The Cross in the Earliest Christian Hymns

The singing of psalms and hymns is a a practice which goes back to the very earliest Christian communities. Growing out of the model of Jewish worship and influenced as well by the practices of hymn-writing in the Greco-Roman world, Christians in the first century wrote hymns in honor of Jesus and recited them in their worship gatherings. As we approach Holy Week and consider the passion and crucifixion of Jesus, I wondered what the earliest hymns had to say about the cross of Christ. Did they mention it and, if so, in what way?

Source: MercyFoundation.com.au

Though it is not possible to reconstruct one standard set of specific words and rituals of early Christian worship for the first and second centuries, the New Testament does provide us some very interesting material to work with. The earliest texts that can be called “hymns” are found embedded in the New Testament: Phil 2:6-11, Col 1:15-20, and John 1:1-17. Each of these passages reflect the features of ancient hymnody. Even though we don’t know exactly how they were used in worship, they certainly give us a glimpse into what praise of Jesus included. And they each refer to the crucifixion either directly or indirectly as we will see.

 

Reading Phil 2:6-11 with an eye for the crucifixion it is clear that the cross is mentioned at a pivotal place in the hymn: the precise center. In this way the cross marks not only the center of the hymn but also the turning point. Prior to the mention of the cross, the hymn describes the downward trajectory of the subject, Jesus. After the mention of the cross, the hymn describes an incredible upward trajectory of exaltation.

Who, existing in the form of God,

did not consider equality with God a thing to be seized,

but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself,

becoming obedient unto death—

even death on a cross.

Therefore God highly exalted him,

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

And every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:6–11)

What is remarkable in the first century context was that a hymn of praise would celebrate something so horrible and shameful as the crucifixion. By including this in the hymn, the hymn-writer is making a claim about Jesus which goes entirely against the then-current cultural values. Rather than celebrating Jesus’s power or authority or leadership or eloquence, and brushing over any cause for embarrassment, the hymn actually highlights his humility, obedience, and self-sacrifice to the point of death. And in this way, the death of Jesus is remembered as a definition characteristic of Jesus’s life of obedience to God. It is also then offered as a model for believers.

One additional factor stands out. In a context in which Rome was the dominant political force in the world and in which that force was exercised by threat of death to those who opposed its rule, the cross was a symbol of Rome’s domination. In that very same context, it is remarkable that a Christian hymn writer would use that same symbol to demonstrate the supremacy of Christ. New Testament scholar Stephen Fowl explains it this way: “If Christ’s life was freely offered up to God in obedience, then although Rome can take the life, Rome cannot make Christ its victim. Ironically, they become unwitting agents in God’s economy of salvation” (Philippians [2005], 99).

 

And in this light we can really appreciate the way in which the cross represents a reversal: a reversal of values (the values of humility and obedience are exalted over self-seeking), a reversal of power (the seemingly unstoppable Roman empire exercising its brutal force is unknowingly furthering God’s plan), and a reversal that reveals the man Jesus as somehow the divine lord, receiving the homage of all creatures.

 

With the cross in the Philippian hymn as a starting point, it will be interesting to see what the emphasis is in the Colossian hymn and in John’s hymnic prologue. Comparing the three may give us some deep insights into the importance of the cross to the earliest Christians, those for whom the crucifixion was an event in the recent past. I'll turn to the Colossian hymn in my next post.