Channels, Fall 2019

Page 50 Punzi • A Religious Interpretation surveyed a number of Anglican hymns sung in Congo. 1 Their survey utilized a topical and thematic analysis of the content of a number of songs. Although the method of analysis will be different, the survey style used here will be very similar to their research. . The meaning or intention behind the use of biblical language in these songs will first be examined within the song or hymn itself. The lyrics will contribute to understanding why the author used the biblical reference before the context of the biblical reference is examined. Thereafter, the context of the reference within the relevant biblical text will be considered. This will keep the biblical context from being imported to the meaning of the song in a way that might not have been intended. The songs analyzed are from the Library of Congress online collection of Civil War sheet music. 2 All sources selected were associated with either the Union or the Confederacy and have been identified by the Library of Congress as having “religious aspects,” with the exception of “The Battle-Cry of Freedom,” which is included because of its popularity and because it was rewritten for both the Union and the Confederacy. 3 Some of the songs use the word “hymn” in their title and others do not, thus the broader category of “songs and hymns.” Defining Terms It is appropriate to categorize the different ways that biblical language functions within these Civil War songs. This is a challenge because no form of categorization will be perfect. In fact, there are occasions where an appearance of biblical language may share the characteristics of more than one of the following categories. Nevertheless, such categories are a helpful and necessary tool to analyze the way that the lyrics reference the Bible. This research evaluates two major categories in which biblical language is used in these songs: borrowed language and biblical allusions. The latter category is broken into two sections, textual allusions and narrative allusions. The greatest distinction between these two categories is whether the song refers back to a specific passage or verse within the Bible or if the song pulls from general language that is throughout the Bible without making a clear claim to a single passage or verse. As said earlier, there will be occasions of overlap, specifically between borrowed biblical language and textual allusions. Borrowed language is further defined here as the occasions where key vocabulary within the biblical text are used in the lyrics. For example, songs might use the words “righteous” or “holy” to define the actions of the Union or Confederacy. This language is used throughout the Bible, and these words contribute to the overall meaning of the song. Because borrowed language rarely makes an explicit reference to any one verse in the Bible, the category demonstrates the generally interwoven language of the Bible with an interpretation of the Civil War. Textual allusions are defined as references to specific texts, phrases or verses. This category is the most difficult to identify and define because of its similarity to borrowed language. Textual allusions are distinct from borrowed language, however, because they contain more than individual words, and reference the broader message of specific texts. Borrowed vocabulary may appear in 1 Peter Wood and Emma Wild-Wood, “’One Day We Will Sing in God’s Home’: Hymns and Songs Sung in the Anglican Church in North-East Congo,” Journal of Religion in Africa , (2004): 145-80. 2 https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-war-sheet-music/?fa=subject: religious+aspects 3 Edward C. Spann, “Hymns and the Civil War,” Baptist History & Heritage , 80.