Ps 119:97
O how I love thy Law,
my enlightening discourse1 all day long!
This post is about the misidentification of a historical source. But first things first. Looking around Syrian Antioch (of course online 😊) and searching for the usage of Psalms in early Christianity, we found an exciting trace. The following citation appeared a few times in the search results as originating from the Apostolic Constitutions (L. 2, C. 57):
The women, the children, and the humblest mechanics, could repeat all the Psalms of David; they chanted them at home and abroad: they made them the exercises of their piety and the refreshment of their minds. Thus they had answers ready to oppose temptation, and were always prepared to pray to God, and to praise him, in any circumstance, in a form of his own inditing.
The Apostolic Constitutions is a work of probably Syrian provenance, usually dated to the 4th century CE. However, there is no such citation in the mentioned location, but the following one2 which also refers to Psalms:
But when there have been two lessons severally read, let some other person sing the hymns of David, and let the people join at the conclusions of the verses.
There are few other passages in the Apostolic Constitutions related to Psalms, including a valuable testimony of morning (Ps 62) and evening (Ps 140) prayer & singing3.
[...] but assemble yourselves together every day, morning and evening, singing psalms and praying in the Lord’s house: in the morning saying the sixty-second Psalm, and in the evening the hundred and fortieth, but principally on the Sabbath-day.
Since the wanted passage does not appear in the text of the Apostolic Constitutions available to us, the question arises: what is the true origin of this citation? We will have to trace back its history as far as possible. Recently it appeared in Michael Bushell’s The Songs of Zion4 by some regarded as the best modern defence of the Exclusive Psalmody position. On pages 32-33, he cites various passages from ancient authors, including the text in question as derived from the Apostolic Constitutions. In the footnote, he refers to earlier publications between 1852 and 1907. Therefore, we will have to inspect some of them. A quick query of nineteenth-century publications only confirms this practice. The book that seems to have strengthened this association substantially was McMaster’s An apology for the Book of Psalms, which went through several editions. Below we present an excerpt5 from the first edition (1818).
In the apostolic constitutions* we learn that “the women, the children, and humblest mechanics, could repeat all the Psalms of David; they chanted them at home and abroad; they made them the exercises of their piety and the refreshment of their minds. Thus they had answers ready to oppose temptation, and were always prepared to pray to God, and to praise him, in any circumstance, in a form of his own inditing.”
* Lib 2, C. 57. The collection of regulations, known under the name of the “Apostolical Constitutions,” made its appearance in the fourth century. Though we may justly dispute its Apostolical origin, it may be admitted of sufficient authority, as far as it indicates the customs of the third, and following century. We see its testimony respecting the use of the book of psalms.
However, it was not McMaster who invented this association. A few years earlier, Smith in The Reasonableness did the same6. Moving back to the 18th century, our query yields no result (our research is limited). Only a clear trace appeared in the 17th century. And here it gets interesting! We found the wanted fragment in one work of Thomas Comber (1645–1699) very well-educated English churchman and Dean of Durham7.
He could read and write Greek before he was ten years old. [...] He studied experimental philosophy, geometry, astronomy, music, painting, and the oriental tongues, besides learning an excellent method of common-place for philosophy and divinity. [...] In 1672 appeared the first instalment of his most famous work, the ‘Companion to the Temple,’ intended to reconcile protestant dissenters to the church of England.
We will cite the fragment in question from the first edition8 and attach an illustration from the second edition (1676)9 since an image of the first edition is unavailable to us. The text of both editions differs slightly, which we will mention later.
And no man is ignorant how con∣stantly the Primitive Christians used them in their Assemblies(g), so that Pliny describes their service by singing hymns to the honour of God, which they used so much in publique, that the very Women and Children and meanest Mechanicks(h) could say them by heart, and sung them at home and abroad even about their labours; making them at once the exercise of their piety, and the refreshment of their minds, re∣creating themselves and glorifying God: and hereby they had answers ready to oppose all Sathans tempta∣tions, and the most illiterate might pray to God, or praise him in any circumstances, by a Form of his own Inditing. How happy should we be if we were now as perfect in them! The best way to be so is to frequent the Church daily where they are used, and there we shall at once be refreshed with the musick, and in∣structed by the frequent recital of them; and so we shall at the same time be pleased and profited; we shall have holy principles conveyed into our minds with pleasure(i).
(g). 1 Cor. 14.26. Coloss. 3.16. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Constit. Apost. l. 2. cap. 57.
(h). Psalmorum ora∣cula & domi canunt & in foro circum∣ferunt, Basil. in 1 Psal. See Euseb. Hist. lib. 9. cap. 1. and more fully, Ham∣mond preface to the Psalms.
