Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Front Matter i
2. Contents vii
3. Preface ix
4. Acknowledgements xii
5. The Hymn: Beginnings and Forms
6. What Hymns Are 1
7. Hymns and the Bible 14
8. The Odes of Solomon and the Early Christians 20
9. A Note on the Byzantine Hymn 30
10. The Myth in Medieval Christendom
11. “Creator of All Things”: God the Father 37
12. The Coming of Christ 41
13. The Heart of the Myth: Christ Crucified and Risen 55
14. The Testament of the Spirit 73
15. The Four Last Things 83
16. The Myth and The Reformation
17. The Father Returns 99
18. Christ Applied 113
19. How the End of Things Appeared 138
20. Modern Hymns: The Mutations of God
21. The Mutations of God: The Father 153
22. The Mutations of God: The Messiah 164
23. The Mutations of God: The Holy Spirit 181
24. The Mutations of God: Convergence and Cleavage 189
25. Appendix 199
26. Abbreviations 205
27. Notes 207
28. Select Bibliography 239
29. Name and Subject Index 251
30. Index of Hymns, Carols and Sacred Songs 263