Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16
For God gave man also a voice; and yet love-songs and indecent things are not on that account to be sung. Cyprian (A.D. 250) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.5 pg. 433
We offer thanks for our creation by invocations and hymns. Justin Martyr (A.D. 160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.166
All our women are chaste. And the maidens at their work sing of divine things more nobly than that woman of yours. Tatian (A.D. 160 ) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. pg.2 79
We cultivate our fields, praising. We sail the sea, singing hymns. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.533
A HYMN TO CHRIST THE SAVIOR. Composed by Clement of Alexandria:
I. Bridle of colts untamed, Over our wills presiding; Wing of unwandering birds, Our flight securely guiding.
Rudder of youth unbending, Firm against adverse shock; Shepherd, with wisdom tending Lambs of the royal flock:
Your simple children bring In one, that they may sing In solemn lays Their hymns of praise With guileless lips to Christ their King.
II. King of saints, almighty Word Of the Father highest Lord; Wisdom's head and chief; Assuagement of all grief; Lord of all time and space, Jesus, Savior of our race; Shepherd, who dost us keep; Husbandman, who tills, Bit to restrain us, Rudder To guide us as You willest; Of the all-holy flock celestial wing; Fisher of men, whom You to life dost bring; From evil sea of sin, And from the billowy strife, Gathering pure fishes in Caught with sweet bait of life:
Lead us, Shepherd of the sheep, Reason-gifted, holy One; King of youths, whom You dost keep, So that they pollution shun:
Steps of Christ, celestial Way; Word eternal, Age unending; Life that never can decay; Fount of mercy, virtue-sending; Life august of those who raise Unto God their hymn of praise, Jesus Christ!
III. Nourished by the milk of heaven, To our tender palates given; Milk of wisdom from the breast Of that bride of grace expressed; By a dewy spirit filled From fair Reason's breast distilled; Let us sucklings join to raise With pure lips our hymns of praise As our grateful offering, Clean and pure, to Christ our King.
Let us, with hearts undefiled, Celebrate the mighty Child.
We, Christ-born, the choir of peace; We, the people of His love, Let us sing, nor ever cease, To the God of peace above.
Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.295-296
The Spirit, distinguishing from such revelry the divine service, sings, "Praise Him with the sound of trumpet;" for with sound of trumpet He shall raise the dead. "Praise Him on the psaltery;" for the tongue is the psaltery of the Lord. "And praise Him on the lyre." By the lyre is meant the mouth struck by the Spirit, as it were by a plectrum. "Praise with the timbrel and the dance," refers to the Church meditating on the resurrection of the dead in the resounding skin. "Praise Him on the chords and organ." Our body He calls an organ, and its nerves are the strings, by which it has received harmonious tension, and when struck by the Spirit, it gives forth human voices. "Praise Him on the clashing cymbals." He calls the tongue the cymbal of the mouth, which resounds with the pulsation of the lips. Therefore He cried to humanity, "Let every breath praise the Lord," because He cares for every breathing thing which He has made. For man is truly a pacific instrument; while other instruments, if you investigate, you will find to be warlike, inflaming to lusts, or kindling up amours, or rousing wrath. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.248
And again he adds, "The LORD will take pleasure in His people." For temperate harmonies are to be admitted; but we are to banish as far as possible from our robust mind those liquid harmonies, which, through pernicious arts in the modulations of tones, train to effeminacy and scurrility. But grave and modest strains say farewell to the turbulence of drunkenness. Chromatic harmonies are therefore to be abandoned to immodest revels, and to florid and meretricious music. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.249
SEE ALSO: MUSIC, ASSEMBLY CHRISTIAN
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Early Christian Dictionary (AD 30 - AD300)
Read freely text sermons and articles from Early Christian Dictionary in text and pdf format. The purpose of any dictionary is to define words and terms. By making use of close to 2,000 quotes from more than 30 different early church writers over a time span of three centuries dating before the time of Constantine, The Early Christian Dictionary lets the early Christians redefine some of the more important Bible concepts. After some investigation, you will probably find their understanding of scripture to be radically different than your own. You may find answers to many questions you�ve always had. The scriptures may come alive to you as you learn to walk in new light.Or you may decide not to put any reliance on their definitions at all. Even so you must remember that every time you pick up your bible you still rely on the Early Christian writers. That�s because they decided what books to include or not include in the New Testament canon that you use. And after all, if you find you have a serious conflict with the writings of men like Polycarp, you still have to grapple with the fact the these men were favored by both the Lord and the Apostles, and proven faithful even unto death. These are not new truths challenging your old ideas, these are old truths challenging your new ideas.