Commentary on the Psalter: Prolegomena and Prefaces

given that many things occur in this version either changed, or added, or omitted, it is necessary to say that Ursus either had a purer codex at hand, or that he considered it fair and honorable not only to assume the role of interpreter for himself, but also that of judge. Furthermore, because among the omissions is this very miracle mentioned by Euthymius, it is manifest that even before Euthymius's age it was considered either completely false, or at least highly doubtful.

36 XIV. These are the things, illustrious sir, which I had noted in my papers regarding Euthymius Zigabeno and his invective book against the Bogomils, a previously unpublished fragment of which, once transcribed by me from a Vatican codex, I now gladly make your property. I could have added more, but it would certainly be beyond your stated purpose of publishing the unpublished works of ancient writers if I were to send you a long treatise on the history of the Bogomils. Farewell.

EUTHYMIUS ZIGABENO: COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS — ANTHONY BONGIOVANNI'S PREFACE

If anyone desires to know the reason why we chose to place these Commentaries of Zigabeno in the edition of the works of Theophylact, if he attends a little to those things we said above in the Preface, he will easily understand it for himself. For since the Commentaries of Theophylact on the seven minor prophets were lacking, and since we determined that those contained in the Bavarian codex were not by Theophylact but by Theodoret, it was therefore necessary to have recourse to the work of another author so that this fourth volume might be completed. Furthermore, many works of outstanding authors, yet unpublished, were available to us from manuscript codices, all of them indeed worthy of being brought to light. From these, however, we have chosen the Commentaries on the Psalms by Euthymius Zigabeno for two reasons: the one, because Zigabeno is equal in wit to Theophylact; the other, because this work is clearly of the same kind as the writings of Theophylact, which are engaged in the interpretation of the sacred Scriptures.

I come now to the Latin translation. It is the work of Sauli, Bishop of Brugnato, who, as often happens, found more in his codex in some places and fewer in others than what is to be found in the Venetian codex. Sometimes he even adds certain things from his own wit for the sake of explanation. Therefore, those things which are enclosed within these two parentheses () are missing in the Venetian codex; but those which are marked with these signs ‹ › are absent from the codex which that same Latin interpreter used; and we provide these from the Venetian codex in both Greek and Latin for the first time. Let it suffice to have warned of this once in this place, so that, by repeating the same thing on almost every page, and quite often at that, we do not cause disgust for our readers.

Moreover, it is redundant to speak of the excellence of the work. For it has sufficiently commended itself to readers and has always been commended by its own merit and the celebrity of its author; by which merit or celebrity it has come to pass that it has been reprinted quite often. For several Latin editions of this work appeared before this one: one in Verona, another in Venice, others in Paris, and others in other places. What does this mean? It means, surely, that the work is by far the best and most excellent: for if it were not such, it could not have pleased so much, and that is always, by everyone, and everywhere. And if it pleased so much in Latin only—a foreign language, completely unknown to its author—how much more, do you think, will it please in the Greek language, in which the illustrious author wrote? When you read the Latin words, you hear Sauli; when you read the Greek, Zigabeno. Moreover, there is as much difference between the one and the other as there is between a man and his image reflected in a mirror. Furthermore, our illustrious author drew from the best sources, as we have discovered through the experience of the learned. He discourses excellently indeed on the first verse of the first psalm, *Blessed is the man*, teaching that the woman is not excluded by the word "man"; but this, like most other things, he derived

from Basil (a) or Theodoret. The same man interprets the third and ninth verses of the second psalm—*Let us break their bonds asunder: the kings of the earth... with a rod of iron*—quite skillfully, understanding the "bond" as the Mosaic Law and the "rod" as the Cross; but this, like many other good things, he took from the great Athanasius (b). He also discourses excellently upon the seven editions of the Holy Scriptures, at what time each was written and by whom. But he derived this from the author of the *Synopsis*, which is attributed to that same great Athanasius. Whatever Zigabenus discusses regarding the Psalter, the ode, the *diapsalma*, and the rest in his prologue, that, like many other ^A things, he drew word-for-word from the argument of Eusebius Pamphili and his other commentaries on the Psalms. Since, however, we have come upon this place, we judge it worth the effort to present here the beginning of that argument, which is missing from the most famous edition of the illustrious Montfaucon. We have copied it out from a very ancient codex belonging to Bernardo Nani, a Venetian senator—recently (alas!) departed this life—who much deserved well of the republic of letters; for, having collected many codices from everywhere, through the efforts of his brother Giacomo, a vigorous man and naval commander, he most kindly allowed me to use them as if they were my own. From these codices, then, that which is numbered XXXII exhibits the Eusebian argument on the Psalms as follows:

Argument of Eusebius on the Diapsalma

Having often sought the cause for the *diapsalma* being inscribed between certain psalms, and having later observed it in the Hebrew, and compared the Greek with it, I found that wherever in Hebrew there is *Selah*, but in Greek always, or something equivalent to it, there has the Septuagint, and Theodotion, and Symmachus placed the *diapsalma*. They wrote, therefore, the *diapsalma*, etc.

Divine Jerome (c) rendered these into Latin thus: "Often seeking the causes why in certain psalms a *diapsalma* is interpolated, I observed most diligently in the Hebrew, and compared it with the Greek, and found that where the Hebrew tongue has *Selah* (ms. *Sel*), but the Greek truly always, or something of this sort, there the Septuagint, and Theodotion, and Symmachus translated *diapsalma*."

These are Eusebius's words, borrowed verbatim from Origen. But we offer them most willingly, and all the more willingly because this has not yet been published under Eusebius's name, and because it contributes much to illustrating [the text] both for Eusebius, for Euthymius, and even for Origen, from whom it was taken. Zigabenus, ^B therefore, drew from all these sources, and not only from these, but also from others whose works have either perished, or lie hidden in manuscript in libraries. Read, if you please, Origen's *Exegetica* on the Psalms, peruse Basil's *Commentaries*, turn over the *Scholia* of Hesychius of Jerusalem; look to St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyril of Alexandria, and others among the golden manuscript catenae of the library of St. Mark in Venice, from all of which you will discover that Zigabenus drew much. Since, therefore, Zigabenus is a man of most excellent talent, and since he himself drew from the best sources—Origen, Athanasius, Basil, Chrysostom, Hesychius, and others—no one, I believe, will any longer wonder that his *Commentaries* on the Psalms are so excellent, and that they have always been so pleasing to learned men. Since this is the case, it will, I believe, be very grateful and pleasant to all for this work, which we are the first to provide in Greek, the very language in which this excellent author wrote. Therefore, with a fair mind, all you who are learned throughout the world, receive these excellent works of both Theophylact and Zigabenus, which have not yet seen the light.

