We eat because we are hungry; we sleep because we are tired. But there are many other things we do without a clear sense of why we do them. Each year i teach a course on theological aesthetics, and one of the questions I pose at the beginning of the semesters "Why do human beings sing" they say, "to express how they feel."
In the fourth century, the church father Athanasius (293-376) articulated a different understanding of singing. It includes self-expression, but Athanasius believed singing is centrally a spiritual discipline ... an important practice in Christian spiritualformation, and a means of growing in the life of faith.
In a letter of his friend Marcellinus, Athanasius enthusiastically commends the Book of Psalms and provides guidance for reading the Psalms devotionally. Of course. Athanasius recognized that each portion of Scripture is valuable and makes its own contribution of the life of faith. The Book of Psalms, however, has a unique place in Christian devotions, something that was true in Athanasius' time and worship. Athanasius suggests that the Psalms are so spiritually significant precisely because they are not simply read or spoken but sung.
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