Singing and the introduction of instruments into worship has through the centuries been a flame of contention. Since we are those who desire to pattern our worship after that set forth in scripture and the first century example let us contemplate the attitude about the use of instruments of music during worship in a historical perspective.

            History makes it comprehensible that mechanical instruments of music was not known in the worship of God for five or six centuries after the Lord’s Church was established. Early Christian historians refer to vocal music as that which was used by Christians in their public assemblies. These writers are silent about the using of an instrument during worship.

            The first description of Christian worship outside the New Testament comes from Pliny the Younger, the Roman governor of Bythinia about 112 A.D., in a letter written to emperor Trajan about the Christians he writes, But they declared that the sum of their guilt or error had amounted only to this, that on an appointed day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak, and recite a hymn antiphonally to Christ, ..." (H. Betterson, Documents of the Christian Church, London, Oxford University press, pp. 4-5.)

            Early sources agree, the presence of vocal music was that used in worship. Eusebius in his commentary on Psalms 65:10-15 makes note of singing in public assemblies:

            "Throughout the world — in cities, in villages, and in the country — in all the churches of God the people of Christ, who have been chosen out of all the nations, send up, not to the native gods nor to demons but to one God spoken of by the prophets, hymns and psalmody with a loud voice so that the sound of those singing can be heard by those standing outside."

(Eusebius, Commentary on Psalms.)

            It can be concluded that the use of the voice, not the use of an instrument was used to praise and worship God in the first century after Pentecost.

            A flute was introduced into Christian worship at Alexandria, Egypt in the second century. This practice was expressly forbidden by Clement of Alexandria about 190 A.D.; it was said to be too worldly. The general introduction of instrumental music of worship was around the fifth or sixth centuries. Pope Bitalian is related to have first introduced organs into some churches of Western Europe, about 670 A.D., but the earliest trustworthy account is that of one sent as a present by the Greek emperor Constantine Copronymus to Pepin, king of the Franks, in 755 A.D.. Gregory the Great, at the end of the sixth century prohibited the use of instruments.

            "Gregory was the originator of the ‘Gregorian Chant,’ or the ‘plain chant.’ The vocal music was without harmony, one line of music, no fixed rhythm and was monophonic. By today's standards it was rather dull, monotonous music. But Gregory was renound for the exclusion of instruments in worship." (Swindall, Why We Sing and Do Not Play, p. 25.)

            Many of the early reformers departing the Roman Catholic church removed instruments from the worship calling them "monuments of idolatry."

1) Martin Luther - called the organ an ensign of Baal.

2) John Calvin - said that instrumental music was not fit to be adopted into the Christian Church than the incense and the candlestick.

3) John Knox - called the organ a kist (chest) of whistles.

4) The Church of England - revived them, against very strong protest, and the English dissenters would not touch them.

(McClintock & Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, Vol. VI. p. 762)

            Even in the early days of American religion the instrument was opposed and debated vigorously. The Puritans of New England called organs the "devil’s bagpipes."

            From the day of Pentecost and establishment of the Lord’s Church the use of instrumental music has been much debated. As we can conclude from these few excerpts, the instrument was not accepted as pleasing from the beginning of the Church. Let us as Christians today study God’s inspired word and consider these historical examples of the early Church and commit ourselves to worshipping in a manner pleasing to God and not that which just pleases SELF!

Prepared by,

— J.E. Werhan `95 —

Published by,

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