Psalms

THE PROLOGUE OF BLESSED JEROME ON THE BOOK OF PSALMS

PROTHEMATA ON THE PSALTER

This book is entitled among the Hebrews the Book of Hymns, for this reason, that a hymn is where words and praise are held together with a song, which is found in the psalms. It is also entitled, according to some, the Book of Soliloquies: which seems to be so done for this reason, that what a man searches out with himself, and learns from none save from the truth presiding within him, is called a soliloquy, for example, in the manner in which blessed Augustine searched out with himself concerning the nature of the soul and concerning the nature of God, in the same way the Prophet may be said to have searched out with himself concerning the incarnation of the Son of God, and concerning the repairing of the human race. King David and prophet, when he was reigning prosperously, wishing to magnify the worship of God, when at last he was bringing back to Jerusalem the ark that had been given back by the Philistines and had for a long time afterward wandered in uncertain seats, went before it naked with the harp: but he had also chosen four thousand men who should sing psalms not only with the voice but also with musical instruments: over whom he set four, Asaph, Idithun, Eman, Ethan, or the sons of Core, who, falling away from the crime or sacrilege of their father, whom the fire had consumed, stood on most devoted in the worship of God. The psaltery is a certain musical instrument put together in the shape of the letter Δ: and from that musical instrument (by which the present work was set to measure) it took its name to itself. The psaltery is called among the Hebrews *nebel* (נבל), among the Greeks ψαλτήριον, but among the Latins *organum.* Many say that David did not make all the psalms, because certain of them are entitled in the person of others. But, as blessed Jerome says, they are not to be listened to in this. For David composed all the psalms: he moreover appended them, wherein he had many helpers, over whom he set four, namely Eman, Ethan, Asaph and Idithun. By divine counsel this was done, that the psalms should be entitled in the persons of others, either for the interpretation of the names only, or for the business in hand, or for both. For the interpretation of the names only, as in the person of Idithun; for the business, as in the person of Aggeus and Zacharias; for both, as in the person of Solomon; Idithun, Asaph, the sons of Core and the rest of this kind were not authors of the psalms, but were set over the craftsmen who sounded the psalms in three ways: either by the human voice, or by musical instruments, or commonly in both ways. And this in two manners, either by the instrument after the voice, or by the voice after the instrument: whence their names, that they might take honour from the ministry, are inserted in the titles, chiefly for the signifying of things. But a psalm is the sound of the instrument, a canticle the singing of the human voice in the praise of God; a canticle of a psalm, when the voice comes after the instrument, a psalm of a canticle, when the instrument comes after the voice. It is commonly asked: why are the psalms read in the Church before other Scriptures? This is for the reason that of old among the Hebrews this custom obtained in the temple of God. Or, because the psalms contain more of mysteries than the other Scriptures, and say many things briefly, in which the whole law and the prophets and the Gospel consist. Prophecy is a divine inspiration or revelation, which declares the outcomes of things, whether by deeds or by words, with unmoving truth, whence prophecy is *a vision,* the prophet *one that sees.* Now this grace has been given in many ways: either through the works of men, as were the ark of Noe and the sacrifice of Abraham, and the passage of the Red Sea; or through births, as of Esau and Jacob, who signified things to come; or through speaking angels, as they spoke to Abraham, to Lot and to others; or through visions, as to Isaias and Ezechiel, and the rest; or through dreams, as to Solomon, Joseph and Daniel; or through the cloud and the voice from heaven, as to Moses; or in yet other ways. David, however, by none of these, but taught inwardly by a heavenly breathing, with the Spirit speaking in him, was filled full, as in I Kings: « The Spirit of the Lord was directed into David. » And the Lord: « If David in spirit calls him Lord, how is he his son? » But the Holy Spirit was so given to the prophets that at times he withdrew for their sins and returned appeased; and as Peter says: « Prophecy was not at any time brought by human will, but, inspired by the Holy Spirit, holy men of God spoke. » Nor are those strangers to the gift of prophecy to whom is given the faculty of understanding or of interpreting the Scriptures. There are many kinds of anointed ones: the patriarchs were called anointed, as: « Touch ye not my anointed; » in the Parables, all who came out of Egypt are called anointed. The chrism is made in Exodus, whence the priests are anointed; there is another ointment, with which kings are anointed; but this in two manners, for if it is David and Solomon, that is, *strong of hand* and *peaceable,* one is anointed with the horn; if Jehu and Azahel, with the cruse, which is an earthen vessel. But Cyrus also, king of the Persians and Medes, who released Israel, is an anointed one, according to that word: « Thus saith the Lord to my