Doctrines Lesson 23
A CAPPELLA MUSIC
IN THE PUBILC WORSHIP OF THE CHURCH
by Dr. Everett Ferguson
Chapter I Study Guide by Lane
Page 4
A. When Dr. Ferguson was a grad student at Harvard, what did his roommate tell him about the use of instrumental music in the Greek Orthodox Church?
B. Was there a particular division in the brotherhood that prompted Dr. Ferguson to write this book? (mentioned in class) _____________________________________
C. What are the three steps he uses to buttress his arguments as to why it is
inappropriate to use instrumental music in the worship service. (1)_____________(2) (3
Page 5
A. What are the New Testament passages that clearly state that Singing is
part of the corporate life of of Early Christians?
B. Do any of these passages clearly show that instrumental music was ever
used in the New Testament Church? C. The main linguistic controversy in the past has evolved around what Greek
word?_______________________________________________________
D. “Consequently, it would seem that no one has been able to establish with complete finality that the word necessarily includes or excludes___________________________________________________.”
E. How did Dr. Ferguson say the word changed from the early classical period (500-300 B.C.) to the Byzantine period (after A.D. 300)?_______________________________________________________________
F. Since the word Psallo changed, what does Ferguson attribute the cause for
the change?________________________________________________
G. The vast majority of all translators, lexicographers, commentators, and
historians, can find no clear reference to what_____________________ in
the New Testament?
Page 6
A. The root meaning of psallo, as defined by Liddell & Scott most often
means_______________________________?
B. But, this was the meaning of the word in ______________Greek?
C. On the other hand, E.A. Sophocles, Greek Lexicon of the Roman and
Byzantine Periods (From B.C. 146 to A.D. 1100) define the meaning of
the word psallo as _______________________________________?
D. Since it is plain the the meaning of the word changed over time, what
should the interested persons look for?_______________________
E. The word change for psallo also happened in another language at the same
time. What language was that?
F. Do you think that Latin used in the early church was different that Latin
used outside of the church in the same period of time?_______________
G. How did Tertullian (200 A.D.) use the word?_______________________
H. Around the same period of time, the Greek word psalmos had a similar
shift in meaning. How was the Greek word used?___________________
Page 7
A. On page 7, he gives us the classical meaning of the word psallo, and then
religious use of the word psallo. What do you think his point is?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 8
Psallo in the Greek Old Testament
A. Since the Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Old Testament,
translated by Jews, How did they translate the word psallo.___________
B. Is there a difference in the translation of the Hebrew words nagan and
zamar?__________________________________________________
C. Since reading Page 8 and Page 9, do you believe as some do, that the word
psallo, automatically assumes the use of a musical instrumental inherent in
the word psallo?
Page 10
The Dead Sea Scrolls
A. Is the use of the Hebrew word zamar, metaphorical or literal as
representing instruments of music in the Thanksgiving Scroll?
Page 11 & 12
Greek Apocrypha Pseudepigrapha
A. “Modern translators and students of the better known intertestamental
works generally see a reference to __________ only in the usage of
psallo.”
Page 13
A. How did the writer of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 9:4, use a cognate of the
word psallo._____________________________________________
B. When the word psallo, is used in the Apocrypha, how is it always
used?__________________________________________________
Page 14
Josephus and Philo
A. Can you explain why the works of Josephus cannot be trusted for word
definitions?_______________________________________________
Page 15
A. Why do you think that the Philo did not use the word Psallo?_______________________________________________
B. When did the shift in the usage of psallo take place?_________________
C Do you think that the background of Jewish music is important for the
understanding of music in the early church?________________________
Page 16
Psallo in the New Testament
A. Out of all the passages in the New Testament, which is the only passage
that people have tried to read 'play' in?____________________________-
Page 17
A. What word does Ephesians 5:19 add, that isn't in Colossians passage
(3:16)?__________________________________________________
B. Did John Chrysostom (347 A.D.) use the word Psallo to refer to
playing with instruments?_____________________________________
Page 18
A. Since the evidence on the New Testament proves there was no
instrument used in the New Testament, there is no
to use any in the worship service.
