Turning once more to the authentic Christian hymns of the first three
centuries and this time omitting those which appear in liturgical
sources, we observe three distinct linguistic groups, the Syriac, the
Greek and the Latin.
The most familiar of the Syriac hymns were written by Ephraem Syrus (b.
307), who strove to counteract the influence of the Gnostic poets,
especially that of his countryman, Bardesanes. Strictly speaking, he
belongs to the first half of the fourth century but should be considered
by the student who is tracing the continuity of this subject. His hymns
are metrical in the sense of having lines with a fixed number of
syllables and strophic divisions. An Easter hymn opens thus:
Blessed be the Messiah
Who has given us a hope
That the dead shall rise again.
A hymn for the Lord's Day begins,
Glory be to the good
Who hath honoured and exalted
The first day of the week.[65]
It is possible that the hymns of Ephraem were influenced by the Syriac
Odes of Solomon, discovered in 1909, which were produced in the first
century. Whether the _Odes_ themselves are of Gnostic or Christian origin
cannot be definitely asserted but the probability of the latter is
strong. For a full discussion of this most interesting but highly
controversial topic the work of special commentators must be
consulted.[66] The intrinsic interest of the collection demands more than
a passing comment. _Ode VI_ opens,
As the hand moves over the harp and the strings speak,
So speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord, and I speak by His
love.[67]
_Ode IX_,
Open your ears
And I will speak to you,
Give me your souls,
That I may also give you my soul.[68]
_Ode XXIX_,
The Lord is my hope:
In Him I shall not be confounded
For according to His praise He made me,
And according to His goodness even so He gave unto me.[69]
_Ode XXXI_, in which Jesus speaks,
6. Come forth, ye that have been afflicted
and receive joy
7. And possess your souls by grace;
and take to you immortal life.
8. And they condemned me when I rose up,
me who had not been condemned.
9. And they divided my spoil
though nothing was due to them.[70]
Forty-two in number, the _Odes_ reveal a true inspiration, novel and
significant from the religious and the literary standpoint. They preserve
the tradition of the Old Testament hymns, yet breathe the spiritual life
of the new revelation. Their chief interest lies in the possibility that
they illustrate a valid Christian poetry of a very early date. If it is
true, as the editors suggest, that the _Odes_ emanate from Antioch,[71]
we have further evidence of the spirit of worship in that city with which
early Christian liturgical forms are so closely associated.
The tradition of Syriac hymnody, of which these illustrations alone may
be given from the early period, did not come to an end as Christianity
moved westward. It was continued through thirteen centuries and is
preserved in the Nestorian and other branches of the Syrian Christian
Church.
Before the main stream of hymnody in the Greek language is traced, two
sources from the second century will serve as an introduction. The first
of these is the _Epistle to Diognetus_, by an unknown author, possibly a
catechumen of the Pauline group.[72] It contains four selections,
biblical in their phraseology, the first three of which express the
redemptive mission of the Son of God:
As a king sends his son who is also a king, so sent He Him,
He did not regard us with hatred nor thrust us away,
He, being despised by the people.
The fourth admonishes the Christian to union with the mind of God,