christianity from its
inception to the period of the Council of Nicaea, 325, its numerical
growth from a handful of original adherents to millions of followers at
the time of the Edict of Milan, 313, its literary development from early
scattered records to the works of the great Greek and Latin fathers, one
cannot help inquiring, "What has become of their hymns?"
Another puzzling aspect of the study is the complex historical background
against which the progress of Christianity appears. The peace and
constructive progress of the Augustan era, in which Christianity was
founded, have often been cited as factors contributing to its evolution
and spread. But this is not the whole story. The civilization of that
day, especially in the eastern Mediterranean lands most concerned, was
largely Hellenistic, of mingled Greek and oriental features which were
necessarily wrought into the fabric of the new religion. An understanding
of pre-Augustan conditions, in which these diverse historical and
literary trends were merged, is essential, for without it the subject is
unintelligible.
A further problem which confronts the student is that of interpretation.
It is well known that any general treatment of early Christianity is apt
to conform to the point of view of the author. The study of hymnology,
like that of other features of the early Church, is apt to be affected by
the opinion of the commentator.
It is no wonder that the field has been neglected and that the accounts
of it are vague, incomplete and unsatisfactory. In fact, the task of
re-examining the mass of extant records of early Christianity and other
relevant material, which might illuminate the subject of hymnology, seems
never to have been undertaken with this purpose in view. It is, actually,
too vast a project for the casual student and certainly has not been
attempted here. Our best accounts of early Christian hymnody are often
subordinated to a general history of Christian hymns. This is the case
with the article, entitled, Hymnes, by H. Leclercq, in the _Dictionnaire
D' Archeologie Chretienne et de Liturgie_, probably the best short
account in any language, containing a section on the hymnology of the
first three centuries.[1] Charles Stanley Phillips drew generously from
this source for the first chapter of _Hymnody, Past and Present_, which
is written from the liturgical standpoint.[2] Independent studies are
rare. Among them, _Die Hymnendichtung des fruehen Christentums_ by Josef
Kroll, a distinguished classical philologist, deserves a much wider
circulation and should be translated for the benefit of English
readers.[3]
In view of the dearth of available material in English, it has seemed
timely to approach the whole subject from a new standpoint. In this
study, the extant hymnic sources will be presented objectively. Groups of
hymns will be used to illustrate the types current in the period. In
connection with them, the related historical and literary influences will
be noted.
Let us abandon at once our contemporary connotation of the word _hymn_
which is derived ultimately from the hymns of Ambrose, 340-397, that is,
a metrical lyric constructed in stanzas. In the pre-Ambrosian period
Christian hymns were largely of the psalm type, to be chanted in rhythmic
periods without rhyme. Not only should the word _hymn_ be conceived in
terms of ancient thought, but also the futile attempt to differentiate
among psalms, hymns and canticles should be avoided. Specialists in
liturgical matters testify to the confusion existing among ancient
writers in the use of these words and to the uncertainty of definition
which results.[4] It is better not to multiply difficulties but to hold
fast to the actual texts which we know were used in Christian worship.