While scholars of antiquity have long spoken of didactic hymns, no single volume has defined or explored this phenomenon across cultural boundaries in antiquity. In this monograph Matthew E. Gordley provides a broad definition of didactic hymnody and examines how didactic hymns functioned at the intersection of historical circumstances and the needs of a given community to perceive itself and its place in the cosmos and to respond accordingly. Comparing the use of didactic hymnody in a variety of traditions, this study illuminates the multifaceted ways that ancient hymns and psalms contributed to processes of communal formation among the human audiences that participated in the praise either as hearers or active participants. The author finds that in Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Christian contexts, many hymns and prayers served a didactic role fostering the ongoing development of a sense of identity within particular communities. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. No. 302 "...Gordley is to be congratulated for placing between one set of a single book his findings of the instructional nature of an extensive range of ancient texts." --Steven Thompson, Avondale College of Higher Education (Australia), Review of Biblical Literature 12.22.16 Matthew E. Gordley, Born 1972; 2000 M.Div., Alliance Theological Seminary; 2006 PhD in Theology, University of Notre Dame; currently associate professor of New Testament and associate dean of academics in the School of Divinity at Regent University (Virginia).