The
Bok Carillon (Bell) Tower, Florida, USA
The Big Ben chimes in our home mark every quarter hour (listen to the chimes software we use). Hearing the chimes throughout the day turns my mind to see God’s call and opens my heart to hear His voice.
The progression of chimes through each hour creates a kind of time parallelism. This is similar to the way Hebrew parallelism in the Psalms organizes and structures ideas.
Hebrew parallelism is discussed below here.
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The famous Big Ben chimes are the most widely used chime tones for bells that mark time.
The Big Ben bell melody is also known as the "Westminster Chimes" or the Westminster or Cambridge Quarters because the chimes are written to be played every quarter hour.
Tradition has it that the Big Ben chime pattern was written about 1794 for the bells at St. Mary’s Church, Cambridge, England by William Crotch.
From Absolute Astronomy: "According to an inscription in the clockroom of Big Ben, the lyrics are":
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Words to Big Ben Chimes |
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According to a Wikipedia article, the Big Ben "melody consists of five different permutations of four notes."
It is commonly believed that the "first four notes of the Big Ben chimes are the same as in the fifth and sixth bars of the opening symphony of Handel’s ‘I Know That My Redeemer Liveth’ in his ‘Messiah’" and that Crotch used those notes as the foundation for his five permutations or variations. See also "The Book of World Famous Music," page 635 at Google Book Search.
In the conventional key of C Major: G, C, D, and E, the Big Ben chimes are [from Wikipedia]:
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Series Number |
Notes in Series |
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(1) (2) (3)
(5) |
E, D, C, G
C, E, D, G C, D, E, C (or sometimes C, E, D, C; in either case "malformed", as it lacks G) E, C, D, G G, D, E, C |
The chime pattern for an hour is as follows:
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Chime Series Heard |
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First quarter 1Q (1) Second quarter 2Q (2)(3) Third quarter 3Q (4)(5)(1) Hour (2)(3)(4)(5) Single note for each hour |
The chimes might be viewed as introverted (or inverted) parallelism because the (1) series begins and ends the first and third quarter hours and brackets the series of (2)(3) (4)(5) in the second and third quarter hours.
The hour series of (2)(3)(4)(5) brackets the entire next hour, ending with the following hour’s (2)(3)(4)(5).
The above time parallelism of the Big Ben chimes might be shown as:
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Chimes: Time's Poetic Parallelism Over Two Hours |
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Hour (2)(3)(4)(5)
Hour (2)(3)(4)(5)
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And in the striking of the bell for the time of day — each additional hour's bong is like stair-step parallelism for the day until the new day begins.
People who read the Psalms (the most quoted book in the New Testament) — like Benedictine oblates and other who pray or sing the divine office — spend a lot of time with the Psalms. We are drawn to their further study. The Book of Psalms is the largest book in the Bible and the book that coincidently occupies the middle portion of the Bible.1
Seeing the parallelism in a particular Psalm lets our hearts hear a deeper resonance of thought.
The following describes the basic types of parallelism in the Psalms (but these structures are found in other Bible books as well).
Hebrew Poetry — Psalm Parallelism
Overview
Unlike some modern poetry that rhymes, the main poetic forms of the Psalms, indeed of Hebrew poetry, are elegantly crafted lines that structure how one thought or idea is related to another. This poetic form is called parallelism.
"Either by repetition or by antithesis [the opposite thought] or by some other device, thought is set over against thought, form balances form, in such wise as to bring the meaning home to one strikingly and agreeably."2 This definition sounds like a definition that also describes music or our Big Ben chimes — or any great art because sll such art reveals the beauty of God in creation and time. This truth is described in Psalm 18 (19):
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Psalm 18(19)
2 The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands. 3 Day to day uttereth speech, and night to night sheweth knowledge. Douay-Rheims Bible |
The "thought harmony" of Hebrew parallelism in the Psalms illuminates and then intensifies a Psalm’s meaning.
From before birth, God formed in our hearts templates of relationships that correspond and respond to His truth. Psalm parallelism in which "form balances form, in such wise as to bring the meaning home to one strikingly and agreeably" causes such reactions because the psalms strike a chord within us.
Identifying parallelism in the Psalms helps us interpret the Psalms correctly. One thought can be clarified by another either because it is a repeated idea or because some other pattern of relationships provides the clue to an obscure meaning.
Hebrew poetic parallelism was "first identified for modern readers by Robert Lowth in 1753." 3
Parallelism in the Bible comes in a wide variety of forms, here are the most commonly recognized types of parallelisms:
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Hebrew
Poetry |
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Synonymous Parallelism Synonymous
means |
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Form |
A and A |
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Summary |
Repetition of a thought |
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Definition |
The idea in the first part of a line/verse is repeated in the second part of a line or in a following verse. | |||
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Example |
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Explanation |
Each verse above in this example shows Synonymous Parallelism, the idea in the first part of a line is repeated in the second part of the line.