But before I cease my preface, I warn of one further thing, namely that the *Commentary on the Psalms*, which in the catalogue of books and manuscripts of the Royal Parisian Library is inscribed to our Theophylact, is the very same that we edit here, that of Euthymius Zigabenus; and it has been pointed out by the one who wrote the preface to it in section XIII that, although often promised in Paris, it had not yet been received by us when the third volume was published. Indeed, that inscription had raised in us the hope that there existed some *Commentary on the Psalms* by ^C Theophylact, with which this edition of ours could be enriched and completed. Wherefore we left no stone unturned to get possession of it. But when, after much time and labor spent, a copy of its first page was finally brought to us, upon making the collation we discovered that the codex contained nothing other than the Greek text—and that unpublished—of the *Commentary* of Euthymius, already published many times in Latin. What induced the most learned and otherwise diligent author of the aforementioned *Catalogue* into error, so that he attributed this *Commentary* to Theophylact, we can neither divine, nor is it our concern to inquire. We have, however, judged it worth the effort to point this out, lest anyone running through the same *Catalogue* and finding a *Commentary on the Psalms* inscribed to Theophylact, and not seeing it in our edition, should hold this one in less esteem as imperfect, and condemn us as less accurate and indolent in seeking and collecting the works of that same Theophylact.

Epistle Dedicatory of Paulinus Turchius to Pope Clement VII, prefixed to the Latin edition

Those, most blessed Father, are first of all to be followed with every honor who, inspired by the divine Spirit and through the exercise of their own genius, have taken care to hand down to us divine things, such as Moses, David, Isaiah, Paul, and the rest of the writers of the canonical books; nor are very many others far removed from them, who, taught by that same Spirit, made clear through their own genius and labors the things handed down by them, understood according to the capacity of man—such as Dionysius, Athanasius, Basil, Chrysostom, and many others, who, distinguished by the holiness of their life and character and conspicuous for their incomparable learning, illustrated the Christian commonwealth by their excellent actions and the most learned books written by them. ^A To cease from reading them, and to have retreated from their warnings, has been for us the occasion of all evils. For hence did countless errors and heresies begin, and hence did the neglect of life, the contempt of virtues, and the tyranny of vices find their beginning and their growth. For who, devoting himself more attentively to reading them, would not progress in sound faith and piety, cultivate his soul, pursue charity, mercy, liberality, justice, and the other virtues? And as for avarice, envy, luxury, anger, and other such diseases of the soul, would he not flee from them much more than from serpents and death? Whence it happens that I believe nothing more useful can be offered to the Christian commonwealth than that those through whom the Church of God was once known to have grown, even among most bitter adversaries, in the doctrine of piety, in the merits of life, and in number, be restored to us. ^B Would that many of our own time, who could perform this office more conveniently, would attend to this, and would prefer to consult the public utility by translating the books of these men rather than to serve private glory by rashly pouring forth their own works! Far indeed from such a design was Philippus Saulus, bishop of Brugnato, a man surely to be compared to those ancient Fathers in the adornment of his virtues and his skill in sacred letters, who was most intent upon this most salubrious undertaking. For if he found any suitable for this work, he would excite, advise, entreat, and would not omit any means in his power to compel them to it. He was himself held by such a zeal for this matter that he spent his days and nights in it with the greatest pleasure. From this truly excellent man we could have hoped for many and great things, had not divine Providence taken him from us, kindly conferring upon him (as we rightly hope) the reward of a life well lived, and upon us (as I think) indulgent in paternal clemency, lest we be forced to pay more bitter penalties for our sloth, we who were progressing less well through the example and warnings of such a man. ^C He had recently translated into Latin the most elegant commentaries of Euthymius, the monk, a most holy and learned Father, in a pure and simple style of speech, which, having been prevented by an untimely death, he could not bring to light. But I, who had been for a longer time a witness of his learning and holiness, a companion in his studies, and a confidant of his counsels, bound to him by his excessive kindness in the greatest intimacy, could not bear with an even mind that the holy labors of such a friend—a better than whom one could not even wish for—should perish, and that we should be defrauded of so great a treasure. I turned myself, therefore, to Johannes Matthæus, bishop of Verona, a man most studious of all good things (as you know very well), whom I both exhorted and implored that he might become for us the author of so great a good, believing as I did that it would come to pass that in this way the holy memory of a deceased friend, the just reward of a living one, and the common utility of all good people would be best consulted. The venerable pontiff gave his kind consent, as he is most prompt to all right and honest studies, and by his own authority, command, and expense brought it about that this excellent work, arranged as well as possible, should be brought into the public, a work, I say, that cannot be lauded enough by anyone for its dignity, if you consider the divine mind and intelligence of the distinguished seer: if you consider the learning and faith of the interpreters, and the skill and diligence of the corrector and the craftsman. ^D Yet to whom might it be more aptly dedicated than to you, whether you yourself or he be regarded? For you are the head and father of the Christian people, to whom both by the dignity with which you are distinguished and by the integrity with which you shine, all good and sacred things should deservedly be dedicated: since human and divine letters especially owe so much to your most illustrious Medicean family, by whose singular zeal and work they were brought to light, having previously been pressed by the densest darkness and as if buried. He, indeed, was a foster-son of your house and was affected by so many and such great benefits that I know not whether it be more clear that by your kindness he was what he was, or that there could be no pursuit more favorable to him than to bring to pass all those things that might appear to concern your salvation and glory. Therefore, to you, Supreme Pontiff, we dedicate and send this divine work, so that, fortified by your patronage and judgment, it may offer itself to be read by all with greater security and freedom. Farewell.

