use mechanical instruments of music in worship to God (cf. He. 8:6ff; Col. 3:16).
Its commands, examples and inferences only allow singing (cf. Ro. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:
15; Ep. 5:19; Col. 3:16; He. 2:12; Ja. 5:13); therefore, since singing is authorized,
why do anything more or less (De. 4:2; Re. 22:18,19)? In addition to the sufficient
Biblical proof behind this imperative Christian doctrine, there is ample historical
data that substantiates the absence of such instruments with the apostolic
presence of the first century church. It is highly significant and biblically accurate
that no congregation in the infant church used mechanical instruments in
spiritual songs. In fact, other apostasies took place before the introduction of the
organ in approximately the late 6th century (Chambers' Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, p.
112). Consider these voices of the past.
Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 330-c.390)—“Psalmody is presented as the antithesis
of instruments which are anathema because of both idolatrous and lascivious
associations.” (McKinnon, 178) One of his poems said: “So this is what you want:
the plucking of strings, The clapping of hand, the arousal of lust, The sensuous
motions of dancing boy and the dances of girls indecently garbed?” (McKinnon,
179).
James Bales wrote of Jerome (c. 347-420)—“Jerome, in his comment on Eph.
5:19, gives no indication at all concerning the use of instrumental music.
Furthermore, he does not say that the psalms are to be sung with instruments.”
(Bales, 267). Jerome penned,
“…A psalm has reference to the body, and a song to the mind. Hence we ought
to sing (canere) and make melody (psallere) and praise God with the rational soul
rather than with the voice. This is the meaning of the saying, singing and making
melody with your hearts to the Lord. Let young men hear this, let those hear who
have the duty of making melody in the church, that singing must be done not
with the voice, but with the heart; that throat and pharynx must not be
modulated with a sweet drug, after the manner of tragic actors, so that theatrical
measures and songs may be heard in the churches. But let them sing in fear, in
good works, in the knowledge of the Scriptures. Though one be ‘cacophonous,’ as
they are wont to say, if he has good works he is a sweet singer in the sight of the
Lord.” (Jerome, Commentary on Ephesians, J.P. Minge, Patrologia Latina, XXVI,
561. Translated by Dr. William M. Green for James D. Bales. He taught Latin for
years in the University of California, Berkeley.)
Augustine (354-430)—“Was not the institution of vigils in the name of Christ
understaken so that ketharas would be banished from this place?...Let no one’s
heart revert to the instruments of the theatre.” (McKinnon, 199) “We should not
avoid music because of the superstition of the profane if we can find anything in
it useful for understanding the Holy Scriptures, although we should not turn to
their theatrical frivolities to discover whether anything valuable for spiritual
purposes is to be gathered from the their harps and other instruments.”
