The Theology of Psalmody: Niceta of Remesiana Among the surviving works of Bishop Niceta of Remesiana we find two remarkable homilies that provide a glimpse into the liturgical customs of the late 4th century, at least as far as Latin Christianity is concerned. The two homilies are closely intertwined in both their origin and content, insofar as the first explains the spiritual fruits of the sacred vigils spent in prayer, singing, and reading, while the second is dedicated to the theology of

more »

... lmody. This paper deals with Niceta's theological arguments in favor of psalm singing. The thesis to be proved is that Niceta gives some sort of summary of the music theology of the Early Church, that is, the Patristic adaptation of ancient music theories, in defense of psalm singing. In Niceta's conception, Christian music is identical to the singing of the psalms and hymns, which includes all the values that antiquity had generally attached to music. However, its antecedent is not to be found in the pagan world, but in the songs of the Old Testament saints and prophets, which had previously drawn their beauty and effectiveness from the power of Christ through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Like the early Christian exegetical literature and iconographic tradition, early Christian music is also typological: it has a foreshadowing nature in the Old Testament and is fulfilled in the life of the Church. The foreshadowing music is also a real one but has its significance beyond itself, inasmuch as it gains true fulfillment in the new song of the Church. The reality of the Church, however, partakes in the eternal divine reality and the timeless communion of angels. The song of the Church resounds with the choir of angels, the liturgical songs unify the temporal with the timeless. Singing is the self-expression of the unity of the Church in the broadest sense. The members of the Church, reborn through baptism, sing the new song of the Church whilst singing psalms inspired by the Holy Spirit without instrumental accompaniment, in unison and perfect unity.