EUTHYMIUS THE MONK ZIGABENUS, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALTER

PROOEMIUM

^A The author of this present book, to speak fully, is the Son of God (for "I will defend this city," says the Lord, "for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake"), and the father of God. For it says, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David." As for the rest, to encompass it briefly, he is the one who, after Abraham, became the sole father of the nations; our Orpheus; the first elegant author of virtues; the first herald of the three hypostases of the one Divinity; shepherd at once and chieftain, prophet and king; the heart, tongue, and pen of the first King; the one to whom testimony was given by God; and the one who acquired all those virtues that make a human being a god and that can be ascribed to a human. This man was the son of Jesse, the youngest of his brothers, simple in appearance but most beautiful in soul, and the most excellent of all commanders, prophets, legislators, and kings. ^B He was filled with innumerable gifts of grace, beyond all others. He was most gentle in spirit and most modest by nature; endowed with a manly mind, yet most robust in body; at once a leader and yet showing himself equal to all; magnanimous yet affable; most simple yet most wise; sweet in character; sharp in speech; of great intellect; and clearly inspired by the divine Spirit, while dwelling in the contemplation of things that are, or rather of Him who truly is, taught by himself and taught by God, being also entirely and at all times with the Spirit. Having passed over all these things, or rather having briefly gathered them into one, I shall now pursue only two of his virtues: namely wisdom and fortitude, and we shall discourse of wisdom first.

He says in one place more profoundly than clearly: "My hands have made an instrument, and my fingers have

^B set in order the psalter. For wisdom is nothing other than a certain harmony and concordance of words and deeds. Furthermore, among the rational sciences, music is the best and the highest part of philosophy: the part which, being itself one and comprising all parts and ornaments of philosophy, accommodates and fits them both to itself and to each other by its own agency, being a symphony and a certain proportion for all things. Whoever, therefore, has acknowledged that this music existed in David, will briefly ascribe to him also the knowledge of all things. It is to be noted, however, by what reasoning the blessed David ascribed to the hands and to the organ simply the virtue of action, but to the psalter the fingers and concinnity and harmony. Because, forsooth, the organ is a simpler and more common instrument, while the psalter pertains to a more sublime science and requires more diligent art. According to the anagogical sense, "hands" are to be understood as the active virtue, which makes our life and conduct, like an organ, consonant and well-ordered for itself; but "fingers" are the most contemplative thoughts, which tune the psalter, that is, the intellectual faculty of the reason, like a psalter, so that it may be inspired and plucked from above, and moved by another, greater power. And elsewhere he says ^C in the Psalms: "The hidden and secret things of your wisdom you have made manifest to me" (Ps. L, 8). O, the extent of this magnification! For he was initiated into knowledge not only of visible things, but also of the secret counsels of God, such as that there is a Trinity and a Unity, and everything else pertaining to the incarnation of God. And again in another place he said: "Beyond all you have taught me your commandment" (Ps. cxviii, 66), speaking of that commandment which pertains to actions, in which sort of virtue he likewise obtained the primacy.

And these things, then, are about wisdom. But concerning fortitude, he himself tells of it again, saying: "I went out to meet the Philistine, and he cursed me in his idols; but I, having drawn his sword, beheaded him and took away the reproach from the children of Israel" (I Reg. xvii, 43). Consider here not only his fortitude, but ^D much more his moderation of soul. For although he could then recount many and great things—namely, the hosts of the enemies, their audacity, their arms, their military arts and training; the arrogance, skill, strength, and magnitude of that very giant, or rather elephant; the fear and anxiety of the Judeans besides, and the distress of King Saul himself; and how because of a single Philistine everyone was terrified: the commander, the soldiers, the young, the old; and how David himself was an adolescent and small, unarmed, and ignorant of war; and yet he dared to contend against that barbarian—from which, having cast down such a tower and such a beast, he afforded the king an easy victory; for, having severed that giant's head from the rest of the body, and with the very sword of the giant himself, he dissolved all fear, suppressed the slaughters that were wont to occur before, and saved the army, the commander, the tombs of his ancestors, and the laws.

^A

But this man, so great and so noble, that I may not spend time on every single detail, is despised by his father—who at the beginning looked only to external appearances—and is sent away to the flocks and to the herds; indeed, he even followed after their pregnant ewes. And while his father cast him down upon the earth, God from above adopted him, and as if he were a royal child, prepared him first to occupy himself with the royal—that is, the pastoral—science among the irrational creatures: namely, to be vigilant, to struggle for the flock, to oppose himself to dangers, to contend against wild beasts, brigands, thieves, hunger, cold, and flame; to go before and to call them to pastures, to shade, to springs, to rivers; to call them back also, and to bring them together into one, with staff, with voice, with singing, and with the pipe; to delight them and to terrify them; to provide a norm of life and to heal them—the end of which was not only to show the flock to be well-fed, but also to be most temperate and well-disciplined.

But why must I prolong the discourse? After a little while, the anointer comes, and the one who is to be anointed is sought for. That numerous, beautiful, and brilliant choir of children comes forth; the horn is applied, God is placed over them; and just as before the father had rejected David, so God rejected all the others. The father who had neglected him is forced to bring the neglected one forward; he is brought, and he is anointed for both: for royalty, namely, and for prophecy; by the horn, that is, and by the Spirit. These also were symbols of our Savior Jesus, who was afterwards to be anointed as King and as God. What, then, is the consequence of this? A war with the Philistines arises, a great war, I say: nay, rather, an immense and insurmountable one. The affairs of both the king and the whole nation were in the greatest peril; but the deliverer arrives, the prophet, the soldier, and the king at once. He is again despised, again rejected, and again he overcomes his brothers by his patience, Saul by his answer, and Goliath by his fortitude; and he overcomes all others, those who lived in that time, and those before and after, by this immense battle with the giant, and being one for all, against all, he saved all. ^{B C}

But what follows? He reigns at the same time, he leads the army at the same time, at the same time he directs and administers; nay, in truth, as for what remains, he alone manages it, and he overcomes the foreign enemies with arms, but his own—that is, the malignant spirits of Saul himself—he overcomes by melody and by the Spirit. Thus he is crowned and praised by all, and above all, and he is even included in the song of the women: *Saul has struck his thousands, and David his ten thousands.* He is envied again, he suffers persecution, he flees, he is hidden, he is surrounded, ^D

