Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 4, no. 22, August 1859 | Page 5

prophetess took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women
went out after her with timbrels and with dances; and Miriam answered
them, 'Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously.'" At a later
period, in Jewish as in Greek history, choral exercises became a
profession, and the choir constituted a detached portion of men and
women.
"Those who have studied the history of Grecian antiquities," says
Archbishop Potter, "and collected the fragments which remain of the
most ancient authors, have all concurred in the opinion, that poetry was
first employed in celebrating the praises of the gods. The fragments of
the Orphic hymns, and those of Linus and Musaeus, show these poets
entertained sounder notions of the Supreme Being than many
philosophers of a later date. There are lyric fragments yet remaining
that bear striking resemblance to Scripture."
So, says Bishop Horne, "The poetry of the Jews is clearly traceable to
the service of religion. To celebrate the praises of God, to decorate his
worship, and give force to devout sentiments, was the employment of
the Hebrew Muse."
The choral song, that is, a sacred ode united with appropriate action,
distinguished the Jews and Greeks alike. At a later period of Jewish
history, the chorus became perfected, yet without receiving any organic

change. Among the Greeks, however, the chorus passed by degrees into
the drama. To simple singing and dancing they added a variety of
imitative action; from celebrating the praises of the Divinity, they
proceeded to represent the deeds of men, and their orchestras were
enlarged to theatres. They retained the chorus, but subordinated it to the
action. The Jews, on the other hand, did no more than dramatize the
chorus. So, Bishop Horsley says, the greater part of the Psalms are a
sort of dramatic ode, consisting of dialogues between certain persons
sustaining certain characters. In these psalms, the persons are the writer
himself and a band of Levites,--or sometimes the Supreme Being, or a
personation of the Messiah.
We find, then, the Jews and the Greeks running parallel in respect of
the drama, or that out of which the drama sprung, the chorus, for a long
series of years. The practice of the two nations in this respect exhibits a
striking coincidence, indeed, Lowth conceives that the Song of
Solomon bears a strong resemblance to the Greek drama. "The chorus
of virgins," he says, "seems in every respect congenial to the tragic
chorus of the Greeks. They are constantly present, and prepared to fulfil
all the duties of advice and consolation; they converse frequently with
the different characters; they take part in the whole business of the
poem." They fulfilled, in a word, all the purpose of the Greek chorus on
the Greek stage.
On certain occasions, the Greek chorus celebrated divine worship in the
vicinity of the great altar of their god. Clad in magnificent vestments,
they move to solemn measures about it; they ascend and descend the
steps that lead to it; they offer sacrifices upon it; they carry in their
hands lighted torches; they pour out lustral water; they burn incense;
they divide into antiphonal bands, and sing alternate stanzas of their
sacred songs.
So, in their religious festivals, the Jewish chorus surrounded the high
altar of their worship, gorgeously dressed, and with an harmonious
tread; they mounted and remounted the steps; they offered sacrifices;
they bore branches of trees in their hands; they scattered the lustral
water; they burnt incense; they pealed the responsive anthem.
But while we follow down the stream of resemblance to a certain point,
it divides at last: on the Greek side, it is diverted into the lighter
practice of the theatre; on the Jewish side, it seems to deepen itself in

the religious feeling of the nation.
Aeschylus, the father of tragedy, seizing upon the chorus, elaborated it
into the drama. The religious idea, indeed, seems never to have
deserted the gentile drama; for, at a later period, we find the Romans
appointing theatrical performances with the special design of averting
the anger of the gods. A religious spirit, also, pervades all the writings
of the ancient dramatists; they bring the gods to view, and the terrors of
the next world, on their stage, are seen crowding upon the sins of this.
On the other hand, David, who may be denominated the Alfred of the
Jews, seems to have contented himself with the chorus; he allotted its
members, disciplined its ranks, heightened its effect, and supplied new
lyrics for its use.
Another exemplification of singular coincidence and diversity between
the two nations appears in this, that the goat was common in the
religious observances of both; a similar ritual required the sacrifice of
this animal: but with the Jews the creature was an emblem of solemnity,