ニューイングランドの母校からアドベントの便り、その13
2016 Gordon-Conwell
Advent Devotional | Day 13 | The First Hymn
1 Timothy 3:16
The first hymn was not “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” by Charles Wesley (mid 1700s). Neither was it “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” by Isaac Watts (early 1700s), or “A Mighty Fortress,” by Martin Luther (1500s). It wasn’t even “All Creatures of Our God and King,” by Francis of Assisi (around 1200). No, the first hymn may have been 1 Timothy 3:16. This was probably an early Christian creed and may have been set to music.
Imagine entering the church in Ephesus where Timothy was overseer. On this particular day, or perhaps this particular night, Timothy might have been visiting the church that met in the lecture hall of Tyrannus where Paul had taught for two years. As we enter the hall, we see that it is a simple building with benches and a low platform. Oil lamps pour out smoke and a bit of light. It is set up like a synagogue with a lectern and a large chair on the platform. Off to the side a cantor starts to sing, almost chant:
He was manifested in the flesh,
Vindicated by the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
The cantor reads well and the people appreciate the beauty of the language. Each Greek phrase ends with the sound “thei.” It is poetry, and the language is compact. The first hymn describes the breathtaking work of Christ from incarnation through ascension. It may sound a bit like Caesar, “I came, I saw, I conquered” (vini, vidi, vici), but Jesus did not come as a general with his legions. He did not come with battle mace and spear, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, with love, and with service. He stooped to conquer. All the verbs are passive. He was manifested, was vindicated, was seen by angels, was proclaimed, and so forth. The Father directed the Son, and the Son delighted to do the will of his Father. So rather than “I came, I saw, I conquered,” the first hymn says, “He was sent, he was seen, he was believed on.”
Have you believed on him? Why not join the globe-encircling and millennia-spanning family of Christ-followers? When you believe in him, he shares his eternal life with you so that you can live with him forever in glory.
