v0.9 | Initial edition |
This is releasable.
HYMNS
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LONDON:
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO., LMD.
PRINTED BY ALEXANDER GARDNER, PAISLEY.
Yet another series of hymns from the Greek
Office Books. Some of them are translations
or renderings, more are centos, but most are
suggestions, or based upon the Greek. To
quote from the author's preface to his third
series:—"In process of reading, thoughts
linked themselves to the memory, and echoes
of music—much of it surpassingly sweet—lingered,
and from those echoes and thoughts
the centos and suggestions have been formed.
The phrases containing the thoughts, and
the echoes repeating the music, have been
woven together to form the fabric which is
shown here." And again, from the
Introduction
to his fourth series:—"The Greek
has been used as a basis, a theme, a motive;
oriental colour, and, it is to be hoped, some
of the oriental warmth, has been preserved.
Now and again an oriental figure is retained,
It is in their suggestiveness that the chief
attraction of Greek hymns lies. By the
ordinary process of translation a hymn is
reproduced in its excessive symbolism and
multiplicity of metaphor, and the result in
our matter-of-fact language is incongruity.
The harmony which it presents in the
original language and setting, and the combined
effect of symbol and metaphor, are in
most cases lost, and discord is the result.
It is by capturing the subtle suggestion of
the original, and utilising it to the best
advantage, that the value of the Greek
hymn is made appreciable. That this is
the general conviction is evidenced by the
fact that none of Dr. Neale's work is so
popular, and rightly so, as the hymns,
"Art thou weary, art thou languid?" and
"O happy band of pilgrims,"
and neither of these
In no hymns is this suggestiveness more felt than in those for the morning and evening, which are found in many of the Offices. The Greek hymn writers took time to watch the sun rise and set. The glow of early dawn spreading and brightening; the clouds fringed with purple and gold; the glowing shafts chasing the retreating darkness—this morning vision awakened in them thoughts which have inspired meditative minds in all ages, but which it is enriching to have expressed in the peculiarly suggestive manner of the Greek Christian poet. As with the sunrise, so with the sunset. The morning and evening give buoyancy and restfulness to Greek hymnody, and clothe the work of its choicest singers with a brightness and varying beauty which are the abiding characteristics of those seasons.
But if one would realise in the greatest
possible degree the wealth of Greek praise,
he must acquaint himself with the Offices
for Passiontide and Easter, as they are contained
By its objectiveness, the Greek hymn
enables us to do for ourselves what our less
wholesome subjective hymns aim at doing
for us, and not always successfully. It
presents the picture, and if the worshipper
be not hopelessly blind, he sees it, and the
impression is made upon the mind and
heart, with the desired result in varying
degrees. It is this that makes the Greek
hymn so suggestive. Hence it is that the
hymn which is the result of a reminiscence
of the Greek is usually subjective. We
are under no temptation to reproduce the
writer's words and figures. The outline
What we cannot understand is that this
treasure-house of song, and of inspiration to
singing, should be so persistently ignored,
and should still attract so few capable
workers. Practically it remains almost unexplored,
notwithstanding that enough has
been brought to light to awake desire for
more. Had we treated the hymnody of
the Latin Church, and the Church of the
Reformation in Germany, after this fashion,
our praise would have suffered incalculably.
But we have made the praise of those
Churches our own, by the work of a band of
devoted translators, while practically ignoring
that of the Church of the Apostles. The present writer, in his
Introduction to The Hymns of the Holy Eastern Church,
has suggested a few possible causes of this state
of matters, but none of them is sufficient,
nor all of them combined. When once we
overcome our indifference to a great past to
From the Table which the author has
been at the trouble to prepare, it will be
seen that there are only forty-one hymns
from the Greek in common use. The blame
for such a deplorable condition of things lies
at the door of the Christian Church of our
time, which has failed, by its hymn writers
who had the needful equipment, to make
those hymns available to a greater extent;
What, then, are the available sources when
compilers ask for Greek hymns for their
compilations? The first really masterly
contribution to our English hymnody from
Greek sources was that made by Dr. Neale.
