Melody
is a word which was the sound
of the
twanging bow string
sending the
"singing" arrow to break your heart into pieces. See the Twanging
background here.
The Siccari or
assassins of
Zealots of which non-instrumentalists are identified went into a
crowd and stabbed the enemy with a dagar. Then, they yelled, "Murder,
foul murder, catch the murderer." The Judas bag was "for carrying the
mouthpieces of wind instruments." Therefore, the SOP was a sign which
is not silent to those awake. And the 'pollution' of music was
universal:
"In
these bands are all the gamblers,
all the adulterers, all the
unclean and shameless citizens.
These
boys,
so witty
and delicate, have learnt not only
to love and to be loved, not
only to sing
and to dance,
but
also to
brandish daggers and to
administer poisons; and
unless they are driven out, unless they die, even should Catiline
die, I warn you that the school of Catiline would exist in the
republic.
But
what do those wretches
want? Are they going to take their wives with them to the camp? how
can they do without them, especially in these nights? and how will
they endure the Apennines, and these frosts, and this snow? unless
they think that they will bear the winter more easily because they
have been in the habit of dancing naked at their feasts. O war much to be
dreaded, when Catiline is going to
have his bodyguard of
prostitutes!
M. tullius Cicero.
Jesus defined his role as
"Son" by speaking
only what He heard from the "Father." And He defined a Devil as one
"who speaks on his own." Now, that seems like the silence of God was
honored by Lord Jesus Christ: why isn't it good enough for the
grace-centered crew? Jesus further defined the pharisees as those who
spoke their own rules so that they didn't have to speak what God had
spoken to them.
Therefore, Fred might not
grasp it but the
Pharisees did. Look again to see what defiles a person begins with
ignoring God's silence and substituting that which has not been
commanded and is not, therefore, necessary.
The
Pharisees:
Why
do thy disciples transgress
the tradition
of
the
elders? for they
wash not their hands when they eat bread. Matt 15:2
Jesus:
But
he answered and said unto
them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God
by
your
tradition? Matt 15:3
Congregational
teaching of
the Word was practiced from the beginning and therefore is God's
tradition.
However,
playing
instruments defiles the Word by adding something to it and treating
it as a common thing of entertainment. As with the musical
prostitute, there was never any true urge to listen to the WORDS of
the theatrical performers.
Jesus
continued to compare
the Pharisees to those admiring God as they might a performer by
speaking and admiring rhetorical skills:
Not
that which
goeth into the mouth defileth a man;
but
that which cometh out of the
mouth,
this
defileth a man. Matt 15:11
That
which came out of the
mouth of the Pharisees had not been taught by God. Furthermore, the
example quoted by Jesus from Isaiah and Ezekiel directly implicates
singing lovely (erotic) songs out of their own mouth. The idea of
playing on instruments connects directly to the word used of
polluting, prostituting or playing the flute.
To
their credit, the
synagogue never allowed the secular or pagan practices to destroy it
as a teaching institution.
This
was not a casual
slight: the Jews understood clearly what he meant:
Then
came his
disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were
offended, after they heard this saying? Matt 15:12
The
Pharisees and all of the
clergy decided that they could add eye and ear appeal by making long
prayers to help "steal the houses of widows" but Jesus said that if
it hasn't been planted then He will root it up:
But
he answered and
said, Every
plant,
which my
heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Matt 15:13
Let
them alone:they
be blind
leaders of the
blind.
And
if the
blind lead the
blind,
both shall fall
into the ditch. Matt 15:14
This
proves that the "law of
silence" has always been used to ADD something to the Word of
God.
Singing
the Biblical text to
teach does not add to the Word.
Playing
musical instruments
ADDS something. By definition, something is polluted when something
different is added.
Playing
musical instruments
in the Old Testament shows up most often in warfare, in the singing,
dancing games of the prostitutes and always telling God: "We will not
listen to your word."
Fred
Peatross:
Thomas Campbell, one of
our early Restoration Movement leaders said, "with respect to the
commands and ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, where the
Scriptures are silent as to the express time or manner of
performance, if any such there be,
no human authority has power to
interfere,
in
order to
supply the supposed
deficiency by making
laws for the Church;
Since "singing" as an ACT was not imposed in the church until about the
year 373 we can assume that either people honored God's NOT INCLUDING
something to mean that it was not necessary "for life and godliness" or
if learned they understood that all forms of music were outlawed for
the qahal, synagogue or church in the wilderness. Because the
purpose was to rest, read and rehears the Word, it would be irrational
to impose instruments to AID listening to and discussing the Word of
God.
