Hymnic and Theological Discourse in Paul — How Poetry Carries Doctrine in Koine Greek

Introduction: When Paul Sings, Theology Marches

Paul’s letters are not only arguments; they are also songs. At crucial moments, Paul (and the Pauline tradition) breaks into hymnic or doxological discourse—elevated Greek that compresses Christology and soteriology into rhythmic lines meant to be recited, remembered, and lived. These sections are not ornamental. They function like cathedrals of clauses, concentrating the letter’s theology in forms that the early churches could confess together in worship (Hurtado, 2003; Bauckham, 2008). Reading them well at the doctoral level means learning to hear poetic features—parallel cola, strophic balance, anaphora, asyndeton, thematic merisms—and to map how Paul’s syntax, aspect, and prepositions carry the doctrine.

In this lesson you will learn (1) how to recognize hymnic discourse in Greek, (2) how to analyze its form–function relationship, and (3) how to translate and exegete key hymnic passages with confidence. We will practice on Colossians 1:15–20, revisit Philippians 2:6–11 in light of hymnic technique, read the confessional lines in 1 Timothy 3:16, and trace doxological and credal moments in 1 Corinthians 8:6; 13; 15:3–5; Romans 11:33–36; Ephesians 1:3–14. Throughout, you will be asked to slow down, mark cola, distinguish finite verbs from participles, label prepositions with semantic roles, and articulate theological payoffs that depend on the Greek (Martin, 1997; Fee, 2007; O’Brien, 1982; Moo, 2008; Wright, 2013; Wallace, 1996; Porter, 1992; Runge, 2010).

1. What Counts as “Hymnic” in Paul? Signals and Cautions

Scholars identify hymnic discourse by linguistic signals rather than by speculative reconstructions alone. You will often observe (a) elevated diction and metaphors not typical of the immediate prose; (b) parallelism across lines; (c) strophic symmetry (down–up, creation–reconciliation); (d) anaphoric connectors such as ἐν ᾧ / ὃς… ὅτι…; (e) condensation of theology into relative, participial, or infinitival chains; and sometimes (f) meter-like rhythm or assonance suited to oral recitation (Martin, 1997; Fee, 2007).

But proceed with caution: the New Testament does not annotate its poetry. Claims about pre-Pauline sources or liturgical settings are hypotheses. Your job is first to read the Greek on the page: map the cola and syntax you actually see, and let those features guide your exegesis before you speculate about prehistory (Dunn, 1996; Wallace, 1996; Runge, 2010).

2. The Christ Hymn of Colossians 1:15–20 — Creation and Reconciliation in Two Strophes

2.1 The Greek text and its strophic shape

Colossians 1:15–20 forms a widely recognized hymn with two balanced strophes: Christ and creation (vv. 15–17) and Christ and reconciliation/new creation (vv. 18–20). Read it aloud in Greek, marking cola at obvious break points (τὰ πάντα; ὅτι; καὶ… καὶ…; δι’ αὐτοῦ):

ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου,
πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως,
ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα
ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς,
τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα,
εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι·
τὰ πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται·
καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων,
καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν·
καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας·
ὅς ἐστιν ἀρχή, πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν,
ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων·
ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι,
καὶ δι’ αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι τὰ πάντα εἰς αὐτόν,
εἰρηνοποιήσας διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ,
[δι’ αὐτοῦ], εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.

2.2 Lexical anchors and prepositional theology

The hymn is stitched together by three prepositional anchors: ἐν αὐτῷ, δι’ αὐτοῦ, εἰς αὐτόν. In v. 16 you meet a triad that maps Christ’s relation to creation: in him (sphere/agency), through him (mediation), unto him (goal). Paul then balances aorist and perfect forms: ἐκτίσθη (aor. pass.) presents the event of creation “in him”; ἔκτισται (perf. pass.) presents creation as a state “through him and unto him” (Wallace, 1996; Porter, 1992). In v. 17, συνέστηκεν (perf. act.) adds ongoing cohesion—“in him all things hold together.”