With his work as a whole in relation to the
Greek Church, we have nothing to do here.
Early attracted to the Greek Office Books,
he set himself to introduce the hymns with
which they are embellished to the notice
of his fellow-countrymen. So well was his
task performed, that in a very short time
the best of them were appropriated by the
Church for her praise, and to the present
day they hold a secure place in all our best hymnals. In 1862, he published
Hymns of the Eastern Church,
which contains about sixty pieces—his complete contribution to
English hymnody from the Greek, and a
very substantial contribution indeed, far surpassing
anything that has been done until
very recently. About the same time, or a
Giving the most generous estimate, there
could not, till very recently, have been more
than 150 hymns from the Greek available for
the use of compilers of hymnals. To that
number, however, are now to be added 108
translations and 153 centos and suggestions
by the present author—261 pieces in all.
That work of this kind is welcomed and
readily appropriated, is evidenced by the
The Table will show at a glance to what
extent available material has been taken
advantage of by hymnal compilers. The
twelve principal hymnals compiled or revised
since 1892 have been collated, and the Greek
hymns contained in each set forth. It will
be seen that there are only forty-one of
these hymns in common use. A gratifying
feature is that the most recently prepared
collections contain the greatest number. The
Methodist Hymn Book contains four—the
smallest number; The English Hymnal,
twenty-four—the greatest number. The
most popular hymns of the forty-one are,
"Art thou weary?" and
"The day is past and over,"
which are included in all the twelve hymnals; and
"O happy band of pilgrims" and
"The day of Resurrection,"
which appear in eleven and nine of the
twelve respectively. A noteworthy circumstance,
First Lines | HYMNALS | ||||||||||||
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | K | L | M | ||
1. A great and mighty wonder
(St. Anatolius, 8th century) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 2 |
2. Art thou weary, art thou languid?
(Based upon the Greek) tr. Dr. Neale,
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
3. Behold, the bridegroom cometh
(Midnight Office) tr. G. Moultrie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | 2 |
4. Behold, the bridegroom draweth nigh
(Midnight Office) tr. R. M. Moorsom,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
5. Christian, dost thou see them?
(St. Andrew of Crete, 600-732) tr. Dr. Neale,
| 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | 5 |
6. Close beside the heart that loves me
(Based upon the Greek) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
7. Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
(St. John Damascene, c. 780) tr. Dr. Neale,
| 1 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 6 |
8. Far from Thy heavenly care
(St. Joseph of the Studium, 9th century) tr. Dr Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
9. Fierce was the wild billow
(St. Anatolius) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | 1 | 1 | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | 1 | 7 |
10. From glory to glory advancing
(Liturgy of St. James) tr. C. W. Humphreys,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
11. God of all grace, Thy mercy send
(Litany of the Deacon) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 2 |
12. Hail, gladdening Light
(Sophronius? 7th century) tr. John Keble,
| ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | 5 |
13. In days of old on Sinai
(St. Cosmas, c. 760) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
14. Jesus, name all names above
(St. Theoctistus, c. 890) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 2 |
15. Lead, Holy Shepherd, lead us
(St. Clement, b.c. 170) tr. Dr. H. M'Gill,
| ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
16. Let all mortal flesh keep silence
(Liturgy of St. James) tr. G. Moultrie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
17. Let our choir new anthems raise
(St. Joseph of the Studium) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 4 |
18. Lord Jesus, think on me
(Synesius, 375-430) tr. A. W. Chatfield,
| 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 5 |
19. Lord, to our humble prayers attend
(The Great Collect) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 3 |
20. O brightness of the Eternal Father's face
(Sophronius?) tr. E. W. Eddis,
| 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
21. O Gladsome Light, O Grace
(Sophronius?) tr. R. B.,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
22. O happy band of pilgrims
(Based upon the Greek) tr. Dr. Neale,
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ... | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
23. O king enthroned on high
(Office for Pentecost) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 3 |
24. O Light that knew no dawn
(St. Gregory, 325) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 2 |
