Dr. John-Eric Gundersen St. cecilia tours, llc 281-687-9969 jeg@stcecilia.co
Biblical Archaeology • Sacred Musicology
The Theophanic Voice: Levite Temple Musicians and Cosmic Order
Our company's namesake, St. Cecilia is said to have "...sung in her heart to the Lord..." rather than listen to the performative music being played at her forced wedding. What kind of music was in her hearing vs her listening and what distinction, if any, can we make between the two? We explore these questions more specifically on our Stone and Sound Tour to England and Scotland but many of our St. Cecilia study-tours utilize music as a powerful tool of coherence and elevation. These musical moments often evoke emotion and a spiritual presence, imprinting a meaningful memory in the hearts of participants. This kind of music is more than entertainment and when they occur, we are enlightened in ways that are difficult to explain through spoken language alone. Indeed, music is a cosmic language, as explained by Leonard Bernstein at his Harvard lecture: The Unanswered Question.
A visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, especially on a Friday evening, reminds us of the power music has to connect humanity with each other through the Divine. The Temple of Solomon once stood as a reminder of creation, when the morning stars sang and shouted for joy (Job 38:7). We know from ancient writings that the First Temple in Jerusalem utilized music as a sacred tool. Music was recognized as a sacred technology, an active mediator of Divine presence, not merely a liturgical accompaniment. Through strict geneology and priesthood lineages, the three main Temple musicians, Asaph, Heman, and Ethan, played their instruments to invoke the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, into the Holy of Holies. The Chronicler tuned the Temple to cosmic resonance with the perpetual sound of music (1 Chron. 25.) In contrast, the Deuteronomic tradition emphasized covenantal obedience, strict patriarchy and centralized sacrificial rites with restrained sacred sound technology.
Above a traditional Jewish family is going to the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Shabbat, where singing, dancing and celebrations are offered to invoke the Presence and remember the Temple.
The Lyre, pictured below, was a common instrument in Biblical times.
Below, is a phone recording from the Throne Room of the Virgin, at the Monastery of Montserrat. A musical meditation offered by University of Mary's ensemble Cappella under the direction of Dr. Rebecca Raber, singing Ave Verum Corpus by John Michael Trotta.
Musical Divergence Between First and Second Temple
In her book, Temple Mysticism, Margaret Barker underpins the role of musicians in Solomon's Temple as essential in the concept and rituals of Atonement theology. Musicians were prophetic: Rather than merely "singing to God", the authorized musicians tuned their instruments to revealed modes in alignment with the Love of God. The music seemingly thinned the veil between "heaven and earth," shifting the frequency in the space to a divine indwelling. Ezekiel, Isaiah, and the Book of Revelation all recall how the Seraphim and the four living creatures call out to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty," and the Presence filled the Temple. Margaret Barker's book offers an interesting comparison of how music was incorporated in the two temples of Jerusalem:
I. The Temple of Solomon
Scholars debate if the Holy of Holies initially included the goddess Asherah, suggesting that a more gender-diverse musical offering than the masculine genealogies of 1 Chronicles 25 imply. It is more thanplausible that women were active musicians in the First Temple, but a historiographical shift overseen by King Josiah and subsequent scribes may have revised these institutional records to prioritize patriarchal lineages and strictly monotheistic ritual standards. Furthermore, the Deuteronomist (in Kings) tends to focus less on organized temple music in terms of leadership, instrumentalists and singers, and emphasizing priestly duties, while the Chronicler highlights structured, Levitical choirs and formalized musical duties. These perspectives reflect distinct theological and liturgical priorities regarding Temple liturgy.
Key Sources: 2 Chronicles 5:12-14; 2 Kings 3:15
II. The Temple of Herod
Following the Persian restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah, Levite musicians served a critical liturgical function, transitioning toward a canonical system of vocal and instrumental worship. Rites were structured around specific choral responses and set liturgical sequences. Psalms 113–118 (the Hallel) were central during festivals, while Psalms 120–134 (Songs of Ascents) orchestrated the movement of pilgrims. Beyond vocal chant, instrumental offerings symbolized the reunification of the community with the rebuilt altar, serving both as legalistic alignment and a ritual defense of the sacred space. In 28 BCE, Herod the Great established a music competition in Jerusalem, a festival that reoccurred every five years. Josephus laments that the competing artists doubled as temple musicians, bringing 'foreign intoxication' and spectacle to the Temple.
Key Source: Ezra 3:10-11; Ben Sira 50; Josephus-Antiquities Book 9, ch. 9 & 15
Theological & Cosmological Dimensions
Musica Universalis & The Role of Women in Hebrew Sacred Sound
Early Jewish thought, particularly preserved by Philo of Alexandria and in the Qumran Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, synthesized the Hebrew notion of continuous sacred sound (divine presence) in the Temple by citing the Pythagorean concept of cosmic harmony (musica mundana). They knew then that the heavenly spheres of the earth, stars, and planets held frequency, pitch, sound. Tuning to those frequencies through music, we can harmonize with the cosmos and the Divine. This is what the Levite choir of Solomon's Temple was doing, harmonizing precisely with planetary spheres in the Merkabah throne room. Due to the apostate practices in Herod's temple, the Levite community moved away from Jerusalem to Qumran in protest. They did not mention Pythagoras in the scrolls by name, but explained the various ratios of a stringed instrument. This was likened to the harmonic architecture of heaven, the layout of time, and the chanting of angels.
Over 100 terra cotta figurines have been found in Jerusalem of women playing hand drums. Psalm 68:25 explains part of the procession to the temple: “...the singers in front, the musicians last, between them young women playing hand drums.” The image below is an archeological discovery named the Trumpeter Stone, which was located on the southwest corner of the Temple mount in Jerusalem before its destruction. A replica of the stone is in the archaeological park of the Davidson Center. The original trumpeter stone and figurines are on display in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Women are often depicted as the ones using sacred sound technology in Biblical victory narratives (Miriam in Exodus 15, Deborah in Judges 5). Because female leadership has predominantly been erased from the narrative, we are led to understand that a Temple musician was an exclusively male role. During the institutionalization of Solomon's Temple, however, records reminds us that women were among those serving as musicians. In 1 Chronicles 25, we read of Heman, and his three daughters who served as Temple musicians, responsible for music in the House of the Lord. Extra-biblical accounts and rabbinic memory (Mishnah Tamid) reflect an evolving debate regarding the inclusion of women's vocal participation in broader liturgical life.
Documented Primary & Scholarly References
• Sendrey, Alfred. Music in Ancient Israel. Philosophical Library, 1969. • Barker, Margaret. Temple Mysticism, An Introduction. SPCK Publishing, 2011. • Braun, Joachim. Music in Ancient Palestine: Archaeological, Written, and Comparative Sources. Eerdmans, 2002. • Newsom, Carol A. Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical Edition. Scholars Press, 1985. • Seidel, Jonathan. Studies in Ancient Jewish Soundscapes. Harvard Theological Review. 2011.