2.3 Two cruxes: εἰκών and πρωτότοκος

εἰκών (“image”) in Koine can denote both representation and manifestation; here it signals the full, visible self-expression of the invisible God (BDAG). πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως is best read as rank/primacy (“firstborn over all creation”), not as “first created,” because (1) the genitive is partitive or ablatival of subordination in context and (2) v. 16 immediately grounds the title in his agency in creation (“because in him all things were created”) (Moo, 2008; O’Brien, 1982; Wright, 2013).

2.4 The second strophe: new creation and reconciliation

The second half relocates primacy in resurrection: πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, with the ἵνα clause expressing telos: “that he might become preeminent in everything.” The puzzling clause ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι is best heard as “because all the fullness [sc. of God] was pleased to dwell in him,” preparing for δι’ αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι (“through him to reconcile”) τὰ πάντα εἰς αὐτόν—again the triad bends cosmos to the Son (O’Brien, 1982; Wright, 2013). The aorist participle εἰρηνοποιήσας specifies how reconciliation was achieved: by the blood of his cross.

2.5 Exegetical payoff from the form

The two strophes mirror each other: creation in/through/unto Christ; reconciliation in/through/unto Christ. The perfects stabilize cosmic coherence and indwelling fullness; the aorists narrate decisive acts (creation, reconciling). In preaching and teaching, let the prepositional map do the work: Christ is the sphere, agent, and goal of all things—and of your life in him (Fee, 2007; Wright, 2013).

3. Philippians 2:6–11 Revisited — Hymnic Form as Ethical Engine

You studied this passage in the previous article for its kenosis and exaltation. From the hymnic angle, note how parallel cola and participial chains produce the descent–ascent arc: ὑπάρχων… ἡγήσατο… ἐκένωσεν (with λαβών / γενόμενος / εὑρεθείς spelling how), then ἐταπείνωσεν (with γενόμενος ὑπήκοος giving manner), then the διό that turns to ὑπερύψωσεν and the ἵνα of cosmic homage. The form is the message: refusal to exploit → self-emptying by addition → costly obedience → God’s exaltation (Martin, 1997; Silva, 2005; Fee, 2007). Hymnic discourse here is paraenetic: Paul frames the hymn with an imperative mindset (2:5). Your grammatical work must therefore end in ethics.

4. Confessional Poetry in 1 Timothy 3:16 — A Six-Line “Great Mystery”

4.1 The confessed “mystery” as strophic lines

καὶ ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον·
ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί,
ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι,
ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις,
ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν,
ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ,
ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ.

Six aorist forms (passive or middle) roll out salvation history in tight cola: manifested in flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among nations, believed in the world, taken up in glory. The textual issue ὃς / ὃ / θεός is well known; reading ὃς yields “who was manifested…” introducing a relative-hymn about Christ. The parallel prepositional phrases (ἐν σαρκί / ἐν πνεύματι / ἐν ἔθνεσιν / ἐν κόσμῳ / ἐν δόξῃ) contribute to the rhythm and theological symmetry: incarnation–vindication–revelation–mission–faith–exaltation (Wallace, 1996; Hurtado, 2003).

4.2 Function in the letter

The formula ὁμολογουμένως (“by common confession”) and the isocolic structure point to liturgical usage. Within the Pastoral’s concern for conduct “in the household of God” (3:15), this confession centers conduct on Christ. For your exegesis, parse each aorist carefully and consider the salvation-historical sweep: the hymn narrates the whole gospel in six beats.

5. Doxologies and Credal Moments Elsewhere in Paul

5.1 1 Corinthians 8:6 — A Reframed Shema

ἀλλ’ ἡμῖν εἷς θεὸς ὁ πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν,
καὶ εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς δι’ αὐτοῦ.