25. O the Mystery, passing wonder
(St. Andrew of Crete) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
26. O Unity of three-fold light
(Metrophanes of Smyrna, 6th century) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
27. O Word Immortal of Eternal God
(Emperor Justinian, 6th century) tr. T. A. Lacey,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
28. O Word of God, in devious paths
(St. Gregory) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
29. Safe home, safe home in port
(Based upon the Greek) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
30. Shepherd of tender youth
(Clement of Alexandria) tr. H. M. Dexter,
| 1 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 3 |
31. Stars of the morning, so gloriously bright
(St. Joseph) tr. Dr. Neale,
| 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | 5 |
32. Sweet Saviour, in Thy pitying grace
(St. Theoctistus) tr. R. M. Moorsom,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 2 |
33. The day of Resurrection
(St. John Damascene) tr. Dr. Neale,
| 1 | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
34. The day is past and over
(St. Anatolius) tr. Dr. Neale,
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
35. The Lord and King of all things
(St. Anatolius) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
36. Those eternal bowers
(St. John Damascene) tr. Dr. Neale,
| 1 | ... | 1 | 1 | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 5 |
37. Thou hallowed, chosen morn of praise
(St. John Damascene) tr. Dr. Neale,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
38. Thou, Lord, hast power to heal
(Order of Holy Unction) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
39. What shall we bring to Thee?
(St. Anatolius) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
40. What sweet of life endureth
(St. John Damascene) tr. A. Riley,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | 1 |
41. When Thou shalt come, O Lord
(Morning, Sexagesima Sunday) tr. Dr. Brownlie,
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 1 | ... | ... | ... | 1 |
11 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 21 | 6 | 24 | 8 | 131 |
Is it too much to hope for, in the interests
of congregational praise, that more attention
will be given to the contents of the Greek
Office Books in the future than has been
given to them in the past? But intending
students must have ready access to them.
Where are they to be found? Unless it is
resolved to purchase them, which may be
done through a bookseller in Athens or Constantinople,
search will probably be made for
them in vain in our libraries. They are to
be found in the Bodleian Library, and in the
library of St. John's College, Oxford, and
also in the library of Cambridge University;
but it is doubtful if the library of any other
university or theological school in England
possesses them. We, in Scotland, are even
less fortunate. A year ago, the writer was
unaware of the existence of a set of the
Greek Service Books, other than his own, in
Scotland. Last year, the Library Committee
of Glasgow University purchased a complete
set, and her students may now acquaint
themselves with the contents as they feel
inclined. Will Edinburgh, St. Andrews, and
The hymns in this, and in former volumes,
have been prepared in the hope that they
may be of service in the public worship of
the Three-One God, and hymnal compilers
who may be attracted to them, and who may
deem them suitable for their purpose, are at
liberty to make use of them without the
Trinity Manse,
Portpatrick, Easter, 1909.
The following Notes have reference only to those Hymn Writers of the Greek Church whose work is represented by English versions in the Hymnals collated in the foregoing Table, and which are consequently, to some extent, in common use. They are only twelve in number, and account for thirty of the forty-one hymns. The authorship of the remaining eleven is unknown.
Clemens, Titus Flavius (Clemens Alexandrinus),
St. Clement of Alexandria. This
remarkable man was born either at Athens
or Alexandria, but the exact date of his birth
is uncertain. He was a philosopher and
theologian, and lived in the end of the second
and beginning of the third century. He was
well versed in Greek science, and being
attracted by the teaching of Christianity,
he set himself to investigate its truth.
Wherever an exponent of the new religion
could be found, Clement sought him out to
learn more from his lips. With this end in
view, he travelled over Greece, Italy, Egypt,
Palestine, and the East. Among all his
teachers, he expressly mentions Pantaenus,
by whom he was induced to embrace Christianity.
When Pantaenus, who was head of
the Catechetical School at Alexandria, died,
Clement succeeded him as its head, and
A peculiarity of Clement's teaching was that, when he embraced Christianity, he did not abandon his eclectic system of philosophy, afterwards called Neo-Platonism, and always utilized heathen antiquities, when, with their help, he could throw light upon Christian doctrine.