^A and yet he does not lay hold of an opportunity, nor does he attend to the conclusion of the war, nor does he take vengeance on his enemy; nay rather, he helps him, fleeing and fearing, not lest he himself might suffer some harm, but rather lest he might do something against Saul of the things that were being staged against him by him. For he so tempered these contraries, namely gentleness and fortitude, that the fortitude in him was seen to be greater than in others, and the gentleness itself even greater than the fortitude. What then? He reigns, he prophesies, he confesses God, he is testified to by God; he is promised that he will have an eternal throne, that he will inherit the world, and that he will excel the very stars in the multitude and beauty of his children. Then (O swift change, O calamity!) he who was once chosen suddenly becomes an adulterer; he who was a prophet, a fool; he who was inspired by God, a maniac; he who was truthful, deceitful; he who was a shepherd, a robber; he who was a savior, a murderer. Hence arose the change of mind and such great outrages; thence the cessation of music and the contraction of the spirit; thence the change of life and the sea of many evils; thence not only is he who was inspired by the divine [spirit] deprived of that higher breathing, but he who was a father is bereaved of his children. And of his sons, some become wicked and defilers of their sisters; others, even worse than these, become fratricides and parricides; and he who was a king becomes a wanderer; he who was the best of fighters, a fugitive; he who was a shepherd, a wanderer of mountains. In short, all that glorious house and seat collapses to the ground. Hence also [arise] famine, wasting away, and grievous repentance for sins; hence that triple and perpetual sacrifice: namely, the nocturnal flows and pourings of the eyes, the contrition and groans of the heart, and the constant prayers and confession of the tongue; the former are the wounds, the latter are the medicines, the cauteries, or the incisions. ^B But meanwhile, as I relate these things, the purpose of my discourse almost flees from me, as I am always detained by the many things that present themselves. After the sin, a prophet stands by the prophet again, like a physician to a physician who is sick and at a loss; and just as he previously stood by as an anointer, so now [he stands by] ready to remove not only the dignity, but the spirit itself, if he had done wrong in any way that pertained to his own healing, if he had hidden the wound, or if he had neglected to be reproved. Standing by as well was the minister of this vengeance, as before he was a guardian and a powerful helper, so now a terrible avenging angel, ready to bring down his sword, had not the man himself brought a verdict against himself and dissolved the divine sentence by his own judgment. And hence there were present both the accuser of the judgment and the cause, Nathan, and the avenging angel; but on the other side was David himself, the judge, a respecter of no person, who brought a sentence against himself—by which he drew out the arrow more quickly than he had received it—and God together with him, who not only brought a scar over the wound, but even completely erased the wound itself. For He not only spared him, but He also took away the sin. Therefore, once again [comes] divine grace, and once again the Spirit; once again the sounds and the songs; once again the power over all things; once again the promises and the covenants, both concerning his adoption and concerning the fact that God was to be born of his lineage.

^A This man, therefore, who suffered much, and who set much aright through his own virtue, and who underwent myriad changes, entrusts his entire personal history and the vicissitudes of his life to this composition.

And the first premise and scope of this work is this: ^B the second chapter is the explanation of antiquity—not that of the Hebrews alone, but of that which is even more ancient; for in many psalms he expounds upon the birth and the deeds of the patriarchs, the error, the migration, the descent into Egypt, the servitude, the exodus, the giving of the law, the tabernacle, the priesthood, [the book of] Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, the division of the inheritance, the Judges, the Kings, and if there is anything consequent to these.

Third: he provides a natural philosophy concerning the heavens and the things of the heavens, concerning the earth and the things of the earth, concerning animals, concerning elements, and, simply put, concerning the entire creation of God.

Fourth: the prophecy concerning the dispensation of the Savior in this work shows itself more clearly than all other things, and everything that pertains to the Virgin, everything concerning the incarnation, the things concerning the offering of gifts, the things of the journey into Egypt and the return and the manifestation and the teaching and the performance of miracles, the matters of the synagogue, the matters of envy and plots and betrayal and apprehension and scourges and mockeries, the things of the cross and the piercing of the hands and feet, the things of the division of garments and the casting of lots, and the bitter drink and the expiration and burial and resurrection and the ascension into heaven and the sitting at the right hand, and the victory and kingdom over all and for all, ^C are most clearly seen here.

Fifth: the prophecy of those things which came to pass after all that has been predicted: namely, the calling of the gentiles, the glory of the disciples of Christ, the miracles, the preaching, the subjection of the inhabited world, the establishment and growth of the Church, the victory of the Romans, the captivity of the Jews, the things concerning the second and terrible coming of the Savior, and all that pertains to the resurrection and the judgment and the retribution of each one.

Sixth: the theology concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Seventh: whatever is handed down concerning intellectual creatures, angels, and demons, and concerning the mind and the soul, and concerning the power and movement of the soul.

Eighth: whatever pertains to moral instruction, concerning virtue, concerning vice, and such like.

Ninth: concerning thoughts and the plots of demons, and concerning changes, concerning the healing of passions, ^D and the struggle and strategy against these.

Tenth: the account concerning the commandments is most accurate and exalted, and little or nothing is missing from the evangelical precepts.

These, then, are the general themes of the subject matter of the psalms, gathered into ten chapters, within which the entire treatise of the psalms is contained; yet there are others that are more specific, such as the doxological, the eucharistic, the supplicatory, the prayerful, the consolatory, the exhortatory, and, above all, the methodical. For he not only commands that this be done or not done, but also suggests the manner and the time. And, in all, it is a common remedy for every passion for all people, and—

^A a most wonderful thing, and peculiar to this book. There is, therefore, neither action, nor word, nor passion, nor thought among men for which one might not find a cure here; for it is a storehouse full of every contemplation and way of life, a public treasury of teaching providing here what is suitable. For it cleanses old wounds, and gives swift relief to the newly wounded, and preserves what is sound, and altogether removes every passion, and this with a certain melodious charm and sober pleasure, so that, by that gentle and soft voice, we may secretly receive the benefit from the words, according to the wise physicians who, in the case of harsher medicines, order the cup to be anointed with honey. Thus, in appearance we sing a sweet and pleasant melody, but in reality we instruct our souls and preserve the memory of the divine words indelible. ^B

Prooemium of Euthymius

^A And we shall treat first of the former chapter.

