Early Christians Speak, Vol. 1 3rd Ed.

Faith and Life in the First Three Centuries

Everett Ferguson

• Publisher: Abilene Christian University Press
• Year: 1999
• Print ISBN: 9780891120452
• eBook ISBN: 9780891128427
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: History of Christianity

These studies in early church history cover various aspects of the church life of early Christians. They focus on the second century.What did the second century Christian leaders say about faith, baptism, infant baptism, worship services, the Lord's Supper, prayer, singing, church organization, mercy and the role of women? New Testament texts bearing on the topic are listed at the beginning of each chapter. We are talking about the same community of people, the same church, as existed in the New Testament. Such writings have an important bearing on the interpretation of the Scriptures.

XIII
Some Early Christian Hymns and Poetry

“Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”

Some New Testament Texts: 1 Corinthians 14:15, 26; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; Mark 14:26; Luke 1:14-17; 1:46-55; 1:68-79; 2:14; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 3:16.

SOURCES

1. IGNATIUS: For your deservedly famous presbytery, worthy of God, is attuned to the bishop as strings to a harp. Therefore by your concord and harmonious love Jesus Christ is being sung. Now all of you together become a choir so that being harmoniously in concord and receiving the key note from God in unison you may sing with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father. (Ephesians 4)

2. There is one Physician,
both fleshly and spiritual,
begotten and unbegotten,
God who came in the flesh,
true life in death,
both of Mary and of God,
first passible and then impassible,
Jesus Christ our Lord. (Ibid. 7.2)

3. ODES OF SOLOMON 11:
My heart was circumcised
and its flower appeared;
Grace bloomed in it
and it bore fruit to God.
The Most High circumcised me with his Holy Spirit and exposed my secret parts before him.
He filled me with his love;
his circumcision became for me salvation.
I have run in the way of truth in his peace; from the beginning to the end I have received his understanding.

I was established on a solid rock
where he placed me.
The murmurring water approached my lips;
I drank from the fountain of the Lord's life in his abundance.
I became intoxicated with the immortal water,
but my intoxication did not deprive me of reason.

I turned away from vanities to the Most High, my God,
and I was enriched by his gifts
I forsook the foolishness which lies on the earth;
I stripped it off.
I cast it from me;
the Lord restored me with his own garment.
He reinstated me in his light;
he brought me to life again with his incorruption.

I became as the land
which flourishes and rejoices in its fruits.
The Lord became to me as the sun
upon the face of the earth.
My eyes became bright;
and my face was sprinkled with dew.
My nostrils were gladdened
by the sweet odor of the goodness of the Lord.

He led me into his paradise,
where is the luxurious wealth of the Lord.
[I beheld fruitful trees in season;
their natural growth was their crown.
Their branches flourish and their fruits were rejoicing.
Their roots grow from a deathless land.
A river of joy was watering them;
and I encircle the land of their eternal life.]

I worshipped the Lord
on account of his glory.
And I said, “Lord, blessed are those who have been planted in your land,
who have a place in your paradise,
Who grow in the growth of your trees,
who turned from darkness to light.”
Behold, your good laborers make good conversions
from wickedness to what is excellent.

The bitterness of the plants in your earth will be changed;
all things are becoming according to your will.
Blessed are those who perform sacred rites with your waters,
eternal reminders from your faithful servants.
There is much room in your paradise;
and nothing is useless, but all bears fruit.
Glory be to you, O God,
in your paradise of eternal delight.
Hallelujah.¹

4. ODES OF SOLOMON 16:
As the work of the husbandman is the ploughshare;
And the work of the steersman is the guidance of the ship:
So also my work is the Psalm of the Lord;
My craft and my occupation are in his praises;
Because his love hath nourished my heart,
And even to my lips his fruits he poured out.
For my love is the Lord
And therefore I will sing unto him.
For I am made strong in his praise,
And I have faith in him.
I will open my mouth
And his spirit will utter in me
The glory of the Lord and his beauty;
The work of his hands and the fabric of his fingers;
The multitude of his mercies,
And the strength of his Word.
For the word of the Lord searches out the unseen thing
And scrutinizes his thought.
For the eye sees his works,
And the ear hears his thought.
It is he who spread out the earth,
And settled the waters in the sea:
He expanded the heavens,
And fixed the stars;
And he fixed the creation and set it up. . . . [11 lines omitted]
And there is nothing that is without the Lord;
For he was before any thing came into being.
And the worlds were made by his Word,
And by the thought of his heart.
Glory and honor to his name.
Hallelujah.²

5. ODES OF SOLOMON 41:
Let all the Lord's children praise him,
And let us appropriate the truth of his faith.
And his children shall be acknowledged by him;
Therefore let us sing in his love:
We live in the Lord by his grace;
And life we receive in his Messiah.
For a great day has shined upon us;
And marvellous is he who has given us of his glory.
Let us, therefore, all of us unite together in the name of the Lord;
And let us honor him in his goodness:
And let our faces shine in his light;
And let our hearts meditate in his love,
By night and by day.
Let us exult with the joy of the Lord.
[Christ speaks:]
All those that see me will be astonished,
For from another race am I.
For the Father of truth remembered me;
He who possessed me from the beginning.
For his riches begat me, and the thought of his heart:
[Odist:]
And his Word is with us in all our way,
The Saviour who makes alive and does not reject our souls:
The man who was humbled, and was exalted by his own righteousness
The Son of the Most High appeared in the perfection of his Father;
And light dawned from the Word
That was before time in Him;
The Messiah is truly one;
And he was known before the foundations of the world,
That he might save souls for ever by the truth of his name:
Let a new song arise from them that love him.
Hallelujah.

