Reflections on the
Nicene Creed, Hymns, Carols and the Incarnation
By
William Lyon Tupman. For a Catechesis class at St. Michael's Croydon,
21st
November 2018.
Focus
text: Nicene Creed; Come Thou Redeemer; A Great & Mighty Wonder;
O Come All Ye Faithful.
Hymns,
carols, anthems, songs and other kinds of Christian music can help to
enrich our worship of God; indeed, St. Augustine is widely believed
to have once said "To sing is to pray twice." But hymns are
also intended to help teach and remind us of some very important
Christian doctrines, and in some cases as a response to some
heretical strands of theology which conflict with more orthodox
Christian doctrines. Let's now take a closer look at three Advent and
Christmas carols, examining the theology they teach and what heresies
they may be refuting - these carols being Come Thou Redeemer Of The
Earth; A Great and Mighty Wonder; and O Come All Ye Faithful. It's
best to now have have a copy of the Nicene Creed and the texts of
these hymns ready at hand to see, and also access to an audio or
visual recording, if possible.
Come
Thou Redeemer of the World was written by St Ambrose, who lived from
340-397 AD. He was an Archbishop of Milan, and was a staunch opponent
of Arianism (the heresy which rejects Christ's divine attribute of
pre-existence). He has also widely been regarded to be the Father of
Western Hymnody; he was responsible for introducing metrical hymns
into the liturgy. Perhaps his most famous hymn is the Te Deum – a
hymn of praise to God, which has been set to countless musical
settings in ancient and modern anthems and hymns. Here at St
Michael's, we also pray the Te Deum during the Divine Office (Morning
and Evening Prayer) on certain Feast Days and Solemnities.
The
hymn is very theologically sound. The Virgin Birth is emphasises all
through from verses one to eight, and the heresy of Arianism is
particularly countered in verses five and six, which clearly state
that Jesus came from God the Father, is equal to Him, and goes back
to Him. To reiterate the refute against Arianism, verse two sets the
word "Begotten" on a melisma, for further emphasis - Christ
is, as the Nicene Creed states, "Begotten, not made," and
the text "the Word of God in flesh arrayed" is set to a
descending melodic contour; would that is most appropriate for the
Incarnation (using a musical technique called word-painting).
Moreover, verse three reminds us of how Mary is the Mother of God,
since God now dwells in her womb as His Temple - a title perhaps to
clarify the often more frequently heard "Mother of Christ",
and therefore emphasising how Christ is fully divine as well as fully
human. The loud dynamics of verses six and eight, in addition,
reflect and further emphasise some of the most important aspects of
St. Ambrose's message - a nice, Credal summary.
A
Great and Mighty Wonder is a carol written by St. Germanus, who lived
from 378-448 AD, set to music by the German composer Michael
Praetorius, who lived from 1571-1621. This popular hymn, which is
often performed at the annual carol service from King's College
Cambridge, emphasises the nature of the Virgin birth of Jesus.
The
obedience of Mary is greatly contrasted with the disobedience of Eve,
a theme initially bought into the spotlight by St. Ireneaus, Bishop
of Lugdunum (now modern-day Lyon); this is particularly evident in
verse one (“The Virgin bears the Infant, with virgin-honour
pure!”). Moreover, the hymn alludes to both the First and Second
Comings of Christ - first, how Christ comes in the flesh at
Christmas, by His Incarnation (verse two), and how He will come again
at the end of time (verse five) - all in the same hymn. This is
highly relevant for our practice as Christians in Advent, a time in
which we commemorate and celebrate the first coming of Christ, and
also we prepare for and anticipate His second coming.
O
Come All Ye Faithful, is a Christmas carol usually attributed to the
English hymn writer John Francis Wade (1711-1786). It is perhaps one
of the most well-known and best-loved Christmas carols of all time;
indeed, it is sung in Churches, Chapels, Cathedrals and in all kinds
of settings every year, and is a perennial favourite. In addition,
while it was written long after the heresy of Arianism first surfaced
centuries ago, it is one of the most Credal carols we have today, as
it sets to counter heresies as they resurfaced.
The
full divinity and full humanity of our Lord is emphasised throughout
this carol - and, together with the words of glorification and praise
to God, the text of the Nicene Creed features prominently in this
carol. This is most clearly evident in the words of verse two, which
quotes the Creed verbatim with "God of God, Light of Light...
Very God, begotten, not created." This again strongly reiterates
the Divine attribute of pre-existence which Christ has, while at the
same time also rejecting Arianism. Additionally, with fewer words to
set to the music, the notes are held for longer; one could almost
imagine the Creed being spelt out in block capital letters in this
verse, especially with the melisma clearly emphasising "Very
God". Furthermore, in the final verse (which is normally only
sung on Christmas Day itself, unless the tense of some of the words
are cleverly altered just as the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian
Union do at their carol services!), Jesus is described as the "Word
of the Father," set to a striking chord which draws much extra
attention to the word it is set to. This clearly demonstrates a high
Christological view of Jesus, that identifies Him as the "Word"
of Genesis 1 and John 1.
Hymns
and carols, as these three examples demonstrate, are of course here
to assist us in our worship and prayer to God – and to sing to Him
the praise that is due. But they also reiterate vitally important
Christian teachings and understandings, especially in order to
maintain orthodoxy over heresy.
So
next time you're singing hymns or carols, perhaps ask yourself the
following questions:
→
Text:
What is the message of this song?
→
Music:
How does the music express this message?
→
Context:
What was happening at the time; when and why was the text written?
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