Singing Among Early Christians:
(From: Ante-Nicean Fathers, Vol. 2, page 172)
"Behold the might of the new song! It has made men out of stone, men out of beasts. Those, moreover, that were as dead, not being partakers of the true life, have come to life again, simply by becoming listeners to this song. . . And He who is of David, and yet before him, the word of God, despising the lyre and harp, which are but lifeless instruments, and having tuned by the Holy Spirit the universe, and especially man — who, composed, of body and soul is a universe in miniature, — makes melody to God on this instrument of many tones; and to this instrument — I mean man — he sings accordant: 'For thou art my harp, and pipe, and temple.' — a harp for harmony — a pipe by reason of the Spirit — a temple by reason of the word; so that the first may sound, the second breathe, the third contain the Lord. And David the king, the harper whom we mentioned a little above, who exhorted to the truth and dissuaded from idols, was so far from celebrating demons in songs, that in reality they were driven away by his music. . . What, then, does this instrument — the word of God, the Lord, the New Song — desire? To open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf, and to lead the lame or the erring to righteousness, to exhibit God to the foolish, to put a stop to corruption, to conquer death, and to reconcile disobedient children to their father."