Freed-Hardeman University
- Bill Swetmon - Psallo and Josephus
See Tom Burgess and more data on PSALLO as a WARFARE and not a MUSICAL word.
This will connect you to the UNholy trinity of those who use ANTI-instrumental music as a curse word.
During the 1991 preachers forum at Freed-Hardeman University, "neutral"-instrumental music speaker, Bill Swetmon, made many arguments as a "Pro-Instrumentalist" which did not get answered. The book published as a result of the Preacher Forum is still used as an authority to prove that God permits, nay demands, that we sing with a harp. I will try to restrict this paper to telling the rest of the story from history and from Josephus who is Swetmon's authority:
Bill Swetmon notes that "Some think that the verb has its original signification of singing with an instrument. this is the dominant sense in the Septuagint, and both Basil and Gregory of Nyssa define a psalm as implying instrumental accompaniment; and Clement of Alexandria, while forbidding the use of the flute in the Agapae, permitted the harp." (p. 28)
"Now some have argued that the word psallo underwent such a drastic change of meaning from the time of the Septuagint, that the first century the the word meant to sing only,without the sound of instruments. However one would have to seriously question that agrument, especially in view of the fact that when Josephus, the Jewish historian in the first century, was translated into Greek,
psallo was used to translate "playing the harp." And you will find that in several references. One would be in his Antiquities, (Book 6, Ch. 8. v.2). In that particular reference, I counted at least three times where psallo was used when Josephus translated, to mean "playing on the harp." Now that is the first century literature. (Bill Swetmon, p. 29)
Of course, Bill Swetmon is not neutral but, like all of the FHU unity speakers, intentionally presents the PRO instrumental position. We have it on good authority and personal observation that "Christian colleges have not defended the ANTI-instrumental position for 25 years." Of course we are aware that they never did other than inherited traditionalism.
The Disciples tried and failed to grasp the word PSALLO for the first
time in 1878. However, those who ignore earlier discussions, like Tome
Burgess and all his repeaters, dig up quotes from the ancient texts to
prove that psallo demands "playing a harp." However, the texts
all speak
of males PLUCKING the harp to seduce a "youth minister" for pederasty.
THERE IS NO OTHER MEANING IN HISTORY.
They could have seen that Paul put the "melody" in the place of the human spirit which is the only place God seeks our worship. Further, the parallel word in Colossians 3 is GRACE. We might assume that the word psallo never belonged in Ephesians 5 because it is never used to mean melody and Paul guided by the Spirit OF Christ had words which DID include the instrument:
meloid-ia A.singing, chantingNow, tell us that the Spirit OF Christ or Paul was so stupid that he did not know HOW to define singing AND playing in the external sense. In the HEART is a place.
lur-aoidos one who sings to the lyre,
auloid-os A.one who sings to the flute
psilociitharista One who plays without singing
chorokithar-eus A.one who plays the cithara to a chorus, (Aphrodisias ZOE)
psaltes a player on the cithara, a musician, minstrel
Jesus cast out the musical minstrels 'like dung' and consigned the pipers, singers and dancers to the marketplace FROM WHICH the "psallo rope" drove the slackers to the Ekklesia for verbal instruction only. That is because all of the singers with instruments were known as parasites.
parasitor, to play the parasite, to sponge: parasitarier, parasitando pascere ventres suos
Similar to kitharizein. See Plautus, Persa
cĭthărīzo , āre, kitharizô, to play on or strike the cithara, Nep. Epam. 2, 1; Vulg. Apoc. 14, 2.
First, we have noted that the same false teachers appeal to Lucian of Samosata as their proof that psallo still implied instruments long after the time of Paul. However, what the proof-text-lifters do not know is that Lucian was trained in Classical or Attic Greek and knew that his "demonstration lectures" would have its widest monetary appeal among the nobles: kings, princes, priests. Therefore, Lucian is our proof that for the common people of Koine Greek the word psallo still rejected instruments perhaps because of its universal association with the theater, paganism and prostitution.
For two articles on Lucian to repudiate Swetmon etal Click Here for his use of psallo.
In addition, you may click here to read Lucian and all of the church fathers associating instrumental music with the theater or prostitution.
Second, lets note that Clement was speaking of secular festivals and totally condemned all instrumental music "in church." If Clement thought that psallo "implied" instruments he did not so think of the statement of Paul in Ephesians 5:19. Click to see the rest of the story about Clement. and more by Clement.