Paul bifurcates the Shema into a Christological confession: one God, the Father (source ἐξ οὗ; goal εἰς αὐτόν) and one Lord, Jesus Christ (agency δι’ οὗ). The prepositional triad matches Colossians’ ἐν/δι’/εἰς logic, now keyed to Father/Lord roles. This is early “Christological monotheism”: Jesus is included in the unique divine identity by sharing the divine name and functions (Bauckham, 2008; Hurtado, 2003).

5.2 1 Corinthians 13 — An Encomium of Love

The famous “love chapter” is rhetorically epideictic, but its parallelism, anaphora (ἡ ἀγάπη… ἡ ἀγάπη…), and antithetical cola (“οὐ ζηλοῖ… οὐ περπερεύεται…”) exhibit hymnic rhetoric. Grammatically, watch the present indicatives that profile love’s habitual character (μακροθυμεῖ… χρηστεύεται), followed by ou-phrases that define what love is not, and then πάντα + present verbs (“always bears… believes… hopes… endures”). The discourse elevates virtue to a confessional level: love abides when gifts cease. Translate so the present aspect reads as enduring posture (Runge, 2010; Fee, 2007).

5.3 1 Corinthians 15:3–5 — Received and Handed-On Gospel

παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν πρώτοις ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς γραφάς,
καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη,
καὶ ὅτι ἐγήγερται τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατὰ τὰς γραφάς,
καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη…

The paradidōmi–paralambanō pair frames a tradition unit; the four ὅτι clauses structure a creed: died, was buried, has been raised (perfect), appeared. Note the aspectual shift: ἐγήγερται (perfect) presents the abiding reality of resurrection. Your exegesis should show how syntax certifies historicity and Scripture conformity (“according to the Scriptures”), even as the perfect anchors the church’s present (Wright, 2013; Fee, 2007).

5.4 Romans 11:33–36 — Doxology by Questions

The doxology advances by rhetorical questions and catena of prepositions: ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ δι’ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτόν τὰ πάντα· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα. The triad recapitulates the cosmic map: from, through, to God. As in Colossians 1, the prepositions preach. Trace them, then translate with tight cadence (Moo, 2018).

5.5 Ephesians 1:3–14 — Blessing as Doxological Syntax

You have already mapped this sentence. From the hymnic angle, notice the anaphora of ἐν ᾧ and the refrain εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης. Participation in Christ (“in him”) is the sphere of every blessing; the sentence behaves like a liturgical cascade. Make sure your translation preserves the telic thrust of εἰς phrases and the present of ἔχομεν (O’Brien, 1991; Thielman, 2010).

6. How to Read Hymns and Doxologies Like a Scholar (and a Worshipper)

When your eyes detect a shift to hymnic discourse, take these steps. First, mark the cola. Indent each unit so that parallel phrases align; this visual discipline forces you to see repetition and contrast. Second, separate finite verbs from participles and infinitives; ask what the aorists accomplish (event), what the presents portray (state/habit), what the perfects secure (abiding results) (Porter, 1992; Wallace, 1996). Third, label every prepositional phrase with a one-word semantic tag—sphere (ἐν), agency (διά + gen.), source (ἐκ), goal (εἰς), accordance/standard (κατά), cause (διὰ + acc.)—and then write one sentence explaining how the preposition serves the theology. Fourth, track lexical anchors (πλήρωμα, εἰκών, πρωτότοκος, μυστήριον, ἀρραβών, ἀγάπη), consulting BDAG for range and collocations. Fifth, resist the urge to flatten poetry into prose. Let the parallelism and cadence guide your English so that readers feel the original’s lift (Runge, 2010).

