Mass began this morning with the uplifting hymn ‘the Church’s One Foundation’, ably played by our new Director of Music, Antony Pitts, on his first official Sunday at S. Barnabas’. What a tune to kick off with and what fantastic words are found within, but do you know its history?
It was written by Revd. Samuel Stone a formidable Anglo-Catholic of the Victorian period who had a big heart and even bigger personality. Stone was famed for serving the Lord with great passion and devoted his life to the poor and vulnerable. A man who would not not tolerate injustice he is even said to have meted out a thorough beating to a man he found mistreating a little girl. Muscular Christianity if it ever existed!
As well as being a passionate defender of the vulnerable, Stone was a passionate defender of the faith. A fact that comes as no surprise to anyone studying his hymn, which he was inspired to compose in response to a controversy of his day. In South Africa a liberal Bishop had begun to question whether Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible and was generally pouring doubt over much doctrine and leading people in a compromised direction. This outraged Stone who was deeply worried that a liberalised and watered down faith would lead to a collapse of the church at large….a prophetic sentiment when we look to the fractured Anglican church we now live in!
Stone thus wrote “The Church’s One Foundation” as one of twelve hymns based on the Articles of the Apostles Creed. He hoped these hymns would help people better understand the creed which despite being recited every Sunday in church was not very well understood by most Christians. “The Church’s One Foundation” came into existence and remains a firm favourite of many. Here it is for your reflection:
The Church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is his new creation,
by water and the word:
from heaven he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.
Elect from every nation,
yet one o’er all the earth,
her charter of salvation,
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy Name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with every grace endued.
Though with a scornful wonder
men see her sore oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder,
by heresies distressed;
yet saints their watch are keeping,
their cry goes up, “How long?”
and soon the night of weeping
shall be the morn of song.
Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war
she waits the consummation
of peace for evermore;
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blessed,
and the great Church victorious
shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
with God, the Three in one,
and mystic sweet communion
with those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with thee.
It’s a great hymn and a great tune.
No one (sensible) now believes that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, do they? So when we sing this great hymn, we assent to its general sentiments – and disagree on this particular point with its creator? Is that not so? There is continuity and general assent with our tradition – but adjustment of detail as becomes necessary. Is that not so?
It is not impossible but unlikely in my opinion. Certainly Genesis seems to have been put together by a redactor from various traditions- could this have been Moses? I don’t know- opinion is divided with serious scholars on both sides.
But as you say, the Moses point is less and issue that the general sentiment against drift in doctirne and a watering down of the faith.
Yes, I have always thought it unlikely that Moses wrote the whole Pentateuch – particularly the account of his own death!