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Originally Posted by JohnV  Quote:
Originally Posted by timmopussycat To answer your question 3, I would say no, for it is clear that whatever else may be said the apostle Paul tells us to sing psalms. | That's right, he does. If I told you to sing the Dutch national anthem (supposing you were a complete stranger to it) would you be able to do it? You can't obey a commandment if you don't know how to go about it.
So, I command you to sing the Psalms. So, go ahead, do it. Remove all twentieth century context and obey Paul's command here. Can you do it? I didn't think so. Very few can. So what does this commandment mean? Is it like giving a prescription without giving a dosage amount? Would not the word "prescription" instead of "command" lead to the same thing, an inability to fill it? What does it mean that we are told to sing psalms? |
Interesting thought.
What if you were commanded to sing Ps 24 to the original melody/rhythm composed by David? Music of that region does not use diatonic scales. In fact, even melodies/rhythms from western cultures of hundreds of years ago are almost unsingable today by ameteurs. (Have you ever tried to sing along with the melodies of Josquin De Prez?) The fact that we are commanded to sing requires that 'someone' compose singable melodies/rhythms. These melodies/rhythms would have to conform somewhat to cultural norms. Therefore, if my reasoning is correct, the command to 'sing' is also a command to 'compose'.