(i). O sapiens Doctoris inventum, qui simul canere, & uti∣lia nos discere excogitavit! Basil. ut supr.
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| Page 216 from the second edition of the Companion to the temple. |
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| Page 217 from the second edition of the Companion to the temple. |
First, it’s visible that in both editions, the fragment in question is not introduced as a citation by any side note or a hint. Instead, certain words or ideas in this text are linked with the side notes.
The first reference (g - first edition, f - second edition) behind the word ‘Assemblies’ provides evidence for the use of Psalms in Christian gatherings, i.e. 1Co 14:26, Cl 3:16, and the Apostolic Constitutions (L. 2, C. 57). In the latter’s case, a fragment of the Greek text is provided10, which allows to trace it precisely: Ἑτερός τις τοὺς τῶ Δαυὶδ ψαλλέτω ὕμνους, καὶ ὁ λαὸς τὰ ἀκροσίχια ὑποψαλλέτω. This fragment has been already cited above (see footnote 2), proving that the text under examination does not come from the Apostolic Constitutions. Still, it was incorrectly assigned based on a misunderstanding of what this side note refers to.
The second reference (h - first edition, g - second edition) behind the word Mechanics corroborates Comber’s observation that Psalms have been used by everyone under all circumstances. Again, he provides three pieces of evidence.
The first comes from Basil of Caesarea11 with the Latin text: Psalmorum oracula and domi canunt and in foro circumferunt [they do chant the words of the psalms, even in the home, and they spread them around in the market place].
The second piece of evidence is from Eusebius of Caesarea (Hist., L. 9, C. 1)12.
Then, also, the noble athletes of piety, being freed of their evil plight in the mines, returned to their own homes, going through every city, exalting and beaming with joy and filled with unspeakable happiness and confidence that one cannot describe with words. Populous throngs in the midst of throughfares and market places went on their way praising God with songs and psalms, and you would have seen those who shortly before had been driven from their fatherlands in bonds under a very harsh punishment resuming their fireside with happy and joyous countenances, so that even those who before were stained with our blood, on seeing the marvel contrary to all expectation, rejoiced with us at what had happened.
And the third comes from the Preface to the book of Hammond A paraphrase with the hint that this topic is covered “more fully” there13. And indeed, Hammond provides more evidence on the usage of Psalms by Jews in the Old Testament, Jesus, Apostles, and the Fathers of the Church. Here is a small excerpt:
The use of these in the publick Assemblies, as early as the Apostles times, is intimated 1 Cor. xiv. 26. but distinctly set down 1 Cor. ii. 4. under the style of prophesying, every man praying or prophesying [...] and in them, as in praying, all joyned, the whole assembly, in heart and voice, had all their common interest, women as well as men, every woman that prayeth or prophesieth, v. 5. though in other parts of the office they were not allowed to speak, c. xiv. 34. yet let us exalt his name together, Psal. xxxiv. 3. young men and mai∣dens, Psal. cxLviii. 12. and so still 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, saith‖Isidore Pe∣lusiote, the Apostles of Christ wisely permitted that women should sing Psalms in the Churches (and he there mentions it as a most severe punishment to be inflicted on them for their misdemeanours, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to be interdicted singing in the Church, with which he joynes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the turning them out of the city.) [...]
How this exercise was frequented in all after-Ages in the Church, and made up a very great part of the Chri∣stians devotions, both in the publick assembly and more pri∣vately in the Family, and yet in the greater retirement, in the Closet and the waking Bed, we need not seek in the histories of the Ascetae and Recluse, (many of which spent their whole time in this imployment, reciting the whole Psalter daily, others weekly, none past an houre of Prayer without a considerable portion of it.) The Fathers of the Church assure us, that for those that lived‖in seculo, Psal∣mody was the constant attendant sometimes of their† Meals, generally of their Business, in the shop and in the field, that they learnt the whole book by heart,*〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and through their whole age continued singing, or saying Psalms; that whereas‖ the custome of the world had taught all to deceive the wearisomeness or length of business by any kinde of singing,〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, God had provided them Psalms for their pleasure and profit together, that†whilst they did in appearance but sing, they should really be instructed, and improved in their souls. The consideration of these things, but especially of the common interest of all sorts and states, Ages and Sexes, in this one great* treasury and magazine, deposited with the Church for the inriching and securing of Souls, toge∣ther with one sadder reflection [...]
