Psalm 22: Latin Study Hints Part C

Over the last two weeks I’ve been looking at Psalm 22.

There are two ways of using these notes.

First you can just read them as a general introduction to the psalm, focus on the commentary material provided, and skip quickly past the material on the Latin of the psalm.

Secondly, you can use the notes to help you pray the Latin of the Office with greater understanding.

Learning the Latin through immersion

If you are using this series to understand the Latin better, my suggestion is that you make sure you can:

• Say it out loud, pronouncing it correctly – listen again to a recording, and try and imitate it until you can chant the psalm slowly on one note; and
• Remember the sense of each verse using key words in the Latin as prompts – write out flash cards with the Latin phrase on one side, the English of the Douay-Rheims or the literal translation given on the other, and keep practicing it.

Here is the psalm again as a cross-check:

Psalmus David.
Dominus regit me, et nihil mihi deerit: in loco pascuæ, ibi me collocavit.
Super aquam refectionis educavit me; animam meam convertit.
Deduxit me super semitas justitiæ propter nomen suum.
Nam etsi ambulavero in medio umbræ mortis, non timebo mala, quoniam tu mecum es.
Virga tua, et baculus tuus, ipsa me consolata sunt.
Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me; impinguasti in oleo caput meum : et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est!
Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ; et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.

Going further

You might also learn the key vocabulary I’ve highlighted in previous posts, and at least read through the notes of the Simplicissimus reading Church Latin course to familiarize yourself with the key grammatical structures of Latin - it will make your absorption of the Latin faster and easier.

Ideally of course, you would learn all of the vocab we’ve come across so far, and, more importantly still, learn those grammatical paradigms off by heart. For those who are trying to do this, a complete vocabulary list for the psalm in alphabetical order is at the end of this post.

Feedback

I’d very much appreciate any feedback you have on the format and content of these posts - they take a fair amount of work to do, and if I continue with them, I'd like to be sure that what I am doing is as helpful to readers as possible.


Things you could comment on include:

Does the verse by verse format work, or would you prefer bigger chunks of the psalm at a time?
Is the best approach just giving a phrase by phrase "slavishly literal" translation most helpful, or are additional notes on grammatical structures, or a more word by word approach more helpful to you?

Are the Latin learning hints useful to you or not?

Would you prefer more or less general commentary material?

Any other suggestions?

