A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church

A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early ChurchEven as worship wars in the church and music controversies in society at large continue to rage, many people do not realize that conflict over music goes back to the earliest Christians as they sought to live out the new song of their faith. In A New Song for an Old World Calvin Stapert challenges contemporary Christians to learn from the wisdom of the early church in the area of music. Stapert draws parallels between the pagan cultures of the early

Even as worship wars in the church and music controversies in society at large continue to rage, many people do not realize that conflict over music goes back to the earliest Christians as they sought to live out the new song of their faith. In A New Song for an Old World Calvin Stapert challenges contemporary Christians to learn from the wisdom of the early church in the area of music.

Stapert draws parallels between the pagan cultures of the early Christian era and our own multicultural realities, enabling readers to comprehend the musical ideas of early Christian thinkers, from Clement and Tertullian to John Chrysostom and Augustine. Stapert's expert treatment of the attitudes of the early church toward psalms and hymns on the one hand, and pagan music on the other, is ideal for scholars of early Christianity, church musicians, and all Christians seeking an ancient yet relevant perspective on music in their worship and lives today.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Published: 12/01/2006
ISBN: 9780802832191
Pages: 232
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.98h x 6.20w x 0.61d

Review Citations: Christian Century 04/03/2007 pg. 52
Christianity Today 03/01/2008 pg. 81