Spiritual Hymns....

"You know when you're young you think you will always be. As you become more fragile, you reflect and you realize how much comfort can come from the past. Hymns can carry you into the future." -Andy Griffith

"Hymn" is a Greek word meaning "song of praise." They are often sung in church services, and a collection of hymns can be found in a book, called a hymnal. Christian/Jewish hymns were started through the book of Psalm in the Bible, and are also referred to as "psalms" as a synonym of the word. Other ancient hymns include the Egyptian Great Hymn to the Aten, composed by Pharaoh Akhenaten; the Vedas, a collection of hymns in the tradition of Hinduism; and the Western tradition of hymnody begins with the Homeric Hymns, a collection of ancient Greek hymns, the oldest of which were written in the 7th century BC, praising deities of the ancient Greek religions. During the Middle Ages a rich hymnody developed in the form of Gregorian chant or plainsong. Christian hymns are often written and sung with special or seasonal themes in mind, such as Christmas, Easter and the Feast of All Saints, during particular seasons such as Advent and Lent, or celebrations or mournful such as a baptisms, weddings and funerals. A writer of hymns is known as a hymnist or hymnodist, and the practice of singing hymns is called hymnody; the same word is used for the collectivity of hymns belonging to a particular denomination or period. According to Wikipedia, "Thomas Aquinas, in the introduction to his commentary on the Psalms, defined the Christian hymn as praise of God with song; a song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice."

On a side note- I personally LOVE hymns! I think, especially with my generation, hymns are getting lost and forgotten, but I think they are so powerful. The new, contemporary Christian songs are great, but I think it is important to remember where those songs started, and that was with hymns. And actually, some recent Christian artists have started rerecording hymns, and putting a contemporary spin on them, like with Chris Tomlin and his version of "Amazing Grace." That way, younger people are getting a mix of the old and the new. My favorite hymn is "How Great Thou Art," and Carrie Underwood did an amazing performance of the song last year that still can bring me to tears! Also, "Amazing Grace" is probably the most known and frequently sung hymn, and if you haven't seen the movie, called "Amazing Grace," which explains how the hymn was written, I recommend you watch it sometime. It's fabulous.

Playlist: Songs 40-46