Ignorance of the facts used to sow discord among bretheren amounts to dishonesty. Whole lies are made up of half truths but there is not even a half truth in these false claims.
Comments about Basil A.D. 360
"But considerable prominence was given to the hymns by the Gnostic, Bardesans, who composed a psalter of 150 psalms. However, the 59th canon of the Synod of Laodicea, 360 A. D., enjoined that 'No psalm composed by private individuals nor any uncanonical books may be read in the Church, but only... the Canonical Books of the OT and NT." Int Std Ency., p. 2494
This is what Paul absolutely commanded: Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs are all inspired and Paul would tell the Corinthians that unless their assumed to be inspired songs or teachings could be validated by another supernaturally inspired prophet that they should sit down and shut up -- this applies to men as well as women.
However, in Corinth as in your local congregation:
"In competition with pagan musical art, congregational singing began to wane. Basil states that he had 'the Psalms rendered by skillful presentors 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., p. 2494A
This urge to use professional art to compete with others quite naturally led to the use of professional presenters. It is important to note the earlier statement that the use of music was often in the professionals.
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)
Then and now this proves that they were arrogantly violating Paul's instruction. If they remotely grasped that the command is not to "sing" but to "teach." That means "preach." This speaking or preaching to one another using the Biblical text would allow everyone to memorize the Psalms and other poetic history and there would be no need for a secular, carnal, pagan book.
Background Notes on Greek Music from Britannica Online
Greek music has a primary role as an educational tool of the youth. It was otherwise associated with the theater, which was always religious, in polite society and among the charismatic women prophetesses (prostitutes) at the "temples" or oracle shrines such as at Delphi. However, there was nothing similar in Greek society to modern four-part harmony with music to accompany it.
As Phythagoras learned at the Towers of Babylon about musical sounds as having the power to "move the worshipers into the presence of the gods" who would meet you as you ascended the tower:
"The prevailing doctrine of ethos, as explained by ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, was based on the belief that music has a direct effect upon the soul and actions of mankind.
"As a result, the Greek political and social systems were intertwined with music, which had a primary role in the dramas of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. And the Grecian educational system was focused upon musica and gymnastica, the former referring to all cultural and intellectual studies, as distinguished from those related to physical training. (See ethos, dramatic literature.)
Isn't it interesting that the modern evangelists in order to "come in out of the cold" of the mission field quite naturally turn to temple building, gymnastica and musica. This is neo paganism and is not remotely connected to Christianity which is a spiritual religion where nothing which assaults the body can haven any effect but destructive mind-altering dissociation:
"The Greek philosophers believed that music in education made lasting effects upon the human soul. However, this music was for its own educational value and not for worship. There are very few fragments of musical notation which survived. However, these musical fragments show that
Greek music was predominantly vocal,
although instrumental pieces were sometimes presented.
The music was homophonic (not polyphonic); i.e., it consisted of single melodic lines.
Music would have been a four-note line identical to the tones of the voice:
"the most striking example being the epic poems of Homer, in which the singer accompanied himself on a lyre.
Ancient Greek was a pitched language, so melody had to be an outgrowth of the natural inflections of the spoken language.
Greek vowels had long and short values that corresponded to long and short notes in the musical settings. Thus musical rhythms were derived from metric forms, and melodic movement was governed by the natural rise and fall of the text.
Ancient Greece appears never to have had a developed instrumental art.
The word psallo would have retained its old meaning related to "plucking out hair" or "grinding to bits" to describe the judgment of Saul or it would still be appropriate to describe the pagan prostitutes who gained customers with music and drove them into madness which was sold as "experiencing god personally."
Even among the Hebrews, there was nothing similar to modern "church" singing and joining the instruments while singing would have been the activity of the children. So notes Job 21. It would also be the activity of the prostitute (Ezekiel 33). Or it would be the activity of religious leaders "on the take" (Amons 5, 6, 8)
Now, look where Bill Swetmon, at Freed Hardeman University, points in Josephus and see whether you want to follow Bill and crowd and "go thou and do likewise."
See A. Ralph Johnson's use of Josephus. ALL of the examples used by Tom Burgess--and the ditto heads--and A. Ralph Johnson make the three steps necessary: 1) sing, 2) pluck or play and 3) WHAT is to be plucked. It might just be the excess hair of the male catamite harp player. ALL also prove the sexual- homosexual drive of the "ministers of the gods" and their paying "congregations." NO exception.
