The Psalter? The What?

[jaybird0827]

Oh how I wish that were true!

It has been our experience when this is brought up, they offer the next excuse, "The name of Jesus isn't mentioned in the Psalms." Obviously they mean "Jesus by name"; nevertheless they persist in that excuse.

I am not saying they suddently become EP but they do see that psalms are suitable to be sung.

"Suitable to be sung" - that's the phrase I was looking for. Thanks.

I agree that not having the name (specifically) of Jesus in the Psalms should not be a reason to reject singing them altogether. I don't think the name of Jesus is mentioned in each and every hymn that's sung either (correct me if I'm wrong).

I view singing in church as a way of offering up praise to God, of in a sense praying to God via music. From the EP point of view, a hymn that uses the name of Jesus and praises Him for what He's done, or for who He is, and is biblically substantive, is that not suitable to be sung as worship?

From the EP point of view, a Psalm will always excel the best non-canonical song that could possibly be composed. Christ came to fulfil what was written of him in the Psalms (as well as the Law and the Prophets). In the Psalms we praise our God, and since God is praised, Christ is praised because he is God.

 

[blhowes]

From the EP point of view, a Psalm will always excel the best non-canonical song that could possibly be composed. Christ came to fulfil what was written of him in the Psalms (as well as the Law and the Prophets). In the Psalms we praise our God, and since God is praised, Christ is praised because he is God.

So, a hymn that uses the name of Jesus and praises Him for what He's done, or for who He is, and is biblically substantive, is not suitable to be sung as worship?

 

[jaybird0827]

From the EP point of view, a Psalm will always excel the best non-canonical song that could possibly be composed. Christ came to fulfil what was written of him in the Psalms (as well as the Law and the Prophets). In the Psalms we praise our God, and since God is praised, Christ is praised because he is God.

So, a hymn that uses the name of Jesus and praises Him for what He's done, or for who He is, and is biblically substantive, is not suitable to be sung as worship?

Right. Not commanded, therefore not suitable. That is the response of this canonical Psalmodist.

 

[blhowes]

Right. Not commanded, therefore not suitable. That is the response of this canonical Psalmodist.

Thanks, Jay, for your response. Just wanted to make sure I was clear where you stood.

 

[ChristopherPaul]

why is it that Psalm singing is mainly a Presbyterian thing?

It isn't.

I mean in comparison to Baptists and Presbyterians. Although there are some Psalm singing Baptist churches the majority are Hymn focused. EP is more a Reformed Presbyterian issue and not a Baptists one. I am not sure why that is the case.

 

[AV1611]

I mean in comparison to Baptists and Presbyterians. Although there are some Psalm singing Baptist churches the majority are Hymn focused. EP is more a Reformed Presbyterian issue and not a Baptists one. I am not sure why that is the case.

Probably because Presbyterians are Confessional (and EP is confessional) whilst Baptists tend not to be Confessional and even when they are, their confessions do not mandate EP.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Luttrell Psalter

For what it's worth, I came across this site recently:

Luttrell Psalter Film

 

[Ravens]

This is not technically related to the O.P., but the most poignant case for exclusive psalmody that I've ever encountered can be found here: PRC Psalm CD's.

Andrew Myers was gracious enough to send me both c.d.'s almost a year ago (I believe it will be one year in August). At that point I could say that I had already felt the intellectual pull of the E.P. arguments, and at the very least realized that I needed to respect the case that was made. After hearing the c.d.'s, at the risk of being a little hyperbolic, I felt a bit like the emissaries of Vladimir after having visited the Hagia Sophia, I "knew not whether I was in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendour or such beauty, and I am at a loss how to describe it. I know only that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For I cannot forget that beauty. Every man, after tasting something sweet, is afterward unwilling to accept that which is bitter, and therefore I cannot dwell longer here."

Granted, that's not an intellectual or Biblical argument, and it isn't intended to be so. I still need to study the issue much more before I can say with any degree of meaningful certainty and studiousness that I am fully E.P. But I am practically so right now, and sometimes thirst for such congregational worship.

In retrospect it is utterly baffling and befuddling to me, literally, that I could have went my whole life and never heard a Psalm sung. I grew up in Nazarene churches, but visited churches of many denominations in my early years as a Christian. At most, every now and then, I'd hear a hymn or praise song with one line of a Psalm as a refrain or something.

This might sound overly dramatic, but sometimes I just get a headache and think, "What is it about the Psalms that make people hate singing them?" Sometimes I get the impression even in some Presbyterian churches that if they do have to use a Psalm, it's much better to use a very loose paraphrase (again, very loose), and not something from one of the Psalters. It's almost like there's an antipathy against actually just singing a Psalm, as if it would be an experience of excruciating pain, like putting a cat into a bathtub.

It just very much strikes me that it seems to be "EP" or "no Psalms at all" in most churches; and in Presbyterian churches that aren't EP, I'd guess (there's no way I could no; none of us could, I suppose) that in many it's "one Psalm per service, and probably a very loose paraphrase).

Anyhow. I would encourage everyone that hasn't heard really good Psalm singing to purchase those c.d.'s.

I'm not affiliated with them in any way, so this isn't an infomercial.

 

[py3ak]

This is only a guess at the answer but perhaps a lack of literacy in churches caused a decline in psalters as Watts' tunes are more prone to rhyme thereby being more memorable lending to people who do not read.
In my country, a survey showed that 75% of our island inhabitants were illiterate in 1930.

Question: Does anyone know of a Psalter in the Spanish language?
We sing some psalms in spanish but we don't have an organized book with only psalms to sing in the form of a hymnal. But our hymnal contains some psalms.

I would much like to sing psalms also but I would not like to remove all of hymn singing though because of (similarly as one of the above posts), the verse--Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs. Spiritual Songs as well as Hymns should be permitted also in my opinion.

Frank, unfortunately there is no complete Psalter in Spanish. A gentleman in Spain has completed a metrical version of the Psalms which correspond to the tunes in the Geneva Psalter; however, this was done as a private devotional exercise. I put him in touch with a Reformed Spanish publishing company, but I haven't heard that anything has come of it (and the publishing company has since fallen on very hard times).

I would be absolutely thrilled to see a complete Psalter published and spread around the Spanish-speaking world.

There is a Spanish hymnal which contains quite a number of Psalms. Some Psalms are sung to Mexican folk tunes, but this can involve a great deal of repetition and singing only a very small catchet of a Psalm.