Laura Hellsten: Dance in the early church - new considerations of patristic resources

Since Johannes Quasten's patristic classic Musik und Gesang in den Kulten der heidnischen Antike und christlichen Frühzeit (1930) most researchers in the field of the early church have considered dancing to be a pagan worship practice with no established place in the official rites of the church. (Rahner 1967, 75-76; Gougaud 1914, 7.) A few exceptions to this can be found in Andrew B. McGowan’s Ancient Christian worship: early church practices in social, historical, and theological perspective (2014) and articles by Donatella Tronca (2016; 2017). In this paper I will expand further on the work already written in Hellsten ‘Dance in the Early Church: Sources and restrictions’ (2016) examining especially the material found on dance in Clement of Alexandria and his the Paedagogos as well as Gregory of Nazianzus Festal Orations. To support my claims I will bring the theoretical frameworks found in Sarah Coakley’s work on asceticism together with Verna Nonna Harrison’s writing on the erotic and mystical divine. This will shed new light not only the above mentioned patristic sources but also lead to a need to re-investigate the sources on dance, gathered in James Miller’s Measures of Wisdom - The Cosmic Dance in Classic and Christian Antiquity (1986). Concluding how dancing needs to be re-examined as one of many contemplative practices of the early church.

Miglė Miliūnaitė: The Sacrum-Profanum distinction in Church Fathers References to Music

The distinction between sacred and profane music was already made by Plato, who wished to exclude some instruments and tunes from his ideal state. Also, it could be found in the New Testament, where music instruments lost their sacred meaning, presented in the Old Testament. Although in both Greco-Roman and Jewish societies the role of music was very important, the Patristic musical puritanism was dominative during Early Christianity. Nowadays exclusion of musical instruments from the liturgy is still valid in the Orthodox Church, while in the Western culture sacred and profane music has a nonopposite relationship since the Late Middle-Ages. How we should interpret Patristic musical puritanism after this transformation? Have Church Fathers negative connotations to musical instruments lost their relevance in the Catholic Church? Even though the concept of music in the writings of Church Fathers is multivalent, two musical conceptions became common in patristic literature: living in harmony and exclaiming in a single voice. The presentation assumes that it is not commensurable with the most prevalent contemporary conceptions of music. Reinterpreting fragments against music instruments and passages that signal acceptance of music as one of the liberal arts, the presentation seeks to show, that distinguishing sacred and profane music could be made not by judging elements of music, but by criteria of mind and senses.

Ron Ditmars: The universal language of JS Bach and Gregory of Nazianzus, as exemplified by the latter's homily on baptism (Or. 40)

St. Gregory of Nazianzus has been widely regarded as one of the finest orators and stylists of the patristic age. But how is that to be determined? One thesis of this communication is that some of the most complex, aesthetically nuanced, and theologically profound expressions are encountered in the occasional lyric found embedded in the prose narrative. Two such sections in the baptismal homily (Or. 40.2 and 40.5)), exhibiting an almost breathtaking configuration of images, will be analyzed. A second thesis of this paper is that Gregory’s interweaving of poetic beauty and theological depth is unique and endlessly captivating. I find it as universally appealing and convincing as the musical compositions of JS Bach. Hence the title. The paper will include excerpts from Bach’s corpus side by side with the referenced lyrical passages in St. Gregory's baptismal homily.

Susan Harvey: Why Sing? Music as Pedagogy in Ancient Syriac Christianity

Late antique Syriac literature delights to extol the sounds of worship.The voices of participants – lay, consecrated, ordained; young, old, male or female – are celebrated for their sung contributions of lections, poetic homilies, hymns, responses, alleluias, prayers, confession, and praise. None of the ancient music survives to us.But from extant literary texts, it is possible to ask what qualities Syriac Christians appreciated in their liturgical music, and what aspects of sung worship they valued most highly.Like other late antique authors, Syriac writers feared the dangers music could pose for the unwitting faithful believer. Heretical hymns, songs from the theater or pagan civic festivals, even the lure of an exceptionally beautiful voice caused anxiety for Ephrem the Syrian, Jacob of Sarug, Isaac of Antioch, Thomas of Marga, and others. Yet, Syriac authors used their admonitions against such music to highlight the significance of liturgical music in contrast. For these, liturgical music was not simply a matter of liturgical adornment; aesthetic consideration –even for divine glory – was not its primary purpose. Instead, Syriac authors praised liturgical singing and melodic recitation for their pedagogical expediency and effectiveness, for their dispositional impact on the believer’s soul, and as vehicles for loud, clear declaration of faith amidst a religiously diverse society. While Syriac sources expressed appreciation for skilled and graceful singing in the liturgy, Syriac authors appear to have valued music for its functional, pragmatic capacity to serve the instructional needs of the worshipping community.