Explanatory psalter. The book “Explanatory Psalter. The Lord is His throne in heaven

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Introduction

The Book of Psalms is more often than other books of the Holy Scriptures used during divine services and in personal, private prayer. The most common are two main texts of the Psalter: Church Slavonic and Russian, which is included in the synodal edition of the Bible.

The Church Slavonic text of the psalms is a translation from the Greek text of the Old Testament, which arose in the 3rd century. BC NS. This Greek text is called the Septuagint, or translation of the seventy commentators (LXX). It was this Greek translation that formed the basis of the patristic tradition of interpreting Holy Scripture in the first centuries of Christianity in the East and West.

The Russian synodal translation of the Psalter, which is part of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, is made in contrast to the Church Slavonic Psalter according to the Hebrew text of the Bible, therefore, when comparing it with the liturgical Psalter, there are known inconsistencies, and it is not able to fully clarify many difficult passages.

Understanding its meaning, and just the literal content of the psalms, are certain difficulties that can be overcome. The Psalter has always been a source of prayer inspiration for all generations of Christians and thus has a long history of reading and interpreting it.

Two approaches to explaining the psalms can be outlined: an approach based on the tradition of the existence and perception of psalms in the history of the Church, and an approach based on biblical criticism, based on the original text and the historical context of the origin of the Psalms.

Both the Greek text of seventy commentators, and the Church Slavonic text, dating back to the works of Saints Cyril and Methodius, became an independent phenomenon of spiritual culture, and most importantly, a prayer biblical text of the Slavic peoples. And we must understand it, and not only understand, but see and feel the spiritual saturation and fullness of this prayerful prophetic sighing, which inspired and rejoiced our ancestors.

The purpose of biblical criticism is to reconstruct the original text and reveal its true meaning, that is, the one that the author put into it in his historical context. Therefore, for biblical studies, the Hebrew text is more important, from which the Psalter was translated into ancient Greek as part of the Septuagint. However, the key to the Church's understanding of the Psalter lies in the tradition of its existence and reading. In the Roman Empire, Byzantium and Russia, the Psalter existed in the form of a Greek translation of seventy interpreters and a translation from it into the Church Slavonic language. Thus, the original Hebrew text is rather on the periphery of the Orthodox tradition. P. A. Yungerov (1856-1921), a well-known pre-revolutionary researcher and translator of the Old Testament, had a high opinion of the Slavic text of the Psalter and believed that it “makes a copy of the Greek church Psalter, which it was used and is now used in worship, was interpreted in the ancient fatherly period and in recent times. "

Giving priority to the Greek text, the Greek and Slavic traditions, one should not at all belittle the significance of the Hebrew text and the achievements of modern biblical studies. The scientific approach to Scripture and elements of biblical criticism are well known to the ancient Church (eg Origen, Lucian, St. Jerome of Stridon). Therefore, along with other sources of interpretation of the psalms, for their understanding it is also necessary to turn to the tradition of studying the Hebrew text and its translation. The Psalms are a poetic text filled with images and various figures, which is characterized by parallelism, rhythm, repetitions and other features characteristic of the Jewish biblical tradition.

Being both a biblical and a liturgical book, the Word of God and a prayer book, the Psalter, both as an object of interpretation and in terms of the form of the text, is an integral and separate work that existed on its own. The historical path of the Greek Psalter in the LXX translation is unusually difficult due to the multitude of reconciliations, editions, reviews, etc., and in reality it is difficult to say for sure from which text the Church Slavonic translation was made at one time, which in turn was also subject to changes. Thus, a scientific, critical edition of the Septuagint will not reflect all forms of expression of the rich and lively text of the Psalter, in the perception of which not only various methods of biblical exegesis can be applied, but the prayer experience of the Church must also be taken into account.

The text of the Psalter used during divine services, that is, the Church Slavonic text for a Christian in Slavic countries, is a text of a living church tradition. Therefore, it is this, more than the original Hebrew text, that can be considered as the first object for explanation. The richness and fullness of meaning and form, no less than in the study of the Hebrew original, is revealed when perceiving the text of a living church tradition, because, as the prophet once composed psalms, responding to the Word of God speaking to him, so in the Church, which responds to the Divine Logos, this is transmitted same Revelation. It is the existence of the text in the Tradition of the Church that gives us the true richness of the content and meaning of the psalms.

This explanation is a consideration of the Psalter in the context of various forms of Sacred Tradition, so that the texts so often heard and read become an expected and joyful event in church and personal prayer. The purpose of this commentary will be an attempt to awaken love and interest in the Book of Psalms, to draw attention to the richness of its content.

The explanation will not be a footnote commentary on each verse, but will relate to both the general nature of each psalm, its meaning and significance, the biblical-historical context, and its individual verses, either causing special difficulties in understanding, or having special significance.

To understand the psalms, it is necessary, firstly, to consider the lexical meaning of words with the help of dictionaries, various translations, etc., and secondly, to clarify the meaning of the content with the help of interpretations. Now, comprehending the psalms, we turn to the tradition of understanding them at different times and, collecting different approaches to their explanation, we have a wide palette of meanings for ourselves. The Psalter, perceived through the experience of reading it by ancient church authors and Christian thinkers, becomes an amazing expression of deep intuitions and the most important truths of faith.

Sources for explaining the psalms can be their translations, ancient classical interpretations, patristic creations, liturgical use, and in general any Christian context of their quotation and references.

Of course, translation is an important aid in explaining a text. Currently, there are two main translations of the Psalter into Russian. Synodal translation of the 19th century. from the Hebrew text and translation by P. A. Yungerov from the Greek text of the Septuagint. Naturally, the second translation is more consistent with the Church Slavonic Psalter and was at one time undertaken just for a better understanding of it. In addition, the translation of P.A.Yungerov also became a study of the Psalter: his brief notes to individual verses of the psalms are especially valuable, opening up prospects for further research to explain difficult passages. We can also mention the translation from the Church Slavonic language made by E. N. Birukova and I. N. Birukov 1.

There are many known texts devoted to the explanation of the Psalter, which arose in the golden age of patristic writing in the 4th-5th centuries. Here are the most famous and significant ones.

1. Interpretation of the psalms attributed to St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Due to inserts belonging to later authors, modern scholars deny this work authenticity. However, in this explanation, you can undoubtedly hear the voice and read the opinion of the ancient Church in the interpretation of the Psalter. Moreover, it is the Alexandrian tradition with its allegorical approach and Christocentric understanding of the psalms. This is a patristic text that was preserved by the ancient Church and brought to us by the Orthodox tradition, inscribing it with the name of one, perhaps the most significant of its authors.

2. The most significant and famous interpretation of the Psalter in the Orthodox East was the interpretation of the blessed Theodoret of Cyrus, which combined the Antiochian scholarship and the established tradition of church understanding of the psalms. According to P. A. Yungerov, his "explanation is short, moral and typological." Blzh. Theodorite pays attention to language, images, historical facts, and translations available in his time.

3. Conversations on the psalms of St. Basil the Great does not cover the entire Psalter: conversations on Psalm have come down to us. 1, 7, 14, 28, 29, 32, 33, 44, 45 and 48.

4. In the absence of a Russian translation, the typological explanation of the psalms of St. Cyril of Alexandria, also incompletely preserved.

5. Conversations on the psalms of St. John Chrysostom reflect the "scientific" approach to the interpretation of Scripture characteristic of the Antiochians. Although the creations of this saint are primarily moral in nature, nevertheless the basis for preaching in them is a scientific approach, an understanding of the literal meaning and elements of biblical criticism in the form of using and comparing the available translations of the Bible into Greek. Discussions of 58 psalms are considered authentic (4-12, 43-49, 108-117, 119-150).

Also, such valuable authentic works of the holy fathers as the Epistle to Marcellinus on the Interpretation of the Psalms by St. Athanasius of Alexandria and "On the Inscription of Psalms" by St. Gregory of Nyssa.

Many texts of other church writers have survived, who were famous in their time, but later criticized because of their non-Orthodox views. These authors include Origen, Didymus the Blind, Apollinaris of Laodicea, Diodorus of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Evagrius of Pontic, Asterius Sophist. However, their works have undoubtedly influenced Orthodox exegesis, so their legacy has its value both in method and in content. For the most part, these are texts that have not been translated into Russian, but are available in the original Greek.

From Western authors there is an interpretation of all 150 psalms of Blessed. Augustine. For the most part, from other authors, either conversations on some of the psalms, or fragments and explanations of individual psalms, have come down to us. It is important to mention Ilarius of Pictavia, St. Ambrose Mediolansky, blzh. Jerome of Stridon, Cassiodorus.

The interpretation of Euthymius Zigaben, well known in the Orthodox tradition, refers already to the later Byzantine period and is a reworking of the previous patristic explanations, supplemented by his own understanding.

How ancient church authors read and understood the Psalter remains a mystery to us in many ways. Explanations are often in the nature of a sermon and are notable for their moralizing sound. Also, sometimes the authors develop their own, dear or relevant for their time, thoughts, simply starting from the sacred text, for example, considering the psalms as stages of spiritual ascent (St. Gregory of Nyssa). Like the entire Old Testament as a whole, so, in particular, the Book of Psalms is already presented on the pages of the New Testament as a book predominantly messianic, prophesying about Christ the Savior.

