See the following link for the details:
http://www.accordancebible.com/3383092
I’m pretty excited! If they do this well, I may just consider buying an iPad, but don’t tell anyone I said that ;-).
~alex
Author: Alex Poulos
Software Developer and Scholar of Greek and Latin Literature
The Best Way to Read the Psalms
Christologically of course!
Reading the psalms is much more fun if you see Christ in them :-).
That is all!
Ψαλμος 23
I rather enjoyed writing this reflection. The prayer and praise pops into the middle, so there isn’t a separate prayer.
Psa. 23:1 ¶ Ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυιδ· τῆς μιᾶς σαββάτων.
Τοῦ κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς,
ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ·
Psa. 23:2 αὐτὸς ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν
καὶ ἐπὶ ποταμῶν ἡτοίμασεν αὐτήν.
Psa. 23:3 τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ κυρίου
καὶ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ;
Psa. 23:4 ἀθῷος χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ,
ὃς οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ
καὶ οὐκ ὤμοσεν ἐπὶ δόλῳ τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ.
Psa. 23:5 οὗτος λήμψεται εὐλογίαν παρὰ κυρίου
καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ.
Psa. 23:6 αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων αὐτόν,
ζητούντων τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ Ιακωβ.
διάψαλμα.
Psa. 23:7 ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν,
καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι,
καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης.
Psa. 23:8 τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης;
κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατός,
κύριος δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ.
Psa. 23:9 ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν,
καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι,
καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης.
Psa. 23:10 τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης;
κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης.
καλος τουτος ψαλμος εστιν! αγαπω αυτον. ἡ γη του κυριου! και το πληρομα αυτης! οἱ φιλουντες γνωσιν ουδεν γινωσκουσιν. ἡ γη ου κακη αλλα καλη. Θεος αυτην εποιησεν και αγαπᾳ. εποιησεν ουρανον και γην, αορατον και ορατον. Θεος κυριος παντος. Ιησους εστιν πρωτότοκος κτισεως και δια αυτου παντα εστιν. ὑμνογραφος δε ερωτᾳ τίς αναβησεται προς τον κυριον ; και ειπεν “αθῷος χερσιν και καθαρος τῃ καρδιᾳ.” ορθῶ δει λαλειν. ου δυναται ψευδος ειναι εαν προς κυριον αναβαινειν θελει. ευλογιαν λημψεται ὁ καθαρος απο κυριου. τίς ευλογια ; τίς δοθησεται ὁ κυριος ; εαυτον θεος εδωκα. πως ; εν ὑιῳ και πνευματι αυτου εδωκα. Ιησους εαυτον εδωκα ὑπερ ἡμῶν και απεστελλεν πνευμα απο Πατρος προς ἡμας. μηγά δωρον εστιν! σκια και τυποι εισιν εν τῃ παλαιῃ διαθήκῃ, ἡ δε αλεθεια εγενετο εν Χριστῳ.
ὁ ὑμνογραφος θελει ὂτι ζητουμεν το προσοπον του θεοῦ. ουδεν μεν εβλεψεν θεον εγενετο θεος δε σαρξ εν Ιησου Χριστῳ. δυναμεν εν σαρκι Χριστου, αρτῳ ἡμων, βλεπειν θεον. ὁ διαψαλμα ἡμας λαλει ὂτι ζητουτων θεον εν μεσῳ ψαλμου εστιν. λογος ψαλμου. δίο, Ιησους Χριστος εν μεσῳ ψαλμου εστιν, Ιησους γαρ εστιν προσοπον και εικων θεου. ζητειν Ιησους εστιν ζητειν προσοπον θεου. βλεπομεν δε Χριστον εν τελῳ ψαλμου. ου πορευομεν προς τον κυριον αλλα κυριος προς ἡμας επορευθη! επορευθη εν Χριστῳ. ὑψιστος μεν εστιν ὁ κυριος ὡς δε ανθρωπος εγενετο.
τίς εστιν κυριος τὴς δοξης ;
κυριος του σταυρου, αυτος εστιν ὁ βασιλευς της δοξης.
