Each culture through time has developed special ways to establish a relationship with the divinity, and express their praises, thanks and requests. Next, it is presented what the psalms are in the field of the Judeo-Christian religion.
General information about What are the psalms?
The prayer and its recitation constitute the way or the path, that all religious system of ideas, poses to get to be close to the divinity, there are other sacred alternatives for this task, such as the songs, the ceremonies, the sacraments.
However, one of the oldest is represented by the psalms; What are the psalms? They are structures of poetic religious expression, they are a set of verses that are organized to venerate our Lord.
The Jewish people converted the psalms at first into praise, then other forms of worship were included. In Hebrew tehilim and in Greek it is written psalm. Apparently the psalms are collected in five sacred books that are named: the Jewish Tanakh and the Old Testament. If you are interested in this topic, we recommend you read the following article: meditations for holy hour
Origin of the psalms
This type of poetic expression, of praise to God, is not exclusive to the Christian-Jewish religious culture, it is known that long before, civilizations such as the Sumeria, the Assyria, and the Babylonian, already used the Solomonic texts, to worship and ask God for help, for some difficult circumstance that afflicted them. In the Egyptian people, stories of psalms have also been found in the form of hymns, aimed at venerating the God Aten.
In the culture that was located in the Canaan area, there are also traces of the use of psalms, clarifying that the Jewish king David, according to historical accounts, liked to write poetry, and consequently gave great support to this form of expression. : the comments on the poetic inclination of King David are abundant, but without the formal, objective reference that ratifies such an approach.
However, the Jewish king David is assigned the responsibility of organizing an entire liturgical and religious system, around the Solomonic poetic production, giving it great projection and expressive quality, both literary and philosophical, being proof of this, the psalms that appear in the Holy Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments.
Another people that gave great impetus to the production of what the psalms are, was the Persian civilization. When this people dominated the vast areas of the Middle East, it caused the existence and dissemination of psalms, in different genres, not only praises, but also songs, hymns, prayers to God, prayers to achieve eternal salvation (eschatology), personal or group lamentations, or in the form of songs whose purpose was to pray for the nation.
Hebrew poetry
Specialists consider that studying in depth, what the psalms are, within the Hebrew culture, is a difficult task to undertake, the first thing that hinders their understanding is their origin; The psalms come from the people and respond to their sensitivity or animosity, and the second is that, in its apparently simple construction, it seeks to confront the same idea twice, with different words:
The mean ones consider that our Lord has no memory, when something happens he turns around and avoids the problem. (Psalm X,11)
Its precision and allegorical nature further complicate its understanding, it is about being as explicit as possible. The reader is expected to give a personal interpretation to what the psalm meant; if added, its condition of being a succinct, short literary expression; that is oriented to achieve the connection with the divine teaching, it is then really complex to assimilate the approach of the psalm.
According to the German researcher Herman Gunkel, if the phrases of the psalms were larger, more extensive, they would be interconnected and would be of great help to fully understand what you want to express in the poem. This characteristic of brevity in the construction of the poem and its words with an allegorical accent, was resolved when the work is located in the historical framework where it was developed, finding meaning in the expressions.
Not having clarity of the time, the region, the culture where the psalmic action was executed, led to the most insane comments and conjectures without any meaning, without any basis. But, it should be clarified that, when speaking of a context, it does not basically refer to historical, social factors that condition the life of any person.
No, in reality, what he is referring to is the accumulation of experiences lived by the people, internalized by him, and that definitely mark a way of thinking united or not with the Holy Father. In this sense, popular creation takes on a lot of meaning.
At this point, supported by the power of God, everything related to the interpretation of the psalm, of any genre or type, be it: a hymn, a song, lamentations or any other style, where it specifies its fundamental idea, which it is none other than to weigh the different experiences that accumulate in your life, with the condition of having God as your guide and as an entity intimately linked to you; every sacred written word comes to life, feeling the presence of God.
placement and name
The location of the psalms in the sacred texts will depend on the document that is reviewed, in the case of the Hebrew Bible, it can be found in the 3rd section, in the version of this sacred book called the Septuagint; they are found at the beginning of the so-called didactic texts. In the Latin language translations, they can be located, behind the so-called Book of Job.
