Exclusive psalmody

"[1]: 36  Such a pattern appears outside the psalms; each song in the obscure early Christian poetry collection known as the Odes of Solomon concludes with a "Hallelujah", indicating a similar liturgical purpose for its ancient users.

[2] The Psalms of David formed the core of liturgical music for the early church, to which other songs from the Old and New Testaments (canticles) were added.

[1]: 37  In addition, early Christians wrote original compositions for singing in worship alongside biblical texts.

There was some hymn-writing in Eastern churches, but in the West psalms and canticles were used almost exclusively until the time of Ambrose of Milan at the end of the fourth century.

[1]: 42  Martin Luther and leaders of the Reformed wing of the Reformation in Strasbourg, Constance, and elsewhere wrote music for psalm texts as well as original hymns, but John Calvin in Geneva used biblical psalms almost exclusively in the Genevan Psalter, though it contained some gospel canticles and catechetical songs.

[1]: 42, 45 Once the Genevan Psalter was translated into German in 1573, exclusive psalmody became the dominant mode of Reformed congregational singing for 200 years following John Calvin everywhere but in Hungary.

[1]: 47 Seventeenth-century Reformed theologians did not reach a consensus on the propriety of hymns in worship, and several argued that they were permissible, including John Ball and Edward Leigh.

One counterargument to the doctrine is the fact that exclusive psalmody (EP) implicitly prohibits the New Testament (NT) revealed name of Jesus in sung worship.

The EP position is that the word ישוע ("yeshua") is used many times in the Psalms and it is the root source of the name of Jesus.

It is widely understood by the Christian community that the Old Testament, including the Psalms, only speak of Jesus in "types and shadows", not directly using His revealed NT name.

Therefore, the argument goes, new songs concerning the works and deeds of Jesus from the NT are commanded and required for proper worship.

One objection to the non-use of musical instruments is that the Greek word ψαλμός (psalmos) literally means " a striking of strings".