403 SECTION XXI. In the last section I endeavoured, by a tolerably close analysis, to illustrate the position of Bishop Cleaver, that, in the song of the Blessed Virgin, the considerations are chiefly personal. According to the same judicious Prelate, in the hymn of Zacharias, the great object is the salvation of the Jews. Now, this personal character of the Virgin's hymn, was promoted, as we have lately seen, by reference to a personal model, in the beautiful song of Hannah. And, on similar principles, we might expect to find the national character of Zacharias' hymn, sustained by approximation to a national model. But a proper national model is not to be sought in any single composition: we must rather look to a series of compositions, the productions of different writers, in different times, but all of the same nation, and partaking of a common literary character. And, to what series of this description can we, in the present instance, look with greater propriety or probability, than to the book of Psalms, which has somewhere been happily and not unjustly termed, the Liturgy of the Jewish people? It will accordingly be found, on close examination, that the hymn of Zacharias, not only in its general air, but in the particular form of its construction, ap proaches nearly to the prevalent manner of the Psalms. That prevalent manner has been accurately described by Bishop Horsley: "A very great, I believe the far greater part, are a sort of "dramatic ode, consisting of dialogues between "persons sustaining certain characters. In these dialogue-psalms, the persons are frequently the "Psalmist himself, or the chorus of priests and "Levites, or the leader of the Levitical band, opening the ode with a proem declarative of the "subject, and very often closing the whole with a "solemn admonition drawn from what the other 66 persons say." Preface to The book of Psalms, translated from the Hebrew, p. xv. The dramatic or dialogue form, which thus pervades the book of Psalms, admits of considerable variety: its leading characteristic, however, is, an alternate succession of parts, adapted to the purpose of alternate recitation, by two semi-choruses in the Jewish worship. With this character of composition, Zacharias must have been familiar, both as a pious and literate Jew, much conversant with the devotional lyric poetry of his country, and as an officiating priest, accustomed to bear his part in the choral service of the temple. And it appears to me, that the true meaning, and even the grammatical construction, of this hymn cannot be satisfactorily elucidated, without resorting to the conclusion, that it was composed in that alternate form, so familiar to his mind, and so deeply associated in his heart with all his most cheerful, and most sacred recollections. I suppose, therefore, that the hymn of Zacharias opens with a proem or grand chorus, declaratory of its general subject, contained in the first line; and then, immediately subdivides itself into two semichoruses, resembling those distributed between the officiating Priests and Levites in the temple service. I further suppose, that each part or semi-chorus forms in itself a distinct continuous sense, incommiscible with the sense of the alternate or responsive strains of the other part or semichorus: insomuch, that by reading the whole ode as one undivided poem, neither the meaning nor the grammar of it can be rightly comprehended: while, by uniting the scattered parts of each semi-chorus taken separately from the other, so as to form two distinct consecutive divisions of the poem, the sense of each, will be distinctly apparent, and the grammatical construction of the whole, will be freed from every embarrassment. Nor, should it be omitted, that such alternations of sense are frequent in Hebrew poetry: and the attentive reader cannot fail to recollect, that exemplifications of this particular construction, on a smaller scale indeed, but still undeniable exemplifications, have been adduced in the present work. I will now produce the hymn, distributed on the principles just laid down; and I shall then endeavour to establish, by suitable observations, the propriety and advantage of this distribution. S. LUKE, 1. 67-79. Και Ζαχαρίας ὁ πατης αυτού επλήσθη πνεύματος άγιου, και προεφήτευσε, λέγων : CHORUS. ΕΥΛΟΓΗΤΟΣ ΚΥΡΙΟΣ Ο ΘΕΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΙΣΡΑΗΛ : 1. SEMI-CHORUS. ότι επεσκέψατο [τον λαον άυτου] 2. SEMI-CHORUS. και εποίησε λυτρωσιν τω λαω άυτου· 1. SEMI-CHORUS. και ηγειρε κέρας σωτηρίας ἡμιν, 2. SEMI-CHORUS. καθώς ελάλησε δια σόματος των άγιων, των απ' αιώνος προφητων αυτου 1. SEMI-CHORUS. σωτηρίαν εξ εχθρων ήμων, και εκ χειρος παντων των μισούντων ήμας : 2. SEMI-CHORUS. ποιησαι ελεος μετα των πατέρων ἡμων, και μνησθηναι διαθηκης ἁγιας αυτου· όρκον όν ώμοσε προς αβρααμ τον πατέρα ήμων του δουναι ήμιν, αφόβως, εκ χειρος των εχθρών ῥυσθέντας, λατρεύειν αυτώ, εν ὅσιοτητι, και δικαιοσυνη, ενωπιον αυτού, πασας τας ἡμερας της ζωης ήμων: 1. SEMI-CHORUS. και συ, παιδίον, προφητης ύψιςου κληθήση προπορεύση γαρ προ προσώπου Κυρίου, ἑτοιμασαι ὁδους αυτού : 2. SEMI-CHORUS. του δουναι γνωσιν σωτηρίας τω λαω αυτού, εν αρέσει ἁμαρτιων αυτών : 1. SEMI-CHORUS. δια σπλαγχνα ελέους Θεού ήμων, εν οις επεσκέψατο ήμας ανατολη εξ ύψους, επιβαναι τοις εν σκότει και σκια θανατου καθημένοις. 2. SEMI-CHORUS. του κατευθύναι τους πόδας ήμων εις όδον Eignung. S. LUKE, 1. 67-79. And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: CHORUS. BLESSED Be the Lord God of Israel! 1. SEMI-CHORUS. For he hath visited [his people;] 2. SEMI-CHORUS. And he hath effected redemption for his people: 1. SEMI-CHORUS. And he hath raised up an horn of salvation for us, 2. SEMI-CHORUS. As he promised by the mouth of the saints, 1. SEMI-CHORUS. Salvation from our enemies; Even from the hand of all who hate us : 2. SEMI-CHORUS. To perform mercy toward our fathers; And to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father; Of giving us, without fear, delivered from the hands of our enemies, To serve him, in holiness and righteousness, Before him, all the days of our life; 1. SEMI-CHORUS. And thou, babe, shalt be called a prophet of the Most High; For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, To prepare his ways: 2. SEMI-CHORUS. Of giving knowledge of salvation to his people, |