To be holy, one must learn to sing as the Angels
In Tolkien's Silmarillion , he has an interesting theory on the origin of evil, essentially involving giving the angels the power to create a cosmos through music…. Until it enters into the mind of Melkor, the Satan figure and greatest and most gifted of the Angels, “to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Ilúvatar; for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself.” Evil is born. The result is discord, dissonance, cacophony, and noise. The melodies of the Angels are overwhelmed in “a sea of turbulent sound.”
Then God arises yet again and sounds a third and different theme–“soft and sweet, a mere rippling of gentle sounds; but it could not be quenched, and it took to itself power and profundity,” incorporating the satanic disharmony, weaving it into a chorus “deep and wide and beautiful, but slow and blended with an immeasurable sorrow, from which its beauty chiefly came.”
Although a story, there are good biblical reasons to believe there is some truth to this.
The following are some thoughts by the great biblical scholar Margaret Barker, from her book ‘The High Priest’ :
“Wherever the heavens sing or rejoice, we should understand that it was the angels. Psalm 19.1-3 is then a description of the inaudible praise of the angels throughout the creation and Psalm 148 is the praise of the angels linked to the establishing of the fixed order in the creation. The morning stars, the sons of God, made ringing cries as the foundations of the earth were set in place (Job 38.7)
The heavens, the depths of the earth, the mountains and the trees of the forest sing as the LORD , who stretched out the heavens and spread out the earth, declares that Jerusalem and the temple will be rebuilt. This is the great renewal of the Day of Atonement; transgressions and sins have been swept away (Isa. 44.22) and Israel returns.
The great angel Yahwehel/ Iaoel who appeared to Abraham dressed as a high priest, was described as the 'Singer of the Eternal One' (Ap. Ahr. 10.3). This seems to be a description of the Creator.
He maintained the harmony of heaven by teaching the living creatures 'the song of peace which the Eternal One has in himself and Abraham then heard 'the voice of their sanctification like the voice of a single man' (Ap. Abr. 18.11-14).
Philo wrote similarly of the Logos who enabled the harmony of the creation and of the inaudible hymns of praise, which were all that the creation could offer to the Creator (On Planting 10, 126,131)
Similarly the enigmatic Wisdom who was beside the LORD as he created, was described as harmozousa, the one who joins together, or the one who tunes a musical instrument (LXX, Prov. 8.30).
The Eternal Holy One approached Abraham 'in the many voices of sanctification' (Ap. Abr. 16.3) and the patriarch had to be taught to sing before he could stand among the angels.
Enoch heard the angels singing the Name (1 En. 48.5). When he first ascended to stand before the throne, he did not have enough strength to sing the hymn, but after his eyes and heart had been enlightened, he was able to join in the Holy Holy Holy. When he sang, the heavenly beings responded (3 En. 1.10-12).
To hear the heavenly music was dangerous, and anyone unworthy was punished or even destroyed. In the Hekhalot Rabbati, a collection of texts describing mystical ascents, there are warnings about the heavenly music: 'The voice of the first one: One who hears [this] voice will immediately go mad and tumble down. The voice of the second one: everyone who hears it immediately goes astray and does not return', (# 104) and there are four more warnings.
Since Day One was the place of unity, the song of the angels had to be in harmony, and any defect was punished. They had to sing 'with one voice, with one speech, with one knowledge and with one sound.
If the great song was not sung well or at the appointed time, the erring angels were consumed by the flames of their Creator (3 En. 47).
The Testament ofAdam gives a similar picture, with each hour of the day and night having its allotted place in the praise of the creation:
“the first hour of the day is for the heavenly ones, the second for the angels, the third for the birds, the fourth for the beasts and so forth.”
The song of the angels was the harmony of the creation, and there was only one theme —Holy Holy Holy. It was sung in response to the praises of Israel, the worship of the mortal creation being necessary to evoke the song of the angels.