See how the Synagogue
commanded by the Spirit OF Christ was both inclusive and excluded so
God is there and He is NOT silent.
Based on Biblical and
historical knowledge,
faithful churches did not use machines to worship a Spirit God for 1850 years. In fact, Thomas Campbell identified the
church as a
synagogue: "a school of Christ." Music was not an issue.
Therefore,
congregational singers
did not MAKE A LAW to SUPPLY something lacking.
Instrumentalists MADE A
LAW by SUPPLYING
instruments which they believed to be lacking.
Therefore, instrumentalists
do not have Campbell's
endorsement.
You have to ADD
SOMETHING LACKING which is NOT
NECESSARY to qualify as a SECTARIAN.
None of the non-Catholic
derived churches used
instruments. Therefore, ADDING instruments was
done IN ORDER TO
SUPPLY THE SUPPOSED
DEFICIENCY by
making a law which
demanded that "if you stay you must play."
Did none of the
historical
churches worship correctly for 1850 years?
Did continuing
to NOT use instruments SUPPLY
the supposed deficiency? No.
Did adding
instruments make a NEW LAW OF
FELLOWSHIP? Yes.
Are INSTRUMENT
PLAYERS SECTARIANS,
YES!
This deficiency was so
profound that people
could deliberately
sow
discord to add
something not required
for the previous 1850 years.
Therefore, it
is not honest to
continue to blame those chased off by instruments for creating the
problem.
Instruments were NEVER
really added because
something was lacking. Instruments were added "spite of hell" because
carnal men knew that they could collect the money flowing as a result
of the civil war and they wanted to get their share.
Fred
Peatross: nor can
anything more be
required of Christians in such cases,
but
only that they
so observe these commands and
ordinances as will
evidently answer the declared and obvious end of their
institution."
The
musical sectarians had
no spiritual need which could be filfilled with music. They all
insisted that one could worship WITHOUT instruments. Therefore,
Thomas Campbell's principles were violated in the interest of
satisfying the carnal appetites.
However,
when the
instruments were added by force, they added something required of congregational
singers which they and the
totality of history regarded as sinful.
FURTHERMORE,
it
is not a sin to leave your house when a thief has moved in and taken
over.
It
is a terminal sin to keep
on blaming the shot victim for the sin of the shooter. However, this
has been the effective weapon of spiritual
aggression trying to
stigmatize
the non-instrumentalists while
pleading to be "tolerant." There is no grace for such distorters of
history.
Thomas
Campbell In
Fact:
Nothing ought to be
FORCED:
3.
That in order to this,
nothing ought to be
inculcated
upon Christians as
articles of faith;
nor
required of
them as terms of communion,
but
what is
expressly
taught and
enjoined upon them in the word
of God.
Instruments
are not
expressly taught and commanded. Therefore, it is a sin to INCULCATE
instruments and force them into congregations.
If
you play instruments then
you force me to accept them as A TERM OF COMMUNION.
Keeping
on singing the Bible
Text does not inculcate nor require people to do something not
expressly taught in Scripture.
Therefore,
the
instrumentalists violate Campbell's rule.
Nothing
out to be ADMITTED.
Campbell goes on beyond what Peatross can imagine:
Nor
ought anything to be admitted, as of Divine obligation, in their Church
constitution and managements,
(Locke
LT)
but
what is
expressly
enjoined by the
authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles upon the New
Testament Church; either in express terms or by approved precedent
Instruments
are not
expressly enjoined and therefore should NOT BE ADMITTED.
However,
the word "psalmos"
like the word "song" means that the "first instrument of choice" is
the human voice. Paul commanded that first-choice instrument. He did
not command external melody because he knew that it was a destructive
practice of paganism.
Therefore,
Paul did not
include but excluded any other instrument.
Even
PERMITTING the addition
of instruments violates this statement of Campbell.
Therefore,
Campbell and J. W. McGarvey would claim that to REMAIN where
instruments have been IMPOSED would be a sin. And those who impose the instruments are
guilty of
sin.