In the sacred text of the Jews, we find the denomination of adorations, when referring to the presence of the psalms, it is also indicated in Psalm 57, to works that can be sung and accompanied with a stringed musical instrument.
In the Septuagint version, the denomination of psalms will depend on the string instrument, with which they decide to accompany the songs to God, according to the so-called Alexandrian Codex, the denomination used was Psalterion; later this expressive form was used in all.
Content
When the contents are reviewed, of what are considered to be psalms, it must be established that there are undoubtedly 150 psalms, but in the versions of the sacred text such as the Hebrew, the Septuagint and the Vulgate, some contradictions appear in how they are organized. .
Between the Hebrew book the Septuagint (LXX) and the Vulgate, there is only correspondence in the first 9 psalms and in the last 3, the Greek Bible conjugates psalms 9 and 10, in the same way 113 and 114; in the same way, he separates Psalms 116 into two parts, indicating one as 114 and the other 115; in turn it also separates 147, generating two more 146 and 147.
In the LXX and the Greek version, there is correspondence between Psalm 10 to 148, this corresponds to the Hebrew sacred book, subtracting one. There is a paradigm, when psalm n is indicated, they are referring to the classical Hebrew numbering.
Here, in this sacred text, the psalms are organized into 5 books, whose separation is established by forms of interpretation of Christian or doxological thought; we find them in psalms 41, 72, 89, 106, and 150, the latter being 150, is per se, a doctrinal principle. As it appears in the Bible in the ecclesiastical, which was written in 187 a. C., this endorses the existence of the psalms in the sacred Hebrew text already by the second century BC. c.
Subdivisions
The ancient Hebrews invoked their God, using the psalms, they were found in the sacred book that was composed of 5 fragments of songs. These songs began by referring to the creator of the psalms, or the way they were framed, the headings, the classification, supposedly organized according to an alphabet and separated by an exegean liturgical explanation. Psalms from 1 to 41; from 42 to 172; from 73 to 83; from 90 and 106 to 107.
We must make the exception that there are psalms, which are replicated as 14, which then appear in 54; apparently the psalms do not have a single author, since they refer to non-homogeneous words or writing styles, they use words such as Yahveh or Elohim, which are traditionally used to refer to God; the word Elohim is very common, this expression is older than the denomination Yahveh.
Titles
In its totality, all the psalms are preceded by a title, the Septuagint biblical version, takes into consideration beyond the doctrinal explanation, the ancient Hebrew text, its fundamental author is David, to whom 73 psalms are assigned and in the Septuagint it appears with 84 The psalms have a distinctive word in their header.
In this regard, the following signs can be observed: mizmor as a psalm, 57 times; shir as a song in 30 opportunities; tefillah as sentences in 34 times; tehillah hymn or song of praise on one occasion; miktam prayers in a low voice, on 6 occasions as in psalms 16, 56, 60; maskil artistic piece in 13 times, 32, 42, 44, 45, 52,74, 78, 88, 142; siggayon complaints once.
another expressive form lamed auctoris, is apparently an indication that suggests the author of the psalm or to whom it is addressed. Reference is also made to musical aspects, such as string instruments used to accompany the chants, most used melodic phrases, singers, and choirs with expressions alluding to "do not destroy"
In addition, references can be made to words that are difficult to translate, such as: selah interlude or always, depending on the sacred text that is read; gui-tit, used in the Old Testament and of inaccurate translation; semi-nit; which supposedly means lowering an octave, neji-lóhth, its meaning is not known, it supposedly comes from ha-lil, which in ancient Hebrew means flute.
The study of what the psalms are, especially their titles, shows that words appear in them that allude to the moment in which they should be used; such as: parties, commemorative marches, or celebrating on Saturdays. It is also common to find in some psalms, the situation that conditions the writing of the poem, such as: Absalom's conflict, David's withdrawal from Saul. The truth is that there is no common ground that explains the meaning of the headlines of the psalm.
Some specialists say, allege that if its label reflects the author of the same, others will not consider it as a reliable fact, therefore, the great thinkers and theoreticians of the church of the time, deny its religious character.