6. GREEK MORNING HYMN (GLORIA):
Glory in the heavens to God,
and on earth peace,
to men, favor.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we worship you,
we give thanks to you,
on account of your great glory,
Lord, heavenly King,
God the Father Almighty;
Lord, only Son,
Jesus Christ;
and Holy Spirit.
O Lord God,
the Lamb of God,
the Son of the Father,
you who take away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us;
you who take away the sins of the world,
receive our petition;
you who sit on the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
Because you only are holy,
you only are Lord,
Jesus Christ,
unto the glory of God the Father. Amen.³

Each day I will bless you,
and I will praise your name forever, and forever.
Count us worthy, O Lord, that this day
we may be kept guiltless.
Blessed are you, O Lord the God of our Fathers.
Your name is worthy of praise and is glorified forever. Amen.

Blessed are you, Lord, teach me your judgments. [3 times]
Lord, you have been a place of refuge for us from generation to generation.
I said, Lord, have mercy on me,
heal my soul, because I have sinned against you.
Lord, I have fled to you for protection;
teach me to do your will, because you are my God;
because beside you is a spring of life,
in your light we shall see light;
extend your mercy to those who know you.

7. GREEK EVENING HYMN:
Gracious light of the holy glory
of the holy, blessed,
immortal, and heavenly Father,
Jesus Christ!
Having come to the setting of the sun,
seeing the evening light,
we hymn the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit of God.
Worthy are you at all times
to be praised with holy voices,
Son of God, the giver of life.
Therefore the world glorifies you.⁴

8. FRAGMENT OF CHRISTIAN HYMN, with musical notations:
Let none of God's notable [creatures] . . . . . . .
be silent, nor the light bringing stars cease [from praise] . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . Let all the fountains of rushing rivers praise our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let all the angels respond, Amen, Amen. Power, praise,
. . . . . . to the only Giver of all good things. Amen. Amen.⁵

9. A DOXOLOGY:
Praise is your due,
hymns are your due,
glory is due to you,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
due to you always.
Amen.⁶

10. AN ACROSTIC HYMN:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In order that you may receive eternal life.
You have escaped the heavy ordinance of lawless .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . to love.
You have come to the marriage of the King,
Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . in order that you may not be destroyed.
Speak no more in double words
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Some come as sheep
in their manner, but inwardly they are wolves;
recognize them from afar.
Seek to live with the saints,
seek that you may receive life,
seek that you may escape from the fire.
Hold the hope which you have learned;
the day which the Lord set for you
is known to no one.
God, after arranging many things, came;
having won a triple victory over death
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jesus suffered for these;
having said that I offer my back,
in order that you might not fall in death.
The ordinances of God are good;
they remain for examples in all things
in order that you may receive the good life.
[Jesus] washed in the Jordan,
washed for an example;
he has the pure bath.
Having remained on the mountain he was tempted.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Now work out the inheritance,
now is the time for you to give,
even now to those in great hunger.
God said to care for strangers,
the strangers and the helpless;
show hospitality in order that you may escape the fire.
God sent him in order to suffer.
He received eternal life;
he preached the power of immortality.
He preached the gospel to his servants, saying:
The poor receive the kingdom
to be children, of the inheritance.
He was scourged as an example
in order that he might provide an influence for all;
he has broken death in order that it might be destroyed.
In order that after dying you may see the resurrection,
in order that you may see the eternal light,
in order that you may receive the God of lights.
O the refreshments of those who sorrow,
but, O, the leapings of the unfaithful,
O the fearful fire for the wicked.
You have come under grace freely;
listen to the petitions of the poor;
speak no more arrogantly.
The fire is fearful;
it is always fearful;
the fire is fearful to the wicked.
Christ . . . . . . . . . . . .
Christ is the support of the saints,
Christ is the fire to the wicked.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sing psalms with the saints;
speak always to feed the soul.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Never forget the things you have learned,
the things that he spoke to you that you might receive.⁷

11. INSCRIPTION OF ABERCIUS:
The citizen of an elect city, I made this tomb
while I was alive so that I might have here a place for my body during time.
Abercius is my name, a disciple of the pure shepherd
who feeds his flock of sheep on hills and plains,
who has large eyes looking around everywhere.
He taught me th...

Table of contents

• COVER PAGE
• TITLE PAGE
• COPYRIGHT PAGE
• A WORD TO THE READER
• I: THE SETTING AND SOURCES FOR OUR STUDY
• II: THE FAITH PREACHED AND BELIEVED
• III: BAPTISM IN THE SECOND CENTURY
• IV: ALTERNATIVES TO IMMERSION
• V: THE BEGINNING OF INFANT BAPTISM
• VI: CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLIES
• VII: EARLY WORSHIP SERVICES
• VIII: EARLY ACCOUNTS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
• IX: THE LANGUAGE OF THE REAL PRESENCE ABOUT THE LORD'S SUPPER
• X: SACRIFICIAL IDEAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LORD'S SUPPER
• XI: THE LOVE FEAST (AGAPē)
• XII: SOME EARLY PRAYERS
• XIII: SOME EARLY CHRISTIAN HYMNS AND POETRY
• XIV: THE ORGANIZATION OF THE EARLY CHURCH
• XV: CHURCH DISCIPLINE
• XVI: CHRISTIAN LIVING IN THE SECOND CENTURY
• XVII: EARLY CHRISTIAN ACTS OF MERCY
• XVIII: CHRISTIANS AND MILITARY SERVICE
• XIX: WOMEN IN THE EARLY CHURCH
• GLOSSARY
• ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SOURCES CITED
• TIME CHART