Mon 12 Oct 2009
Interpreting Colossians 3:16
Posted by Mathew Block under Lutheran Leanings, Main, Theological Musings, Worship
[3] Comments
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16)
I was reading an article at the Lutheran Hymn Revival website entitled “Optism: A Plea to Lutheran Pastors” by Mark Amberg Preus that discusses the importance of doctrinal strength in the music of the Church. [UPDATE: As of Oct. 18, the aforementioned post seems to have been taken down from the Lutheran Hymn Revival Site.] There’s some good things to think about there, but I had a few comments and concerns. Alas, Lutheran Hymn Revival only allows comments from Google and Blogger accounts – neither of which I currently have. What follows is the comment I intended to leave on the site.
I just stumbled across your site and I thank you for your voice in the blogosphere. I’ve had a chance to glance at your hymns and am quite excited to find strong theological content blended with similarly strong literary style – a delicate balance frequently missed in the current era.
While I sympathize with much of what you say, I must admit I’m always curious as to how people interpret Colossians 3:16. Most intriguing to me is your interpretation of “songs” as a particular type of “doctrinal hymn” – a suggestion that I have never come across in my own studies.
Kretzmann’s classic Popular Commentary (published by CPH back in 1921-1924) suggests that the three genres correspond as follows: “This can be done also by the use of psalms, the incomparable poetry of Holy Writ, hymns which are intended chiefly for use in church services, and spiritual songs, such as are more popular in form and content, but also tell of the wonderful blessings of God for our salvation.”
Now I’m not suggesting Kretzmann is necessarily right. In truth, I am doubtful that Paul actually intended to distinguish three particular “genres” of worship music at all. The fact is that the words for “psalm” “hymn,” and “song” utilized here are used in Greek to refer any number of musical/poetic genres. ‘Psalmos’ merely means something like ‘a tune played on a stringed instrument’ or ‘a strain or burst of music’ (Liddell and Scott). The word is derived from ‘psallo’ Grk. for ‘to pluck/twang’ (as on a harp). ‘Hymnos’ means a ‘festive song’ typically sung ‘in honour of gods or heroes.’ And ‘hode’ (transliterated ‘ode’ in English) is used to refer to all kinds of music: songs, lays, strains, etc. In the plural (as it appears Colossians) it can even simply mean ‘lyric poetry’ (something accompanied with music, but not necessarily sung per se).
Taken together the phrase “psalms, hymns and songs” would merely imply “all kinds of music”. The addition of the word “spiritual”, as you point out, restricts the meaning to “spiritual” or “religious” meaning. So we might read “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” to mean simply “all kinds of spiritual music”. This would make sense in the larger literary context of the verse as it then balances “all wisdom.” Thus, the verse could well be understood to mean something like the following:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing all types of spiritual music, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
In any event, I agree that whatever music we sing must be doctrinally pure. The imperative to “sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” is balanced with “teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom”… and all of this in the context of letting “the Word of Christ dwell in [us] richly.” Luther in his sermon on Colossians 3:12-17 reminds us that this means that we should be grateful (v. 15) for “preachers” who “handle the Word” and deliver it us. This Gospel Word delivered to us must forever indwell all we teach and all we sing.
Dear Matthew,
Thank you for your consideration of my post. I’m in the process of revising it when I find the time again.
I agree that ᾠδή has a broader meaning than either a psalm or a hymn. It still seems, however, that Paul is listen different types of singing for a reason. He mentions psalms because the psalter should be used for singing. He mentions hymns because hymns speak specifically of the works of God. If you read a few of the Homeric hymns or even some Hellenistic hymns you will find that they often resemble certain of our psalms which tell a story that illustrates the works of God. Hymns were actually very narrative-driven. Decent examples of this would be Luther’s “Dear Christians, One and All” or especially Ambrose’ “Savior of the Nations, Come.”
An “ode” is a broader category, but it does retain its own characteristic which separates it from a hymn or a psalm. If we took the broadest definition of “ode” we could simply call it a song. What we may not do is define it as “spiritual” in contrast the others, since the Greek simply places the modifying adjective on the last noun to denote its modifying all preceding nouns, as we place the adjective in front of the first noun to denote its modifying the subsequent nouns.
An ode was the word used for what the chorus sang in Ancient Greek Tragedy. It was always a thematic piece. It consisted at first of a strophe, antistrophe and an epode, but later it simply had several verses. It can indeed mean simply “any song,” but even during the Koine period, when tragedy was still cooking and its language familiar to Paul and the NT writers, the use of “ode “for a thematic song had retained its meaning. If “ode” simply means “song” then it would be strange to have two specific genres of music and then a third general genre that was all inclusive. In other words, Paul could have written “sing all types of music,” but he didn’t. He chose his words carefully.
In any case, the point is that a spiritual ode is one that would speak of a doctrinal or theological theme, whether this be about a person or a teaching.
My basic concern is that the songs that we now sing do not have God’s Word dwelling richly in it so that we might teach and admonish each other. Much of it is very much influenced by a Third Article beginning rather than the actual and effective work of Christ. If we are to be “Spirit-ual,” we will take of what is Christ’s and declare to each other what the Spirit told us in His Word.