Vocab list for Psalm 22

adversus or adversum, prep, with acc against; in the presence of, over against, before.
ambulo, avi, atum, are to walk; the manner in which one orders one's life;
baculus, i, m. a stick, staff, a shepherd's staff, a walking-stick.
calix, icis, m. cup, goblet, drinking-vessel.
caput, itis, n. the head,
colloco, avi, atum, are to set, place, put; to lie down, to rest.
consolor, atus sum, ari, Active, to comfort, console, encourage
conspectus, us, m. sight, presence;
converto, verti, versum, ere 3, to turn, change, alter, bring back; quicken, refresh; bring back; convert, turn from sin;
deduco, duxi ductum, ere 3, to lead or bring down; guide, lead, conduct
desum, fui esse, to be wanting, lack.
dies, ei, m. and /.; fem. a day, the natural day
dominus, i, m. a master, lord, ruler, owner, possessor
domus, us, /. a house, structure; a house, abode, dwelling place; Temple; ;a race, people, nation; the priesthood.
educo, duxi, ductum, ere 3, to lead out or forth.
eos – them (is ea id: he, she, it)
est – it is
et, conj. And; et = sed, adversative; et = vel; yea, even
ibi, adv. there, in that place. then
impinguo, avi, atum, are to anoint; fatten, grow thick
in+abl = with, in, on among, by means of
in+acc=into, onto, against, for (the purpose of)
inebrio, avi, atum, are, to inebriate, intoxicate; fill up, saturate with, refresh as with drink, to water, drench, moisten.
inhabito, avi, atum, are to dwell, abide; to inhabit, dwell in.
justitia, ae, /. justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity
locus, i, m. a place.
longitudo, inis, /. lit., length, forever
malus, a, um, adj., bad, evil, wicked; grievous, sore, severe; subst., malum, i, n., evil, sin; woe, harm, misfortune.
me me
medius, a, um in the middle, midst
mensa, ae, /., a table.
meus –a -um – my, mine
misericordia, ae, mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness.
mors, mortis, /., death
nam for
nihil, n., , nothing
nomen, mis, n. name; God himself; the perfections of God, His glory, majesty, wisdom, power, goodness,
oleum, li, n. oil, esp., olive-oil
omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything
parare mensam, to furnish, lay, or prepare a table, to provide meat, sustenance.
paro, avi, atum, are, to prepare, make ready, furnish, equip, fit out, provide, make firm, establish
pascua, ae, /. (sc. terra, pasture land, from pasco), lit., a pasture, grass land for cattle to feed upon
praeclarus, a, um, splendid, glorious; goodly, pleasant.
propter, prep, with acc. on account of, by reason of, because of, from, for, for the sake of.
quam how, how much, as, than
qui who
quoniam, conj., for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.
refectio, onis, a restoring, repairing; refreshment.
rego, rexi, rectum, ere 3 (rex), to rule, govern, as a shepherd; to lead, guide; to rule..
semita, ae, /., a path, way; course of life, action, conduct, or procedure.
si, if, in case that; O that! would that! ; if, whether, if perchance; si; Si non, if not,
subsequor, seciitus sum, sequi 3, to follow close after; to follow.
super, with, on, upon, for, because of.
timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.
tribulo, avi, atum, are to oppress, afflict, harass.
tuus a um your (s)
umbra, ae, /., a shadow, a shelter, cover, protection
ut, adv. and conj., as, like. wherefore, so, so, why. that, in order that, to the end that.
virga, ae, /., a rod, staff, scepter, a shepherd's crook.
vita, ae, /. , life, esp. a happy life

Psalms verse by verse: Psalm 22/10



c15th Matthias Gradual

Today, a look at the last verse of the Lord is my shepherd, Psalm 22:

Psalmus David.
A psalm for David

Dominus regit me, et nihil mihi deerit: in loco pascuæ, ibi me collocavit.
The Lord rules me: and I shall want nothing. He has set me in a place of pasture

Super aquam refectionis educavit me; animam meam convertit.
He has brought me up, on the water of refreshment: He has converted my soul.

Deduxit me super semitas justitiæ propter nomen suum.
He has led me on the paths of justice, for his own name's sake.

Nam etsi ambulavero in medio umbræ mortis, non timebo mala, quoniam tu mecum es.
For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for you are with me.

Virga tua, et baculus tuus, ipsa me consolata sunt.
Your rod and your staff, they have comforted me.

Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me;
You have prepared a table before me against them that afflict me.

impinguasti in oleo caput meum : et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est!
You have anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriates me, how goodly is it!

Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ;
And your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.
And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

A pilgrimage to heaven

On yesterday’s verse, Pope Benedict commented that ‘The goodness and faithfulness of God continue to escort the Psalmist who comes out of the tent and resumes his journey’. Today's verse makes clear where that journey is to, namely the ‘house of the Lord’ (domo Domini), the Temple, or heaven. For, Pope Benedict points out:

“This is what every believer yearns and longs for: truly to be able to live where God is, close to him. Following the Shepherd leads to God’s house, this is the destination of every journey, the longed for oasis in the desert, the tent of shelter in escaping from enemies, a place of peace where God’s kindness and faithful love may be felt, day after day, in the serene joy of time without end.”

A look at the Latin

Here it is again:

et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.

The verb here is inhabitem, from inhabito, avi, atum, are to dwell, abide; to inhabit, dwell in. Pope Benedict XVI notes in his commentary on the psalm that the (later) Hebrew Masoretic Text interprets the (ambiguous) ancient text as meaning ‘to return’ rather than to live. The older texts, and most translations, he notes make it ‘dwell’. He suggests that, “Both meanings may be retained: to return and dwell in the Temple as every Israelite desires, and to dwell near God, close to him and to goodness.”  So,

Et ut inhábitem  =and that I may live/dwell

et and

ut, adv. and conj., as, like. wherefore, so, so, why. that, in order that, to the end that.

