ass of extant records of early Christianity and other
relevant material, which might illuminate the subject of hymnology, seems
never to have been undertaken with this purpose in view. It is, actually,
too vast a project for the casual student and certainly has not been
attempted here. Our best accounts of early Christian hymnody are often
subordinated to a general history of Christian hymns. This is the case
with the article, entitled, Hymnes, by H. Leclercq, in the _Dictionnaire
D' Archeologie Chretienne et de Liturgie_, probably the best short
account in any language, containing a section on the hymnology of the
first three centuries.[1] Charles Stanley Phillips drew generously from
this source for the first chapter of _Hymnody, Past and Present_, which
is written from the liturgical standpoint.[2] Independent studies are
rare. Among them, _Die Hymnendichtung des fruehen Christentums_ by Josef
Kroll, a distinguished classical philologist, deserves a much wider
circulation and should be translated for the benefit of English
readers.[3]

In view of the dearth of available material in English, it has seemed
timely to approach the whole subject from a new standpoint. In this
study, the extant hymnic sources will be presented objectively. Groups of
hymns will be used to illustrate the types current in the period. In
connection with them, the related historical and literary influences will
be noted.

Let us abandon at once our contemporary connotation of the word _hymn_
which is derived ultimately from the hymns of Ambrose, 340-397, that is,
a metrical lyric constructed in stanzas. In the pre-Ambrosian period
Christian hymns were largely of the psalm type, to be chanted in rhythmic
periods without rhyme. Not only should the word _hymn_ be conceived in
terms of ancient thought, but also the futile attempt to differentiate
among psalms, hymns and canticles should be avoided. Specialists in
liturgical matters testify to the confusion existing among ancient
writers in the use of these words and to the uncertainty of definition
which results.[4] It is better not to multiply difficulties but to hold
fast to the actual texts which we know were used in Christian worship.

II. Old Testament Hymns

At the threshold of Christianity the student crosses from the literary
environment of the Old Testament into that of the New. But in actual
practice the Hebrew psalms were never given up, and to this day