The second source is a passage from a sermon on _The Soul and Body_,
written by Melito of Sardis, a bishop and philosopher who was martyred in
170. The author pictures all creation aghast at the crucifixion of Jesus,
saying,
What new mystery then is this?
The Judge is judged and holds his peace;
The Invisible one is seen and is not ashamed;
. . .
The Celestial is laid in the grave, and endureth!
What new mystery is this?[74]
Whether admissible as a hymn or not, this passage blends, in a most
striking way, oriental and Greek elements employed in the expression of
Christian belief.
Authentic Greek hymnody begins with Clement of Alexandria, 170-220. He is
the author of a work of instruction for catechumens, the _Paedagogus_, to
which is appended a _Hymn to Christ the Savior_, {Hymnos tou soteros
Christou}, beginning, {Stomion polon}. It is a hymn of praise and
thanksgiving on the part of those newly received into the Church. Christ
is addressed in the familiar oriental imagery of the guide and shepherd,
but the theme is rendered in a poetic style, which, by the use of short
lines and the anapest, heightens the effect of ecstatic devotion.
Bridle of colts untamed,
Over our wills presiding;
Flight of unwandering birds,
Our flight securely guiding,-- -- -- --[75]
The modern adaptation of Clement's hymn, _Shepherd of Tender Youth_, by
Henry M. Dexter, 1846, while preserving in a measure the spirit of this
piece, in no way reproduces the original. The {Stomion polon} of Clement
is representative of a theme which pervades Christian hymnody in all
ages, the joy and enthusiasm of the initiate or the admonition and
encouragement addressed to the Christian who stands upon the threshold of
a new life. The _Odes of Solomon_ have been interpreted in these
terms.[76] Again, the theme is preserved in the so-called Amherst
papyrus, which consists of a hymn of twenty-five tripartite lines, a
catechism or liturgy for the newly baptized. Originating in the third
century, it appears in fragmentary form but sufficiently complete to make
clear its language and purport, as illustrated in the following:[77]
That thou mayest receive life eternal
Thou hast escaped the hard law of the unjust ...
. . .
Seek to live with the saints, seek to receive life,
Seek to escape the fire.
Hold the hope that thou hast learnt. The day that
the master has appointed for thee is known to no man.
. . .
Tell the glad tidings unto children saying: the poor
have received the kingdom, the children are the inheritors.[78]
The Amherst papyrus is a part of the new store of knowledge from
antiquity which has been opened up within recent years by the discovery
and study of papyri. This branch of archaeology and palaeography has made
available new fields of research in the study of early Christianity
hitherto unfamiliar. In 1920, among the Oxyrhynchus papyri was discovered
a fragment of a Christian hymn. It appears on the back of a strip which
records a grain account of the first half of the third century. The hymn
has a musical setting, the earliest example of Christian church music
extant. The fragment consists of the conclusion only, so that the length
and subject matter of the hymn as a whole are unknown. Creation is
enjoined to praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost, in the form of a doxology.
The meter is anapestic and purely quantitative.[79]
The _Hymn of Thekla_, {Anothen parthenoi}, appears in the _Banquet of the
Ten Virgins_, a work of Methodius, Bishop of Olympus and Patara in Lydia,
who was martyred at Chalcis in 312. It is a hymn of twenty-four stanzas
sung by Thekla, each followed by a refrain sung by the chorus,
I keep myself pure for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted
torch I go to meet Thee.[80]
Once more, a traditional theme in Christian hymnody is set forth,
familiar from biblical as well as classical connotations and perpetuated
either in the praise of virginity or in the form of the mystic union of
Christ and the Church.
It is customary in presenting the subject of Greek hymn writers to pass
from Clement of Alexandria to Gregory of Nanzianzus and Synesius of
Cyrene, poets of the fourth century who mark the beginning of a new era
beyond the limits of this study. They are mentioned here only as a
reminder of the long succession of great poets who created and maintained
Greek hymnody throughout the ancient and medieval centuries.
Contemporary with the development of Greek hymns, the literature of the
Church was moving toward its destination in Latin culture. As Latin
became a liturgical language the service hymns, already cited, appeared
in their Latin form. Perhaps this is one reason why the production of
original Latin hymns was so long postponed. It was not until the middle
of the fourth century that the hymns of Hilary of Poitiers, the first
Latin hymn writer, appeared. His authentic hymns are three in number: