The Christians of the first century sang hymns, both in private and in public worship. The writings of the New Testament testify to this fact, as for example 1 Cor., chapter 14, also the well known places Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16. To begin with the Christians sang the hymns of the Old Testament, especially the Psalms of David. Among early Christian songs, we note the following: the Gloria in excelsis Deo (the angelic hymn), the Gloria Patri, the Ter Sanctus (Isaiah 6:3), the Hallelujah, the Benedicite, the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29), the Magnificat (Luke 1:46), the Benedictus (Luke 1:68), and the Te Deum Laudamus.
From Paul’s references to sacred song in his epistles we learn that the early Christians possessed hymns of their own composition, besides the Bible songs. But we know very little about these very early hymns of the Apostolic Age; we know of no great hymn writer of that age. One of the earliest hymn writers that we know of is Clement of Alexandria, who lived about 200 A. D. To him is attributed the Greek hymn, “Shepherd of tender youth,” which has been regarded as the first Christian hymn. It is found in most of our standard American hymnals—number 282 in Common Service Book. In 1846 this hymn was freely translated into English by Rev. Dr. Henry Martyn Dexter, editor of The Congregationalist, Boston.
EARLY GREEK HYMNS
Looking at the Christian ancestry of our church hymnody, in a narrower way, it may be said that its history goes back to the hymn writing of christianized Greece—1500 years back—1500 years of Christian hymn writing and hymn singing. The church hymnody of the different countries varies, of course, in time and duration. A German, for example, finds about seven hundred years of German hymn writing in his hymn book. We have inherited and appropriated this common legacy.
In Syria there arose in the second century several prolific hymn writers. They were Gnostics, who sought to propagate their heretical teachings through sacred song. Bardesanes and his son Harmonius were the leaders of this Gnostic hymnody in the Syriac Church. This heretical hymnody was the negative cause of the great hymn writing of Ephrem Syrus, who was born at Nisibis in Northern Mesopotamia, 307 A. D., and died at Edessa, 373. He is regarded as the foremost representative of the orthodox hymnody of the old Syriac Church. In order to counteract the dangerous influences of Gnosticism, Ephrem Syrus produced a large number of fine hymns, which became very popular throughout the Eastern Church. Thus a new era in Christian hymnody was introduced. See pages 63-68 in “The Hymn as Literature,” by J. B. Reeves.
Like the Gnostics of Syria in the second century, so also the Arians of Constantinople in the fourth century sought to propagate their heretical doctrines through sacred song. Again great champions of orthodoxy arose, men like Ephrem Syrus, who produced fine hymns, mainly in defense of the doctrines of the Trinity and Christ’s divine nature. Among early well known Greek hymn writers we note the following: Gregory of Nazianzus (died 389), Anatolius (seventh or eighth century), St. Andrew of Jerusalem (660-732), St. Cosmas, the Melodist (died about 760), St. John of Damascus (died about 780), St. Stephen of St. Sabas (died 794), and St. Joseph the Hymnographer (died about 840). As examples of their hymns we have “O Thou the One supreme o’er all” by Gregory, “The day is past and over” by Anatolius, “The day of resurrection” by St. John of Damascus, and “Art thou weary, art thou languid” by St. Stephen. Rev. Dr. John Mason Neale (1818-1866) of East Grimstead, England, has produced many excellent translations of the old Greek hymns, which are found in nearly all modern hymnals.
In the Eastern Church, as early as the third century, the custom of singing had become so general as to be recognized as one of the Church’s predominating features. In the Eastern Church, at Antioch, antiphonal congregational hymn singing had its origin, and from thence spread in all directions in the fourth century. An interesting fact comes to light in connection with the use the Eastern Church made of its hymns. Theodoret, in his historical writings, tells us that “while Chrysostom (347-407) was bishop of Constantinople, at the opening of the fifth century, the orthodox Christians were in the habit of assembling themselves in the public squares, then marching in midnight processions, through the city, singing sacred songs, in order to combat those who were enemies of Christ’s divinity.” This is a testimony concerning the anti-Arian hymnody.
The early hymnody of the Eastern Church possesses a great deal of poetic beauty and fine rhetorical style. But many of these old Greek hymns indulge in a certain amount of tedious broadness and dogmatic prosiness. They are often vague and fantastic. Fine language seems often to be of greater importance than spiritual content. In the Eastern Church sacred song never received the development and the place in the life and the cultus of the congregation as in the Western Church. During the last half of the third century the Eastern Church advocated the use of the Psalms of David only in divine service. It must also be borne in mind that attempts were made in the Eastern Church about the middle of the fourth century to suppress congregational singing. The character of the hymns that were produced in the Eastern Church, their bombastic and often turgid style, their complicated rhythmical structure, and their unpractical Christianity, prevented them from becoming a property of the common people.
EARLY LATIN HYMNS
Early sacred song in the Western Church is characterized by noble simplicity and clearness in form, as well as by a more practical Christianity; fine qualities which go to make the old Latin hymns more accessible and serviceable to us than the old Greek hymns.