The Prayer Book Explained Part 11

For turning to the First Stanza, we find each line has _three_ thoughts. The prominent word in the first line is TE--Thee--and occurs three times. Similarly in the second line TIBI--to Thee: and in the fourth line TE. The last line of this Stanza varies, it is true, as the last line of the middle Stanza does, but retaining a triple thought, viz. the Holy Trinity. The third line has the Ter-Sanctus.

Thus the 1st Stanza, by its form, is separated from the 2nd Stanza, and the 2nd from the 3rd in like manner.

For, in the Third Stanza although TE is still {68} prominent as the first word, it is very sparingly introduced afterwards--once in the 11th line, and twice in the 13th. Here again we notice a variation with the object of marking the Stanza's last line, for in the last line TE occurs twice. The word _Domine_ supplants Te in the 10th and 12th lines, and appears with Te twice in the 13th line.

The elaborate arrangement of the Hymn has been exhibited so as to eliminate the notion of an extempore composition. Its method however is worthy of some further consideration.

It will be evident that it proceeds on the idea of a centre thought in each Stanza, with thoughts balanced on each side. Thus in the 1st Stanza the centre thought (line 3 Latin Version) is the praise of Heaven and Earth (Isaiah vi. 3), addressed to Christ (see S. John xii.

41) by the Seraphim. The Choirs of Heaven are mentioned in the 2nd line, and those of earth in the 4th. The 5th line recurs to some of the thoughts of the 1st and the 3rd lines. Thus the 1st and 5th, the 2nd and 4th lines are balanced about the Song of Praise which forms the middle line.

So again, in the and Stanza, the centre thought is our Lord's Earthly Life with His Eternal Pre-existence on one side and His Eternal Glory now and hereafter on the other.

And further, the centre thought of the 3rd Stanza is the Praise expressed in the 11th line, _Day by day we magnify Thee, and we wors.h.i.+p Thy name ever world without end_. This line corresponds to the 3rd line, the Ter-Sanctus, which is the centre of the 1st Stanza. The first and third Stanzas are hereby made {69} to balance one another around the middle Stanza, both in the number of their lines and the plan of their arrangement.

Noting now that the plan and method of the Hymn are governed by the centre line and the centre thought in all the respects to which we have referred, we cannot fail to notice afresh that the Redeemer's Earthly Life is the centre thought of the whole Hymn--the centre line of the centre Stanza around which everything is grouped.

The division of the Hymn into Stanzas is, we suppose, conclusively proved. We may further infer that the Te and Tibi of Stanza i. are addressed to the same Person as the Tu of Stanza ii. and the Te of Stanza iii. i.e. to Christ. Stanzas ii. and iii. are evidently so addressed, and Stanza i. could not, we think, have made the p.r.o.nouns so prominent without having the same reference.

It may however be objected that lines 1, 3, and 5 cannot be addressed to Christ. A little consideration will show that they can.

(_a_) _Te Deum laudamus_ may be translated _we praise thee O G.o.d_. But the more obvious translation is _we praise Thee as G.o.d_, especially as it comes with _we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord_. The two Latin phrases are exactly parallel, so that if it is to be _We praise Thee, O G.o.d_, it should also be _we acknowledge Thee O Lord_.

Now the acknowledgement of the G.o.dhead and Lords.h.i.+p of Christ was very likely to be stated in an early Hymn, far more than the acknowledgement that G.o.d is G.o.d. The t.i.tles--G.o.d, Lord, Father {70} everlasting--which are here acknowledged, appear to be suggested by Isaiah ix. 6. For there _the Lord of Hosts which is wonderful in counsel_ (Isaiah xxviii.

29) is expressed as _Wonderful, Counsellor_, and is followed by _The Mighty G.o.d, The Everlasting Father_. It is a pa.s.sage acknowledged to refer to Christ, who is therefore recognised as Lord of Hosts (being wonderful in Counsel), Mighty G.o.d, Everlasting Father.

(_b_) _Line_ 3. S. John (xii. 39-41), referring to our Saviour's rejection, quotes Isaiah vi. and adds _These things said Isaiah when he saw His glory, and spake of Him_. This reference to Isaiah's vision, when he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne and heard the Seraphim sing the Ter-Sanctus, will be a sufficient justification of the use of line 3 in an address to Christ.

(_c_) _Line_ 5. As to the inclusion of the three Persons of the blessed Trinity in a doxology at the close of this Stanza, it is quite usual in Christian Hymns of all ages to guard the thought of the equality of the Persons of the G.o.dhead by means of a doxology. As an instance we may quote _Conditor alme siderum_ (_Hymns A. and M._ 45).

The position of the doxology in this Canticle should be noticed. We know of no other instance of its being placed at the close of the first, or anywhere but at the close of the last, Stanza. The reason for this variation seems to be that the last Stanza here has to some extent the nature of a prayer.