John Chrysostom and the Psalms
Since I’ve been reading through the Greek psalms recently, I’ve been curious about how the Fathers read the Psalms. John Chrysostom is probably the most notable of the early Greek Fathers, so I naturally turned to him first. The wikipedia page informed me that he wrote homilies on the Psalms, and that many of them are extant, but it didn’t give me a list of what Psalms he commented on! I was then even more surprised to find out that no one has done a critical text of his homilies on the Psalms. They have been translated into English. There is a list of the extant homilies in the in that product description, but I didn’t see that my first go around ;-).
Still curious to see which ones he commented on, I stumbled about a PDF of the work from Migne’s Patrologia Graeca. (HT Roger Pearse). The PDF is pretty good, from a cursory glance. It had been OCR’ed, so it was searchable! I believe it was a Russian group who did the scanning, so huge props to them! Unfortunately, there was not a table of contents, and the titles for each Psalm where in Greek numerals (think Roman numerals with a Greek twist). However, I was able to whip up a nice Ruby script to give me the information I wanted. I’m thinking of creating either a series of PDFs (one per psalm), or just redoing the entire PDF with a table of contents and Arabic numerals.
I did find a few oddities in the PDF. Psalms 9-12 got inserted twice, as best as I could tell. Also, the OCR didn’t seem to like the digammas which were used in the numerals. The digamma is a Greek letter that was largely obsolete by the classical period, but it has hung around as a numeral. Also, I’ve noticed a discrepancy with that product description of the English translation. It states that “Psalms 4-13, 44-50, and Volume Two contains commentaries on Psalms 109-150 (with the exception of the long Ps 119)” are commented on. It looks like that misses Psalm 41 (Hebrew 42), which Chrysostom also commented on. Also note that the English translation follows the Hebrew numbers.
Either way, here’s the list of Psalms that John Chrysostom commented on, with both the LXX chapter number and the Hebrew (English) chapter number. If I do any more work with them, I’ll post something.
4 (LXX) – 4 (Hebrew)
5 (LXX) – 5 (Hebrew)
6 (LXX) – 6 (Hebrew)
7 (LXX) – 7 (Hebrew)
8 (LXX) – 8 (Hebrew)
9 (LXX) – 9-10 (Hebrew)
10 (LXX) – 11 (Hebrew)
11 (LXX) – 12 (Hebrew)
12 (LXX) – 13 (Hebrew)
9 (LXX) – 9-10 (Hebrew)
10 (LXX) – 11 (Hebrew)
11 (LXX) – 12 (Hebrew)
12 (LXX) – 13 (Hebrew)
41 (LXX) – 42 (Hebrew)
43 (LXX) – 44 (Hebrew)
44 (LXX) – 45 (Hebrew)
45 (LXX) – 46 (Hebrew)
46 (LXX) – 47 (Hebrew)
47 (LXX) – 48 (Hebrew)
48 (LXX) – 49 (Hebrew)
49 (LXX) – 50 (Hebrew)
108 (LXX) – 109 (Hebrew)
109 (LXX) – 110 (Hebrew)
110 (LXX) – 111 (Hebrew)
111 (LXX) – 112 (Hebrew)
112 (LXX) – 113 (Hebrew)
113 (LXX) – 114-115 (Hebrew)
114 (LXX) – 116:1-9 (Hebrew)
115 (LXX) – 116:10-19 (Hebrew)
116 (LXX) – 117 (Hebrew)
117 (LXX) – 118 (Hebrew)
119 (LXX) – 120 (Hebrew)
120 (LXX) – 121 (Hebrew)
121 (LXX) – 122 (Hebrew)
122 (LXX) – 123 (Hebrew)
123 (LXX) – 124 (Hebrew)
124 (LXX) – 125 (Hebrew)
125 (LXX) – 126 (Hebrew)
126 (LXX) – 127 (Hebrew)
127 (LXX) – 128 (Hebrew)
128 (LXX) – 129 (Hebrew)
129 (LXX) – 130 (Hebrew)
130 (LXX) – 131 (Hebrew)
131 (LXX) – 132 (Hebrew)
132 (LXX) – 133 (Hebrew)
133 (LXX) – 134 (Hebrew)
134 (LXX) – 135 (Hebrew)
135 (LXX) – 136 (Hebrew)
136 (LXX) – 137 (Hebrew)
137 (LXX) – 138 (Hebrew)
138 (LXX) – 139 (Hebrew)
139 (LXX) – 140 (Hebrew)
140 (LXX) – 141 (Hebrew)
141 (LXX) – 142 (Hebrew)
