# What's the largest acapella denomination in the world



## Peter (Oct 25, 2005)

What is the largest church in the world that does not use musical instruments (other than the human voice) in the worship of God?









hint: it's arguably also the oldest


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## Plimoth Thom (Oct 25, 2005)

Eastern Orthodox.


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## LadyFlynt (Oct 25, 2005)

the majority of the anabaptists...second to the eastern orthodox.


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## Peter (Oct 25, 2005)

Anabaptist sects too!? They probably would be 2nd, however a far distant second - the EO church has 173 million members (baptized) World Wide (as of 1987).


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## Peter (Oct 25, 2005)

Does any body know what a cappella means?


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 25, 2005)

A cappella


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## SRoper (Oct 25, 2005)

Eastern Orthodox. I think they believe that since musical instruments were not allowed into the inner temple in OT times, they should not be allowed in the church.


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## Peter (Oct 25, 2005)

"A cappella is Italian for from the chapel (music); the term is due to restrictions on the use of instruments in medieval churches" - wikipedia

I observed an RP presbytery examination of a seminary student on "distinctives" and the examiner shared these little facts with us.


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## Herald (Oct 25, 2005)

> _Originally posted by SRoper_
> Eastern Orthodox. I think they believe that since musical instruments were not allowed into the inner temple in OT times, they should not be allowed in the church.



If Jesus is Lord of the sabbath, then he is Lord over guitars and pianos too.


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## Peter (Oct 25, 2005)

CHS didn't use musical instruments in worship either BTW.




Ps 33.

This is the lesson to be gathered from the use of musical instruments under the old dispensation. Israel was at school, and used childish things to help her to learn; but in these days, when Jesus gives us spiritual manhood, we can make melody without strings and pipes. We who do not believe these things to be expedient in worship, lest they should mar its simplicity, do not affirm them to be unlawful, and if any George Herbert or Martin Luther can worship God better by the aid of well tunes instruments, who shall gainsay their right? We do not need them, they would hinder than help our praise, but if others are otherwise minded, are they not living in gospel liberty?


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## beej6 (Apr 28, 2006)

Pardon me for reviving this thread but I wanted to ask questions outside of the current Worship/RPW threads. 

Would anyone care to redefine 'a cappella' as "singing without *independent* musical accompaniment"? That is, we know that some Psalms were sung with instruments. Do we have any evidence that these instruments would have simply "doubled" a vocal line? Or is that a later tradition?

If the above definition is acceptable, then would it be acceptable to have one instrument "doubling" a melody line? For a piano to play all four parts of the vocals to cue singers?


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