tradition of the Old Testament hymns, yet breathe the spiritual life
of the new revelation. Their chief interest lies in the possibility that
they illustrate a valid Christian poetry of a very early date. If it is
true, as the editors suggest, that the _Odes_ emanate from Antioch,[71]
we have further evidence of the spirit of worship in that city with which
early Christian liturgical forms are so closely associated.

The tradition of Syriac hymnody, of which these illustrations alone may
be given from the early period, did not come to an end as Christianity
moved westward. It was continued through thirteen centuries and is
preserved in the Nestorian and other branches of the Syrian Christian
Church.

Before the main stream of hymnody in the Greek language is traced, two
sources from the second century will serve as an introduction. The first
of these is the _Epistle to Diognetus_, by an unknown author, possibly a
catechumen of the Pauline group.[72] It contains four selections,
biblical in their phraseology, the first three of which express the
redemptive mission of the Son of God:

As a king sends his son who is also a king, so sent He Him,
He did not regard us with hatred nor thrust us away,
He, being despised by the people.

The fourth admonishes the Christian to union with the mind of God,

Let your heart be your wisdom.[73]

The second source is a passage from a sermon on _The Soul and Body_,
written by Melito of Sardis, a bishop and philosopher who was martyred in
170. The author pictures all creation aghast at the crucifixion of Jesus,
saying,

What new mystery then is this?
The Judge is judged and holds his peace;
The Invisible one is seen and is not ashamed;
. . .
The Celestial is laid in the grave, and endureth!
What new mystery is this?[74]

Whether admissible as a hymn or not, this passage blends, in a most
striking way, oriental and Greek elements employed in the expression of
Christian belief.

Authentic Greek hymnody begins with Clement of Alexandria, 170-220. He is
the author of a work of instruction for catechumens, the _Paedagogus_, to
which is appended a _Hymn to Christ the Savior_, {Hymnos tou soteros
Christou}, beginning, {Stomion polon}. It is a hymn of praise and
thanksgiving on the part of those newly received into the Church. Christ
is addressed in the familiar oriental imagery of the guide and shepherd,
but the theme is rende