anointed Cyrus, » which the words that follow do not permit to be taken of the Saviour, as some suppose. There is a prophetic ointment, with which Elias is commanded to anoint Eliseus for a prophet; above all is the spiritual ointment, which is called the oil of gladness, wherewith Christ was anointed above his fellows, who have the chrism of baptism. And if any man lose it, let him not despair; because concerning the separating chrism it is written in Leviticus, that when any man's leprosy has been cleansed, the priest shall put oil for him in his left hand, and the rest of the things that are said there, and let him himself be called the anointed of God. But this remains, that the same man is often anointed, lest there be occasion of ruin to the negligent. For it is enough for the leper that, after the first ointment has been lost, he be anointed a second time; but he is often anointed who is always going forward: and, from the oil of the leper, he comes to the ointment of the people; thence to the priestly; from that to the chrism of the bishop; from the bishop to the king; from the king to the patriarchs; from the patriarchs to Christ. As prophecy comes about in diverse ways, so also at diverse times. There is therefore one concerning the present, as Elizabeth: « Whence is this to me, that the mother of the Lord should come? etc. » Concerning the past, as Moses: « In the beginning God created heaven and earth. » Concerning the future, as: « Behold a Virgin shall conceive, etc.. » Again, one prophecy is according to the foreknowledge of God, which must in all ways be fulfilled, as: « Behold a Virgin shall conceive, etc. » Another is according to threatening, as: « Forty days, and Ninive shall be overthrown. »It is therefore to be noted that the prophet sometimes speaks indiscriminately of things to come as of things present; sometimes of things past, sometimes also properly of things to come: which is done for this reason, that he says all things at the dictation of the Holy Spirit, to whom all things are known, whether past or future, as though present. This book consists of a hundred and fifty psalms, not without the reason of a deeper mystery. For this number is most renowned for mysteries. For it is made up of eighty and seventy, whose beginning and signification come from eight and seven. For the eightfold signifies the eighth, the resurrection: because, whereas there are six ages of the living, the seventh of the dying, the eighth will be of those that rise again. But by the sevenfold is signified the time of this life, which is carried on by the repetition of seven days. Rightly therefore has this book been composed of such a number of psalms, because it thus teaches us so to work and to live in the sevenfold of this life that in the eighth of the resurrection we may obtain the robe of glory. Or else because by the eightfold the New Testament is signified: for the fathers of the New Testament serve the ogdoad, observing the eighth day of Christ's resurrection, that is, the Lord's day, the octaves of the saints, awaiting the eighth of the resurrection of the dead. But by the sevenfold the Old Testament, because the fathers of the Old Testament served the hebdomad, that is, the sevenfold, observing the seventh day, the seventh week, the seventh year and the fiftieth, which is woven of seven weeks of years, that is the jubilee: whence Solomon: « Give portions to seven, and also to eight. » Well therefore has this book been published with this number of psalms, whose parts contain the doctrine and the commandments of both Testaments. Again, by three fifties a threefold division of the psalms is made, for the signifying of the three states of the Christian religion: the first of penitence, in which also the first fifty of the psalms is ended, namely: « Have mercy on me, O God; » the second of righteousness, in which also the second fifty: « Mercy and judgment I will sing to thee; » the third the state of eternal life, in whose praise the third fifty is finished, namely: « Let every spirit praise the Lord. » The Book of Psalms is one, not five, as is read in the Acts of the Apostles: « As it is written in the book of Psalms ». Jerome nevertheless says five books, that is, five divisions which are made by « so be it, so be it. » The order of the psalms disagrees with the order of the history, because David sinned with the wife of Urias, and sang of penitence: « Have mercy on me, O God, » before his son persecuted him and he sang: « Lord, why are they multiplied; » but they are believed to have been so ordered by Esdras the prophet at a divine prompting. The matter is the whole Christ, bridegroom and bride. The intention, to conform to Christ the new man those men who were deformed in Adam. The manner of treating: sometimes he deals with Christ according to that which is the head, sometimes according to the body, sometimes according to both. According to that which is the head, in three ways: for either according to the divinity, as: « With thee is the beginning, etc.; » sometimes according to the humanity, as: « I have slept, etc., » sometimes by transumption, as when he uses the voice of the members, as there: « Far from my salvation, etc. » Again, of the Church in three ways: sometimes according to the perfect, sometimes according to the imperfect, sometimes according to the evil: who are in the Church in body, not in mind; in number, not in merit; in name, not in the divine power.