McGarvey
was well aware that
Fred would destroy the unity of the church and blame those who left
for the crime. This
is called
the Guilt Clause. Adam
originated it.
4.
That although the Scriptures
of the Old and New Testaments are inseparably connected, making
together but one perfect and entire revelation of the Divine will,
for the edification
and salvation of the Church, and therefore in
that respect can not be separated;
yet
as to what
directly and properly belongs to their immediate object, the
New
Testament is as for the
worship, discipline, and government of the New Testament
Church, and as perfect a rule for the
particular duties of its members,
as
the Old Testament was for
the worship, discipline, and government of the Old Testament Church,
and the particular duties of its members. (Declaration
And Address)
The
Synagogue beginning in the wilderness was the place and order for
weekly Sabbath devoted solely to resting FROM the pagan rituals and
reading and discussing the Word of God. The synagogue Jesus entered did
not chang that. His approved example was to stand up to read
and then sit down and dialog.
The
Temple and the Law was a curse added because of musical idolatry at
Mount Sinai. God abandoned the nation (Acts 7) to national sacrifices
and selected kings to carry out the captivity and death sentence.
Click for our review of Terry RushTerry.Rush.Review.html to let the
Bible do the speaking in radically condemning the national sacrificial
system which God did not need and did not command but imposed.
Fred wants to impose the Sacrificial exorcism noise (never
called music) and ignores the prophets who all radically condemn music
as a mark of telling God to shut up.
The
National worship which was Star worship was defined by the national
Scribes and are not legalistic patternism for us.
The Prophets were guided by the Spirit
OF Christ to inform the synagogue and spiritual devotion to
the Word.
J. W. McGarvey who saw
his own church stolen out from under him in his old age
wrote:
The
party which
forces an organ into the church against the conscientious protest of
a minority
is
disorderly
and schismatical,
not
only because it
stirs up
strife, but because it
is for the sake of a
sinful innovation upon the divinely
authorized worship and the church;
and,
inasmuch
as the persons acting
are disorderly and schismatic,
it
is the duty
of all good people to withdraw from them until they
repent
(McGarvey in 1881).
Because Fred would claim
that Scripture is
silent about instruments (no, they fairly exude condemnation) then
Campbell would say that we should not "perform instrumental worship"
or any "musical" worship in fact.
Fred would affirm (and I
would deny) that
Scripture commands
singing at one
time and place or
another. If it is collective worship then it must be a "worship
ritual." We believe that the command was to TEACH the revealed Word of
Christ and that by common sense excludes machines making noise unless
there is a Christian principle which says "thou shalt play
instruments during class lecture by Jesus."
Fred
Peatross: Consistency
tails off when one leaves the arena of scripture and begins speaking
in areas where the scriptures are silent. For example; the New
Testament is silent concerning song
leaders and worship leaders. If
we're going to use the argument of silence we need to be consistent
and do away with this human invention.
Here
is the old Lift
Yourself By Your Bootstrap Scam:
First, you ignore Paul's command to
TEACH the inspired text one to another and add a "song leader"
leading "singing" which deliberately ignores the Word of Christ as
the teaching resource. The word SPEAK which one does in the
synagogue or ekklesia is OPPOSITE to poetry or music. If someone
imposes a musical precenter which McClintock and Strong says "was the
first heresy largely pervading the church" this does not give Fred the
right to impose instruments. To their credit the Catholic never fell
into "congregational singing with organ accompaniment."
Next, you
introduce musical instruments and use as AUTHORITY your previous
practice which, like the Pharisees, deliberately added rituals so
that they would not have to listen to Christ.
Then, you dare
anyone to question ANYTHING based on your first heresy.
Since the Scriptures are
silent about "singing"
usind Fred's frame of reference then it is certain that it is as
silent about song
leaders as it is
about pulpit
preachers or
"missionaries in
residence."
When Jesus specified the
fruit of
the vine I am sure that this Divne Silence along with grace would
allow Fred to add whatever seems to AID the pure juice of the
vine.
However, a song leader
does not necessarily add
something which defeats the singing role. However, he or a team
defeats the direct command that Christ is to be the focus and His
Word is to be the teaching resource.
