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Doubtful Fragments on the Psalms

Hippolytus

Section 9

About this work

Author: Hippolytus

9. However it may be with the “time when

‹ Section 8 II. ›

and

the

manner

”

in

which

this

idea

of

the

Psalms

has

hit

upon

by

the

inspired

David

,

he

at

least

seems

to

have

been

the

first

,

and

indeed

the

only

one

,

concerned

in

it

,

and

that

,

too

,

at

the

earliest

period

,

when

he

taught

his

fingers

to

tune

the

psaltery

.

For

if

any

other

before

him

showed

the

use

of

the

psaltery

and

lute

,

it

was

at

any

rate

in

a

very

different

way

that

such

an

one

did

it

,

only

putting

together

some

rude

and

clumsy

contrivance

,

or

simply

employing

the

instrument

,

without

singing

either

to

melody

or

to

words

,

but

only

amusing

himself

with

a

rude

sort

of

pleasure

.

But

after

such

he

was

the

first

to

reduce

the

affair

to

rhythm

,

and

order

,

and

art

,

and

also

to

wed

the

singing

of

the

song

with

the

melody

.

And

,

what

is

of

greater

importance

,

this

most

inspired

of

men

sang

to

God

,

or

of

God

,

beginning

in

this

wise

even

at

the

period

when

he

was

among

the

shepherds

and

youths

in

a

simpler

and

humbler

style

,

and

afterwards

when

he

became

a

man

and

a

king

,

attempting

something

loftier

and

of

more

public

interest

.

And

he

is

said

to

have

made

this

advance

,

especially

after

he

had

brought

back

the

ark

into

the

city

.

At

that

time

he

often

danced

before

the

ark

,

and

often

sang

songs

of

thanksgiving

and

songs

to

celebrate

its

recovery

.

And

then

by

and

by

,

allocating

the

whole

tribe

of

the

Levites

to

the

duty

,

he

appointed

four

leaders

of

the

choirs

,

viz

.

,

Asaph

,

Aman

(

Heman

)

,

Ethan

,

and

Idithum

(

Jeduthun

)

,

inasmuch

as

there

are

also

in

all

things

visible

four

primal

principles

.

And

he

then

formed

choirs

of

men

,

selected

from

the

rest

.

And

he

fixed

their

number

at

seventy

-

two

,

having

respect

,

I

think

,

to

the

number

of

the

tongues

that

were

confused

,

or

rather

divided

,

at

the

time

of

the

building

of

the

tower

.

And

what

was

typified

by

this

,

but

that

hereafter

all

tongues

shall

again

unite

in

one

common

confession

,

when

the

Word

takes

possession

of

the

whole

world

?