Some say that the psalms are not David's alone, ^B but that some are by Idithum, others by the sons of Core, and by Asaph, and Etham, and Emam the Israelite, and one by Moses, and others by Solomon; and they assert that this is manifest from the inscriptions, and that they were collected together after the captivity by Ezra. Many psalms also have only "Alleluia" for an inscription, and others bear some inscription but are anonymous, while others are entirely without inscription. ^A For this reason, they say, the whole work is called not "the psalms of David," but "the book of Psalms," as we read in the Acts of the Apostles; and they indicate thereby that the entire book of psalms is not to be ascribed to David alone. For that we call this collection of psalms the "Psalter," we speak incorrectly; because the Psalter is properly a certain kind of instrument, which is called "Naula" among the Hebrews, so named from *psallein* (to play), just as *oratorium* is from *orare* (to pray). But this name was later transferred to the book of Psalms, which nevertheless gained this denomination for this reason also, because it contains psalms.

Others, however (and I agree with them), assert that all the psalms were composed by David; and just as they say that the eighty-eighth psalm, which is inscribed to Moses, is not by Moses—because if it were his, on account of its antiquity it would be read first in order, or at least be kept among the books of Moses, just as his canticles are held, one of which is found in Exodus, the second in Numbers, and the third in Deuteronomy—so they assert that the same must be thought about the other psalms which seemed to bear the inscriptions of others, [namely, that they were not composed by any other than the blessed David]. ^C The same they also say of the two psalms which have the inscription of Solomon, that if they were Solomon's, they should have been placed at the end of the order, or have been inserted in the books of Kings or Chronicles, or at least noted somewhere, in the way that an account of all his other works was kept. For, he says, "there were five thousand canticles, and three thousand parables," but the divine Scripture makes no mention of his psalms.

As for the inscriptions "of Idithum," and "of the sons of Core," and "of Asaph," and "of Emam," and "of Etham," they wish to signify only this: that to these men, whom the blessed David had chosen from the tribe of Levi to be leaders and ^D princes of the choirs, and had appointed to praise God with various instruments (the kinds of which the last of all the psalms enumerates), he committed each of the psalms thus inscribed to be sung, while the others were sung in common by all. Therefore, every psalm was dedicated to the one from whom it was sung, and from him it took its inscription. And this is evident from what the book of Chronicles says, that "he sang this canticle, by the hand of Asaph." But also from the heading of the thirty-eighth psalm: "For the end," he says, "to Idithum, a canticle of David"; for it was indeed composed by David, but was assigned to Idithum to be sung. And again the forty-third psalm is inscribed thus: "For the end, to the sons of Core, a psalm of David." And all those carrying...

^A the inscriptions of others—not of this or that person but assigned to this or that individual—are evidence, which is also a clear sign that, having been composed by David, they were consigned specifically to those persons for the purpose of singing. But if someone should say: "But surely a psalm is also inscribed 'to David' for the most part," we shall answer that, on the other hand, a psalm "of David" is also inscribed for many, a phrasing which you will not find in the others, in order that we may know that they were indeed composed by David, and not merely given and deposited; for this fact introduces the distinction. The one referring to Moses has such an inscription: "A prayer of Moses, the man of God," teaching, as it were, that this psalm is suitable for those who, through the divine water, that is to say the saving laver of baptism, have become men of God; for "Moses" is interpreted as "taken out of the water." And those who are baptized are indeed taken out of the water and are termed men of God. And we affirm that those psalms which are called Solomon’s were composed for Christ; for Solomon is interpreted as "peaceful," which Christ is, having peace by his very nature. For "Peace," he says, "I give to you, my peace I leave with you." Regarding the psalms without an inscription, it should be known first of all that many of the Hebrew copies have the second psalm joined to the first, since there is no numbering of the psalms among them; and the second is, without contradiction, composed by David. We have the apostles as witnesses to this fact, who say to God in the Acts: "Who by the mouth of David thy servant didst say, 'Why did the Gentiles rage?'" and so on. Thus, it is demonstrated that the first psalm also belongs to David. But if the first and second of those without inscription belong to David, then all the others without inscription do as well, just as we know that the ninety-fourth psalm is among the rest, as the Apostle Paul testifies in his Epistle to the Hebrews, ^C saying: "He again defines a certain day, today, in David, saying after so long a time, as it has been said: 'Today if you shall hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.'" And those [psalms] which are anonymous are also David’s, as Stephen the protomartyr teaches in the Acts; for he says to the Jews: "Until the days of David, who found grace before God, and asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob." And this declaration of the hundred and thirty-first psalm ^D makes it evident that it is anonymous. But even those that have "Alleluia" inscribed are David's; for immediately the first of them, the hundred and fourth in the Books of Chronicles, is written as having been composed by David. It seems, therefore, that the reason for some being without inscription is that each of such [psalms] is not spoken in the name of one nation; for the anonymous ones [it is] that they were spoken to the Lord; and for those bearing "Alleluia," [it is] that they are thanksgiving and a hymn to God. And so much for this matter; it is now time to speak also of the others.

^A "Psaltos" indeed is God, who is being chanted; "psalmos" is the poem and its melody; "psalmodos" is the poet who makes these; "psaltodos" is the choir chanting these. Diapsalma, however, signifies a change of thought, or melody, or a certain musical pause, or at that time an illumination of the Divine Spirit toward those chanting; for all these things were noted down for the sake of accuracy. But "psalmos," strictly speaking, is that which is chanted melodiously with the instrumental psalter; "ode," however, is a sound that is musical and harmonious, from the mouth alone. It is more loosely called "ode," and this [latter] "psalmos"; but the "ode" is older, for Moses began this, and it lasted until David. And he was the first to begin the psalms; for even if the psalter instrument existed, yet it was artless and common, and [used] only for charming the flocks. But David refitted this more wisely, and transferred its use to God. "Hymnos" is a heightened glorification; "ainos" is brief praise; "exomologesis" is a confession, by way of intensification, of the good things we have done or the evils we have committed; "proseuche" is supplication; "euche" is a vow. And all things are said to God.

What a psalm is, then, and what an ode is, have been appropriately stated. One must understand the "odes of psalms" as meaning that the instrumental music is placed first, and the vocal sound follows, taking the second place; but the "psalms of odes" [is meant] when the opposite occurs. According to the laws of anagogy, a "psalm" would be when we strain the body, as if it were an instrumental ^B psalter, and by touching it in a certain way through good works, and plucking it, we perform an action that is good and harmonious, even if we have not yet arrived at contemplation; "ode," however, is when we contemplate the mysteries of truth without practiced works, having already become trained. A "psalm of an ode" is when, after a good work has preceded, we arrive at contemplation, according to that which was said: "You desired wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will provide it for you." A "psalm of an ode" is when, as the contemplation clarifies some of the hidden ethical [teachings], we come to the practice of these. And perhaps for this reason the psalms are first, then the odes, because it is necessary to go through the practical to arrive at contemplation. Hence it is that at the end there are many odes; and wherever there is a "song of ascents," there is no "psalm" anywhere, nor any interlacing of an ode. For in the ascents, the saints are solely in contemplation.