Psalm I

In Church Slavonic	In Russian (translated by P. Yungerov)	In Russian (synodal translation)
1 Blessed is the man who does not go to the counsel of the unclean, and there are not a hundred sinners in the way, and he is not gray on the seat of destroyers, 2 but in the law of the Lord his will is, and in his law day and night will be learned. 3 And it will be like a tree planted by the outgoing waters, the hedgehog will give its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall away, and all the tree that works will be in time. 4 Not like wickedness, not like that, but like dust, it is swept away by the wind from the face of the earth. 5 For this reason, the unclean will not rise up for judgment, below the sinner in the council of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the unclean will perish.	Blessed is the man who did not go to the meeting of the wicked, and did not stand in the way of sinners, and did not sit in the company of destroyers, But in the law of the Lord - his will and his law he will learn day and night. And he will be like a tree planted by the fountains of waters, which will give its fruit in due time, and its leaf will not fall off. And whatever he does will be successful. Not so wicked, not so: but like dust that the wind sweeps from the face of the earth! Therefore, the wicked will not rise up for judgment, and the sinners will not rise up into the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.	Blessed is the man who does not go to the council of the wicked and does not stand in the way of sinners and does not sit in the assembly of perverters, but his will is in the law of the Lord, and he meditates on His law day and night! And he will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, which bears its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not fade; and in everything he does, he will be in time. Not so - the wicked; but they - like dust blown away by the wind. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in judgment, and the sinners will not stand in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

At every vespers on the eve of the holidays (except for the Lord's twelve) and at the Sunday all-night vigil, we hear the beginning of the Psalter, for the assimilation and execution of which, according to the story from the Fatherland, one monk lacked a whole life. Spiritual life is depicted as a procession along one of two paths. This theme of choice and the description of the path of good and evil is characteristic of the Bible and early Christian literature. The basis of biblical morality and spirituality is the choice of the path, therefore, at the beginning of the Psalter, which speaks of the many different phenomena of spiritual life, a person is put before a choice between "the law of the Lord" and "the advice of the wicked."

The first psalm differs markedly from the rest, according to the unanimous testimony of the ancient commentators, this is an introduction to the entire Psalter as a whole. According to S. Averintsev, “it is prefaced to all subsequent psalms, as a prayer is prefaced with meditation in silence” 2.

St. Gregory of Nyssa says: “The psalm given to everyone had no need for inscription, because the purpose of the predicate in it is clear to those who read; namely, it serves as an introduction to wisdom, advising to move away from evil, to remain in goodness and, if possible, become like God. "

St. Athanasius the Great, in his epistle to Marcellinus, calls this psalm proclaiming blessedness, indicating how, for what, and who can be called blessed, and the interpretation of the psalms says that this is how David puts the beginning of the prophecy about Christ, and calls those who trust in Him blessed. Since Christ in some places of Scripture is compared with a tree, then according to the interpreter's thought, the Psalmist means that those who believe in Christ will be His body. St. Athanasius in this passage formulates his most important principle of interpretation: in the Scriptures "everywhere you can find the preached Christ." Following the Alexandrian tradition of Bible interpretation, St. Athanasius gives a characteristic Christ-centered passage and a vivid example of the symbolic interpretation of the words of the Psalm: And there will be like a tree planted by the outgoing waters, the hedgehog will give its fruit in its own time, and its leaf will not fall off: “Christ is the tree of life; The apostles are branches; blood and water from the rib of Christ is fruit, and blood into the image of suffering, and water into the image of baptism; words are leaves. " Thus, the general moral character of the psalm acquires a deeper symbolic meaning.

The perception of the first psalm in the conversation of St. Basil the Great. It is characterized by a deepening into the world of human thoughts, the innermost movements of the human heart. He understands the first psalm ascetically, referring to the inner world of the soul. So, to go to the council of the wicked means to doubt God's Providence, the fulfillment of God's promises, and spiritual life in general. To stand in the way of sinners means not to feel the constant fluidity and change in life, which "has neither permanent pleasures nor long-lasting sorrows." It deprives a person of bliss when a person stops on the path of life, when the mind submits to carnal passions. Sitting "on the seat of destroyers" means stagnation in sin, a prolonged stay in evil, a habit of sin, which "produces a certain incorrigible skill in souls" and passes into nature, and "he is blessed who is not carried away into destruction by the enticements of pleasure, but with patience waiting for the hope of salvation. " Explaining the name of the destroyers of St. Vasily emphasizes the property of sin to easily and quickly multiply and spread to others: “Thus, the spirit of fornication is not limited to dishonoring one, but comrades immediately join: feasts, drunkenness, shameful stories and an obscene woman who drinks together, smiles at one seduces and inflames everyone to the same sin. "

Finally, Blessed Theodorite gives a more practical and scientific interpretation. For him, this psalm has not only a moral significance, but also a dogmatic dimension. He distinguishes between the concepts of the wicked and the sinful. The former are those who have a wrong idea of ​​God, the latter are those who lead a lawless life. The categories named in the first verse - the way, standing and graying - found their refraction in the presentation of the foundations of ascetic doing: "the thought, whether it be bad or good, first starts to move, and then it is established, and after that it takes on some unshakable constancy." The image of a tree with water sources is also correlated with real life, in which, thanks to hope, one can be comforted by the expectation of future fruits: “although the fruits of labor are harvested in the future life, yet here, as it were, some leaves, constantly carrying good hope, turn green and rejoice and in the delight of the spirit they endure the burden of labor. "

Several difficult passages of the first psalm must now be clarified.

Verse 1: Blessed is the husband. The very concept of bliss goes back to God. In a proper sense, God is blessed, possessing all perfections. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, "this is the definition of human bliss: it is an assimilation to the Divine." Interpreters note that, of course, we are talking not only about men, but about a person in general, as is characteristic of the biblical language: the part means the whole. The psalmist “with the unity of nature, considered it sufficient to indicate the whole to indicate the predominant in the genus” (St. Basil the Great).

The first verse from blzh. Augustine has a direct Christological interpretation: “This should be understood about our Lord Jesus Christ, the Man of the Lord ... You should also pay attention to the order of the words: ida, hundred, sede. Man departed when he departed from God; became, having delighted in sin; sat down when pride crushed him. He would not have been able to return back if he had not been released by the One who did not go to the counsel of the wicked, did not stand in the way of sinners and did not sit on the seat of destruction ”3.

Verse 5: For this reason, the wickedness will not be resurrected for judgment, below the sinner in the council of the righteous causes difficulties in understanding both in lexical meaning and in theological comprehension. The expression of the psalm: the wicked will not be resurrected for judgment is used not in the sense of denying the resurrection of sinners, but as an indication that the revolt of the wicked will not be for the examination of their affairs, but for the passing of a judgment on them, since they have already been condemned: they are “immediately after the resurrection they will be punished, and they will not be brought to trial, but they will hear the sentence to execution ”(Blessed Theodoret of Kirsky). Council can be understood as a meeting. In this case, sinners will be removed from the assembly of the righteous.

If judgment and counsel are viewed as synonymous concepts (as well as the wicked and sinners) 4, then this passage can be understood so that sinners will not be justified before the righteous (they will not stand before their judgment or in their presence) or so that the wicked do not have nothing to do with the righteous. In any case, they will not participate in the court.

As the message of the Lord is the path of the righteous ... The concept of knowledge in the Bible is rich and varied, but it always presupposes not only information about the subject of knowledge, but also deep personal relationships. So, in the interpretation of St. Athanasius this knowledge is understood as a preference and endowment of mercy and grace.

From Western interpreters, let us give an understanding of the last verse of Bl. Augustine: “And the way of the wicked will perish, mean the same as the words: the Lord does not know the way of the wicked. But it is said in a simpler way - in the sense that being unknown to the Lord means death, and being led by Him means life. For the knowledge of God is being, and His ignorance is non-being. "

Priest Dimitry Rumyantsev,
master of theology

1. Educational Psalter. Moscow: The Rule of Faith, 2011.
2. Averintsev S. S. Listening to the word: three actions in the opening verse of the first psalm - three degrees of evil. // Selected Psalms. / Per. and comments. S. S. Averintseva. M .: St. Philaret Orthodox Christian Institute, 2005. S. 126-136.
3. Augustine blzh. Interpretation on the first psalm. / Per. from Latin diac. Augustine Sokolovski. http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/375834.html.
4. “Usually the Psalmist repeats in this way in a simpler form what was said before: that is, the word“ sinners ”means the wicked, and what is said about“ judgment ”is here called“ the council of the righteous ”” (Blessed Augustine. Interpretation on first psalm).