John Calvin notes
that a practice added and
which "sowed discord" does not gain Biblical authority simply by its
popularity or its length of practice. Fred and the grace centered
people believe that 150 years have converted the sowers of discord
into the offended. Won't work among the literate.
The world was as upset
about "clergy worship
leaders" as about instruments:
"The
McClintock and
Strong Cyclopedia not only speaks, in general terms, of
'heresy
largely
pervading the church
and making rapid headway' at that very time, but it specifies
'the appointment of singers
as a distinct class of
officers in the church'
with
'the consequent introduction of profane music'; and why should not
instrumental music have been
introduced if the carnal wishes of the people called for it"
(Kurfees, M. C., Instrumental Music in Worship, p. 123)
See
the Precentor of music heresy.
The the pagan
Encomiast as the Praise Leader to Do
the Work for the Gods.
Fred and crew have added
the "worship leader"
which is about as absurd as hiring a "making love to my wife leader."
Worship is individual and in the spirit or mind and no Levitical
Worship Team can go into my mind (nous) which is the holy place
(naos) when I come before the throne of Grace: one at a time please.
Levitical singers were never in the holy place typical of the church
and assuredly never in the most holy place. When I am worshiping God
in the holy place a Levitical musician who intruded or attempts to
"usher" me into the holy place has been run through by the sword of
the Apirit.
Fred
Peatross: The song
leader and/or worship leader is identical to the functions of an
instrument. Both aid in the quality of the singing. And, an aid is an
aid-whether human or
mechanical.
"While
the instrument was
adopted as an aid to poor singing, in actuality it has
become
a deterrent to
congregational singing.
Go to any gathering where the instrument is used and evaluate the
percentage of individuals singing. You have people who are reluctant
to sing if not led by the instrument and who are lost without it. Then go to where the
instrument is not used and
evaluate the degree of participation in singing. In the one case many
people are listening to
the music; in the other
they
have to make it or
there is none.
Theirs
is the offering
of the fruit of lips that make confession to his name. Dr.
Jack P. Lewis
Any one who has attended
an instrumental church
when the organ is broken knows that Fred knoweth not what he
speaketh. I know a fellow who holds workshops teaching instrumental
Baptists how to sing. Claims that they don't know the first
principles and singing is simply not part of their culture. Their
organ has played the "four parts" all of their lives but they cannot
sing parts very well.
If Paul had ever said "sing
as an act of worship"
then Fred's point would get off the ground. However, the direct
command is to TEACH and ADMONISH one another; the resource is that
which has been written, the Word of Christ or the Spirit. The singing
and melody is "in the heart or spirit."
Fred
Peatross: The argument
from precedent says that 1st-century Christians sang exclusively a
cappella music.
No. The argument is that
they "taught" using the revealed
Biblical material. It is only the Johnny Jump Ups who added the
Pope's term "a capella" so that they can oooze in the worship teams
or choirs. Catholics never approved instruments but only permitted
them in some cases. The Sistine chapel was one of those places where
instruments were excluded. A
cappella often made up of castrated boys provided the "organum" or organic pipe organ
to keep
the Pope entertained and also legal.
No minimal Bible student
would say that they
"sang music."
Fred
Peatross: Any change
would be foreign to the example set by the early church. Yet, the
first-century church was without church buildings and Sunday school
classes. Are we in violation of first-century practices?
You will notice that
Jesus' purpose was preaching in the cities: "For this purpose I came
out." However, He taught in the synagogues. Preaching is for those with
a GO button but teaching was almost always done INSIDE out of the snow.
And don't leave out
"located preachers" or cut
N paste sermonizing or self-composed songs or clergy. I count it a
favor that God gave me credit for brains to get in out of the rain
and if I am not to "GO" then I must "SEND." The synagogue (church)
had buildings much like modern church buildings.
You can see a reconstruct here.
Because Jesus went in,
stood up to read and
then had the common decency
to
sit down,
we can say that He
did not condemn church buildings. However, buildings do not add
anything to the commanded function to teach. One can teach on a
hillside but one cannot teach with a Rock Band playing.
Rising
up to Play
On the other hand, teams
or machines actually
shut down the rational (spiritual) mind so that the commanded
teaching is impossible.
Fred
Peatross:
The apostle Paul makes
the point in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that freedom in Christ is allowed in areas not
found in scripture. When we
search the New Testament, we don't find a church building.
