The Earliest Christian Hymnbook

by James H. Charlesworth

Two millennia ago a gifted poet in the Middle East composed the Earliest Christian Hymnbook called the Odes of Solomon, that gifted poet was the anonymous Odist who became the early poet laureate of Christianity. The poetry, hymns and odes of the first followers of Jesus are evidently present in the New Testament and this volume translates The Odes of Solomon with some of the hymns being obviously Christian while others perhaps Jewish. The beauty of these poems is a tribute to the depth of spirituality in early communities of Christians, some of whom were perhaps also Jews or converted Jews. Professor Charlesworth offers an inviting introduction and a translation of this work that is both engaging and true to the original languages. Having studied the Odes since 1966, Charlesworth believes the Odist received unique spiritual truths. His poetry explodes out of the genius of Jesus' Judaism and the energy released upon those who experienced God's resurrection of Jesus, there is a sense that the Odist lived on the highest mountain peaks and shares with us his own moments of experiencing God before a burning bush.

Genres: Theology, Poetry, Christianity, Biblical Studies

172 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[KamRun · Rating 2 out of 5]

اشعار غنایی سلیمان

مرا به گونه‌ای خردمند ساخت که به دست آن فریبکار نیفتم و خود را مبارک خواندم، زیرا حقیقت همراه من بود. من استوار شدم و زیست کردم و نجات یافتم و بنیاد من روی دست خداوند نهاده شد. زیرا او ریشه را کاشت و آن را آبیاری کرد و استوار ساخت و برکت داد؛ درختی با میوه‌های ابدی

اشعار غنایی یا قصاید سلیمان یکی از کتب سوداپیگرافاست، مجموعه‌ای شامل چهل و دو شعر با رگه‌هایی یهودی در بستری کاملا مسیحی. اشعار کتاب در تاریخی مابین قرن اول و قرن سوم میلادی سروده شده‌اند و این احتمال می‌رود که کتاب حاصل ذوق مذهبی چند شاعر مختلف بوده باشد (اصل طومار بصورت یکپارچه در دست نیست و از این رو نمی‌توان به قطع در مورد تاریخ نگارش و نویسنده‌ی آن اظهار نظر کرد). بهرحال قدیمی‌ترین شعرِ این کتاب، بطور قطع قصیده‌ی چهارم است با تاریخ تقریبی 100 میلادی

من کتاب را از سر کنجکاوی خواندم، اما بنظرم حتی یک‌بار خواندنش هم ضرورتی ندارد و خواننده‌ی کنجکاو برای آشنایی با اشعار باستانی یهودی/مسیحی بهتر است به مزامیر داوود مراجعه کند که1- از لحاظ ادبی غنی‌تر است 2- از لحاظ تاریخی قدمت بیشتری دارد 3- مسیحیان و یهودیان اعتبارِ آن را به رسمیت شناخته‌اند