7. Guided Exegesis Labs

Lab A: Colossians 1:15–17 — Creation Triad

Mark ἐν αὐτῷ / δι’ αὐτοῦ / εἰς αὐτόν and τὰ πάντα in vv. 16–17. Parse ἐκτίσθη and ἔκτισται; explain the aorist/perfect interplay (event vs. abiding state). In a short paragraph, defend πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως as rank, not origination, using the immediate ὅτι clause. Conclude with a sentence on why συνέστηκεν matters for Christian cosmology (Moo, 2008; O’Brien, 1982).

Lab B: Colossians 1:18–20 — Reconciliation Telos

Underline πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν and ἵνα… πρωτεύων. Parse εὐδόκησεν… κατοικῆσαι (supply implied subject), ἀποκαταλλάξαι, εἰρηνοποιήσας. Show how δι’ αὐτοῦ… εἰς αὐτόν matches the creation triad and how the aorist participle specifies means.

Lab C: 1 Timothy 3:16 — Six Beats

Parse each aorist; label the ἐν phrases (sphere/instrument?). Describe in 3–4 sentences the salvation-historical arc across the six cola. If you adopt ὃς, note how the relative pronoun binds the confession to Christ.

Lab D: 1 Corinthians 8:6 — One God, One Lord

Diagram the line in two cola. Label ἐξ οὗ / εἰς αὐτόν (source/goal) and δι’ οὗ (agency). Write a two-sentence note explaining how this reframes the Shema without abandoning monotheism (Bauckham, 2008; Hurtado, 2003).

Lab E: 1 Corinthians 15:3–5 — Creedal ὅτι-Chain

Mark παρέδωκα… παρέλαβον, then underline each ὅτι clause. Explain why ἐγήγερται appears in the perfect, and how the two κατὰ τὰς γραφάς function.

8. Intensive Practice (Translation + Analysis)

You will work in Greek and produce polished translations with annotations.

Exercise 1: Col 1:15–20 Strophic Outline.
Write a two-strophe outline with cola indented. For each colon, list (a) head term(s), (b) finite verb(s), (c) key prepositions with one-word semantic tags, (d) aspect glosses. Then write 300–400 words synthesizing how form–function yields high Christology.

Exercise 2: Compose a Pauline-Style Doxology (Greek).
Write 3–4 Greek cola that confess God’s saving work ἐν Χριστῷ, using at least three different prepositions (ἐν, διὰ, εἰς, ἐκ). Include one ἵνα clause and one perfect. Provide idiomatic translation and a note justifying your prepositional choices.

Exercise 3: Philippians 2:6–11 Aspect Map.
List every finite verb and participle with tense–form and function (event/means/manner/telos). In 250–300 words, argue that kenosis = addition (taking/assuming) rather than subtraction, based on the participial chain (Martin, 1997; Silva, 2005).

Exercise 4: 1 Tim 3:16 and 1 Cor 15:3–5 in Dialogue.
Place the six cola of 1 Tim 3:16 beside the four ὅτι clauses of 1 Cor 15. Note convergences (incarnation–vindication–exaltation; death–burial–resurrection–appearance). Conclude with 200 words on how creed and confession stabilized early Christian proclamation.

Assigned Readings and Translations (This Week)

Read and annotate in Greek the following passages, creating a Hymn & Doxology Log for each (finite verbs, participles/infinitives, prepositional map, aspect notes, 3–4 sentence theological payoff):

1. Colossians 1:15–20 (Christ hymn).

2. Philippians 2:6–11 (Christ hymn; read 2:1–11 for ethical frame).

3. 1 Timothy 3:16 (confessional stanza).

4. 1 Corinthians 8:4–6; 13:1–13; 15:1–11 (one God/one Lord; love encomium; gospel creed).

5. Romans 11:33–36; 16:25–27 (doxologies).

6. Ephesians 1:3–14 (blessing cascade; revisit with strophic eyes).

Suggested Assignments (graded)

1) Research Essay (8–10 pages): “Prepositions that Preach: ἐν/δι’/εἰς in Col 1:15–20 and 1 Cor 8:6.”
Argue that Paul’s prepositional theology encodes both creation and redemption. Provide close parsing; interact with O’Brien (1982), Moo (2008), Fee (2007), and Bauckham (2008). Conclude with pastoral implications for prayer and catechesis.