Clement's works are published as part of
the Anti-Nicene Christian Library (1867).
The one we have to do with here is The
Instructor, or Paedagogus, in which he gives
advice and instruction on questions of morality.
Appended to this work is the poem
Στομίον πώλων ἀδαῶν,
which was first translated
Clement is interesting to hymnologists as having been the author of this earliest extant versified Christian hymn. He died early in the third century.
Gregory of Nazianzus, son of Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus in Cappadocia, and life-long friend of Basil, Bishop of Caesarea, was born at a village near Nazianzus, 325 A.D. He was early taught the truths of Christianity by his mother, and passed into the school of Carterius at Caesarea, who subsequently became the head of the monasteries of Antioch, and teacher of Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople. He took up the priestly office at the earnest request of his father, and for some time was helpful to the aged Bishop.
The times in which Gregory lived were
trying times. The orthodox Christians
clung to the creed of Nicea, and their
champions did valiant battle with the Arians.
As an advocate and exponent of evangelical
truth, Gregory was summoned to Constantinople
in 379, and as Bishop of that See,
adorned the high office with gifts and graces
as brilliant as they were rare. But he was
Gregory is better known as a theologian than as a poet, although his verses exceed in number thirty thousand. They are found in the second volume of the Benedictine Edition of his works, which was published in Paris in 1842. A selection can be seen in Daniel's Thesaurus Hymnologicus, and in the Anthologia Graeca, Carminum Christianorum.
Synesius was born about 375 A.D. In many particulars he was an outstanding man. His pedigree is said to have extended through seventeen centuries, and to have included the names of the most illustrious. Not only was he of noble lineage, he was also a man of high character and brilliant attainments. He was versed in the Neo-Platonic philosophy, and his Christianity has been called in question by no less an authority than Mosheim; but how anyone can read his odes and doubt the reality of his Christianity, even in the fullest sense of the term as including belief in the Divinity of Christ and in His Resurrection, is difficult to understand. He certainly was a good man, and knew Christ, and loved Him. His writings prove that; and in 410, though reluctantly, he became Bishop of Ptolemais. Very little of his poetry has come down to us, but that little is of the highest order. His hymns are not found in the Greek Offices. He died 430 A.D.
Justinian I. (Flavius Anicius Justinianus), Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, was born at Tauresium, the modern Kustenje, on the Black Sea, 11th May, 483 A.D. He was educated at Constantinople, and succeeded his uncle, Justin I., 527. The crowning misfortune of his life was his marriage to Theodora, a professional actress, who, along with Antonina—wife of his friend and victorious general, Belisarius—was responsible for most of the unhappiness of his life. His reign was a most eventful one. His victories over the Persians in the East, and the Goths and Vandals in Italy, were numerous. At the outset of his reign, Justinian was orthodox, but, under the influence of Theodora, he gradually veered round to the monophysite error. It was at her instigation that he attempted to coerce the monophysites into orthodoxy—an attempt which ended in the faction fight of the hippodrome, in which thirty thousand were killed.
Justinian was the founder of that style of architecture called Byzantine, the distinctive features of which are the Greek cross and the cupola. He adorned Constantinople and other cities of his dominions with costly and magnificent churches. In Constantinople alone he built twenty-seven—one of these being St. Sophia, which stands to-day a monument to his enterprise. The St. Sophia of Julian had been destroyed by fire in the insurrection of 532. The re-building occupied six years, and gave work to about ten thousand men, who were paid at the close of each day. It cost the equivalent of £13,000,000. "I have vanquished thee, O Solomon!" was Justinian's pardonable exclamation at its completion.
The crowning glory of Justinian's reign, however, and a lasting monument to his genius, was the Corpus Juris Civilis, or body of civil law, which he executed. By that great work he gave the Roman law, which has formed the groundwork of the civil law of all civilized peoples, a definite code.
Justinian died 565, at the age of eighty-two, having reigned for thirty-eight years. He was a man of great business capacity, resourceful and energetic. He was, moreover, a man of much learning, which he applied to good purpose, but his religious bigotry, and the evil influence of Theodora, marred his good qualities.