These men said it was
not right either to send the ark away, or to retain it, but to
dedicate five golden images, one for every city, as a thank-offering
to God, on account of his having taken care of their preservation,
and having kept them alive when their lives were likely to be taken
away by such distempers as they were not able to bear up against.
They also would have them make five golden mice like to those that
devoured and destroyed their country (2) to put them in a bag, and
lay them upon the ark; to make them a new cart also for it, and to
yoke milch kine to it (3) but to shut up their calves, and keep them
from them, lest, by following after them, they should prove a
hinderance to their dams, and that the dams might return the faster
out of a desire of those calves; then to drive these milch kine that
carried the ark, and leave it at a place where three ways met, and So
leave it to the kine to go along which of those ways they pleased;
that in case they went the way to the Hebrews, and ascended to their
country, they should suppose that the ark was the cause of their
misfortunes; but if they turned into another road, they said, "We
will pursue after it, and conclude that it has no such force in
it."
Of course, it was moved with great musical noise:
2 Spanheim informs us here, that upon the coins of Tenedos, and those of other cities, a field-mouse is engraven, together with Apollo Smintheus, or Apollo, the driver away of field-mice, on account of his being supposed to have freed certain tracts of ground from those mice; which coins show how great a judgment such mice have sometimes been, and how the deliverance from them was then esteemed the effect of a divine power; which observations are highly suitable to this history.
3 This device of the Philistines, of having a yoke of kine to draw this cart, into which they put the ark of the Hebrews, is greatly illustrated by Sanchoniatho's account, under his ninth generation, that Agrouerus, or Agrotes, the husbandman, had a much-worshipped statue and temple, carried about by one or more yoke of oxen, or kine, in Phoenicia, in the neighborhood of these Philistines. See Cumberland's Sanchoniatho, p. 27 and 247; and Essay on the Old Testament, Append. p. 172.
4 These seventy men, being not so much as Levites, touched the ark in a rash or profane manner, and were slain by the hand of God for such their rashness and profaneness, according to the Divine threatenings, Numbers 4:15, 20; but how other copies come to add such an incredible number as fifty thousand in this one town, or small city, I know not. See Dr. Wall's Critical Notes on 1 Samuel 6:19.
In Book
VI
CHAPTER 8.
HOW, UPON SAUL'S TRANSGRESSION OF THE PROPHET'S COMMANDS, SAMUEL ORDAINED ANOTHER PERSON TO BE KING PRIVATELY, WHOSE NAME WAS DAVID, AS GOD COMMANDED HIM.
1. NOW Saul being sensible of the miserable condition he had brought himself into, and that he had made God to be his enemy, he went up to his royal palace at Gibeah, which name denotes a hill, and after that day he came no more into the presence of the prophet. And when Samuel mourned for him, God bid him leave off his concern for him, and to take the holy oil, and go to Bethlehem, to Jesse the son of Obed, and to anoint such of his sons as he should show him for their future king.
In Isaiah and Amos when the people fell into musical worship and refused to hear the Words of God, it is true that "God left off His concern for them" and allowed them to sing and play their way into captivity and death.
2. So Samuel, when he had given him these admonitions, went away. But the Divine Power departed from Saul, and removed to David;
who, upon this removal of the Divine Spirit to him, began to prophesy.
(This was like speaking in tongues at Pentecost: a judgmental sign of God's desertion)
But as for Saul, some strange and demoniacal disorders came upon him, and brought upon him such suffocations as were ready to choke him; for which the physicians could find no other remedy but this, That if any person could charm those passions
- by singing, and
- playing upon the harp,
Note: if "singing and playing the harp" is implied in Bill Swetmon's use of psallo then we must of necessity translate this passage as follows:
- By singing and
- By singing and playing upon the harp
This is also true of Ephesians 5:19. It does not say "singing and singing in the heart." It puts the speaking on the outside with the absolute demand to teach the Words of Christ. The melody is on the inside where its "abrading" meaning implies to "break the heart." It does not mean to celebrate ala voodoo.
they advised them to inquire for such a one, and to observe when these demons came upon him and disturbed him, and to take care that such a person might stand over him,
- and play upon the harp,
- and recite hymns to him.
