Search
Close this search box.

While on vacation, we once visited a Greek Orthodox Church which used an organ during liturgy. I thought that we were not supposed to use musical instrument such as organs or guitars during our worship service? But then again, when I read the Psalms, they often talk about the use of stringed instruments, cymbals, flutes, etc. Why don’t we use these as part of our worship, it’s in the Bible?

Actually, the tradition of the Orthodox Church is to have no musical instruments whatsoever in our temples or to use them during our services. There are unique exceptions, such as you obviously experienced, but these should never be considered the norm. I do know that some Greek or Antiochian parishes use organs, but only as a means of holding chords for the congregation to follow as they sing. Such instruments were – and are – never utilized to perform concert-type arrangements as one finds in many Roman Catholic or Protestant churches. 

It is true that various Psalms do mention praising the Lord with stringed instruments, pipes, drums, flutes, etc, although this never crossed over into the Early Church’s formal liturgical worship; nor might I add, were they part of the ancient Jewish liturgical worship either. There are indeed many instances of things mentioned in the Old Testament – such as the sacrificing of animals, for example – which have not been carried over into the New Testament Church, in which Christ becomes the sacrificial lamb and the human voice (acappella) becomes the musical instrument par excellence.

Parish

Mailing Address

Archangel Michael Orthodox Church
5025 E. Mill Rd
Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147

Email, Phone, and Fax

[email protected]
440-526-5192 (Phone)