Preface

The psalms of the Bible were composed, with divine inspiration, during the rich and high culture of Palestine approximately twenty-five hundred years ago. This sacred poetry of praise and lamentation was hewn by the ancient Hebrew people from their own intense experience; it is a poetry of the human heart in the midst of triumph, desolation, and the ordinary affairs of life. The psalms have been used continuously down through the ages since those times and have been translated into most languages, ancient and modern. In whatever tongue, they partake of and effect the Holy Spirit's Pentecost for the whole world.

Psalms form the structure of the canonical offices sung in Christian Churches--a natural outgrowth of their use in the Jewish Temple and in the synagogue. The numerous psalm quotations in the New Testament make it obvious that the psalter was the prayerbook of the first Christians. The timeless appeal of the psalms has placed them on the lips of all Christians.

The psalms and canticles are therefore also the basis of Orthodox Catholic worship. The Eucharistic celebrations, Holy Week and Pascha, and the great feasts throughout the year amply demonstrate an ancient and profound solemnity arising from the use of psalmody. In church the psalms are frequently taken by the chanter alone, or by the whole congregation, i.e., directaneously. At times they can be used antiphonally, i.e., the chanter recites the verses and the congregation responds with a poetic refrain called a troparion. At times they are sung responsorially, using a verse from the psalm itself as a refrain. In another way of taking the psalms that is also called antiphonal, two choirs chant alternating verses. They are read in the morning, in the evening, and at midday, at funerals, and at the celebration of the sacraments. They are pondered, sung, and proclaimed constantly and for the benefit of all who hear them.

Committed to memory by this constant repetition, and studied in the context of the rest of the Bible and its commentaries, the psalms gradually become a part of our own daily lives. They fittingly express our private sorrows and joy, becoming our constant and heartfelt prayer. They also unite us with one another, letting us share in the deepest yearnings, the anguish and the joy, of all who hear God's call to life more abundant.

People the world over have never been in greater need of the values and the language of the soul that the psalms have passed on through the centuries. May this psalter serve well in fitting this need, always supporting and encouraging us in our journey through life.