Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online

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Hymnography (Latin)
(3,031 words)

Augustine of Hippo’s famous definition of a hymn (hymnus) as “praise sung to God” (Aug. Enarrat. Ps. 72.1 and 148.17) applies to much of the Latin material surviving from the 3rd to the 7th centuries CE. Hymn texts, composed in a variety of meters and verse forms, appear initially in scattered sources before prominent Latin-speaking church leaders, including Hilary of Poitiers, Augustine of Hippo, and, most importantly, Ambrose of Milan, deve…

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Dunkle, Brian, “Hymnography (Latin)”, in: Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online, General Editor David G. Hunter, Paul J.J. van Geest, Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte. Consulted online on 28 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2589-7993_EECO_SIM_040615>
First published online: 2019



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