Accordingly Saul did not delay, but commanded them to seek out such a man. And when a certain stander-by said that he had seen in the city of Bethlehem a son of Jesse,
who was yet no more than a child in age,
but comely and beautiful, and in other respects one that was deserving of great regard,
who was skillful in playing on the harp,
and in singing of hymns,Or, if Bill Swetmon is right, we must translate this:
Who was skillful in singing and playing on the harp
and in singing of hymns
[And an excellent soldier in war]
When David the warrior who replaced God as commander destroyed all of the enemy he reassigned his millitary musicians to the central headquarters in Jerusalem: they were under the king and the commanders of the army.
As such, they were overseers or excellers who guaranteed that the common people did not get into the temple (as they had as flaming cherubim kept them out of the Tabernacle) and later to drive them as slaves to build the temple. The musical Levites were warriors who did not serve the people but the priests in the horrible spectacle of killing all of those animals.
he sent to Jesse, and desired him to take David away from the flocks, and send him to him, for he had a mind to see him, as having heard an advantageous character of his comeliness and his valor. So Jesse sent his son, and gave him presents to carry to Saul. And when he was come, Saul was pleased with him, and made him his armor-bearer, and had him in very great esteem; for
- he charmed his passion,
- and was the only physician against the trouble he had
- from the demons, whensoever it was that it came upon him,
- and this by reciting of hymns, and playing upon the harp,
- and bringing Saul to his right mind again.
Modern research admits that music may have some advantage in calming those suffering mental illness. Even this, therapists insist, should be very simple or even single, pure tones (as in unison). They are also agreed that one can play music and bring on an "evil spirit" which, if God's will is ignored, is from the Lord.
The church needs musical physicians or soothsayers only if it is possessed of a mad demon.
However, he sent to Jesse, the father of the child, and desired him to permit David to stay with him, for that he was delighted with his sight and company; which stay, that he might not contradict Saul, he granted.
Joining voice to Instruments was a children's or pagan activity:
"Spanheim takes notice here that the Greeks had such singers of hymns; and that usually children or youths were picked out for that service; as also, that those called singers to the harp, did the same that David did here, i. e. join their own vocal and instrumental music together." (Josephus, notes by William Whiston, John Winston, Co. p. 186)
However, Arnobius who understood that Jesus had fired the demons asked:
"Are the gods moved by garlands also, wreaths and flowers, by the jingling of brass also, and the shaking of cymbals, by timbrels also, and also by symphonious pipes? What effect has the clattering of castanets, that when the deities have heard them, they think that honor has been shown to them and lay aside their fiery spirit of resentment in forgetfulness? Or, as little boys are frightened by giving over their silly wailings by hearing the sound of rattles, are the almighty deities also soothed in the same way by the whistling of pipes? And do they become mild, is their indignation softened at the musical sound of cymbals? 'What is the meaning of those calls which you sing in the morning, joining your voice to the music of the pipe. Do the gods of heaven fall asleep, so that they should return to their posts? What is the meaning of those slumbers to which you commend them with auspicious salutations that they may be in good health? Are they awakened from sleep; and that they may be able to overcome by it, must soothing lullabies be heard?" (Arnobius Against the Heathen, Ante-Nicene Fathers, VI, p. 531).
CHAPTER 10.
SAUL ENVIES DAVID FOR HIS GLORIOUS SUCCESS, AND TAKES AN OCCASION OF ENTRAPPING HIM, FROM THE PROMISE HE MADE HIM OF GIVING HIM HIS DAUGHTER IN MARRIAGE; BUT THIS UPON CONDITION OF HIS BRINGING HIM SIX HUNDRED HEADS OF THE PHILISTINES.
Guess how God brought on the evil spirit:
1. NOW the women were an occasion of Saul's envy and hatred to David;
for they came to meet their victorious army with cymbals, and drums, and all demonstrations of joy, and sang thus:
The wives said, that "Saul had slain his many thousands of the Philistines."
The virgins replied, that "David had slain his ten thousands."Now, when the king heard them singing thus, and that he had himself the smallest share in their commendations, and the greater number, the ten thousands, were ascribed to the young man; and when he considered with himself that there was nothing more wanting to David, after such a mighty applause, but the kingdom;
he began to be afraid and suspicious of David. Accordingly he removed him from the station he was in before, for he was his armor-bearer, which, out of fear, seemed to him much too near a station for him; and so he made him captain over a thousand, and bestowed on him a post better indeed in itself, but, as he thought, more for his own security;
for he had a mind to send him against the enemy, and into battles, as hoping he would be slain in such dangerous conflicts.
