For much of the history of the church, from the reign of King David (1000 BC) until about 150 years ago, the Psalms were the songbook of the church. Under the old covenant God’s people sang Psalms in anticipation of the coming Messiah. Our Lord Jesus sang Psalms. The New Testament the church sang Psalms. The early Christian church sang Psalms. It was only under and after Gregory I (AD c. 1540–604) that the Psalms faced any great challenge but even then, for the next millennium, the Psalter was the most basic songbook of the church. During the middle ages monks memorized the Psalms and sang through the entire Psalter (150 Psalms) regularly. The Reformed churches recovered the singing of the Psalms by translating the them into the language of the people. The psalter again became the songbook of the churches through the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 18th century non-canonical hymns began to challenge the place of the Psalms and finally, by the late 20th century the Psalms were almost entirely replaced by non-canonical songs and hymns. The early 21st century is almost certainly the most psalm-less age in the history of the church in more than 3000 years. The Reformed conviction (even if our practice has not always matched our conviction) is that God’s Word is sufficient for public worship. This was an application of the formal principle of the Reformation: sola Scriptura, i.e., our conviction of the sufficiency of Scripture. According to sola Scriptura, Scripture alone is the final authority for the Christian faith and the Christian life. Worship is at the center of the Christian life and a principal expression of the Christian faith. Thus, when we respond to the reading, preaching, and confession of God’s Word and to the gospel made visible in the sacraments, it is fitting that we should respond with God’s Word.
The value, use, and art of the singing of God’s Word and especially the psalter has long been a matter of interest at the Heidelblog. Here are some resources toward advancing the recovery of psalmody in the church.
Exegetical and Theological
- Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs in the LXX
- Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and the Regulative Principle
- Why Sing the Psalms?
- Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and Instruments in the Latin Bibles (1)
- Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and Instruments in the Latin Bibles (2)
- Considering Context Leads To Singing Psalms In New Testament Praise And Worship
- The Intent of the Psalms is to Reveal Christ
- Singing In Acts 16:25 And Plausibility Structures
- Does “Sing to Him a New Song” Justify Praise Songs?
- 1 Corinthians 14:26: Each One Has A Psalm
- Reformed Worship is Neither “Contemporary” nor “Traditional”
Historical
- Eusebius: The Command to Sing Psalms is Universal
- What Did the Westminster Divines Mean By “Psalms”?
- Synod of Dort 1578: Only Psalms To Be Sung In Worship
- Synod 1928’s Grounds for Adding Hymns to the Psalter
- Kuyper: The Introduction Of Hymns To Dutch Reformed Worship Was Done Unlawfully
- Reformed Psalmody Distinct From Hymnody
- Calvin on Psalm Singing in Worship
- What Happened? How Did We Lose Psalm Singing?
- How the Dutch Reformed Lost the Psalms
- Deformation or Reformation?
- Audio: Godfrey on the Psalms, Calvin, and Contemporary Worship
- Reformed Churches Are Scripture Singing Churches
- The Decline Of Psalmody In The Netherlands: Anabaptists, Remonstrants, And The State Church
- Ken’s Doxology: A Subversion Of The Psalter?
- Calvin Did Not Write “I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art”
Practica
- Ambrose: Psalms Unite the Church
- Calvin On Why We Should Sing the Psalms
- Office Hours: Bob Godfrey on Learning to Love the Psalms
- Godfrey: Has the Experiment Succeeded?
- J. G. Vos: Ashamed Of The Tents Of Shem?
- The Psalms in Worship and Living
- Beets: In Depth of Spirituality, the Psalms Excel Hymns
- Wisdom on Introducing Psalm-Singing
- Introducing Congregations to the Psalms
- Man Discovers Jesus’ Hymnal
- A Useful Resource for Psalm Singing
- Resources for Recovering Psalmody (Dan Kok)
- New App To Help You And Your Congregation Sing Psalms
- Sing Psalms: New Metrical Versions of the Book of Psalms
- Calvin’s Plan for Recovering Psalms
- The Psalms Are Trans-Cultural
- Mini-Psalter 2.0
- Wanted: Better Tunes for the Psalms
- Herman Selderhuis on Spiritual Maturity and the Psalms
- Audio: The Struggle of Sanctification in the Psalms (1)
- The Struggle of Sanctification in the Psalms (2)
- Calvin: Psalm 88 Is a Form of Prayer for the Afflicted
- Picking A Psalm for Worship
- Trueman: Opposition to Singing God’s Word is Marcionite
- Genevan Psalter in Spanish
- New Genevan Psalter
- Bay Psalm Book on Uninspired Versus Inspired Songser for the Afflicted
- Mercy Musings: Psalm 5
- Can’t Plant A Psalm-Singing Congregation In An Urban Metro?
- Look Ma No Instruments! (Ps 85)
- Psalm 23 As You’ve Never Heard It Before: God’s Word Transcends Cultural Boundaries
- Psalters!
- Historic Reformed Worship is Multi- or Trans-Cultural
Related: Resources on the Rule of Worship
Thank you. Much appreciated.
Ditto!