Find me a clear expression of the battle between the spirit and the flesh in either modern hymnody or contemporary music, one that not only speaks of the problem, but then also the solution in the work of Christ, pointing me outside of myself to the Gospel and Sacraments. Find me a recently written hymn on baptism that comes close to Paul Gerhardt’s or Luther’s hymn on it, or a hymn on the Supper that resembles anything like O Lord, We Praise Thee, or Soul, Adorn Thyself. It’s frustrating to see, in any case. Which is why I need optimism.
I see you like Donne. Have you ever read any George Herbert? He has a baptism sonnet that will blow you away. I hope you don’t mind that I post it below:
HOLY BAPTISME. (I)
AS he that sees a dark and shadie grove,
Stayes not, but looks beyond it on the skie ;
So when I view my sinnes, mine eyes remove
More backward still, and to that water flie,
Which is above the heav’ns, whose spring and vent
Is in my dear Redeemers pierced side.
O blessed streams ! either ye do prevent
And stop our sinnes from growing thick and wide,
Or else give tears to drown them, as they grow.
In you Redemption measures all my time,
And spreads the plaister equall to the crime :
You taught the book of life my name, that so,
Whatever future sinnes should me miscall,
Your first acquaintance might discredit all.
You can find more of his works at http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/metaphysical.htm
Thanks for the Herbert, Mark. He’s actually one of my favourite poets (my field of research is primarily literature/theology in the Reformation/Renaissance eras).
It’s good to discuss these things. As the Wise Man teaches, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17). Indeed, perhaps to some extent our discussion fulfills the command in Colossians 3 to “teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.”
I certainly agree that we can read ‘ode’ to mean ‘thematic song’ (as opposed to a narrative), and that it had its origin in Greek tragedy. But ‘thematic’ is really a rather open category. Horace’s odes discuss people, events, seasons, country life, and all manner of things… even one written against garlic. Rather than truly limiting possibilities, it becomes a term for any sort of lyric poem, and thus synonymous with ‘song’ in general.
I agree that ‘spiritual’ does not apply just to ‘ode’, but to ‘hymn’ and ‘psalm’ as well. After all, there were hymns and psalms outside of the biblical tradition, as you well note.
I suppose where I differ from you is in your interpretation that the intention is to simply describe three genres of music (though I’m not sure how even this would necessarily suggest that other genres would by necessity be wrong; they would merely be adiaphora). I suggest that what St. Paul is here doing (and in Ephesians 5 where he uses the same “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” phrase) is utilizing the rhetorical form of synonymia: where a series of synonyms or closely-related terms are used for literary effect, rather than specification of distinct entities.
In Ephesians 5:19, as I said, Paul uses the same term: “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” It is helpful to note how frequently he uses synonymia throughout this passage. He tells us slightly earlier (5:9) that “the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.” He warns us that there should be “no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking” among us (5:4). Paul was clearly aware of such rhetorical devices and, in fact, uses them frequently throughout his writing.
Truth be told, we use this literary device ourselves every Sunday. Consider, for example, the end of the collect prayer (which in English comes from the 1549 Book of Common Prayer): “Therfore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the holy companye of heaven…” Here we see two specific categories (angels and archangels) followed by a broader category (all the company of heaven) to mean simply the total larger category. One + One + All = All. One could simply say “all the holy companye of heaven” without changing the meaning of the total phrase; angels and archangels are part of the “holy companye of heaven”. The addition of “angels and archangels” simply provides literary embellishment to the text.
These are some of the reasons, I still feel that that “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” should be not be read as individual entities, but rather as synonymia. Paul frequently uses the form elsewhere in his text, and it would make fine sense in the context surrounding it.
In any event, I agree with you that many of “the songs that we now sing do not have God’s Word dwelling richly in it so that we might teach and admonish each other.” But I see this not so much a failing of a particular literary or musical style; it is rather the failure of the church to raise up theologically astute songwriters. However, I allow myself to hope. When we compare contemporary worship music from two decades ago, with some of the songs being written today (see, for example, “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty), I see the Church beginning to correct some of its mistakes. I sat in once on a songwriting class in Edmonton, Alberta offered by Brian Doerksen. While I have grave theological concerns with some of his music, one of the things he said caught my attention: “There are not enough laments in contemporary worship. The Psalms are full of them, but we don’t seem to have any. Why is that?” His point was that the Church’s worship should constantly be held up to the Scriptures to see what in the music is lacking.
As I see more and more a move towards re-writing and contemporary hymnody, I begin to hope that the Church is returning to the practice of teaching strong theology in its songs. Rather than stifling contemporary music and hymnody for their failings (and admittedly there are many), I would rather help them move towards theological strength. It might be in a new literary/musical style, but if the content is there, I have no complaint.
Thanks for your response, Matthew,
It would be interesting to look into “ode” more. I don’t have my TDNT with me.
I don’t think Paul is using the three terms as synonyms. In Ephesians 5:5, he uses the terms “immoral, impure or greedy person” to refer to one person but different aspects of that person. Yes, each term is related, as are the psalms hymns and songs, but each denotes, or at least connotes something different.
I like “In Christ Alone.” Even the tune is still conducive to congregational singing. Do you think we’ve lost that aspect?