The Vulgate (following the Septuagint) here uses a (ut+subjunctive) construction in order to mimic the structure of the Hebrew phrase as closely as possible. The neo-Vulgate changes it to the much simpler ‘et inhabitabo’ (and I will dwell) of St Jerome’s ‘from the Hebrew’ translation.

in domo Dómini=in the house of the Lord

in+ablative = with, in, on among, by means of

domus, us, f. a house, structure; a house, abode, dwelling place; Temple;
dominus, i, m. a master, lord, ruler, owner, possessor

in longitúdinem diérum =for length of days = for a long life/fullness of days/forever

in+acc=into, onto, against, for (the purpose of)

longitudo, inis, /. lit., length, forever
dies, ei, m. and /.; fem. a day

The Douay-Rheims translates the verse fairly literally as “And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.” A more idiomatic rendering would be, ‘and I will live in the house of the Lord forever’.

Trust in God

Pope Benedict XVI concluded his recent General Audience on this psalm as follows:

“With their richness and depth the images of this Psalm have accompanied the whole of the history and religious experience of the People of Israel and accompany Christians. The figure of the shepherd, in particular, calls to mind the original time of the Exodus, the long journey through the desert, as a flock under the guidance of the divine Shepherd (cf. Is 63:11-14; Ps 77: 20-21; 78:52-54). And in the Promised Land, the king had the task of tending the Lord’s flock, like David, the shepherd chosen by God and a figure of the Messiah (cf. 2 Sam 5:1-2; 7:8 Ps 78[77]:70-72).

Then after the Babylonian Exile, as it were in a new Exodus (cf. Is 40:3-5, 9-11; 43:16-21), Israel was brought back to its homeland like a lost sheep found and led by God to luxuriant pastures and resting places (cf. Ezek 34:11-16, 23-31). However, it is in the Lord Jesus that all the evocative power of our Psalm reaches completeness, finds the fullness of its meaning: Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” who goes in search of lost sheep, who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them (cf. Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7; Jn 10:2-4, 11-18). He is the way, the right path that leads us to life (cf. Jn 14:6), the light that illuminates the dark valley and overcomes all our fears (cf. Jn 1:9; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46).

He is the generous host who welcomes us and rescues us from our enemies, preparing for us the table of his body and his blood (cf. Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25); Lk 22:19-20) and the definitive table of the messianic banquet in Heaven (cf. Lk 14:15ff; Rev 3:20; 19:9). He is the Royal Shepherd, king in docility and in forgiveness, enthroned on the glorious wood of the cross (cf. Jn 3:13-15; 12:32; 17:4-5).

Dear brothers and sisters, Psalm 23 invites us to renew our trust in God, abandoning ourselves totally in his hands. Let us therefore ask with faith that the Lord also grant us on the difficult ways of our time that we always walk on his paths as a docile and obedient flock, and that he welcome us to his house, to his table, and lead us to “still waters” so that, in accepting the gift of his Spirit, we may quench our thirst at his sources, springs of the living water “welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14; cf. 7:37-39).”

For those learning or brushing up their Latin, the last set of study hints on this psalm, including a complete vocab list, can be found here.

Psalm 22/9 - Surely goodness and mercy...

This week I’m looking at the second half of Psalm 22, The Lord is my shepherd, and we are up to the second last verse as said in the Office. Here is the psalm so far in the Vulgate and Douay-Rheims translations, with today’s verse highlighted:

Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me;
You have prepared a table before me against them that afflict me.

impinguasti in oleo caput meum : et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est!
You have anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriates me, how goodly is it!

Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ;
And your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.
And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

Resuming our journey, under God's protection and guidance

The last few verses of the psalm have talked about take respite in a wonderful banquet, which might be interpreted as the Eucharist, particularly in the form of Viaticum, and anointing, but in this verse the speaker resumes his earthly journey for however long it may last, refreshed by God’s care for him, as Pope Benedict XVI explains:

“The Psalmist becomes the object of much attention for which reason he sees himself as a wayfarer who finds shelter in a hospitable tent, whereas his enemies have to stop and watch, unable to intervene, since the one whom they considered their prey has been led to safety and has become a sacred guest who cannot be touched. And the Psalmist is us, if we truly are believers in communion with Christ. When God opens his tent to us to receive us, nothing can harm us. Then when the traveller sets out afresh, the divine protection is extended and accompanies him on his journey: “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (Ps 23[22]:6). The goodness and faithfulness of God continue to escort the Psalmist who comes out of the tent and resumes his journey.”