This had been the song of the seraphim in Isaiah's vision, that the holiness of God filled the earth with glory (Isa. 6.3). This is the earliest reference to the cosmic significance of angel song, and evidence that it was known in the first temple. The temple musicians performed in unison, 'with the voice of unity' when their music invoked the Glory of the LORD to fill the temple (2 Chron. 5.13-14).
The biblical texts show that the song of the angels accompanied the establishing of the creation, and so the renewal of the creation in the New Year rituals of Tabernacles was accompanied by, or perhaps enabled by, the song of the angels. A recurring theme is that the song is a 'new song', which should probably be understood to mean a 'renewing song', since the cognate verb hds means to renew. Psalm 33 describes the music of the 'new song', and then how the creation was made by the word of the LORD .
...Psalm 96 exhorts all the earth to sing a 'new song' because the LORD reigns, the earth is established' and the LORD is about to come to judge the world. Psalm 98 is similar; the 'new song' marks the victory of the LORD , the King, and the whole creation rejoices as he comes to judge the world.
Psalm 144 describes the 'new song' for the LORD , wh o brings victory and prosperity. Psalm 149 is a 'new song' which brings victory over enemies. There is a 'new song' as the LORD , Creator of heaven and earth, restores and recreates his people (Isa. 42.10; 44.23; 49.13).
The angels who sing at the Nativity are singing the new creation: Glory to God and peace on earth (Luke 2.14). In the Book of Revelation, there is a new song as the Lamb is enthroned and creates a kingdom of priests to reign on the earth (Rev. 5.9-10), and there is a new song in heaven (Rev. 14.3) as the most terrifying events on earth begin to unfold.
The song of recreation is heard like the sound of many waters, and then the great Day of Atonement begins.
A similar scene is recorded in the Hekhalot Zutarti, where the King on his throne is surrounded by heavenly beings: 'Your servants crown you with crowns and sing a new song to you. They install you as King for ever, and you shall be called One for ever and ever. (418)' This was the unity at the heart of the creation, Day One, and this was the enthronement of the King in the holy of holies.
The song of the angels appears in its original setting in the Book of Revelation. John sees the living creatures and the elders around the throne, i.e. in heaven/ the holy of holies, and they sing first the song which Isaiah also heard: 'Holy Holy Holy, is the LORD God Almighty, who was and is and is to come' (Rev. 4.8), and then '.. . for thou didst create all things and by thy will they existed and were created' (Rev. 4.11).
The song in the holy of holies, the source of life, is the song which sustains the creation. Thus Simon the great high priest taught: By three things is the world sustained, by the Law, by the temple service and by deeds of loving kindness (m. Aboth 1.2).
After the destruction of the temple, it was said that the 'Holy Holy Holy' maintained the world (b. Sot. 49a).
Gregory of Nyssa's remarkable use of Tabernacles imagery is proof that there was a detailed knowledge in the early Church of the angelic liturgy of the temple. Sin had silenced the praise of the creation, he explained, and the symphony of celebration was no longer heard because earth no longer joined with heaven. At the great Feast of Tabernacles, when both creation and community were restored, all would form one great choral dance together as they had formerly done.
Song was the sign of apotheosis. Thus Maximus the Confessor taught: 'In this light, the soul now equal in dignity with the holy angels ... and having learned to praise in concert with them ... is brought to the adoption of similar likeness by grace' and 'The unceasing and sanctifying doxology by the holy angels in the Trisagion signifies, in general, the equality of the way of life and conduct and the harmony in the divine praising which will take place in the age to come by both heavenly and earthly powers' (The Church's Mystagogy 23, 24)."
Indeed perhaps everything is sinking into disorder because, in fact, we no longer sing praises to God.
The Hekhalot Rabbati, The Greater Book of the Heavenly Palaces, reveals that the heavenly songs of praise were prompted by the praises of the people on earth, implying that the song which kept the creation in harmony was in response to the praises sung on earth :
'And all the ministering angels ... when they hear the sound of the hymns and praises which Israel speaks from below, begin from above with Holy Holy Holy.'