Text
When referring to the text, we must start from the basic fact that the psalms were written in their original document in Hebrew; its discovery dates back to the XNUMXst century AD. C., in the territory that is now known as Palestine; Although it is recognized that it was a widely used work, given how deteriorated it was at its discovery, this prevented the original source from which the translation arose from being determined.
In addition to the fact that transformations of the text are evident, when comparing some psalms, changes are easily evidenced, such as Psalm 18 with Psalm 22; Psalm 14 with Psalm 53, even though all the texts were found in Qumram Palestine. The most important psalms found are: 11QPs containing 41 psalms, in a piece of leather of dubious origin, there we find a hymn mentioned in psalms 51, 13, 20 and psalm 151.
Psalms object of transformation, can also be observed or located in the Septuagint version of the Holy Bible and the final 33 psalms of the ecclesiastical psalter. As we can see, there are great difficulties when it comes to studying the content of the Old Testament psalms.
Translations
Apparently it is not easy to determine either, which translation is closer to the original, or is faithful to it, those that exist according to specialists, are riddled with errors and inaccuracies, in addition to the way in which they were written, also makes it difficult to understand. .
Among the best known translations we have: the so-called Septuagint, despite the translation being considered very bad, it has great value when it comes to pointing it out as a source, since it seems to be the oldest. It is recognized that it dates from the second century AD; this was a translation evaluated by two important characters, Lucian and Hesychius of Antioch.
Other versions in the Hellenic language, there is one known as "Of Aquila", also from the second century, and there is the one proposed by Pope Symmachus (from 450 to 514 AD), called weight or Syriac version; then we have the Aramaic version of the Targum, good reference to get to the original in Hebrew.
Also the Latin versions of Saint Geronimo, old latina (version translation Septuagint), the Gallican Psalter, made in Palestine, which enjoyed the approval of the church, and is considered part of the psalter, and the last named Psalterium iuxta hebraeos which was translated from the Hebrew.
Literary genres of the psalms
Just as it is very difficult to determine what the psalms are, given that their construction, motivation and authorship are not yet specified, in addition to the fact that translations from Hebrew are unreliable according to specialists, establishing classifications of the psalms is not a task. easy.
First, some type of criterion would have to be established, which allows discrimination between the different psalms, determining that they are psalms, and then establishing variables that make it easier to say if they belong to some type of literary genre.
The intellectuals who interpret the religious fact called exegete, do not agree on establishing how many types of psalms exist, the first criterion that they intend to use to classify the psalms, is to establish if the work is of an individual or of a collective or group.
If the psalm is the product of a group motivation, it has a liturgical action as its objective, however, this condition has little credibility, as psalms of individual production, made by a king or a cleric, have religious characteristics with projection in the community. community.
Another way of proceeding in the classification of what the psalms are, is when some terminology is used to point to God, for example in certain psalms to indicate the Creator Father, he is named as Yahveh and in others, as Elohim.
This orientation of classifying the psalms according to the denomination they express about God, produced certain terms or indications towards what the psalms are, by indicating that they are collectors of Yahwists or Elohists, but without allowing to establish a specific, serious criterion, that they are psalms. . Everything seems to indicate that using what is known as a literary genre is the best way to order the existence of psalms, with the difficulty that this merits.
The foregoing is based on the fact that according to the Hebrew tradition, it is stated that the psalms are the product of a group action, not individual, all having the liturgy as a fundamental orientation, so that its construction is general for all.
All these antecedents that make up an unclear picture, when it comes to establishing firm criteria to classify groups of psalms, however, it has accepted the proposal to discriminate whether or not a psalm belongs to a type of literary genre. The referred criteria are: the psalms have to originate from the same place, they all present the same philosophical foundation, and their construction as a literary expression must also be the same.
hymns
We can find hymns in the Old Testament and in the New, the hymns that are psalms, they do not contain any request or request, they are songs that seek to praise the Lord; the structure is usually always the same, in the first place, the prayer of God is induced, exalting, pointing out his gifts or the achievements obtained from him; Other motifs frequently found, in the forms that are psalms, and that generate adulation, are the Creation and all the wonderful that it implies.