Looking at the Latin

Let’s break it down chunk by chunk. As noted in the last part, the best approach is often to find the verb first:

Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ;

Subsequetur is a deponent verb, from subsequor, secutus sum, sequi 3, to follow close after; to follow, so

Subsequétur =it will follow

The next step is to look for the subject of the verb, and any adjectives agreeing with it – what it is that will follow? The answer is misericordia, or mercy:

Et misericórdia tua= and your mercy/loving kindness

In fact misericordia here translates the Greek reasonably literally, but the underlying Hebrew word ‘hesed’ (transliterated as checed in Strong’s concordance) arguably has a rather broader meaning than mercy, hence the alternatives to mercy often found in translations of this verse, such as ‘loving kindness’ (Coverdale), or ‘goodness and mercy’ (KJV, RSV). The neo-Vulgate (unnecessarily in my view, given the rich depth of the Christian understanding of the word) attempts to make this breadth of meaning clear by changing the phrase to ‘Etenim benignitas et misericordia’ (ie goodness and mercy).

The third step in the translation process is to look for the object of the main action, in this case is clearly ‘me’, or me, thus, so far we have:

Et misericordia tua subsequetur me  = And your mercy will follow me.

So now we can sort out the remaining words and slot them into the sentence:

omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything
dies, ei, m. and /.; fem. a day, the natural day
vita, ae, f. , life, esp. a happy life

ómnibus diébus = all the days (ablative to express extent of time)

vitæ meæ =of my life

The Douay-Rheims translates the whole verse as:

“And your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”. 

Or you can adopt the RSV version, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life’.

Tomorrow, on to the last verse of the psalm.

Psalm 22/8 - my cup overflows**

Extreme Unction,
van der Weyden, 1445

Continuing our study of Psalm 22, The Lord is my shepherd, here is the second half of the psalm in Latin with the today’s verse highlighted:

Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me;
impinguasti in oleo caput meum : et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est!
Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ;
et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.

A look at the Latin

Here is the verse again:

Impinguasti in oleo caput meum: et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est!

First look at the individual words:

impinguo, avi, atum, are to anoint; fatten, grow thick
in+abl = with, in, on among, by means of
oleum, li, n. oil, esp., olive-oil
et and
caput, itis, n. the head,
meus – my, mine
calix, icis, m. chalice, cup, goblet, drinking-vessel.
inebrio, avi, atum, are, to inebriate, intoxicate; fill up, saturate with, refresh as with drink, to water, drench, moisten.
quam how, how much, as, than
praeclarus, a, um, splendid, glorious; goodly, pleasant.
est – it is

Now try and break down the endings of the words to obtain a phrase by phrase translation.  A good way to tackle any translation is to first find the verb, and then find it's subject:

Impinguasti in oleo caput meum

Impinguásti =you have anointed

So the subject of the phrase is 'you' (God); now look for the object:

caput meum= my head

Then look at any other text to see how it fits in:

in óleo =with oil

Putting it together, ‘you have anointed my head with oil’.

It is worth remembering that anointing of a guest's head was a familiar token of welcome (remember the story of the pharisee who invited Our Lord to dinner, but failed to offer this courtesy in Luke 7,46).

Moving to the next phrase: et calix meus inebrians

inébrians = inebriating/exhilarating/overflowing

et calix meus = and my (note adjective meus agreeing with the subject, calix) chalice/cup

Finally:

quam præclárus est! = how splendid/good (adjective agreeing with calix) it is (3rd person present indicative of to be)

Thus, ‘and how splendid my exhilarating chalice is’.

The Douay-Rheims translates the whole verse, ‘You have anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriates me, how goodly is it!’ 

