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Music & Worship

The Early Church: Early Instruction in Song

How did the early Christians sing? And what did they sing? And what difference does it make to 21^st century Christians? We have been dealing with these questions over the past several months. In this essay, and in the next two essays, we look to three giants of the early church for continued guidance. For these men were part of a movement that witnessed an explosion of Christianity that literally changed the world.

It's important to note that in the first 5 centuries of the church, Christian worship was taught carefully from one generation to the next. The music of worship was no exception. John Chrysostom, Ambrose and Augustine were church leaders who wrote extensively about what Christians were singing at the time and more importantly, how this musical culture shaped their worship, and ultimately, their view of Christ.

We look first to John Chrysostom (c.357-407) who was perhaps the greatest preacher of Christian antiquity. His nickname: "Golden Mouth." Early on, he was drawn to monastic life and while in this life of desert solitude, he practiced such an austere life that he permanently damaged his health. Because of this, he returned to his home town of Antioch where he was ordained a deacon/priest and ministered for over a decade

He flourished as a preacher and commentator on the church. Because of his great oratory (and popularity!) he was called to Constantinople, which was the pinnacle of the church and the Eastern center for the waning Roman empire.

He became, however, a reproach to both clergy and court. Because the popularity of his preaching and his call for personal holiness offended church and political leaders alike, he was banished from Constantinople to a small town near Antioch. His preaching again attracted such a large following, however, that he was banished again to an even smaller locality near the Black Sea, where he died.

Because of his great influence on the church, we quote (only briefly) from his many writings on music in the 4th century church. In his exposition on Psalm 41 he writes: When God saw that the majority of men were slothful, and that they approached spiritual reading with reluctance and submitted to the effort involved without pleasure—wishing to make the task more agreeable and to relieve the sense of tedium [boredom]—he mixed melody with prophecy, so that enticed by the rhythm and melody, all might raise sacred hymns to him with great eagerness. For nothing so arouses the soul, gives it wing, sets it free from the earth, releases it from the prison of the body, teaches it to love wisdom, and to condemn all the things of this life...as harmonious melody, and sacred song composed in rhythm .

Inasmuch as this kind of pleasure is thoroughly innate to our mind, and lest demons introducing lascivious songs should overthrow everything, God established the Psalms, in order that they might provide both pleasure and profit. From strange chants come harm, ruin and many a dreadful thing, since what is lascivious and vicious in these songs settles in the recesses of the soul making it softer and weaker; from the spiritual Psalms, however, proceeds much of value, much utility, much sanctity and every inducement to philosophy, for the words purify the soul and the Holy Spirit descends swiftly upon the soul of the singer. For those who sing with understanding invoke the grace of the Spirit.

Hear what Paul says: "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." He adds, moreover, what the cause of this filling is: "Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." What is the meaning of "in your heart"?

With understanding, he says; not so that the mouth utters words while the mind is inattentive and wanders in all directions, but so that the mind may hear the tongue. (From Source Readings in Music History,
Oliver Strunk, editor, Pp. 123, 124.)

Lessons from Chrysostom:

Music is a gift of God for His pleasure

Singing a text is more effective in teaching spiritual understanding than reading

Music is an indispensable asset for teaching and understanding the things of God

Because we are "programmed" to sing, music can also be sung that "lascivious"; that is, music that softens the soul and weakens the mind

Music and the mind are synonymous: The mind must be actively engaged when singing "spiritual" songs

When used properly, music can aid the Holy Spirit in filling the singer with God's grace