In the Eastern Church, as early as the third century, the custom of singing had become so general as to be recognized as one of the Church’s predominating features. In the Eastern Church, at Antioch, antiphonal congregational hymn singing had its origin, and from thence spread in all directions in the fourth century. An interesting fact comes to light in connection with the use the Eastern Church made of its hymns. Theodoret, in his historical writings, tells us that “while Chrysostom (347-407) was bishop of Constantinople, at the opening of the fifth century, the orthodox Christians were in the habit of assembling themselves in the public squares, then marching in midnight processions, through the city, singing sacred songs, in order to combat those who were enemies of Christ’s divinity.” This is a testimony concerning the anti-Arian hymnody. The early hymnody of the Eastern Church possesses a great deal of poetic beauty and fine rhetorical style. But many of these old Greek hymns indulge in a certain amount of tedious broadness and dogmatic prosiness. They are often vague and fantastic. Fine language seems often to be of greater importance than spiritual content. In the Eastern Church sacred song never received the development and the place in the life and the cultus of the congregation as in the Western Church. During the last half of the third century the Eastern Church advocated the use of the Psalms of David only in divine service. It must also be borne in mind that attempts were made in the Eastern Church about the middle of the fourth century to suppress congregational singing. The character of the hymns that were produced in the Eastern Church, their bombastic and often turgid style, their complicated rhythmical structure, and their unpractical Christianity, prevented them from becoming a property of the common people. EARLY LATIN HYMNS Early sacred song in the Western Church is characterized by noble simplicity and clearness in form, as well as by a more practical Christianity; fine qualities which go to make the old Latin hymns more accessible and serviceable to us than the old Greek hymns. The fourth century witnessed a remarkable activity in Latin hymnody. The Western Church was far more active in the hymnological field than the Eastern Church. One of the founders of Latin hymnody was St. Hilary, the good bishop of Poitiers, great scholar, and great defender of the Christian faith. During his exile (356-360) in Phrygia, St. Hilary came in touch with Arian hymn singing. When he was permitted to return to Gaul, he brought with him a great enthusiasm for hymn singing. He edited the first hymn book of the Western Church, and introduced singing of orthodox hymns among his people. He died in 368 A. D.