2) Critical Commentary (6–8 pages): 1 Tim 3:16 as Liturgical Confession.
Present a careful translation; discuss textual variants (ὃς/θεός), parse each aorist, analyze the strophic parallelism, and situate the stanza within Pastoral letter theology. Engage Wallace (1996) on the relative pronoun and Hurtado (2003) on early devotion.

3) Oral Recitation and Scansion.
Memorize Col 1:15–20 in Greek. Submit an audio recitation and a marked script showing cola and pauses. Add a 1–2 page reflection on how speaking the Greek sharpened your exegesis.

4) Comparative Form Analysis (5–6 pages).
Compare Phil 2:6–11 with Eph 1:3–14 on form and function. How do participial chains and ἵνα clauses operate in each? How does down–up (Phil 2) relate to plan–possession–praise (Eph 1)? Use Fee (2007), Silva (2005), O’Brien (1991), Thielman (2010), Runge (2010).

5) Teaching Dossier for Worship Leaders (4–5 pages).
Craft a guide explaining how to select and frame hymns and readings that echo the New Testament’s hymnic discourse. Base your guidance on Greek features (parallelism, anaphora, prepositional triads, perfects of abiding reality). Include short, jargon-free summaries that still honor the Greek.

Conclusion: Let the Poetry Do the Preaching

Paul’s hymns and doxologies are not diversions from theology; they are theology at highest pitch. In Colossians 1 the cosmos is mapped in–through–unto Christ; in Philippians 2 the Son’s refusal to exploit and his obedience unto death become the church’s mind; in 1 Timothy 3:16, the whole gospel beats in six aorists; in 1 Corinthians 8:6, monotheism is reframed in Christ; in 1 Corinthians 13 and 15, the church sings love’s permanence and the creed’s core; in Romans 11, creation and redemption return from God, through God, to God. Your task as an advanced reader of Koine is to see how form carries meaning, to translate with the music intact, and to let the grammar of worship form your exegesis and your ministry. When you let the hymns sing in Greek, doctrine will not be thinner; it will be truer, richer, and memorably shared.

References (APA)

Bauckham, R. (2008). Jesus and the God of Israel: God crucified and other studies on the New Testament’s Christology of divine identity. Eerdmans.

Bauer, W., Danker, F. W., Arndt, W. F., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek–English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press. [= BDAG]

Dunn, J. D. G. (1996). Christology in the making: A New Testament inquiry into the origins of the doctrine of the incarnation (2nd ed.). Eerdmans.

Fee, G. D. (2007). Pauline Christology: An exegetical-theological study. Hendrickson.

Hurtado, L. W. (2003). Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in earliest Christianity. Eerdmans.

Martin, R. P. (1997). A hymn of Christ: Philippians 2:5–11 in recent interpretation and in the setting of early Christian worship (rev. ed.; formerly Carmen Christi). IVP Academic.

Moo, D. J. (2008). The letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (Pillar). Eerdmans.

O’Brien, P. T. (1982). Colossians, Philemon (WBC 44). Word.

O’Brien, P. T. (1991). The letter to the Ephesians (PNTC). Eerdmans.

Porter, S. E. (1992). Idioms of the Greek New Testament (2nd ed.). Sheffield Academic Press.

Runge, S. E. (2010). Discourse grammar of the Greek New Testament: A practical introduction for teaching and exegesis. Lexham.

Silva, M. (2005). Philippians (2nd ed., BECNT). Baker Academic.

Thielman, F. (2010). Ephesians (BECNT). Baker Academic.

Wallace, D. B. (1996). Greek grammar beyond the basics: An exegetical syntax of the New Testament. Zondervan.

Wright, N. T. (2013). Paul and the faithfulness of God. Fortress Press.