Salmo /ˈsalmo/
english Psalm
Etymology
From Late Latin psalmus, from Ancient Greek ψαλμός (psalmós, “song sung to a harp, performance on a stringed instrument”), from ψάλλω (psállō, “I pluck an instrument”).
Ψαλμός on the Greek Wikipedia.
Origins
The composition of the psalms spans at least five centuries, from Psalm 29, probably adapted from an entire Canaanite hymn to Baal which was transposed into a hymn to Yahweh,[22] to others which are clearly from the post-Exilic period. The majority originated in the southern kingdom of Judah and were associated with the Temple in Jerusalem, where they probably functioned as libretto during the Temple worship. Exactly how they did this is unclear, although there are indications in some of them: "Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar," suggests a connection with sacrifices, and "Let my prayer be counted as incense" suggests a connection with the offering of incense.[3]
The Book of Psalms, Tehillim in Hebrew (תְּהִלִּים or תהילים meaning "Praises"), commonly referred to simply as Psalms or "the Psalms", is the first book of the Ketuvim ("Writings"), the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament.[1] The title is derived from the Greek translation, ψαλμοί psalmoi, meaning "instrumental music" and, by extension, "the words accompanying the music."[2] The book is an anthology of individual psalms, with 150 in the Jewish and Western Christian tradition and more in the Eastern Christian churches.[3][4] Many of the psalms are linked to the name of King David, although his authorship is not accepted by modern Bible scholars.[4]
Benedictions
The Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, each closing with a doxology (i.e., a benediction) – these divisions were probably introduced by the final editors to imitate the five-fold division of the Torah:
- Book 1 (Psalms 1–41)
- Book 2 (Psalms 42–72)
- Book 3 (Psalms 73–89)
- Book 4 (Psalms 90–106)
- Book 5 (Psalms 107–150)[5]
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