Bibliography:

1. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. The Epistle to Markellin on the Interpretation of the Psalms. // Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Creations: In 4 volumes. Vol. IV. Moscow, 1994.S. 3-35.
2. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Psalm advance notice. // Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Creations: In 4 volumes. Vol. IV. M., 1994 .-- S. 36-39.
3. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Interpretation of the psalms. // Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Creations: In 4 volumes. Vol. IV. Moscow, 1994.S. 40-422.
4. Basil the Great, St. Conversations on psalms. // Basil the Great, St. Creations: In 2 volumes. T. 1.M .: Siberian Blagozvonnitsa, 2008. S. 461-610.
5. Gregory of Nyssa, St. On the inscription of psalms. M .: Publishing house im. St. Ignatius Stavropolsky, 1998.
6. Efimiy Zigaben. Explanatory Psalter of Efimiy Zigaben (Greek philosopher and monk). Explained according to patristic interpretations. Per. from Greek. Repr. [B. m., b. G.].
7. John Chrysostom, St. Conversations on psalms. M .: Spasskoe brotherhood, 2013.
8. Theodorite of Kirsky, blzh. A Psalter explaining the meaning of each verse. M., 1997.
9. Books of the Old Testament translated by P. A. Yungerov: Teaching Books / Ed. A.G. Dunaeva. M .: Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2012. (Bibliography).
10. Complete Church Slavonic Dictionary. /
11. Compiled by priest Grigory Dyachenko. M .: Father's house, 2001.
12. Psalter: In Russian translation from the Greek text LXX / with an introduction and notes by P. Jungerov. - Repr. - Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1997.
13. Razumovsky G., prot. Explanation of the Holy Book of Psalms. - M .: PSTGU, 2013.
14. Psalms 1-50 / edited by Craig A. Blaising and Carmen S. Hardin. - (Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture. Old Testament VII). - 2008.

The Psalter, as one of the most inspired parts of the Holy Scriptures, has been expounded by many enlightened men since ancient times. Among them are the Great Saints and Teachers of the Church - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, Saints Gregory of Nyssa and Athanasius the Great, Blessed Theodoret and many, many others. The author of the book that we bring to your attention today is the famous philosopher and monk Euthymius Zigaben. Having studied the previous experiences of the clarification of the Psalms by the holy fathers, he combined them and, on the basis of careful analysis, compiled an Interpretation, which was later highly appreciated by theological criticism and the community for its detail, as well as for the cordiality with which the author contemplates the most precious book of the Old Testament. This work has been reprinted more than once, and one of its last editions is on our bookshelf today. ***

According to the professor of the MDA Sergei Viktorovich Troitsky, “information about the life of (Zigaben) is very scarce. The year of birth and death is unknown. He himself called himself a monk of a monastery in Constantinople in honor of the Blessed Virgin, lying on the seashore. He enjoyed the glory of a teacher of faith among his contemporaries. " So, for example, "Anna Komnina calls him an excellent grammar, a very skillful rhetorician, an excellent connoisseur of church dogmas." In addition, Zigaben is the most prominent and remarkable scientist of his time. His main work was the explanation of the Bible and mainly the books of the New Testament. His interpretations of the four evangelists have not lost their value to this day. Also preserved are the interpretations of the epistles and epistles of St. ap. Paul. Euthymius also wrote a commentary on Acts that has not survived to our time. And from the commentaries on the Old Testament, only the commentary on the Psalter has survived. "

This "Explanatory Psalter" is rich in information gleaned from the best sources. According to Professor P.A. Jungerov, according to the method of interpretation, Zigaben is similar to Theophylact and tries to explain each psalm in different meanings: historical, prophetic, allegorical and moral. Where it is difficult to apply all of them, it stops only at the disclosure of any two meanings. Zigaben's interpretation is useful in the sense that it eliminates the need for references in patristic interpretations, since against almost every verse the interpreter cites many quotes from them and sometimes quite extensive extracts. At the same time, there are quotations from now lost already ancient interpretations.

Zigaben's interpretation finally stops the reader's attention with its cordiality and rational theological penetration behind the letter of the psalms into the spirit and thought of the sacred psalmists. This is not a cold, purely rational, explanation of difficult or uncomplicated sayings of the psalmists, filled with references to philologists, to paragraphs of grammar, dictionaries, archaeologists, historians, orientalists, etc., but a reverent and pious, extremely edifying and mentally reassuring, meditation about psalm sayings. And since the psalmists themselves were people of the heart and feelings of piously minded, then the interpretation of Zigaben is extremely akin to them and harmonious. Of the Russian interpreters, Bishop Theophan is the closest to him.

Euthymius prefaced his essay on the Psalter with an extensive introduction, which talks about the circumstances of the writing of the psalms, their moral and transformative meaning, and gives a short history of the psalms. In particular, he considers the tasks and purpose of the psalms. Here is what Zigaben writes about this: “And so, on the one hand, David endured a lot in life, on the other, he put a lot in order, experienced countless changes with himself, the whole story about himself and these sudden changes that happened to him is set forth in the book psalms. This is, in a way, the first task and purpose of his work. Secondly, the most important thing that is meant here is an explanation of archeology (antiquities), and not only of the Jewish people, but even of the most ancient. So in many of his psalms, he tells in great detail about the birth of the patriarchs, about their occupation, wandering, resettlement, about the transition to Egypt, slavery, the departure from Egypt, about legislation, about the tabernacle, priesthood, about the number of people, about the repetition of the law, about Joshua, the division of the promised land, about judges, kings, and subsequent events.

Thirdly, it contains a study of nature, that is, it talks about heaven and what is in it, about the earth and about what is on earth, about animals, about the elements, and in general about all of God's creation. Fourthly, it contains a prophecy about the Savior, most clearly about economy, about how great it was in relation to the Virgin, how great it was in relation to the incarnation, in relation to the gifts brought by the Magi, the flight to Egypt, the return from there, speaking to the sermon, teaching, miracles , regarding the synagogue, regarding envy, an insidious plan for life, tradition, being taken to prison, scourging, ridicule, regarding the cross, perforating hands and feet, dividing clothes by lot, bitter taste, expulsion of the spirit, coffin, resurrection, ascension to heaven, graying right hand, victory and kingdoms over everything and over everyone.

Fifthly, it sets out what was and will be after what was described above, i.e. about the calling of the pagans, the glorification of the disciples, miracles, the submission of the universe to the Gospel, the establishment and growth of the Church, the victories of the Romans, the captivity of the Jews, about what relates to the second and terrible coming of the Savior, and how terrible it is in relation to the future general resurrection, and judgment, and retribution. Sixth, there is theology about the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Seventh, it speaks about intelligent creatures, that is, about angels and demons, about the mind, about the soul, about the spiritual abilities and inclinations. In the eighth, about what should be a moral education, about virtue, about evil, and similar subjects. Ninth, about thoughts, about the intrigues of demons and about their properties, about healing passions, about fighting them and about the art of a fighter. Tenth, it offers the most thorough and lofty teaching on the commandments, not much inferior to the prescriptions of the gospel.

The Byzantine theologian writes the following about the high value and benefits of the Psalter: “To put it briefly, the book of Psalms is a public hospital, where every disease is cured, it is a sure medical remedy; and what is most surprising is that her words are befitting of all men - a feature characteristic of this one book. Indeed, there is no such action in people, no such intention, no such passion, no such thought, against which no one would find healing here. Truly she represents the abundance of all contemplation and rules of life; it is a public treasury of instruction, containing only that which is useful. After all, it also heals wounds - already old ones - and gives a newly wounded person quick relief from pain; at the same time, it also protects the intact from damage and generally destroys all suffering. "

According to Zigaben, when we “sing psalms, we apparently make only sounds and utter words, but in fact we edify our souls and maintain an inviolable memory of divine words. The psalm is an interview with God. He brings angels closer to us, drives away demons from us, arouses a clear mood in the soul, facilitates our daily labors, serves as a means to protect us from night fears, for beginners in teaching - he is the very first and main instruction, for those who are successful in learning - he is an increment knowledge, for those who finish it - he is an affirmation in the acquired knowledge. In short, a psalm for a person is exactly the same as a breath of air, or a spill of light, or the use of fire and water, or in general something that is necessary and useful for everyone. The goal of all this is one, namely, to become a good disciple of these things, and a wise performer, and even like God.

*** Euthymius Zigaben - theologian and exegete. He received a good education, prospered at the court of the emperor, but left the world for the sake of monasticism and literary pursuits. Considering the work of Zigaben as an interpreter of Holy Scripture, researchers pay great attention to his commentary activity that he presented a collection of opinions of the holy fathers, that is, we can say that many saints became his co-authors in explaining, for example, the Psalms. This is probably why, after a long time, his "Explanatory Psalter" is considered one of the most successful, complete and at the same time compact texts for a detailed study and deep understanding of the inspired book of the Prophet David.

Euthymius Zigaben(Euthymius Zigavin, Zigaden; Greek Ε? Θ? Μιος Ζιγαβην? Σ, Latin Euthymius Zigabenus or Zigadenus;? - about 1118) - Byzantine theologian and exegete. First a brilliant courtier, then a monk. He wrote the history of all "heresies" ("Panoplia dogmatics", Greek πανοπλ? Α δογματικ?), From Simon Magus to Islam, with their brief refutations borrowed from the works of the Fathers of the Church. The nature of this composition is quite compilation. Zigaben's interpretations of the Four Gospels (found at the end of the 18th century and published by Mattei in Leipzig, 1792), as well as Psalms and Song of Songs (published in Bibliotheca patrum, vol. XIX), were highly appreciated by theological criticism. All of his writings are collected in the Patrologia Graeca Minya (volumes 128-131).

Information about his life is very scarce. The year of birth and death is unknown. He himself called himself a monk of a monastery in Constantinople in honor of the Blessed Virgin, lying on the seashore. He enjoyed the reputation of a teacher of faith among his contemporaries. Anna Komnina calls him an excellent grammarist, a very skillful rhetorician, an excellent connoisseur of church dogmas. Euthymius died after 1118. Zigaben was the most prominent and remarkable scientist of his time. His main work was the interpretation of the Bible and mainly the books of the New Testament. His interpretations of the four evangelists have not lost their value to this day. His explanations are short and concise; attempts to reconcile differences between evangelicals are often very successful; he uses the previous interpretations, but is not limited to this, but also gives a lot of new things; interpretations are strictly Orthodox in nature. In 1879, the learned Greek theologian Nikifor Kalogeroy (former archbishop of Patras) discovered in a Roman Dominican monastery the interpretation of Euthymius on the epistles of the cathedral and on the epistles of the Apostle Paul. These interpretations are distinguished by the same merits as interpretations on the Gospels, with the difference that in interpretations of the Apostle Paul, Euthymius is more independent, and in interpretations of the Epistles of the Council, he is often limited to a collection of patristic interpretations, with some quotes from Euthes. unknown from other sources. The interpretation of Acts was probably written by Euthymius Zygaben, but has not yet been found. Of the commentaries of Euthymius on the Old Testament, only a commentary on the Psalter has survived. This work of Euthymius is distinguished by a wealth of information gleaned from the best sources, but there is no independence in it, and there is no critical caution. The second major work of Euthymius is "The Dogmatic Armor of the Orthodox Faith." This work was caused by the emergence of the Bogomil heresy and was compiled on behalf of the emperor Alexei Comnenus by the best Greek theologians of that time. Euthymius was entrusted with the editing of this work. Apart from the prologue, the panoplia consists of 28 titles or divisions. It refutes opinions contrary to the truth of Orthodoxy. According to Euthymius, Panoplia was supposed to deliver weapons for the future for the spiritual struggle against various revealed delusions, and Zigaben hopes that "with this variety of arrows and weapons one can probably repel any attack on religion." But such hopes for Panoplia are not justified by its content. To combat new heresies, outdated weapons of the past are used here. Panoplia is a large and characteristic work of the decline of Greek literature. There is no independent creative thought in it, but only extracts from the previous patristic literature, collected by order, and the testimonies of the fathers are not always cited successfully. Even when the question of contemporary Euthymius Paulikians and Saracens comes up, he gets off with extracts from former church writers. In addition to "Panoplia" Zigaben owns several other small polemical works.

Monk, and praise to the prophet David, divided into chapters for the memory and understanding of the readers.

Chapter 1. Who gave the existence of the Psalter, or the book of Psalms?

Genesis of the present book of psalms, generally speaking, was given by the prophet David, the youth of God, as God himself calls him: "And I will protect this city for me and my child's David"(), the father of the Son of God in the flesh, as it is said: "The book of kinship of Jesus Christ the Son of David"(). And in order to conclude in short words his other private names, let's say: the father of this book is David, who alone after Abraham was the father of nations - our own Orpheus is a singer; the first essayist of virtues; - David, the first herald of three persons in one Deity, a shepherd and an excellent warrior, a prophet and a king together, - David, who became the heart, tongue and pen of the first King - the King of heaven, who won all the virtues that make man God and relate to man.

This truly great David was the son of Jesse, younger than his other brothers, not visible to himself, but beautiful in soul and richer and more diverse in divine gifts than all military leaders, prophets and legislators; the meekest in spirit and the kindest by nature, the most courageous in soul and the strongest in body; He is the foremost in himself, and for others the most sociable, the highest and at the same time the most modest and simple way of thinking and at the same time the most diverse, pleasant in temper, quick in speech, great in mind, enthusiastic in the contemplation of beings and especially in the contemplation of God, self-taught and God-taught, wholly the whole instrument of the Spirit. But bypassing his other perfections, I will say in praise of him only two - his wisdom and courage.

David himself speaks of his wisdom more profoundly and clearer than anyone: “my hands made an organ, and my fingers made a psalter” (in the psalm: "I was the lesser one among my brothers"). So wisdom is nothing but the harmony of words and deeds. And even among the verbal sciences, the science of harmony is the best and highest subject of philosophy; because it agrees both itself and all the parts of the beauty of philosophy both with itself and one with another, there is agreement, or similarity in everything. And so, whoever feels in himself the knowledge of harmony, he, in other words, feels in himself the contemplation of all that exists. David used his hands and the strength of his work on the organ, and his fingers and the knowledge of harmony - on the Psalter; because the organ is simpler and coarser, and the psalter is more skillful and subtle and therefore requires the finest knowledge. In the highest sense, under our hands we must understand active virtue, which constitutes, as it were, an organ, a virtuous, harmonious and harmonious life with itself, and under the fingers - the most speculative principles and causes, as components in the form of a psalter, the mental judgment of reason, which receives from above. from divine grace, inspiration and (as it were) rattling, and with the help of a higher principle, i.e. Holy Spirit, composes songs.

In another part of the psalms, he also says: "That which was unknown and hidden in your wisdom, you revealed to me"(). Amazing praise! The King-Prophet showed with these words that he had not only knowledge of visible creatures, but also an understanding of unspeakable mysteries, what is the Trinity and the one, that the Son of God had to be a man. Again elsewhere he says: "More than all you have made me wise with your commandment"(); and this he speaks of his active virtue, by which he had primacy over others. But that's enough of David's wisdom.

He also testifies about courage himself: "Exhalation to meet a foreigner"(to the Philistine) "And my idols will be cursed by their own: I, having pulled out the sword from him, beheaded him, and take away the reproach from the children of Israel"(,). Note, reader, not only the courage of David, but much more, meekness and humility. Instead of saying here about many things and about great things, which could amount to praise for him, i.e. about the multitude of foreign enemies, about their insolence, weapons, military skill and preparation, about the insolence of this giant, or better than an elephant, about the experience, courage, the size of his body, the timidity of the Jews, the anxiety of the people, the bewilderment of the king himself, Saul; instead of saying that the Philistine Goliath was afraid of everyone, both the leaders and the soldiers, both young and old, and that although he was younger than everyone in age, small in stature, without any weapons and inexperienced in warfare, he went out against the enemy boldly, honoring he was no more than a dead, high pillar, such a great beast he defeated in the easiest way and with his own sword took his head from the body, and thus dispelled all fear of the Jews, stopped the cry and saved both the army and the king, the coffins of the ancestors, the laws of the fatherly , temples of parents and every kind and age, although, I say, so much and great could say in praise, David, despite this, in his modesty, did not say anything great, but in the most meek and humble way he talks about his courageous single combat with Goliath.

Such perfections, however, and such a great David (I will not spread the words with a detailed narration about each of his great deeds) is humiliated by his father himself at the beginning - Jesse (for he looked at only one visible physical smallness of David), is relegated to the position of a shepherd of sheep and a shepherd not perfect, but very imperfect, - walking in the trail of milking and giving birth to sheep, which is the occupation of imperfect and very small shepherds. David's father had humiliated him so much! But he adopts him from above, and as the king's son he first put him in such a state in which he could study the shepherding or the science of the king over dumb animals, which he later had to use in action on people. He trained him in advance in vigilance, in battle, in patience with dangers for the herd, in confronting lions, bears, predators, hunger, cold, heat, precede the herd, lead to pastures, under the shade, to springs, to rivers, and in the same way call and drive into one place by means of a rod, voice, singing, horn; entertain and intimidate; prescribe a way of life, protect from dangers and treat; and the purpose of all this was for the sheep to be fattened, healthy and vigorous. But why put it off for too long? After a short time, the prophet Samuel comes to the house of Jesse to anoint David as king. It is required on the face of one who had to be anointed. The face of the other children of Jesse enters, numerous, beautiful, brilliant. A horn of oil rises on them, but God raises it higher and does not approve of them, in accordance with how Jesse did not approve of David, humiliating him. For this, he also appears, and is immediately anointed as king and prophet, with the oil of the horn and the oil of the Spirit. And this was the image of Christ the Savior, who afterwards was anointed by God as king according to humanity. What then? There comes a war with the Philistines, a terrible, difficult war; the affairs of both the king and the people were upset. But the liberator himself appears, the prophet together and the king. Again they do not pay attention to him, again reject him and again he surpasses his brothers in patience, Saul's answer, Goliath's courage, and all together, those who were before him and those who were after him, with this immeasurable gigantic battle. And one saves, appearing for all and for all, and more than all. What then? David consults with Saul, fights together and conquers enemies with him, or better to say he himself makes up for Saul's shortcomings, and conquers sensual enemies with weapons, and conquers a mental enemy, i.e. the demon who oppressed Saul, with the harmonious song of the spirit, is crowned, glorified by all and more than anyone else is the subject of song and praise in the lips of wives; exalted and glorified from all and above all; women sing songs to him: "Saul struck down with his thousands, but David with ten thousand"(). For this he is again subjected to envy, again persecuted, hiding, surrounded and himself surrounds those around him; does not take the opportunity to take revenge on Saul; does not care about the end of the war; does not take revenge on the enemy, but even helps him, fleeing and fearing not that he himself will not tolerate something bad, but that he will not do something to Saul, from which he himself was afraid to suffer from him. And so he united these opposites together, that is, meekness and courage, that his courage was greater than that of all others, and his meekness was greater than courage itself. What else is left? David reigns, prophesies, testifies of God and is witnessed by God - he receives a testimony from God that his throne will be eternal and that he will receive peace as an inheritance, surpass the stars in the multitude and glory of his children. Then, about misfortune! what a change! The chosen one suddenly becomes a fornicator, the prophet falls into madness, the god-bearer rages with carnal love, the true one becomes insidious, the shepherd becomes a kidnapper, the savior becomes a murderer. From this comes a change in his thoughts and a crime; from now on there has been a cessation of musical tones; here a change of life and a sea of ​​evils, here he received inspiration from God, not only is deprived of inspiration from above, but the father also loses his children, and the children become some wicked and nursing sisters, and others even more wicked, fratricides and parricides; the king becomes a wanderer, the fearless warrior becomes a fugitive, the shepherd becomes a mountain vagabond, and finally the whole famous house and the throne are thrown to the ground. Here is hunger, exhaustion and terrible remorse for what was done; here is a new, threefold and daily sacrifice; lacrimal nocturnal effusions, crushing and sighs of the heart, constant and confession with the mouth; then wounds, and these are medications, or cauterization, or even complete removal of damaged parts.

But the main subject of the story, meanwhile, almost ran far ahead, and the word, which should always follow on his heels, slowed down. After the Fall, the prophet again stands beside the prophet, just like a doctor near a sick doctor who does not know how to help himself. And as in the old days the anointer began, so now comes ready to take away not only the dignity (of the anointed one), but also the spirit itself (communicated through the anointing), if he (David) did something wrong with regard to the treatment, i.e. if he either closed the wound, or did not care about its examination. The executor of this very punishment is also standing nearby; just as in the past he was a guardian and a strong helper, so now he is an angel of vengeance, ready to strike with the sword if he, having pronounced the accusation against himself, does not resolve the judgment of God with his sentence. Thus, there were: the representative of justice (Nathan) and the avenger angel, and then the impartial judge (David), who pronounced the judgment on himself, and who tore out the arrow much faster than he let it in, than he accepted it, and finally God, who not only tightened, but also healed the wound so that no trace of it remained. After all, He not only forgave, but also forgave sin. Again the gift, again the spirit, again music and singing, again power over everyone, and promises, both regarding his being “a son” to God, and regarding his being “a father's” to him.

Chapter 2. The Purpose and Purpose of the Psalms

David, on the one hand, having endured a lot in life, on the other, having put in order a lot, having experienced countless changes with himself, sets out the whole story about himself and these sudden changes that happened to him in the book of Psalms. This is, in a way, the first task and purpose of his work. Secondly, the most important thing that is meant here is an explanation of archeology (antiquities), and not only of the Jewish people, but even of the most ancient. So in many of his psalms, he tells in great detail about the birth of the patriarchs, about their occupation, wandering, resettlement, about the transition to Egypt, slavery, the departure from Egypt, about legislation, about the tabernacle, priesthood, about the number of people, about the repetition of the law, about Joshua, the division of the promised land, about judges, kings, and subsequent events. Thirdly, it contains a study of nature, that is, it talks about heaven and what is in it, about the earth and about what is on earth, about animals, about the elements, and in general about all of God's creation. Fourthly, it contains a prophecy about the Savior, most clearly about economy, about how great it was in relation to the Virgin, how great it was in relation to the incarnation, in relation to the gifts brought by the Magi, flight to Egypt, returning from there, speaking for a sermon, teaching, miracles, regarding the synagogue, regarding envy, an insidious plan for life, tradition, being taken to prison, scourging, ridicule, regarding the cross, perforating hands and feet, dividing clothes by lot, bitter eating, expulsion of the spirit, tomb, resurrection, ascension to heaven, graying on the right hand , victories and kingdoms over everything and over everyone. Fifthly, it sets out what was and will be after what was described above, i.e. about the calling of the pagans, the glorification of the disciples, miracles, the submission of the universe to the gospel, the establishment and growth of the Church, the victories of the Romans, the captivity of the Jews, about what relates to the second and terrible coming of the Savior, and how terrible it is in relation to the future general resurrection, and judgment, and retribution. Sixth, contains theology about the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Seventh, it speaks about intelligent creatures, that is, about angels and demons, about the mind, about the soul, about the mental abilities and inclinations. In the eighth, about what should be a moral education, about virtue, about evil, and similar subjects. In the ninth, about thoughts, about the intrigues of demons and their properties, about the healing of passions, about the fight against them and about the art of a fighter. Tenth, it offers the most thorough and lofty teaching on the commandments, not much inferior to the evangelical prescriptions.

Chapter 3. The High Significance and Use of the Psalter

Here are the general sections of the content of the psalms, cited above in the number ten, they embrace the entire content of the psalms. There are also other particular subdivisions of them, which are, for example: psalms of praise, psalms of thanksgiving, psalms containing a petition or prayer for the granting of what is requested, consoling, the content of an incentive to action, and finally psalms containing the art or rules of a virtuous life; it is they who not only encourage to do or not do this or that, but also offer advice regarding both the method and the timing of the activity. To put it briefly, the book of psalms is a public hospital, where every disease is cured, it is a sure medical remedy; and what is most surprising is that her words are befitting of all men - a feature characteristic of this one book. Indeed, there is no such action in people, no such intention, no such passion, no such thought, against which no one would find healing here. Truly she represents the abundance of all contemplation and rules of life; it is a public treasury of instruction, containing only that which is useful. After all, it also heals wounds - already old ones, and gives a person who has just been wounded a quick relief from pain; at the same time, it also protects the intact from damage and generally destroys all suffering; and all this is done in conjunction with some kind of gratifying tranquility and prudent caress, so that through the gentleness and softness of speech, when behind this affection and gentleness, what we hear becomes, as it were, not noticeable to us, we perceived the benefit of these words. This is similar to how experienced doctors do, who in case of too acute medicines smear with honey the vessel in which the medicine is given to the patient. Likewise, when we sing psalms, we apparently make only sounds and utter words, but in fact we edify our souls and maintain an inviolable memory of divine words. The psalm is an interview with God; it brings angels closer to us, drives away demons from us, arouses a clear mood in the soul, facilitates our daytime labors, serves as a means to protect us from nighttime fears, for beginners in learning - it is the very first and basic instruction, for those who succeed in learning - it is an increment knowledge, for those who finish it - he is the confirmation in the acquired knowledge; psalm, this is an irresistible shield, the best decoration for kings and subjects, such as: chiefs and those under command, for soldiers and for people who are not at all familiar with the art of war, for educated and uneducated, for hermits and for people taking part in public affairs, for priests and laity, for landowners and islanders, for farmers and seafarers, for artisans who do not know any craft at all, for men and women, for elders and youths, for people of every origin, age, position in the world , for people of all professions, - decoration, both in general and in particular, and even at every moment, both at home, as well as in a congregation, in a temple, in a field, in a desert, on the road and everywhere in general; In short, a psalm for a person is exactly the same as a breath of air, or a spill of light, or the use of fire and water, or anything in general that is necessary and useful for everyone. And it is supremely worthy of surprise that those who work, without being distracted by the singing of psalms from their work, however, alleviate its difficulty; the goal of all this is one, precisely that, to become a good disciple of these things, and a wise performer, and even like God.

So, we have said enough about what the goals of this book are and what they are, what is its use and what its purpose. Next, we must tell us whether the whole book of psalms was really written by David and he alone; about what name it bears; what is a psalm (ψαλτιριον), what is a psaltos (ψαλτος), what is a psalm (ψαλμος), what is a psalmist (ψαλμωδος), what is a diapsalm (διαψαλμα), what is a hymn, what is a hymn ) what is praise, what is confession, what is and what is a vow, what is a song of a psalm and what is a psalm of a song; about how many psalms and why there are so many of them, who exactly collected them in one book; about how many singing leaders were, how many choirs and how many singers were in the choir, and why there were so many choirs, and how many singers there were in each choir; about how the psalter differs from other musical instruments, what is the order of the psalms, what is the reason for the ambiguity found in places in many psalms; about how many translations of St. Scriptures from Hebrew to Greek and by whom they were made, for which singing was introduced, why about the Holy Spirit, when He is alone, is said in the psalms in the singular, then in the plural. Now we should say more about the case, and first of all about what we put forward at the beginning.

Chapter 4. Who Wrote the Psalms?

