Mostly in these posts I have considered topics or approaches involving the psalms in general or a group of psalms. In conclusion it might introduce a contrasting element of diversity if we compare a number of translations and approaches to the interpretation of a single psalm. For this purpose I have chosen Psalm 4, whose…
The Psalms. 7. The Eucharist in the Psalms
Psalm 81:17 - I would have fed them also with the finest wheat-flour; * and with honey out of the stony rock would I have satisfied thee. I have suggested to you previously that Christ and the Church are the themes of many of the psalms. If this is true, then we should not be…
Is there an Anglican ‘Via Media’? [revised]
The idea that Anglicanism is a middle way, a via media, is about as slippery as the meaning of ‘Anglicanism’ itself. Whatever one would prefer be the case, to a large extent the meaning of ‘Anglican via media’ depends on definitions and judgements concerning which there is no consensus and probably can be no consensus. …
The Psalms. 6. Israel, New and Old: the Church in the Psalms
Psalm 87:2 - Very excellent things are spoken of thee, * thou city of God. When you and I say the psalms we must understand that we are not speaking with our own voice, but rather with the voice of Christ or of his Church. Just as the priest at the altar during the Prayer…
The Psalms. 5. Christ in the Psalms
Psalm 110:1 - The LORD said unto my Lord, * Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Psalm 110 is one of the most frequently quoted Old Testament passages in the New Testament. You will recall, of course, the debate our Lord has with the Pharisees concerning the first…
The Psalms. 4. The Cursing Psalms
Psalm 109, verse 11 - Let there be no man to pity him, nor to have compassion upon his fatherless children. The psalms contain many passages of great humility, gentleness, and beauty. And yet anyone who is at all familiar with the psalms knows that they also contain passages that strike us as harsh and…
The Psalms. 3. The History of the Psalter
Psalm 149, verse 3 - Let them praise his Name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with tabret and harp. As noted in Part 2, the word ‘psalm’, or in Hebrew, mizmor, means literally a song, probably one accompanied by instrumental music. What we call the Psalter includes 150 poems, hymns, laments,…
On the Psalms: 2. Some notes on bibliography and the Psalms in the liturgy
I am often asked about the manner of reciting the psalter. In public worship the psalms normally are sung. In the introduction to their magisterial book, A Commentary on the Psalms, John Mason Neale and R.F. Littledale, note four methods traditionally used in the Church’s singing of the psalms: The first, when the whole Psalm…
The ACNA Prayer Book of 2019
I should begin by noting that for this post I worked initially from the 2018 publication called Texts for Common Prayer II, rather than from the more definitive 2019 prayer book of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). I have subsequently checked most 2018 texts with the 2019 book as published on the internet. …
On the Psalms: 1. Introduction
[A series of retreat meditations.] ‘Praise the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me praise his holy name.’ (Psalm. 103.1) The psalms are absolutely central to our worship as Catholic Christians, just as they were and are central to Jewish worship and, for that matter, to the worship of traditional Protestants. The…