Many people will however be more familiar with Protestant translations of this verse such as RSV’s ‘Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows’, and indeed the Neo-Vulgate revises the second half of the verse to match this, making it ‘et calix meus redundat’.

**Here are some other translations for comparison purposes.

First assorted versions of the Latin, together with the Septuagint:

7	V	Impinguásti in óleo caput meum: * et calix meus inébrians quam præclárus est!
	Old Roman	inpinguasti in oleo caput meum et poculum tuum inebrians quam praeclarum est
	NV	impinguasti in oleo caput meum, et calix meus redundat.
	JH	inpinguasti oleo caput meum; calix meus inebrians.
		τὴν κεφαλήν μου καὶ τὸ ποτήριόν σου μεθύσκον ὡς κράτιστον

Note that the phrase 'quam praeclarus est' is missing from St Jerome's translation from the Hebrew.  The omission is particularly reflected in the RSV:

Douai Rheims	You have anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriates me, how goodly is it!
Brenton from the Septuagint	thou hast thoroughly anointed my head with oil; and thy cup cheers me like the best wine.
Monastic Diurnal	Thou annointest my head with oil, and my brimming cup – how goodly it is!
RSV	thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Coverdale	thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.
Knox	richly thou dost anoint my head with oil, well filled my cup.
Grail	My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.

Penetrating the meaning

**Cassiodorus provides this commentary on the verse:

Thou hast anointed my head with oil. The eighth act of generosity is defined. The head of the faithful is the Lord Christ, rightly described as anointed with oil since He does not dry up through the aridity of the sinner. So he claims that his Head has been anointed with oil, doubtless so that the other limbs can take joy from this. But why is it that this kind of sacred blessing is often applied in anointing prophets and consecrating kings? It is rightly done, for the olive also afforded a sign of peace, a gift acknowledged to be especially divine. The juice of the olive is the oil of gladness and the favour of great distinctions, and its foliage continues in the beauty of its greenness. It was the olive which announced to Noah by means of the dove that salvation was restored to the earth,' so that it rightly seems able to bestow so great a blessing since it enjoys both great beauty and usefulness in its fruit. As another psalm says of it: Therefore God, my God, hath anointed thee with the oil of exultation above thy fellows. 

And thy cup -which inebriateth me, how goodly it is! The ninth gift is the Lord's blood, which inebriates in such a way that it cleanses the mind, preventing it from wrongdoing, not leading it to sins. This drunkenness makes us sober, this fullness purges us of evils. He who is not filled with this cup fasts in perennial need. The word is found also in the bad sense, as in Isaiah: And I have received from thy hand the chalice of destruction, the cup of anger and my wrath. He added: How goodly it is!, especially as He bestows such gifts to lead us to heaven. The gospel says of this cup: Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give shall not thirst for ever, but it shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into life everlasting.

**

Pope Benedict XVI comments on this verse that:

“Lastly, the cup overflowing with its exquisite wine, shared with superabundant generosity, adds a note of festivity. Food, oil and wine are gifts that bring life and give joy, because they go beyond what is strictly necessary and express the free giving and abundance of love. Psalm 104[103] proclaims: “You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man’s heart” (vv. 14-15).”

Anointing with oil and an overflowing chalice has obvious sacramental allusions as well, important in the context of the Office of the Dead.

Tomorrow, the next verse, on God's goodness and mercy.

Psalm 22: Latin Study Hints Part B

For those trying to build up their Latin, some more notes to help you, on the Psalm 22.

Vocab building

Remember that the more times you see a word with some cue as to its meaning, the more likely you are to remember it. 

First some very, very frequent words that you have already come across and need to learn by heart if you don’t know them already:

dominus, i, m. a master, lord, ruler, owner, possessor
et and
est – he/she/it is
me me

Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me;
impinguasti in oleo caput meum :
et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est!
Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ;
et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.

Secondly, some revision of words you may remember from Psalm 3:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant (they afflict/oppress/harrass) me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum (against) me.
Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput (head) meum.

