Psalms

Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Because of its original meaning as a song or chant, the word psalm can be used to mean any religious chant or poem of praise. This article, however, deals specifically with the Psalms (with upper-case P) as the book of Scripture.

The Psalms in Christian worship

New Testament references show that the earliest Christians used the Psalms in worship, and the Psalms have remained an important part of worship in virtually all Christian Churches. The Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches have always made systematic use of the Psalms, with a cycle for the recitation of all or most of them over the course of one or more weeks. In the early centuries of the Church, it was expected that any candidate for bishop would be able to recite the entire Psalter from memory, something they often learned automatically during their time as monks. Today, new translations and settings of the Psalms continue to be produced. Several conservative denominations sing only the Psalms (and the small number of hymns found elsewhere in the Bible) in worship, and do not accept the use of any non-Biblical hymns; an example is the RPCNA church which sings Psalms exclusively.

Related Topics:
Eastern Orthodox - Roman Catholic - Anglican - Bishop - RPCNA

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Some Psalms are among the best-known and best-loved passages of Scripture, with a popularity extending well beyond regular church-goers. In particular, the 23rd Psalm ("The Lord is My Shepherd", 22nd in the Greek numbering) offers an immediately appealing message of comfort and is widely chosen for church funeral services, either as a reading or in one of several popular hymn settings; and Psalm 50/51 ("Have mercy on me O God", called the Miserere from the first word in its Latin version) is by far the most sung Psalm of Orthodoxy, in both Divine Liturgy and Hours, in the sacrament of repentance or confession, and in other settings. Psalm 102/103 ("Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name!") is one of the best-known prayers of praise. Psalm 137/136 ("By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept") is a moody, yet eventually triumphant, meditation upon living in slavery, and has been used in at least one spiritual, as well as one well-known reggae song; The Orthodox church often uses this hymn during Lent. In popular music, the U2 song "40" is based on Psalm 40 ("I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.")

Related Topics:
Funeral - Divine Liturgy - Slavery - Spiritual - Reggae - U2

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Eastern Orthodox usage

Eastern Orthodox Christians have long made the Psalms an integral part of their corporate and private prayers. To facilitate its reading, the 150 Psalms are divided into 20 kathismata, and each kathisma is further subdivided into three antiphons as follows (using the Greek chapter numbering):

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• Kathisma 1: Psalms 1-3, 4-6, 7-8
• Kathisma 2: 9-10, 11-13, 14-16
• Kathisma 3: 17, 18-20, 21-23
• Kathisma 4: 24-26, 27-29, 30-31
• Kathisma 5: 32-33, 34-35, 36
• Kathisma 6: 37-39, 40-42, 43-45
• Kathisma 7: 40-48, 49-50, 51-54
• Kathisma 8: 55-57, 58-60, 61-63
• Kathisma 9: 64-66, 67, 68-69
• Kathisma 10: 70-71, 72-73, 74-76
• Kathisma 11: 77, 78-80, 81-84
• Kathisma 12: 85-87, 88, 89-90
• Kathisma 13: 91-93, 94-96, 97-100
• Kathisma 14: 101-102, 103, 104
• Kathisma 15: 105, 106, 107-108
• Kathisma 16: 109-111, 112-114, 115-117
• Kathisma 17: 118:1-72, 73-131, 132-176
• Kathisma 18: 119-123, 124-128, 129-133
• Kathisma 19: 134-136, 137-139, 140-142
• Kathisma 20: 143-144, 145,147, 148-150

At vespers, different kathismata are read at different times of the liturgical year and on different days of the week within the same part of the year, according to the Church's calendar. In the 20th century, some lay Christians have adopted a continuous reading of the Psalms on weekdays, praying the whole book in four weeks, three times a day, one kathisma a day.

Related Topics:
Vespers - Liturgical year

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Aside from kathisma readings, Psalms occupy a prominent place in every other Orthodox service including the services of the Hours and the Divine Liturgy. In particular, the penitential Psalm 50 is very widely used. Fragments of Psalms and individual verses are used as Prokimena, or introductions to other Scripture readings. The bulk of Vespers is composed of Psalms even if the kathismata are disregarded; Psalm 118, "The Psalm of the Law," is the centerpiece of Matins. The entire book of Psalms is traditionally read out loud or chanted at the side of the deceased during the time leading up to the funeral.

Related Topics:
Services of the Hours - Divine Liturgy - Prokimena - Vespers - Psalm 118 - Law - Matins

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Roman Catholic usage

The Psalms have always been an important part of Roman Catholic liturgy. The Liturgy of the Hours is centred on chanting or recitation of the Psalms. Early Catholics employed the Psalms widely in their individual prayers also; however, as knowledge of Latin (the language of the Latin rite) became uncommon, this practice ceased among the unlearned. Over the centuries, the use of the Psalms in the liturgy declined as well. The Tridentine Mass preserved only isolated verses that, in some cases, were originally refrains sung during recitation of the whole Psalm from which they were taken.

Related Topics:
Roman Catholic - Liturgy - Liturgy of the Hours - Latin rite - Liturgy - Tridentine Mass

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When the Second Vatican Council permitted the use of vernacular languages in the liturgy, certain Psalms again became well known even to the laity (particularly in versions such as the Grail translation). To facilitate recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, a new arrangement of the Psalms was introduced, distributing them in a four-week cycle. Official approval was also given to other arrangements,http://www.kellerbook.com/schema~1.htm by which the complete Psalter is recited in a one or two-week cycle. These arrangements are used principally by Catholic contemplative religious orders, such as that of the Trappists http://www.newmelleray.org/index.asp?menu=psalms.

Related Topics:
Second Vatican Council - Trappists

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The 1970 revision of the Roman Missal (see Novus Ordo Missae) reintroduced the singing or recitation of a more substantial section of a Psalm, and in some cases an entire Psalm, after the first Reading from Scripture. This Psalm, called the Responsorial Psalm, is usually sung or recited responsorially, although the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 61 permits direct recitation.

Related Topics:
Roman Missal - Novus Ordo Missae

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The General Instruction to the Liturgy of the Hours, 122 sanctions three modes of singing/recitation for the Psalms:

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• directly (all sing or recite the entire psalm);
• antiphonally (two choirs or sections of the congregation sing or recite alternate verses or strophes); and
• responsorially (the cantor or choir sings or recites the verses while the congregation sings or recites a given response after each verse).

Protestant usage

The psalms were extremely popular among those who followed the Reformed tradition.

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Following the Protestant Reformation, verse paraphrases of many of the Psalms were set as hymns. These were particularly popular in the Calvinist tradition. Calvin himself made some French translations of the Psalms for church usage. Martin Luther's A Mighty Fortress is Our God is based on Psalm 46. Among famous hymn settings of the Psalter were the Scottish Paraphrases and the settings by Isaac Watts. The first book printed in North America was a collection of Psalm settings, the Bay Psalm Book (1640).

Related Topics:
Protestant Reformation - Verse paraphrases - Hymn - Calvinist - Martin Luther - A Mighty Fortress is Our God - Isaac Watts - North America - Bay Psalm Book - 1640

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But by the 20th century they were mostly replaced by hymns in church services.

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Anglican usage

Anglican chant is a way of singing the Psalms that remains part of the Anglican choral tradition. The version of the Psalter in the Book of Common Prayer is an older translation (from the Great Bible) than that included in the King James Version of the Bible.

Related Topics:
Anglican chant - Book of Common Prayer - Great Bible - King James Version of the Bible

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