The Hymn of Justinian is found in the liturgies of St. Mark and St. James, and is generally attributed to him. Whether he himself composed it, or whether it bears his name for some other reason, there is no means at hand to determine. It is believed to have been his own composition. In a literal translation it runs thus:—
"Only Begotten Son, and Word of God, Immortal Who didst vouchsafe for our salvation to take flesh of the Holy Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, and didst without change become man, and wast crucified, Christ our God, and by death didst overcome death, being One of the Holy Trinity, and glorified together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, save us."
This hymn has been rendered into English verse, "O Word Immortal of Eternal God," by T. A. Lacey, and appears in The English Hymnal.
St. Andrew of Crete was born 660 A.D.,
in the city of Damascus. For the reason that
he embraced the monastic life at Jerusalem,
he is sometimes called St. Andrew of Jerusalem.
In his early life he revealed an
unchristian lack of decision for truth which
has not tended to sweeten his memory. He
was raised to the Archiepiscopate of Crete
by the usurper Philippicus, called Bardanes,
who had been raised to the throne by his
army—although he was only its general—after
the murder of Justinian II. As Archiepiscopate,
he agreed to act as a deputy at
the pseudo synod of Constantinople, which
met in 712 under the auspices of Philippicus,
and there condemned the decisions of the
former Council, of which he had been a
member. The Monothelite heresy, which
taught that our Lord had only one will as
He had but one nature, was there restored.
Andrew, however, abandoned his error in
To what extent his hymns appear in the Service Books it is difficult to discover. His authorship of certain of the earlier canons is undisputed. He wrote also many Idiomela. His Great Canon, or, as the Greeks delight to term it, "The King of Canons," is in use at Mid Lent. It is an ambitious composition of about three hundred stanzas, in which numerous scriptural examples are used to inspire a spirit of penitence. Some of the stanzas are attractive. Dr. Neale, in his Hymns of the Eastern Church, gives a few from the beginning of the canon. The stichera for Thursday of Holy Week, beginning, "O the Mystery passing wonder," are included in The New Office Hymn Book.
Sophronius was Patriarch of Jerusalem early in the seventh century. Specimens of his poetical work can be seen in the third volume of Daniel's Thesaurus. A few of his Idiomela are found in the Menaea, and also in the Horologion. If we except the hymn rendered by John Keble, "Hail, gladdening Light," and which has been attributed to him—although Athenogenes of Cappadocia, who suffered martyrdom under Diocletian c. A.D. 200, and is said to have sung the hymn while the flames encircled him, shares the honour in the Greek Church—none of his hymns have been translated into English. That hymn, φῶς ἱλαρὸν ἁγίας δόξης, is quoted by St. Basil in the fourth century, and then as of unknown authorship. The likelihood is, therefore, that it is one of the earliest Christian hymns, possibly of the second century. It is used as a vesper hymn in the Greek Church, and as such finds a place in the Service Books. It has been often translated, and in John Keble's version is one of the best known hymns from the Greek Offices.
Very little is known of Anatolius. Dr. Neale gives the date of his death as 458 A.D. In this he is mistaken, and would seem to be identifying him with a patriarch of that name who succeeded Flavius in 449. From the fact that a letter from him exists addressed to Joseph of the Studium (eighth century), and also that he celebrates the martyrs who suffered in the sixth and seventh centuries, his date cannot be earlier than the beginning of the eighth century.
His hymns, which number about one hundred, are found in the Menaea and Octoechus. Several of them were rendered by Dr. Neale, and are included in Hymns of the Eastern Church; and a few by Dr. Littledale can be seen in his Offices of the Holy Eastern Church. "The day is past and over," and "Fierce was the wild billow," are both, in the original, the work of Anatolius, and are well known in their attractive renderings by Dr. Neale.
John of Damascus is by far the most
prominent, and most poetical of all the
Greek Christian poets. The exact date of
his birth is unknown, but he died c. 780 A.D.
the last of the theologians of the Greek
Church. He dwelt for many years in Damascus,
his native city, a valiant champion of
orthodoxy against all opponents. His influence
on Greek hymnody was immense, and
he was held in high esteem by the Greek
Church for his work in that department.