They say that David was not the only one who wrote all the psalms, but that there are also those among them that were written as if by Idithum, now by the sons of Korah, now by Asaph, now by Etham, also by Heman the Israelite, and one psalm, they say, was even written by Moses, some - Solomon. And they say it opens from the inscriptions of the psalms. In one book, the psalms were collected, they say, by Ezra, after the Babylonian captivity. Many psalms are inscribed only with the word "Alleluia", while others bear some kind of inscription (more or less definite), but without the author's name, others, on the contrary, are not inscribed in any way. That is why this whole collection of psalms is called indifferently "the book of psalms" (and not psalms, for example, of David), as we also find in the book of the Acts of the Apostles; and this supposedly means that all the psalms cannot be attributed to David. The book of psalms is called the "Psalter" in a non-proper meaning, because the psalter itself (or praise) is a musical instrument, in the form of an organ, called by the Jews "navla" (Ναυλα), and received this name ( psalter or praise from "praising", Greek. "Ψαλλειν", (which means to play psalms or songs of praise on a stringed instrument navla, which was the actual purpose of this instrument), just as the house of prayer (or chapel) got its name from "pray." Then this name was transferred not quite thoroughly to the book containing the psalms. Some interpreters assert - and I agree with them - that on the contrary, all the psalms were written by David, just as the psalm inscribed with the name of Moses does not belong to Moses, because if only he really belonged to him, then in such a case, according to antiquity his origin, he would have been in the first place in the Psalter, or at least he would have been in the books of Moses, just as his songs are in them: one in the book of Exodus, another in the book of Numbers and the third in Deuteronomy; also, they say, it is necessary to think about other psalms, inscribed by someone else's name (not the name of David), that is, that these psalms were written not by someone else, namely by David. Likewise, the two psalms attributed by some commentators to Solomon, if only belonged to him, then in chronological order should at least be in the books of Kings, or Chronicles, or at least somewhere there should be a note about them, in something like the following: "Solomon has spoken three thousand parables, and there are five thousand of his songs"(), but his psalms are not mentioned at all in the Holy Scriptures. As for finally other inscriptions, such as: Idithum, the sons of Korah, Asaph, Heman, Etham, they think that David appointed these men to be the heads of the choirs, and he chose them from the tribe of Levi and then by lot distributed among them the queues to glorify God on various musical instruments - that he allegedly listed the very kinds of instruments, and assigned each of these singers special psalms that should be performed by one or another choir to music. Having thus inscribed, in particular, to each (of the chiefs of the choir) a psalm, he later passed on this psalm according to its accessories for performance by well-known choirs and to well-known music; meanwhile, other psalms (that is, not inscribed with the name of any of the choir chiefs) were sung by all choirs in general and to the accompaniment of a whole orchestra. And since each psalm was actually performed, that name is retained in the inscription of the psalm. This is also revealed from what the book of Chronicles says, namely: that "Make David in the beginning praise the Lord by the hand of Asaph and his brethren."(). However, this is also revealed from the inscription of Psalm 38: "in the end, (it says there) to Idithum, a song to David" It is clear that David first wrote this psalm and then passed it on to Idithum for execution. Further, Psalm 43 has the following inscription: "in the end, to the sons of Korah, a psalm to David." Likewise, all psalms inscribed with someone else's names (ie, not with the name of David) are inscribed not with “such and such” (psalm), but with “such and such”; and this is a clear sign that these psalms, written by David, were passed on to them later for the performance of the song by the persons whose names they are inscribed with. And if someone objected to us that, in the same way, very many psalms have an inscription and "a psalm to David"; then to such an objection, we will answer that many are also inscribed with the “psalm of David”, which you cannot find with respect to other names (found in the inscriptions of the psalms); they are inscribed in such a way in order to show us that these psalms were written by David, and not handed down to him from anyone (let's say for execution), or dedicated to him by someone. And this is precisely (the inscription: now "psalm to David", now "psalm of David") and serve as the cause of the dispute about the writer of the psalms. The psalm attributed to Moses has the following inscription: "Prayer to Moses, the man of God," the inscription, most likely, seems to teach us that this psalm befits those who are through divine water, i.e. by means of salvific baptism they became people of God, “Moses” means precisely “taken from water,” and those who are baptized from water are taken and then receive the name of the people of God. As for those psalms that are said to be the psalms of Solomon, we think that the name of Solomon contains an indication of Jesus Christ. Since "Solomon" means "the most peaceful," and that is precisely what he is, having peace by nature, for He said: "My peace I give you, my peace I leave you"(). Regarding the psalms without inscriptions at all, it should be noted that the second (for example) psalm in many Jewish lists of the psalter is directly connected with the first, whenever the psalms are not invoiced; the second psalm is undeniably David's. And the witnesses of this are the apostles, who turn to God in the book of Acts, with the words: "Like the Holy Spirit of the lips of our father David, your child, declare: Thou shalt wander the tongue" etc (). This also indicates that the first psalm also belongs to David. If the first and the second, which do not have any inscriptions on them, belong to David, then all the other psalms should also belong to him - without inscriptions. Without any doubt, the ninety-fourth psalm belongs to him, as the Apostle Paul testifies to this, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, in the following words: “now, he defines a certain day under David, speaking after such a long time, as it is said: "Now, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts"(). Psalms without names (that is, without the name of the author, but having, however, some inscriptions) also belong to David, as the first martyr Stephen teaches us in the book of Acts; it is he who says to the Jews: "It was so until the days of David, who found grace before God and prayed to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob"(); These words are borrowed from 131 psalms, and it is known that this psalm is nameless. Meanwhile, the psalms inscribed with only one word "Alleluia" also belong to David; for example, the first of these psalms, Psalm 104 in Chronicles, is attributed to David. The reason why some psalms are not inscribed at all seems to be that each of these psalms was composed not only in the name of a certain tribe or clan known only (but in general for all mankind); and that there are nameless psalms is because these psalms refer to the Lord Himself; some psalms are inscribed with the word "alleluia" because they contain thanksgiving and glorification of God. But enough has been said about this, it's time to talk to us and so on.

Chapter 5. Explanation of the different terms used in the Psalms

"Psaltos" exactly means the praised God; and "psalm" is a poetic work about God and the performance of this work with a voice; "psalmist" is the creator of these things; "psalmist" is a choir singing this poem; "diapsalma" throughout probability means either a change of thought, or a tune, or some prelude to a song, or the illumination of those singing from the Holy Spirit at that time; for all this was accurately recorded by them. "Psalm", however, actually means a song that is harmoniously performed by the voice with accompaniment in the psalter; "song" means the skillful and harmonious performance of a piece of poetry in one voice. In the sense of an improper, a psalm is sometimes called a song, and the song itself is a psalm; but the song is much older than the psalm.

Moses was the first to begin the song, and then it was in use until the time of David; David was the first to compose psalms. True, the musical instrument - the psalter was in use even earlier than David, but at that time it was an instrument of the simplest device and had too much private use, namely: it was used by shepherds to amuse flocks of sheep by playing it. David, on the other hand, made it much more perfect, that is, more adapted it and gave it a new use for glorification by playing Jehovah on it. "Hymn" is a lengthy and intensified praise, praise is short praise; “Confession” is the most sincere confession — either in what we have done good, or in that from which we have fled the evil one; further, “prayer” is a prayer for the granting of something to us; A “vow” is a voluntary promise on our part to fulfill something (good). And they are promised with praise, i.e. praise, confession, prayer, vows in all these cases to God. So, enough has been said about what is a psalm and what is a song. The "song" of the "psalm", one must think, was such a song, which was performed first by music and then by a voice that directly replaced its musical performance; The “psalm” of the “song” is the opposite. If we, straining the forces of our body, like the strings of a tuned psalter (a musical instrument), began in some way to lightly touch them with our good deeds (as a musician touches those in his hand with a plectrum to the strings of the psalter), and strike them, and thus became the performers of a (new) good and completely consistent (with our previous activity) deed, even though they did not yet reach the highest contemplation this time; then this, according to the laws of guidance, would be a psalm. And if we began to contemplate the mysteries of truth, not preparing ourselves for this contemplation by immediately preceding good deeds, but as already perfected ones who had already practiced in this before; then it (according to the same laws) would be a song, but when they would achieve contemplation in the preceding of us in this case, good deeds; it would be a song of a psalm, as it is said: "Having desired wisdom, keep the commandments and the Lord will give you to you"(). Otherwise it would be a psalm of a song, when, with the clarity of contemplation in us and with the secrecy of what relates to morality, we would move on to doing this. That is why, perhaps, the psalms occupy the first place (in the psalter), and they are already followed by songs; since those who strive for contemplation should ascend to it by an active path. As a result, many songs are placed at the end (books of psalms); in the same place there are ascents or a song of degrees, but there is not a single psalm between them, even in conjunction with a song; since the holy men in their ascents (to the highest moral perfection) aspired precisely to contemplation alone.

Chapter 6. About the collection of psalms in one book, about the heads of choirs and about Jewish musical instruments

In one book the psalms were collected, according to some, by Ezra, and according to others, by Hezekiah; and there were altogether one hundred and fifty psalms. Here, in addition to the usual counting of psalms, one can also see the number of Pentecost, revered by the Jews, made up of seven weeks; and in the same way one can see the mystery of St. Trinities, by adding to those two numbers (that is, "weeks" - one number, "weeks" - another), one more unit (to make up the full number of "Pentecost"), for St. The Trinity consists of one Deity in three persons. There were four singing chiefs; they ruled four choirs, according to the number of four cardinal points, to which, as it were, the voices of those singing the psalms had to reach. Further, each choir consisted of seventy-two singers, as some who have read about it among the Jews assert; and there were so many of them, according to the number of languages ​​that came from confusion during the construction of the tower of Babel, or rather from the scattering. It also indicated that every tongue would sing these psalms. Some of the singers sang these psalms to the sounds of trumpets, also tympanum, organ, cymbals or lyre and cithara; the psalter, as a royal instrument, David kept to himself. Trumpets and horns were wind instruments; lyre and kifara - strings; cymbals and tympans are clattering, and all those instruments whose music sounded more like some indefinite sounds rather than distinct musical tones belonged to them. But the psalter, which is sometimes called the kiniroi, also the cithara, and even the lyre, was a stringed instrument. Moreover, the instrument was straight and the sounds it made spread through it from top to bottom; this is for the purpose that we also try to be direct, that is, fair and think about the heavenly things, thus becoming, as it were, a spiritual psalter, emitting the consonant sounds of the soul and body, which are produced in us by the Holy Spirit, as it were the most skillful - a musician. Further, in the upper part of the psalter there were ten movable pegs, with the help of which the strings of the psalter, at the request of the player and at the request of the musical tone, could be taut or weakened. The player had a plectron in his right hand (with which the player struck the strings); with his left hand, slightly touching the strings from top to bottom from the bells, and turning these bells to and fro, he produced different musical tones - now high, now low, and sometimes middle between them. The ten strings, which were on the psalter, sounded different tones; this teaches us that we should, too, on our ten different-tone strings, i.e. That is, on the five spiritual forces and on the five bodily senses, to sing a concordant song to God.