Al Maxey, of
Grace Centered makes a huge point out
of claiming that the synagogue
was not authorized. However, we showed him that synagoguing was
commanded from the beginning in the wilderness and that God
specificially outlawed the alarm of music and loud singing when
the congregation
assembled.
The
function is to synagogue or
church or teach:
it would be absurd to expect God to define certain kinds of shelters
for synagoguing. I can synagogue on a hill side as did Jesus or I can
synagogue on Solomon's porch. However, I cannot teach the inspired
text by singing Fanny Crosby and accompanying it with a Rock and Roll
band (that F word).
We
know that the people built
their own shelters and Jesus attended them. Praise God that He
considers us smart enough to get in out of the rain and snow.
But
what does the nature of the
shelter have to do with worship? Jesus said that God only looks for
worship in our SPIRIT
or mind as it seeks Him in TRUTH. There are no 'worship' rituals
which depend on time or place. In fact, Paul told the Hebrews that if
we want to find Jesus we will have to go outside the camp or
city.
Fred
Peatross: But, this
doesn't make it an automatic sin to erect one. Church buildings and
Sunday schools fall into the category of unscriptural practices.
Maybe
if we agreed with Fred
the word would be non-scriptural.
Unscriptural would make it
against Scripture to teach the
kids or do so in
buildings. Worship can be done in my house, community-owned property
of a rented building.
Fred
Peatross: There's a
difference between unscriptural and anti-scriptural. Unscriptural
means, "not mentioned in
scripture." Anti-scriptural means, "prohibited by scripture." Church
buildings are unscriptural, not anti-scriptural.
Nope! UN
means against or the opposite:
unlawful
means anti-lawful. NON-Scriptural
means that
it isn't mentioned. If buildings are unscriptural
they are
anti-scriptural. If they are not mentioned then we fall back on the
fact that synagogue buildings existed throughout Judaism and the
function was commanded.
They
said in
their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all
the synagogues of God in the land. Ps.74:8
And
he hath
violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden; he
hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the Lord hath caused the
solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised
in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest. Lam 2:6
Assembly is:
Mowed (h4150)...
assembly, congregation, synagogue. However, a more common word used by
Jews is the QAHAL which was the church in the wilderness. The synagogue
"never had a praise service."
Christianity has no
rituals but church is
synagogue or school. Whatever detracted from the function as a school
and "showing forth" of Jesus Christ might be lawful but if it was not
conducive to the group function then it could still be RIGHT but not
CHRISTIAN.
Providential
that Fred does
a "narrative theology" on this chapter because it begins earlier than
10:23. For
instance, when God gave
Israel THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT Israel immediately returned to
Egyptian, musical
idolatry. When
they rose up to
PLAY Paul
wasn't speaking of playing tennis. Notice that 10:7 comes before
10:23 and proves that Fred's music is unlawful and therefore not
expedient:
Neither
be ye
idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat
down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 1Co.10:7
Providentially, Fred has
quoted from Paul's
warning about the musical
idolatry at
Mount Sinai. Throughout the
world, when you ate and drank and played music to the gods you
literally "ate
and drank the
gods."
And
of the musical idolatry
at Mount Sinai where Israel reverted to their old Egyptian
worship:
"Not
to be
overlooked here is the accompaniment of music
and dancing
which, with the
character of the ensuing phenomena,
makes the diagnosis
(of
idolatry) certain."
(Schaff-Herzog, Ecstasy, p. 71).
"And
the people
celebrated this feast with burnt-offerings and thank-offerings, with
eating and
drinking,
i.e. with
sacrificial meals and
sports, or with loud
rejoicing, shouting, antiphonal songs, and dances, in the same manner in
which the Egyptians
celebrated their feast
of Apis (Herod. 2, 60,
and 3, 27)." (Keil and Delitzsch, Vol. II, p. 222).
"The
triumphal hymn of Moses
had unquestionably a religious character about it;
but
the employment
of music
in religious
services,
though
idolatrous,
is
more distinctly
marked in the festivities which attended the erection of the golden
calf." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, Music, p. 589).
See what
Fred Peatross really wants you to do in
absolute imitation of this idolatry.
