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Doubtful Fragments on the Psalms

Hippolytus

Section 5

About this work

Author: Hippolytus

5. But since, as we have already said,

‹ Section 4 Section 6 ›

to

do

this

in

the

case

of

each

,

and

to

find

out

the

reasons

,

is

very

difficult

,

and

too

much

for

human

nature

to

accomplish

,

we

shall

content

ourselves

with

these

things

by

way

of

an

outline

.

Only

let

us

add

this

,

that

the

psalms

which

deal

with

historical

matter

are

not

found

in

regular

historical

order

.

And

the

only

reason

for

this

is

to

be

found

in

the

numbers

according

to

which

the

psalms

are

arranged

.

For

instance

,

the

history

in

the

fifty

-

first

is

antecedent

to

the

history

in

the

fiftieth

.

For

everybody

acknowledges

that

the

matter

of

Doeg

the

Idumean

calumniating

David

to

Saul

is

antecedent

to

the

sin

with

the

wife

of

Urias

;

yet

it

is

not

without

good

reason

that

the

history

which

should

be

second

is

placed

first

,

since

,

as

we

have

before

said

,

the

place

regarding

remission

has

an

affinity

with

the

number

fifty

.

He

,

therefore

,

who

is

not

worthy

of

remission

,

passes

the

number

fifty

,

as

Doeg

the

Idumean

.

For

the

fifty

-

first

is

the

psalm

that

treats

of

him

.

And

,

moreover

,

the

third

is

in

the

same

position

,

since

it

was

written

when

David

fled

from

the

face

of

Absalom

his

son

;

and

thus

,

as

all

know

who

read

the

books

of

Kings

,

it

should

come

properly

after

the

fifty

-

first

and

the

fiftieth

.