Musical “Truth” Found in the Bible part 3

 

Musical “Truth” Found in the Bible part 3

 

What I am contending, for example, is that an author stating that a Christian musician should not music unto God with carnal songs, based on the use of pneumatikos oide (4152 5603) in Ephesians 5:19, does not constitute the unwarranted use of Scripture, which is called proof texting, because lexicographers generally agree that pneumatikos oide means spiritual i.e. non-carnal songs. As we know, indiscriminate quoting of Scripture to try to prove a point will many times result in incorrect conclusions, but so will trusting the usual meaning of an English word or words used in a Bible translation without regard to the meaning of the word or words used in the original text.  Words have meaning but their meaning is greatly influenced by how they are used in sentences.  However, how a writer interprets what words mean in context is many times a matter of opinion. 

There are many factors that should affect how a writer will arrive at a musical conclusion, such as musical worldview, general academic knowledge of music history and theory, knowledge or lack of knowledge of: ancient musical instruments, ancient species of music mentioned in the Bible, music worship practices in the first and second ancient Jewish Temples, the meaning of  musical terms used in the Bible, the ancient Jewish sociological and cultural limitations of the use of women in Temple music, the meaning of the biblical accents (te’amim) found below and above the OT texts, secular music and musicing mentioned in the Bible, ancient biblical principles of sacred and secular music and musicing mentioned in the Bible, and an understanding of the music of the nations and cultures that surrounded ancient Israel.