142 (LXX) – 143 (Hebrew)
143 (LXX) – 144 (Hebrew)
144 (LXX) – 145 (Hebrew)
145 (LXX) – 146 (Hebrew)
146 (LXX) – 147 (Hebrew)
147 (LXX) – 147:12-20 (Hebrew)
148 (LXX) – 148 (Hebrew)
149 (LXX) – 149 (Hebrew)
150 (LXX) – 150 (Hebrew)
On Poetics Or Music That I like
I find myself frustrated with most mainstream contemporary Christian music. I wish it weren’t so, if only because it is so ubiquitous! Some of it is the lyrics, some is just the musical style. However, there are some less well known artists that I absolutely love (though it probably wouldn’t be right to lump them into the CCM genre). One of my favorite artists is John Mark McMillan. His most popular song is ‘How He Loves,’ though most people don’t know that he wrote it. It’s been covered by several artists, most notably David Crowder Band.
You may not care for the music (it’s a mix of folk and rock, often reminiscent of Springsteen), but his lyrics are amazing. I happen to like the music, but his poetry is amazing. His most recent album, “The Medicine” is basically an extended meditation on the resurrection of the dead. One of my favorite songs is “Death in His Grave,” where you get “He has cheated / Hell and seated / us above the fall.” Or in “Skeleton Bones,” where you get “Skeleton Bones / stand at the sound of eternity on / the lips of the found / yeah gravestones roll / to the rhythm of the sound of you.” He’s got several videos up on his blog, including the story behind “How He loves.” Do yourself a favor and check out his music!
~alex
ψαλμος 20
Psa. 20:1 ¶ Εἰς τὸ τέλος· ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυιδ.
Psa. 20:2 Κύριε, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς
καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ σωτηρίῳ σου ἀγαλλιάσεται σφόδρα.
Psa. 20:3 τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ
καὶ τὴν θέλησιν τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐστέρησας αὐτόν.
διάψαλμα.
Psa. 20:4 ὅτι προέφθασας αὐτὸν ἐν εὐλογίαις χρηστότητος,
ἔθηκας ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ στέφανον ἐκ λίθου τιμίου.
Psa. 20:5 ζωὴν ᾐτήσατό σε, καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ,
μακρότητα ἡμερῶν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος.
Psa. 20:6 μεγάλη ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ σωτηρίῳ σου,
δόξαν καὶ μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐπιθήσεις ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν·
Psa. 20:7 ὅτι δώσεις αὐτῷ εὐλογίαν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος,
εὐφρανεῖς αὐτὸν ἐν χαρᾷ μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου.
Psa. 20:8 ὅτι ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐλπίζει ἐπὶ κύριον
καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐλέει τοῦ ὑψίστου οὐ μὴ σαλευθῇ.
Psa. 20:9 εὑρεθείη ἡ χείρ σου πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου,
ἡ δεξιά σου εὕροι πάντας τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε.
Psa. 20:10 θήσεις αὐτοὺς ὡς κλίβανον πυρὸς εἰς καιρὸν τοῦ προσώπου σου·
κύριος ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ συνταράξει αὐτούς,
καὶ καταφάγεται αὐτοὺς πῦρ.
Psa. 20:11 τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῶν ἀπὸ γῆς ἀπολεῖς
καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν ἀπὸ υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων,
Psa. 20:12 ὅτι ἔκλιναν εἰς σὲ κακά,
διελογίσαντο βουλήν, ἣν οὐ μὴ δύνωνται στῆσαι.
Psa. 20:13 ὅτι θήσεις αὐτοὺς νῶτον·
ἐν τοῖς περιλοίποις σου ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν.