^A Some people say that Ezra, and others that Hezekiah, collected the psalms, which are contained in the number of one hundred and fifty. In this number, the number fifty—called Pentecost and venerated by the Hebrews—is discerned, perfected by the weeks of weeks, that is, multiplied by seven; and the mystery of the Trinity can likewise be contemplated in it, by adding the unit, on account of the unity which is in the three persons. There were four leaders of the singers, presiding over four choirs, on account of the four quarters of the world to which the voices of the psalms were to reach. Each choir consisted of seventy-two singers, as some have reported they read among the Hebrews, according to the proportion and number of the languages which were confounded, or rather divided, in the building of the tower in Babylon. For it was to come to pass that every language should sing such psalms as these. While others of the singers sang sweetly and pleasantly with the trumpet, ^B the drum, the organ, the cymbals, or the lyre and the zither, David held the royal instrument of the psalter. Trumpets and pipes and reeds are blown; the lyre and zither are tensioned; cymbals and drums are struck, and whatever else has sound rather than voice. The psalter, however, which they also call the cinyra, the zither, and the lyre in some places, belongs to that class of instruments which are tensioned. Yet this is a righteous instrument, and has its causes from above, from where it emits voices—for that very reason, that we too may learn to stand upright and to meditate on heavenly and celestial things, and that in this way we may become a spiritual psalter, with soul and body agreeing together ^C within us, and the Holy Spirit himself, as a most skillful craftsman, striking and touching us. For ten pegs revolving on the arm of the psalter tensioned and slackened the strings, according to the will and harmony of the one playing. The right hand held the plectrum, while the left, touching and turning the pegs from above, produced a deep, or shrill, or blended tone. It had ten strings, moreover, with voices contrary to one another, from which we are taught that we ought, from the ten strings mutually opposing one another—the five powers of the soul and the five senses of the body—to prelude a harmonious and concordant song to God in this life.

The order of the psalms is no longer what it was at the beginning when they were written; ^D yet this order was not given by chance or accidentally, but rather by divine dispensation, which took no account of subsequent times. For just as in the arts, both practical and rational, there is one invention and order for instruments and rules, and another use for them, depending on the times themselves or the various circumstances of things (for perhaps one physician first...

^A applies a remedy and anoints, while another similarly terrifies and another consoles); since for the craftsman there is no order of treatment, but that is held first by him, which he knows by its own force and power to be the chief thing, and to be necessary for the wound to which it is applied (a matter which we are accustomed to call "order without order"). So, too, for our supreme craftsman, the Holy Spirit, it was not the history that mattered, but what pertained to the utility of the readers, and so that this image of our soul, if I may say so, or statue, might be sculpted in terms of morals, polished for beauty, and finally fashioned towards God. For this reason, the prophet, in the first psalm indeed, separates us first from impiety and sins; in the second, he demonstrates whose heirs we are, and to whom we ought to cling and be joined; in the third, he predicts the snares and assaults of the adversary against those who are joined to God, and subsequently suggests the cures for the passions and calamities that are in us.

There is also another reason ^B for this order. For when the Jews of old neglected God and forgot their ancestral customs, very many books of the sacred Scriptures perished and were corrupted through their sloth. But later, one who was eager for their collection, whether it was Ezra or Hezekiah, and not all at once, but gathering them one by one, according to the time of the discovery of each, imposed the apparent order—not according to the times in which they were spoken, but according to those in which they were found. It is also possible to say that the psalms were not arranged according to the times, but rather according to the days in which they were first composed. That which we are saying will become manifest from these things which I shall subjoin: The conception of Christ was first in time; afterward, birth; then, the imposition of the name and circumcision; after these, the bringing into the temple and the Hypantesis [that is, the meeting, which the Latins call the purification of the Virgin]; finally, after thirty years, the baptism and manifestation of the Lord; then his teaching, miracles, sufferings, and last of all, the resurrection. But among us, these festivals are celebrated in another order and at another interval. For first we celebrate the conception, and then immediately the resurrection. ^C You see how great is the distance of the festivals in time and the conjunction of the days. Again, the assumption, the transfiguration, the nativity, and then the last of all, the manifestation, are celebrated. You see how great is the diversity of the events? The order of the days in the months was indeed preserved, but that of the events themselves was greatly separated, and a certain order was produced, as if without order.

But the time is come ^D to teach next what the reason is for the obscurity which is found in many psalms, and how many translations there are from the Hebrew language into the Greek, and by whom they were made. The cause, then, that so many things in the Old Scripture are found to be obscure, lies in the figures, whatsoever they were, that prefigured Christ, his actions, and the new grace (for all these things that seemed to pertain to the calling of the nations, the prophets intentionally obscured

^A for the most part because of the disobedience and hardness of their hearers, and they were uncovered to only a few of the saints and are rightly judged only from their outcome and end. The final reason is the translation of these things from the Hebrew to the Greek tongue; for every language, when translated into a foreign one, generally carries with it obscurity and difficulty of understanding. They were translated in the time when Ptolemy Philadelphus was administering the kingdom of Egypt. There have been seven translations of the Old Testament. The first was made by the seventy, who were Hebrews and ^B were chosen according to the number of the seventy elders whom Moses chose. These men, therefore, summoned by the king’s exhortation and designated for this task, arrived at one interpretation in all things. The second is that of Aquila of Sinope. He was a Greek from Pontus and was baptized in Jerusalem; afterwards, having become offended by and hostile to certain Christians, he despised his baptism and joined the Jews, and he published an interpretation of Scripture under the emperor Hadrian, who suffered from leprosy, three hundred and thirty years after the translation of the LXX. This man, therefore, being angry at the Christians, perverted many things. The third was made by Symmachus, a Samaritan by birth; who, when he did not attain the honor he desired among his own people, went over to the Jews, and having been circumcised a second time, and out of hostility to the Samaritans, he translated the holy Scripture under the emperor Severus. He also, in order to please the Jews, did not accurately translate those things that pertained to Christ, fifty-six years after the edition of Aquila. The fourth was by Theodotion of Ephesus, who, being of the heresy of Marcion, and having at one time been offended by his fellow heretics, published his own interpretation under the emperor Commodus. The fifth interpretation has no known author, but was found in Jericho, hidden in a jar, under the emperor Caracalla. The sixth, being anonymous, had a similar discovery in Nicopolis, which is by Actium, under the emperor Alexander (son) of Mamaea. ^C The seventh was produced by Lucian the great ascetic and martyr, who, having examined all these editions, and having compared them most diligently and with great labor ^D with the Hebrew truth, handed down to the Christians his own edition, having nothing lacking and nothing superfluous, which was found at Nicomedia, written in his own hand, in a certain tower, smeared with plaster by the Jews, after the struggle of Lucian himself and after the persecution which (was inflicted) by Diocletian and Maximian, when Constantine the Great was directing the kingdom.

