Musical Minister - Catholic Precentor

McClintock and Strong Cyclopedia marks as the FIRST HERESY, singers as a DISTINCT CLASS of officers in the church which led to the introduction of instrumental music.x

The the pagan Encomiast as the Praise Leader to Do the Work for the Gods.

We were told tonight by a friend that he had attended one of the performance churches. He noted that the amplified

"musical worship team" took communion first while the congregation was in silence and awe.

Then, the "worship team" worshipped for the people or called God into His temple -- or heaven knows what pagan blasphemy was going on.

They performed while the "audience" took communion.

However, part of the Passover was for the family to turn out all of the lights except one candle; then they searched the house for leaven in absolute silence. This is clearly an end-time repetition of the event throughout the Old Testament where music was both a cause and sign that the Word of God had been lost beyond redemption.

Isn't this what Paul said when he noted that we should search our own hearts. How in the name of unholy blasphemy can any one rise to the point of believing that they must "set the mood" in the belief that feelings constitute worship?

"Sometimes religion produces suggestive rituals shared by a community to create an atmosphere useful for uplifting one's thoughts and coming to one's senses. There are those who cannot do without such forms of worship. Where, however, the form takes the place of meditation, or conditions it;

where human words prevail over the Spirit.. then we are no longer in the presence of true religion.

"The one who uses colours and sounds and forms and movements and other gifts of God under the illusion of creating a stairway to heaven out of his own resources can, even involuntarily and in good faith,

be raising an invisible barrier between humanity and God himself. (Davide Melodia, The Lord of Silence)

But this is not enough: they insist on singing their own composition in a professional style ready for prime time. However, musical worship ministers was recognized as the second majory heresy: the first was to designate a musical worship leader or presenter:

"Already at the end of the second century the Byzantine, Syrian, and later the Armenian church showed a marked preference for new, nonscriptural hymns, despite all warnings by the catholic authorities. Even Canon 59 of the Council of Laodicea (360-81), which expressly prohibited nonscriptural texts, was constantly circumvented and openly violated, as enormous hymn literature of the Eastern churches demonstrate." (The Int. Std. Bible Dict., p. 467)

"No psalms composed by private individuals nor any uncanonical books may be read in the church, but only the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testaments.

VARIOUS RESOURCE NOTES.

ANCIENT EPITOME OF CANONS LIX.

"Psalms of private origin, or books uncanonical are not to be sung in temples; but the canonical writings of the old and new testaments.

HEFELE.

"Several heretics, for instance Bardesanes, Paul of Samosata, and Apollinaris--had composed psalms, i.e., Church hymns. The Synod of Laodicea forbade the use of any composed by private individuals, namely all unauthorized Church hymns. Luft remarks that by this it was not intended to forbid the use of all but the Bible psalms and hymns, for it is known that even after this Synod many hymns composed by individual Christians, for instance, Prudentius, Clement, Ambrose, came into use in the Church. Only those not sanctioned were to be banished."

"Psalmody thus came to be increasingly the monoply of trained singers, and the 15th canon of the Council of Laodicea, 360 AD, proscribed that 'no others shall sing in the church save only the canonical singers...who go up into the ambo and sing with a book." (Int Std Bible Ency, Psalms, p. 2494a)

"In competition with pagan musical art, congregational singing began to wane. Basil states that he had 'the Psalms rendered by skilled precentors after the manner of the triumphal Odes of Pindar, the congregation joining at the closing verse, with the accompaniment of lyres..." (Int Std Bible Ency, Psalms, p. 2494a)

Totally opposite of ceremonial legalism, Christianity removed the burden of all clergy in the professional sense and created a "one another" ministry. Therefore, the ultimate heresy is to take the teaching and worship away from the congregation and assign it to perhaps more talented people. Not only was it always considered heresy but it is the "idolatry of talent" where the talented are wise in their own eyes:

"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, p. 123)

"The first change in the manner of singing was the substitution of singers who became a separate order in the church, (substituting) for the mingled voices of all ranks, ages, and sexes, which was compared by the great reformer of church music to the glad sound of many waters" (H. H. Millman, Hist. of Christianity, Vol, iii, pp. 406, 409).

"The lower clergy were almost universally the presenters, for the singing of the congregation was regarded as such an integral part of the divine service that only clerical officers should direct it." (John Fletcher Hurst, History of the Christian Church, vol. I., p. 357).

This horrible heresy is continued as musical worship "teams" believe that they can lead you into worship, lead you into the presence of God or -- God help all our ignorant souls -- provide a platform upon which God lands! These presumptions people obviously believe that they are a priestly class mediating between God and mankind. Heaven help those who become so opaque that it is not possible to see through them.

"We laid it down as a rule that one of the officiating ministers should chant or sing the psalms of David, and that the people should join by repeating the ends of the verses." (Apostolic constitutions, Book ii, 57, Quoted by J.E.Riddle, Christian Antiquities, p. 384).

"and on each side of him let the presbytery sit down; and let the deacons stand near at hand, in close and small girt garments, for they are like the mariners and managers of the ship: with regard to these,

let the laity sit on the other side, with all quietness and good order.