In the hymns they also like to refer to the Israelite people and their evolution, as well as the presence of God in the life of the human being. The religious sense is maintained throughout the hymn, which are the psalms, it is difficult to personalize it, this reflects the intention of attending, not to the individual, but to the collective; even the gestures and movements are framed in its liturgical condition, such as: join hands, kneel, raise your arms.
the supplications
The supplications of what the psalms are, are manifestations of personal desires (cf. Psalms 3, 5, 13, 22, 25 and others), or of the group (Psalms 4,79, 80, 83). The expressions, although they start from a person (priest), their intention is always of common interest. Help is requested, for a calamity that is suffered, for example, defeating or defeating an enemy that harasses imploring God's help.
The structure of the supplication contains the following conditions: it begins with a reminder of the goodness of God, to then highlight, as descriptively as possible, the hardships that are being suffered, making the exception of the inability to get out of the quagmire, and therefore needs holy collaboration.
It is in this framework that the invocation is made, to please God in his mercy save him and settle that the action of our creator will not be long in coming; in this kind of supplication about what the psalms are, and they are used more frequently are: the 22, "My Lord, my Lord, tell me the reason why you are not with me", the 51 Wretched and the 130 of deep.
thanksgiving psalms
In the same way in this genre, when seeing what the psalms are, we find the prayer with personal options (cf. Psalms 18, 32, 34, 40), as well as expressions of interest or group motivation (cf. Psalms 60, 67, 124 , 129), in their structure the psalms of thanksgiving are similar to hymns, they begin with an explanation of why to request a divine grace, which is reinforced by a prayer; subsequently allusion is made to the execution of the saving Divine Grace of God.
Finally, gratitude for the favor received is raised, in addition to firmly and sincerely acknowledging the demonstration of security that our heavenly Father gave by acting in accordance with the request made to him. If you are interested in topics related to the request for some type of grace, we recommend you read the following article: Novena to the divine child Jesus to ask for a favor
royal psalms
What are the real psalms, that is to say, those that there is no doubt about their psalmic condition, are divided into two aspects; one that is in charge of highlighting the virtues of David as king, and another that seeks to exalt the benefits of Divinity. However, it is concluded that the royal psalms are made with the idea of recognizing that King David was touched by God; and he recognized that his dynasty was going to be eternal.
These psalms can be found in any royal ceremony, however, with the advent of the monarchy, the royal psalms acquire characteristics, messianic borders, the most used are: Psalms 2, 45, 89, 110 and 99.
messianic psalms
Those considered messianic psalms have been the subject of much controversy, since they imply the consideration of Jesus as Messiah, and within the orthodox Hebrew liturgy, the son of God does not have that messianic qualification. Within the Catholic Church, this approach to the psalms referring to Jesus has merited the participation of the Biblical High Commission, which aims to clarify the controversy that has arisen.
The use of some psalms, where the prophetic quality of Jesus is evident, was and will be a source of great controversy within the Jewish world, who currently maintains the principle of not recognizing the messianic quality of Jesus the son of God the Father.
Songs of Zion
They are closely linked to the messianic and the royal, since they are directed to exalt the achievements of Zion, as is known, this word is used to designate the place where Two tells David to build the Holy City.
From this approach, it follows that these psalms have a single theme, the presence of Yahveh among men, his conversation with Moses, the legacy of God, through the Ark of the Covenant, site or place where the Torah is housed, in the Jewish ceremonies until arriving at the temple of Jerusalem.
Didactic psalms and psalms of wisdom
They are dedicated to teaching, to seeking means that guide the praying person, to understand and accept, first of all, the law of God, and secondly, morality and behavior within the Israelite community; ways are sought so that the invoker can memorize the expositions of the psalm.
These generally follow an alphabetic structure at the beginning of the verse, considered to be psalms, eg cf. Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145. As explained above, the didactic and wisdom psalms attempt to spread Hebrew law and morals.
other categories
The considerations on the classification of what the true psalms are, do not end, there are authors who advocate, because the list of psalms should be extended, even breaking the ethical line that religious liturgy implies, in this sense, they propose psalms that are dedicated to desire to look for the evil to the neighbor, or to profess any type of curses, demonstrating with the psalm an apocalyptic vocation.
Another suggestion is to consider the mixture of psalms, in terms of their genres, that is, to integrate didactic and messianic psalms. A final specification is the existence of a psalm, which is a psalm considered unique in its kind, as in the case of Psalm 137; which tells of the hardships of the Jewish people, subjected by force by the Egyptian empire.