Page 19
A. Since some claim that the verses in Colossians and Ephesians were not
speaking of public worship, how does Dr. Ferguson dispute this?_______
___________________________________________________________
Psallo in Early Church Literature
A. Who was the first Christian writer (and what year) to use an extensive
musical vocabulary?________________________________________
Page 20
A. How does Clement most frequently use the word psallo?
B. What was the Instructor written about and in what year was it written?
__________________________________________________________
C. Do you think that the translators of the Ante-Nicene Fathers,
mistranslated the word psallo in Vol. II, p.500?_____________________
Page 21
A. When Clement wants to speak of singing and playing, does he use just one
word to include both?__________________________________________
B. Did Clement think it is appropriate to use instrumental music at a banquet? ____________________________________________________
Page 22
A. For Philo and Clement, the use of instruments in writing was ________.
B. At the bottom of page 22, and the start of page 23, what is the point?_____
Page 23
A. According to Dr. Ferguson, where did Clement say it was best to sing
psalms with an instrument?_________________________________
Page 24
A. In the third Century, the bishop Olympus in Lycia, knew his classics
but used the word psallo to mean only______________?
B. Eusebius, in the 4th century also used to word psallo, _________________
Page 25
A. Does Dr. Ferguson, make the point that the use of an instrument is not
and was never inherent in the word psallo?________________________
Page 26
A. Does the 4th century Apostolic Constitutions tell us we should use an in
instrument of music in the worship service?______________________
Page 27 & 28
A. What “conclusion” is stated at the beginning, to be supported by later
evidence?
B. Why is psallo of such importance in the study of church music? What is
the etymology and classical usage of psallo? Is this meaning found in
the New Testament?
C. What evidence is there for the use of psallo in reference to a cappella
singing before the New Testament times?
E. Why and how does the meaning of words change?
F. What two Hebrew words does psallo translate in the Old Testament?
What are their meanings?
G. How does Josephus use the word psallo? How do you account for the
absence of the word in Philo? What are the dates of these men and what
are their importance to New Testament word usage?
I. Does an instrument inhere in the word psallo, or must its presence be
determined by the context? Is an instrument to be inferred from any
New Testament passage using the word psallo?
J. What words are used in the New Testament for singing? In what passages
do they occur?
K. Does Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 refer to an assembly of the
church or private religious activities?
L. How was psallo used by early Christian writers after the New Testament?
The Context of New Testament Times
Page 29
Where are the first instances of the purely vocal use of psallo found?
A. Instrumental music accompanied the sacrifices of the Old Testament
because they were divinely __________________________________
B. The Book of I Esdras tells us that hymning was accompanied by _______?
Page 30
A. The Mishna contains a detailed account of what____________________?
(A Hebrew history of the Oral Law that was written simultaneously
with the Torah or written Law. Started around 200 B.C.)
B. Was instrumental music an important part of the Temple Service?_______
C. What is the Talmud?____________________________________________?
E. What is the Gemara?___________________________________________
Page 31
A. Do you think that the use of instrumental music in the church can be detached
from its commanded use in the Temple?______________________________
B. The Synagogue was an alternative to the ___________________________?
Page 32
A. We have ample evidence of Jewish musical practices found where________
where______________.
Page 33
A. Around the 2nd century B.C., what was the controversy with the Rabbis?_____
____________________________________________________________
Page 34
A. Was instrumental music allowed on the Sabbath?_______________________
B. Why was it that one could tie
a string on an instrument only in the Temple?___
___________________
What kind of music was used in the synagogue?_____________________
Page 35
A. Did the Rabbis think that instrumental music was much better than vocal?___
B. What does the Talmud claim is to be forbidden at festivities?_____________
C. There is no evidence that musical instruments were ever used in any ______?
D. The change in the usage of the word psallo in what time and use?_________?
Page 36
A. Philo was a contemporary with whom?______________________________?
B. Who were the Therapeutae, and what writings do they represent?________?
C. Did the Therapeutae use a piano in worship service?____________________?
Page 37
A. Eusebius the Church Historian, mistakenly thought the Therapeutae were
__________________________________________________________?
Page 38
A. What is an Allegorical interpretation?__________________________________
B. Did Philo have a positive attitude concerning the use of musical instruments?
___________
Page 39
A. Philo went so far as to introduce the concept of Silent __________________?
Page 40
A. Philo nowhere makes a reference to instrumental music in reference to who?
_________________________________________________________________
B. The conclusion drawn from the New Testament texts and from linguistic
evidence was that instrumental music _______________________?
