Musical instruments Quote by St. Thomas Aquinas
““In the old law, God was praised both with musical instruments, and human voices. But the church does not use musical instruments to praise God, lest she should seem to judaize.””
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Summa Theologiae, Part I, Question 30, Article 1
The author notes that early worship included both instruments and voices, but later Christian practice avoided instruments to prevent association with Judaism.
In simple terms: Early worship used music; later churches avoided it to distance from Judaism.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how worship practices evolve with cultural concerns.
Themes
religion
music
cultural identity
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
Type
theological
historical
When to use this quote
- church services
- interfaith dialogue
- historical research
- cultural preservation
Key Concepts
theology
historical practice
interfaith relations
Questions to Reflect On
- How do cultural concerns shape worship?
- Should modern churches revisit instrument use?
A Different Perspective
Some argue that avoiding instruments can limit artistic expression in worship.
![“After the funeral, they went to a private club in Chelsea, where they drank and jammed the night away together—greats and nobodies alike. The slightly acrimonious, sardonic Mickey, a fan of folk and world music, would have been pleased. [...] Yurik played, too, his own composition, which he had…” quote by Lyudmila Ulitskaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b23/lyudmila-ulitskaya-74031_death_after-the-funeral-they-went-to-a-private_46863.jpg)
