CHAPTER XIII.
Music Among the Jews--A Parallel Controversy.

It is a well-known fact that the absence of instrumental music from the Jewish worship as that worship obtained in the synagogue of New Testament times, has often been used, and very properly so, as favoring the opposition to the practice among Christians. The force of this argument is derived from the fact, generally understood and admitted, that the worship of the church of Christ was patterned after that of the Jewish synagogue. Chambers' Encyclopedia bears the following testimony:

On the connection between the Jewish synagogue and the Christian church, and their respective rites and modes of worship, we cannot here enlarge. This much, however, we may say, that it is obvious to the most superficial observation that the principal practices of the latter belong, with certain modifications, to the former; and it has been conjectured that even the melodies of certain hymns still sung in the Roman churches are to be traced to the temple and the synagogues. It is, moreover, well known that the early Christian churches were entirely organized after the pattern of the synagogues.--Vol. IX., p. 254.

It is no part of my purpose in this chapter to present a general history of music among the Jews, but rather to present the leading facts of an interesting and instructive parallel controversy over the music question that has gone on among the Jews simultaneously with that, on the same subject, among Christians. Few persons, comparatively, are aware of the extent to which this same disturbing question has been a bone of contention among the Jewish people, or of the bitterness, strife and division which it has caused among them. In fact, while the controversy among Christians has been more widespread than among Jews, yet among the latter it has been equally bitter and relentless, leading, in some instances, to open rupture of fellowship and a final appeal to the civil courts to determine the question of property rights. In these respects, the reader will be impressed with the striking parallel between the course of Israel's descendants in regard to this vexed question, and the unfortunate and sometimes disgraceful proceedings which have frequently marked the course of professed Christians over the same matter.

Be it observed, first of all, that instrumental music was no part of the worship in the ancient Jewish synagogue. It was never used in that worship. It is as much of an innovation in the synagogue worship of modern times as it is in the worship of the church of Christ. That it was used in the worship of what is called Judaism proper, that is, in the ancient temple worship, is a fact freely admitted by [137] both Jews and Christians. Moreover, it is a significant fact that, just as Christians charge their fellow-Christians with judaizing or imitating the Jews when they introduce instrumental music into the worship of the church, so Jews charge their fellow-Jews with imitating the Christians when they introduce that practice into the worship of the synagogue. When that learned Roman Catholic theologian and scholastic doctor of the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas, quoted elsewhere in this work, said: "Our church does not use musical instruments, as harps and psalteries, to praise God withal, that she may not seem to Judaize"^[13] (Bingham's Antiq. Vol. 2, p. 483, London Ed.), little did he dream that, in a few centuries, this secularizing innovation would gain such a footing among Christians that those Jews, remaining loyal to their ancient synagogue worship, would have occasion to charge their fellow-Jews, who might adopt it, with imitating Christians! But this is precisely the state of things that has come to pass.

That my readers may have before them the facts concerning this interesting charge and counter-charge between Christians and Jews, with also a statement of the controversy among the latter, I here insert some extracts from the Jewish Encyclopedia, a learned and voluminous work brought out in recent [138] years under the editorship of Isidore Singer. From these extracts, the reader will see when the disturbing practice in question was first introduced into the synagogue worship, and also the confusion, strife and division which it created. This learned Jewish authority testifies as follows:

1. The modern organ in Reform Synagogues as an accessory of worship was first introduced by Israel Jacobson at Berlin in the new house of prayer which he opened for the Shabu'ot festival, June 14, 1815. It aroused great indignation and opposition on the part of the rest of the community, a successful appeal being made to Emperor Frederic William III. to close the place, on the plea that the Reform schism was detrimental to the established rights of the Jewish Church, and was especially disturbing to the Jewish congregation of Berlin. The house was closed December 6, 1815. The members of the Reform party succeeded in building and dedicating their first temple on October 18, 1818, at Hamburg, where they set up a fine organ, but employed a non-Jewish organist. * * * The objectors based their prohibition of the organ in the synagogue on the following grounds: (1) Playing on musical instruments is prohibited on Sabbaths and holy days, and even to engage a non-Jew to play for Jews on Sabbath is considered a "shebut" or disturbance of the Sabbath rest; (2) music, except at marriage ceremonies, is generally prohibited, in token of mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem; (3) Jewish divine services must not be made to imitate the customs of the Christian Church.--Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. IX., p. 432.

2. Among the Reform congregations in the United States the organ was first introduced in 1840 in Temple Beth Elohim at Charleston, S. C., under Rabbi Gustav Posnanski, by a vote of 46 against 40 of the older members, who objected to the innovation and who in 1844 carried the matter into the courts. The decision was against the minority, who appealed the case; and the higher court affirmed the decision in 1846. In the opinion, written by Judge Butler, the court held that, being unable to decide the merits of this religious controversy, it must rely upon the judgment of the majority of the congregation (text of decision in Ezra's Collection, "The Jews of South Carolina," article VIII., "The Organ in the Synagogue"). The minority finally withdrew and organized a separate congregation.--Ibid. pp. 432, 433.

3. Instrumental music is quite a modern feature in synagogal worship. Owing to the rabbinical "fence" which prohibited the use of an instrument on Sabbath and festivals because of the probability that it would require tuning or other preparation, it is still avoided by conservative congregations on those days. Much controversy has raged about this point in Jewish as in other communities. The earlier hesitation of the church to adopt the organ because it was "a Jewish instrument" has been reproduced in the assumption of many Jews that it was specifically a Christian one. It is still banned by rigid adherents to old ways; but in ordinary conservative congregations it is unhesitatingly employed at weddings and other services on week days.--Ibid. p. 134.

On the general character of Hebrew music, the American Cyclopedia says:

The Hebrew music, both vocal and instrumental, is constantly referred to in the Bible, and especially in the Psalms, and yet we have no certain knowledge as to its character. It was probably founded on the music of the Egyptians, and it is conjectured that one of the results of the Egyptian training which Moses received was the introduction into the Hebrew service of the music of the Egyptian priesthood. But no melodies that have come down to us can be identified as those used in the temple service. That the singers were a body by themselves under leaders, and that the singing was done by alternate choirs as was later the case with the primitive Chrisiians, is well known. That they had various instruments, both wind and stringed, is also known.--Vol. XII. p. 87, Art. Music.

On the same subject, the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia deposes as follows:

The cultivation of sacred music, which was commenced under Samuel, especially through the establishment of the school of the prophets (1 Sam. 10: 5; 19: 19, 20), reached its height under David, who, encouraged and assisted by the choir of the prophets (2 Chron. 29: 25), was not only an expert in song and music himself, but also an inventor of musical instruments, as may be seen from Amos 6: 5.--Vol. 2, p. 1598, Art. Music and Musical Instruments.

Piety and religious devotion were prominent graces among the ancient Hebrews, a fact well attested by their conduct even as exiles in a foreign land, as exhibited in the following inspired poem: