Mystical Psalter: Introduction

INTRODUCTION

What is "the Mystical Psalter"? The term "mystical" is here used in the sense of the Greek word "mystikos", meaning "connected with the mysteries". And these "mysteries" are the Christian mysteries, the teaching of the Church transmitted to her children. A "mystic" therefore is someone has become initiated into the mysteries, and who knows how to interpret things according to the teaching of the Church—in other words, a Christian.

For the Psalter, (or "the Book of Psalms" as it is sometimes known) has two meanings: the historical meaning that it had for its human authors and its first readers, and also a second mystical meaning, one that is understood only by the Christians, those initiated into the mysteries. That is what St. Paul meant when he said that the entire Hebrew Scriptures were "prophetic" (Rom. 16:26)—all the Old Testament writings were "prophetic" in that they all contained this second layer of meaning, and found their final fulfilment, not in the events of their day, but in Christ.

In "the Mystical Psalter", we will be contemplating the Psalms both according to their original historical meaning, and also according to their prophetic and mystical meaning.

The text of the Psalms will be based on the Authorized (or King James) version, as revised in places by comparison with the Greek Septuagint. In the translation offered here, the musical notations have been removed (such as "Selah", and other musical terms in the preface to each psalm). These were not part of the psalms themselves, but were directions for rendering them musically in their original settings.

Also, because part of our concern is with the primary and historical meaning, the divine Name for God, "Yahweh", has been retained. Since at the least the time of the translation of the Greek Septuagint in the third century B.C., it has been the custom not to pronounce the Name of God, but instead to use the title "Lord" (Hebrew, Adonai; Greek Kyrios).

There were several reasons for this substitution. Yahweh was the Name by which the Hebrew God was worshipped by Israel, even as their pagan neighbours worshipped their gods by other names (e.g. Moloch, Chemosh). It seems that when Israel stepped onto the world stage, they thought it was more fitting that their God be known, not by a tribal name (as if He were but one god among many others), but simply by the title "Lord". In calling Him simply "Lord", they thus proclaimed that their God was not one among many, but the only God there was. The Church has continued this liturgical practice.

The Mystical Psalter, however, is not a liturgical document. The rendering of the psalms here is not for liturgical use, but simply for study and contemplation. Part of this study is the appreciation of what David and the other authors of the psalms actually wrote, and for this reason the divine Name "Yahweh" has been retained.

Finally, a brief word about format. The numbering of the Psalms is according to the Greek Septuagint, not the Hebrew Masoretic text. To avoid confusion, however, the Hebrew numbering is preserved in brackets. Thus, for example, the "shepherd psalm" is numbered as "22 (23)". Also, a translation of each psalm is offered, followed by a commentary. When referring to the words of the psalm itself, the commentary will use bold type.