Comparing
the musical worship
of Israel to all of those nations whom Israel demanded to be like as
they "fired" the God of righteousness and justice the writers are
aware of the Mount Sinai parallel:
"In
the New
Testament there is nowhere any emphasis laid on the musical form of the hymns; and in
particular none on
instrumental accompaniment whereas
this is
significantly
paganism."
(Delling,
Gerhard, Worship in the New Testament, trans. Percy Scott Phil.
Westminster press, 1962, p. 86).
"They
sat down to eat and drink
and rose up to play.
They practiced rites in which they made themselves naked, perhaps
similar to those which were carried out by naked
Babylonian priests." (Woodrow, p. 158).
See the Musical Worship Team: the harem of the gods.
The
word "play" is used of Samson
as the pagans caused him to "sport" during their worship services of
Dagon. Otherwise, the word is used only of David who performed an
Egyptian form of naked dance as he moved the Ark to the one he had
provided in Jerusalem. David was in fact separating the presence of
God at the Tabernacle from the Ark of the covenant in which David
believed that God lived.
Any
kid would know the
meaning of "play" at this time.
But
these, as
natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of
the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in
their own corruption; 2 Pe 2:12
And
shall receive
the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to
riot in the day time. Spots
they are and
blemishes, sporting
themselves with their
own deceivings while they feast
with you; 2Pe.2:13
Concemning of Lucius the Arian, Theodoret
speaks of
this sporting called worship:
"A
boy who had forsworn his sex
and would
pass for a
girl,
with eyes, as it
is written, smeared with antimony, and face reddened with rouge
like
their
idols,
in woman's
dress,
was
set up to dance and wave his hands about and whirl round as though he had been
at the front of some
disreputable stage,
on
the
holy altar
itself where we
call on the coming of the Holy Ghost,
while
the by-standers
laughed aloud and rudely raised unseemly shouts.
But
as this seemed to them really rather decorous
than improper, they
went on to proceedings which they reckoned in accordance with their
indecency;
they
picked out a
man who was very famous for utter baseness,
made
him strip off at once all his
clothes and all his shame,
and
set him up as
naked as he was born on the throne of the church,
and
dubbed him a vile advocate against
Christ.
Paul
did not say anything
about silence: Paul is speaking in the context of eating and drinking
things tainted by idolatry. Food is not contaminated by being offered
to idols. Therefore, "all things" offered to idols are "all things"
which are untained and allowable from a purely LEGALISTIC point of
view. Now, read the verse in contact and see if you can find the word
"silent" or anything about church buildings:
All
things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all
things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 1 Cor 10:23
Lawful
is not "nomos" but
"ecesti" and means: "It is right through the figurative idea of being
out in public."
We
do not eat and drink the
god with music anymore: God is there and HE IS NOT SILENT:
For
we being many
are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that
one
bread.
1 Cor 10:17
Behold
Israel after
the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the
altar? 1 Cor 10:18
What
say I then? that the idol
is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any
thing? 1 Cor 10:19
But
I say, that the
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and
not to
God:
and I would not
that ye should have fellowship with devils. 1 Cor 10:20
Did Paul really say that
drinking the cup of
devils was lawful for him?
Ye
cannot drink the cup of the
Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers
of the Lords
table, and of the table of devils. 1 Cor 10:21
Do
we provoke the
Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? 1 Cor 10:22
Speaking of
David's "rising up to play" in
separating the Ark of the Covenant to the Jebusite high place in
Jerusalem.
"we
recognize the
same elements: the sacrifices and libation, the cultic feast in which the
congregation gets a share of food and
drink after it has been blessed by the king,
and the merry-making, now in the form of instrumental and vocal music. But the central act of
the ritual, which was
performed
by the
king,
is called
literally 'drinking'
the
god
(Gurney, O. R. Some
Aspects of Hittite Religion, p. 33-34, Oxford University Press,
1977)
Here is what was
lawful to Paul
Let
no man seek his
own, but every man anothers wealth. 1 Cor 10:24
Whatsoever
is sold in the
shambles,
that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: 1 Cor
10:25
For
the earth is the Lords, and
the fulness thereof. 1 Co 10:26
The Agora or market place was where Jesus
consigned the pipers, singers and dancers.
