Question on Odes of Solomon and the Worship of the Early Church

[LadyCalvinist]

Today in adult Sunday School the Associate Pastor, who has a Ph.d in historical theology, was teaching a class about the history of worship in the church. He said that hymns came in early, about 125 A.D. and mentioned the Odes of Solomon. When I said that the early church was exclusive psalmody and that hymns did not come in until the 4th century. He said that was backwards. Th early church sang hymns and did not become exclusive psalmody until the 4th century when heretics were singing hymns, and the church responded by becoming exclusive psalmody.

I am reading Bushell's Songs of Zion, and what he says is the opposite of my pastor. I'm confused.

 

[Taylor]

I'm not EP, but the EP position does not stand or fall on what the early church did or did not do. In fact, none of our faith or practice depends upon what the early church did or did not do. That's the glory of being Protestant. What matters is this: What does the Bible say? It wouldn't matter if the early church began signing hymns on day one after Christ's ascension, we follow God's Word.

 

[JH]

I know not the context: but did you bring up your opposing view in the form of a comment or question during the lecture? I think it would be of a most submissive spirit (and proper) to save any opposing statements until after the lecture, and brought to the elder individually. I say this as someone who is also EP in a non-EP environment.

 

[Poimen]

As with all such questions, there are a number of opinions, all which may be freely scrutinised.

In order to affirm your pastor's statement, we would have to prove the author, date, intent, and audience among other things. We would also have to prove the orthodoxy of the Odes in that some have contested that they are closer to Gnosticism and/or Judaism than Christianity. Aside from these things we may have evidence in this collection of a hymn or series of hymns written by someone in the first century that may or may not have been approved for use in a some church's public worship.

One instructive note about the Odes: neither the name Jesus or the title Christ are ever used in the text.

 

[Poimen]

Th early church sang hymns and did not become exclusive psalmody until the 4th century when heretics were singing hymns, and the church responded by becoming exclusive psalmody.

This is not true, or at least not in Milan. Ambrose' hymns were introduced there into the church's worship in the fourth century in response to the influence of the Arians.