Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

of the relative clause,

That takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy
upon us,

of the pronoun,

For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord; thou only, O Christ,
with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father.

It is quite superfluous to analyze further the values of a poetic form
which has helped to make the _Gloria_ one of the truly magnificent
Christian hymns of all ages.[37]

Postponing for the present a more detailed inquiry into stylistic
origins, we may regard the group of liturgical hymns here presented as a
source collection of the utmost importance. It reveals not only the
continuity of the Old and New Testament hymnology but also the evolution
of worship in song into the early Christian era. The fact that worship
was chiefly liturgical in this period and hymns were therefore liturgical
appears an inevitable conclusion.

V. Contemporary Pagan and Heretical Hymns

Christianity expanded, as we have seen, in the environment of eastern
Mediterranean culture. Its original heritage was that of Judaism, but
within the first century it had entered upon the conquest of the Gentile
world. As that conquest proceeded and the penetration of new ideas into
pagan thought continued, a corresponding reaction of paganism upon the
new faith took place. With the general aspects of this phenomenon all are
familiar. It is significant here only in the field of lyrical expression.
The period of pagan influence in the sense of an imprint from Greek and
Roman literature is also the period of impact with pagan heretical ideas
derived either from current philosophies or the practices of mystery
religions.

Once more the chart and compass offered by the direct extant sources are
the best guides through the cross currents of the literature in our
possession. Representative pagan poetry must be examined, at least of a
few general types, in order to establish what influence, if any, was
exerted upon contemporary Christian hymns.

Regarding the classical influence, _per se_, a large number of Greek
hymns were in existence when Christianity was founded,[38] and Roman
lyrics were appearing in that very century. Paul was obviously acquainted
with the Hymn of Cleanthes, a Stoic writer o