Tom Burgess uses many
classical writers to prove that psallo authorizes instrumental music in
the church. However, all of these older males plucked the
lyre to seduce a young boy. You may see Tom Burgess on
Moralia here.
(Plutarch, Moralia 671c Ancient Corinth
was a center of Dionysiac worship, and Pausinius, world
traveler of the second century
of our era gives this description:
In
the
market-place, for most of the
temples are there, is the
Ephesian
Artemis, and there are
two wooden statues of Dionysus, gilt except the faces, which are
painted with red paint, one they call Lysian Dionysus and the other
Dionysus
the
Reveler. The
tradition about these statues I will record. Pentheus, they
say, when he outraged
dionysus, among other acts of reckless daring
actually at last went to mount Cithaeron to spy on the women, and
climbed up into a tree to see what they were doing; and when they
detected him, they forthwith dragged him down, and tore him limb from
limb. And afterwards, so they say at Corinth, the Pythian
priestess told them to discover that tree and pay it divine
honors. And that is why these statues are made of that very
wood. (Pausanias, Description
of Greece, II.ii; tr. A.R.
Shilleto)
This is what
might not be
expedient:
If
any of them that
believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever
is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. 1 Co
10:27
But
if any man say unto you,
This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that
shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lords, and
the fulness thereof: 1 Co 10:28
Yet, in fact,
there was nothing harmful or
unlawful to the educated mind.
But not all
things are expedient
Give
none offence, neither to the
Jews, nor to
the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 1 Cor 10:32
Even
as I please
all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many,
that they
may be
saved.
1 Cor 10:33
Adding
instruments has always be the
practice of the few forcing their own will or profit when they know
that music does not profit toward salvation.
Fred
Peatross:
God doesn't call
Christians to violate their conscience (Romans 14:14). What He does
call Christians to do is to accept those with different opinions. Are
we willing to do this for Jesus? Are we willing to heal the 150-years
of division by recognizing that others are not perfect, and neither
are we? No one has to accept everything everyone else does or
believes. But, we do have to love each other. Just like Jesus loved.
Paul defines the three
major sects in Rome and outlaws "doubtful discussion" about their
diversities. Marked by DIET we know that all of them used music to
arouse the "mental excitement" Paul outlaws in Romans 15 where he
defines the SPEAK of "that which is written" and does not use a
"singing" term.
It is possible to accept
people who play
instruments but that is not the point. Fred would like for us to
AFFIRM and fellowship and worship with instruments. However, most of
the world is just too busy to "fellowship" the church down the
street. Each has its role to play.
The notion of either being
perfect is
self-directed. The point is that Fred and crew insist that those who
do not use instruments created the sectarian division by just
continuing to do what faithful churches had done for 2,000 years:
exclude instruments.
Romans 14 comes
after Romans 13 and just
before Romans 15. The
problem in Rome
was people with an Orphic or Dionysiac background. Both were addicted
to music to bring on the charismatic ecstasy Fred promotes in his
Spectacle of Worship book. See the
background.
"The
two basic
Greek religious cults--one devoted to Apollo, the other to
Dionysus--became the prototypes for the two aesthetic poles,
classical and romantic, that have contended throughout Western
cultural history. The Apollonians were characterized by objectivity
of expression, simplicity, and clarity, and their favoured instrument
was the kithara, a type of lyre.
The
Dionysians, on the other hand,
preferred the reed-blown aulos
and were identified by
subjectivity, emotional abandon, and sensuality. Britannica Members.
The
Orphic were vegetarians
but depended totally on music while the Dionysiacs were meat-eaters,
wine drinkers but highly addicted to musical worship.
The
Jews were not musical in
the synagogue and the common people were shut out from the civil
temple animal sacrifices.
However,
the pagan influence
from the Greek world was charismatic and depended on wine and music
to "get it on."
However,
"church" like
synagogue was not to be a pagan worship center but a school of the
Bible and a time and place to "show forth" Christ which was preaching
a self-sacrificial Savior through the Lord's Supper. No rational
human being could find a role for "music" in such an
environment.
Therefore,
as with the two
major singing passages in Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3, the DIRECT
COMMAND is not REALLY
singing after all. Look as Paul cycles through the SYNAGOGUING
process which would allow even the two extremes of Orphics (lambs)
and Dionysiacs (lions) to assembly for education which means
education.