Watch out for them again in Psalm 22:

Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me;
impinguasti in oleo caput meum

And now, to highlight a few new, very frequently used words that occur in the second half of Psalm 22 and are well worth learning thoroughly:

mensa, ae, f., a table.
misericordia, ae,f mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness.
vita, ae, f , life, esp. a happy life
oleum, ii, n. oil, esp., olive-oil
calix, icis, m. chalice, cup, goblet, drinking-vessel
domus, us, f. a house, structure; abode, dwelling place; Temple; a race, people, nation; the priesthood
dies, ei, m. and fem, a day,
paro, avi, atum, are, to prepare, make ready, furnish, equip, fit out, provide, make firm, establish

Grammar

Finally, Simplicissimus Unit 4, which is where you will be up to if you took up my suggestion of reading a unit a week, looks at adjectives and substantives (adjectives used as nouns), so have a go at finding the main ones used in Psalm 22.

By way of a little help:

meus –a -um – my, mine
tuus a um your (singular)
omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything
praeclarus, a, um, splendid, glorious; goodly, pleasant.
malus, a, um, adj., bad, evil, wicked; grievous, sore, severe; as a substantive:malum, i, n., evil, sin; woe, harm, misfortune.

Psalmus David.
Dominus regit me, et nihil mihi deerit: in loco pascuæ, ibi me collocavit. Super aquam refectionis educavit me; animam meam convertit. Deduxit me super semitas justitiæ propter nomen suum. Nam etsi ambulavero in medio umbræ mortis, non timebo mala, quoniam tu mecum es. Virga tua, et baculus tuus, ipsa me consolata sunt. Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me; impinguasti in oleo caput meum : et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est! Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ; et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.

Psalms verse by verse: Psalm 22/7 - The heavenly banquet

I'm doing a series at the moment looking at the meaning of selected psalms with the aid of traditional commentaries and the Pope's General Audience series.  This includes providing some aids to praying the psalms in Latin for non-Latinists drawing on the excellent introductory Simplicssimus course (see the link in the sidebar under Latin resources). 

Psalm 22 so far...

And, appropriate to the month, at the moment I'm looking at one of the most well-known of all the psalms from the Office of the Dead, Psalm 22(23), The Lord is my shepherd.  Last week, I looked at the first half of the psalm, the shepherd allegory, assuring us of God’s presence and support in this life, even as we walk in the shadow of death:

Psalmus David.

A psalm for David

Dominus regit me, et nihil mihi deerit: in loco pascuæ, ibi me collocavit.
The Lord rules me: and I shall want nothing. He has set me in a place of pasture

Super aquam refectionis educavit me; animam meam convertit.
He has brought me up, on the water of refreshment: He has converted my soul.

Deduxit me super semitas justitiæ propter nomen suum.
He has led me on the paths of justice, for his own name's sake.

Nam etsi ambulavero in medio umbræ mortis, non timebo mala, quoniam tu mecum es.
For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for you are with me.

Virga tua, et baculus tuus, ipsa me consolata sunt.
Your rod and your staff, they have comforted me.

The banquet prepared...

This week, I want to look at the second half of the psalm, which gives us a vision of a splendid banquet prepared for us, which can be viewed as the refreshment offered to us in the Eucharist, and as an allegory of heaven.

Pope Benedict XVI introduces it, in his recent General Audience on the psalm, as follows:

“This comforting image ends the first part of the Psalm, and gives way to a different scene. We are still in the desert, where the shepherd lives with his flock, but we are now set before his tent which opens to offer us hospitality

…. The Lord is now presented as the One who welcomes the person praying with signs of generous hospitality, full of attention. The divine host lays the food on the “table”, a term which in Hebrew means, in its primitive sense, the animal skin that was spread out on the ground and on which the food for the common meal was set out. It is a gesture of sharing, not only of food but also of life in an offering of communion and friendship that create bonds and express solidarity. Then there is the munificent gift of scented oil poured on the head, which with its fragrance brings relief from the scorching of the desert sun, refreshes and calms the skin and gladdens the spirit….

