Jubal's Lyre: A New Testament Perspective

After seven reflections on music in the Old Testament, we make a quick shift to the New Testament. After sharing so much Old Testament musical detail (or at least a glimpse of it), there are quite a few references to music in the New Testament to explore beyond what was previously mentioned in the first of this series regarding heavenly and redeemed choirs at the time of Christ’s Incarnation and his Second Coming. Most New Testament references to music recall the singing of psalms and songs as, not surprisingly, the early Christians followed Hebrew practice, both formal and informal, that had been developed over centuries.

Jesus himself was evidently a singer, leading his disciples at least in one instance the night before his crucifixion (“after they had sung a hymn,” Matthew 26:30). Scholars point out that this was most likely the Passover Hymn at the Seder meal in what is called the Hallel, Psalms 115-118, traditionally sung at the conclusion of that supper. These are festive psalms, songs of triumph, salvation, and hope. Earlier in his ministry our Lord briefly refers to celebrational music in his account of the Prodigal Son’s return in Luke 15:25, and no doubt there was musical merriment at the time of his first miracle at the wedding in Cana!

As the Church grows in the aftermath of Pentecost, we can read about any number of citations to music and its positive use. One famous example comes from St. Paul in Ephesians 5:14: “‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” This is probably a hymn, and Paul continues in that passage to say in verses 18b-20: “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

How can we forget Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns while imprisoned in Acts 16:25? It is thought that several well-known passages in the Epistles, like Philippians 2:6-11, or Colossians 1:15-20, are Christological hymns that were already in circulation among early believers. While no worship order, as we now understand it, was clearly established in those early days, synagogue process was no doubt the initial guide, and Old Testament psalms and hymns would have dominated, minus the rite of late Temple worship.

Among further evidence of early Christian music and singing are the following:

“I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also,” (1 Corinthians 14:15b).

“When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction…” (1 Corinthians 14:26a).

Early Christians praised the Lord in song.

For me, I especially embrace what James encourages the early Church to do in James 5:13: “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” That’s New Testament and modern-day worship practice in a nutshell.