This lying, musical flattery by the women was part of Saul's judgment. No better way to throw the "king" into a fit of depression than by bragging up the armor bearer. Certian forms of 'exciting' music has always been used to bring on what Paul called madness (saw a voodoo film today).
This does not keep ignorant men from using David's instruments and the women choirs as proof-text authority for modern choirs and instrumental performers. However, it is a medical fact that music can, and is designed to, bring on the demons of jealousy and envy and pride.
CHAPTER 11.
HOW DAVID, UPON SAUL'S LAYING SNARES FOR HIM, DID YET ESCAPE THE DANGERS HE WAS IN BY THE AFFECTION AND CARE OF JONATHAN AND THE CONTRIVANCES OF HIS WIFE MICHAL: AND HOW HE CAME TO SAMUEL THE PROPHET.
3. About this time it was that, upon the Philistines making a new expedition against the Hebrews, Saul sent David with an army to fight with them; and joining battle with them he slew many of them, and after his victory he returned to the king.
But his reception by Saul was not as he expected upon such success, for he was grieved at his prosperity, because he thought he would be more dangerous to him by having acted so gloriously:
- but when the demoniacal spirit came upon him,
- and put him into disorder, and disturbed him, (he prophesied but he was not a prophet)
- he called for David into his bed-chamber wherein he lay,
- and having a spear in his hand,
- he ordered him to charm him with playing on his harp,
- and with singing hymns;
which when David did at his command, he with great force threw the spear at him; but David was aware of it before it came, and avoided it, and fled to his own house, and abode there all that day.
CHAPTER 9.
CONCERNING ALBINUS UNDER WHOSE PROCURATORSHIP JAMES WAS SLAIN; AS ALSO WHAT EDIFICES WERE BUILT BY AGRIPPA. (A special note to Seeker Service Solicitors)
5. But when Albinus heard that Gessius Florus was coming to succeed him, he was desirous to appear to do somewhat that might be grateful to the people of Jerusalem; so he brought out all those prisoners who seemed to him to be most plainly worthy of death, and ordered them to be put to death accordingly. But as to those who had been put into prison on some trifling occasions,
he took money of them, and dismissed them; by which means the prisons were indeed emptied, but the country was filled with robbers. (This was a true Jubilee)
6. "Now as many of the Levites, which is a tribe of ours, as were singers of hymns, persuaded the king to assemble a sanhedrim,
and to give them leave to wear linen garments, as well as the priests
for they said that this would be a work worthy the times of his government, that he might have a memorial of such a novelty, as being his doing. Nor did they fail of obtaining their desire;for the king, with the suffrages of those that came into the sanhedrim, granted the singers of hymns this privilege, that they might lay aside their former garments, and wear such a linen one as they desired;
and as a part of this tribe ministered in the temple, he also permitted them to learn those hymns as they had besought him for.
Now all this was contrary to the laws of our country, which, whenever they have been transgressed, we have never been able to avoid the punishment of such transgressions. (Antiq. XX.ix.6).
7. And now it was that the temple was finished. So when the people saw that the workmen were unemployed, who were above eighteen thousand and that they,
receiving no wages, were in want
because they had earned their bread by their labors about the temple;
and while they were unwilling to keep by them the treasures that were there deposited,out of fear of [their being carried away by] the Romans; and while they had a regard to the making provision for the workmen;
they had a mind to expend these treasures upon them; for if any one of them did but labor for a single hour, he received his pay immediately; so they persuaded him to rebuild the eastern cloisters.
These cloisters belonged to the outer court, and were situated in a deep valley, and had walls that reached four hundred cubits [in length], and were built of square and very white stones, the length of each of which stones was twenty cubits, and their height six cubits. This was the work of king Solomon, (27) who first of all built the entire temple.
But king Agrippa, who had the care of the temple committed to him by Claudius Caesar, considering that it is easy to demolish any building, but hard to build it up again, and that it was particularly hard to do it to these cloisters, which would require a considerable time, and great sums of money,
he denied the petitioners their request about that matter; but he did not obstruct them when they desired the city might be paved with white stone.
He also deprived Jesus, the son of Gamaliel, of the high priesthood, and gave it to Matthias, the son of Theophilus, under whom the Jews' war with the Romans took its beginning.
Counter added 11/19/04 1841 8.18.07 750
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