Origin and history of the psalms
As stated at the beginning of the work, it is very difficult to establish the precise contextual origin that originates the existence of the psalms; the different sources that have as their mission and objective of life the interpretation of the religious fact, do not say anything conclusive about it. The explanations of why there is so much uncertainty about what the psalms are, are diverse.
One points out that, as the world and Jewish culture evolve, the psalms feel that influence of change, causing transformations of the psalm, appearing new realizations considered, since we must remember that these religious expressions are born of popular or collective worship, which in essence represent from the sociological point of view, an inexhaustible vein of production of cultural facts that have an impact on the religious.
Another approach is the lack of clarity in establishing where the liturgical expressions called psalms are born, some researchers point to the period of captivity of the Israeli people in Babylon, others say that it emerged in the independence movement of the Jewish people against the Hellenic domination called Maccabees.
The investigations carried out on what the psalms are, which have been dedicated to analyzing the expressive structure that has arisen around them, in their different genres, determine the appearance of the greatest variety of psalms and allege that their origin happens or must be established in a period after the events, linking the Jewish people with Babylon.
There is also a current that proposes that the psalms are very closely linked to the cultural domain of the group and the collective action that produces them, that creates them, therefore, their appearance is intimately married to the commemorative ceremonies in the different temples, and to the social and liturgical life, which this environment of worship imprints.
Apparently, it is almost impossible to give the psalms the certainty of why they were created? Where were they born? Who are their authors? Why their structure? However, there are some elements in which there are agreements; talking about; its antiquity, the theme or meaning of the story and the contextual references, allow to ensure its authenticity.
The aspect that cannot be controlled and that is a fact, is that they have probably been modified, transformed in some way, in their form and substance; Seen now today, its veracity is questioned, conditioning the appreciation that the psalms are not truly authentic.
authors of the psalms
When trying to register the authors of the psalms, the situation is still complex, difficult, since we find authors depending on the time they lived, the language they used in the writing and elaboration of the psalms. The first references fall on the sacred scriptures or Old Testament, made in the Hebrew language.
In the Jewish sacred text, we can discriminate what the psalms are, in the following way or manner: 73 psalms correspond to "David", 12 belong to "Asaf", 11 correspond to "the sons of Core", 2 are from "Solomon ”, others are assigned to Moses; while Heman and Ethan plus 35 psalms are anonymous, that is, without any reference to authorship.
Then we find the version of the Greek sacred writings, where 82 psalms are recorded whose authorship is granted to David, thus manifesting a tremendous inconsistency with the Hebrew version that assigns to this character, the amount of 73 psalms. In the New Testament, it is strongly and firmly affirmed that the one who wrote the psalms is none other than King David.
In this sense, to grant the total authorship of what the psalms are, to David, inscribed in the New Testament; he adds, even a quote from Jesus himself, the son of God, in psalm 110, where he says that the author of the psalms is none other than David:
What reflection leads one to think of the son of God? Who is his Father? Of King David, therefore, why does the king of the Jews, motivated by the soul, name him Father? Saying, he speaks Father , my master, place yourself at my right, until I dominate your adversaries and kneel them before you; if then David names his Father, what is his offspring like? Matthew 22: 42-45
However, it is known that not all the psalms are David's authorship; If the headings of the psalms are taken into account, different writers can be evidenced such as: Moses, Asaf, Herman, the sons of Core, Solomon, Ethan, Jedutum, and others that cannot be established; These psalms without known authors are known as orphan psalms, such as Psalm 79, which alludes to the destruction of Jerusalem, which was written at least 400 years after David.
According to Luis Alonso Schökel Spanish theologian, translator of the Bible, he indicates three psalms 23, 90, and 127, where the expert indicates his consideration of their author; In the case of Psalm 23, these are the approaches: Delitzsch does not doubt David's authorship; De Wette accepts David's authorship, although he alleges that the text does not enlarge him at all, Ewald considers that the author is later than David.
