Argumentum in Psalmos

Of Saint Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, Argumentum in Psalmos. In the Hebrew book of the Psalms, all were inscribed without the addition of a number and in a varied manner: some are joined together, others are divided. For instance, the first and second are joined together according to the Hebrew; and again, the ninth, which is joined together among us, is divided into two in the Hebrew. And the entire book of the Psalms is divided into five parts. It must be observed that the order of the Psalms is not arranged according to the sequence of the times of history; it is altered with respect to many times, as the book of Kings makes clear. For when much idolatry had prevailed over the nation of the Jews, they had fallen into forgetfulness of the ancestral Scriptures, so that neither the book of the law of Moses appeared, nor was any of the piety of the fathers preserved among them. When, therefore, they also killed the prophets, who were refuting their impieties, and because of these things they were first delivered into the captivity of the Assyrians; but after this, some of the prophets, being zealous for their collection, together with the rest also gathered the book of the Psalms, not finding all at once, but at different times; and they placed first those found first. For this reason, not all the psalms of David are found in sequence, but in between, those of the sons of Kore, and of Asaph, and Solomon, and Moses, and Aetham the Israelite, and Heman, and again of David, are found arranged intermixed in the book, not according to the times in which they were spoken, but according to the times in which they were found.

You would find the same thing occurring in the sections of the prophets. As for the psalms after the first and the twelfth which are without inscription, and those which have an inscription but do not indicate whose they are, the children of the Hebrews say they belong to those whose name is borne in the inscriptions placed before the uninscribed ones. But I consider the first and the second, being both one, to belong to David, because all the psalms in the first part of the Psalter in order are his. At any rate, from the third up to the fortieth, all are inscribed as David's; therefore it seems to me that both the first and the second belong to the same author. The book of the Acts of the Apostles confirms this reasoning, in which it is said: "Master, you made the heaven and the earth, and the sea, and all things in them; your servant David, the mouth of our father through the Holy Spirit, saying: 'Why did the nations rage, and the peoples devise vain things?'" For clearly through these words it declared the second psalm to be David's. It is likely that the superscription of David was passed over in silence for it, because it contains a prophecy concerning the Lord in plain terms, in which it is said: "Against the Lord and against his Christ." In accordance with this, it adds from the very person of Christ: "The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son.'" So there are in all 150 psalms. Some think that all are by the blessed David, but this is not indicated. For all are referred to David, but in the inscriptions it is shown whose psalm each one is. For four leaders of odes were chosen, with 288 followers.

Of the four leaders, then, psalms are placed, as the inscriptions also teach. For when it says, "Psalm for the sons of Kore, Aithan, Asaph, and Aiman," the sons of Kore, Aithan, Asaph, and Aiman themselves sing. When it says, "Psalm of Asaph," Asaph himself spoke; when it says, "Psalm of Idithoum," Idithoum himself sings; when it says, "of David," David himself was speaking; but when it says, "to David," it is spoken by others to David. There are in total 150, of which 72 are of David, 9 to David, 12 of Asaph, 12 for the sons of Kore, one of Idithoum, one of Aitham, one of Aiman, one of Salomon, two of Aggaios and Zacharias, 39 without inscription, and one of Moses: in all 150. It is necessary, then, to consider the mystery by what reasoning, since there are various odes and not all the psalms are David's, they are attributed to David; and this we shall not pass over. For this reason it was inscribed, since he himself became the cause of their existence; for he himself selected the singers. He himself, then, having become the cause, was deemed worthy of this honor, that all that the singers said should be credited to David. Because David, being a prophet and having his inner eyes opened, and knowing that evil spirits rejoice at the fall of men and in turn are grieved when defeated by the correction of men, certainly made his prayers against them spiritually, turning from perceptible enemies to them.

If we do not understand the purpose of the prophets in this way, we will not only derive no edification from what is said by them for the acquisition of gentleness, but we will also adopt some harsh disposition contrary to evangelical teaching from frequently cursing enemies and not loving them, since David says countless times, "Let all my enemies be put to shame and confounded, and may I not be put to shame." But we would not be persuaded that men who are prophets and friends of God have spoken thus, unless it be in the aforementioned manner. For in this way the diligent one must understand, wherever he finds a prophet cursing, as transferring from the sensible to the intelligible enemies. Henceforth, the ascetic must devote himself to the understanding of every word.