Channels, Fall 2019

Channels • 2019 • Volume 4 • Number 1 Page 51 the form of a short phrase, but textual allusions generally use a short phrase to allude to an entire text. For example, one song uses the phrase, “Majesty on high,” which is a phrase only used once in the Bible, in Hebrews 1:3. The effectiveness of textual allusions are similar to that of borrowed language in that it demonstrates the use of biblical texts to understand or explain the war, but unlike borrowed language, textual allusions supply a broader set of biblical ideas taken from a specific text. Narrative allusions are defined as references to specific stories within the biblical text. This category may be the easiest to identify within songs because they are fairly explicit and usually are significant in the song itself. For example, there are general references to the story of Moses leading Israel through the Red Sea. These allusions are significant because they demonstrate that soldiers identified with biblical characters and events within the immediate historical context of the Civil War. These allusions are used to justify actions and to interpret the outcome of current events. Identifying various ways that the Bible was used in songs and hymns is not unique to this research. Randall McElwain conducted a similar study on hymns written by Charles Wesley. 4 In his study, McElwain also breaks down the usage of the Bible in these hymns into three categories. He identifies “Incidental scriptural allusions” as casual usage of biblical language that correspond with specific passages but reflect an author whose mind was so filled with the Bible that it poured out into the lyrics—a subconscious usage. 5 This category is helpful but not translatable here because my research does not address the authors of these songs and hymns. Second, McElwain identifies “Intertextual use of scripture” in hymns, which was a conscious usage of the biblical text to interpret and echo it in the hymn. 6 The songs studied for this essay do not seem to interpret the text or to echo the overall Bible, but rather to use the text to interpret their current events. So McElwain’s category of intertextual use does not fully relate either. Lastly, McElwain identifies a “sermonic development of biblical texts,” which are the occasions where Charles Wesley “preaches” through his hymn. 7 Although there are occasions when the songs and hymns studied here apply the biblical narratives to the current events, it does not appear that these are meant to act in a sermonic way. Even though the categories McElwain identifies are not translatable to my study, they are still helpful in affirming the validity of such categories in general. Biblical texts are used in a variety of ways in songs and hymns and categorizing them is helpful in evaluating the function of these references. Historical and Religious Background The Civil War brought turmoil and bloodshed to the young nation that had never felt it before. Disagreement had built until it erupted, dividing the country, states, and even families. Was it right for the South to leave? Was it right for the North to make them stay? Was it right to allow slavery? Was a war the right solution? The question of “who is right?” added to the division as both the 4 Randall D. McElwain, “Biblical Langugae in the Hymns of Charles Wesley,” Wesley and Methodist Studies (2009): 55-70. 5 Ibid. 58-59. 6 Ibid. 60-63. 7 Ibid. 63-69.