Baethgen, does not recognize any author; Hitzig considers that because of the way it is written, it corresponds to another era; Graetz, you don't rate David. As for psalm 90, Delitzsch states that it belongs to Moses, De Wette does not qualify David as author; Ewald considers the author to predate David; Rosenmuller points out that it was written in the period of Antioch II century BC; Koster Graetz and Olshausen argue that the author belongs to the post-exile period of the Jewish people.
Regarding psalm 127, Hengstenberg says that its creator was Solomon; De Wette considers Salomon, but leaves reasonable doubt, he's not entirely sure; Olshausen, states that he belongs to the Jewish post-exile; Graetz, alleges that its author is Nehemiah.
As can be seen, and reinforcing the thesis of the Spanish theologian Alonso Schökel, each specialist has a point of view, an appreciation, so it is difficult to reach a consensus, to come together on many aspects that revolve around the psalms; In this case, it is evidenced by the determination of authorship, which lacks all practicality and, consequently, precision in the authorial responsibilities.
Message
Given the variety of aspects that condition what the psalms are, which causes a logical inability to understand them, and understand them in their true dimension, it is evidently then left to the theologians, intellectuals, and exegetes of the church, to try to build with the greatest coherence possible, an organized scheme that helps to interpret them in the best way.
The perspectives that try to analyze them, multiply, diversify; there is an approach that sees the psalters as a whole, and from there you can learn; there are also those who are looking to experience some kind of religiosity, spirituality in their reading and understanding.
Similarly, its use generates discussion and controversy due to the variety of uses found, even people of recognized disbelief, of little or no spiritual conviction, such as the Anawim, are projected in Psalms 34 to 37.
Some doctrinal issues
It is important to highlight, on the subject of what the psalms are, they have a more or less equal, homogeneous thematic treatment; the most profuse themes are: God as an omnipotent and transcendent figure, but with projection, impact on man's behavior; in other subjects the religious cult to a single God, known as monotheism, is exacerbated, this conception prevails over other religious currents, since nothing in the universe escapes the power of God.
In the psalms, it is suggested in the same way, to see how God projects and enlightens man, God is the Father, although it is not explicitly worked on in the psalms, the love and fidelity of God the Father over all is not questioned their children.
Another theme that is emphasized in the psalms is security in God's action in all aspects of life, in aspiring to abundance, in the defeat of an enemy, or in illness; there is never any doubt about his kind and effective management. The attitude of the believer is also pointed out, always faithful on the path, the path and the route to God; to live in the word of God, is to allow it to mark our lives and our souls, through poverty and humility.
Reference is made in the psalms to God's position in the face of injustice, which alleges that when injustice is imposed, what it represents are transitory, circumstantial victories of evil; God must act, activate and in the face of the temporary victory of evil, must present himself resolving the situation promptly, since the righteous will receive God for their hardships.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC3pCOZjSRQ
When talking about what the psalms are, they do not escape the reference of the enemies, those who inspire and do evil, calling on the Lord to give him a just punishment, pray to him, become the believer's protective shield and that put an end to everything evil, because God rules over everything (Jacob, 59, 6, 12, 14).
The psalms in the history of culture
It is very interesting to observe, to perceive how the psalms manifest themselves in the cultural life of man, because despite their complexity, their difficult interpretation, and their personal allegorism, they have served throughout history as an inspiration to a large number of of artists, being within these manifestations, music and literature, the artistic expressions of humanity, which have most felt the onslaught of religious psalms.
The works that are reviewed below are representative of what has been said, for example, the Miserere Psalm has been the subject of musical compositions of great depth and transcendence by Orlando di Lasso, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Gregorio Allegri; also the choral work that he does in the prayer of Joseph Hydn, Handel's fabulous Messiah, who has his total inspiration in the psalms.
Already in the 1930th century, we find the spectacular symphony by Igor Stravinski (1965), extracted from the psalms, its composition was organized, structured to be instrumented and sung; likewise, the great composer Leonard Bernstein (XNUMX), composed the Chichester Psalms, a musical piece based on religious psalms of Hebrew origin.
The appearance of the psalm in Christianity
It is an important fact, that despite being redundant for many, repetitive for others, it is necessary to insist on the methodology that man has designed, not only to bring it to life within the religious liturgy, but it is also the path, the more expeditious path to reach God, or to be with or near his protective energy and ultimately endowed with divine grace.