The following Greek hymn, attributed to St Basil, was printed by Archdeacon France in _Preces Veterum {71} c.u.m Hymnis Coaevis_ as of the 2nd, or at latest the 3rd, century:

_phos ilaron agias doxes athanatou patros ouraniou agiou makaros iesou Christe elthontes epi tou eliou dusin idontes phos esperinon umnoumen patera kai uion kai agion pneuma theou axios ei en kairois umneiothai phonais osiais uie theou zoen o didous dio o kosmos se doxazei_ AMHN.

Keble's well-known translation (_Hail, Gladdening Light_) is to be found in _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, No. 18, as well as in _Lyra Apostolica_. The transition in the address from Christ to the Holy Trinity, and back again, presented no difficulty: rather it is a very suitable recognition of the Divine nature of Jesus.

Te Deum is evidently a Latin composition, and the exact meaning of its words and phrases must be sought in the Latin form of it.

Some various readings and translations may be worthy of notice.

1. Te Deum, 'Thee as G.o.d.'

_Aeternum Patrem_ is subst.i.tuted for the Vulgate reading, _Patrem futuri saeculi_.

The English Bible accepts it as the best rendering of the Hebrew in Isaiah ix. 6, but R.V. gives _Father {72} of Eternity_ in the margin.

The thought of Christ as Father to us is to be found in Isaiah viii.

18, quoted in Heb. ii. 13, where the writer is showing the complete human nature of Christ.

4. _Prophetarum laudabilis numerus_. Cyprian (_De Mortalitate_) has the words "There the glorious company of the apostles, there the fellows.h.i.+p (_numerus_) of exulting prophets, there the innumerable crowd of martyrs." It will perhaps be questionable whether _laudabilis_ should not be taken as equivalent to _exulting_--full of praise (to G.o.d) rather than _worthy of being praised_.

_Candidatus_ is 'white-robed'; 'n.o.ble' would be _candidus_.

_Venerandum_, trans. 'honorable,' is to be understood as 'deserving to be reverenced.'

5. _Immensae_. Here translated _infinite_, in the Creed of S.

Athanasius _incomprehensible_. Literally _unmeasured_.

7. _Ad liberandum_, 'to set (him) free.'

_Suscepturus hominem_, 'when about to take man,' i.e. human nature.

8. _Sedens_, 'sitting,' is the reading in two MSS., and would agree with the absence of the second _Tu_ in this line. _Sedes_ means 'Thou sittest.'

_Crederis esse venturus_, 'art believed to be about to come.'

9. _Numerari_ or _munerari_. In the Old English character it is sometimes difficult to distinguish where the seven strokes of the letters _mun_ are to be divided into letters. A MS. at Exeter looks more like _m u n_, which is the reading of the two Irish MSS. referred to {73} above, and the reading of my own black letter Breviary (1524).

Heb. xi. 6 has the thought that G.o.d rewards a man who loves Him. Cf.

also Jer. x.x.xi. 16, 'thy work shall be rewarded'[1].

The word _numerari_ means 'to be counted, enrolled in a _numerus_ or fellows.h.i.+p.' Cf. _Prophetarum numerus_, above.

12. _Die isto_, translated _this day_. It may be thought that the reference is to 'that day' as in 2 Tim. i. 12, 18, iv. 8, viz. the Judgment Day. Several of these lines would favour that reference.

13. "Lighten" is used in the Prayer Book in two senses, both derived from Anglo-Saxon words,--to illuminate, as in the 3rd Evening Collect, _Lighten our darkness_, and in the Ordination Hymn, _Lighten with celestial fire_:--but here, to "alight" or come down, cf. Deut. xix. 5; Gen. xxiv. 64 and xxviii. 11; 2 Kings v. 21 and x. 15, &c.

_Non confundar in aeternum_. This might more obviously be translated, "I shall not be confounded for ever." It is not inconsistent with the prayerful tone of this Stanza, that most of its lines express more hope than fear. That the closing words should be at once humble and confident would suit well with the character of this Hymn of praise.

On the other hand the words themselves are borrowed from two Psalms (x.x.xi. 1 and lxxi. 1), where they must be rendered as a prayer. It is therefore {74} preferable to take them here in the same sense. Latin scholars know that the use of _non_ with the imperative occurs elsewhere, being apparently regarded as though compounded with it.

Note on the Doxology in Te Deum.

_Te Deum_ is the only one of the Psalms and Canticles which is not provided with _Gloria Patri_ at the end of it.

The obvious reason for this exception is that it is the only one which contains a _Gloria Patri_ in the middle of it.

We have already said that an ascription of Praise to the Holy Trinity is in this case more appropriate at the end of the first Stanza than at the end of the third, because the third Stanza has a prayerful character introduced into its words of praise.

The steps by which the doxology grew in _Te Deum_ may be conjectured.

The sentence which was required in the fifth line to complete the ascription of Praise to Christ would be an acknowledgement of His Sons.h.i.+p. For such an acknowledgement has not yet occurred. Using the words of the Hymn, we should expect

Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur ecclesia Patris venerandum verum unigenitum Filium.

Here the Father and the Son are mentioned. The addition of the words