Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Background and Interpretation
- I Traces of Carmina in the New Testament
- II Philippians ii. 5–11: Its Literary Form
- III Philippians ii. 5–11: Its Authorship
- IV Philippians ii. 5–11: Main lines of Twentieth Century Interpretation
- Part II An Exegetical Study of the Hymn in Philippians ii. 6–11 in the Light of Recent Interpretation
- Part III Philippians ii. 5–11 in its First Century Setting
- Select Bibliography
- Index of Authors
- Index of Subjects
- Index of Passages Quoted
- Index of Greek, Latin and Semitic Words
I - Traces of Carmina in the New Testament
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Background and Interpretation
- I Traces of Carmina in the New Testament
- II Philippians ii. 5–11: Its Literary Form
- III Philippians ii. 5–11: Its Authorship
- IV Philippians ii. 5–11: Main lines of Twentieth Century Interpretation
- Part II An Exegetical Study of the Hymn in Philippians ii. 6–11 in the Light of Recent Interpretation
- Part III Philippians ii. 5–11 in its First Century Setting
- Select Bibliography
- Index of Authors
- Index of Subjects
- Index of Passages Quoted
- Index of Greek, Latin and Semitic Words
Summary
BACKGROUND TO NEW TESTAMENT HYMNOLOGY
That the Christian mesage should appear on the scene of history attended by an upsurge of spiritual fervour and power is what we might expect in view of the claim which the New Testament makes that in such a message God is visiting His people. And that this spiritual energy, newly released by the Pentecostal Spirit, should find expression in songs of praise is again a natural consequence.
But Christian song did not break forth upon a world which had hitherto been dumb and in which hymns were unknown. The Church was cradled in Judaism, and borrowed many of its forms and patterns of worship from the worship of the Temple and synagogue. There is some doubt as to the extent to which the singing of divine praises had developed in the Palestinian synagogues in the first century a.d. It is probable that the synagogues of the Dispersion were more advanced in the use of psalmody than their more conservative brethren. But there can be no doubt that the early believers in Jesus inherited the desire to express their gratitude to God in the offering of vocal praise, as their use of the Psalter in the early prayers in Acts and the references in Colossians iii. 16, Ephesians v. 19 and James v. 13 b show.
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- Information
- Carmen Christi , pp. 17 - 23Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1967