He is the generous host who welcomes us and rescues us from our enemies, preparing for us the table of his body and his blood (cf. Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25); Lk 22:19-20) and the definitive table of the messianic banquet in Heaven (cf. Lk 14:15ff; Rev 3:20; 19:9). He is the Royal Shepherd, king in docility and in forgiveness, enthroned on the glorious wood of the cross (cf. Jn 3:13-15; 12:32; 17:4-5).”

Here is the second half of the pslam, with today's verses highlighted:

Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me;
You have prepared a table before me against them that afflict me.

impinguasti in oleo caput meum : et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est!
Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ;
et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.

Looking at the Latin

Unit four of the Simplicissimus series looks at adjectives, so I'll particularly focus on examples of those in the notes this week.

Don't forget also to make sure you say it aloud, using one of the recordings such as the Boston Catholic series to help you get it right.

Here is the verse again in the Latin Vulgate:

Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me

And here are some definitions of the key words used:

paro, avi, atum, are, to prepare, make ready, furnish, equip, fit out, provide, make firm, establish
meus a um, (adjective) my, mine
conspectus, us, m. sight, presence;
mensa, ae, /., a table.
adversus or adversum, prep, with acc against; in the presence of, over against, before.
eos – them (is ea id: he, she, it)
qui who
tribulo, avi, atum, are to oppress, afflict, harass.
me me

So phrase by phrase:

Parásti =you have prepared/made ready

in conspéctu meo mensam =in my presence/sight a table

Note that parare mensam means to to furnish, lay, or prepare a table, to provide meat, sustenance. Also meo is a second declension adjective agreeing conspectu (fourth declension noun in the ablative governed by in). Mensam, a table is a first declension noun in the accusative.

advérsus eos=against those/in the presence of those

qui tríbulant me= (they) who trouble/are troubling (3rd person present indicative) me

Penetrating the meaning of the psalm: the Eucharist to strengthen us

The Fathers and Theologians offer a number of interpretations of this verse – St Thomas Aquinas for example, suggests that the things provided on the table include diverse spiritual writings to guide us, the law, and the New Testament. Cassiodorus and St Alphonsus Liguori, amongst others, focus on the Eucharistic connotations of the verse, with the later commenting:

“Thou hast prepared before me a table where I shall take a food that will make me strong against my enemies. By this table we may well understand the altar, where we receive as food the body of Jesus Christ, which renders us strong against all the assaults of hell.”

Office of the Dead

In the context of the Office of the Dead, one could also see the verse as alluding to viaticum, the final reception of the Eucharist acting as food for the journey, an interpretation nicely supported by the next verse's reference to anointing with oil, pointing to the sacrament of Extreme Unction.

Commentaries on the psalms - Cassiodorus/2

c8th Durham Cassiodorus manuscript

Last week I provided some background information on St Benedict's contemporary Cassiodorus.  Today I want to look at the Psalm Commentary he wrote.

Cassiodorus' Commentary on the Psalms is available in an English translation by P G Walsh, in three volumes of the Ancient Christian Writers series published by Paulist Press, 1990-1. 

Are they worth buying?  Well it depends...

Cassiodorus' commentaries on the psalms, written in the 540s to early 550s, are important for a number of reasons.  First, aside from Augustine's Enarrations, they are one of very few complete commentaries on the psalms written in Latin surviving from the patristic era.  Secondly, they were highly influential throughout the medieval period.  Thirdly, notwithstanding some modest protestations to the contrary, they appear to contain a high degree of originality, making some important pedagogical contributions.  For above all, his commentary is intended to teach: and not just theology and spirituality. 

A theological, spiritual and grammar textbook

Cassiodorus, like many patristic commentators, saw the psalms as the necessary starting point for Scriptural study: one should learn the psalms first, he suggests, and only then move on to the New Testament, for they serve as preparation for it.  For this reason, his interpretations almost invariably focus on the spiritual, or allegorical meaning of the psalm rather than the literal-historical. 

But Cassiodorus was also a key mover in the project that aimed to substitute Christian literature and theory for pagan as the foundation of formal education.  Accordingly, his commentaries are also a textbook on poetry and grammar.