Finally, we should say something about the difference between the first and the second edition of Comber’s work. In the first edition, he refers additionally to Pliny’s testimony, as does Hammond, while in the second edition, he removes it. When reading the first edition, the reader might have had the wrong impression that the entire fragment under study came from Pliny; therefore, Comber probably removed it from the second edition. However, he could not have foreseen that he had created a text bearing all the hallmarks of an ancient source, causing an untrained reader to look for its origin in the side notes and misinterpret the reference to the Apostolic Constitutions.
What spread as an early Christian citation from the Apostolic Constitutions is a very concise and impressive summary made by Thomas Comber himself based on the aforementioned ancient sources, i.e. NT, Apostolic Constitutions, Basil, Eusebius, Pliny, and the book of Hammond.
Notes
[1] There is no consensus regarding the semantic content of the noun שִׂיחָה (TDOT). Two understandings of the root emerged either as an inner activity (meditation, contemplation) or as a verbal exchange with the expression of emotions (conversation, discourse). Some other occurrences in the OT (e.g. 1Ki 18:27) suggest yet another meaning, i.e. urinate, defecate, relieve oneself (Rendsburg G. 1988. Hebrew św/yḥ and Arabic šḫḫ. In: Ehrman A, Arbeitman YL, editors. Fucus: a Semitic/Afrasian gathering in remembrance of Albert Ehrman. Amsterdam ; Philadelphia: J. Benjamins Pub. Co. (Amsterdam studies in the theory and history of linguistic science. Series IV. Current issues in linguistic theory; vol. 58). p. 419–430). My tentative translation of ‘enlightening discourse’ includes both possibilities i.e. meditative activity and meaningful conversation. Still, it is interesting to observe that the forms of שִׂיחַ are used eight times in this psalm for engaging with God’s Word instead of another common verb for musing הָגָה. See also this note.
[2] Roberts A, Donaldson J, Coxe AC, editors. 1886. Constitutions of the Holy Apostles. In: Fathers of the third and fourth centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, homily, and liturgies. Buffalo: Christian Literature Company. (The ante-Nicene fathers; vol. 7).
[3] Ibidem, L. 2, C. 59. It is probably the numbering of the Septuagint, in which Ps 62 and 140 correspond to Ps 63 and 141 in the Hebrew Psalter.
[4] Bushell MS. 2011. Songs of Zion: the Biblical basis for exclusive psalmody. Fourth revised edition. Norfolk: Norfolk Press.
[5] McMaster G. 1818. An apology for the book of Psalms in five letters; addressed to the friends of union in the Church of God. Ballston-Spa: U. F. Doubleday. p. 42.
[6] Smith W. 1814. The reasonableness of setting forth the most worthy praise of Almighty God: according to the usage of the primitive Church; with historical views of the nature, origin, and progress of metre psalmody. New York: T. and J. Swords. p. 69-70.
[7] Cooper T. 1887. Comber, Thomas (1645-1699). In: Leslie S, editor. Dictionary of national biography. Volume XI : from Clater to Condell. New York ; London: Macmillan ; Smith, Elder & Co. p. 435-437.
[8] Comber T. 1672. A companion to the temple and closet: or, a help to publick and private devotion. In an essay upon the daily offices of the church. First edition. London: Printed by T. R. for Hen. Brome at the Gun at the West end of S. Paul’s, and Robert Clavel, in Little Britain. [accessed 2020 November 29]. Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. p. 199-201.
[9] Comber T. 1676. A companion to the temple or, a help to devotion in the daily use of the common prayer in two parts. Part I containing the morning and evening prayer. The second edition with additions. At the Gun at the West end of St. Paul’s: Andrew Clark. [accessed 2020 November 29]. Google Books. p. 216-217.
[10] The reproduction of this text is not entirely sure because of the usage of ligature ȣ. Moreover, it seems to differ slightly from the critical edition of Funk (Funk FX, editor. 1905. Didascalia et Constitutiones apostolorum. Paderbornae: In Libraria Ferdinandi Schoeningh). Metzger’s edition is not available to me (Metzger M, editor. 1985. Les Constitutions apostoliques, tome I. Livres I-II. Paris: Editions du Cerf. (Sources chrétiennes; vol. 320)).
[11] This text has already been presented before. See this post.
[12] Deferrari RJ, translator. 1969. Eusebius Pamphili Ecclesiastical history (Books 6-10). Washington: The Catholic University of America Press. (The Fathers of the church. A new translation; vol. 29).
[13] Hammond H. 1659. A paraphrase and annotations upon the books of the Psalms, briefly explaining the difficulties thereof. London: Printed by R. Norton, for Richard Davis bookseller in Oxford. [accessed 2020 November 29]. Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership.