Chapter 7. Order of the Psalms

As for the placement of the psalms in the Psalms, it is very remarkable that they are not put here in the order they were written, although this order, one might think, is not accidental; but most likely, it happened according to a special divine dispensation, not subject to the sequential flow of time. Just as in general in the practical and theoretical arts, there is another matter, for example, the invention and a certain distribution of the very tools and rules for their use, and another matter is their use in accordance with the requirements of the time and circumstances. In the art of medicine, for example, in one case, the user makes an incision in advance on the sore spot, and in another case he gives some medicine, sometimes he applies an ointment, and another time he tries to frighten the patient first of all, and sometimes, on the contrary, he will try to say something. anything comforting; There is no definite order here, and every (time) the doctor uses first of all that means, which in its benefits and action seems to him suitable and effective in this or that case. This way of doing things is usually called disorderly order. In exactly the same way, our supreme Artist, the Holy Spirit, had first of all care, during the distribution of psalms, not that it was true to history, but only cared about the benefit of the readers, that is, to cut out, as it were, the shape of our soul in a given image (Image of God), polish it later on the demand of the laws of beauty and finally make it godlike. That is why in the first psalm the prophet first of all tries to divert us from ungodliness and sins; then in the second psalm he tries to show us whose heritage we are and to whom exactly we must cling; further in the third psalm, he predicts executions and vicious attacks of the enemy on those who cleave to God; then he teaches us how to heal passions and how to get rid of the defeat of the enemy.

There is, however, another opinion regarding this order of the psalms. Namely: they think that when the Jews deviated from faith in the true God and when the customs inherited from their fathers began to be forgotten; then very many St. their books were torn to pieces and lost. But in the aftermath of time, either Ezra or Nehemiah, zealously engaged in collecting the psalms, did not find them all at once, but one at a time, and therefore he arranged them in his collection in the order in which they were found by him and in this form he published them, i.e. That is, he arranged them not according to the time of writing, but according to the time of the opening of each psalm. There is even another explanation for this. They think that the psalms are thus arranged not in the order of their writing or open (under Ezra or Nehemiah), but rather in relation to the days on which (or for which) they were first written. Let us illustrate this with an example. It is known that first of all, in the order of time, there was the announcement of the Archangel to the Blessed Virgin about the birth of Jesus Christ from her; then the very birth; further naming and circumcision; after him the bringing of the Infant Jesus into the temple and the meeting; still further after the lapse of thirty years was His baptism on the Jordan - Theophany; then teaching, miracles, suffering, and only after all this is the resurrection; while the holidays established in memory of these events are celebrated in our country in a different order and at different intervals of time, first of all - we celebrate the Annunciation, and then immediately the resurrection. Do you notice, reader, what a great distance in time between the events remembered on these holidays, on the one hand, and what closeness between the days, in which they are celebrated, on the other? Again, after the feast of the Ascension, we have a feast of transfiguration, then Christmas and after all these feasts, the feast of the Epiphany. Do you notice the rearrangement of events here? And besides, the order of days in months, of course, remained intact, but for that the order of the events themselves is not in the highest degree consistent; and there was in some way, as it were, order without order.

But it's time, however, to talk to us about the reason for the ambiguity found in many psalms, how many translations (of the Holy Scriptures) were from Hebrew into Greek and by whom they were made. The reason for the ambiguity of the Old Testament scriptures that is encountered in places is the symbolic and representative image of Jesus Christ in them and everything related to Christ and in general to the new grace, in addition, in the idioms of the Hebrew language in comparison with Greek, because the prophets, when transmitting their thoughts, usually used , though not always, in a particularly distinct way of expressing. At the same time, for the most part, they spoke in secret, out of unbelief and hardened hearts of their listeners, which was clear only to a few chosen holy men and which was correctly understood only when the prophecies were fulfilled. Finally, there is one more reason for the obscurity of the Old Testament scriptures, this is their translation from Hebrew into Greek. After all, any speech in general, when transmitted from one language (natural) to another (foreign), usually receives some ambiguity. And this translation (the first in time) was made under Ptolemy Philadelphus, when he ruled the Egyptian kingdom. All the translations of St. There were seven Old Testament Scriptures from Hebrew to Greek.

Chapter 8. About translations of the Psalter

The first translation from Hebrew to Greek is the translation of seventy; these were the Jews, who were chosen according to the number of the seventy eldest chosen once by Moses and who, at the request of the above-mentioned king, translated the Old Testament scriptures in everything according to their Hebrew original. The second translation was by Akilla of Sinop. By birth it was a Pontic Greek; at first he accepted and was baptized in Jerusalem, but then he left Christianity and accepted Judaism. It was at this very time that he published his translation of St. Scriptures, in the reign of Hadrian the Leper, 330 years after the translation of seventy. While harboring hatred against Christians, he distorted many things in the Scriptures. The third was the translation of Symmachus the Samaritan. Lacking the luck in achieving the honor that he sought from his own, he converted to Judaism and was circumcised a second time. With an antipathy for the Samaritans, he made his translation of the divine Scripture from Hebrew into Greek during the reign of the Emperor of the North. But at the same time, out of pleasing to the Jews, he perverted the meaning of those Scriptures that related to Christ. The translation of Symmachus was published 56 years after Akilla. The fourth was the translation of Theodotion of Ephesus, a follower of the Marcion heresy. Once offended by his associates, he published his own translation of St. Scriptures during the reign of Emperor Commodus. The fifth translation, by an unknown author, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla, was found in Jericho, hidden in a barrel. The sixth translation is unnamed; it was opened in Nikopol near Actium, during the reign of the emperor Alexander Mamey. The seventh translation was made by Saint Lucian, a great ascetic and martyr. He compared all these translations published before him with each other and with the Hebrew text in the most careful way, although it cost him a lot of work, and then published his own translation, in which there was nothing either missing or superfluous. The translation of his own St. Lucian passed it on to Christians. During the reign of the emperor, the original autograph of this translation was opened in Nicomedia in one small tower, tightly walled up from all sides by the Jews after the suffering of St. Lucian and during the persecution erected by Diocletian and Maximian. In his translation, St. Lucian followed seventy, and rejected the spoiled by other translators.

Chapter 9. Concerning the Singing of Psalms

It is known that, like a pipe, it summons flocks, delights them with its sounds, just like a song gathers around itself a large circle of people and gives them pleasure with its melody. The song usually produces such an effect on a woman rather than on a man; on a minor it acts no less than on an adult, on a savage no less, as on an educated person, on an ignoramus no less than a scientist. Moreover, in every person there are two parts of the soul, one is rational, the other is not rational and animal; pleasure equally takes possession of the one and the other. That is why the singing of the psalms was introduced into use, and with the help of which the benefits that the psalms themselves bring to man are also closely connected with the human soul, just as the hem of a garment is connected to one another by fasteners. Singing, furthermore, moderates the sharp taste of spiritual medicine, like some honey mixed with them and dissolved in them, making it useful and pleasant at the same time; and it is known that what we like is perceived by us much more readily and is retained in us longer. This is the first reason for the introduction of singing. Then, since the devil, by means of pleasure, usually hiding in himself some insidious intention of him, tries to destroy a person; then God, for his part, also by means of pleasure, only not bearing in himself any deceit and craftiness and skillfully adapted, set out to save man from the cunning of the enemy. This is the second reason why it came into use. The third reason is that singing has the ability to instill in the souls of singers love and like-mindedness; as their voices when singing merge into one common tone, so as if the various opinions of the singers are combined and, as it were, merge into one harmonious sound, one with the other, and all with all. And what else is also capable of reconciling people, like common prayer chanting, equally accessible to everyone and exalted by everyone and everyone for everyone and for everyone? In addition, singing has a tremendous influence on the formation of character, on its correction, on its change and ordering. And that is why, even in ancient times, various kinds of songs were already known; so (for example) there were songs of the most innocent nature and vice versa songs with a romantic character, some were, further, those that aroused a warlike mood in the soul, others, on the contrary, acted on it in a calming manner, others gave rise to sorrow in the soul, others, on the contrary, joy, some acted exciting, and others in a relaxing way on the soul. They say that Pythagoras, who loved one young man extremely, as soon as he changed his old flute to a new one, at the same time, his feelings for his former favorite changed in him. They also talk about another person who, as if in the heat of anger, rushed with a sword at his opponent; but as soon as he heard the music, his angry impulse immediately disappeared. The following legend has also been preserved about Timothy: once during a feast and amidst general merriment, when he sang a well-known song in a loud and high voice, he excited such courage in the soul of Macedon with this song that he immediately got up from his place, dressed in military armor and rushed forward quickly. Singing and songs in general are so akin to our nature that even babies, when they cry, can only be soothed by this one means; the nurses usually begin to hum children songs to them in such cases, and the children close their eyelids by themselves and they fall asleep. Further, travelers, often caught in the midday heat on the road, through singing, ease the difficulty of their journey. Finally, all the artisans, while at work, sing; since our soul, when we begin to occupy it with singing, easily endures burdens and labors. Why, however, spread a lot about people - intelligent creatures, if even horses are prepared for battle by playing the trumpet, if the sheep are obedient to the shepherd's pipe, express their full contentment at its sounds with leaps, and as a result they rather grow fat. The hunters often use this enjoyment of music in some animals as a tool for catching them; so the unicorn is a common prey of singing and beauty.