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Antithetic Parallelism Antithetic
means |
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Form |
A and -A |
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Summary |
Opposite Thoughts |
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Definition |
The
idea in the first part of a line/verse is the opposite
of the idea in the second part of a line or opposite of
the idea in another verse. |
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Example |
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Explanation |
Antithetic parallelism is very common in Proverbs and provides wonderful antithetic structures. For example, note the inverted form of this antithetic parallelism: "The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but the dwelling of the just he blesses." Proverbs 3:33
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Synthetic Parallelism Synthetic
means
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Form |
A expands to A1 |
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Summary |
Expanded Thought |
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Definition |
The idea in the first part of a line/verse is expanded or developed into a fuller thought in the second part of a line or another verse. | |||
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Example |
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Explanation |
The idea of "God made us" is developed and expanded to the idea of us belonging to God and dependent upon him only. At the end of the idea we are the "sheep of his pasture." |
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This type of parallelism is also called by these names |
Formal Parallelism Additive Parallelism Climactic Parallelism |
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Introverted (or Inverted) Parallelism Introverted means "to turn in upon itself" Inverted means "to turn inside out or upside down"
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Form |
A B B A |
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Summary |
An idea is bracketed around a middle idea often spanning several verses |
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Definition |
"The lines are arranged so the
1st and 4th verses parallel and the 2nd and 3rd verses
parallel." 4
Introverted Parallelism also exists where "The thought veers from the main theme and then returns thereto." 4 see New Advent Inverted parallelism is also sometimes viewed as chiastic and especially so if the structure is: A B C X C B A in which "X" is a central theme or key idea. This is a chiasmus form. More on chiasmus -- see Footnote 1 below.
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Example |
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Explanation |
This is an A B B A pattern. The verse begins with the idea of "escape" and in the middle are the two clauses about the trap being broken. |
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This type of parallelism is sometimes called Chiasmus
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Other kinds of Hebrew parallelism
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Stair-Step Parallelism |
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Form |
A B C D E |
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Summary |
The thought is repeated in series of progressions or developments |
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Example |
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Emblematic Parallelism |
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Form |
A
to "A metaphor/simile" |
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Summary |
An idea is illustrated with an image, metaphor, or simile, or after an image, simile/metaphor the idea is stated directly.5 |
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Example |
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Explanation |
In the above example, a simile is used "As the deer... so my soul." |
Conclusion
Knowing the parallelism of a particular Psalm helps orient us to the thoughts just as hearing a Big Ben chime anchors us in time.
Hearing chimes on every quarter hour also tells us a summary of the time — it’s half-past the hour, for example, like an antiphon gives a key thought to consider in a Psalm.
The structure imparted to time by chimes and parallelism used to craft the Psalms is not a confining apparatus any more than a bridge across a river hinders us from reaching our destination.
Chapter 47 of the Rule St. Benedict gives the abbot the responsibility to call the monastic community to the divine office at the proper times — such designation of the abbot to perform this task reveals the high importance St. Benedict placed on the "simple" act of announcing the time for the Work of God (another name for the divine office).
While we know that St. Benedict’s monks did not hear the Westminster Quarters call them to prayer, it is unknown exactly what type of devise was used to announce the time for the divine office. I don't think St. Benedict thought his abbots would be yelling out across the monastery grounds, "Hey, Listen UP! It's time for Vespers."
Benedictine monk Kardong writes that the abbot would most likely strike a gong or use a wooden clapper.6
Kardong also writes that one commentator believes the rod often seen in depictions of St. Benedict was not for punishment, but was for the task important task of striking whatever may have been used to sound the call to prayer.
Regardless of the problems of keeping time in the sixth century AD compared to today, the importance of the call to prayer is also based on the need to respond to God in obedience — which is just as valid for me today as it was in 530 AD when the Rule of St. Benedict was complied. And that is what our chimes do.
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In another blog I wrote about how our Big Ben chimes are working again on a used computer and that I really missed the orderliness it gives to time.
FOOTNOTES:
The picture is Bok Tower copied from a post card. Bok Tower was built in 1929 as a quiet sanctuary for the American people. It is a favorite place we visit often. This Bok Tower picture was suggested for this blog by my wonderful wife. Thank you, good choice.
1. The Book of Psalms is like a literary chiasmus for the Bible. A chiasmus (pronounced) is inverted parallelism around a central axis. See example above. For an article on chiasmus in the Bible see Chiastic Parallelism.
2. Quote from the New Advent Encyclopedia article on Parallelism.
3. Quote about Robert Lowth from "Psalms," by Geoffrey Grogan, at Google Book Search.
4. The definitions of Introverted/Inverted Parallelism are from David Graves & Jane Graves, Electronic Christian Media; and from the New Advent article on Parallelism.
5. The definition of Emblematic Parallelism is from David Graves & Jane Graves, Electronic Christian Media.
6. Benedict’s Rule, by Terrence Kardong, O.S.B., The Liturgical Press, 1996, page 379
Other References:
Fact Sheet Overview of the Book of Psalms
New Advent Article, Psalms
Chiasmus: An Important Structural Device
Commonly Found in Biblical Literature
By Brad McCoy
The Prayers of the Psalter, by Henry Wansbrough
American Catholic Quarterly at Google Book Search
Jewish Encyclopedia. PARALLELISM IN HEBREW POETRY
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I began working on this material on the day of the solemnity of the Ascension, Thursday, May 21, 2009. Due to my inability to know how to insert tables into the blog, I just added this blog as a web page to the Oblate Spring web site where it was easier for me to set the formatting.
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