The Octoechus, which contains the Ferial
Office, was largely the work of John. There
his canons are found which are perhaps his
greatest work in hymnody. The canons
under the name of John Arklas are usually
attributed to St. John, and also those under
the name of John the Monk. John, in company
with Cosmas his foster-brother, retired
eventually to the monastery of St. Sabas, in
Palestine, where he spent a life of devotion,
and sang those Christian hymns which have
St. Cosmas, surnamed the Melodist, was
foster-brother of John of Damascus, to whom
he was attached by closest bonds of friendship.
He retired with the famous theologian
and hymn writer, to the monastery of
St. Sabas, in Palestine, where he spent his
leisure in the composition of hymns, many
of which found their way, along with those
of John of Damascus, into the Greek Offices.
There he also shared the work connected
with the preparation of The Octoechus with
his foster-brother. To what extent his
hymns found a place in the Greek Offices,
it is difficult to say. If all those bearing
his name are accepted as his, then his contribution
is a fairly large one. He is represented
by canons on The Nativity, The
Epiphany, The Transfiguration, and Palm
Sunday; also by sundry other pieces. His
poetry, although it is said they composed
in friendly rivalry, cannot bear comparison
with that of St. John, in any particular. It
Cosmas became Bishop of Maiuma, near Gaza, in 743, and died about 760. He is commemorated by the Greek Church on October 14th.
Joseph of the Studium, sometimes designated The Hymnographer, was born on the island of Sicily, in the end of the eighth century, or the beginning of the ninth. It has been disputed whether indeed the double designation belongs to one person. Into that question we have no occasion to enter here. Up to the present time we have had no evidence to prove that the Hymnographer was not of the Studium, and that the hymns of St. Joseph, which are so much in evidence in the Service Books, are not the work of one writer.
St. Joseph left Sicily in 830 A.D., and at
Thessalonica embraced the monastic life.
Removing later to Constantinople, he entered
the monastery of the Studium. There
he devoted himself to hymn writing. He
was by far the most voluminous writer
of hymns of the Greek Church, his verses exceeding in number those of
St. Gregory of Nazianzus.
There are nearly two hundred
Theoctistus was a friend of St. Joseph, and was a monk at the Studium at Constantinople in the latter part of St. Joseph's residence at that famous monastery, about the middle of the ninth century. Very little is known about Theoctistus, and the only hymnodical work which can be attributed to him with certainty, is a very attractive canon in the Parakletike, called The Supplicant Canon of Theoctistus to Jesus. A cento from that canon beginning "Jesus, name all names above," is in common use.
Metrophanes, Bishop of Smyrna in the latter part of the ninth century, was one of the minor poets of the Greek Church. He composed several canons in honour of the Blessed Trinity, which find a place in the Octoechus. Very little of his work has been translated. Dr. Neale gives a cento from one of the canons in his Hymns of the Eastern Church, which is repeated in The English Hymnal, "O Unity of Threefold Light." Metrophanes died about 910 A.D.
Κύριε ὁ
Θεὸς ἡμῶν, οὗ
τὸ κράτος
ἀνείκαστον,
καὶ ἡ δόξα
ἀκατάληπτος,
οὗ τὸ ἔλεος
ἀμέτρητον,
καὶ ἡ
φιλανθρωπία
ἄφατος·
Ὢ Δεσπότου φιλανθρωπίας!
ἄγγελοι μετὰ ποιμένων δοξάζουσι.
Δόξα κύριε τῷ Σταυρῷ σου.
τετέλεσται!
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν.
θανάτῳ θάνατον καθήσας.
ἐπὶ τῆς θείας φυλακῆς.
γῆ δὲ ἀγαλλιάσθω· Χριστὸς γὰρ ἐγήγερται.
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας.
ὡς ἠγέρθη ὁ κύριος, θανατώσας τὸν θάνατον.
Κύριε, ἠ ἐν πολλαῖς ἁμαρτίας.