اشارات و مضامین الهیاتی/فلسفی

نظریه صدور و تاثیر فلسفه نوافلاطونی: جامی از شیر تقدیم من شد و من آن را در شیرینی شاد خداوند نوشیدم. پسر جام است و پدر کسی است که شیرش دوشیده شد. روح‌القدس آن را دوشید، زیرا سینه‌هایش پر بودند و برای وی لازم بود که شیرش به فراوانی رها شود
نویسنده در این بخش پدر را به موجودِ شیرده، پسر را به جام و روح‌القدس را به دوشنده‌ی شیر تشبیه می‌کند. این استعاره مستقیما به اقانیم تثلیث و رابطه‌ی هر اقنوم با یکدیگر و نقش آن‌ها در رساندن فیض (شیر) به انسان‌ها اشاره دارد. اما نکته‌ی جالب‌تر که رگه‌های پررنگ فلسفه‌ی نوافلاطونی/مسیحی در آن آشکار است، در این آیه آمده: زیرا سینه‌های او (خدا) پر بود و برای وی لازم بود که شیرش به فراوانی رها شود. در پرتوی فلسفه نوافلاطونی می‌توان این بخش را چنین تفسیر کرد که عمل صدورِ (=لبریز شدن) حیات (=شیر) بواسطه عقل الهی (پسر یا کلمه) و با فعل خدا (روح‌القدس) صورت می‌پذیرد و این امری خارج از کنترل خدا و ضروری است
آموزه‌ی تجسم خدا: او (خدا) مانند من شد تا او را دریافت کنم. او (خدا) مانند من به شمار رفت (انسان قاصر و گناهکار) تا او را بپذیرم
اموزه‌ی شخصیت دوگانه‌ی مسیح: یکی از نزاع‌های دوران پدران کلیسا، جداب بر سر انسانیت در وجود مسیح بود. عده‌ای او را انسانی می‌دانستند که خداگونه شده است. عده‌ای دیگر او را خدایی می‌دانستند که فقط ظاهر انسانی (بدون جسم) دریافت کرده است و گروه سوم مسیح را خدایی می‌دانستند که در عین حفظ الوهیت خود، طبعیت انسانی را بر خود گرفته است. سرانجام زور گروه سوم بر دیگر گروه‌ها چربید و این آموزه در الهیات راست‌کیشی مسیحی جا گرفت. بدین ترتیب عیسی را ترکیب دوگانه‌ای از خدا و انسان دانستند: وجودی 100 درصد خدا و 100 درصد انسان. در ارتباط با این آموزه در قصیده‌ی هفتم چنین نوشته شده که "وی مانند طبعیتِ من شد تا او را درک کنم و به شکل من شد تا از او روی برنگردانم
رگه‌های گنوستیسیستی: مسیح کلمه‌ی معرفت است و انسان بواسطه‌ی معرفتی که از خدا به او بخشیده می‌شود (این عمل فیض نام دارد) نجات می‌یابد
عمل نجات‌بخش خدا و برگزیدگی: نجات از طرف خدا و بواسطه فیض او حاصل می‌شود. اگر خدا انسان را دوست نداشته باشدف اگر او انسان را انتخاب نکند، اگر او به سوی انسان نیاید، هیچ کاری در راستای نجات و رستگاری از انسان ممکن نیست: ...زیرا اگر خداوند مرا دوست نداشته بود، من نمی‌دانستم او را چگونه دوست بدارم (قصیده 3:3) ه

[Kaitlyn Pindak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly recommend looking into the Odes! This version isn’t my favorite of the different translation/interpretations I compared, but it’s a good place to start! He has other editions that go into more depth!

Also, I enjoyed what I had surveyed of Michael Lattke’s “Odes: A Commentary.”

[Tom Velasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 and 1/2

Pretty interesting considering that this is one of, if not the earliest written pieces of Christian writing outside of the New Testament. Very interesting how it preserved its distinctly Jewish flavor, while incorporating some concepts from the Christian theological tradition that are generally associated with latter epochs. There were also some (albeit few) strands of gnostic thought present, which has provoked some scholars to argue that these three strands of thought might not have been quite so easily abstracted as they would later become.

Read for our discussion on AHOCT last week.

[Gareth Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically the book on the Odes of Solomon today. The transcription of the Syriac isn't always clear: it assumes some things that aren't in the mss and doesn't represent some things that are. The translation is pretty good, with just the occassional slip — the 'Christ speaks', 'Odist speaks' cues are rather clumsy insertions. However, this is the best book with which to get to grips with the Odes, bringing together all of the ms witnesses.

[Matt Friedman]

Great translation and outstanding introductory essay by Charlesworth.

[Chris Halverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlesworth’s “The Odes of Solomon” book is interesting in many ways. Firstly, the content is fascinating, it is essentially an early Christian hymnbook from a time period when Rabbinic Judaism, Proto-Gnosticism, and Orthodox Christianity are all still decidedly intertwined, or at least can all fit in a single codex.
Secondly, the way the book is set up is interesting, it is set up as a devotional. Think of all those 40 days with Bonheoffer, Scripture for Mothers, etc… a reading, then an excerpt from the reading plastered on the other side of the page. Well, imagine that genre, except with non-canonical scripture. It’s fascinating; it gives you the feel of what an early Christian devotional practice might have been like. You can almost experience it as a living tradition.
The whole thing allows the reader to look at present Christianity sideways—it is the Faith told slanted (to borrow from Dickinson). Here are a few of the metaphors describing God, just to give a sense:
Ode 6 The Spirit plays people like wind plays a harp.
Ode 11 The author’s heart is pruned, grace flowers from it, which in turn produces fruit for God.
Ode 19 Describes the Trinity strangely, the Spirit milks the Father and pours the milk into the Son, who in turn is on offer to the believer.
Ode 24 Describes Jesus’ baptism in terrifying terms—the dove flutters over the Messiah’s head, but then soon enough untrue thoughts are threatened by the Spirit and the Messiah’s presence.
So, if you want to get an experiential sense of an alternative Christianity pick up this book and read it devotionally for 40 days or so.

