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Doubtful Fragments on the Psalms

Hippolytus

Section 2

About this work

Author: Hippolytus

2. As regards those which have no inscription, we

‹ Section 1 Section 3 ›

must

also

inquire

to

whom

we

ought

to

ascribe

them

.

For

why

is

it

that

even

the

simplest

inscription

is

wanting

in

them

—

such

as

the

one

which

runs

thus

,

“

A

psalm

of

David

,

”

or

“

Of

David

,

”

without

any

addition

?

Now

,

my

idea

is

,

that

wherever

this

inscription

occurs

alone

,

what

is

written

is

neither

a

psalm

nor

a

song

,

but

some

sort

of

utterance

under

guidance

of

the

Holy

Spirit

,

recorded

for

the

behoof

of

him

who

is

able

to

understand

it

.

But

the

opinion

of

a

certain

Hebrew

on

these

last

matters

has

reached

me

,

who

held

that

,

when

there

were

many

without

any

inscription

,

but

preceded

by

one

with

the

inscription

“

Of

David

,

”

all

these

should

be

reckoned

also

to

be

by

David

.

And

if

this

be

the

case

,

it

follows

that

those

without

any

inscription

are

by

those

(

writers

)

who

are

rightly

reckoned

,

according

to

the

titles

,

to

be

the

authors

of

the

psalms

preceding

these

.

This

book

of

Psalms

before

us

has

also

been

called

by

the

prophet

the

“

Psalter

,

”

because

,

as

they

say

,

the

psaltery

alone

among

musical

instruments

gives

back

the

sound

from

above

when

the

brass

is

struck

,

and

not

from

beneath

,

after

the

manner

of

others

.

In

order

,

therefore

,

that

those

who

understand

it

may

be

zealous

to

carry

out

the

analogy

of

such

an

appellation

,

and

may

also

look

above

,

from

which

direction

its

melody

comes

—

for

this

reason

he

has

styled

it

the

Psalter

.

For

it

is

entirely

the

voice

and

utterance

of

the

most

Holy

Spirit

.