Psa. 20:14 ὑψώθητι, κύριε, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου·
ᾄσομεν καὶ ψαλοῦμεν τὰς δυναστείας σου.
ὁ λογος τουτου ψαλμου εν 3 εστιν. Κυριος εδωκα βασιλει την επιθυμιαν της ψυχης αυτου και θελησιν των χειλεων. τουτος εστιν τινος τῳ κυριῳ απο Δαυιδ. εστιν ὁ βασιλευς ὅς δοξαζει τον κυριον. 4-8 εισιν αιτιαι του τινου. ὁ κυριος εχει χρηστοτα εις Δαυιδ. εδωκα αυτῳ στεφανον εκ λιθου τιμου. εδωκα ζωην και πολλας ἡμερας. με σαλευθῃ Δαυιδ ελπιζει γαρ επι κυριον. 9-13 λαλουσιν τῶν εχθρῶν. οι εχθροι και μισουντες Δαυιδ κριθησονται υπερ θεου. καταφαγεται αυτους πῦρ. εν τελει εστιν τινος. ὁ κυριος εστιν ὑψιστος εν δυναμει αυτου. αξιος εστιν ᾄσομεν γαρ και ψαλοῦμεν αυτον εις αιωνον.
ευχαριστω σοι, κυριε μου αξιος γαρ εἶ. τί θεος ει μη σὐ ; τί εσωσεν με ει μη σὐ ; ευφραινω εν χαριτι θεου. ουκ ειμι δικαοις κατα νομον αλλα κατα δικαιοσυνην Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κατα σαρκα και αἷμα αυτου. ουκ κυριος εστιν ὡς Ιησους Χριστος. εδωκεν εαυτον και απεθανεν υπερ εμου. ω βαθος πλουτου και σοφιας και γνωσεως θεου. απεκολυψεν εαυτον εν Ιησου Χριστῳ. ενεκα τουτου προσκυνεω σε, κυριε.
αλεξανδρος.
In the Mail
I was surprised to find a package in the mail yesterday, but when I opened it saw that it was from John Hopkin’s press, I knew exactly what it was:
Several weeks ago, I joined the North American Patristics Society, and they had sent me my first journal. This is the first academic journal that I’ve ever owned in a physical copy. I’m quite pleased! The book reviews were quite handy.
~alex
Greek Reader
In order to work some Classical Greek into my diet, I recently picked up Thrasymachus: A New Greek Course from the Library. I’ve absolutely loved it so far. The meat of the book is a connected narrative in which a boy Thrasymachus encounters various stories and myths from the Greek world. It starts off very simple and progressively gets more difficult. There are some exercises and grammar in the book, but not much compared to the reading. I don’t think I would have wanted to use this as a first text, but as a reader for someone with some Greek knowledge it has been tremendous fun. Reading narrative is a nice change from the epistles I tend to read!
~alex
iTunesU: One Course Completed
Yesterday I finished my first series of lectures obtained through iTunesU. I listened to 24 fascinating lectures from Dr Donal Kagan. The lectures began with a normal introduction “Why Ancient Greece matters today.” Then he lectured from quickly from the Homeric period and before up until the death of King Philip of Macedonia (Alexander the Great’s father). The focus of the course dealt with the classical period of 800-300 B.C. I’m now much more informed on Greek history than I was prior! I only wish that he had covered Alexander the Great too. After all, he was named after me ;-).
To those who haven’t checked out iTunesU yet, there is a wealth of good stuff there.
Patristics Resources
I’ve been on the lookout recently for patristics resources. A quick google search turned up some nice stuff. This page is an absolute gold mine: http://marialectrix.wordpress.com/completed-religious-books/. These are freely available audio recording of classic Christian literature. We owe this lady a tremendous amount! Everything from Ignatius of Antioch to Athanasius! Seeing as I commute daily and often drive between Raleigh and Charlotte, these are a tremendous find. I’m also on the lookout for Greco-Roman background. I’m thinking I’ll go through a series of lectures on the Aenid that I found on iTunesU.
Any other recommendations? Especially of the auditory nature….
~alex
Alex Poulos, PhD 