these papers at _25 cents each_ may be obtained from the
Executive Secretary of the Hymn Society.

Note: Inquire before ordering as some numbers are temporarily out of
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Dr. Reginald L. McAll,
2268 Sedgwick Avenue
New York 53, N. Y.

Copyright, 1942, by Hymn Society of America
Reprinted 1949

_Christian Hymns of the First Three Centuries_

I. Introduction

There is no part of the general field of Christian hymnology so baffling
to the student or so full of difficulties as the one under consideration
in this paper. Many accounts of the subject are in existence but are far
from conclusive. This is due, first of all, to the unexpected scarcity of
original sources. When one views the rise of Christianity from its
inception to the period of the Council of Nicaea, 325, its numerical
growth from a handful of original adherents to millions of followers at
the time of the Edict of Milan, 313, its literary development from early
scattered records to the works of the great Greek and Latin fathers, one
cannot help inquiring, "What has become of their hymns?"

Another puzzling aspect of the study is the complex historical background
against which the progress of Christianity appears. The peace and
constructive progress of the Augustan era, in which Christianity was
founded, have often been cited as factors contributing to its evolution
and spread. But this is not the whole story. The civilization of that
day, especially in the eastern Mediterranean lands most concerned, was
largely Hellenistic, of mingled Greek and oriental features which were
necessarily wrought into the fabric of the new religion. An understanding
of pre-Augustan conditions, in which these diverse historical and
literary trends were merged, is essential, for without it the subject is
unintelligible.

A further problem which confronts the student is that of interpretation.
It is well known that any general treatment of early Christianity is apt
to conform to the point of view of the author. The study of hymnology,
like that of other features of the early Church, is apt to be affected by
the opinion of the commentator.

It is no wonder that the field has been neglected and that the accounts
of it are vague, incomplete and unsatisfactory. In fact, the task of
re-examining the m