This ^A agrees with the edition of the Seventy, rejecting what had been depraved by others.

It is clear to all that just as flocks are led and calmed by the playing of pipes, so too is the multitude of men led and called by melodies. And this is much more so among us for females than for males, and no less for the immature than for the aged, or for the fiercer than for the milder, or for the unlearned than for the learned; and in man himself there exists a rational part of the soul and another that is irrational and savage, but pleasure overcomes and surpasses them all. For this reason, therefore, the singing of the Psalms was introduced, through which the utility that comes from the psalms themselves ^B is attached and joined to human souls as if by a clasp; for the song itself, like a kind of honey, alters and moderates the austerity of the spiritual medicine, and seasons the useful things with the sweet. For what is pleasing is received more gladly and retained more constantly. This, then, is the first reason for song.

The second, however, is this: because the demon had destroyed man through empty and false pleasure, God devised through the same [pleasure], artfully arranged, to save him in return.

Thirdly, song was invented for mutual concord and love, inasmuch as it is able, just as it gathers the voices of those who sing, so too to gather their minds into one, and to harmonize them, all and each, to each other and to all; for what is as much a source of reconciliation as a common prayer-song, offered for each and all by each and all to God? ^C [And who is so brutish and ferocious as to be able to consider him an enemy, whom he knows to have appeased God on his behalf?] Moreover, harmony and song have great power to form character, or to correct it, by changing and regulating it; for among the ancients, they say, there were songs that were temperate, and others the opposite—erotic, or warlike, or peaceful, or mournful, or gracious, or strengthening, or dulling. They say that Pythagoras, when a youth was uncontrollably in love, by changing the musical modes, changed his love along with them; and another, who was rushing in with a sword, he likewise softened and restrained. And Timotheus, between the banquet and pleasure, while singing a certain song which was called the Orthian, they say, aroused the spirit of the Macedonian and caused him, having snatched up his armor, to leap up immediately. ^D For human nature is so familiar with songs and takes such delight in them, that even wailing infants are quieted by these alone. For nurses sing children’s lullabies to them, by which their eyelids are soothed. Travelers, furthermore, being often worn out in the middle of the day, comfort the exhaustion of their journey with a song.

^A All craftsmen also sing while working, as if the soul of the worker were soothed by song, and by singing he bears all his troubles and labors more easily. But what need is there to recount rational men, when even irrational creatures—horses, indeed, are prepared for battle by the trumpet, and sheep follow the flute, and then are more joyous and grow fat—and to many wild beasts, songs and carols are a solace; and for many, these serve in place of blows or snares? For the unicorn himself is overcome by beauty and song.

But those who have interpreted divine things more learnedly and sublimely say that by organic song the symmetry of the soul is signified. The symmetry of the soul, however, is a certain consonance and concord of those parts and powers which are within the soul, concerning which we shall speak more broadly. For consonance is the harmony of things that are different in themselves, but afterwards agree and harmonize into one melody. This, moreover, it will be possible to see when the proportions of the consonances especially correspond to the interior parts of the soul: that one thing be in the first position and command only, and never serve (I mean the rational part), ^B and another (namely, the irascible part) hold the middle position, and be ruled by the first, while itself commanding the last; and that the one which holds the last position be the concupiscible part, which may only obey and never command. For then the consonance of the soul can be found (I speak of the rational part in relation to the irascible), such that its string, which is called the *Hypate*, is related to the *Mese*. For they call this the highest and gravest sound, which preserves the *diatessaron* consonance; similarly also the irascible to the concupiscible, as the *Mese* string to that which is called the *Nete*—and this they name the highest and most acute sound, which is the *diapente*. In the same way also the irascible to the concupiscible, as the string of that which we called the *Hypate* to the *Nete*—this sound, indeed, which is fashioned from the gravest and the most acute, they call the *diapason*. ^C But if it is fitting not to pay attention to the positions or the names, but rather to follow the power itself and the efficacy of things: the rational part should rather be called the *Mese*, in that it holds toward the irascible—as if toward the *Nete* (for this is the most acute and most excitable part of the soul)—that proportion of consonance which is the *diapente*; and toward the concupiscible, as toward the *Hypate* (for this is looser and softer), it preserves the proportion which is the *diatessaron*, and it adjusts and combines the tension of the former and the remission of the latter; by which mixture it perfects a most excellent harmony.

These things having been premised, it remains for us to say how the divine Spirit, though He is one, is sometimes spoken of in the singular number: as that passage ^D: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore He has anointed me"; again: "Take not Thy holy Spirit from me"; again: "And by the Spirit of His mouth all their power." And sometimes in the plural: "The spirits," he says, "of the prophets are subject to the prophets"; again: "There shall rest upon Him seven spirits." It is manifest, however, that the Spirit is one, just as the Artificer is one, but the instruments are many. For the prophets were the organs of the Artificer, and for this reason the strikes or inspirations were various. And not only are there many things in many instruments, but also many and various things in the same one; the Artificer now instilling, now tightening, now changing, and now blending; but yet not all things at all times; for who can know their individual workings? But the most general matters are defined down to the most specific, according to quality and quantity, for they do not go beyond the seven.