Page 41
A. Describe the sacrificial worship of the Temple.
B. Does the association of instrumental music with animal sacrifice have any
any relevance for determining the practice of the New Testament Church?
C. Does the use of instrumental music in the O.T. have any bearing on its use
in the New Testament Church? Suggest some other acts that were part of the
Old Testament but not part of the New?
D. What do you know of the musical practices of the Synagogue? What was the
attitude of the Rabbis toward instrumental music?
E. What was Philo's attitude toward music?
F. What significance does the practice of the Synagogue and of Jewish sects
have for determining what was the probably the practice of the early church?
What was the religious and cultural setting of early Christianity—Judaism
or Greek culture and religion?
H. Supplement this book with a concordance or Bible dictionary, determine what
musical instruments are referred to in the New Testament. In what
circumstances are these reference made?
Page 43
A. Do you understand what Dr. Ferguson means when he says that a good way to
text the interpretation of the New Testament is by using the foreground of
New Testament?_____________________________________________
B. Was instrumental music actually used but not referred to in the New
Testament?_______________________________
C. Do you know the importance of the writings of Pliny the Younger?
_____________________________________________________
Page 44
A. Tell me what kind of singing Ignatius stressed____________________?
Page 45
A. Did Justin Martyr say they played a piano in the early 2nd century as a means
of praising God?______________________________________________
B. Even pagans rejected musical instrumentals as witnessed by the ___________
Oracles.
Page 46
A. Who is it at the end of the 2nd century that tells us exactly what was done in
the Christian Assembly?_________________________________
B. Did Tertullian indicate that he was a good piano player?________________
Page 47
A. Do Patristic writers tell us that singing was done in solo by individuals or
in Unison?_________________________________________________
Page 48
A. Ambrose of Milan was responsible for converting who?________________
B. Does the conclusion that the early church did not use instrumental music rest
on silence?____________________________________________________
C. Statements written near the year 400 declare what about instrumental music
in the Church?_____________________________________________
Page 49
A. “It is not simple singing that belongs to the childish state, but singing with
lifeless ______________.”
B. Niceta, said that that musical instruments were abolished along with the ___?
Page 50
A. God allowed the Jews to use instrumental music because _______________?
Page 51
A. John the “Golden Mouth” (386-398) said that instruments in the worship
were related to __________________ in the Temple?
B. Most allegorical interpretations came from what school?________________
Page 52
A. The “psalterion produced its sound for the _____ of the instrument?
Page 53
A. Why do you think that Origin used the Greek background for the use of
the word psallo?_________________
B. The “timbrel was commonly associated with ___________________?
Page 54
A. Athanasius and Basil both use a form of psallein in what way?
Page 55
A. Gregory of Nyssa also uses the psalterion and kithara in a metaphorical way.
From the previous pages, who first started this analogy?_____________
B. Starting on page 55 and going over to page 56, Eusebius says that musical
instruments were from Old time and outward but we keep that part of the
Jew ____________________________?
Page 58
A. Do you understand Augustine's interpretation of the upward and downward
parts?_________________________________________
B. On the bottom of page 58 and then on page 59, Clement favored using a
instrument at ________ and at ?
Page 59
A. The reference to a “girl playing” the aulos in the Acts of Thomas was playing
her instrument where____________________?