And let the women sit by themselves, they also keeping silence.

In the middle, let the reader stand upon some high place: let him read the books of Moses, of Joshua the son of Nun, of the Judges, and of the Kings and of the Chronicles, and those written after the return from the captivity; and besides these, the books of Job and of Solomon, and of the sixteen prophets.

But when there have been two lessons severally read,

let some other person sing the hymns of David,

and let the people join at the conclusions of the verses. On Site Version

Melody is not Harmony nor is it related to it: melody in English means a series of single notes. Harmony, however, depends on polyphony:

"The use of polyphony was from the earliest times restricted to major feasts, often including the patron saint of a cathedral or its dedication festival... but these (rules) were often disregarded because of the sensuous appeal of the new art. Professional singers delighted in solo or duet virtuoso performances, accompanied by the organ...By the 12th century, the art of harmony had matured, especially in France where the early polyphonic tropes of Limoges had stimulated the later and more spectacular organs of Leonin and Perotin" (Britannica Book of Music, p.185).

Precentor (Observations)

(Latin Præcentor, from præ, before-cantor singer).

"A word describing sometimes an ecclesiastical dignitary, sometimes an administrative or ceremonial officer. Anciently, the precentor had various duties: he was the first or leading chanter, who on Sundays and greater feasts intoned certain antiphons, psalms, hymns, responsories etc.; gave the pitch or tone to the bishop and dean at Mass (the succentor performing a similar office to the canons and clerks);

(HE) recruited and taught the choir, directed its rehearsals and supervised its official functions; interpreted the rubrics and explained the ceremonies, ordered in a general way the Divine Office and sometimes composed desired hymns, sequences, and lessons of saints.

Note: this is the same goal of the Seeker models being promoted by religious festivals such as Jubilee 98.

"He was variously styled capiscol (caput scholæ, head of the choir-school), prior scholæ, magister scholæ, and primicerius (a word of widely different implications). Victor of St. Hugo tells us that in the care of the primicerius

were placed the acolytes, exorcists, lectors, and psalmists (chanters).

In the Middle Ages the principal dignitaries of cathedral, collegiate chapters, and monastic orders, imitated the example of St. Gregory the Great (Acquired from Egyptian paganism) in acting as directors of chant-schools. The schola was always in attendance when the bishop officiated in his cathedral,

and to the precentor was assigned a place near the bishop and high in dignity.

His office was obviously one demanding much learning and executive ability, and his dignity corresponded with his duties.

Note: This is almost identical to the Babylonian clergy made up of priests, musicians, magicians, soothsayers, dream interpreters, astrologers, and prostitutes who were the Babylonian nuns.

"In the cathedrals of England, France, Spain, and Germany, he ranked sometimes next to the dean, sometimes next to the archdeacon. In some instances his sphere of activity was much broader, including the duty of installing deans, canons, and other dignitaries; and in some monasteries, the duties of librarian and registrar.

"But from the fourteenth century his title and dignity were largely handed over to incumbents whose musical knowledge did not fit them for the duties to which the name of precentor owed its origin; the dignities remained, but the duties became obscured. "In France, some chapters retain traces of the dignity of Precentor, and one may see sometimes an archdeacon, sometimes a titular or honorary canon, carrying the baton cantoral, the insignia of his office"(Migne, "Dict. de Droit Canon", s.v. Chantre). This "baton cantoral" is a silver or white staff. "In the dioceses of Aix, Carcassonne, Coutances, Dijon, Metz, Orléans, the dignity of Precentor is still the highest in the chapter.... Some chapters have sub-chanters, those of Arras being among the honorary resident canons" (Migne, "Dict. de Jurisprudence", s.v. Grand Chantre, where also the quoted statutes of the Bishop of Dijon may serve to illustrate the modern idea of the office of precentor:

"The Précenteur or Grand Chantre is the head of the choir and . . . brings the antiphon to the bishop when officiating pontifically. Sacristans, chanters, choir-boys, and employés of the Cathedral are placed under his surveillance. He will also preserve order and silence in the sacristy"). In the Anglican Church the precentor directs the choir, his stall in the cathedral corresponding with that of the dean.

CURWEN, Studies in Worship Music (London, 1888), 141-8, 170-2, gives interesting details of the duties of precentor in the Scotch Presbyterian Churches; For Præcentrix, Præcentorissa, etc., see DU CANGE, Glossarium, s.v. Præcentor; VENABLES in Dict. Christ. antiq., s.v.

H.T. HENRY

Transcribed by Brenda Eileen Metcalfe.
Dedicated to Wm Stuart French, Jr.

Read Revelation 18 and see that this is a mark of the end-time Babylonian blend of commercialism and religion which is "the second oldest profession" with priestcraft being the oldest.

Prophets, Worship and Theodicy : Studies in Prophetism, Biblical Theology and Structural and Rhetorical Analysis and the Place of Music in Worship) Available through Amazon.com

Kenneth Sublett xx

MUSIC INDEX

HOME

Musical Worship Minister - Catholic Precentor - Pagan Clergy