[Santiago González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bastante bonito, me ha gustado mucho, es un texto cristiano bastante interesante ojalá se pueda pulir más la fecha de datación. Tiene muchas cosas interesantes, recomendado.

[David Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful hymns by the early Christians in Syria. The hymns are brilliant and winsome and instructive, generally on a higher level intellectually and pedagogically than modern hymns, but this is part of their well crafted beauty. There seems to have been an intense ethos steeped in Scripture out of which these were forged. One very remarkable aspect about the hymns is their constant use of the feminine to refer to the Holy Spirit and the very frequent uses of analogies between feminine care, especially breast feeding, and God's care. Otherwise, the hymns are recognizably orthodox.i want to understand these Odes better and their place within Christian history. There seems much benefit to be had in a deepening familiarity with them. At the same time, I am reserved about their heavy usage of feminine analogies, which seems coupled with a weaker sense of the Father and Son relationship that is crucial to understanding God.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 3 out of 5]

En kort serie mytologiserande dopdikter, som verkar fokusera på kulturen av vuxendop. Som hobbyantikvetare, vilket jag, trots oavslutade kurser, betraktar mig som, känns kopplingarna till mysteriekulternas språk och föreställningsvärld otroligt tydliga. Jungfru Maria får i denna dikt samma roll som hon senare tolkas ha under medeltiden - ett slags gudinnegestalt, sammanvuxen med den Judisk-mytologiska gudomliga visdomen och med Caritas som fenomen. Dopet betraktas som en återfödelse, med frälsningen som mjölken från en älskande moders bröst, som rinner utan orsak. De magiska formler som uttalas begär av Gud att han sveper den troende i dimma, för att skydda henom från sina fiender. Detta är långt ifrån Tertullianus stränga prosa och föreställningar. Jag uppskattar det, både som dikt, och som illustration av den mytologiska väg Kristendomen valde bort.

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated having a recent English translation of this Early Church work - which as the title indicates is basically the Psalms / Hymns of the Early Church. A good insight not only into early worship of the Church but also into theological thoughts at that time. Admittedly some of the Odes are probably Jewish rather than Christian, that they were used as a collection shows at least that the Christian community at that stage was still "borrowing" from Judaism.

These are easy to ready, and whilst not of the same calibre as the Biblical Psalms, they are still quite beautiful and worth getting to know :)

[Karl · Rating 2 out of 5]

"He became like me, that I might receive Him. In form He was considered like me, that I might put Him on. "

A poetic and lucid text by early Christians (2nd century). This is better than anything in the new testament except Mathew.

The message is that it feels nice being Christian. It is not so much about doing good to others, but rather just being a stickler for your ideals, so in that regard it is similar to stoicism.

You can find the seeds of the mental morass that Christianity into:
"For thus it was from the beginning, and will be until the end.
So that nothing shall be contrary, and nothing shall rise up against Him."
But nonetheless it is a fine text.

[Joel Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't actually read this translation, but it was the only Odes of Solomon I could find. Fascinating, delightful, and problematically gnostic poetry. In the Bible, we do not get to see where the poetry tradition has evolved to because no poetry is included in the NT. The Odes are a great insight into how the art-form had evolved and how it had stayed the same.

[elbren]

The Earliest Christian Hymnbook: The Odes of Solomon by James H. Charlesworth (2009)

[Maxime N. Georgel · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai lu 3 odes de ce recueil en préparation d'un article sur la justification chez les Pères.