Page 60
A. Several times, Dr. Ferguson has mentioned other Bible reference works he
believes are wrong. Should one always double check your facts when using
the I.S.B.E., and other works like it?____________________________
Page 61
A. Do you think that Synesius of Cyrene wrote his hymns for public or private
use?_____________________________
B. Is it possible that some Gnostic groups used instrumental music?_________
Page 62
A. “By far the largest number of passages which may be cited for a favorable
attitude on the part of the church fathers to certain instruments come form
passages where instruments are used as an ____________________ or
where an ____________________ allegorical interpretation is used.”
Page 63-64
A. Do you think that Hippolytus was using a literal interpretation of his reference
to instrumental music or was he being allegorical?__________________
.
Page 65-66
A. For Basil, “vocal praise” represents the higher activity and instrumental music sounds the ______________?
Page 67
A. Did Tatian's Oration Against the Greeks think that playing a piano was a good
thing?__________________________
B. Since most of the writings Dr. Ferguson refers to are polemics against
using instruments of music at feast and banquets, do you think that using
one in the worship service was loved? __________________________
Page 68
A. In the Pseudo Clementine literature, playing instruments of music are
associated with (A.) really nice people (B) People who really are concerned
about worshiping God (C ) Drunks and bums
Page 69
A. The church fathers advocated _______ to replace __________at home?
B. Gregory of Nazianzus said “we ought to take up __________________
instead of timbrels, psalmody instead of lewd dancing and songs.”
C. Pagan religions used instruments of music to arouse the _____________
Page 70
A. In Christianity, animal sacrifice was often replace with a spiritual sacrifice
which consisted of _________ and ______________?
Page 71
A. Did Ambrose of Milan think it was a good thing to wake up of the morning
and start playing your guitar (as worship to God)?____________________
Page 72
A. Do you think that the early church fathers opposition to instrumental
was just a matter of distinguishing themselves from the pagans?
B. If the church rejected instrumental music because of not wanting to be
aligned with the pagans, why did they not also reject singing?__________
C. Singing by women had an important part in _________worship.
Page 73
A. If the attitude of the church against instrumental music was determined by
culture, why wasn't the attitude about women singing influenced?_________
B. Since women had a prominent place in many heretical groups, the church
fathers voiced opposition to women______________?
C. During the late 3rd and 4th century, the church imposed complete silence on
______________________________?
D. There is not time when one can point to the use of instrumental music in the
church being _____________________?
Page 74
A. What century was it when instrumental music was introduced in the church?
______________________________________________
B. Instrumental music was a late innovation of the Roman ______________?
C. The Organ was introduced in (a) Western Catholicism (b) Eastern
Catholicism?
D. Most __________churches still do not use instrumental music?___________
Page 75
A. Reformed and Protestant churches saw instrumental music as a _________?
B. Anabaptist have never accepted what__________________?
Study Questions
Are there any passages referring to playing on an instrument in the worship
assembly of the church in the early centuries?
Are there any passages describing the singing of Christians in the worship assembly?
Are there any passages expressly denying the presence of instrumental music in Christian worship?_________________________________
How did the authors account for the presence of instrumental music in
Jewish worship in the Old Testament?
Give some of the allegories employed by the church fathers for the various
instruments.
What is the etymology of the word Psalms? Did Jews and Christians normally use the word in its etymological sense?
Does the meaning of the word Psalms say anything about Christian musical
practice? To what purpose did early Christian authors put the literal meaning of the word psalm?
What is the significance of the historical evidence in the determining Christian practice in worship? How many advocates of instrumental musical answer the historical arguments?
Did you find the cultural context of early Christianity a sufficient explanation for its musical practices? What aspects of the Christian attitude
was influenced by culture?
What religious groups have rejected instrumental music in their worship?
In what circumstances do we find statements favorable to instrumental music by early Christian authors? In what settings do early Christian authors condemn instrumental music?
Page 77
A. What is worship?_____________________________________
B. The important thing in Christian worship is not our __________________
but what pleases ____________________.
Page 78
A. Worship is grounded in what?_________________________________
B. Instrumental music was in itself an act of ____________according to
2 Chronicles 29:26-29.
C. The worship in the church is to be _________________.
Page 79 to the end finished in class. Thanks, Lane