However, those interpreters who like to use more sophisticated methods in explaining the divine, express in this case the opinion that musicality in singing hints at the harmony of our soul. And this harmony, in their opinion, is a kind of agreement between the inner parts of the soul, that is, precisely the various abilities; we intend to talk about this in more detail. This very agreement is, of course, nothing more than some kind of consonance, not only of the heterogeneous among themselves, but also of the homogeneous. To see this better, we will make the application of the laws that exist for such musical accords (or symphonies) to the inner parts of the soul. In our soul, one of its parts takes the first place and only rules over others - this is precisely the part of the rational soul; - the same part of the soul that occupies the middle place, that is, the sensitive part, is, on the one hand, subordinate to the first, on the other, dominates the latter; and the one that occupies the last place, that is, the desirable one, is only subordinate to the first two, but she herself does not dominate over any part. Now, the consonance between the various parts of our soul would be in the very case when, on the one hand, its rational part was in full agreement with the sensory, as if its first string with the middle string - the tone that comes from here could be called the tone itself the main and lowest, this is a kind of fourth, when on the other side its sensitive part is in agreement with the desired, as if its middle string with the last, it will be the most extreme and highest tone! - the same as the fifth (in music); finally, if the rational part of the soul itself were in agreement with the desired, as it were, the first string with the last, then they would emit two tones at once - one is the lowest, the other is the highest - this is an octave. But if we had to make a rapprochement between musical strings and parts of the soul - not by places and names, but by their powers and manifestations; then, in this case, the rational part of the soul should most likely be called the middle string of the soul; and the manifestation of this part of the soul in accordance with the feeling, as with the last string of the soul, since it is the highest and most extreme part of the soul, would correspond to the tone of the fifth; in agreement with the desired, as if with the very first string - since it itself is weaker and more tender than this part, it would be a quarto of a kind. From the tension of that part of the soul and the weakening of this, with their mutual agreement and consonance, the most beautiful spiritual harmony occurs.

After that, we now proceed to a particular explanation of each psalm, prefixing this explanation with the general and necessary remark that not all passages in the psalms will be investigated by us in one way, that is, on the basis of, we put only one story, or only as prophetic, either in accordance with (for example) the laws of allegory, or finally in accordance with the moral; but that often in the explanation of the same passage, many and different ways will be applied to the case. And as in a tree or a seed, there are usually many different properties and manifestations of their plant power: in a tree there is (for example) both a root, and a trunk, and branches, and a bark, and leaves, and a core, and in a seed there is both a sprout and a stem , and husks, and fruit, and, moreover, instead of one, countless; similarly, and even much more fully, the diversity is revealed in the actions of St. Spirit. And you, reader, will certainly not blame me for what you meet here; likewise, forgive me for what I may not have reacted very carefully to; since no one is doing well in this respect. In general, we can say that all psalms can have an attachment to ourselves; so by the enemies of Christ we can understand the enemies of Christians, that is, demons; under the names of Saul and Absalom and, in general, any hostile person - the devil himself, as well as his insidious designs, then in general our oppressors and persecutors and the like, that is, demons again. Finally, what befits David, both as an anointed one and as a king, may befit each of us individually; for as he was anointed with the oil of authority over the kingdom, so we too will be anointed with the oil of Christian baptism for the kingdom of heaven. About the same passages in the psalms that cannot have applications, we generally say that this is the essence of the utterances of the Holy Spirit, given to us in general for our sanctification; sayings of this kind are found (for example) in the second psalm and in others. As for the first psalm, we note that, as in the Hebrew original, it is found not inscribed, and in all interpreters it is also left without an inscription. Meanwhile, this psalm is not only moral, but also dogmatic: it not only contains an exhortation that we should be attentive to divine verbs, but also threatens punishment and revenge on people filled with ungodliness and sins.

See also at the beginning of the interpretation of Psalm 50 the amazing praises combined with the Godfather and the King-Prophet David in the well-versed and flowery language of the divine. Zlatoust. Note here that the name - David, according to the explanation of Eusebius, means humiliated and pardoned, and according to the divine Maxim, having a capable hand, and according to others: the only one, longed for and beloved.

Hierodeacon Luke (Filatov),
inhabitant of the Moscow St. Danilov Monastery,
postgraduate student of general church postgraduate study
them. Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius

The report was read at the section "Optina Pustyn in the history of Russia: experience for the future" during the Optina Forum-2010

1. General instructions of the Monk Ambrose about the reading of the psalms

The book of psalms occupies a special place in the Holy Tradition, thanks to its deep theological content, an abundance of messianic prophecies, and an excellent artistic form. The Psalter was the basis of the Old Testament divine service, and later made up a large part of the subsequent worship of the Christian Church. The great saints of antiquity were engaged in the interpretation of the psalms: Basil the Great, Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria, John Chrysostom.

Elder Ambrose paid great attention to psalmics in the spiritual life of a Christian, both a monk and a layman. This is evidenced by the texts of the instructions, traditionally divided into two main groups according to the addressees.

For monastics who, due to their way of life (for example, hermits) or for other reasons, could not attend church services every day, the elder established a cell rule, mainly composed of the psalms of David. This rule was in the custom of the Optina confessors and was adopted from former monks who pursued asceticism in solitude. It included: morning prayers, six psalms, rite 12 psalms and the first hour.

2. Interpretation of the Monk Ambrose of Optina on Psalm 126

Further, Rev. Ambrose goes on to explain the psalm in a spiritual sense. The content of the psalm in this aspect is interpreted as the creation of a spiritual house of virtues. The elder relies on the text of the hymns of the Sunday service, compiled by St. Theodore Studite.

3. On the Interpretations of the Monk Ambrose of Optina on other psalm texts

4. Conclusion

In the proposed article, the interpretation of the psalms of St. Ambrose Optinsky is presented only in an overview. It is written in detail about the explanation of the elder of the 126th ps., As well as about the teaching on the prokeimenon "Our God is in heaven and on earth, create all the trees for delight"(Psalm 113, 11). The elder's interpretations of other psalm texts may become the subject of new publications.

The material offered in the article shows that in his exegesis St. Ambrose based himself on the achievements of the great theologians of antiquity: St. Athanasius the Great, bl. Theodorite of Kirsky, St. Nikita Stifat. It can be assumed that St. Ambrose also used the book of St. Euphemia Zigabena, which contains the patristic interpretations of the psalms.

In the writings of the reverend elder there are various levels of exegesis: historical, representative, spiritual-ascetic. The spiritual-ascetic interpretation of the psalms points to the most important virtues, reveals their content, shows their interconnection, the order of acquisition, the path of achievement. In this aspect, the elder often follows St. Nikita Stifat.

The teachings of St. Ambrose enriches the venerable fathers of the Philosophy with thoughts: John Climacus, Isaac the Syrian, Peter Damascene, John Karpathis.

The monk, explaining, for example, the 126th, 127th, 22nd psalms, expounds primarily the thoughts of the holy fathers. In interpretations of certain verses, such as (9, 33), (24, 8, 10), (118, 66), the elder substantially supplements and develops the teachings of his divine predecessors.

The saint's interpretation of the verse (Ps. 113, 11) contains the most important idea of ​​Byzantine theology about the deification of man as the main goal of the Incarnation.

In the teachings on the words of Holy Scripture, the elder teaches spiritual and moral edification, seeks to direct everyone to the path of salvation, to encourage the negligent to correction, to comfort those who repent and grieve.

For an edifying explanation of St. Ambrose selects psalms that are often used during divine services. Thus, in our opinion, he sought to bring spiritual benefit to people of different classes and different spiritual levels. Monks who listen to church followings daily can find food for mind and heart here, discovering new meanings of prophetic verses. To the laity, such teachings help to understand the meaning of church services, to awaken interest in reading the Holy Scriptures and especially the Psalms.

E uthymii Zigabeni... Comment. In Psalterium. Patrogiae cursus completus. Ser. Graeca / Ed. J. P. Mign. P., 1857-1866. 161 t. Vol. 128. Col. 41-1325.

For example: Guide to learning the book of psalms // Readings in the Society of Lovers of Spiritual Enlightenment. 1873. Book. 12.