The means or paths established by the human being, to invoke the Holy Father, effectively varies, being the classic tool that was implemented for this purpose, prayer; however, we can embrace God, with the songs, with the ceremonies, with the practice of the sacraments bequeathed by Jesus, in his journey in the earthly sphere.
But in this case, we will refer perhaps not to the most important of the tools for invoking God, but to the oldest of liturgical practices, the recitation of psalms. Its origin and also its practice, goes back to times before the birth of Jesus, it is said that the first psalmic structures appear in the Hebrew Old Testament, although manifestations of writings are known, in other languages or dialects such as Aramaic.
However, it is Hebrew, the language that all specialists in religious liturgy, theology, recognize as the language that gave rise to it, or the most used when making the first psalmic structures that are known. There is another fact that deserves to be highlighted, is that the religious expression through psalms is not exclusive to Judaism, this manifestation of faith sentiment is also shared by the Catholic Christian religious movement.
In this regard, it is important to add that just as the Old Testament expresses the need and religious motivation of the Israeli people, the New Testament represents a different historical moment, where Jesus the son of God, takes a leading role, not only religious, his message it fades and radiates throughout the planet reflecting a conception of religious life, called Catholic Christianity.
In both sacred texts, we are going to show the presence of the psalm, which in its first moments, its projection and end, was the praise of God. Now, how do these come to be constituted as a form of liturgical manifestation inherent to the Catholic Christian religion? As stated above, this manifestation is typical of religious Judaism.
An exact moment is not known, when the psalmic structure enters the Christian religious liturgy, however, it is recognized that they were the first Catholic monks, who in their solitude and in their introspective practice of faith, began the use of psalms as strategy to reach God the Father.
This religious practice carried out by these characters, dedicated to prayer and spiritual life, focused on the search for God, over time, evolved, organized and structured itself with the name of Christian Monasticism, as it is known in history.
There is a character named Pacomio (242-348 AD), he is assigned the responsibility in the creation of the Monasticity; This monk had been an energetic Roman soldier, who gave himself up in the final stage of his life, to introspection in solitude, devoting himself to the cultivation of prayer.
Another reference to this peculiar way of giving oneself to God is represented by the Hermit and Anchorite monastic movement. It is suggested that this group of monks, who dedicated their lives to the cultivation of spirituality, appeared at the end of the XNUMXrd century and the beginning of the XNUMXth century AD. . C.; It is these groups that, within their ceremonial repertoire, introduce and delve into the study and cultivation of religious psalms.
But the proliferation of monastic life also generated the dissemination of many psalms, as it is known, of dubious authorship, which were disclosed through countless manuscripts, giving the psalms not only coverage, but also the expansion, by disseminating in a more general and more extended way the message of God.
The manuscript also represents a source of study, it is the primary research base, where scholars of the Christian fact will place their interest, to elucidate the great enigmas that are woven around the psalm as a religious event.
Monasticism then, is of vital importance when trying to understand the psalm, either as a prayer, or as a form of implementation, of a liturgical that evolves and represents what was at that time, the new vision of the relationship: God-man. -spirituality.
The monastic life embodied by these monks, of solitary and sacrificed life, introduce a new element that enriches the psalmic contribution, to the world of Christian spirituality, that novel contribution is constituted by musicality; this, not only materialized by means of instruments, in its first stage of strings, they also provide the choral arrangement, that is, while a psalm is recited with its literary structure, it was accompanied with musical chords.
This set of elements, prayer and music, gave the ceremonies an original, innovative touch of great beauty, but above all, a climate of wonderful solemnity, suggesting a safe path to the heavenly portal, a guarantee of divine grace.
The aforementioned conjunction, which arose from the organization of Monasticism, where the poetic, allegorical vision of the psalm is used, accompanied by musical notes, instrumented or vocalized, within an environment of absolute introspection, is what is known in the religious world. Christian, like the Monastic Lectio.
In this regard, the religious ceremony consisted of a reading of psalms, framed in an environment of total spirituality, producing the ideal energy vibration for the worship of God. This ceremonial consolidates the best way to pay tribute to the Hebrew heritage, recognizing the relevance of the psalms to acclaim our creator Father.
If you liked our article, we invite you to review more interesting topics within our blog, such as: symbols of christianity