This Idiomelon, the original of which may be seen at p. 384 of the Athens edition of the Triodion, bears the title, ποίημα Κασσιαννῆς Μοναχῆς ("A poem of Kassia the Recluse"). It is still sung on Wednesday of Holy Week.
Kassia had been chosen as consort by the Emperor Theophilos the Iconoclast (A.D. 829-843), son of Michael II. the Stammerer, and when she was brought into his presence, the Emperor greeted her, exclaiming, "Woman is the source of all evil;" to which Kassia replied, "And also of all good." Trifling as the circumstance may seem, it roused the anger of the monarch, and the match was broken off.
Thereupon Kassia devoted herself to religion, and founded a nunnery, in which she remained till her death. In the quiet and seclusion of her life, she wrote many idiomela, which are scattered over the Greek Office Books, chiefly The Menaea.
None of her poetry, so far as the present writer has been able to discover, has ever been rendered into English. Certainly this, which is one of the finest of her idiomela, appears here for the first time in English verse. It is brimful of pathos and tinged with melancholy, without doubt traceable to the sad experiences of her life. May it not be that in the second line of the first stanza there is a suggestion of her own name? κᾰσία (kasia) is sometimes written κάσσια (kassia), the sweet herb. The sweetness of cassia had been changed to the bitterness of myrrh.
καὶ τὴν πρὸς ὕψος οὐρανοῦ θείαν ἀνάληψιν.
ἀνεφέρετο εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν.
ζωῆς χορηγὸς,
ἐλθὲ, καὶ
σκήνωσον ἐν
ἡμῖν,
καὶ καθάρισον
ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ
πάσης κηλίδος.
Μάρτυρες Χριστοῦ.
ἡ φῐλανθρωπία τοῦ Πατρὸς.
πιστὸς ὁ θεός.
ἔργῳ Σωτήρ μου δεικνύεις, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ἡ πάντων ἀνάστασις.
ἀληθῶς ματαιότης τὰ σύμπαντα ὁ δὲ βίος σκιὰ καὶ ἐνύπνιον.
κύριε, ἀνάπαυσον τὸ νήπιον.
ἐλέους πηγὴ, ὑπάρχων Ὑπεράγαθε.
Χριστός μου δύναμις.
A copy of the draft of The Church of Scotland Mission Hymn Book, compiled by a committee, and sanctioned by last General Assembly for publication, has come into the writer's hands, too late to be collated for the foregoing Table. The Hymn Book, which is intended for use at Mission services—both those of a permanent Mission, and those of Mission-weeks, including Guild, and Missionary, and other special services, for which The Church Hymnary and The Scottish Hymnal do not make sufficient provision—contains 338 hymns, and 18 metrical Psalms and Paraphrases, all of which, so far as one can judge from a casual survey, and without the music, seem suitable for the purpose to which the book will be devoted.
The noteworthy particular in connection with this
Collection, and that which demands this reference to
it, is the fact that, here for the first time in the history
of Scottish hymnody, we have something approaching
a satisfactory representation of hymns from the Greek;
and it is not lacking in significance that the book to
include so many, should be a Mission Hymn Book. No
one who has studied Scottish hymnody will miss the
significance of this fact. If the Greek Church, which
The thirteen hymns from the Greek contained in this book, the first lines of which are given below, include three which are presented for use for the first time, viz., (g) (i) (n), increasing the number of Greek hymns in common use from forty-one (as shewn by the Table on pages 20-23) to forty-four.
Anatolius, anatol-p0.2
Andrew, andrew_c-p0.2
Clement_Alexandria, clementa-p0.1
Cosmas, cosmas_m-p0.2
Damascus_Jo, john_dam-p0.2
Joseph_H, joseph_s-p0.2
Justinian_I, justin_i-p0.2
Metrophanes_S, metropha-p0.2
Nazianzen_G, gregoryn-p0.2
Sophronius, sophron-p0.2
Synesius, synesius-p0.2
Theoctistus_S, theoctis-p0.2
1 2 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 24 25 26 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 53 55 56 57 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 93 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 131 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 167 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 213 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 233 235 236