^A

Let us now come to the modes of prophecy: for one speaks of things past, another of things present, and another foretells things to come; and one communicates by speaking, another by acting; and one clearly, another enigmatically. And there are, again, other kinds of these modes: one by sight, another by hearing, another by smell and understanding, or by touch—yet all are intellectual. For the mind has as many senses as the body; but all are called "visions" generally, as being the more superior or noble mode. Ezekiel, then, sees: "And I saw," he says, "and flesh was growing, and skin was being stretched out," and so on. But he also hears: "And you," he says, "son of man, hear him who speaks to you." But he also tastes: "And he fed me," he says, "with this scroll, and said to me: Son of man, your mouth shall eat, and your belly shall be filled with this scroll." Calling the mouth, the first and most active part of the mind, which is the first to taste of divine foods, the mouth; and calling the second and more capacious part—that is, the intellect—the belly, which he says shall be filled with the scroll: as if it were to be filled from the small seeds of the Holy Spirit with many divine utterances. Isaiah also sees and hears: "Who," he says, "shall go to this people?" And I said, "Lo, I am here, Lord." Here he hears; but there he sees. "And I saw," he says, "until thrones were set, and the Ancient of Days sat," the one having taken to himself the resurrection, and the other the judgment ^B. There are, therefore, many examples of hearing, seeing, and tasting. But what of touching? ^C Nahum calls the divine oracle a "taking" (assumption), as if the ruling part of the soul were being touched and fashioned by the Holy Spirit.

But to express the matter more briefly, whereas the others are engaged by different times and modes—and these indeed rarely and by few, since it only happens for them to act through two, or at most three times or modes—this one of ours alone, the Father of God and of the prophets, traverses all times and modes. For he now speaks of the past, now of the present, and now of the future, and now he sees: "And he saw," he says, "the Lord," or the things of the Lord ^D; now he hears: "For the Lord," he says, "said to David"; and now he is touched: "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer," not referring to the external tongue—for he would be speaking of that

^A rather than writing—but rather the tongue of the intellect, which, in a new and ineffable way, touched the Spirit itself, and felt it in the very way a pen is guided by a writer: for by it, he was elegantly writing the things that were revealed to him. And he did this not only elegantly, but also swiftly. Hence, he indicates both the manifestation of prophecy and also the vehement and powerful inspiration of the Spirit, by comparing it to a very swift scribe. Elsewhere, he testifies that the sense of taste is present in him, saying: "How sweet are your words to my throat, more than honey to my mouth" (Ps. CXVIII, 103). For his intellectual mouth and throat were delighted when he swallowed the divine sayings of the oracles, and brought them up again, experiencing great pleasure both in the swallowing and in the bringing up. In another place, he says his heart "uttered a good word" (Ps. XLIV, 2), referring by this to a certain most profound power of the intellect—if one may say so—most capable of receiving all things, as though it were completely filled with all the good spiritual foods of the Spirit. ^B The figure of the sense of smell is rarer in him, and much more difficult than the others; "Myrrh and stacte and cassia," he says, "from your garments" (Ps. XLIV, 9), perceiving the fragrance of Christ. Thus, through all the senses of his intellect, he took hold of all the things of the Spirit, both knowledges and powers.

He declares the prophetic habit through his discourse, and it makes no difference to him whether he speaks of things past (14) or things to come. Often, he shifts the order; he speaks of things that are to happen as if they had already occurred, and conversely. For this is how he uses the phrasing: "Why did the nations rage, and the peoples meditate on vain things? And the kings of the earth stood by, and the rulers gathered together" (Ps. II, 1), and other things of this kind, instead of "Why *will* the nations rage," and "*will* meditate," and "*will* stand by," and "*will* gather together." And the phrase: "They shall pass through the river on foot" (Ps. LXV, 6), instead of "they passed through." For it is a peculiarity of the divine Spirit to consider nothing as past or future, since all things are present to Him. ^C Having considered all these things, let us proceed to the particular interpretation of each psalm, having first premised only one necessary and general statement: that we shall not interpret all the sayings in one way—that is, only according to history, or according to prophecy, or according to allegory, or according to the moral sense—but we shall often subject one and the same saying to various senses. For just as in trees and ^D seeds there are many and various germs and powers—since in a tree there is root, trunk, and likewise branches, bark, leaves, and pith; and in seeds, there is the green blade, the stalk, the ears, the glumes, and instead of one fruit, countless ones—so too, and much more so, is it in those things which are of the Spirit. And you shall not accuse the author for what he has found, but rather forgive him for what he has omitted; for who could worthily say what is sufficient and just? In general, we are able to adapt the psalms, the enemies of the

Understand the enemies of the Christians as the demons, and for Saul and Absalom, or if there is any other tyrant of this kind, understand the devil in the same way; we understand all of these to have been signified in figure through the persons of those who persecuted and plotted against the blessed David. ^A But those things which befit the blessed David himself, both as one anointed and as king, we shall accommodate to each of us; for just as he was anointed with the royal oil for kingship, so too are we with the oil of baptism for the kingdom of heaven. Whatever of the expressions do not fit, these we shall recite simply as the voices of the Holy Spirit, sanctifying ourselves through them, such as those that are in the second psalm and in others like it. The first psalm, therefore, just as it is held among the Hebrews without an inscription, has been left so by all the interpreters. It is, moreover, not only moral, but also is filled with dogma; for it does not only exhort us to give heed to the divine oracles, but it also contains the accusation and punishment of the impious ^B and of other sinners.

INITIUM EXPOSITIONIS.

Psalm I.

VERS. 1. Blessed is the man who did not walk in the counsel of the impious, and did not stand in the way of sinners, and did not sit in the chair of pestilence. Blessed in the proper sense is God, as Paul says, ^C speaking of Him: "Who is blessed and the only Potentate." Yet He has granted this title to us as well, just as He did with that of "God," as when it is said: "I said: You are gods [and all of you sons of the Most High]"; and He has lavished upon us many other names of this kind. This name of "blessed," then, is the fruit of that perfection which consists in virtue; and according to the etymology of the Greek noun, it signifies immortality, as if one were exempt from all death, in the redundance of the μ; and although the prophetic discourse is uttered under the masculine voice, it nevertheless comprehends the feminine, as the whole by the part. For according to the Apostle, "The ^D head of the woman is the man"; and the parts of the body are joined to the head; and of those whose humanity is common, their deeds and their reward are likewise common. Now, by the nature of these things...