Structure of the commentaries

He provides a general introduction to the psalms, including an introduction to the main categories he assigns each psalm to.  The individual commentaries too, are highly structured: for each psalm he provides an introduction on the title or type of psalm; something on the structure of the psalm 'the division of the psalm'; a verse by verse exposition; and then a section on 'conclusions that be drawn from the psalm', applying the message to contemporary circumstances, particularly to counter current heresies.

Cassiodorus' commentaries draw heavily on the Latin Fathers in particular, particularly St Augustine and St Hilary.  But they go beyond these. 

Much of Cassiodorus' material will seem extremely strained to the modern eye - such as his numerological explanations of particular psalm numbers, and some of this allegorical expositions.  Much of it comes across as heavy-handed didacticism. 

The commentary is not, in my view, in the same 'essential to have' category as that of St Robert Bellarmine.  Nor is it up there with the great commentaries such as those of St Augustine and St John Chrysostom. 

But there are gems embedded in it that make it well-worth wading through for anyone really committed to immersing themselves in the psalms in the same way that medieval monks did. 

Particularly helpful, in my view, are some of his summations of the groupings of psalms.  His is the first text, for example, to list out what became accepted as the Seven Penitential Psalms.

The Gradual Psalms

His summary comments on the Gradual Psalms (Ps 119-133) provide a good example of his style of overview commentary. 

In his overall introduction to the psalms, he describes them as "the psalms of the steps, which lead our minds through chaste and humble satisfaction of the Lord Saviour."

And he summarises the message of them, in the conclusion to Psalm 133, goes as follows:

It is pleasant to recount how these steps have led all the way to the heavenly Jerusalem. 

On the first step [Ps 119] he denotes loathing of the world, after which there is haste to attain zeal for all the virtues.

Secondly, the strength of divine protection is explained, and it is demonstrated that nothing can withstand it.

Thirdly, the great joy of dwelling with pure mind in the Lord's Church is stated.

Fourth [Ps 122], he teaches us that we must continually presume on the Lord's help whatever the constraints surrounding us, until He takes pity and hears us.

 Fifth, he warns us that when we are freed from dangers, we must not attach any credit to ourselves, but attribute it all to the power of the Lord.

 In the sixth, the trust of the most faithful Christian is compared to immovable mountains.

In the seventh [Ps 125], we are told how abundant is the harvest reaped by those who sow in tears.

In the eighth, it is said that nothing remains of what any individual has performed by his own will; only the things built by the sponsorship of the Lord are most firmly established.

In the ninth, it is proclaimed that we become blessed through fear of the Lord, and that all profitable things are granted us.

 In the tenth [Ps 128], he inculcates in committed persons the patience which he commands through the words of the Church.

In the eleventh [Ps 129], as penitent he cries from the depths to the Lord, asking that the great power of the Godhead be experienced by the deliverance of mankind.

In the twelfth [Ps 130], the strength of meekness and humility is revealed; in the thirteenth [Ps 131], the promise of the holy incarnation and the truth of the words spoken are demonstrated.

In the fourteenth [Ps 132], spiritual unity is proclaimed to the brethren, and to them the Lord's benediction and eternal life are shown to accrue.

In the fifteenth [Ps 133], there is awakened in the course of the Lord's praises that perfect charity than which nothing greater can be expressed, and nothing more splendid discovered. As the apostle attests: God is love. So let us continually meditate on the hidden nature of this great miracle, so that by ever setting our gaze on such things, we may avoid the deadly errors of the world.

The number of these psalms contains this further mystery: when the five bodily senses, by which human frailty incurs all sin, are overcome by the power of the Trinity, this leads us to the fifteenth height of the psalms of the steps; thus the body's weakness is eliminated, and eternal rewards are bestowed on those who conquer it.

Further reading

For those interested in learning more about Cassiodorus, there is a surprising amount of material on him available on the web, including in particular James J. O'Donnell, Cassiodorus, University of California Press, 1979; "Postprint" 1995 (the website also includes a very useful bibliography.  There a number of recent journal articles available through JSTOR if you have access to that.  P G Walsh's (the translator) introduction to the Psalm Commentary in the English edition is also very helpful in placing the work in the context of the author's aims and the times.