Thomas Aquinas was born in a Neapolitan castle, Italy, about 1225. He was a Dominican and the strongest of the scholastics, theological professor at several universities, Doctor of Theology from Paris, also called Doctor Angelicus. He was a prolific writer; his Summa Theologiae is a great dogmatic work. He died in a prominent monastery at Naples in 1274. Thomas Aquinas produced a number of excellent hymns. His “Lauda, Sion, salvatorem” is generally regarded as one of the greatest hymns of Latin hymnody. It can be found in almost any standard hymnal, beginning “Sion, to thy Saviour singing.”
Jacoponus (died 1306) wrote one of the greatest hymns of the Roman Church, namely, Stabat Mater Dolorosa. This hymn is found in many Protestant hymnals, beginning “At the Cross her station keeping.” Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471) of Holland and John Huss (1369-1415) of Bohemia, made valuable contributions to mediaeval hymnody.
These Latin hymn writers have produced hymns which are characterized by deep ardor, great love of Christ, and soul-stirring earnestness. The Latin church hymnody is very wealthy indeed; more than 20,000 Latin church hymns have been discovered. Of these Latin hymns we have appropriated a large number of beautiful festival church hymns. Their form is very plain. Without any comment the festival subject is presented in a very plain and simple statement of the event in question. The singer loses himself in his subject; there is nothing here of self-assertion. Note such hymns as “A great and mighty wonder,” “All praise to Thee, Eternal Lord,” “The strife is o’er, the battle done,” “Christ, the Lord, is ris’n today,” “Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia,” etc.
Mightily through the ages sound the hymns of penance and judgment; perhaps too strong at times. Note that mighty and most powerful hymn, Dies irae, dies illa. But the mediaeval hymnody is not without the evangelical spirit; this is clearly seen in our hymn books, especially in the Communion hymns. In spite of magic and abuse, it was nevertheless in the Holy Communion that the true Christian of the Middle Ages came closest to Christ. Note two mediaeval Communion hymns:
Lord Jesus Christ! To Thee we pray,
From us God’s wrath Thou turn’st away,
Thine agony and bitter death
Redeem us from eternal wrath.
This hymn comes from John Huss and was translated by Martin Luther. The other Communion hymn is “Jesu dulcis memoria,” probably by St. Bernard of Clairvaux:
Jesus, the very thought of Thee